You do realize most the good metal guys are classically trained right? Like Yngwie Malmsteen is a popular example? Playing many metal versions of famous composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, etc. When you make such sweeping statements on a genre based on technical proficiency, and odd time signatures, you show yourself to be ignorant putting all metal in the same category as disturbed. And yes, this guy is flipping insane.
Soul? That was a term I never understood, it was made up for people like Jimmy Hendrix to explain his mistakes and call it "soul." the classically trained for as long as music has been around apparently have "No soul." that is working music down to a science and perfecting it so there are no "bum notes" or imperfections.
"Soul" as you probably know it is a marketing device made necessary when the designation "race" records was no longer PC. ....long before Hendrix. In the big band era...musicians were said to swing..or to not. Basically, it's about that old African feel and spirit. Have you ever listened to any Manding jaliya? Try Toumani Diabate...
I fail to see how a comparison to Van Halen is silly. He's doing with a uke what Van Halen did decades later with a guitar; same level of virtuosity, same level of re-understanding what can be done with the instrument. Incredible stuff and very entertaining.
For what it's worth, Roy Smeck was also a top rated guitarist and banjo player. He and a guitarist named Nick Lucas are said to have been the first two guitarists to have endorsement deals and signature models, back in the 30's.
In case anyone is having trouble following the melody due to unfamiliarity, here is the original piano version of this semi-classic, the "Melody in F", Op. 3, No. 1, by Anton Rubinstein, from 1852. This piece became world-famous over the next 50 years, and by the time of Mr. Smeck's performance was already a much-parodied "warhorse / chestnut" in the classical music repertoire, fair game for all sorts of musical monkeying. Even 20 years before this, in the ragtime era, composer Nat D. Ayer and lyricist A. Seymour Brown ragged this piece in vocal-ragtime (ragtime song) format with their song "That Loving Melody Rubinstein Wrote" (1910), and Charles L. Johnson ragged it in instrumental form with his "Melody Rag" (1911). But anyway, here's Mr. Rubinstein's original score interpreted by Balazs Szokolay at the piano in a lovely version: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N2UJXn0fNi4.html
Roy Smeck was tapping in the 1930's and Black Night Club dancers were Moon Walking in the 1930's so don't let any modern entertainers say they invented those things. You know who you are Eddie and Michael !
Oh you can see tons of tap influence in MJ's moves, but Michael sure made that moonwalk look good, and he brought it to a new generation that wasn't exposed to all of that tap. What an entertainer.
EVERYONE if ur reading this comment, im watching this video at year 2023, its now 2023 i repeat its 2023, and im still listening to this master piecce, i love "Leroy Smeck"
Jazz guitarist Roy Smeck was seen in the 1926 short film His Pastimes, was an early popularizer of tapping. EVH popularized it for sure BIG TIME but I wouldn't go as far to claim that he invented this technique per se.
I play ELECTRIC UKELELE,...I put in a transducer and run it through an old Boss OD1 I altered with lower input impedance, and a Boss DD3 delay, then usually through a Danelecto amp with the 'Dirty-Sweet' on 11...I have jammed out this year with the MH Blues band with this rig! You should hear my I wanna be Yer Dawg wit dis thang!!!!!!
Don't give it up. I've managed to learn how to read tabs and have managed to get some of his music off the internet and I've actually found it not too difficult. Magic ukulele waltz is lovely to play. Obviously can't play it like the wizard but it still sounds ok. You only get out of music what you put in and that's practice. It's easy to get disheartened when you see others play to perfection but persevere and keep enjoying playing. Don't be put off as music is a good therapy no matter how well you play.
If you mean the "tapping" part of the video, due to the tension of the instrument's strings, it's more of a "pizzicato" type effect, actually. It is known that Niccolò Paganini, in addition to being famous for his prowess with the violin, was very skilled at playing the guitar, the mandolin, and other stringed instruments. It is also well known that he used these and other techniques well over 200 years ago, so the whole "Van Halen invented tapping" thing is just hilarious, at best.
I *think* he says "Radio Wizard of the SCREEN", either as a kind of joke (since the 'talking pictures' were still new then), or else he mis-spoke and meant to say Smeck's real nickname which of course was "Wizard of the STRINGS" (plural), and the director decided just to leave it in as it was 'good enough' and not do a re-take.
