Collaborative Guitar Playing - On One Guitar

Today I'm going to talk about a few videos that showcase guitar playing in a completely different way: Two people playing the same guitar, at once.

The first, is a bluegrass number, and is self-explanatory. It's an old one, so if you've seen this, go ahead and skip to the next video. A Fun song, and great showmanship too!



Believe it or not, this next video is much, MUCH more technically impressive, and here's why: If you notice in the first video, the guy standing is constantly playing the bass line. Both of their right hands are playing the strings that their left hand is holding down - in other words, it's as if they are each playing half of the guitar. This is still really impressive, since there's no way to play this song on your own because we don't have enough fingers etc.

However, take a look at this second one. First of all, the song itself is much more complex. But more impressively, pay attention to around 0:53. They SWITCH the strings that they hold down, such that person A is finger picking what person B is holding down. If this doesn't seem quite obvious, it becomes more clear around 1:04-1:08. The lady is holding down the strings with the right hand, while the man is playing the strings with the left. Now imagine doing this, but doing the exact opposite roles with the other hand, on the same guitar, at the same time! It's as if you're playing one song on the right hand, and playing another on the left... all the while coordinating it with someone else!! Mind blowing ability!



Finally, something a little different. The guitar is typically strummed/picked in two ways: with a pick, or with your fingers. There's a lot you can do with those things, but it's still just two ways of hitting the strings. Here's something a little different: a guitar being played with a couple pencils, ala a Yangqin (a Chinese hammered dulcimer).