Kaki King rocks out to "Playing with Pink Noise"

[@MaxineParker-v1r]

I taught Katherine guitar at age 4, a very bright little girl. She says I was her only guitar teacher in her life. She amazes me by what she has created here. Continue on, dear girl, as I’m sure you have many more creations with the guitar during your lifetime❤️

[@obscuredgurl]

She fills my heart when it feels empty

[@mr.hashundredsofprivatepla3711]

You’re a legend for that

[@Davett53]

8/2023.........Wow! 2008 was so many life times ago. I regret not commenting sooner, as I have been enjoying your unique performances for at least that long. Hard to believe it has been 20 years since I first heard you perform (on your first CD) and I was so inspired, that I purchased your CD at this groovy little coffee house, in my town. Coffee houses come and go, and my favorite little spot, disappeared years ago. We lost so many fun stores, coffee cafes & diners during the wicked pandemic of 2020 & 2021. In fact I give thanks to you for your music as it helped me survive those two years in almost complete isolation. My city (Columbus, Ohio) was shut down, almost all businesses were shuttered, except for grocery stores. It was like something out of a horror movie about the Apocalypse. Hard to believe in 2023, things have never quite gotten back to the way they were. Most people still work from home, 1000s of skyscraper office buildings sit empty. Our once vibrant city life is still struggling, & many retailers still keep shorter hours.

[@ChronoPhoenix]

In my experience, I find her music astonishing, because, I simply FEEL it. I could recognize the sound of her guitar among other 100 guitarists. It's all about personal interpretation and taste. I love the way she plays, it's almost like her way to write, her calligraphy. And she has to be a great person regardless her ability.

[@Tessaj.06]

This comment is everything! Thanks for describing this awesome abstraction!!

[@obscuredgurl]

It's always been her love letter to the world

[@themindminder]

Brilliant !! ... When I was at university studying music, I noticed that the most criticism was directed to those who were the most original and the most talented, usually from the less talented in the campus. So to all the nit-picking nobodys who feel it neccisary to post negative comments about someone so talented, I look forward to reviewing the video responses of your performances that you will post so that we can all hear how great you are...

[@killalafturd]

i was about to ask for a tracklist of the songs she played and for everybody to gimme a thumbs up so TED could reply, when i came to a realization. We all owe it to her and ourselves to go out and acquire every single one of her songs. they may not all be masterpieces but i believe that the beauty of music are the little imperfections and many times what you don't hear.

[@addiejoy6779]

I like to watch this again every once in a while and it still blows my mind every time. This is the first time I ever heard Kaki King, and she's become such an inspiration to me. I hope someday soon I can play songs like this too!

[@maxineparker3372]

Your creativity truly amazes me, Katherine!❤

[@Nyxion95]

About halfway through I realized this had me smiling from ear to ear. Fantastic performance and awesome talent.

[@mondosci]

She's more than just uniquely talented, she approaches the instrument with an entirely unique process to express her musical concepts. Rarely, exceedingly rarely, do musicians of any type or style meet this caliber of invention . . . Kaki is one of those exceedingly rare examples.

[@tomwildun]

she makes sounds ive never heard on a guitar before amazing

[@crudhousefull]

This girl is absolutely incredible

[@danwilliams6367]

Saw Kaki live in Denver right around when this must have been recorded... still awed and moved by her playing all these years later.

[@lookierebuddy2]

I can't give the commenter a thumbs up since it seems commenting on comments is disabled here, but to say it longhand, it does also remind me of Michael Hedges in some ways. This is how the guitar grows more voicings. Not everybody liked Les Paul or Hendrix back then for various reasons, but look at the impact. Many people can't see the value in it because they only want in music what pleases their ear presently. They have no context for this kind of stuff and that can be disconcerting. She's bringing in the sound of everything from percussion to wind chimes and tossing in tricks from Kottke to Kenya. Groovy, sez I. Stretch and distort the heck out of that envelope. I'm definitely listening and enjoying. Brava!

[@AlanCarre]

Which commenter did you want to respond to? Because its not disabled, it's only partly disabled and you can comment on someone else's comment just like I have on yours.

[@FrankLyalone]

Alan Carre It just needs an extra little push. You will receive this, but haven't yet received the last reply.

[@lookierebuddy2]

Alan Carre Ah, well today replying and thumbs up is working. Go fig. Anyway it was just agreeing with Daerdon a few posts back who said her sound was reminiscent of Michael Hedges. But I wrote it here so the thought is complete. Thanks. MOMENTS LATER: I looked down there again and it seems to be allowing me to comment on posts within a year (?) but the ones from 4 years ago doesn't show the buttons. So maybe there's a time limit so as to not pull on the KZbin resources keeping them interactive after a certain period. That's a guess anyway.

[@AlanCarre]

Nah, the system works in a totally predictable way. To reply to a non-host top-level comment you need to make the reply, log on as a different user, reply to that same comment (yours would not appear) notice the "view 1 more comment" link. click on that, close your reply box and reply to the 2nd reply. Works every time.

[@FrankLyalone]

Agreed. So, even though this probably isn't necessary, I'll make sure to push the last one through by replying here.

[@DODurden]

hey, I'm "music literate" and I love the way this sounds. Technique is music is technique is... we can go 'round and round all day. The sound, the texture, the movement, all of it is pleasing to the ear. Just because it lacks such mundane things as 'lyrics' doesn't mean it's music wank.

[@P00P00B00]

My 7th grade art teacher showed me this and ever since i've been looking everywhere for Kaki King because i had forgotten her name and today a TED video popped up in related vids and all of my memory of her shot back and i quickly looked through this channel to find it. at long last ill look for her on itunes or something now :)

[@ChronoPhoenix]

Sincerely I love her voice, the way she speaks.

[@DetteAvalonFNP]

What a great addition to my Sunday morning! Thanks Kaki ! Thanks TED !

[@gunsgunsgunsbomb]

I've seen her live three times......... She is amazing on video, but it's a whole other experience seeing her live. It's almost magical.

[@PugFeist]

Yea she is freaking awesome. I like Andy Mckee as well but they sound different and they both make me feel happy. She rocks!

[@stienabolt]

from the instant she starts playing at 4:25 i completely lose myself. what a beautiful piece

[@driftwood277]

yeah, goby is a sweet awesome song

[@JohnMichael23inSD]

This was indeed among the most important music I have ever heard. Thanks TED for introducing me to Kaki King!

[@DarkZeroVenarius]

at about 13:16 goosebumbs start to form, but then she throws away that part and begins another one... gone... she's quite good, but she also makes me sad very often when I like parts of her songs and she starts a completly different part...

[@trylonperisphere]

It's all a matter of taste. I like that it sounds different from other things I've heard. It's rather pleasant. I'm not particularly fond of jazz either, but it does sound tuneful to me. As a guitar player I have to admire her doing something new (to me) with the instrument.

[@ceeg0]

She mixes picking and tapping seamlessly, v. nice.

[@driftwood277]

Totally agreed! that is the whole purpose of art right there, for when else is one free than when expressing oneself through art? Her art is clearly a very pure form of self-expression.

[@MrZOMBIEKID]

shes still my fav guitarist!!

[@redbaron447]

you said it! i love them ovations.

[@NickBrightwell]

Kaki is accumulation of various styles of a genre called Fingerstyle Guitar. If this interests you look at the original innovators. Michael Hedges, Billy Mclaughlin, Leo Kottke, Pierre Bensusan, Guy Van Duser, Chet atkins,

[@booschman]

lol I was trying enriching my mind and stuff by looking through TED videos and I found this!! HOLY SHIT KAKI MADE IT ONTO TED SO AWESOME GAAAAAH!!!! And she played Magazine, the song that first got me interested in solo guitar, in such an awesome way! Goby sounds so good acoustic too!!! Though why Playing With Pink Noise is so popular is beyond me, I feel like it sounds terrible live every time I hear it. Too bad her newer cd's aren't solo anymore, still love 'er though. Keep being awesome!

[@nasiayam327]

She was awesome, AWESOME, although i have seen some of the techniques before, this is, FRESH!

[@mike28110]

simply amazing guitarist!

[@jdogatl]

She used to intimidate guys when in highschool because she was better than them given that she learned to play when she was young. Its just good to see her making it :) Go Kaki!

[@SyntheticFuture]

I have been trying to battle the "you can't do that" false argument for a while now. No offense, but people on youtube in general are not smart enough to understand they are using false arguments. Glad to see someone agreeing on me though =)

[@RantKid]

at first i thought this was stupid but as i listened on i was obsessed with how talented she really is! envy :(

[@sidewinder814u]

FANTASTIC!!! And thank you.

[@dorotwhy]

purecork! thanks for the heads up on Preston Reed! totally enjoyed his music... a hint of Appalachia. One of his guitars looks very similar to this one. :O)

[@pahji]

So sensitive and gob-smacking amazing! A fan!

[@nishyu9101]

@1:00 subtle but effective! Nice.

[@jwilson1673]

If you like her style see Michael Hedges Arrowhead (no i haven't read all the comments and yes it's possible someone already posted. She's amazing nonetheless I'd leave a link but it won't let you.

[@driftwood277]

If you're wondering, the song is called Goby :p

[@sylviakl123]

It's true that everyone judges music differently--so, while I enjoyed this a lot, I understand that some may hate it. I just wish they would criticize her as a musician and not as a person. Also, though this is very technical stuff, some parts are quite expressive (and evoked certain emotions from me).

[@ATerribleBeast]

yeah sometimes i'm grumpy when i get on here. you are totally right, really it's about point of view, like you said. i've been referring to it lately myself as "attitude." "good" or "bad" are not real things. like you said. things are just different, not better or worse. haha yeah goby is my favorite, and actually i'm not really into playing with pink noise that much either, i just feel i have to defend it, since i saw her play it live, several feet away, and explain the name. i dunno. dumb.

[@WhiteTiger4200]

Awesome talent and great sense of humor :)

[@arjunsajeev]

Incredibly different! bravo!

[@chrisbarnes8867]

I would never imply her level of musicianship is anything less than what she’s proven in her career and demonstrated here. When my students 1st discover a guitarist using this technique they are in awe. They feel as if the musician had just invented this. I let them ramble for a while. Then we will spend the rest of the lesson YouTubing MICHAEL HEDGES. He obviously didn’t discover this technique but he seriously contributed to the eclectic style.

[@Acerrin]

i love her so much, amazing style

[@anujsharma3278]

Quarantine brought me here, GLAD!

[@stephane7789]

@Jsonn85 The name of the third song she does is Magazine ! ;)

[@polotenchikof]

oh god think i can watch this forever

[@하쿠니_히쿠]

oh her music is very soulful!

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

She and Andy have totally different musical styles. Only their playing style is similar. No point in comparing them. She's not trying for groove. You should feel a little uncomfortable and confused, but curious to see where it's going. AND you just don't like the sound of the ovation. It sounds just as it should. I love it.

[@WarzSchoolchild]

This instrumental grows on me, the more I hear it, the better I like it. and I am very 'picky' about what I like!

[@dave597]

very original and good

[@xanthus1]

I don't agree, but I don't think you should get thumbs down just because you have an opinion. And you were nice about it too. It's definitely not for everybody. I like it though.

[@Peters518]

Guitarist or a percussion-harpist that’s the question .. Just amazing Kaki!!! Peet

[@tallberg]

Now is a position in time, not time itself. If absolutely nothing changes from "then" to "now" how can you tell any time has passed?

[@KomodoVistas]

I can imagine Chris Broderick pulling this off since he's an exceptional classical guitarist. Even still, this girl is cutting edge!

[@MrRabb81]

She's so, (sighs) amazing......

[@skylux3727]

What is that third song? That hectic closer for the last couple minutes. Awesome!

[@blakereed1654]

Sky Lux Its called "Magazine" like a machine gun magazine which would make sense for this song

[@bowakowa]

I'm very impressed with her right hand. Bet those are acrylic nails. Don't ask how I'd know. I like the non-traditional guitar rhythms. She has obviously followed her own siren song, congrats to her.

[@herrbasan]

I do have to agree with the some of the comments, that it is still mostly a showcase of her abilities. Which is fine and impressive, but the idea/statement is missing.

[@flamshiz]

@justinden99 i'm going to have to disagree with your take on kaki king, as she is, in my opinion, brilliant... but andy mckee truly is one of the most talented guitarists i've heard in a while. i'll give you that

[@Trazynn]

Talented and witty... awesome.

[@ИгорьЕвтушенко-у7и]

У девочки есть концепция, она говорит магические вещи, и эти мысли приводят её на этот фантастический уровень гитарного мышления.... Остальное- дело техники. Кстати, в фильме Август Раш - она бесподобна!!

[@helgazubiz1750]

❤

[@spencer7890]

not the kind of music im into but i was definately entertained, thats true talent.....:D

[@Teabonesteak]

Immaculate hindsight.

[@lhl2500]

What was the second piece called? It was fantastic! Must find it on a CD.

[@LtShock]

You didn't say you didn't like it. You said the musician is awful. And she is extremely talented.

[@miaoster]

Is it strange to say she has the "look" of genius about her? Anyways, her small frame is just big enough to tote around her very large brain and enormous guitar - A person who has found her true calling. Beautiful! Thanks, Tedtalks and KZbin!

[@MaitredeDieu]

feels genuine

[@CPeyser08]

Very impressive... she's pretty funny too. Not saying it's the greatest performance ever, but definitely enough to keep my attention

[@00corin00]

I appreciate this...

[@Gmarcus8]

Everyones Soul is touched differently by art.

[@sudiin]

I have to agree with some of the previous comments, although yes, this sounded nice, yes she is indeed like a modern bard, the music is nothing earth-shattering.

[@gsjbaldwin]

Kaki is sublime

[@HiAdrian]

Very good, i liked it!

[@anarovsky1]

I love her :D. she's just awesome :)

[@TheToxisoul]

she's smaller and more talented than everyone, that's a fact!..

[@maraviyoso8473]

+Edwin Quintero and legally blind

[@blakereed1654]

Maravi Yoso she was legally blind when she had surgery but i dont think she is anymore

[@johndoe2]

Goby is great, actually! I was just talking about Playing With Pink Noise. The rest is great, my guitar is right now Goby-tuned, I've played is more than once. By the way, there's nothing like good taste, taste cannot be good or bad, it's about point of view.

[@HempForPresident]

Fingerstyle guitar is a popular style. Look up Don Ross and Andy McKee.

[@blackghost214]

I love this woman.

[@ampdals]

Fair point.

[@gspahr]

Looks like she likes heavy gauge strings. The tone and overall sound are astounding.

[@vikitheviki]

Awesome!

[@LadyBelladonna1313]

Amazing musician, brilliant guitarist, intelligent and fantastic sense of humour and hot!

[@ninjack5255]

i like the in betwixt commentary =]

[@moonmann11]

how do you watch this and say "i dont like this, definitely dislike". those 44 people are the reason i'm seriously loosing hope in humanity

[@obscuredgurl]

It's ok because she restores hope!!

[@markbare2817]

It's because those people know nothing of musicality, vision or integrity, Kaki embodies all 3 elements, especially artistic vision. She's an artist and the guitar is her pallette!!🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@sensensen]

no, time is a dimension. so it's like length width and height. which all started at the big bang.

[@BriskAxe]

Design new strings that don't stretch out, and make sure along with that you design tuning keys that stay locked in place, but move when you want to tune the strings.

[@SoapyCilantro]

yup!

[@hermance]

Strangely similar feel and sound to Tosin Abasi in an odd way.

[@k2beats785]

hermance FOR REAL!!!

[@Ch28Kid]

THAT WAS AMAZING!

[@TMAbbATH]

She is so talented and...so sweet tiny girl

[@clanrewired]

Technology, Entertainment, Design: TED This would be the Entertainment bit.

[@stuffisgd]

Damn! You posted my comment! Well said.

[@5MinuteEarth]

Amazing. 1st track is Playing With Pink Noise, 3rd is Magazine. Does anyone know the name of the 2nd track?

[@stuntnet]

I think al lot of people watchign this miss the point. She's playing what SHE likes and what music she wants to express...If you don't like it, that doesn't make it bad. Thelonius Monk used to say that he plays what he wants and maybe someday, perhaps 15-20 years later, people will pick up in what he was doing doing. It's not a competition...it's music. Try it, if you don't like it..you don't have to listen anymore.

[@johndoe2]

You seem to be judging me and analyzing me by knowing too little about me. I was talking only about "Playing with Pink Noise", this seems more avant-garde than the others. And what do you mean by "top 40's"? If you are talking about pop music, I don't listen to pop music; I listen to many kind of genres actually, some are more experimental and some are less. I guess this one is just not my taste, you shouldn't get mad because of it or judge me that way.

[@andrewbeldy6536]

Pure genius.