The amount of technique that goes into a piece like this is unbelievable! Seriously, those who play this is reserved to the professor or virtuoso skills. My professor performed Sunburst many times however no student I have ever met of his has ever attempted to perform this in front of audiences. Clearly a stunning piece!
Andrew York is an incredibly talented composer and guitarist. I love these earlier recordings of his compositions. His playing is impeccable yet richly warm and his understanding and mastery of melody, harmony, layering, attack, dampening, tone quality, rhythm, dynamics, etc. are world-class. If you take together his many extraordinary compositions and his skill as a guitarist, he really is at the top of his generation of guitarists. When you hear other guitarists denigrate his work, what they are actually revealing is their bone-deep jealousy of a genius' work. I pity them, truly. As a guitarist, I also feel compassion for them. Andrew York is unique. However, he's also a truly nice guy. I wish more guitarists would set aside their jealousy and appreciate him now, while they have a chance.
I reckon this is the best version on youtube....I liked it better than Lie Jie's performance, but nothing against her! I think its funny how they added that extra bit at the end, do they do it to cover up Andrews really bad harmonic at the end? :P Listen carefully to 5:14 just before it cuts hehe :P
Yeah, it was just a glitch. But Stilleman, he might have needed some help with editing around 4:39 though :P But seriously, that was an amazing performance, and you can really hear this piece come alive when he plays it. Such a great musician...
it's incredible how "radio friendly" music can be on guitar, thanks to andrew york, and i mean it in a good way. sunburst's composition is incredible. i wonder how he thought in such a happy melody, also exploring the guitar. amazing!
It IS the best performance. I don't care how many hours these female asian guitarists lock themselves in a room each day practising 12 hours a day. It just shows how lifeless they are never enjoying playing Sunburst near as much as Andrew York does. This is why I prefer the creative over the hard-working.
I sent you a link where you can do so for free to your private inbox. Glad I was able to make myself understood. I know I said something unpopular. Steelstring has a negative conotation to many classical artists though I really don't understand why. I'm a classical player myself and I find I like SOME of the stuff just fine. That incarnation of the instrument has interesting possibilities as long as you understand its strengths and work with them. Chapdelaine has done well there.
I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't used at all in this performance. I meant that you could pull this piece off on a steel string and still have it sound quite nice. Now, I wouldn't say that about Sor's Gran Solo which Bream begins to play at the end of this video (mistake, clearly), because tone color plays a very important role in bringing it off. Btw, some of the higher end steelstrings made thesedays can produce some tone color variation though not as much as a classical, of course.
Nice piece. I think it might even sound nice on a steel string guitar which is not often the case with classical guitar works. This one, however is very bright and the way it is arranged makes me imagine Ed Gerhardt or somebody pulling it off. There've been quite a few steel string guitar artists whose music is on a par with classical in beauty and complexity of dynamics though not of tone color. Not much variation in color on this one so it'd work for steel.
--- but that is like saying a Davinci copy is better than the original. He is the composer of the piece--- it came out of his head--- he invented it. Jie Lie is a good player but not in the same Caliber--- no grammy's in her name--- . Getting a lot of youtube play doesn't mean you are great.--- To clarify he was a member of the LA guitar quartet----- good teacher and composer and author various guitar books.
Writing a masterpiece like this, to me, is a miracle in itself. Li Jie is a brilliant guitarist, but when i watch her play, I dont see any passion. Li plays with precision and strict obedience, Andrew York plays with his heart. Just look at his expression. Andrew York is a guitarist. You may think that Li Jie plays it better, but she just plays it, exactly like she has been taught. There is no such thing as perfection. Li Jie plays notes, Andrew York plays music.
Li Jie is a performer. Andrew York is a musician. Can anyone link me to a video of a song that Lie Jie has written herself? Face it. The genius lies in that spark of creation that makes a song traverse the mind into the real world by way of the instrument. Anyone can learn to play anything with practice and diligence. Technique is a result of repetition. Very few can do what you are seeing Andrew York do in this video; make something brilliant. Jie doesn't hold a candle for that reason alone.
i was just asking a question after a while it just gets annoying reading all negative and insulting and ego crazy comments all over not just you rm just so many people wanna try and put people down and be negative its too bad music is great and im lucky to be a part of it just too many posers and un artistic people ruining it 4 us lol
While I see where's your coming from, this is video is terrible quality and all timbre is lost. I don't know if it's the actual DVD itself or just the compression of UA-cam/ripping of the video but the CD versions are lush with timbre. The second more than the last, since it was originally recorded on a steel string guitar.
There's no best performance, a great violinist once said: "there is no certain way to play a piece, if someone says that an interpretation is the way a pice should be played, it would be saying that music is very poor" Well, i Love Andrew YOrk, i think that Barrios and him are the best composers for classical guitar
One may listen to Li Jie's version and find it brilliant, while those who dig a bit deeper and really listens to what the song has to say, what feeling the guitarist tries to add to a certain part, might not be quite satisfied with her performance, since she's just playing it straightforward, like a computer would play it. And i prefer human hearts over central processing units.
can anyone tell me where is his video entitled sunday morning overcast..it is on my favorite list..then it is suddenly becomes unavailable..mr. york is the best...please can anyone tell me please,, :-(
If I remember correctly, it's in a really weird tuning, like the top string tuned to D. One of my friends played it for guitar class back in high school. Umm...best bet would be to find sheet music and figure out the fingering by doing that. That's probably how you've gotta go for this one.
Judging from the replies in this thread, it's painfully obvious that a lot of people don't realize they are watching ANDREW YORK- YOU KNOW, THE GUY WHO WROTE THE FUCKING SONG TO BEGIN WITH LOLOLOL.
You guys kill me. Dude, that's just a glitch in the video. Andrew York doesn't need any help from clever editing. Besides this is from a professional dvd release. It's not a home video.
Good point buckethead. The sound quality on this is terrible, yet even still, it's apparent that the song is a masterpiece, in spite of the garbage recording quality.
Nice composer and great player. In regards to the Chinese girl interp, well, there is a real groove going on with Andy's version, especially during the bass note legatos and hammerons. The chinese girl is not quite feeling that part right, and slows down a lot. I think York beats her both in technique and expression.
i give andrew york credit for writing this amazing piece, but i don't really like the way he plays it. i also think li jie's interpretation sounds better, even though hers isn't the "intended" interpretation. I recorded myself playing sunburst too. check it out on my channel and let me know what you think
I find it amazing people are so quick to be harsh critics. It was rampant in school. You'd be at a recital, the players on stage are doing quite well, yet, the audience (all students and faculty) sitting with their arms crossed with that "I can do better" look. I've been playing my whole life and I'm not a master, but, I appreciate good talent and great talent. I also appreciate genuine effort. UA-cam is littered with untalented people. But, Andrew is a great talent. Good find.
Christopher Parkening recorded this version. I thinks it's simply called Jubilation. It's on a CD called "Angel's Glory". (it's a Christmas CD with Kathleen Battle). His performance is also excellent as is Andrew's. It's great music to play and to listen to...
Yes, that's true. However, his originality, his ability, and the oversight of Andrew York, all make me think of Augustine Barrios. And he's still relativly young. What more is to come? We'll see. Either way, you gotta love it?
That was excellent, someone made a distinction here about the difference between the composer and the virtuoso and I do think its a valid point, my own personal feeling is that John Williams recorded a version of it that is hard surpassed on the Music of the Americas album. Virtuosity and feel combined.
I used to almost be able to play this lol... I just love the movement to the resolution at 3:54 I first heard the John Williams recording from Music of the Americas, and then I heard Andy play it on steel string with a slightly different version. Both are great but I think this song really stands out on steel. Great vid thank you. Gonna have to get this.
I would also like to say that I am really tired of people claiming that player A has ripped somebody else off everytime there is the slightest hint of bossa nova in it. If this man wrote a waltz no one would accuse him of ripping Strauss off, and yet for some reason the instant people hear anyform of latin/afro-cuban/bossa nova/calypso etc. suddenly he's ripping off whomever the first person you've heard playing said style. These are ethnically influenced styles dating back long before Metheny.
I wanted to list some names of some steel string artists I recently discovered whose musical style put me in mind of this piece and vise versa: Ken Bonfield Giacomo Fiore John Ford Jay Calder Bill Hammond Perhaps, after listening to some of them, my comment will make more sense to those of you who are less familiar with what's going on in fingerstyle guitar these days. I, for one, had to revise my opinions about steel string guitar considerably when I heard them.
He can write in said styles without benefit of "ripping off" somebody like Pat Metheny. All he need have is a basic knowledge of music history and theory. And with a Masters of Music (which this man has from University of Southern California) he would certainly have said tools. Hell, if he read GuitarWorld for long enough he'd have those skills.
Of course you can here the difference between a more soulful and lively version and a 'just technical' version of a song, just like you can differentiate a happy song from a sad song and a good singer from a bad one.
@maciejgrebowicz It's his piece. He can do what he likes with it. The emotion that flows through every note in this piece comes across so well, and that's what a lot of people are missing when they play it... technical accuracy is only one piece of the puzzle...
Uh ... Thanks, I think. :) You know, this piece is really uplifting. Found myself a bit under a cloud this afternoon and hearing it rolled back its curtains, so to speak. I'm indebted to you for your response which made me access it again.
what a beautiful performance. the legato runs are flawless, so clean. i wish it stopped at 5.14 though so i could take it all in without those other clips taking away from it..
He is absolutely technically superior and I think there is no better proof than his constant awareness of the decay of the notes of the guitar. This instrument requires you to be able to use the silence around the instrument (say... in the beginning of the piece) as part of the instrument itself. There is nothing harder, and he makes it look effortless.
The reason there are critics is because "Observer" is one of the three, fundamental personality types that develop within the human condition. One is the do-er. The man who composes, the man who does. Another is the talker; the man who talks about doing, but cannot actualize. The third (and most common) is the observer, who cannot do, nor is he inclined to even present himself as a talker, thus his place in the world is commenting on what others have done. He is useless, but very common
We cant expect composers to have the similar level of playing skills as virtuosos. However, composer can feel their own music more than anyone thus, their playing would be very unique.
The amount of technique that goes into a piece like this is unbelievable! Seriously, those who play this is reserved to the professor or virtuoso skills. My professor performed Sunburst many times however no student I have ever met of his has ever attempted to perform this in front of audiences. Clearly a stunning piece!
Andrew York is an incredibly talented composer and guitarist. I love these earlier recordings of his compositions. His playing is impeccable yet richly warm and his understanding and mastery of melody, harmony, layering, attack, dampening, tone quality, rhythm, dynamics, etc. are world-class. If you take together his many extraordinary compositions and his skill as a guitarist, he really is at the top of his generation of guitarists. When you hear other guitarists denigrate his work, what they are actually revealing is their bone-deep jealousy of a genius' work. I pity them, truly. As a guitarist, I also feel compassion for them. Andrew York is unique. However, he's also a truly nice guy. I wish more guitarists would set aside their jealousy and appreciate him now, while they have a chance.
Well said! Would you please recommend some other masters to check out?? I would appreciate it very much:)
Bream as a bonus at the end. ^_^
i agree, words like best have no place in the creativity of music and art.
I reckon this is the best version on youtube....I liked it better than Lie Jie's performance, but nothing against her!
I think its funny how they added that extra bit at the end, do they do it to cover up Andrews really bad harmonic at the end? :P Listen carefully to 5:14 just before it cuts hehe :P
Yeah, it was just a glitch. But Stilleman, he might have needed some help with editing around 4:39 though :P
But seriously, that was an amazing performance, and you can really hear this piece come alive when he plays it.
Such a great musician...
What an awesome piece, beautifully performed. The guy has great hair, too.
it's incredible how "radio friendly" music can be on guitar, thanks to andrew york, and i mean it in a good way. sunburst's composition is incredible. i wonder how he thought in such a happy melody, also exploring the guitar. amazing!
It IS the best performance. I don't care how many hours these female asian guitarists lock themselves in a room each day practising 12 hours a day. It just shows how lifeless they are never enjoying playing Sunburst near as much as Andrew York does. This is why I prefer the creative over the hard-working.
still enjoying this video after 18 years.
素晴らしい演奏をありがとうございます(*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡💐💐💐💐🍷🧀
I sent you a link where you can do so for free to your private inbox. Glad I was able to make myself understood. I know I said something unpopular. Steelstring has a negative conotation to many classical artists though I really don't understand why. I'm a classical player myself and I find I like SOME of the stuff just fine. That incarnation of the instrument has interesting possibilities as long as you understand its strengths and work with them. Chapdelaine has done well there.
I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't used at all in this performance. I meant that you could pull this piece off on a steel string and still have it sound quite nice. Now, I wouldn't say that about Sor's Gran Solo which Bream begins to play at the end of this video (mistake, clearly), because tone color plays a very important role in bringing it off. Btw, some of the higher end steelstrings made thesedays can produce some tone color variation though not as much as a classical, of course.
Nice piece. I think it might even sound nice on a steel string guitar which is not often the case with classical guitar works. This one, however is very bright and the way it is arranged makes me imagine Ed Gerhardt or somebody pulling it off. There've been quite a few steel string guitar artists whose music is on a par with classical in beauty and complexity of dynamics though not of tone color. Not much variation in color on this one so it'd work for steel.
--- but that is like saying a Davinci copy is better than the original. He is the composer of the piece--- it came out of his head--- he invented it. Jie Lie is a good player but not in the same Caliber--- no grammy's in her name--- . Getting a lot of youtube play doesn't mean you are great.---
To clarify he was a member of the LA guitar quartet----- good teacher and composer and author various guitar books.
Writing a masterpiece like this, to me, is a miracle in itself.
Li Jie is a brilliant guitarist, but when i watch her play, I dont see any passion.
Li plays with precision and strict obedience,
Andrew York plays with his heart.
Just look at his expression. Andrew York is a guitarist. You may think that Li Jie plays it better, but she just plays it, exactly like she has been taught.
There is no such thing as perfection.
Li Jie plays notes,
Andrew York plays music.
Li Jie is a performer. Andrew York is a musician. Can anyone link me to a video of a song that Lie Jie has written herself?
Face it. The genius lies in that spark of creation that makes a song traverse the mind into the real world by way of the instrument. Anyone can learn to play anything with practice and diligence. Technique is a result of repetition. Very few can do what you are seeing Andrew York do in this video; make something brilliant. Jie doesn't hold a candle for that reason alone.
i was just asking a question after a while it just gets annoying reading all negative and insulting and ego crazy comments all over not just you rm just so many people wanna try and put people down and be negative its too bad music is great and im lucky to be a part of it just too many posers and un artistic people ruining it 4 us lol
While I see where's your coming from, this is video is terrible quality and all timbre is lost. I don't know if it's the actual DVD itself or just the compression of UA-cam/ripping of the video but the CD versions are lush with timbre. The second more than the last, since it was originally recorded on a steel string guitar.
There's no best performance, a great violinist once said: "there is no certain way to play a piece, if someone says that an interpretation is the way a pice should be played, it would be saying that music is very poor"
Well, i Love Andrew YOrk, i think that Barrios and him are the best composers for classical guitar
One may listen to Li Jie's version and find it brilliant, while those who dig a bit deeper and really listens to what the song has to say, what feeling the guitarist tries to add to a certain part, might not be quite satisfied with her performance, since she's just playing it straightforward, like a computer would play it. And i prefer human hearts over central processing units.
can anyone tell me where is his video entitled sunday morning overcast..it is on my favorite list..then it is suddenly becomes unavailable..mr. york is the best...please can anyone tell me please,, :-(
If I remember correctly, it's in a really weird tuning, like the top string tuned to D. One of my friends played it for guitar class back in high school. Umm...best bet would be to find sheet music and figure out the fingering by doing that. That's probably how you've gotta go for this one.
Judging from the replies in this thread, it's painfully obvious that a lot of people don't realize they are watching ANDREW YORK- YOU KNOW, THE GUY WHO WROTE THE FUCKING SONG TO BEGIN WITH LOLOLOL.
It should be clear that Jubilation comes first, the Sunburst, in this video
You guys kill me. Dude, that's just a glitch in the video. Andrew York doesn't need any help from clever editing. Besides this is from a professional dvd release. It's not a home video.
hey dude ofcourse..because andrew york a member of the famous lagq (los angeles guitar quartet).. was the one composed that wonderful piece....
Good point buckethead.
The sound quality on this is terrible, yet even still, it's apparent that the song is a masterpiece, in spite of the garbage recording quality.
Not necessarily.
Expression isn't just visual, you can hear it in the music.
Even when I'm not watching the video i still like York's version better.
i totally agree. sunburst by lijie was kinda lifeless but technically she played it really well. but music is not music without some spirit and life.
So he remakes this again? That's kinda typical for uncreative people who recycle and recycle and recycle the same !@#$% ALL THE TIME.
I find myself disinterested in Jubilitation - the intro piece, but Sunburst is a great bit of composure. Also, how does he do that?
oh okay because i thought that since he never opened his eyes, i thought he was thanks
and if doesnt reply, this is to leonardorozas
色々なギタリストがサンバーストを弾いているが
演奏方法の奇抜さに頭をとられて肝心な
曲の世界観が表現できていないケースが多い。
具体的に言うと、音に芯がなかったり、テンポや
強弱の抑揚がしっかりついていなかったりするのだ。
日本人でこの世界観を最も表現できているのは
おそらく村治佳織だろう。
@alienwareufo It was random huh? It was Julian Bream, you should look him up if you haven't. Hell of a Guitarist!
how hard is it to play ive been doing alot of baroque de visee and weiss what would u compare it to difficulty wise?
Ah, the magic of VHS piracy... 😅
good composers borrow, great composers steal. Is it really necessary to put profanity on youtube?
Li Jie video is dull compared to this one. Andrew York fells the music and gets into every song he plays.
just a little info.. he is the composer of this piece right?he is andrew york of the lagq..
I find myself disinterested in Jubilitation - the intro piece, but Sunburst is a great bit of composure
lol its ridiculous to ask someone how difficult a piece is? you must have never went to college 4 music
very nice! please...if somebody have the music "in sorrows wake" put the music here. thank you
His look and style has a renaissance feel - lovely mixture of old and new.
I agree with plectrist and plus he created the song he can use any technique that suits him
Nice composer and great player. In regards to the Chinese girl interp, well, there is a real groove going on with Andy's version, especially during the bass note legatos and hammerons. The chinese girl is not quite feeling that part right, and slows down a lot. I think York beats her both in technique and expression.
i give andrew york credit for writing this amazing piece, but i don't really like the way he plays it. i also think li jie's interpretation sounds better, even though hers isn't the "intended" interpretation.
I recorded myself playing sunburst too. check it out on my channel and let me know what you think
He was referring to the performance, which has nothing to do with who wrote the piece.
@rm3cpp At one time his wikipedia article said that he was born in the 1800's, so...
well he's had a bit longer to practice it than anybody else ...he wrote it. :-)
stop makin michael o toole feel like a fan-boy :P Mick is AWESOMNE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find it amazing people are so quick to be harsh critics. It was rampant in school. You'd be at a recital, the players on stage are doing quite well, yet, the audience (all students and faculty) sitting with their arms crossed with that "I can do better" look.
I've been playing my whole life and I'm not a master, but, I appreciate good talent and great talent. I also appreciate genuine effort. UA-cam is littered with untalented people. But, Andrew is a great talent. Good find.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but is that a steel strung classical guitar?
am I wrong or is he tuned in DADGBD ?????? well his guitar at least
does anyone know where i can get the music for sunburst? or both?
@rm3cpp he IS a wizard... so he probably will live forever.
you know people are not blind because their eyes are closed
Why are Segovia and Julian Bream at the end of the video?
I love Segovia and Bream, too. Why are they here? Weird!
Absolut fantastisch - und so wie er guckt könnte er beim Sex kaum glücklicher sein :)
great song. what was with the ending of the video lol?
@mrwormburn chickens are purple btw :P
/irony
i'm positive Lijilie was 14 .. im she once was
Nice song, a bit restless in the beginning.
Christopher Parkening recorded this version.
I thinks it's simply called Jubilation. It's on a CD called "Angel's Glory". (it's a Christmas CD with Kathleen Battle). His performance is also excellent as is Andrew's. It's great music to play and to listen to...
Truly awesome. I met his friend, Scott, in 1998, and he was also brilliant, as well as a nice guy.
how hard is this piece ? i was wondering
is he using damman guitar in this video?
And then came Segovia and Bream. Why?
Yes, that's true. However, his originality, his ability, and the oversight of Andrew York, all make me think of Augustine Barrios. And he's still relativly young. What more is to come? We'll see.
Either way, you gotta love it?
What's with cutting off the ending?
he is jesus with a guitar
is this another kind of sunburst?
That was excellent, someone made a distinction here about the difference between the composer and the virtuoso and I do think its a valid point, my own personal feeling is that John Williams recorded a version of it that is hard surpassed on the Music of the Americas album. Virtuosity and feel combined.
didn't understand that either :s
I used to almost be able to play this lol...
I just love the movement to the resolution at 3:54
I first heard the John Williams recording from Music of the Americas, and then I heard Andy play it on steel string with a slightly different version. Both are great but I think this song really stands out on steel. Great vid thank you. Gonna have to get this.
I would also like to say that I am really tired of people claiming that player A has ripped somebody else off everytime there is the slightest hint of bossa nova in it. If this man wrote a waltz no one would accuse him of ripping Strauss off, and yet for some reason the instant people hear anyform of latin/afro-cuban/bossa nova/calypso etc. suddenly he's ripping off whomever the first person you've heard playing said style. These are ethnically influenced styles dating back long before Metheny.
should've been a pregnancy tape
Don't think so, just a master!
I wanted to list some names of some steel string artists I recently discovered whose musical style put me in mind of this piece and vise versa:
Ken Bonfield
Giacomo Fiore
John Ford
Jay Calder
Bill Hammond
Perhaps, after listening to some of them, my comment will make more sense to those of you who are less familiar with what's going on in fingerstyle guitar these days. I, for one, had to revise my opinions about steel string guitar considerably when I heard them.
He can write in said styles without benefit of "ripping off" somebody like Pat Metheny. All he need have is a basic knowledge of music history and theory. And with a Masters of Music (which this man has from University of Southern California) he would certainly have said tools. Hell, if he read GuitarWorld for long enough he'd have those skills.
Of course you can here the difference between a more soulful and lively version and a 'just technical' version of a song, just like you can differentiate a happy song from a sad song and a good singer from a bad one.
your wordz is the beautiful.
この曲大好きで、できたら弾きたいと思ったんですが難しくてトライしたけど無理でした！弾けたらいいなあと思います！
I wanted to play this piece ,but it`s too difficult to play for me!
He`s great!
Hay un trozo de la pieza es Pat metheny asi me parece , el ritmo ,joan,Catalonia free,💕❤️❤️
quasi ai livelli di re vinello
@maciejgrebowicz
It's his piece. He can do what he likes with it. The emotion that flows through every note in this piece comes across so well, and that's what a lot of people are missing when they play it... technical accuracy is only one piece of the puzzle...
Uh ... Thanks, I think. :) You know, this piece is really uplifting. Found myself a bit under a cloud this afternoon and hearing it rolled back its curtains, so to speak. I'm indebted to you for your response which made me access it again.
what a beautiful performance. the legato runs are flawless, so clean. i wish it stopped at 5.14 though so i could take it all in without those other clips taking away from it..
He is absolutely technically superior and I think there is no better proof than his constant awareness of the decay of the notes of the guitar. This instrument requires you to be able to use the silence around the instrument (say... in the beginning of the piece) as part of the instrument itself. There is nothing harder, and he makes it look effortless.
this is a great theme,,i think im using it for aplying at julliard,,its just so great and worked.
What the heck. So cold.
What the heck. So cold.
he looks like shakespeare
Who couldn't appreciate this; then for the fact that one not need to have helped to expand the repetoire just to express their appreciation.
hah, i noticed that too
The reason there are critics is because "Observer" is one of the three, fundamental personality types that develop within the human condition.
One is the do-er. The man who composes, the man who does.
Another is the talker; the man who talks about doing, but cannot actualize.
The third (and most common) is the observer, who cannot do, nor is he inclined to even present himself as a talker, thus his place in the world is commenting on what others have done. He is useless, but very common
Just Heaven!
Is guy is really good.
We cant expect composers to have the similar level of playing skills as virtuosos. However, composer can feel their own music more than anyone thus, their playing would be very unique.