I'm 72 yrs old and I've heard all the guitar heroes from 1960 on. This guy is my favorite because he proves you don't have to be super loud or super fast to be super good.
Mark Twain also said “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Of course, that quote isn't particularly relevant in this case, but it's a good quote. Funny and true.
@@RodericSpode Mark Twain was speaking of a time when Victorian etiquette ruled the day but now the world is obsessed with persons who wear as little as possible and show much as possible
@@benv770 you misinterpret the quote. "Naked" is humorous euphemism/hyperbole for "unkempt/raggedy/poorly styled". It still rings true under this interpretation.
He is, yes, but Mark shows VERY LITTLE of his techniques as we see in each of his videos... He stalls too much talking about the pick, the guitar kind, the sound, the strings, etc...
@@elputas But it seems like this is an interview not an instructional video. Tommy Emmanuel is very quick to teach but he can be fucking annoying in other ways. I'd happily just have beer with both of them though.
He summed it ALL up at the end. "You've got to really WANT to be able to play." People can talk & talk & theorize & give opinions & talk about "gifted" this & "talented" that, but it's the same with most skills. If you WANT it BAD, you'll keep at it & you won't get worse. It's DESIRE!
@@Bulletguy07 I hear that. An old sax player I worked with when I was a kid sort of down-played 'talent,' though; he said; "It's funny: It seems like the more I practice & listen to & learn from guys who are better than me?...the more 'talented' I get!" LOL It's true, though: some people seem to "take to it" a little more naturally. Keep on rollin', Brother!
People often talk about him as a guitarist, but he is also one of the great songsmiths of his generation, the passion and craft he puts in to his music and his ability to be humble and hold back his ego as a player has brought many hours of absolutely world class music that continues to inspire great emotion to this day, hes not underrated or unknown but hes certainly not talked about nearly enough when the greats are mentioned
Yes, of course. But one thing was clear to me as soon as Telegraph road came out. The first 3 albums were way better than the 4 th. I immediately felt that the first 3 albums had been in the can before the first album was released. And I was proved right when, in 1999 I think, I picked up a box set in virgin megastore of dire straits live at the BBC 1977, recorded before the release of their first album, but containing almost all the songs from the first 3 albums.
I don't know Mark personally but cannot understand some people thumbs down a hard working man, who got success through hard work, and at that, created some beautiful music for many people around the world to enjoy.
It's quite easy to hit the thumbs down ikon by accident, when holding/switching your iphone from vertical to horisontal position. I have done that a number of times... Probably also more often than I have managed to notice.
Sick and mentally unstable people loves to sting like a spider and hide behind the dislike button. Dunno what the heck they know about Mr Mark Knopfler, or do they even know real music.
This man appears to have learned far deeper things than playing guitar, he has learned the rhythm of life. I have found such humility with so much success to be extremely rare. I applaud him for that more than any of his wonderful music.
2:40 Mark's very respectful about how the cameraman is focusing on his left hand. And very politely get him to get back to the fingerstyle lesson. Humble, and badass.
Back in the day, nodding off with the guitar in my lap with bloody left finger tips was not unusual. 40 years and a stroke later, and I find myself doing it all over again. Learning from scratch to play guitar twice in one's life is a supreme challenge, but one that I vow to accomplish while I still have some functional brain cells left in my head.
Who the best is, is subjective. We like who we like. I will say that MK produces a distinct tone that, to me, is unique to him. Some say it's because he doesn't use a pick. I feel it is the sound of the longing heart.
I know his secret: He LOVES it. All of it. "y'know it's falling asleep with it and waking up and. . ." This is a man who started as a kid loving the sound of a guitar. He didn't need to be pushed. He didn't need to be told when to practice. He didn't start out wanting to be a rock star. He LOVES the sound of a guitar. You can't make that happen. If you find that thing in life and you have the basic talent, you can become just like Mar. . . ah, who am I kidding. This guy is just special! I do love to hear him play and explain. It's like Michaelangelo saying "Well first I hit the marble a little hard to start the edge, then I soften the features with smaller hits" -as he is sculpting "David"!
My husband was lucky to have grown up with & knows Mark & his brother David while my friend on the other side of the water was Van Morrison & the members of "Clannad". Mark, for all his talent is a truly humble human being.
Seems to me, and it's just my observation, that the really talented (and Mark has it in spades), have such an endearing humility that makes people gravitate towards them. Mark Knopfler is without doubt one of the best guitarists on the planet.
As admirable as his playing is, what is even more fascinating is Mark as a person. He loves what he does and seems like a genuinely kind and down to earth person.
And let's face it, that is the real lesson of this video. Even someone with Mark's potential would have gone nowhere without countless hours of painstaking work.
I have mates I've attempted to learn over years, they buy a guitar and want to play, I say keep it handy in your lounge, pick it up when you've 10mins boredom or whatever, just keep picking it up !!, I go back a week later and say, you been practising this week ? NO, I've been waiting till you came 😮wtf, = they never got there !!! you have to fall in love with the instrument, its an affair your having !!
@@colauty2598 this is the reality of most mediocre guitar players around the world and I'm talking about myself here as well. Who cares I can learn a few tougher pieces by heart, if I can't improvise for shit or feel tired after 10mins of playing because I just don't put enough time in. I'm just not that invested and I have other hobbies. I would love to play like Mark does, but I know how much dedication and sacrifice of my free time it would take. I'm not sure I'm willing to make that sacrifice.
I'm just getting into finger style guitar and just discovered Mark Knopfler. I knew he was an astounding finger style player but I had no idea he was such a blues hound. But it kind of makes sense he got his start playing country blues. It's so impressive the way he just bangs out Freight Train and Mississippi Blues and Blind Blake licks like it's nothing. I'm sure his knowledge of the old blues masters is encyclopedic.
Funny you mentioned this. I respect his humility or perhaps a complete disregard for arrogance. . . Reason being, he appears to be genuine as if to think: "I'll just sit don't here, show the kiddies something completely different so far as picking, as opposed to using a pick goes & we'll be off"! Such a great way to teach the new players coming up through the ranks.
"You have to really want to be able to play"! It really does take that kind of dedication and commitment! Thanks for ALL of the great lyrics, vocals and music Mark, especially one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES - as a retired US Army Officer - which is "Brothers In Arms"!
A simple and accessible speech to the general public from an hard-working artist. Because to play as well as he does, it's not magic. It's many and many hours of practice.
"This is a guitar teacher's nightmare, because I'm not really doing it the way it is supposed to be done...." The great ones like Mark K. find their own style, their own place on the guitar to call home. There's no one "real" way to play the guitar; there are probably as many ways of approaching the instrument as there are people playing it. That's one of the beautiful things about it. My goodness, what an amazing talent Mark Knopfler is! His noodling around for a moment here and there is more satisfying musically, than most of the music on radio today! What an amazing gift...
I love how the guitar replaces progressively his words. "Well first you ding tating ping ting and then you dong padong tong tong, you know, dong ding ta dong"
It's like Bob Ross... "ok, next, you just gotta.... simply...." **paints an entire perfect mountain in 2 seconds** ... "just like that, nice n easy". You can't teach where the rubber hits the road.Pure intuition at one point. Understanding how we understand the complexity of music is too nuanced to teach. You can teach technicality, but you can't teach how to utilize it effectively.
He did nothing here that's in any way difficult for regular guitarists, this is all fairly basic fingerpicking and 12 bar blues or pentatonic riffs, he's not doing any tim Henson shit haha
The beauty of his style/s is that nobody told him what he COULDN'T do. Marvellous. Well over fifty years since I started playing and I have the joy of learning. It's a wonderful feeling. Thanks again for posting this all those years ago.
My girlfriend (now my wife of 34 years) bought me the first Dire Straits album which included Sultans of Swing, and I was hooked! Mark is definitely one of the best ever guitar players ever. Saw him at the NEC and he was absolutely superb.,
Idk why people act like self-teaching is a big deal. I can’t imagine any other way. I didn’t have a teacher either and all I did was just screw around all day and try to learn songs off of TH-cam tutorials. Idk if you’d consider that being self taught but basically I just picked songs I love that were way over my skill level and just grinded until I could play it well. Then I’d spend a lot of time just screwing around within chords I’d learned practicing and improvising finger picking patterns. Maybe I still don’t know how to play guitar lol, I don’t know theory or scales or anything but I can play the s**t out of a tallest man on earth song. I basically learned guitar by learning Tallest Man on Earth and Ben Howard’s whole discographies. Most of their songs are in open tunings which I think helped me with right hand dexterity because I could just do finger picking patterns nonstop and it always sounded good just adding a finger or two here and there on the fretboard. I was always writing/improvising which I think really helps you practice because it definitely gets boring/grindy to just rep out the same songs all the time.
@@noahmcdaniel4920 He was born in 1949. There wasn't anything to teach you guitar music other than possibly sheet music, but usually for piano and not for the songs you wanted. Self-taught in his case means "here's a wooden box with some strings. Figure it out." You watched well-produced instructional videos that carefully break down entire songs to the note. Hardly comparable.
@basil fawlty pushing kinds into a split ripping ligaments apart calling them pospussy and push harder! That's what they did. Result hips are lose kids don't walk properly anymore.... Karma...... Aka misshandlung
My father was a great piano player, his approach to his piano playing was a lot like Knopfler's on the guitar. His left hand would be working the bass line while his right hand took care of everything else. He was a sensitive man and it showed in his playing. He died of cancer and as the sickness took over he was really upset when it affected his playing..
I absolutely love it when a man like him with his talent is humble enough to show folks how to play and help teach them some licks. He doesn't see arrogant to me at all.
A pal of mine met the Dire Straits band members many years ago and he was struck by how much their fame had not touched them. He said they remained kind and normal. This video proves what my pal said to be absolutely spot on. It must be hard to not let fame affect you.
"You have to want to be really able to play." Punctuate that sentence however you want. That, in essence, is the goal of any serious player. Well said, Mark.
He comes from a generation, like myself although I'm a few years younger, where many of us were self-taught - like Mark, I started off with a book of chords and a few songs, then it was down to finding your own way, working things out from records, playing with mates etc. all the while just being totally into it and loving doing it. I've been playing guitar for 53 years and it's a never-ending and joyful journey of discovery.
5:38 - "This is a guitar teacher's nightmare, because I'm not really doing it the way it's supposed to be done." ...and that's where masters like MK come from. :)
I have to disagree with Mark on "I'm not really doing it the way it's supposed to be done." he must have meant, they don't teach you how to be this good
Hi Joel! He is a great player for sure! However, he is 100% incorrect on that point. Using the Thumb on the high strings and fingers on the low strings has been done since the late 1800's. It's done constantly in every style of fingerpicking and has been taught to me by every finger picking instructor I have had. Not sure where he got the idea that it's not supposed to be done :O!
One of my favorite albums is Mark playing with Chet Atkins. Chet was an amazing guitar player in country, but his playing ability went beyond country. He also became a record executive and probably helped the career of a gazillion people, and had everyone's respect. Chet started giving out guitar awards to guitarists that had it. He gave one to Les Paul, Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed and I think Buck Owens. I don't know if he gave an award to Mark, but their album and songs together were an award enough.
The album Mark with Chet Atkins is bland as drying paint, the only thing by Mark I've ever heard that is bad. Chet Atkins also teamed up with Tommy Emmanuel, the other that he gave the award to, and their collaboration was the worst thing that Tommy has ever released. Chet played a lot of notes, every one sounding the same, no feel, like a fucking metronome. Not musical at all. I don't know why two of the worlds greatest guitarists did that soul-less bland crap with him. Especially Mark Knopfler, who's whole style is based on feel. You need to smoke a joint and learn the meaning of the word feel! You're listening with your mind. Listen with your feelings, man. (Sorry, was that too harsh? :-) I HATE Chet Atkins. Each to his own. :-) Have a nice day. :-)
I think it was Roy Clark instead of Buck Owens. Roy had mad guitar skills but Buck was a better songwriter. I put Chet, Glen, Jerry, and Roy in my top 4 list of country guitarists.
I've played a lot of styles, classical, folk all kinds of stuff and love to sing as well, But what I wouldn't give to play and be taught at Mark's house for a week :) What gem of cool fingerpickin, he could give. Even the tidbits at the end of this video is pure gold, blues on steroids. What a contributor to COOL acoustic and electric blues rock, folk and the list goes on, I respect this man quite a bit! And love the fact that he was a favorite of Chet Atkins as well. What a wealth of information he has in those fingers! A very special guy he is! And attained the starry heights doing fingerpicking which VERY few gold record makers ever did. That is quite a pioneering effort ! WaY to Go Mark!
Fitzliputzli23 it is not true at all what you say, I don't know any musician who was that cool playing and singing songs in front of big crowd's like he did, if you feel uncomfortable, then you can't play the guitar so clean and sing without errors like he did, yes he was a quiet humble guy , he was a genius, and he did not hate interviews like you said, how do you figure this ?
He feels safe when playing the guitar. But he doesn't like crowds, interviews and star-huzzle. How I know? It is simple. He said so in several interviews.
Not sure. It was in the 80's when Dire Straits hit the peak of their success. Maybe Guitar Player Mag. The journalist asked Marc why there are only a few interviews available. He said he feels kinda embarrassed being interviewed. Also read the last paragraph here [triple-w].mark-knopfler-news.co.uk/frameset.php?frame=/biogs/mark.html
The reason he is - for me - so far atop other guitar heroes is the fact he´s so good with the soft tones, the ones you often hardly hear and maybe not even notice at first. Not on display in this video btw.
@Hammerin' Hank do not desperate, you only have to wait until black and white TV-s will be a curiosity and the yours will be then auctioned by Sotherby's or Cristie's! But really, he should now finally deliver it. Or, if he really had quit that delivery job, than he has just to write (deliver...) a new album. Of course to do his walk of life... That's to an option... :)
Just discovered him and his playing, I followed a very similar path of learning to finger pick but never fully got there, it takes a tremendous amount of skill. What an absolute legend
Wow thank you for the best 6-minute guitar lesson ever! My whole journey with the guitar has been thinking that the left hand was so important to recognizing that the right hand is sooooo important!
Such an amazing guitar player, I’ve played for about 20 years now and am still as interested in developing my chops as I was when I was 14. Guitar...It’s a bottomless pit of learning.
Mark Knopfler is the reason I stopped using a pick. I was in absolute awe that everything on "Sultans" was played finger style. Haven't used one in about 15 years and can play most anything without one. From folk to heavy metal tremolo picking. Every guitar player needs to know how to play without a pick.
Guitarists get confused because the left hand is doing the acrobatics and gets easily tired, as there are chords and riffs to be learned (not to mention solos). Classical guitarists develop an unbelievable agility to their right hands, which (according to Andres Segovia) is doing the 85% of the work. A mere presentation and a simple explanation of right-hand techniques in flamenco music is about 8 DVDs (16 hrs). It doesn't matter that these are different music styles; more or less, some right-hand techniques also apply in folk, rock, jazz, even metal. Those who invest in finger style are always rewarded!
I'm left handed so it was, supposedly, harder to learn. I know some people treat fingerpicking left handed as some sort of magic trick...which is great because if I botch something, they're les likely to notice. Haha.
It's uncommon but definitely not weird. For how long you've been playing, you have one up on probably 99% of people with the same amount of experience. The difference in the amount of guitarists that can only play with a pick to people who don't use one is huge. It's good to know both ways, of course. If you decide not to play with a pick all the time, I recommend still learning how to hold one because it'll make playing anything that needs a pick far easier by using your thumb and finger. That's how I do it, anyway. You might come up with your own way that's more comfortable.
I try to be multi-disciplinary in my playing, I reserve finger picking for my acoustic and the pick (mostly) for my electric. I've only been playing for just over a year though so I probably can't see the gap between the two as you can. Still as Mark said in his video, I really want to play, so it's coming along ^^.
Mark knofler (In my own opinion!!! ) is the greatest of all ,not only is he an amazing guitar player but also a fantastic musician. Every time I pick up my guitar i just wish someday I could play guitar like Mark, he is my Inspiration. Like I said this is my opinion only , as his style of playing is what I enjoy to listen to. I understand people may not agree with my opinion so yes if u like I will agree to all your bad remarks so I won't have to argue later on . Keep those guitars well played !
Lisle Kelly he surely has a god given talent ^^ but learning to play guitar is still hard work ....without a "god given talent" like this you will never get nearly as good as him no matter how much you practice and work ...at some point you just stop making real progress ...there are some thing in life you cant learn
vortex222 i never said that i think he didnt work hard for his actual guitar skills :) i was just trying to say that some people will never get that good no matter how hard they work for it. And of course he is very talented in writing and also creating and playing his very own style
He talks and comes across just a normal guy , but we all know him as a god his talent looks effortless the way he bends the guitar strings is just mesmerising ❤
I'm 72 yrs old and I've heard all the guitar heroes from 1960 on. This guy is my favorite because he proves you don't have to be super loud or super fast to be super good.
All you have to do is go to San Bernadino, ring a ding ding. 8)
Just as Santana showed us that there is no need to have a billion notes in a bar.
@@suminshizzles6951 Good ol' Carlos. His guitar was always unmistakeable. Clean distortion, simple lines.
I'm 60, close enough that I I've heard and loved them all like you, your assessment is spot on!
Right?!
As Mark Twain once said: "Modesty is the clothing of talent."
There are few more modest and talented than Mark Knopfler.
Mark Twain also said “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Of course, that quote isn't particularly relevant in this case, but it's a good quote. Funny and true.
@@RodericSpode Mark Twain was speaking of a time when Victorian etiquette ruled the day but now the world is obsessed with persons who wear as little as possible and show much as possible
@@benv770 you misinterpret the quote. "Naked" is humorous euphemism/hyperbole for "unkempt/raggedy/poorly styled". It still rings true under this interpretation.
"Romeo and Juliet Serenade" guitar part worth re-listening for sheer musical tone, phrasing.
@@RodericSpode those quotes go hand in hand.
I’m not sure what impresses me more. If it’s that he is probably one of the greatest guitarists to ever live, or his incredible humility
Yeah, his technical skill is awesome, but he’s not a showoff
He is, yes, but Mark shows VERY LITTLE of his techniques as we see in each of his videos...
He stalls too much talking about the pick, the guitar kind, the sound, the strings, etc...
@@elputas But it seems like this is an interview not an instructional video. Tommy Emmanuel is very quick to teach but he can be fucking annoying in other ways. I'd happily just have beer with both of them though.
@@rimmersbryggeri Yeah.
@El putas did you not see him make a hit song on the spot using the bread and butter c chord? That's genius
He summed it ALL up at the end. "You've got to really WANT to be able to play." People can talk & talk & theorize & give opinions & talk about "gifted" this & "talented" that, but it's the same with most skills. If you WANT it BAD, you'll keep at it & you won't get worse. It's DESIRE!
and passion.
@pyannaguy......Nail on head there as thats true for all instruments. I think a element of talent helps though.
@@Bulletguy07 I hear that. An old sax player I worked with when I was a kid sort of down-played 'talent,' though; he said; "It's funny: It seems like the more I practice & listen to & learn from guys who are better than me?...the more 'talented' I get!" LOL It's true, though: some people seem to "take to it" a little more naturally. Keep on rollin', Brother!
@@Bulletguy07 AN element !
People often talk about him as a guitarist, but he is also one of the great songsmiths of his generation, the passion and craft he puts in to his music and his ability to be humble and hold back his ego as a player has brought many hours of absolutely world class music that continues to inspire great emotion to this day, hes not underrated or unknown but hes certainly not talked about nearly enough when the greats are mentioned
Yep…..his lyrics are poetry and his love songs …well, let’s not get into that….I’m a Christian woman…. 🤭
Yes, of course. But one thing was clear to me as soon as Telegraph road came out. The first 3 albums were way better than the 4 th. I immediately felt that the first 3 albums had been in the can before the first album was released. And I was proved right when, in 1999 I think, I picked up a box set in virgin megastore of dire straits live at the BBC 1977, recorded before the release of their first album, but containing almost all the songs from the first 3 albums.
this level of skill makes me realize - I simply own a guitar.
You’re NOT alone! 😂 I own 6 & counting
I simply own 5. I will make my Gretsch sing as though he were playing one day.
Nah, you and I just have guitars.....He owns it😂😉🙂
And I was just owning one, and it's a classical.
Amen!
👍🏼
I don't know Mark personally but cannot understand some people thumbs down a hard working man, who got success through hard work, and at that, created some beautiful music for many people around the world to enjoy.
It's probably for something like the poor video quality. I seriously doubt they're thumbing down the content.
There’s a lot of bitter bastards out there that’s all.
It's quite easy to hit the thumbs down ikon by accident, when holding/switching your iphone from vertical to horisontal position. I have done that a number of times... Probably also more often than I have managed to notice.
missclicks
Sick and mentally unstable people loves to sting like a spider and hide behind the dislike button. Dunno what the heck they know about Mr Mark Knopfler, or do they even know real music.
He knows ALL the chords
He’s the sultan
Yes he does
No, silly. That’s Guitar George.
He Created ALL the chords!
Its strictly rythem tho
This man appears to have learned far deeper things than playing guitar, he has learned the rhythm of life. I have found such humility with so much success to be extremely rare. I applaud him for that more than any of his wonderful music.
He did teach literature at the University level . 3 PhD's
@@georgesheffield1580 ml
I think you mean the Walk of Life.
2:40 Mark's very respectful about how the cameraman is focusing on his left hand. And very politely get him to get back to the fingerstyle lesson. Humble, and badass.
Ma friend, you got a great and funny point there :D
Nice to hear a star such as Mark Knopler being so down to earth, real pleasure.
MK is one of those players who is instantly recognizable. He seems like a delightful chap, as well.
i am completely in awe. he constantly veers away from trying to impress. he just does it. hats off gentlemen, a genius!!
Back in the day, nodding off with the guitar in my lap with bloody left finger tips was not unusual. 40 years and a stroke later, and I find myself doing it all over again. Learning from scratch to play guitar twice in one's life is a supreme challenge, but one that I vow to accomplish while I still have some functional brain cells left in my head.
Respect Sir!
That's really cool... kudos!
I had a break of about 25yrs. The fact that I’d played b4 helped me hugely.
I am in exactly the same position! No stroke for me, but I lost the use of my ring finger on my L hand.Good luck to both of us!
Which part of the brain?
Whenever he plays, especially when he talks through his method, he is incredibly mesmerising.
This guy is an artist, and his brush is his guitar !
i think it's how modest he is which is as mesmerising as his guitar playing (well not quite!)
The most unassuming rock superstar ever. What a legend! Nobody can play his stuff. Only him!
Who the best is, is subjective. We like who we like. I will say that MK produces a distinct tone that, to me, is unique to him. Some say it's because he doesn't use a pick. I feel it is the sound of the longing heart.
He's so cool& humble. He'll show you how he does things and he knows you won't be able to match him.....
I know his secret: He LOVES it. All of it. "y'know it's falling asleep with it and waking up and. . ." This is a man who started as a kid loving the sound of a guitar. He didn't need to be pushed. He didn't need to be told when to practice. He didn't start out wanting to be a rock star. He LOVES the sound of a guitar. You can't make that happen. If you find that thing in life and you have the basic talent, you can become just like Mar. . . ah, who am I kidding. This guy is just special! I do love to hear him play and explain. It's like Michaelangelo saying "Well first I hit the marble a little hard to start the edge, then I soften the features with smaller hits" -as he is sculpting "David"!
If you like him talking about it you should hear Eric Clapton explaining how he plays the guitar.
And you have a talent for writing!
Very much like Stevie Rayor John Mayer. Guys who just couldn't put it down since they loved it so much.
How humble this guy is ,he is one of the greatest guitarists in the WORLD period.
My husband was lucky to have grown up with & knows Mark & his brother David while my friend on the other side of the water was Van Morrison & the members of "Clannad". Mark, for all his talent is a truly humble human being.
That comes across. A great artist, doesn't need to puff himself up. He's already up.
Love this guy ,
Luucky
You remind me ....there will be days like these...van Morrison great guy
Seems to me, and it's just my observation, that the really talented (and Mark has it in spades), have such an endearing humility that makes people gravitate towards them. Mark Knopfler is without doubt one of the best guitarists on the planet.
As admirable as his playing is, what is even more fascinating is Mark as a person. He loves what he does and seems like a genuinely kind and down to earth person.
You have all the music genres then you have Mark Knopfler . He is in a league of his own.
"You have to really do it. You have to really want to be able to play."
- Mark Knopfler
And let's face it, that is the real lesson of this video. Even someone with Mark's potential would have gone nowhere without countless hours of painstaking work.
I have mates I've attempted to learn over years, they buy a guitar and want to play, I say keep it handy in your lounge, pick it up when you've 10mins boredom or whatever, just keep picking it up !!, I go back a week later and say, you been practising this week ? NO, I've been waiting till you came 😮wtf, = they never got there !!! you have to fall in love with the instrument, its an affair your having !!
@@colauty2598 this is the reality of most mediocre guitar players around the world and I'm talking about myself here as well. Who cares I can learn a few tougher pieces by heart, if I can't improvise for shit or feel tired after 10mins of playing because I just don't put enough time in. I'm just not that invested and I have other hobbies. I would love to play like Mark does, but I know how much dedication and sacrifice of my free time it would take. I'm not sure I'm willing to make that sacrifice.
I'm just getting into finger style guitar and just discovered Mark Knopfler. I knew he was an astounding finger style player but I had no idea he was such a blues hound. But it kind of makes sense he got his start playing country blues. It's so impressive the way he just bangs out Freight Train and Mississippi Blues and Blind Blake licks like it's nothing. I'm sure his knowledge of the old blues masters is encyclopedic.
Agreed. And it also sounds as though Justin Johnson might be right up your street, Dood. Check him out if you haven't already :)
What modesty. Truly impressive how he has managed to stay so grounded and real.
Funny you mentioned this. I respect his humility or perhaps a complete disregard for arrogance. . .
Reason being, he appears to be genuine as if to think: "I'll just sit don't here, show the kiddies something completely different so far as picking, as opposed to using a pick goes & we'll be off"!
Such a great way to teach the new players coming up through the ranks.
I think he humbly mentioned it one time that he made it when he was already at a mature age(his mid twenties?)so he knew how to cope with it.
work1907 - - good point!
LEO1WOLF
It is! but he was also being humble.You could find a douche in his thirties anywhere haha.
Ben platt
Who wouldn't want to be his best friend? (or one of his students) His love for music and especially the guitar is contagious. Thank you for the post.
"You have to really want to be able to play"! It really does take that kind of dedication and commitment! Thanks for ALL of the great lyrics, vocals and music Mark, especially one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES - as a retired US Army Officer - which is "Brothers In Arms"!
He remembers and honors the first baby steps every guitarist has to take. Such humility!
There are extraordinary people who do extraordinary things.
A simple and accessible speech to the general public from an hard-working artist.
Because to play as well as he does, it's not magic. It's many and many hours of practice.
"This is a guitar teacher's nightmare, because I'm not really doing it the way it is supposed to be done...."
The great ones like Mark K. find their own style, their own place on the guitar to call home. There's no one "real" way to play the guitar; there are probably as many ways of approaching the instrument as there are people playing it. That's one of the beautiful things about it. My goodness, what an amazing talent Mark Knopfler is! His noodling around for a moment here and there is more satisfying musically, than most of the music on radio today! What an amazing gift...
It would be a bold guitar teacher who tells Mark he is doing it the wrong way.
I really don’t believe there is a more humble guitar player around.
He plays with such passion.
I love how the guitar replaces progressively his words. "Well first you ding tating ping ting and then you dong padong tong tong, you know, dong ding ta dong"
I know right lol reminds me of my guitar teacher.
Scaly Khajiit well it sure did him a lot of good and a whole lot of money and his chicks for free. 🤣😂🤣
Dead 😂🤣
It's like Bob Ross... "ok, next, you just gotta.... simply...." **paints an entire perfect mountain in 2 seconds** ... "just like that, nice n easy". You can't teach where the rubber hits the road.Pure intuition at one point. Understanding how we understand the complexity of music is too nuanced to teach. You can teach technicality, but you can't teach how to utilize it effectively.
Yep….you often see this with the elites. They have something extra 👍
Jesus Christ he does stuff that's almost impossible for regular guitarists while chatting to the camera.
like it's normal and easy. RESPECT.
"You know... and then (playing great stuff) ...You know" 🤣 oh I just love Mark Knopfler since 1986 or so.
He IS the guitar
Knopfler is an absolute Genius and Legend. One of the best.
He did nothing here that's in any way difficult for regular guitarists, this is all fairly basic fingerpicking and 12 bar blues or pentatonic riffs, he's not doing any tim Henson shit haha
@@WookieWarriorz You're right, most people here are absolute morons
The beauty of his style/s is that nobody told him what he COULDN'T do. Marvellous. Well over fifty years since I started playing and I have the joy of learning. It's a wonderful feeling. Thanks again for posting this all those years ago.
My girlfriend (now my wife of 34 years) bought me the first Dire Straits album which included Sultans of Swing, and I was hooked! Mark is definitely one of the best ever guitar players ever. Saw him at the NEC and he was absolutely superb.,
+Pat Diamond I saw him in Berkeley in September. It was a dream come true.
Saw them in 1984 in a small auditorium in Austin. One of the best shows I've ever seen
If ever you're feeling you can't do something....Just remember Mark Knopfler is self taught.
That's right. Just let that sink in....
Some people are just destined to be great!
Great, I have something in common with him; unfortunately my teacher is a hamfisted idiot.
@@jockkardashian.9407 Teach is a pretty funny guy, at least.
Idk why people act like self-teaching is a big deal. I can’t imagine any other way. I didn’t have a teacher either and all I did was just screw around all day and try to learn songs off of TH-cam tutorials. Idk if you’d consider that being self taught but basically I just picked songs I love that were way over my skill level and just grinded until I could play it well. Then I’d spend a lot of time just screwing around within chords I’d learned practicing and improvising finger picking patterns.
Maybe I still don’t know how to play guitar lol, I don’t know theory or scales or anything but I can play the s**t out of a tallest man on earth song. I basically learned guitar by learning Tallest Man on Earth and Ben Howard’s whole discographies. Most of their songs are in open tunings which I think helped me with right hand dexterity because I could just do finger picking patterns nonstop and it always sounded good just adding a finger or two here and there on the fretboard. I was always writing/improvising which I think really helps you practice because it definitely gets boring/grindy to just rep out the same songs all the time.
@@noahmcdaniel4920 He was born in 1949. There wasn't anything to teach you guitar music other than possibly sheet music, but usually for piano and not for the songs you wanted. Self-taught in his case means "here's a wooden box with some strings. Figure it out." You watched well-produced instructional videos that carefully break down entire songs to the note. Hardly comparable.
mark knopfler has a pick in his pocket never thought he would have one.
@Jonas Montoya - yeah, that was shock of the day for me, too! 🙂
@@jonvalbonne f
@basil fawlty pushing kinds into a split ripping ligaments apart calling them pospussy and push harder! That's what they did. Result hips are lose kids don't walk properly anymore.... Karma...... Aka misshandlung
@basil fawlty sitting laughing with large pants on the side bit having a clue what they ducked up
Keep your friends close and yr enemies closer rite
"You gotta really wanna be able to play."
Thank you, Mark Knopfler, for the inspiring words.
My father was a great piano player, his approach to his piano playing was a lot like Knopfler's on the guitar. His left hand would be working the bass line while his right hand took care of everything else. He was a sensitive man and it showed in his playing. He died of cancer and as the sickness took over he was really upset when it affected his playing..
Nice story so sorry to hear that marks the best a craftsman in his own right 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Dude, you brought tears to my eyes… 😢 Is there any online video of your dad performing? Would love to see his talent in action. 😊
So modest, so talented, and a distinct sound which I love.
I absolutely love it when a man like him with his talent is humble enough to show folks how to play and help teach them some licks. He doesn't see arrogant to me at all.
Always loved to hear Mark play. He is a great guitarist. True artist.
One thing I love the most. The eye contact with the interviewer when he plays. “Here’s a tune for you and I’m not blinking until it finishes”.
It's really nice to hear Mark talk about struggling to get a chord to sound right. Thanks for posting.
Simnett Nutrition Johnny b
Johnny B
Suzie dent
I can't believe I found you here Derek!
Can't believe that you are a Mark's fan as well
I love this video so much! Mark goes up AND down with his first two fingers and that’s how he gets that great groove on the first record.
What a gift that Mark is teaching us, he is such a legend
A pal of mine met the Dire Straits band members many years ago and he was struck by how much their fame had not touched them. He said they remained kind and normal. This video proves what my pal said to be absolutely spot on. It must be hard to not let fame affect you.
Brilliant. Sheer brilliance!. His mucking around is superb!
"You have to want to be really able to play." Punctuate that sentence however you want. That, in essence, is the goal of any serious player. Well said, Mark.
Mark: "You know.."
Guitar: "... I actually didn't know I could do that."
Mark Knopfler is one of the best and most underrated guitar players of all time.
+Arisgod27 He got asked to play with Chet Atkins a true sign of greatness and was able to worship at the shrine.
+Arisgod27 Actually, he's not. He's widely recognised as a quite skilled performer. But of course, you had to repeat that stock phrase once again.
+BilisNegra I disagree, eventhough he isn't completely unknown most people won't mention him if you ask them to name some great guitar players.
+Arisgod27 There's 1352 guitar pickers ... all of them have their own style and attractions ...
+Arisgod27 He is the best in my oppinion and he is not underrated. Mid 80ties Dire Straits played all the biggest stadium on this planet!
A Humble Genius
+Paul Eliot when you are a genius you can afford to be humble!!
de rapazes sexo
Mark is a one of a kind. Always on of my favorites.
He comes from a generation, like myself although I'm a few years younger, where many of us were self-taught - like Mark, I started off with a book of chords and a few songs, then it was down to finding your own way, working things out from records, playing with mates etc. all the while just being totally into it and loving doing it. I've been playing guitar for 53 years and it's a never-ending and joyful journey of discovery.
"I've got one somewhere..." spoken like a pro.
This guy is one of the best guitarists who ever lived.
Turn it up and rip the knob off !
He is undoubtably a good guitarist but cannot read (the dots) as discovered when he sat in with Steely Dan on 'Time out of Mind'.
@@campyoldie most guitarists can't read music sheets, is that what you mean?
The ONLY one,
VERY TRUE !!
5:38 - "This is a guitar teacher's nightmare, because I'm not really doing it the way it's supposed to be done." ...and that's where masters like MK come from. :)
I have to disagree with Mark on "I'm not really doing it the way it's supposed to be done." he must have meant, they don't teach you how to be this good
Hi Joel! He is a great player for sure! However, he is 100% incorrect on that point. Using the Thumb on the high strings and fingers on the low strings has been done since the late 1800's. It's done constantly in every style of fingerpicking and has been taught to me by every finger picking instructor I have had. Not sure where he got the idea that it's not supposed to be done :O!
He just blows me away....and I really loved he and Chet playing together.....that was Pure Magic!!!
One of my favorite albums is Mark playing with Chet Atkins. Chet was an amazing guitar player in country, but his playing ability went beyond country. He also became a record executive and probably helped the career of a gazillion people, and had everyone's respect. Chet started giving out guitar awards to guitarists that had it. He gave one to Les Paul, Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed and I think Buck Owens. I don't know if he gave an award to Mark, but their album and songs together were an award enough.
The album Mark with Chet Atkins is bland as drying paint, the only thing by Mark I've ever heard that is bad. Chet Atkins also teamed up with Tommy Emmanuel, the other that he gave the award to, and their collaboration was the worst thing that Tommy has ever released. Chet played a lot of notes, every one sounding the same, no feel, like a fucking metronome. Not musical at all. I don't know why two of the worlds greatest guitarists did that soul-less bland crap with him. Especially Mark Knopfler, who's whole style is based on feel. You need to smoke a joint and learn the meaning of the word feel! You're listening with your mind. Listen with your feelings, man.
(Sorry, was that too harsh? :-) I HATE Chet Atkins. Each to his own. :-) Have a nice day. :-)
I think it was Roy Clark instead of Buck Owens. Roy had mad guitar skills but Buck was a better songwriter. I put Chet, Glen, Jerry, and Roy in my top 4 list of country guitarists.
I feel like I owe him $35 for the lesson.
We all owe him for all the great music! Brothers in Chords!
nah he's too drunk
25$
Get one of his records.Tracker is an all-round brilliant one.
$100*
Nah, keep it. He's do'in all-right.
"You really wanna do it ,you really wanna be able to play" ......truest words ever
Just listening and watching this, I've got a massive smile on my face, then noticed it's 15years ago, how did I miss this video?
Imagine being as skillful as that man, while retaining insight into a humble memory of how tough to learn it all.
Right on.
Absolutely , his genius is not just in his ability but his humanity and empathy too. Sometimes God's dice roll double sixes
One of the melodious guitarist in the world. Salute to you sir
one of my favorites and he seems like a good humble man
I've played a lot of styles, classical, folk all kinds of stuff and love to sing as well, But what I wouldn't give to play and be taught at Mark's house for a week :) What gem of cool fingerpickin, he could give. Even the tidbits at the end of this video is pure gold, blues on steroids. What a contributor to COOL acoustic and electric blues rock, folk and the list goes on, I respect this man quite a bit! And love the fact that he was a favorite of Chet Atkins as well. What a wealth of information he has in those fingers! A very special guy he is! And attained the starry heights doing fingerpicking which VERY few gold record makers ever did. That is quite a pioneering effort ! WaY to Go Mark!
I so agree!
One great human being & a really unique artist.
Who can forget the classic French & Saunders sketch with Mark, Lemmy, Dave Gilmour, Mark King etc.....No dots? Golden. Well worth a watch.
Dire straits are every dad's favorite band
That’s far from true
That’s because dads are smart.
In my house it's the mom's ultimate favorite and the dad and kids love it too
I agree with this message
Mine likes Genesis and Pink Floyd better lol
This guy IS the Sultan of Swing, in case you don't know.
He's not saving it up for Friday night!
+over under sideways down Is it wrong that I tought you said "This guy is the Satin of Swing"? :3
Yung Sid Beezy he's got a daytime job...he's doing alright!
+over under sideways down
and that ol' guitar is all he can afford
Skendrović Nikola ...and he CAN make it cry and sing!
+over under sideways down You keep talking like that and you'll be in some dire straights my friend!
This guy is one of the finest guitarists to ever walk the earth
4:16 Blind Blake "That'll never happen no more"
4:33 Willie Brown "Mississippi blues"
So much love for this man!!
He really comes across as a great guy. Bet he makes a good neighbour.
He is an introvert guy feeling uncomfortable in a crowd. It took him years to get used to being a star. He still hates being interviewed.
Fitzliputzli23 it is not true at all what you say, I don't know any musician who was that cool playing and singing songs in front of big crowd's like he did, if you feel uncomfortable, then you can't play the guitar so clean and sing without errors like he did, yes he was a quiet humble guy , he was a genius, and he did not hate interviews like you said, how do you figure this ?
He feels safe when playing the guitar. But he doesn't like crowds, interviews and star-huzzle. How I know? It is simple. He said so in several interviews.
Robert Sklomeit
There are plenty of entertainers who are naturally shy, but can do amazing things in front of a relatively 'anonymous' crowd.
Not sure. It was in the 80's when Dire Straits hit the peak of their success. Maybe Guitar Player Mag. The journalist asked Marc why there are only a few interviews available. He said he feels kinda embarrassed being interviewed. Also read the last paragraph here [triple-w].mark-knopfler-news.co.uk/frameset.php?frame=/biogs/mark.html
While Dire Straits might not be my favourite band, you cannot deny his amazing skill and talent on the guitar. He´s awesome at what he does.
What a humble and likeable guy!
The reason he is - for me - so far atop other guitar heroes is the fact he´s so good with the soft tones, the ones you often hardly hear and maybe not even notice at first. Not on display in this video btw.
I'm glad he quit his day job of delivering microwave ovens and color TVs.
Savage Mister he delivers refrigerators as well...
@@mrhaltstop2294 Custom kitchen deliveries.
Wow. You don't say
@Hammerin' Hank Color
@Hammerin' Hank do not desperate, you only have to wait until black and white TV-s will be a curiosity and the yours will be then auctioned by Sotherby's or Cristie's! But really, he should now finally deliver it. Or, if he really had quit that delivery job, than he has just to write (deliver...) a new album. Of course to do his walk of life... That's to an option... :)
I just got a personal guitar lesson from Mark Knopfler. TH-cam is pretty great sometimes.
***** Nope, Lacca Magination.
***** Nope, you're Lacca Magination.
***** Proven right. Even a comment with no comment.
+Pianoman 70s style yeah haha
+Pianoman 70s style . SO? what
I watch this video every now and then , the only thing wrong with it is it's not long enough ..
Just discovered him and his playing, I followed a very similar path of learning to finger pick but never fully got there, it takes a tremendous amount of skill. What an absolute legend
Mark is my hero because he makes the guitar sing. This was a useful tip from him ☺️🎸
MK could play my broom handle and make it sound fantastic. A musical genius , no one ever like him
Thanks for the great chance to listen to one of the most inspiring guitar
Players. Loved his reaction to Chet Atkins years ago .
Legend like Mark can explain so much with little effort
Love Mark, such a cool guy and obviously an amazing guitarist.
Wow thank you for the best 6-minute guitar lesson ever! My whole journey with the guitar has been thinking that the left hand was so important to recognizing that the right hand is sooooo important!
Such an amazing guitar player, I’ve played for about 20 years now and am still as interested in developing my chops as I was when I was 14. Guitar...It’s a bottomless pit of learning.
The unsung hero of rock n roll ladies and gentlemen Mr. Mark Knopfler
indeed
One of the most underrated guitarists ever, everything he does is magic.
So basically, Mark is a badass! One of the best and most underrated guitarists ever.
Mark Knopfler is the reason I stopped using a pick. I was in absolute awe that everything on "Sultans" was played finger style. Haven't used one in about 15 years and can play most anything without one. From folk to heavy metal tremolo picking. Every guitar player needs to know how to play without a pick.
Guitarists get confused because the left hand is doing the acrobatics and gets easily tired, as there are chords and riffs to be learned (not to mention solos). Classical guitarists develop an unbelievable agility to their right hands, which (according to Andres Segovia) is doing the 85% of the work. A mere presentation and a simple explanation of right-hand techniques in flamenco music is about 8 DVDs (16 hrs). It doesn't matter that these are different music styles; more or less, some right-hand techniques also apply in folk, rock, jazz, even metal. Those who invest in finger style are always rewarded!
I'm left handed so it was, supposedly, harder to learn. I know some people treat fingerpicking left handed as some sort of magic trick...which is great because if I botch something, they're les likely to notice. Haha.
It's uncommon but definitely not weird. For how long you've been playing, you have one up on probably 99% of people with the same amount of experience. The difference in the amount of guitarists that can only play with a pick to people who don't use one is huge. It's good to know both ways, of course. If you decide not to play with a pick all the time, I recommend still learning how to hold one because it'll make playing anything that needs a pick far easier by using your thumb and finger. That's how I do it, anyway. You might come up with your own way that's more comfortable.
I try to be multi-disciplinary in my playing, I reserve finger picking for my acoustic and the pick (mostly) for my electric. I've only been playing for just over a year though so I probably can't see the gap between the two as you can.
Still as Mark said in his video, I really want to play, so it's coming along ^^.
phdfxwg Fischercat wise words.
One of the most humble person, more less famous musician ever. He keeps life simple and good.
amazing self taught talent
Mark knofler (In my own opinion!!! ) is the greatest of all ,not only is he an amazing guitar player but also a fantastic musician. Every time I pick up my guitar i just wish someday I could play guitar like Mark, he is my Inspiration.
Like I said this is my opinion only , as his style of playing is what I enjoy to listen to. I understand people may not agree with my opinion so yes if u like I will agree to all your bad remarks so I won't have to argue later on .
Keep those guitars well played !
He's certainly versatile. One of the best for sure.
I am with u
He's my inspiration too!
@brownwings00
Different style.
Wow, what a superb teacher we have! 😊
He taught himself, after all... He was definitely a top student at the same time 😂 amazing
Yeah, cool guy. Great guitar player. One of the best. God given talent at work.
He mentions in the video how much work learning guitar is, God didn't give him anything
Lisle Kelly he surely has a god given talent ^^ but learning to play guitar is still hard work ....without a "god given talent" like this you will never get nearly as good as him no matter how much you practice and work ...at some point you just stop making real progress ...there are some thing in life you cant learn
vortex222 i never said that i think he didnt work hard for his actual guitar skills :) i was just trying to say that some people will never get that good no matter how hard they work for it. And of course he is very talented in writing and also creating and playing his very own style
I like the man. D.I.Y attitude. He teached himself.
He have very long thumb? It helps I think for his style.
He's so MODEST. From his talk you'd just think he was so AVERAGE. He doesn't show off at all.
He talks and comes across just a normal guy , but we all know him as a god his talent looks effortless the way he bends the guitar strings is just mesmerising ❤