Added: 6 years ago
From: Daan01
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  • This is the hardest classical song in the world. Know harder ? Come at me, bro'.

  • @box1467 You obviously haven't seen John Williams playing Bach's Chaconne in d minor

  • @box1467 La Catedral by Barrios, Invocacion y Danza by Rodrigo, and Aquarelle by Assad. All technically brilliant and amazingly musical. Have you heard a fugue played on guitar. That's pretty hard! XD

  • Sorry but the bit where it jumps to the wrong octave just kills this arrangement for me. Tarrega did a good arrangement of Gounod's Ave maria it's worth a listen if you like this

  • try to play it better, i dare you.

  • Best guitar player.

  • When I here this, I know Christopher is in touch with the almighty powers of heaven. This is sublime.

  • Instead of learning how to play this, I decided to decipher data from the CERN particle machine in Switzerland, and negotiate peace in the Middle East... Did I make the right call ????

  • there is no comparison, in no universe could chet atkins ever play like christopher parkening. there are many fingerstyle guitarist from other genres but they do not have the technique or skill level to play classical music. nobody plays with more emotion than christopher.

  • @squeadlieshero David Russel? Manuel Barrueco? but I do agree Parkening is really something and is a super nice guy when you meet him.

  • perfect - thank YOU!!

  • I looked up in the dictionary the definition of "impossible", and it gave me this YouTube link.

  • PArkening es sin duda un intérprete único

  • @MrArdelco1970 The internet is not likely to be as much a problem for him as it has been for Rick Santorum.

  • if you enjoy this you'll enjoy "Bobby McPherrin - Ave Maria"

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  • the fact the left hand fingering makes this piece all that more impossible; is cause for the banner of greatness to be unfurled upon this player. Many will attempt to duplicate the tempo, sustain, and timbre, yet Chris rises above all newcomers. I doubt even Petrucci, Vai, or Malmsteen could replicate this piece.... !

  • CP is the Wayne Gretzky of guitar.... No One will out do him. Others may come close.... Chet Atkins, and Adrian Legg come to mind... Charlie Hunter is pretty good as well... so is that dude with the 8-string classical guitar setup... yet CP has the unobtainable blend of touch, sustain, tone, and clarity...............

  • @box1467 I love and emulate Chris's playing, ..have many of his albums and books, but, um, with all due respect, Chris has a ways to go before he catches up with Chet.

  • @thedougshowchannel

    QUOTE: "Chris has a ways to go before he catches up with Chet"

    You were joking, right? I sure hope so.

  • @philosophy7575 Joking? Chet: 14 Grammy awards, 9 CMA instrumentalist of the year awards. 1 Grammy Lifetime achievement award, 4 times voted best in Playboy Jazz awards, over 100 albums recorded with well over a thousand instrumental tracks, fan clubs worldwide, numerous guitars on the market with his name on them because guitar makers knew there is only ONE name that is so closely associated with the instrument that it was worthy to be put on them, ...thousands of imitators worldwide who get

  • @thedougshowchannel very sore hands daily trying to imitate the style that he alone originated, which by the way incorporates classical, country, pop, rock, jazz , blues and other genres which he mastered all while being the head recording executive at RCA and balancing that PLUS producing the careers of dozens of other stars. ...should I go on?

    I'll ingeminate my statement. Chris has a long ways to go before he catches up with Chet.

    Perhaps YOU sir were the one who was joking.

  • @thedougshowchannel Oh. Forgot. The single most recorded instrumentalist in music HISTORY, and inducted into BOTH the Country Music and Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Which one is Chris in?

  • @philosophy7575 If people are going to start comparing styles then I have to submit Prince's solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (2004 Hall of Fame Induction concert). Or maybe Eddie Hazel on "Maggot Brain", or anything else for that matter. They are all titans and pioneers in their styles, who I will never come close to, and I have no desire to compare such vastly different styles and Genres. I've heard Aretha sing opera, I imagine Doc Watson could bust out a fugue if he had mind.

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  • @cleopete1 I remember the Aretha one too (watch?v=2DwZ-GMHyho). Not sure about Doc Watson bursting into a fugue though! hehe

  • bwv number?

  • @noamboyk

    846

  • @ganz27ping

    Don't talk to noamboyk, he's a stoner.

  • I just love people who think they are so good that they can talk down on a master.

  • If you think that this piece is boring you are literally retarded. It's Bach, dude, everything we do today is based on what he did

  • The simplicity and the melodic line expressed through these arpeggios in this wonderful chord progression along with Parkening's interpretation is genius on the part of Bach and Parkening! It is gorgeous!

  • Why does this have 11 dislikes? How can anyone not like this?!

  • @byron1974 maybe it's because most anyone could learn this in a few hours?

  • @frekijsimpson I'd love to see you play like that, you probably suck, thats why you don't know a good thing when you see one.

  • @jrr619901 ..and some day, maybe, you'll grow up.

  • When the aliens hear humanity, I hope they hear Bach played on classical guitar.

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  • This is the most perfectly rendered guitar version of this piece anywhere, including Ewe Toob. No one plays it more beautifully than CP. 

  • @Sejaynus I hope you know that CP is internet slang for Child Pornography.

  • Belle interprétation

    Michel et Jean

  • Comment removed

  • it is rare that I have seen something so beautiful to behold, and as impossible to replicate.

  • this is AWESOME.

  • i like it

  • i like this song it's cool how the rythem goes

  • The BEST VERSION I EVER HEARD!!!

    Marcelo Jose Ramirez

  • @mjrami don't worry i've seen better music of his!!! =D

  • I bow to the Master of classical guitar!

  • I remember playing this piece years ago from his book. I recall there being some lightning fast position changes at this tempo and big stretches even with the capo on the second fret. He nailed it...I didn't. haha Seriously though, he's amazing. His hands must be huge though.

  • @Wise2you Right, his fingering isn't the easiest, but the nuances make them better than most and this (relatively) simple piece is difficult the way he has it in his book. It doesn't "need" to be, but that's part of the reason why his version is so good.

  • Absolutely beautiful! he is a Master of classical guitar.

  • With thousands playing the guitar, he's got something going to somebody, somewhere.

  • I just played this prelude at a performance 2 days ago. I love Bach

  • I wanna try his guitar .... if possible ...

  • changing up the tone colors - brilliant!

  • This is the best guitar phrasing of this song ever recorded. Hands down.

  • i know better if u like i can sen u a better version :)

  • Vous avez toute mon admiration!

  • This piece is pretty much an exercise in right hand tempo/timing. Only a few chords require some smooth transition to achieve that seemless sound of more notes. Still, I like the music.

  • Oh, really? Let me see you play this. I've listened to many play this on guitar, but no one else comes even close to Parkening. If you want to say something like that so casually, you'd better be able to back it up.

  • I take it you don't play guitar.

  • fair enough, but i dont think you are giving enough respect to the artist, please post your piece

  • Parkening is considered to be one of the best classical guitarists ever. I think he's right up there with the best. I don't play classical guitar. I have played rock guitar, melodic rock, progressive rock, with classical modes, etc. One thing Parkening does that is quite amazing when you think of it, is how he can alter the dynamics (volume) of a section and keep the volume the same then go back to the louder volume. Lots of control with the right hand.

  • I don't agree that he's considered to be "one of the best ever." There are many others who play much better, more fluid, and more diversely than Parkening does. Look at Denis Azabagic, Goran Krivokapic, Aniello Desiderio, and David Russell for example. I think you'll find that Parkening is not really near "head of the class" so-to-speak.

  • But as for being popular and being a student of Segovia, I think many people do consider him a great guitarist. I think he's very good but after listening to Segovia, he sounds a tad sterile for some reason. I'm not a classical guitarist or expert but I am sure there are guys and gals who might far exceed Parkening. I'll check those out you mentioned.

  • watch?v=8YcrGUkdD1I

    wow. That was sweet. He played that with sort of a controlled aggression. Like "I'm gonna nail this one to the freakin wall!" heheheh Man, I love those heavy baroque pieces. Minor keys, diminished arps and stuff. I will be checking more of him and those others. Thanks for the names.

  • watch?v=e_R_VVRuP_E

    Man....  I can only imagine what goes on in his brain while playing that. I think nothing but timing and connecting the parts because there's no time to think! haha He doesn't even look at the guitar except on the high part.

  • Yeah, those videos you've watched so far are great examples of what I was referring to. Goran is simply a monster.

  • @Abs0lutGuitar

    I have seen Mr. Parkening play at his home church a piece that I would consider impossible had I not seen it live. To say so and so is better, etc, is a waste of breath as all the great players are great. They are also all different. Many consider Christopher Parkening the greatest classical guitarist. Period. I don't know enough to agree or disagree, but he is phenomenal.

  • well he is the best Segovia player ever If I put it this way

  • and that, folks...is how it's played.

  • son las manos benditas de este genio de la guitarra

  • My favorite transcription... Medium-to-difficult to learn, but well worth it, especially after I learned that I did not need to take this tempo, but enjoyed it blissfully at my own...

    C.P. mastery....

  • Gounod added an extra measure when he adapted this Bach prelude in C from the "Well Tempered Clavier" to use for the Ave Maria, so as to fit the text of the prayer.

  • What unbelieveable colours!!!!!

  • Hey, does anybody have the video of Christopher playing simple gifts, on the johnny Carson show back in the late 80's or early 90's. If so please post upload... It's Absolutely incredible...

  • Thanks for the post! what year was this? :)

  • beautiful song and great player,

    what else should be said.

  • Some chords towards the end do not match the piano score I have of the WTC book I, but everyone seems to play his arrangement instead of the original. Does anyone know if the piece was altered slightly for Ave Maria?

  • you just can't play the piano score on the guitar, it doesn't fit. so at some point he's jumped an octave and left out the low c's at the end. as far as i know gounod (ave maria) just used the most widely published version of bach's score.

  • It transcribes virtually note for note in A major actually.

  • you can, but some notes must be played in a different octave or repeated in the same octave instead of having an octave jump.

  • Got any tabs/partiture for this spectacular prelude? =D

  • Beautiful.

  • Mr. Parkening if you read these blurbs.... my hat is off to a marvelous tone, and WOW what a right hand!!! just terrific

  • Why is there never any videos of Parkening playing the more difficult pieces?

    As Prelude no.6 or Prelude no.9?

    Or what about sheep may safely graze.

    Did Parkening forget how to play these pieces ?

  • um, yeah, Guitarismo, that's it, he just forgot how to play them, good call

  • He plays and played great. Silly to get to excited about that kind of stuff... Go for a walk or better yet, practice your guitar

  • God Bless You!! Thank you Sir!!

  • Excellent.

  • How much he has changed since he played this

    piece of Bach. I'm afraid he has become worse

    than that time. I prefer his performances at

    his young age.

  • I totally disagree. He has grown and is still as good as he ever was. I saw him 2 years ago at my church. He played a version of Koyunbaba that was absolutely flawless. If you know this song. You know the level of difficulty that it is. This was in between some Bach and other pieces.

  • Thank you for your opinion about my comment and his recent performance.I have watched and listened to his performances on You Tube, but none of them has impressed me so much as his early records about thirty years ago. He now lacks the beatuty of the tone of those days.I don't know why, but this is the fact, isn't it?

    I wish I could have listened to him when he came to Japan at that time.

  • You are crazy! Have you heard him play live recently? HE STILL HAS WONDERFUL TONE AND MASTERY! I love to see people who don't even know 1 millionth of what he does about the guitar so casually criticize him in such an ugly way.Shame on you.

  • I know you are crazy about Parkening all the time.But I have to say that you should develop your music listening ability and listen to him more critically.I am sure that he,like John Williams, has not become better

    than he was in his late twenties.

    You should admit the fact.

  • I was a Parkening student in Bozeman between 1977 and 1982. I played the Prelude #1 at his summer 1982 Master's class. I used a capo at the second fret, Chris at first criticised it, but when he heard it played he liked it. No...Chris has not lost his tone. Like Segovia his sound has only grown richer.

  • Parkening blows everybody away for tone and nuance. Too bad there's not more video of him.

  • Nice maestro Parkening.

  • well, aren't you just a charming fellow..

  • hey - they have the right to listen to classical music in prison as well. ;-)

  • I have to agree with you. He is not as good as the Croatian Cub in a Bear Circus. At one time he was considered one of the best as he taught classes at USC with the Romero brothers and cut some descent albums that were very clean, but didn't have the 'extra' of Williams, Bream, etc. Still he is better than the average bear.. though the Croatian Cub is better:)

  • By the way I am from Brazil

    North east part of it... Recife...

    That's what I am talking about this is it This guy is good...

    He plays very well ...

    The best I ever heard someone play it

  • You can probably find the guitar tab on the internet. Lots of good tabs out there.

  • Where can I find the guitar music sheet for this piece? Thanks!

  • Im pretty sure any decent Classical Guitar music store can provide you with it, since Bach's Prelude in D is so famous, you shouldn't have a problem finding it. Try Barns & Noble though, they carry this stuff.

  • is't prelude in C :)

  • There's a wonderful volume edited by Parkening called Christopher Parkening Plays Bach, which contains this piece in the guitar arrangement that Parkening is playing. I believe it can still be found in the music stores.

  • That's the best arrangement of it for the guitar in my humble opinion. It highlights the most beautiful sounds of the instrument. If you a more correct version, historically speaking, there are others. The LAGQ have recorded this and it sounds more like a harpsichord.

  • Bravo, Mr Parkening! Good Lord has been generous to you. Any chance of getting the score of this arrangement? I ve tried to find it here in Athens but in vain.

  • Search on the web for Preludio No 1 in C major for The Well Tempered Clavier.

  • Parkening is amazing, the best in my eyes.

  • Amazing guitarist

  • AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH­HHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I have to kill myself now, there is nothing left to live for, I have heard the ultimate!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

    To think that in some remote way I am related to him, perhaps a 1,000,000,000,000th cousin, twice removed. Well I'll sleep better tonight know that.

  • :-)

  • Bach have played this song even much better...It was last year since i was in Bach's Concert

  • what the hell are u talking about?

  • by the best song of bach palyed ever by guitar. typically beatuful Parkening's tone

  • I have a CD "Parkening plays Bach" - just can tell you -buy it if you haven't alredy got it=

  • Wow!!! That was awesome!!! That is my favorite classical piece..... Thanx...

  • Dear Christopher,I am an admiring french woman.

    I like very, very much your playing and your guitar's tone

    You must be a marvelous professor !

  • This is the best guitar video on you tube... go listen to your di meola's, your Malmsteen's, your Satriani's, your (guitar player name here) but please come back and witness beauty in its most refined form. Bach is god.

  • I agree my friend, listening to him on his early Angel Recording were the most sweat perfect sound coming from guitar, Marcelo Ramirez

  • Well said, I agree. Incredible tone, phrasing, interpretation.

  • I had the privelidge to see him Parkening perform many years ago live. He is THE best acoustic guitar performer ever! He was a pupil of Segovia for those of you that did not know, and in my opinion is BETTER than Segovia!

  • agreed. I heard him play this at a master class and you know what? It sounded better there than even here. He has phenomenal tone production... he gets this vibrato near the end that is just... it happens at about 1:45. Amazing, inspiring, really nice guy too. Segovia was a bit of a bully but he is patient and encouraging to all.

  • Why is there almost no Parkening on YouTube? Come on...are you afraid it will eat into you sales? Give away the store!

  • su vibrato es de un esplendor único, gracias mr. parkening!

  • Flawless. Parkening is the man.

  • BWV 846 prelude is one of my favorit pieces. Parkening Bach is always warm-hearted and lovely.

    I play this piece using different transcription for guitar since Parkening transcription is mostly difficult for me!

  • without a capo at the second fret this would be nearly unplayable

  • I didn't want to reply and sound like some youtube idiot making claims without proof..however I play this without capo. There is really only one difficult stretch low G to high F that incidentally is the best part of the prelude.

  • Are you playing without a capo and dropping the 6th string to D?

  • of course..If I knew more about computers I could upload a vid

  • Excellent!! I play it using standard tuning, but using the dropped D tuning to get that octave lower D really increases the technical difficulty of the piece.

  • arguably the greatest cord progression in the history of music... wait this just in... yes...yes it has been confirmed this is the greatest cord progression in the history of music

  • absolutamente GENIAL!

  • CAN'T GO WRONG WITH BACH

  • I see, you don´t know what I am talking about. Ok. Good Luck with your ignorance. And, one more thing, "classical style" doesn´t exists. Are Luis Milán(S.XVI), Leo Brouwer(S.XX-XXI), Mauro Giuliani(S.XVIII) or Joaquín Rodrigo(S.XX) the same "classical" thing?. Make a trip to international guitar courses in Spain (Coria, Cáceres, Petrer etc..)next summer and you'll see what I'm trying to tell you. Adiós. No tenéis ni puta idea.

  • José, me gustaría saber de qué estás hablando. Lamentablemente no conozco a los guitarristas que mencionas. No tienes por qué enojarte aquí, ya que estás tratando con críos que no saben nada de lo que hablan (Bach rules!, que falta de respeto)... en fin, voy a tratar de encontrar info acerca de los nombres que mencionas.

  • Waroom "bij"?

  • I must have commented on this 5 times.. Bach is the fucking master I cannot get bored of this. Hearing Bach has totally ruined my liking of pop & rap lol

  • snake you are the man!! Someone once said Bach is the universal folk musician. That is why I guess the whole world worships him. If I get to heaven and find out heaven is nothing more than Bach's music in all kinds of forms, shapes, colors, etc. (this is some theory I have which is very hard to explain) I will say to myself "I knew it" Go Johann

  • Christopher Parkening is a true master in my opinion. His timing is perfect and the texture he gets from the guitar is incredible. I would recommend his version of Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

  • Parkening is a master. My favorite classical guitarist. Simply amazing!

  • Those who find the fingering difficult are right. It took me forever to learn this thing, especially the 22nd measure, which gives me cramps just thinking about it.

  • beautiful. this man is amazing.

  • the sick thing is that at one of his master classes he demonstrated how to play this for a student and it sounded better live than even here! He gets this vibrato right near the end that is pure insanity.

  • Very nice my friend.

  • the piece is bwv 846 "The Well Tempered Clavier"

  • a tribute to segovia ! the best choice of pieces , the best tone ever.. i love williams technique & the tone of parkening..that's it! and his pretty boy like me haha! done

  • La gran maravilla: de aquí sacaron los Blackmore´s Night su Now and then.

    Larga vida a Candice Night!

  • Great !

  • I went to one of his concerts in Clearwater Fla. I think he's one of the greatest.

  • Anybody knows Joaquin Clerch, Ricardo Gallén, Carlo Marchione or Marco tamayo.They are the future and the are breaking the "guitar rules" Williams and Parkening are the same old thing.

  • Good point. Hey I love a good rule breaker but my point at this stage of my life is... is it accessible music? I spent time listening to atonal, modern music and just don't truly find it appealing. But I will check these guys out. Thanks.

  • They are all performers, not composers,with the exception of Joaquin Clerch. Technically, they are the future. Their musicianship are not constricted by old ideas and ways of playing guitar(the restrictions of the traditional fingerings and guitar positions). Wait for the next cd of Ricardo gallén playing Bach, you`ll be get shocked. I have seen him playing a lot because...he is a friend of mine!

  • We only stand to be shocked that you cannot see the light amigo!

    Stick with your group of favorites.

  • do u mean "the same old thing" as in the Classical style? the one thats been going around for centuries? and i wonder why that is, maybe because its the best?? ;)

  • Be quiet you fucking tool

  • Who are these no namers you mention????

  • some of the fingering in that song is crazy complicated

  • the only way I can play this is with the alternate fingerings. Don't forger too that Chris capos this at the second fret with dropped D tuning. But yes, the fingering is still staggering. WOW. I have been playing this for years and still struggle with it!! Your screen name is hilarious. Me too!!

  • i just started playing this song 2 weeks ago, and its such a beautiful song. you definetely need a capo unless you have tentacles for fingers. chris plays this song so effortlessly. wow.

  • Prelude No.1 The Well Tempered Clavier

  • whats the name of this piece?

  • sry, the name is to see in the vid -.-

  • sry, the name is to see in the vid -.-

  • the goodamm english guy plays good i can't denied it.

    but what about segovia?..who's better?to me all classical guitarrists sound same shit.

    but when i hear paco....when i do that...ummm...

  • Sorry,you have no fuck idea. Classical music and Flamenco music are not the same thing. The first is not understandable for you. Do you know Joaquin Clerch, Ricardo Gallén, Carlo Marchione or Marco tamayo?. Paco is tetraplegic when you compares he with them.

  • Are they Band class students?

  • yes