John Butler, Ocean - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@VirginRock]

Leave your questions ONLY here, please!

[@richardj9016]

?

[@jimstewart8122]

When are you going to do Steven Wilson's Routine accompanied with the animated video for added emotional wreckage? 😁 I know this is not the questions you're looking for, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in early. 👍👍

[@sgt.blkdog3840]

Why do you continue to subject yourself to a genre (metal) that you clearly don’t enjoy, and doesn’t appear that you ever will?

[@rubikmonat6589]

How do you resist diving into an artist like this that piques your interest?

[@sinewriter]

Do you have any pet cats? And if not why not?

[@avici0182]

I've listen to this song for nearly 13 years now. This is one of those songs I consider my life songs. Like an ocean wave, it's been there through moments of happiness and pain. It takes me to places where I've been and to places I haven't been yet. It lets me know that everything will be okay

[@alexeyman7301]

Honestly, I'm the same way. I'm 32 now, and there are only a handful of songs that have followed me this long. It's honestly not that hard for me to answer "what's your favorite song?" It can be any of a few that I'm very confident will probably be in my arsenal for the rest of my life as well at this point.

[@jeremykothe2847]

This is passion.

[@noteverton]

This is being played on a 12 string guitar with only eleven strings. If you watch the video of Ocean 2012, you'll see exactly what he's doing. He taps on the sound box and has specially shaped finger nails. He's using a swell pedal and a pedal for the bass drum. I hear a lot of Scottish and Irish influences in this piece and some English folk music.

[@CeasefireNow2024]

I hear gypsy influences in his music and I think he went to India and trained under Sitar masters. I can hear that too. Also he has his Aussie Victorian Goldfields ancestry but also one of his great great grandfathers was a Buglarian revolutionary. So he has that eastern European ancestry too. His music is just worldly and beautiful.

[@ragnarironspear1791]

John Butler is a legend

[@PeterBuwen]

...in eastern New South Wales. 😉 Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin or Paco Di Lucia are guitar legends.

[@dr.alimpije511]

@@PeterBuwen oh ,I love that trio,its part of my collection ...also paco de lucia solo albums

[@PeterBuwen]

@@dr.alimpije511 Yes, the live album of the Trio was a MUST in the 1980s, isn't it? Well, due to my deep longing for good rock music caused here, I came across Supertramp again. I watched the concert in Paris in 1979. Although I used up five tissues, I also regained hope that the world is not as bad as Metal pretends.😁

[@DeeezNutz]

Met him about 7 years ago, traveling Australia, working at his place. Real genuine and interested person. Fun thing was they were practicing at the time, so had live music working! I didnt know at the time who he was, but I sure did after those days!

[@Massygo]

this number was ispired by the ocean, when John left USA to autralia/newzealand he did cross the pacific by boat. That made him compose this fantastic tune

[@ozidanni]

You said "electric guitar" in here. It's an acoustic with 11 strings. I hope some time later that you found a video to watch him doing it. It is incredible. The "Spanish" sound you're hearing is probably the influence of American Bluegrass and Australian Folk in the modern Australian Roots Music genre.

[@joshperry8125]

@jooohan And it is his OG Maton. I think it's retired now.

[@russdy1982]

His live performance of this song at Fuji rock Japan was incredible.

[@kalebnolan8343]

I can only speculate but I think the song is called ocean because it’s about traveling oceans but at the end of the day you come back home. That’s why it keeps coming back to the same sound more or less. No matter where you go, no matter the oceans you travel you’ll always come back home.

[@markholan4534]

You need to see him play it live. He is mesmerizing to watch. My favorite guitarist and I've seen some great guitarists in my life

[@sicknarty9457]

The fact you called out clear warm water and swimming through coral, is so on point considering he's from Australia.

[@bradeast8021]

Hes from perth in western australia which is not known for coral, australia is very very large… still a fair call but dont go thinking we’re very small… you have to drive days north or to the other side of the country to find good coral

[@biased1]

Definitely more Irish in its roots. This is my soul song that lifts my spirits - it’s like soaring. I had the privilege of seeing him play this at Red Rocks -a truly park experience.

[@peterhughes8699]

Well that made a nice break from the metal songs people have been thrusting at Amy. John Butler lives near me in australia and I've seen him live many times. He always plays acoustics, often 12 stringers, several dobros and often with slide. He's a temperamental, often self indulgent guy. His best albums are his 3 first ones imo

[@vohbovohborian28]

Good, because although I love classic rock, I dislike metal to great extent.

[@Rossstewart88]

Home is his best album, Faith is his best song. Fight me

[@tomsan7742]

i don't know about butler's other tunes, but ocean is done with an 11-string - just a single g-string ( no octave paring )

[@MrStredders]

@@tomsan7742it’s also done in Open C (‘Sea’) tuning, which I think is pretty nice 😊

[@rubikmonat6589]

This song is quite special to me, every few months, If I'm having a tumultuous overwhelming day at work, I take some time out and close my eyes and listen to this song. Somehow it feels refreshing, it takes me out of the pressures of work much like a swim in the ocean. I always come back refreshed with a different perspective.

[@JoseElNazar]

Thank you, I think that seeing him playing it would've added more but this is hands down the best analysis of the son. Thank you very much!

[@dregs33s98]

Hi, So I have not commented yet but have been watching for a while now. As someone who has spent the last 50+ years listening to a wide array of music from classical to death metal I can't even imagine how overwhelming this must be for Vlad to curate Amy's journey. The variety of music even so far has been awesome! As long as Vlad and Amy stay away from the country music genre I'll be along for the ride, and likely enjoying myself. Thanks sharing your adventure.

[@lupcokotevski2907]

I've always seen this piece as invoking the gradual movement of low tide to high tide at the beach, capturing the gentle ebbs and flows and progressing to the eventual arrival of the waves crashing on the shore. I can also hear the squawking of sea gulls, which are ever present on Australian beaches.

[@stuartdubbs9605]

I agree to this idea but on a different perspective, I see a lot of what the ocean has to hold. Within its calm joyful sunny days you have glimpses of a storm turning more violent. The first few breaks are like seeing the overcast from shore and sighing relea as it passes until it hits you

[@DaCheat100]

@@stuartdubbs9605 beautifully said.

[@renepeterse1884]

If you venture into acoustic guitar work, you need to dive into open tunings. You can find all about it on the internet. It opens a range of opportunities for guitarists. And you need to dive into John Fahey.

[@Chamomileable]

What you're thinking of with the effect after the change is a form of legato unique to instruments with fretboards called hammer-ons and pull-offs or tapping. By hammering the fretting hand finger down onto the string and/or pulling it off with the right force, you can transition from one note to another without needing to pluck the string again. Additionally, the percussive effect is achieved on acoustic guitars by drumming on the body of the guitar, using the sound hole the same way that drum resonators work. By combining the drumming and tapping, you can get self-accompanied segments like the ones you pointed out.

Hi Amy, that was fun. I didn't expect John Butler in this series, but that was a nice surprise. If I'm not mistakes John plays an acoustic 12-string guitar with a pickup, instead of an solidbody electric. But I'll go to the analysis video now. The John Butler Trio is well worth a look, if you like this kind of music. Something else you might enjoy is Ayreon. It is Prog-Rock/Metal, but has Violin, Cello and Flute and composition wise I would place it near Musical Theater or maybe even Opera. Every Album is an entire story and every vocalist has a character he/she plays. Sometimes there is even narration. The composer behind the project is Arjen Anthony Lucassen from the Netherlands. The usual piece to start with is "The Day That The World Breaks Down" which has Pop-Up commentary from Arjen giving some background information. And it is the first song of the 2017 album The Source and is in some way a kind of overture to the album, introducing all the characters. Maybe Vlad has heard of them and can recommend a better song. And now I'm off to the John Butler analysis...

[@rabiatorthegreat6163]

This is something quite different from my usual fare, and I like it. Even if this particular piece might not go on my play list. But reaction channels like this tend to take you to new places in music, and sometimes you find something really amazing 🙂.

[@dangermandave67]

John started playing this song as a busker on the streets of Fremantle, Western Australia. The town is on the Indian Ocean. You can literally smell the ocean from the spot outside the market where he used to play. He changes the song every time he plays it. I’ve been privileged to see him play it live a couple of times. Always a mesmerizing experience.

[@jovana_r]

I am not a huge guitar lover, so I haven't heard many guitar instrumentals like this, but I have to say that this was really beautiful. I didn't expect to like it but I do, very much. 🖤

[@Ulexcool]

I´m so confused.

[@jovana_r]

@@Ulexcool Why?

[@Lonewolfmike]

Check out what Roy Clark can do with a guitar. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5nMfJqbf7tmoZI

[@peterliljeholmen5703]

My first listen to this song and artist too, thnx for sharing the listening with you Amy and to get your fantastic inputs. Liked it a lot and will dig deeper into his music. Came to think about Nick Drake when I heard this and I am pretty sure you would also like him. So as a suggestion for a reaction, I would recommend River man or any other song from Nick Drake!

[@mikeconway9849]

Very nice reaction Amy! Not heard this artist before but I enjoyed it very much. He brings to mind an artist from my youth - Phil Keaggy of Glass Harp.

[@dbutcher84]

It did sound like an acoustic guitar, and I believe some of the differences you may have heard is that it is played with metal strings rather than nylon. There probably were some effects added also, such as reverb.

[@rubikmonat6589]

The live version he plays an 11 string acoustic. I don't know id it's custom or one fell off and he liked it.

[@dbutcher84]

@@rubikmonat6589 I thought it had that fuller sound but couldn't quite tell.

[@stephenburgess626]

Glad you enjoyed it. Can't wait for the analysis of it 😀

[@cceres]

This is one of those songs where watching the video of him playing it *greatly* enhances the experience even from what it is. The song is very much a journey.

[@KongKreativity]

This song gives me goosebumps everytime. Such an amazing song, so many feelings.

[@michaellueneburg2261]

Great 1st listen! My first listen as well. I get water, but I'm not sure it brings me to the ocean. .....Well maybe near the end.

[@jonasbjork6593]

Great music, misguided title. I am more reminded of a mountain stream, a small flow of water that is sometimes fast and turbulent and sometimes slow and mellow. Almost like a controlled chaos, a little like this piece.

[@alansmith1989]

Made a nice change from last few listens. I like variety in these reaction videos. It reminded me a bit of the style of Bert Jansch.

[@hansmahr8627]

The most annoying thing about reaction channels is when they get taken over by one specific fan group which only recommends stuff from one genre and suddenly it's all metal or all K-Pop or whatever. There's so much amazing music in all sorts of genres, I don't know why you would limit yourself like that. In general the recommendations of the people on channels like this are often very limited, at least in terms of what's getting upvoted. I really love this channel and its approach, would hate if it became focused mostly on metal. There's already too much of it for my taste and not even the really great stuff.

[@dc69077]

What’s amazing about this piece is how John plays it slightly differently every time he performs. It really is an ever evolving masterpiece. ❤

[@tonytroiani6599]

Amy your analysis of classical rock music is always excellent. I would very much enjoy listening to your inspirational analysis of the Moody Blues knights in white Satin brilliantly sung by Justin Hayward. This band had a habit of blending orchestra and rock music, with some ochestral ensemble but primarily the mellotron knights in White Satin is featured at the end of the album, Days Of Future Past, last but one track and the last track smoothly following on into poetry. I'm not completely taken by the whole album, but that is the same for many classical and pop albums, where you would injoy one particular part or track, I'm hoping you will find this piece with the following poem interesting. I look forward to your response 🥂

[@TheDoctorFlay]

Thanks for introducing me to this whoever picked it. Very enjoyable.

[@aleclewis9123]

This is one of those songs that is kept fresh and different at every gig. 🙂 One of the best things ever!!

[@dannyhedges9088]

He also doesn’t play this the same way twice.

[@stevenglenn4176]

All roads lead to one player...Tommy Emmanuel.

[@RennersPT-C]

I admire your skill to hear exactly what is shown on the visual. The Spanish influence is also a perfect pick up

[@alf3654]

As far as metal is concerned, i think Fade to Black (from Metallica) would be a good option to listen to. Or even Iron Maiden with songs like Run to the Hills, Hallowed By The Name or Fear of the Dark.

[@edwardrutledge2765]

It’s not difficult discerning Spanish guitar influences, but since the focus here is Virgin Rock, I’ll note the The Who crept into this piece as well.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

I don't listen any spanish influence... being spanish myself and a guitar aficionado. Nothing here related to the long tradition of spanish guitar... didn't like this piece either, I don't get why people is fascinated by this style of percusive acoustic guitar playing... there's also a rich american guitar tradition far from this and much more interesting than a player hammering his guitar... I liked the intro, though, because it has harmony and melody

[@yinoveryang4246]

10:40 The "swell" is happening in the studio, it's also panning left to right, and there's EQ changing. Sometimes guitarists use the volume knob, but this is not that, this sounds like production. It gives some variety to sections that would otherwise be fairly uniform to listen to.

[@jeremykothe2847]

In at least some live versions I've seen, he controls both effects she highlighted with foot pedals.

[@yinoveryang4246]

@@jeremykothe2847 yes there something maybe a volume pedal, and some kind of breaking up, that could be any variety of things. that hadn’t occurred to me.

[@yinoveryang4246]

@@jeremykothe2847 well I could be wrong

[@chrisparti]

When he is playing this piece live, you can see he has a microphone in front of him, picking up the acoustic sound of the guitar, the strings, and his tapping etc, He also has two leads from his acoustic guitar, one is from a bridge mic/pickup and the other is for the conventional 6 pole pickup mounted in the sound hole. I think the pickup in the sound hole is routed through his pedal board, which he swells in with his left foot using a volume pedal, (which probably has a compressor and bit of gain added). He uses this to increase the volume and urgency of the sound to add dynamics, all three feeds would be mixed together. He also has a wood block for his right foot which has a pickup attached which acts like a bass drum. You really should watch the video, if even just for your own enjoyment, it is mesmerising, he is completely lost in the piece...

[@xxKanuKxx]

amazing reaction, as usual... He's using an acoustic guitar. The effect you're talking about is achieved by hammering his fingers onto the fretboard (as opposed to plucking the string) with gradually increasing force, so it gets louder... Most of this song is done using this hammering effect - which gives a whole other dimension to the dynamics of a guitar. Hammering is more percussive, and a combination of picking and hammering allows for incredibly fast fingering. You can watch him do it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/noLNqJ6Op8iIqNU

[@yuriyrozhankovsky4833]

I think this live version is even more interesting than studio version. May be it is early version or adopted to live perfomance

[@callumnolan]

His 12-string (technically 11-string) acoustic guitar also has a pickup that he feeds through effects pedals including overdrive, which he is mixing in for the aforementioned effect.

[@mchamster7]

@@callumnolan The part being referred to is the swells, which he's doing with a volume pedal. Cuts it back when he starts the hammers & pull-offs, then brings it in before rapidly cutting it back again.

[@callumnolan]

@@mchamster7 That's what I was referring to. I called it an overdrive but I think you're right in that it's a volume pedal mixing in the siginal from the higher-gain pickup.

[@jeremykothe2847]

No it's a pedal at least in the live version.

[@mburl]

I love my rock and metal but I love this kind of acoustic guitar playing too, very relaxing to listen to. Edit: I can personally reccomend Yvette Young and Jon Gomm

[@fdub1189]

You can see what he is doing when hitting/tapping his guitar and using pedals in this studio recording from 2012: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJW8e5mVrsesjNE

[@brianMcGranahan0311]

As a giant fan of this song, I was 30 seconds into your video and excite to watch your mind blow. Also, you really need to watch him play this to really appreciate the complexity of this song.

[@robfriesen2341]

This is a very nice piece of guitar work. I had not heard of John Butler before this so I am interested. If you want to try something else in the instrumental guitar world, check out Gabrielle and Rodrigo. They are two Mexican guitarists who only do instrumental acoustic music. Tamacun is one of my favorite pieces.

[@Someguy_8e2]

*Rodrigo Y Gabriella

[@slothkng]

I feel like you should check out Jason Becker he was diagnosed with ALS in his 20s but he was an awesome guitarist and he still composes stuff for others now

[@MEH-xn7yb]

I was hoping Chris Squire’s bass-only fish would immediately swim by but it looks like we missed that little joy

[@andrewbarber8758]

Yes is in her future, it cannot be avoided in this type of endeavor.

[@goitidanielaser2167]

Took me 4 months to learn this. This was like 2-3 years ago. To this day I have yet to reach his tempo and I am still improving and adding my own touch to it. Very complex song. One of my favorite solo guitar songs. Edit: As a player who learnt this song I can confirm its not as easy as it sounds. The shift between fingerpicking and strumming; shift between themes are not that easy and some rhythms are quite hard specially in his tempo. What I love about this piece is that you are always curious to see how he continues every theme, how does he resolve the melody.

[@teresab1341]

Really enjoying learning from you and listening to the music. Some I've heard and some I've not. Thank you!

[@GordaoSemFuturo]

Your channel is a GEM! Thank you! I found you through your Opeth video but i love John Butler too!

[@joeschmoe3665]

One of my favorite and most advanced idiosyncratic guitar pieces ever and I have been playing guitar for 20 years, believe me I can play this but to keep his rythm and tie it all together is incredibly him, hence the word idiosyncratic

[@bradeast8021]

The fact that every reaction video I have seen takes his studio version of the song is interesting, it really needs to be heard live, it has so much life when experienced by others, really a Sartre masterpiece, instead of hell, heaven is other people, this song feeds off and nourishes the energy of its audience.. the live versions are infinitely more rich, nuanced and alive… please watch his live renditions, particularly fuji and federation square…. An unending masterpiece

[@seacruise7383]

Enjoyed hearing how you interpret the "meaning" of this song. It is a roller coaster of emotions....best enjoyed alone for me😊

[@yellowtruckproductions7502]

After she's worked through Rock genres, Amy would be ready for some funk! Love to hear her comments on Ghost Note!

[@LuckyOwl_]

This is my favourite song. It’s haunting the more you listen to it

[@seawolf_USA]

An incredible guitarist for sure

[@vaguetymora826]

John grew up where I live in Australia. Yup, that’s pretty much how we feel about the Ocean here. Also, he’s using a stomp box. That’s a wooden box with a microphone in it that you tap your foot on.

[@vincentdumont-mackay7142]

I did not know this musician. Nice discovery. Thank you :).

[@richardsimpson2439]

Listen to Sunrise Over Sea. Great album.

[@markholan4534]

He plays an amplified 11 string acoustic guitar

[@ianbotha9912]

This is the first time I hear this piece too... It sounds to me like an interpretation of mariachi guitar techniques. A fascinating investigation might be Seagull by Carlos Santana. Imagine that, Spanish Rock and roll!

[@katsboy22]

Let's challenge her marvelous brain with some YES - CLOSE TO THE EDGE

[@woodwind314]

Watch/listen to the live version. Forget about the title. Analyze less, or at least not as compartmentalized. This song is a whole. Live version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/noLNqJ6Op8iIqNU

[@terencemcnamara3855]

Peter Greens Albatross is anoher guitar gem out there. Nice video.

[@dr.alimpije511]

don't even try to compare it with this ..Albatross is masterpiece composition...timeless

[@terencemcnamara3855]

@@dr.alimpije511 Ohhh i 100% agree with you.

[@ΤάσοςΤζιβιτζής]

Never heard the piece, it's very nice, although it sounds to me more like an irish/celtic music theme, rather than spanish.

[@caro.k2958]

Definitely in the ocean for sure I’m from near John in Perth and this to me epitomizes the crystal ocean here and spending time there playing drifting swimming exploring.❤

[@JG-lx5pm]

something even BETTER than this is "Addagio for strings" it REALLY and I mean REALLY grabs you, so much that is intended classic yet it is heard in discos, nightclubs and new music styles, is that good.

[@Rossstewart88]

That would be an interesting reaction

[@MartijnHover]

It is a 12-string guitar. It consists of 6 pairs of strings, the highest pair being tuned the same, the lowest four an octave apart.

[@user-pd7il3xz5j]

John actually removed a string.

[@mattlast4093]

i had to have a wee giggle at " some kind of percussive effect hes doing on the guitar there".......... yah.........you could say that 🙂

[@Leopoldo888]

The percussion is PERUVIAN CAJÓN... the guitar plays Spanish figures, but the chords/the harmony can be traced to Irish... Greek or even Hindi tradition... its world music.

[@jeffbrehove2614]

Ooooo! LOVE John Butler. Love the John Butler Trio. "Daniella" is my personal favorite

[@dangibb1329]

The ebb and flow of the rhythms of life eluded to as a metaphorical ocean.

[@AdamSanford]

You need to watch the video of him playing to see how he produces all these sounds. Listening to the audio only leaves out so much of what you need to know in order to understand his sound.

[@user-pd7il3xz5j]

Exactly. At least she could just listen first, but then do a comment video while actually watching John Butler play.

[@demianseale501]

Loved listening to this. Reminds me of Michael Hedges.

[@dr.alimpije511]

yes ,because he pioneered some guitar playing techniques that Butler obviously uses (copies) in this piece

[@dannyhedges9088]

He says this was his way to communicate to people without language. He was a busker on the streets, and often didn’t speak the same language as those watching. He does use a pedal for the added sounds. He does use a kick drum, but post percussion is done with his fingers. It is a 12 string guitar.

[@tjampman]

Oh, Why did you stop in the middle of the guitar solo? Thats the best bart 😝

[@DavidHicks-y8u]

It is interesting to see her facial expressions while listening to the music. Many of them match Butler's facial gyrations when he is playing.

[@jjvoges4037]

I'm sure someone pointed it out, but on a technical point, this isn't an electric guitar. It's an acoustic guitar with a pickup. So, primarily acoustic, but you can edit the sound by connecting it to effects pedals. I believe he is using a volume pedal and an expression pedal. The video shows him playing with the pedals as well.

[@edwardofgreene]

The first time I heard this it was on a KZbin video. One woman commented "Whew!!! I sure hope that guitar is at least 18 years old." Kinda summed it up I think.

[@nickcruz5609]

Can you do more old school rock? I enjoyed your take on DP led zep Ect.

[@simonmarshall180]

He has his guitar made for him. So he can play 11 strings in a finger style. By Maton.

[@fifthhoven]

I think, while there are also small water movements, it's later clearly about a fairly wavy, and eventually even windy and spraying, sea, with a horizon-view. Someone else pointed out how it's only in one key, and this, combined with a clear centre of one note or a few oftentimes, reinforces that horizon-view, I think. I simply don't think one needs to go underwater to understand, feel or envision it at all. Maybe saying it's underwater is some way to compensate for how some seem to assume it's in the northern hemisphere or even northern Europe, when I think one clearly feels the Australian influence. And that little bit of extra maybe seems to motivate you to go underwater...

[@chefstar72]

The beginning makes me think of someone going out for an early morning surf, taking in the surroundings before paddling out and getting ready to catch the wave, which is where the new tempo kicks in. Almost triumphant and uplifting at that point.

[@dr.alimpije511]

But,the "real thing" in that genre would be michael hedges - aerial boundaries and don ross -thin air . This is like some combination of these two songs.

[@przemekz4]

Instrumental masterpiece.

[@tjampman]

I hope you are watching him play it in your further analysis...well, I'll get to that...

[@simonmarshall180]

I’m so sorry. I didn’t see your request for only questions. So. What key s is he playing ? I love your music posts. ❤ Simon in West Australia.

[@Pietervanloon1996]

A really nice suprise to hear this song here! I've been amazed for some time to see how one man can create this much music on one instrument (there's a youtube video of his studio recording, great recommendation!) On a different note, I wouldn't mind that when you mix/edit your video's, you put the sound of the music slightly louder than the intermitten parts. I love to emerse myself in the songs that pass on this channel, wouldn't hurt if they'd be slightly louder

[@manna6618]

This is a song for Western Australian's....who have looked beneath the surface of the ocean and discovered the world of whales, dolphins, dugongs, blue Manna crabs and Western Rock Lobsters, abalone and oysters, mussels, starfish and turtle's... you can't understand it till you put your head beneath the surface in the special country. X You totally got it, understood in every intricate way. X

[@bluechill4767]

agree with you , live here as well most will never know how special we have it , very special guitarist from freo

[@Keiren1]

I loved your thoughts on this! I have an interesting rabbit hole for you to go down if you are interested. Seeing that you are a harpist I thought you might be interested to know that there are hybrid instruments called harp guitars that a group of fingerstyle guitar players use. If you are interested in this I highly recommend the live version of Sayanara.Calm performed by Don Alder on harp guitar(he has other performanced on normal guitars). I also recommend The Friend I never met by Andy Mckee also on harp guitar. ^^

[@praveenb9048]

It has something in common with the faster part of a sitar performance.

[@RobertJones-et7gh]

Enjoyed your video reaction. Just an FYI (which has already been pointed out by others), the style is folk and bluegrass. No Spanish. Spanish styles (from Spain) would be flamenco and classical guitar. Other styles from other Spanish speaking countries would be Argentinian tangos, Mexican rancheros, etc.

[@DarrellW_UK]

I think that one of the biggest things you may be picking up in the guitar is that it is a 12 string guitar. This has the 4 lower strings doubled with an octave higher string and the 2 higher strings doubled with the same note, also a lot of his playing is by tapping which is where the string is fretted and tapped higher up with the plucking fingers, it almost gives it a percussive feel. There is also another Guitarist named Mike Dawes who plays the same way, he has played an adaptation of a Van Halen song as a monument to his passing; actually this would have been more in keeping with the channel.

[@intcheese]

To be pedantic, it's an 11 string. The G isn't doubled.

[@nitelite78]

The doubling of strings also creates a chorus like effect which to some may sound like some kind of effects processing.

[@bruceschmidt8752]

Instrumental is usually how I have described wordless music on rock albums.

[@mchamster7]

"This would be some nice background music..." waaaaiiit for it.... :)

[@beachamj]

Man I wished you had the video along with this 1!

[@Thatguy-ev9gg]

Great track. Will definitely be listening to itagain soon. It kind of reminds me of Undertale for some reason. Speaking of which, would love to see a reaction to the Undertale 5th Anniversary Concert at some point.

[@simonmarshall180]

John plays 11 strings. Which makes his sound unique.

[@felixalcott]

Yeah, I used to listen to him busking in Fremantle and Perth back in the day. I can't remember which string he used as as a single string, but he did use a 12 string acoustic guitar with 11 strings. I especially remember long fingernails on his right hand.

[@tylerdurden5597]

😊 Nice React thanks from Brasil, Love Jhon Betler - Ocean

[@Lonewolfmike]

Have you ever checked out Roy Clark and his guitar playing??

[@karangetangsteel9996]

This song expresses true musical freedom, unbound by outdated and dull conventions.