'In the style of' Andy McKee

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: Hey IG'ists and welcome to this tutorial in the style of the phenomenal acoustic guitarist Andy McKee. Andy McKee was born in Topeka, Kansas and is one of the world’s finest acoustic soloists. After receiving over 20 million views collectively for his Youtube videos which were posted by the independent record label “Candyrat”, Andy’s...

Media Length: 1:04

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: OK, lets check out the piece in it's entirety. I wrote this piece to highlight the techniques which Andy employs in his compositions so, as always, pay close attention to everything that is happening both technique wise and composition wise. Take note of any recurring motifs and how they develop throughout the piece and when you are done watching it, head o...

Media Length: 2:27

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: Welcome to part 1! Lets look at how the guitar is tuned: 6=D 5=A 4=D 3=G 2=A 1=E I have chosen to notate this piece in 4/4 as opposed to 2/4 for ease of score writing. However, what I have done is divide the bar into 2 beats with each beat in groups of 4 8th notes. The opening figure is one which recurrs throughout the piece so it is important that ...

Media Length: 2:17

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: The rhythmic figure we have here in the second part of the intro is the same as the first part but we have some development with the use of the open top string. Be sure to let that open string ring on throughout this section. Be careful during bars 15 and 16 as this position change does require a change of right hand fingering which could catch you out. As ...

Media Length: 1:45

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: Here we have the main melody of the piece. Notice how the tonality has changed from D min to D maj. I feel this has a very uplifting but subtle feel which I like a lot. A key element of playing pieces like this with this kind of tuning is to let all of the notes bleed into each other wherever possible. It gives a much more resonant sound so pay close atten...

Media Length: 2:50

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: OK, we are now back to the D min tonality. This section may require some extra practice as there are a couple of moments which could prove a little tricky. During bar 33, make sure that immediately after the percussion your right hand stays in position ready to play the following notes. There is quite a large position shift in the following bar which you w...

Media Length: 2:35

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: This section is a repeat of the previous section but with a change in bars 45 and 46.

Media Length: 1:09

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: The percussion effect during this section is played slightly differently to how we achieved the effect before, as in with the thumb. What is more effective here is to clench the hand into a fist and let it fall onto the strings so that they hit against the fretwire. Keep the hand nice and relaxed though as it will achieve the best results. Utilising this tec...

Media Length: 2:31

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Instructor: Rick Graham Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Acoustic

Excerpt: OK, we have now reached the final part and perhaps the most exciting part, Tapping!!! Note wise it is an exact repetition of part 6 but played with the inclusion of right and left hand taps. In order to get the best results it is essential that your hands are completely relaxed and that you don't try to tap too hard. This will result in poor quality tone a...

Media Length: 1:45