Rob MacKillop here. Thanks to Brandon for inviting me to chat with him, and thanks also to all the nice comments. Such a pleasant community here. Any questions, just ask. Rob
I've decided to learn "nylon" guitar without nails because of you Sir. Playing with nails never gets me, it sounds very loud to me, totally different from no nails. The timbre, tone, the magic created by the technique, made me fall in love for it. Thank you so much for your art!
These are 2 people who helped me so much to get back into playing music. I learnt classical guitar as a child but didn't get very far and gave up as a teen, then as an adult tried to adapt to electric guitar, with disastrous results, so I lost hope, thinking I was no good. 30 years later, for some reason, I started listening to Brandon play the ancient instruments related to the guitar, and got inspired, particularly by baroque music. Someone gave me a ukulele. I discovered that the uke can sound quite a lot like a mandolin, lute or baroque guitar (depending which uke). And then I needed music to practice with, so I googled about and wouldn't you know it, Rob Mackillop has arranged some baroque pieces for ukulele! So I'm energised and inspired by the work of both of you, to become the best I can at something that sounds lovely even if it's not exactly the original sound. So many thanks to both of you for resurrecting a demoralised child guitar learner
What an incredible interview. Rob is my favorite ever. And just discovered you, Brandon. Rob brought me here. I also love Rob's banjo playing. And all of the areas of music. What a treasure you are Rob. Thank you! Rob, I loved that you mentioned Muddy Waters....Respect for all, leaving no stone unturned...
I enjoyed that so much! Thank you, Brandon! I've been taking classical guitar lessons for 6 years and just love it! I was listening while ironing my husband's shirts, but paused the video several times to write down notes! I love what you both said about storytelling, technique and your perspective on making mistakes vs playing perfectly. The advice in this video makes me want to grab the guitar right now and play my name!🤩❤🎸
Thanks guys... love watching both of you on RU-vid. Well... as far as nails go... I learned something this week. First off, I've been playing a whole lot... not only on guitar, but also on piano. And thus, I wore down my nails and was quite sad. My assumption was that my playing would suffer without nails and therefore I resigned myself to practicing almost exclusively left hand hammer-ons and pull-offs. Well... as I've discovered to my utter surprise, lack of nails did NOT slow me down in the least! I set metronome to same speed I was playing prior to no nails and was able to play just as fast and accurately as before. What a surprise! Now, I do want to eventually grow my nails back because I love the sound of combining flesh with nail... but now I know I don't NEED them in order to play fast and accurately. Thanks again for all your great videos!
38:20 couldn't have described my impression of the classical guitar world better. Or just classical music in general, doesn't matter what instrument. Everyone's trying to play faster and faster, louder and louder. It's like we've lost the musicality. Or, probably more accurately, the general audience has. My favorite example is Adelita. It's marked lento which can be as slow as 50bpm, but search for it on youtube and people usually blast through it like it's a freaking race. The second half in particular can sound very beautiful slow
HI Brandon i watched your video on playing classical guitar with no nails. I took the plunge again and got my classical guitar out and tried it. It was great, i stopped playing the classical guitar due t to nail problem. I grew them but they were getting in the way of my normal life. Yes growing nails can be sharp and intruding, so i got rid of them. I do not like false nails or finger picks. So i tried the no nail technique you outlined and it was great. i am sure i will improve. Best wishes.
Oh yeah, been following MacKillop for more than 6 years now, such a unique musician full of curiosity. It's so nice to see him getting some views here as well !
Playing out vs conversing, loud & fast vs storytelling, celebrating the inequalities of finger dynamics, speaking naturally with the instrument, differences between eras, reproduction vs invention, scores as teachers. Thank you for one of the most enriching discussion I’ve ever heard among musicians.
@@OLIVERVDV Hmm. Strange comment. This is the technique employed by every lute player who ever lived, including Dowland and Weiss. Were they “incompetent”? They wrote their music using that technique. Now, should we learn from them, or from an insulting comment on RU-vid. Let me think about that for a while…
Rob Mackillop’s Bach, cello suite no 2 in low A tuning on guitar is a video I listen to and enjoy often. He’s an absolute gem. Such a great conversation. Thank you!
Thanks for the method book, Brandon! I'm always interested to see how different musicians approach their instruments. I'm sure I'll get a lot out of this!
What a nice surprise to have you both in this long chat! I'm a follower of you both since long. Your conversation is full of musical and human wisdom and you go through very interesting ideas, beautifully expressed. It will be an inspirarion for many of us. I love especially Rob's encouregement to "find your own voice". It has become a kind of motto for my guitar practice. Thank you, Brandon and Rob
I love this conversation! Having learned in a macho conservatory world it is a relief to hear musicians who know music is story telling and a conversation.
I always love hearing musicians get together and converse it's always so interesting and I just love to hear all the tips, tricks, and words of wisdom that comes with it! Always inspires me and reminds me why I do what I do.
Really great interview y'all! I love Rob's channel as well. When I started learning, I knew I wouldn't make progress if my playing was at all deoendent on growing nails which I have never done (anxious biter). So I just tried to push past the initial difficulty knowing that eventually I would find my own play style. Y'all were both big inspirations to me b/c so many disregard the idea of playing without them. Thanks again!
To learn playing Guitar without nails I recommend "Escuela RAzonada de la Guitarra" from Emilio Pujol. Libros 1 to 4. Pujol was student of Tarrega and is teaching playing "apojando" as much as possible to gain great sound. It is kind of different technic of playing. :-)
Thanks for the introduction to Rob! What an inspiring discussion. And then I found videos of Rob teaching from the Mickey Baker jazz book that I’ve been sticking my toe into for a couple years. What a wonderful surprise (and a great help)! Also found some perfectly lovely Scottish folk music Rob played with a pick on an acoustic. Here we have a very modern Renaissance man, and that is no oxymoron. Cheers to you both.
A real privilege to listen in on your conversation which touches on so much of what it is to be a musician. Thank you both for sharing your knowledge , wisdom , experience and humanity . I was expecting a short vid on nails!
Rob was a big reason I got into playing Bach on the tenor banjo and later guitar. I worked through all the cello suites, now I am making my way through the violin sonatas and partitas. Thanks!
Classical Jedi. Just feeling their way to new places. I wonder what it's like to just practice one note and compare it to another for hours. These guys are borderline crazy and genius.
We are not perfect! I loved this! You and Rob expressed things I've thought about for years and years but you both did it so succinctly. In my non-guitar life, I fly a helicopter. Every flight is its own universe. All the variables imaginable contribute so that each action is unique. Sound familiar? Just like real life, yes? Music is the same. With all the variables and imperfections, it is still a beautiful (hopefully) reflection. Excellent!!!
Awesome video. You and Mr MacKillop are my biggest inspiration to learn the classical guitar! Since we're on the topic of no nails, I was wondering does your course go in depth on the topic of no nail playing? I just love your style of teaching. I watched your no nail video and am really hoping to learn even more about it from you. All the best
Thank you, I'm happy to read this! Classical guitar pro does have a section on no nail playing but it is not super in-depth because the goal of the course is to teach you to read music, have good technique and play your first recital. But I'm about to release "no nail guitar in 10 days" which is very in depth and only about this topic so I think you'll really enjoy that one. Stay tuned for the announcement!
A brilliant conversation that gives people permission to cast aside dogma and play with beauty in their authentic voice. Funny how we criticize singers for copying someone instead of "making it their own" yet in the classical guitar world, adherence to a ridged set of dictates is the norm. We don't need any more recordings or performances of the same pieces played the same way. Let the music speak! Let it sing! Maybe that would draw more people to the classical guitar. Thank you gentlemen!
Just stumbed on this! As a regular follower of both your channels, I cant watch it right now, but I will, I cant wait to. Rob is so inpiring, kind of took me back to my basics. By coindidence I just ordered yesterday some silk strings to Santa Daughter for xmas.
i love using my thumb meat soo much that if u are quick enough use it down on the bottom strings as well.. u get incredible tone and control with the sustain w the back of the palm meat...love ur vids!!!
Just wanted to say that I agree with the comments on music being "conversational". In an earlier life that is what I pursued in my music. Over the years, as I've attempted to improve my playing technique, It's become more about just playing the notes and getting them right. When I was playing "from the heart", it was actually better music.
In a lot of other cultures and countries, like African music, they don't play with nails at all. It can give a lot more percussive sound because of that, especially with nylon strings.
Nails v no nails. 🙄 Because according to some people everything in existence must be slotted into one or the other side of a false choice. On or off. Ever hear of a dimmer switch? 🙄 Not everything is a binary choice.
Brandon, I would love to see you do a video sometime on "classic banjo," which is one of the many things Rob excels at. It's treating the five-string banjo as a solo/lead instrument. And it's done with bare fingers (no nails!) on gut/nylon strings!
It'd be great if you did what Rick Beato has done; make great artists, performers, musicians, ideas and concepts more known and accessible to the layman. I'd also like to see a video where you compile your personal favorite piece(s) and talk about them speaks to you personally in some detail.
Cool interview...I always appreciate Rob`s perspective..will be checking out Brandon`s channel...on the subject of pitch..personally I do not rely on tuning meters..I use one a lot if not most of the time but not always and do alter the frequencies sometimes not always..I spend time practicing with a tuning fork just to improve my ear...when using a meter I make it a point to not look at it when turning the keys...instead play the note..listen to it..then move my eye to the meter and make a mental note sharp flat or in tune..then move my eye away from the meter before adjusting the pitch..it helps..my two cents
Love Rob and been one his followers for a longtime now..man! The tone of his voice is soo beautiful and conforting as the tone of his guitar without nails
right around the 40:00 mark there are golden nuggets around finding your voice and letting go of perfection as the goal.
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It's so great to finally see the two of you having a conversation about playing with the flesh. I began exploring this technique a few years ago after watching your video ("How to play classical guitar without nails") and after a few months, I made the switch and haven't looked back since. In my journey, MacKillop's Channel and Website (along with Steven Watson's) have been, and still are, a source of great help and inspiration.
Wow what an incredible conversation! ♥️ Thank you both! In particular, I found the chapter ‘how Rob wants to influence the guitar would today’ absolutely beautiful!
I grow my nails out just long enough to be able to use both finger tip and nail. Stopping a note with a finger tip is as important and musical sounding as starting a note, especially with the tremolo
It's all about finding one's own voice...Imitating others...is just cardboard. PS. Watching your video...In my flat, Stockbridge Edinburgh Scotland. Excellent! And to inform the people of the world... The citizens of Scotland are Scottish...Not "British" As the Irish have said for hundreds of years... And still say, pointing North... GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY! !!!
Excellent interview, Brandon! Thanks for highlighting Rob and supporting his style of playing. I especially liked the conversation about changing pitch. I myself have faced criticism for using historical pitch, ("Don't you tune your guitar?" etc.) and gut strings so this video made me feel reassured. I definitely agree that the ideal pitch can vary on certain instruments, strings and even pieces. Full listen (in the background)👏
Why does everything I play from Pierre Phalèse sound weird and wrong? There is no videos here I can compare to, I presume it's because the vast majority of people don't appreciate him, for that reason.
Very interesting and engaging conversation. Loved some of the viewpoints you got across, particularly some of the notions of music as conversation and storytelling.
Hello nice video! I'm having a problem with playing fingerstyle, I can't get a clear sound consistently especially with my ring finger on the high e string Any advices ..?
