He actually is saying something, theyre talking about the timbre of the fretted notes hes playing. It sounds a little wonky but i think hes trying to say that he always tries to emulate the tone of an open string when he plays a fretted note. The tone does slightly change depending on how hard and the way you fret a note compared to the open strings. Hence why he says the B (rhe open string) doesnt sound like an outlier in the whole chord
I’ve watched this multiple times abd what i got was that he’s actually talking about his perception of doing the action of playing a note. He say’s that, in the head of the guitar player playing a guitar, playing a fretted and open note will feel different. Not about the sound, not even really about the different resistance of the strings, but more the anticipation, the confidence, the strength with which you hit the string. And he prefers to alter his cognition so that he perceives a fretted string just as an open string where the nut happens to be placed higher, and probably seeing it that way makes him play differently, or just feel differently. Maybe it also helps him stop focusing too much on his fretting hand, and plays more freely with his picking hand because he pretends he doesn’t have to wait for his fingers to fall into place. Sorry for the long comment lol, in the end you might be right, i think this clip is too ambiguous to say for sure what he meant, some things are just hard to put into words
@@benjaminj883you're right. He's talking about his perspective and perception, not intonation. Maybe he goes on to clarify that this 'different experience' for the player leads to a different sound for listeners, but in this clip he doesn't say anything about technique at all.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. I love his musings, no matter if it makes sense or not, it's clearly out of love for his instrument, letting himself be taken on a journey.
@@44scootsyeah. You have to listen to sormething in its entirety to have adequate information with which to make such a judgement. What's your argument?
have you ever played jumbo frets? Versus vintage frets? This makes sense to me. When I play as if my job is to push the string down I get notes out of tune (coming from vintage frets) whereas if I think of it this way, it forces me to remember to use the lightest pressure possible
Those commenting need to listen to the entire interview for more context. He discusses improvisation and how he is able to do it so well and effortlessly. He hypothesizes resulting from a finger nerve trauma he was forced to pay less attention to his fingers pressing on the string/fretboard and more about the immediate and subsequent notes that resulted from his hand/finger position…he is actually saying a lot in terms of applied music theory and mechanics.
I like the way you think. Nobody has actually articulated this information too me as clearly. Subconsciously I know it, but I used to focus on fretting, when first learning and it takes a lifetime to appreciate the open strings are mostly just as important to any chord. With the exception ofcause when an open string is not needed required to complete a chord. ❤
This is a good observation. That pressing down just enough to "set the nut" will give a note quality that is close in tonality and in tune with the open string. Pressing down hard can affect the character of the tone and intonation in comparison to the open strings.
@@manipedromanip both of you are high, nothing compares to an open string because theres no tension behind a fretted note like there is tension behind the nut
@@manipedromanip it doesn't matter how hard or soft you finger a note, a fretted note will never sound like an open string. There is just a whole other harmonic quality that you can only get with an open string no matter how hard you try or whatever fretting technique you employ. You just can't really simulate that "jangliness" that you get with an open string. Maybe what he is saying is a good idea to have in your head as you play as a sort of framework for how you approach fretting, but at the end of the day a fretted note just can't sound exactly like an open string.
Even though he didn’t introduce anything new, I find changing my mindset or the way I think about playing music is often the first step in breaking through a plateau.
I kinda get it, it’s just a different perspective to fretting, that’ll make you perceive, experience and play the guitar a little differently Kinda like glass half-full or half-empty, new perspectives change your experience and therefore actions. I like it
That's mostly true. Some guitarist would make it their goal to make open and fretted strings sound even, some would embrace the fact that they do sound different and utilize it, and some would try to avoid open strings for the sake of consistency. I personally find it extremely tricky when trying to incorporate open strings due to the lack of control. instead of being able to control the sound with both hands you now only have one. For example, when you play a chord that's higher up on the fret board and the melody note is on an open string, and the next chord + melody note is all fretted, it is extremely challenging to get the melody to sound consistent. On top of that you're gonna have to worry about your phrasing. What's even harder is when the open string melody note isn't on the highest string played. Or if the open string isn't the melody note, you're gonna have to make sure it doesn't drown out the melody note. Imagine having to strum strings 6 5 4 2 1 normally but only 3 lighter. It is true that a good guitar player should be able to make fretted and open sound consistent, but no they do not sound the same by nature. Which means that saying a fretted note is just a shorter open string is technically false. But what he said later on in the clip is true, the mentality you have does make a difference. When you're simply fretting a note vs when you're actively trying to make a fretted note sound open does make a difference. And that is the difference between a guitar player and an amazing guitar player. Next time you play an instrument I urge you to try changing your mindset. Often times when we make a mistake is when we are not consciously trying to play the right thing. If we keep on playing with our brain shut off, we're likely to make the same mistake over and over again. So, try a change of mindset. Next time you get to the part you usually mess up, do not tense up or shut off your brain, instead try to imagine the right way to play it and how you want it to sound. This change of mindset is often enough to fix a mistake or make a note/phrase sound better. Although this probably only really works for people who have a decent amount of time on their instrument already. If you literally bought a guitar last week I don't think this is going to work as well. So, to the other people in the comments saying what he said in the video is basically "nothing", you either failed to understand his point or isn't at the point where you have to worry about such things yet. If all you want to do is play campfire songs then to you this video does indeed mean nothing. But if you're trying to elevate your playing to the next level then give more thought to what he said in the video, its deeper meaning is useful to everyone, not just musicians. Mindset is important.
@@nateygameplayHe just explained every string is an open string. Then he explains he makes multiple fretted open strings, so the fretted B isn't an outlayer. With his logic, if the B was the only fretted string, but still an open string, it wouldn't be an outlayer. So he is quite contradicting himself. Tho I think he means to say that only one fretted note sounds "out of place" and you need a balance. He's onto something.
This comment section is a pretty good microcosm of how adulthood corrupts our thinking. He takes a slightly “whimsical” approach in explaining a simple concept (that he probably first imagined as a literal child mind you); fret notes evenly and play gently. And from this- “He must be high” “he said a whole lotta nothing”. Pretty disappointing.
That's the secret... not to mention hundreds of notes or how fast you can play... There's a whole beautiful world when you understand how to navigate within a semitone [the beauty of microtones]... and interacting with other. Oriental music knows this fact quite well
For those who don't understand it's about the relationship between what you think your tone will be and what your hands do. He thinks of chords that have open strings as having consistent open-string tone when you hold your left hand as if the fretted notes had nuts, so still during the note and 0 bending to get the authentic fret pitch. It's a very fine idea but hard to explain the tone implications without a demo. Blues guitar vs blues piano is a good comparison.
I had the privilege of meeting Julian at SFCM before he performed. A once in a lifetime experience. He was so kind and treated me with such respect as a young composer and guitarist(at the time). I think it was back in 2018. Hope to meet him again.
Might sound crazy to some but when you think about the physics of the guitar what he’s saying is completely right. It establishes a whole new thought process for developing chord structures and writing lead.
For all the snarky comments or people saying he’s saying nothing - what he seems to mean is the important element of changing your perspective on playing in order to focus on certain aspects of playing on a more granular, intentional level. He views his fingering as trying to gain such a sustained and even tone on every single note of each chord (a very difficult level of clarity) that it gives the effect of playing open strings on an a guitar with open string tuning. And you can hear it! He isn’t pressing any level of the chord more than any other and his evenness of tone (particularly in jazz) is incredible.
Julian is so good, he has to create some nonsense theory in his head about his fingers being some permanent part of the guitar so a string doesn’t sound like an outlier.
No I just had an epiphany hearing this. He’s saying you think about it like every note is still open. You are just pushing the string down enough that it rests on the fret and from there it works just the same as an open string. You aren’t pushing the string down, you are resting it on the fret. I have issues with not pushing too hard and getting tense so this is a really good way to think about it for me.
I saw him live in a church. It felt so appropriate. If you havent seen him live, not much else compares. I really think he might be among the greatest living musicians
Basically what he said was that when you play a fretted note the note itself is an open string but your finger then becomes a nut which makes for the shortness. When you feel the real open string and it’s not a fretted one it’s actually in the nut so when he plays it it’s a different experience because it is indeed a different experience, thus giving the sound of a chord with both notes no alienation of the b note which is in fact an open string but not a fretted one. So it resolves different then just fretting it. Although I wish I woulda heard what he had to say before he was cut off.
After seeing him play its easy to understand. He doesnt use alot of legato. Not really fret hand attack with hammers, trills and pull offs. He sets the strings with perfect timing and perfect tension with different feel.
@@YogsenForfothThat’s interesting considering I literally have a music degree, and have studied the guitar for around 20 years, just how “smart” do I need to be??
I think I see where he's coming from. I think when we play we fixate on the geometry of the fretboard grid and get bound to it. But if you reframe that and just think about it as changing the relative length of strings you can get out of that bind. Or maybe it's that people play open strings differently, like you are more likely to let an open string ring out while you do other stuff. When really you could do that with a fretted note too.
@@jamestopliss7029he's talking about feel. How he conceptualizes that G# and expresses it in his playing. The tone would be different if he didn't use the nut as a reference point. As someone with 20 years of experience you should know that playing any musical instrument is just as much feeling and expression as anything else.
Listen to his performances. It is a whole different experience to the instrument when you are not trilling, hammering on and pulling off when fretting notes. He sets each note with perfect timing and tension. Its a different approach to the instrument. Guitarists are taught to hammer and build strength with trills and legato.
Oh no, ppl in the comment section don’t realise who Julian Lage .. he’s a living legend and if you heard him play you would immediately know what he was talking about
Within five minutes of lightening up and finding the sweet spot in each fret (bringing the fretting fingers directly down in the string where the finger tip up to the first knuckle bend is perfectly perpendicular to the fingerboard but perpendicular 360 degrees around the finger (almost no leaning with the fingers). Brilliant!!! immediate sonic payoff.
I know exactly what he’s talking about. If you think of fretting a note this way you apply just enough pressure for the note to ring cleanly but no more. Concentrating on the string beneath your finger rather than your finger itself gives you a much more accurate mental image of how the instrument functions and what you need to be doing in the moment. There is nothing more powerful than the imagination for guiding the human body and the broader self toward optimization.
You know when you breathe, your lungs expand, they get bigger, right? But when you breathe out, all that space is gone! Where does it go? That relationship always fascinated me.
I think a large part of why open and fretted notes sound different. Is that the nut and the frets r made of different materials, which imho add to the complexity/beauty of the way a guitar sounds
Very interesting because I used to have the same theory while self teaching. It helped me understand why we have bar chords and why pitch goes up as we move further down the fretboard 😁
I’ve actually thought about this a lot. Pressing a string literally is shortening it, so the vibration is shorter/longer depending where your hand is on the neck.
Everyone making fun of this doesn’t understand how important this concept is. When you approach the guitar this way, your intonation, resonance of the instrument, and technique are going to be night and day better than most other players. Reason being: you’re not applying nearly as much pressure on the string as most beginner/intermediate players, so everything about the playing and listening experience vastly improves. Think of it like a Kyser capo vs. a G3 ART capo, or a capo that allows you to adjust exact pressure. It really does make a big difference. Go listen to some of Julian’s solo guitar performances and tell me that he’s “saying nothing” 😂
I think he’s just saying mindset changes the way you play. Which I 100% agree with. Thinking about playing a 4 bar 16 note phrase is a lot easier when you break it up into the 4 bars rather than thinking about 16 notes. So if thinking of the strings as all open produces a certain mindset effect for him that allows him to process what he’s playing easier, that’s pretty cool.
i'm back on this video again, slightly disheartened by the comments that just make fun of the dude. I wonder how many people really understand what is happening. the simplest discoveries really can make a difference to the imagination and in turn the output. why not be happy and be curious about things we take for granted like fretting a note? Especially when it really shows in his playing. I think it's a great way to look at the world, you're happier and you also get tangible results as a creative professional/hobbyist.
I noticed something similar when experimenting with Harp harmonics, just the idea that harmonics work 12 frets up from the nut/ capo was very interesting to me. And as obvious as it seems, it was a revelation to an extent that chords were manipulating the note relative to that string's open note.
What I think is interesting on a piano is to carefully hold down some keys, without sounding them, and then play something with the oher hand so that you get a resonance from the keys that are held down. It gives a kind of background sustained sound.
A lot of people are clowning on him for saying this, but I actually found it pretty helpful. I don’t know if it’s how my brain works, but the way he explains it makes sense to me.
To someone who doesn’t know about music this is truly like a guy from outer space trying to explain something, because music is my life and I have no idea what the hell he is talking about 😂. I love Julian’s music so much ❤. Go see him live if you get the chance to!
If i said this, everybody would think i was high
Bro, if you think he's not high, you need to be more high.... I might be too high.... High
@@DevilsAvocado69HIGH HIGH HIGH YOU ARE TOO HIGH
THE DEVILS AVOCADO
Lol
Dude this guy is high
@@DevilsAvocado69hello
I’ve noticed that when the guitar is plugged into an amp, it’s much louder to my ears. It’s a fascinating relationship that fascinates me.
Fascinating
I'm fascinating to this comment right now.
Also the way you're pressing the keys (it's true) on the keyboard one after the other it's really beautiful.
I agree thst the mental sensation is different. I just don’t know the notes by memory good enough to have that sensation across the entire fretboard
@@carlpanzram7081just fascinated all over the place
He actually is saying something, theyre talking about the timbre of the fretted notes hes playing. It sounds a little wonky but i think hes trying to say that he always tries to emulate the tone of an open string when he plays a fretted note. The tone does slightly change depending on how hard and the way you fret a note compared to the open strings. Hence why he says the B (rhe open string) doesnt sound like an outlier in the whole chord
That makes a lot more sense than what he actually said😂.
I’ve watched this multiple times abd what i got was that he’s actually talking about his perception of doing the action of playing a note.
He say’s that, in the head of the guitar player playing a guitar, playing a fretted and open note will feel different. Not about the sound, not even really about the different resistance of the strings, but more the anticipation, the confidence, the strength with which you hit the string. And he prefers to alter his cognition so that he perceives a fretted string just as an open string where the nut happens to be placed higher, and probably seeing it that way makes him play differently, or just feel differently. Maybe it also helps him stop focusing too much on his fretting hand, and plays more freely with his picking hand because he pretends he doesn’t have to wait for his fingers to fall into place.
Sorry for the long comment lol, in the end you might be right, i think this clip is too ambiguous to say for sure what he meant, some things are just hard to put into words
@@benjaminj883 This is how I interpreted it too
@@benjaminj883you're right. He's talking about his perspective and perception, not intonation. Maybe he goes on to clarify that this 'different experience' for the player leads to a different sound for listeners, but in this clip he doesn't say anything about technique at all.
yup, pressing slightly harder can make your notes sharp. When we are beginners we tend to not even notice that our chords are out of tune.
How enjoyable an experience watching someone experience the pure joy of doing something they love…it’s beautiful
I think you hit the nail on the head here. I love his musings, no matter if it makes sense or not, it's clearly out of love for his instrument, letting himself be taken on a journey.
he is almost laughing with joy as he explains his ideas
Ok but if I do it, y'all call it yapping
This guy must be Abe Lincoln's great grandson.
George Clooney it's Abe Lincoln's great grandson
He even kinda sounds like Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln.
I thought so too 😅
@@theodoralabunda8862you’re not alone 😂
Sup
Bro said absolutely nothing 🔥
And you listened to the entire thing. 😂
@@44scootsyeah. You have to listen to sormething in its entirety to have adequate information with which to make such a judgement. What's your argument?
@@jiimmyyy just a question.
have you ever played jumbo frets? Versus vintage frets? This makes sense to me. When I play as if my job is to push the string down I get notes out of tune (coming from vintage frets) whereas if I think of it this way, it forces me to remember to use the lightest pressure possible
Actually, he explained how to properly fret strings when playing dynamically. He said nothing to you because you couldn't understand it
Those commenting need to listen to the entire interview for more context. He discusses improvisation and how he is able to do it so well and effortlessly. He hypothesizes resulting from a finger nerve trauma he was forced to pay less attention to his fingers pressing on the string/fretboard and more about the immediate and subsequent notes that resulted from his hand/finger position…he is actually saying a lot in terms of applied music theory and mechanics.
When someone is so passionate about something, it’s infectious
Can you play? If not, you are obvious immune to it.
@@MOAB-UTyou on drugs?
@@austinsatterfield6792 High on life son.
@@MOAB-UT and other things for sure lol that comment made zero sense
I used to have this theory, that if you close your eyes you won't be able to see anything.
Would it even exist then?
Yeah, but you can hear it
Especially for someone sensitive to pitch (ie those whole have "perfect pitch") because it's slightly ever so slightly off
Hahahaha
you made me laugh so hard lol
I had a guy tell me once when we were playing pool that you can make every shot if hit the ball just right😅
Homie higher than $20 thrift store guitar action
True story
He's just like that
Lmfao
LMFAOOOO
😂
He has a Great Heart! You can FEEL HIS HAPPINESS!
I like the way you think. Nobody has actually articulated this information too me as clearly. Subconsciously I know it, but I used to focus on fretting, when first learning and it takes a lifetime to appreciate the open strings are mostly just as important to any chord. With the exception ofcause when an open string is not needed required to complete a chord. ❤
This is pretty much the scene in Spinal Tap where Nigel goes on about sustain
This comment doesn’t have the recognition it deserves 😂
This is a good observation. That pressing down just enough to "set the nut" will give a note quality that is close in tonality and in tune with the open string. Pressing down hard can affect the character of the tone and intonation in comparison to the open strings.
Finally someone who gets what he's saying
@@manipedromanip both of you are high, nothing compares to an open string because theres no tension behind a fretted note like there is tension behind the nut
@@patrickderp1044 that's the whole point.
@@manipedromanip it doesn't matter how hard or soft you finger a note, a fretted note will never sound like an open string. There is just a whole other harmonic quality that you can only get with an open string no matter how hard you try or whatever fretting technique you employ. You just can't really simulate that "jangliness" that you get with an open string.
Maybe what he is saying is a good idea to have in your head as you play as a sort of framework for how you approach fretting, but at the end of the day a fretted note just can't sound exactly like an open string.
@@STSGuitar16 yes, i believe we all agree, even if it doesn't seem we are
Even though he didn’t introduce anything new, I find changing my mindset or the way I think about playing music is often the first step in breaking through a plateau.
What fascinates me is just how humble he always sounds and how happy he is just to able to make music. Amazing.
When you’re trying to finish an essay but don’t have enough words
💯
🤣🤣🤣
The guitar philosopher
Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, and Julian Lage
The guitarsopher
@@Rubysoho4244he’s one of the best guitarists in the world, go play wonderwall bozo 😂
I kinda get it, it’s just a different perspective to fretting, that’ll make you perceive, experience and play the guitar a little differently
Kinda like glass half-full or half-empty, new perspectives change your experience and therefore actions. I like it
That's mostly true. Some guitarist would make it their goal to make open and fretted strings sound even, some would embrace the fact that they do sound different and utilize it, and some would try to avoid open strings for the sake of consistency. I personally find it extremely tricky when trying to incorporate open strings due to the lack of control. instead of being able to control the sound with both hands you now only have one. For example, when you play a chord that's higher up on the fret board and the melody note is on an open string, and the next chord + melody note is all fretted, it is extremely challenging to get the melody to sound consistent. On top of that you're gonna have to worry about your phrasing. What's even harder is when the open string melody note isn't on the highest string played. Or if the open string isn't the melody note, you're gonna have to make sure it doesn't drown out the melody note. Imagine having to strum strings 6 5 4 2 1 normally but only 3 lighter.
It is true that a good guitar player should be able to make fretted and open sound consistent, but no they do not sound the same by nature. Which means that saying a fretted note is just a shorter open string is technically false. But what he said later on in the clip is true, the mentality you have does make a difference. When you're simply fretting a note vs when you're actively trying to make a fretted note sound open does make a difference. And that is the difference between a guitar player and an amazing guitar player.
Next time you play an instrument I urge you to try changing your mindset. Often times when we make a mistake is when we are not consciously trying to play the right thing. If we keep on playing with our brain shut off, we're likely to make the same mistake over and over again. So, try a change of mindset. Next time you get to the part you usually mess up, do not tense up or shut off your brain, instead try to imagine the right way to play it and how you want it to sound. This change of mindset is often enough to fix a mistake or make a note/phrase sound better. Although this probably only really works for people who have a decent amount of time on their instrument already. If you literally bought a guitar last week I don't think this is going to work as well.
So, to the other people in the comments saying what he said in the video is basically "nothing", you either failed to understand his point or isn't at the point where you have to worry about such things yet. If all you want to do is play campfire songs then to you this video does indeed mean nothing. But if you're trying to elevate your playing to the next level then give more thought to what he said in the video, its deeper meaning is useful to everyone, not just musicians. Mindset is important.
My pops would say… just smile and nod and slowly back out of the room.
😂
Oh man, this actually made me lol😂 Thank your pops for me.
😂
Why? Was he afraid of guitars?
Your pops is Homer Simpson?
😳😂
bros onto nothing 😍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sounds like you don't value nuance and contextual framing when you play instruments.
@@nateygameplayHe just explained every string is an open string. Then he explains he makes multiple fretted open strings, so the fretted B isn't an outlayer. With his logic, if the B was the only fretted string, but still an open string, it wouldn't be an outlayer. So he is quite contradicting himself. Tho I think he means to say that only one fretted note sounds "out of place" and you need a balance. He's onto something.
@@basboerboom9328there's like 10 unique comments saying what he means. So really Noone knows wtf he's talking about
While being on something
Lol
His ability to wonder about guitar with the curiosity and enthusiasm of a kid.
This comment section is a pretty good microcosm of how adulthood corrupts our thinking. He takes a slightly “whimsical” approach in explaining a simple concept (that he probably first imagined as a literal child mind you); fret notes evenly and play gently. And from this- “He must be high” “he said a whole lotta nothing”. Pretty disappointing.
nothin better than learning guitar from Abraham lincoln
Thank you! i knew i had to find this comment
Lol, and cool profile pick by the way. Leprosy if my personal favorite album by them.
Love his smile when he speaks about just a single note
That's the secret... not to mention hundreds of notes or how fast you can play... There's a whole beautiful world when you understand how to navigate within a semitone [the beauty of microtones]... and interacting with other. Oriental music knows this fact quite well
For those who don't understand it's about the relationship between what you think your tone will be and what your hands do. He thinks of chords that have open strings as having consistent open-string tone when you hold your left hand as if the fretted notes had nuts, so still during the note and 0 bending to get the authentic fret pitch. It's a very fine idea but hard to explain the tone implications without a demo. Blues guitar vs blues piano is a good comparison.
This is a great observation... it immediately brought Alex Lifeson's voicings and play style to mind.
His solo set in NYC was the greatest musical experience I have ever had
Penn Badgley has impeccable guitar skills damn
Xoxo..
Impeccable strum wow
I had the privilege of meeting Julian at SFCM before he performed. A once in a lifetime experience. He was so kind and treated me with such respect as a young composer and guitarist(at the time). I think it was back in 2018. Hope to meet him again.
So beautiful. It’s like the pressing of a string is even pressing. I wish this man could whisper lullabies into my ear before sleep.
What a beautiful way of approaching music...
Today I learned Abe Lincoln likes using a Tele with P-90's.
Honeslty!
Was thinking the same when I saw this video. Holy smokes it’s Abe Lincoln on a guitar !
Julian Lage is gold.....listen to his work....some can't handle this...
Something I have admired about Alex Lifeson's style for years - he loves to include open strings in his chords.
Might sound crazy to some but when you think about the physics of the guitar what he’s saying is completely right.
It establishes a whole new thought process for developing chord structures and writing lead.
Bro discovered frets
Seriously 🤣
His mind was built for music
Purple Kush built his mind.
@@bigbassjonzhere comes the bass player 😂
For all the snarky comments or people saying he’s saying nothing - what he seems to mean is the important element of changing your perspective on playing in order to focus on certain aspects of playing on a more granular, intentional level. He views his fingering as trying to gain such a sustained and even tone on every single note of each chord (a very difficult level of clarity) that it gives the effect of playing open strings on an a guitar with open string tuning. And you can hear it! He isn’t pressing any level of the chord more than any other and his evenness of tone (particularly in jazz) is incredible.
The joy he felt as a result of the tonal expression is🔥
Julian is so good, he has to create some nonsense theory in his head about his fingers being some permanent part of the guitar so a string doesn’t sound like an outlier.
No I just had an epiphany hearing this. He’s saying you think about it like every note is still open. You are just pushing the string down enough that it rests on the fret and from there it works just the same as an open string. You aren’t pushing the string down, you are resting it on the fret. I have issues with not pushing too hard and getting tense so this is a really good way to think about it for me.
Have you heard this guy play? His musicality is untouchable. He's got a direct line to music.
I saw him live in a church. It felt so appropriate. If you havent seen him live, not much else compares. I really think he might be among the greatest living musicians
Basically what he said was that when you play a fretted note the note itself is an open string but your finger then becomes a nut which makes for the shortness. When you feel the real open string and it’s not a fretted one it’s actually in the nut so when he plays it it’s a different experience because it is indeed a different experience, thus giving the sound of a chord with both notes no alienation of the b note which is in fact an open string but not a fretted one. So it resolves different then just fretting it. Although I wish I woulda heard what he had to say before he was cut off.
After seeing him play its easy to understand.
He doesnt use alot of legato. Not really fret hand attack with hammers, trills and pull offs. He sets the strings with perfect timing and perfect tension with different feel.
He’s really talented, dude better watch his back anytime he goes to a play.
😂😂😂
A guitar philosopher! 🔥🔥🔥
So he’s totally useless?
He looks so happy talking about music, he just truly love it
He reminds me of me. I feel bad for those who are making fun of him. I love his enthusiasm
Pretty much went the long way around saying nothing here 😂
@@YogsenForfothThat’s interesting considering I literally have a music degree, and have studied the guitar for around 20 years, just how “smart” do I need to be??
@@jamestopliss7029yeah well then how do you not get it
I think I see where he's coming from. I think when we play we fixate on the geometry of the fretboard grid and get bound to it. But if you reframe that and just think about it as changing the relative length of strings you can get out of that bind.
Or maybe it's that people play open strings differently, like you are more likely to let an open string ring out while you do other stuff. When really you could do that with a fretted note too.
@@YogsenForfoth it's a theory dude relax.
@@jamestopliss7029he's talking about feel. How he conceptualizes that G# and expresses it in his playing. The tone would be different if he didn't use the nut as a reference point. As someone with 20 years of experience you should know that playing any musical instrument is just as much feeling and expression as anything else.
When Abraham Lincoln explains guitar. (Now you cant unsee it!!)
LmAo
Very talented, he reveals his passion and patience.
Listen to his performances. It is a whole different experience to the instrument when you are not trilling, hammering on and pulling off when fretting notes. He sets each note with perfect timing and tension. Its a different approach to the instrument.
Guitarists are taught to hammer and build strength with trills and legato.
Abraham Lincoln a few hours after learning to play guitar be like:
I didn't know Abe Lincoln played guitar, I just thought he slayed vampires
Oh no, ppl in the comment section don’t realise who Julian Lage .. he’s a living legend and if you heard him play you would immediately know what he was talking about
OMG!! This Fella Looks a lot like a Young Abraham Lincoln…Beautiful Man!! ;] GOD BLESS
He holds these truths to be self-evident... Oh!
* these "tunes 😁
He's on another level.
My friend is truly an incredible human.
Within five minutes of lightening up and finding the sweet spot in each fret (bringing the fretting fingers directly down in the string where the finger tip up to the first knuckle bend is perfectly perpendicular to the fingerboard but perpendicular 360 degrees around the finger (almost no leaning with the fingers). Brilliant!!! immediate sonic payoff.
Honest Abe knows how to shred?!
*explains how a guitar works*
Everybody: 🤯
That’s very clearly not what was said here
I know exactly what he’s talking about. If you think of fretting a note this way you apply just enough pressure for the note to ring cleanly but no more. Concentrating on the string beneath your finger rather than your finger itself gives you a much more accurate mental image of how the instrument functions and what you need to be doing in the moment. There is nothing more powerful than the imagination for guiding the human body and the broader self toward optimization.
He's a magnificent musician 🙏
When you have a chord like that… *chord that would stop band practice*
dude looks like abraham lincoln
You know when you breathe, your lungs expand, they get bigger, right? But when you breathe out, all that space is gone! Where does it go? That relationship always fascinated me.
I think a large part of why open and fretted notes sound different. Is that the nut and the frets r made of different materials, which imho add to the complexity/beauty of the way a guitar sounds
Abraham Lincoln?
Before Lincoln got kicked in the face by that horse.
I think of each string as a different animal and each fret as a different fast food sandwich. Great minds think alike.
The difference with playing an open string vs. a fret closer to the body is the way the body and neck of the guitar resonates.
Very interesting because I used to have the same theory while self teaching. It helped me understand why we have bar chords and why pitch goes up as we move further down the fretboard 😁
Damn Abe can shred
Experience it , don't just play it
I’m sooo glad Rick knew how to step in!! That’s why he’s making the big bucks🎉🥳
I’ve actually thought about this a lot. Pressing a string literally is shortening it, so the vibration is shorter/longer depending where your hand is on the neck.
What is bro saying 😭😭
What lol
That's a beautiful chord
Proportional thinking, vs point position thinking. Shapes and associations over fixed positions. Allows speed and fluidity.
Everyone making fun of this doesn’t understand how important this concept is. When you approach the guitar this way, your intonation, resonance of the instrument, and technique are going to be night and day better than most other players. Reason being: you’re not applying nearly as much pressure on the string as most beginner/intermediate players, so everything about the playing and listening experience vastly improves. Think of it like a Kyser capo vs. a G3 ART capo, or a capo that allows you to adjust exact pressure. It really does make a big difference. Go listen to some of Julian’s solo guitar performances and tell me that he’s “saying nothing” 😂
I think he’s just saying mindset changes the way you play. Which I 100% agree with. Thinking about playing a 4 bar 16 note phrase is a lot easier when you break it up into the 4 bars rather than thinking about 16 notes. So if thinking of the strings as all open produces a certain mindset effect for him that allows him to process what he’s playing easier, that’s pretty cool.
I love what this channel is evolving into.
Just watched Lage playing with John Zorn's group. Phenomenal player
what a laid back dude!
most of you are not listening.. this really changed my perspective
they hear but dont listen
i'm back on this video again, slightly disheartened by the comments that just make fun of the dude.
I wonder how many people really understand what is happening. the simplest discoveries really can make a difference to the imagination and in turn the output.
why not be happy and be curious about things we take for granted like fretting a note? Especially when it really shows in his playing.
I think it's a great way to look at the world, you're happier and you also get tangible results as a creative professional/hobbyist.
Greatest guitar player alive.
I noticed something similar when experimenting with Harp harmonics, just the idea that harmonics work 12 frets up from the nut/ capo was very interesting to me. And as obvious as it seems, it was a revelation to an extent that chords were manipulating the note relative to that string's open note.
I’ve noticed that when I pick a string, the vibration causes a sound. And that sound is what you hear in your ears.
Fretting the note is changing the length of the strength which changes frequency and what we here. So, yeah.
This is actually something interesting for guitarists since we do sense these things in a certain way.
Touch perfectly demonstrated.
Four Score and seven years ago I played this Tele with a light touch so my fretted notes would sound like open strings.
What I think is interesting on a piano is to carefully hold down some keys, without sounding them, and then play something with the oher hand so that you get a resonance from the keys that are held down. It gives a kind of background sustained sound.
Now THAT I understood and might even try myself. 👌
Abraham Lincoln plays guitar!!! I like him even more now!
A lot of people are clowning on him for saying this, but I actually found it pretty helpful. I don’t know if it’s how my brain works, but the way he explains it makes sense to me.
As I grew older, it dawned on me that every 60 minutes an hour passes!
Perfection is in the details
To someone who doesn’t know about music this is truly like a guy from outer space trying to explain something, because music is my life and I have no idea what the hell he is talking about 😂. I love Julian’s music so much ❤. Go see him live if you get the chance to!