That's how you know you've made a good riff. If it sounds like crap without distortion, it's crap. But if it sounds good without distortion, the distortion is just the cherry on top.
I think a big problem is Mark was a master of arhythmic music, doing his own thing completely seperate from any established music tempo while still managing to line up with said tempo. This isn't something only he does but is its own unique skill completely seperate from general music ability.
Why none of you commented: _"you play the guitar on a UA-cam short."_ ...is beyond me. Have you even heard the song? You went straight to chorus after the first line of the first verse.
@@mesoseven1633what about the pinky? No pinky was used in this finger picking. It’s being used to rest on the body I guess….which I also do….but I’m nowhere near Knopfler level. So yeah, pinky ain’t the issue in the Knopfler technique.
Mark Knopfler once asked Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top how he got his signature guitar tone, but Billy considered it a trade secret, and wasn't willing to share. After this song came out, Gibbons remarked that Knopfler came damned close to nailing it perfectly on his own.
@@dylanguitar04 Keep in mind you're hearing it from a guy who read it on a web page somewhere in reference to a magazine article that was published almost 40 years ago. It could be utter BS--but I shared it anyway, because it's a cool story.
@@illegalaryan8400 also really light strings (8-38 or lower) with the A string detuned to G. what you said is true also. he also plays a lot of semi-hollow guitars without f holes.
@@skyrothman8651 thanks for the correction. I thought it was Christmas of my kindergarten year. Must have been Christmas of first grade I got that boom box and mixed tape, from my uncle.
I absolutely LOVE Dire Straits! I remember being in high school when MTV first came on the air and was showing the Money For Nothing video over and over! Reminds me of my first serious girlfriend and other great rock bands like Rush, Pink Floyd, The Who, and etc...
The difference between good writing and genius is in knowing which works best. That’s why Knopfler is at the top of the genius ladder. Always just “gets it”.
Nice finger technique. I don't think I've seen a guitarist use their fingertips for up and downstrokes like that before. Usually I just see people pluck them upwards with one finger each, but you using them more like a pick reminds me of the double thumb technique on bass. Nicely done, do more!
the best money for nothing cover i have ever heard, knopfler inspired me to play guitar have been playing for 12+ years and cant master his style as this man can, beyond impressed, subscriber for life
This is honestly the best I've evwr heard this played. Absolutely NO ONE gets the subtleties of the harmonics right and you nailed it. Without distortion sounds incredible btw.
@@JJMewett better than claiming I am as good as Mark Knopfler you mutt haha. Keep trying though if you think I give a fraction of a fuck what you think.
@@mikesmeltzer6921 I think you give a lot of fucks judging by the fact no one asked you to comment xx I also think I can play closer to Mark than you have demonstrated by playing cliche power chords over whining about how things were in the 90s, the last time anyone considered pop punk relevant or entertaining x
I don't know about you guys, but it's that extra Phantom note in the second part of the riff gets me every time. And it's even better hearing it clean!
Still sounds great without distortion
It sounds more modern without distortion the distortion sounds more like the era of ZZ top both are good
Yeah both are good
@@tlee9484 had to be said agin 🔥
Agreed
@@timjohns5354and that era was stunning
This guy cracked and mastered the knopfler code.
He cracked and coded lol
Knopfler even.
Yeah and I got there but it took a while but of course we all know 'it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll'
He fingered it to perfection
Travis Picking!
The guy even gets the partial harmonics . Well done .
Where are the partial harmonics?
@@XX-mx4jt that little ''tick'' you hear in between the pauses
That's a new technique for me. I thought it was just some sort of mute.
@@XX-mx4jt we call that percussion.
@@iconofsin5886 Okay. That's what I would have thought. I play using percussion and harmonics. Just never heard OPs term before.
It sounds badass without distortion. Very calm and killing.
Almost like a tito and turantula tune
Has an eastern feel to it with no disrirtion
Ready for a standoff
If it started without distortion and suddenly jump to full-mode distortion, that'd be top 0 anime comebacks.
@@Ty91681funny I can see this too but more prominently as the theme song of a great western, ironically
Was not expecting it to still sound so good without distortion. The distortion makes it iconic, but the music without it is still a banger
It is
the genius of Mark Knopfler
That's how you know you've made a good riff. If it sounds like crap without distortion, it's crap. But if it sounds good without distortion, the distortion is just the cherry on top.
Honestly, that is this best I've heard anyone do this riff. I've seen honest to god lessons on how to play it and they can't play it right.
Appreciate it!!
I think a big problem is Mark was a master of arhythmic music, doing his own thing completely seperate from any established music tempo while still managing to line up with said tempo. This isn't something only he does but is its own unique skill completely seperate from general music ability.
Kfir does it right, way better than this one.
@@ldkmelon I love it when he does that
@@flortrupp can I ask you something
WOW! I never even thought I needed to hear that song without the distortion, but that is AWESOME!
Clean tone here is just 🤯
I want a see left hand playing the notes.
Purist now seating row 10-16
I love how it loops exactly in rhythm.
Lol he just uses a foot to press his distortion pedal. Not a loop
Not the riff, the actual video.@@iglow67
Except it doesn't though lol
@@seank1478I hope you don't think of yourself as a drummer or anything, because it absolutely does.
@@allrequiredfields The playing does but not the video.
Now look at them yo yo's. That's the way ya do it..
That ain’t workin. Now that’s the way you do it
We've gotta move these color tvsssssss
@@matthewbailey8588custom kitchen deliveriiiiieeeeessss
Why none of you commented:
_"you play the guitar on a UA-cam short."_
...is beyond me. Have you even heard the song? You went straight to chorus after the first line of the first verse.
haha! its ok but your not wrong @@NiVoldiza
Man this is the first time i see someone cover this riff and get It 100% right, you are a great player sir.
Thank you:)
@@dylanguitar04Wow..just...awesome! Standard or open tuning?
Standard
That is the most accurate cover of that riff I’ve ever heard on UA-cam.
it's cause the weird pinky thing is a unique trick of mark knopfler who created the riff
@@mesoseven1633what about the pinky? No pinky was used in this finger picking. It’s being used to rest on the body I guess….which I also do….but I’m nowhere near Knopfler level. So yeah, pinky ain’t the issue in the Knopfler technique.
@@geo5146 it's just what i call it, i mean that you have his similarly unique style of fingerpicking
Possibly the greatest riff of all time
No
@@chrismarpleyes
its without a doubt up there but some riffs like purple haze had more impact on music
@@chrismarple yeah it's almost like music is subjective. Weird
It is amazing, I like Alphabet Street by Prince and Hey by The Pixies although they might be classed as chord progressions.
Mark Knopfler once asked Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top how he got his signature guitar tone, but Billy considered it a trade secret, and wasn't willing to share. After this song came out, Gibbons remarked that Knopfler came damned close to nailing it perfectly on his own.
That’s very interesting!
@@dylanguitar04 Keep in mind you're hearing it from a guy who read it on a web page somewhere in reference to a magazine article that was published almost 40 years ago. It could be utter BS--but I shared it anyway, because it's a cool story.
@@andrewmize823hey, that’s what the internet is primarily for. The propagation of potential bullshit 🤣 Well played Sir 😂
The rumor I heard was Gibbons played with a peso and had three amps surrounding one microphone to get his tone.
@@illegalaryan8400 also really light strings (8-38 or lower) with the A string detuned to G. what you said is true also. he also plays a lot of semi-hollow guitars without f holes.
Absolutely amazing playing there. Anyone who's ever tried to play this or any of Dire Straights music knows. Bravo, sir.
Mark was a genius
@@parkerwalsh3340 Was? Did he lose it?
One of the most iconic, and recognizable riffs of all time
He even nails the little rings!! Wow nice riffing man! Loved the no distortion sound just as much
From rocking to riding the dusty trail
Perfect…sounds like most people forget to make those notes as staccato as possible and feel the groove (a flow) instead of forcing it to a tempo
Finally a short clip that sounds good on loop.
This is the song that turned me on to music as a child. It was 1983 I was 4 and I couldn’t get enough of it.
Money for nothing came out in 1985
@@skyrothman8651 thanks for the correction. I thought it was Christmas of my kindergarten year. Must have been Christmas of first grade I got that boom box and mixed tape, from my uncle.
This cover is so good I can hear the synth fills
Thanks!
With distortion: badass 🤘
Without distortion: melancholic
Got those Mike Judge vibes
I was about to say the same thing. It reminds me of the Beavis and butt-head theme.
Im honestly surprised by how good it sounds without distortion
I'd venture he wrote it on acoustic. The riff itself is VERY old blues.
This is one of those riffs I’ve placed into my “impossible” list a very long time ago. You make it look easy. Great job!
I absolutely LOVE Dire Straits! I remember being in high school when MTV first came on the air and was showing the Money For Nothing video over and over! Reminds me of my first serious girlfriend and other great rock bands like Rush, Pink Floyd, The Who, and etc...
That is such a unique riff. I've heard it my entire life for over 37 years and have just recently begun to appreciate it for the sick riff that it is.
This is about as accurate as it gets. Nice job.
Thank you!!
This riff is pure swagger
Born in 82 still my favourite song. I have requested this is what will be played at my funeral. “He’s banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee”❤
Sounds like an early Beatles riff without distortion. Super cool
Even without distortion it's such an amazing modulation to use 🙌🏼🔥IMO
The difference between good writing and genius is in knowing which works best. That’s why Knopfler is at the top of the genius ladder. Always just “gets it”.
The fuzz makes it. Mark was inspired by ZZ Top on that track and then there’s the cocked wah wah story that finalised the legendary riff!
Without distortion sounds amazing.
Nice finger technique. I don't think I've seen a guitarist use their fingertips for up and downstrokes like that before. Usually I just see people pluck them upwards with one finger each, but you using them more like a pick reminds me of the double thumb technique on bass. Nicely done, do more!
Thank you!!
It's the Mark Knopfler technique.
Yep , he picked with his thumb below his other digits
Truly unique
I can still hear this blaring out of my mom's Grundig console cabinet record player
One of the greatest guitar licks ever written.
the best money for nothing cover i have ever heard, knopfler inspired me to play guitar have been playing for 12+ years and cant master his style as this man can, beyond impressed, subscriber for life
With one push of a button it went from a 60's Psychedelic Rock Tone to a Classic Country Hit!
It's not from the '60s...
The beautiful Les Paul at last can't wait to listen to some more 👊
👍
I can watch this over and over and over
This is honestly the best I've evwr heard this played. Absolutely NO ONE gets the subtleties of the harmonics right and you nailed it. Without distortion sounds incredible btw.
You have his technique down exactly! Dope
Thanks!
cant imagine how much time it took to learn to play it that well
With distortion its the start music of a boss fight without distortion its the chill music on a loading screen
This is the real deal. Not easy!!!
you got a solid clean and distorted tone!
It's so elegant without distortion. It sounds like silk gloves and good posture.
One of the best rock riffs of history
Amazing tone and playing
Thanks!
When people ask me who the top 3 best guitarists in the world are I always have Mark Knopfler in mine.
Agreed👍
Definetly.👍
I concur. Toy caldwell johnny winter and ole Marky
💯 x 💯 Absolutely
Mark is really good but there's many guitarist that are better. He's not even in the top 20 !!!
The money for nothing intro is nothing short of iconic!
Both sound clean, man thanks for this video a just got ran over by nostalgia, then it backed up and hit me again
Man he should have put that clean part in the actual song for contrast. That sounds so 👍🏻 great!
Sounds unreal, played like a pro
Can definitely hear the folky roots of it. No distortion lets you hear the “swing” or the interesting timing more too. Really fantastic rif
Really shows how tone can massively change the emotions a song can make you feel
This shit HITS
I thought I was possibly the only person in the world who had studied this intensely enough to actually play it right! Well done my friend. Well done.
Hahahahahahahahahaha ok then
@@mikesmeltzer6921 mate you are a grown man who plays blink 182 covers in his garage, I would sit down if I were you xx
@@JJMewett better than claiming I am as good as Mark Knopfler you mutt haha. Keep trying though if you think I give a fraction of a fuck what you think.
Thanks!
@@mikesmeltzer6921 I think you give a lot of fucks judging by the fact no one asked you to comment xx I also think I can play closer to Mark than you have demonstrated by playing cliche power chords over whining about how things were in the 90s, the last time anyone considered pop punk relevant or entertaining x
I don't know about you guys, but it's that extra Phantom note in the second part of the riff gets me every time. And it's even better hearing it clean!
This riff will forever give me chills…it’s in my top 5
Without distortion ❤
Honestly, I like it way more with clean sound
Would def be better on a steel string or resonator
One of the greatest riffs of all time.
It’s giving surf rock vibes which is actually awesome
I think what mark uses is A wah pedal in the fixed position. Sounds different
He does ya
Give the man props though, this is almost identical and super awesome. Love the clean part too
WAYYYYY better without distortion.
Every head pops up like a meerkat when this tasty riff is played
One of the greatest riffs ever played... Fight me
You are really.putting into perspective the importance of Knoplers right hand. Man is a genius
One of my favorite one of my favorite riffs of all time.
Still one of my favorites from the 70’s. 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you very much for showing the both ways! The one w/o distortion lets much better understand the keys.
Both sound awesome. The original is just iconic. You hear that rift come on the radio and your like OH FUCK YEAH!
Haha yea
One of the greatest songs of all time.
This is one the most accurate versions of this riff I've ever seen
Very CCR without distortion
Love it
Yes, kind of „Running through the jungle” vibe
I could jam out to both. Never thought of an accustic version of this song. Sounds great man keep jammin.
With distortion it kinda grabs you by the cahonas if you know what I mean. What a beautiful riff.
the fact that it sounds so good clean is a testament to how great of a riff it is
Fantastic riff played fantastically! Nice Job!
This guy rocks - in my head I just keep hearing the drums kicking in too: bappa bap bap bap boom boom psh!
This song makes me tingly
Without distortion it sounds like some badass Delta blues.
Both sounds amazing
Great song i always a great song
W/o distortion sounded WAY better than I thought it would! Great job on a killer riff!
One of the greatest riffs ever period. This is a stunning cover thank you
I can listen to this for 10 hours.
That guitar!!!
Very beautiful🎉
I have to learn some of Mark's stuff. I feel like it'll open up my playing possibilities so much 🤯
The riff is amazing either way but something about the distortion made it iconic.
One of fhe greatest riffs of all time
That riff is bad ass no matter how you play it.
Man that’s beautiful. Inspirational.
Learn from the legends; they are legends for a reason
That perfect tone heart🎉
Such an iconic riff. The distortion string muted whoop in the kick off play , and last 3 doubles bass note ...ahhh...shear perfection. DJ xSUBn 😂