It seems every time I come here to listen to this solo, I leave a comment and I figured, why stop now. I'm a 52 year old woman and I know zip about playing a guitar. What I do know is that he is one of the VERY few who's fingers can fly and every note he plays, comes out clean, clear and smoothly. The melody just flows so naturally. That is how I hear this music. And to watch his talent is a thing of beauty. I hope this description makes sense. If not, I'm ok with that!
***** I'm not sure about that. I am by no means an expert or even close to one, and I agree that experience plays a part but I think the level at which he plays, there is much more of an inherent talent at work here. Wouldn't you have to have a natural ability to even begin to play guitar with any amount of skill? Some people can garden or cook and it's natural to them. While others kill every plant they touch or burn any food they attempt to cook. I realize that one's taste in guitarist's is subjective, and he happens to be my favorite guitarist's. His style is so unique, clean and it has an effortless flow, all while maintaining a consistent melody with an incredible tone (Like I said, I'm no expert. I'm trying my best to clearly describe what I'm talking about. Is it working? ). I suppose it's just that my taste doesn't lean towards flying fingers on a screaming guitar. He has a pure, clean sound. I hope this makes some sort of sense to you. All I can say is I truly appreciate his talent and I believe we need to clone him:)
+tlnvanheusden20 "Passed the talented part atle..." Let me explain this with a story so you might be able to see what he means. Once upon a time there were two children called John and Peter. While growing up, John was more interested in music. He asked his dad for an electric guitar and his dad got him one because he is such a good boy. He SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME studying and practicing Metallica solos and everyone in school thought he was a talented guitarist. Peter on the other hand thought that Spiderman looked really cool. He SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME trying to copy scenes from Spiderman comics. People thought that Peter was really talented at drawing. During highschool, John was already the most popular guitarist in his batch but he did not know anything about music theory. He just played by ear and mixed up what he already knew. During highschool, Peter was already the most popular illustrator in his batch but he did not know anything about art theory. He just parroted what he learned from comics and drew intuitively. During college, John was amazed by Da Vinci's paintings after reading 'The Vinci Code'. His drawings sucked but after he spent 4 years studying art principles and practicing the concepts in full time and now you could say that his work has gone beyond the 'Talented' Peter's highschoolish doodling since Peter has stopped gaining more knowledge and experience. During college, Peter was invited to a band and he thought he wanted to not just look cool with the rock and roll make up but also play like a guitar god. He spent 4 years practicing and studying music theory and now you could hear that his solos are fast, learned and melodic, way beyond the 'talented' John's amateurish shredding since John has stopped gaining more knowledge and experience. So yeah, it's about interest and focus. No such thing as a specific talent. Maybe some are better at memorizing, some have more agility, some are more creative while others are more logical. But there are always different builds in everything including music.
Well what can you actually say about Marks guitar playing? I`m just speechless every time I hear or see him playing, just amazing. No one comes near him, he has such a unique sound and awful good technique. He is the best of the best!.
Respect. As most guitarists know, Knopfler is in his own league. I've seen faster arpeggios and hammers and pull-offs but putting a piece of music together - he is without peer. No wonder his soundtracks are so good.
As live performances go, this is right up there with the absolute best of them. Mark's brilliance shines each and every time he picks up that guitar, but on this particular evening, I believe he shined even brighter. He makes it look completely effortless. Everyone up on that stage was spot on that night and they created an incredible sound. Music at it's very best!
Man, this is just insane INCREDIBLE! What an unbeleivable gifted and talented guitarplayer Mark is, he`s just flying over that guitar without one false note, just flawless. Too bad he went to a different style of music somewhere in the nineties. I like much more this style. But never the less, he will always be my favortie guitar player anayway. Thank you Mark for giving us such a lot of beautifull music masterpieces, bless you!
Rob van Dinteren I guess he just wanted to branch-out in other directions. He still plays the Dire Straits stuff but in a different context. It took me a few listens to warm to some of his later albumns but if you listen carefully to the lyrics on,say, Kill to Get Crimson or Get Lucky you realise that MK morphed into a storyteller wrapped up in music. But his playing remains sublime in a more laid-back manner. I think he reflected a lot on his musical journey while he was laid up for several months after his motorcycle accident in 2003. Probably also accounted for his slim frame putting quite a bit of beef on.
Not many people can hit a solo with actual musicality, and not plain playing fast to show off. Mark is one. Its a much more difficult skill. Just awesome.
Can't agree more. Mark; all cool and calm. Look at some of the reactions from his fellow band members as he pulls those pure crisp guitar licks. Simply amazing for a live performance!
Crumbs - I can't play for 2 minutes without repeating myself - this guy is the best improviser since Django (who once jammed for 2 hours with no repeats, amazing everyone present)...
Knopfler is as brilliant as they come and I don't know much about drummers but this guy is impressive. It seems Knopfler surrounds himself with pure talent and this performance clearly shows it.
***** I'm so jealous of you. I would love to see him live. His music has a magical quality to it. I don't know of any other artist who can touch my emotions the way he can. I don't know if there can ever be an artist who can compare. He creates his songs from beginning to end and brings us such beauty in this often ugly world. I find his music, a comfy chair and a pair of headphones my own personal therapy. His music takes me outside of my own thoughts to a place of peace. It's an amazing thing. I've said this more times than I can remember, but I often wonder if he knows how talented he is and how his music affects his fans. I hope he truly understands how appreciated and respected he is and how grateful we are that he shares his wonderful gift of his with us. He and the music he creates stand alone on the highest level.
+Cristiano Ti che meraviglia! Immagino sia proprio un bel ricordo. Io purtroppo avendo solo 17 anni mi sono persa tutta la grande musica a partire dagli anni 60.. io sono una grande amante di Edith Piaf, AC/DC, Beatles, Dire Straits e potrei continuare ancora. Tutto ciò che mi rimane ora sono i cd e le canzoni scaricate sulla galleria musicale del telefono, me le faccio bastare ahah.
You are RIGHT!!!..absolutely right..never heard a better version of Sultan of Swing as on Alchemy.. i think we talk about one of the best ever live concert in music.. incredible performance from Mark and Terry Williams..
Yo en la vida, como en el arte, siempre supe distinguir entre el virtuosismo y la personalidad. A este Mark lo veo como un músico con personalidad. Fuera se vaya muy lejos el márketing y qué viva el estilo. Muy bueno. Salud
@@SSSSBBBB81 I suspect he fell out of love with the guitar solo somewhere along the line. I'm as big a Knopfler fan as anyone, but there's no question his guitar chops degraded quite a lot after Dire Straits; the musicality always remained but the technical aspect really seemed to go away relatively fast in comparison to some other old guys. Of course, age will do that, but I wonder if he just didn't really care enough to keep up the practice and instead focused on writing songs.
on the 8 th day the creator made Mark Knopfler and then the creator said "Let there be guitar music ...and there truly was guitar music......wow...MK =IT.......
Down to personal opinion but Alchemy was the best. Not just Telegraph road, Once upon a time in the west, Tunnel of Love and Sultans of Swing are also included. A must DVD or CD for all Dire Straits fans.
Your right and its because he doesn't use a guitar pick, he uses his fingers to pick the string and the fingers being smooth compared with a harsh thin and sharp pick means every note rings true.. Its a difficult skill and he is by far the best at it..
Every once in awhile I hear little bits of Alvin Lee in Marks guitar playing. Not a lot, but a lick or two. Was Alvin Lee a guitar player that Mark listened too as he was growing up? I know Hank Marvin and Chet were idols of his.
Don't worry man, the guitarists are ranked by those motherfucker so called "critics of art" but who simply do not know to play even a single sound... Mark being so simple in his greatness, doesn't need to be evaluated by them at all, all his life can show not only us who are his admirers, but to anyone on earth that his talent + his feeling are simply incomparable to any other musician... take your time and listen to Telegraph Road in Rome 2010 and then just erease those rankings from your mind.
No question this is an excellent version, but after listening to most all of them more than a few times, I still think the concert at Nimes the same year is just a bit better. The lead line is just a bit crisper, imho... (Amazingly he appears to be wearing the same clothes, too!)
Daphne Thurlow I wished I knew anything concrete about Terry Williams and how he's doing now. As far as I know he's never played again either with Dire Straits or Mark Knopfler since the early 90s.
Oh thanks for the info. Will look up the internet there may be something to say where he is, why he left DS's Will let you know here, if I find anything
the earth is flat plane,not a spinning ball. there is no "outer space". "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's; he has set the circle of the earth upon them." - 1. Book of Samuel 2:8 - Bible 1933/1938
this is when knopfler finaly lost (or gave up) his well known sound and went onto something different.... not Dire Straits... it aint better, just different... still, he handled a Stratocaster (and Schecter in his early days) much better than this Pensa..... You rarely see or hear him playing his old style and sound after this era.... its a pitty...
That's because he wanted a guitar that mixed a Les Paul and a stratocaster together so you get the rustic noise from the Les Paul and the good looks of a strat.
sutinrongwithu Yeah I know what you mean... I owned a Pensa 22 years ago, cost me a mint back then... great guitar, easiest thing to play, unlimited tonality and fantastic neck... but, I was offered a great price for it and got rid of it a decade ago... with what I got for it, I bought me another Strat, a Les paul Custom and an Ibanez Satriani.... never regreted it.... (though I miss its perfection look...)
