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  • Sending lots of sunshine from across the pond in the UK really enjoyed your videos....i quite literally have not moved from the computer good job its my day off :O) x

  • I LOVE IT.... WE ARE ALL AFRICAN

    

  • J'en ai mar!

    That's a French pun. (And a triple-entendre.)

    You rule. Quit your band and join mine.

  • you really know yr staff!!!

  • Hey Don - your Soukous guitar playing is totally amazing magical - how about coming to play in NYC to publicize Soukous - shouldn't the world know this music ???

  • @zunopa1 - I'd sponsor your trip to NYC !

  • Whoa Dude - ever considered a small concert trip to Africa? Trust me - they'll get blown away!

  • Wow. The best most clear kick ass Soukous Guitar I've come across on youtube. Fell in love with this style of guitar back in '94 while safariing in Kenya. Checked out your band and I'll say that you ripping solo like this tears apart anything I saw your band do. You're playing is inspiring. Any Soukous Guitar players you'd recommend listening to?

  • Viva la revolution! why isn't such a beautiful sound as soukous tearing apart US dance floors.. from Buffalo NY would listen to the radio again if i heard such brilliance. I want to know more about how you heard this music yourselves??? i grew up in the states falling asleep in my fathers arms as he danced to this to keep himself from being homesick. wish i could play guitar myself id start a band here myself!

  • was the name of the song

  • I fell in love with soukous which is also the main reason that I have picked up the guitar... What you say to people who say that you must absolutely use your fingers in order to play at the right tempo of the average soukous song? Thanks

  • Play that funky Soukous white boy!!!

  • wooooooooooow this is fantastic can someone tell where is this guy from

  • excellent job

  • more sokous guitar!!

  • that first part you played... from what zaiko langa langa song is it???... I've been searching it but I can't find it... greetings from a cuban-colombian in miami... love the music and how you play... good job.

  • Seben!! LOL! NICE!

  • dude where did you get that notation or tabs! it will be awesome if i could learn to do lines like that :D THX BRO!

  • You are awesome man......enjoying your talent man......play on.....

  • dang bro ur good im african from angola n recentely pickd up ma guitar after three years n i like u playin is good keep it up

  • hahaaha white dude come on baby

  • YOU ARE AN AFRICAN!! :D

  • its one of best song for me, about soukuos, but its edited by colombian dj

  • if you want listen soukus best song go and writte: la maye original champeta africana

  • AWESOME! Im beyond impressed! As an American its wonderful to see other Americans that love and appreciate soukous music! Keep it up!

  • @donkellermedia I Love how you are doing tributes to Congolese music (formerly known as Zaire), and Please Please Give credit where it's due by fixing your title from african soukous to Congolese/Zairian Soukous. BTW got any tips for me since I'm learning soukous as well? I'm really impress... Keep up the good work!!

  • WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?! I WOULD PAY WHATEVER THE COVER TO HEAR YOU PLAY....MY GOODNESS I CAN DANCE SOUKOUSS ALL NIGHT..IF YOU NEED A HYPE MAN, I'LL JOIN YOUR GROUP AND DANCE FOR FREE!

  • @drorganic I'm in Seattle, Washington. I perform in the Northwest (mostly in Seattle) with the band Cordaviva--just search for the band in Google. We play a variety of African and Latin styles of music like soukous, Afrobeat and salsa. Super high energy! Come check us out :) - Don

  • @donkellermedia Wow, of course your from Seattle. Half of all the really cultured people I know are from there haha. I'd love to live there after college or something. Great job by the way, keep up the good work!

  • @donkellermedia I am Seattle Bound....PLAY SOME more of these...and you could pick up some ohangla from Kenya....

  • nice! very nice indeed

  • hey Don....i recently moved to Seattle.....do you play locally in a band there? Where can I go to hear Soukous?

  • @Krummy2k6 Yes I am the lead guitarist for Cordaviva, a local band that plays music from Africa and the African diaspora. Search for the band online to find the website and shows. Yes, we play soukous as well as other styles to make it an eclectic show. We are headlining a show on July 3rd which is our next performance at the Tractor Tavern. Hope to see you there!

  • @donkellermedia How were you introduced to Congolais music

  • @sn00piedog I heard some soukous, rumba, and highlife songs on the radio once and that got me searching for more music. Then I wanted to play it, and so the journey started.

  • @donkellermedia Amazing I never thought they would play that in America

  • I love the guy for playing African music. Hes really good. I do play guitar too, but I would like to ask him wheather is normal tunning of guitar to play this music or It has another way of tunning guitar.

  • Nice Amazing good

  • Do you have some Congolese Blood in you because you play sooo good.

  • Such an infectious rhythm. I can not resist the urge to get up on my feet and dance.

    *dancing around living room*

  • What!!! Thats Zaiko Langa Langa

    You Should Some Franco

  • Hi Don. You are awsome. Your soukouss guitar skill is awesom. You must be making the skouss guitarists jealous.

    You ought to teahc folks in Seattle how to make souokuss stuff and start making Seattle alive with sokuouss beats

    You need to teach folks the art of making the guitar produce that sweet beat,

    R

  • Great job mate! Really good!

  • Don. Great Job buddy. It is evident you have mastered the way of Soukouss! Hey, give us more hints of how to play like you

    Happy new year from Madison WI

    Rich

  • all I can say is eric johnson best watch his back...

    Peace....

  • WOw !!! Congratulation! This rythm is from DRCongo

  • Merci de votre talent mise à contribution pour tous musiciens du monde. Vous êtes généreux et formidable. thank you .

  • don i like your style its inspiring but how did you learn how to pick this african strings if i took some guitar classes would that help me in playing like you are playing? and how can i play the way you do? this is truly inspirational..

  • GREAT!

  • WOW !!! Y like ! great my friend ! BRAVOOOOOOO !!! . Y am from Madagascar.ZIGGUY

  • such a pleasure to listen to soukous guitar

  • wow i'm impressed. that's a really really good job!!!!

    but i'm curious,.. how did you get into soukouss? I didn't know that people outside africa knew a lot about Congo music.

  • Sweet

  • Tasty! I hope you're playing in or starting a band. Do you live in the States?

  • upload more Donkeller..I like the clarity of your guitar..try the benga guitar from Kenya..its as challenging

  • I' AM A GUITAR SOUND LOVER.

    WHEN I'M LISTENNING TO THIS I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN HOW I'AM FEELLING IS LIKE I'AM BEING BLESSED WITH YOUR GIFT. XAY!!!

    ALL MUSIC THAT HAS GUITAR IN THERE IS MY SONG.LOL

    I WISH I COULD LEARN TO PLAY THIS INSTRUMENT.

    MY FAVOURITE GUITAR SOUNDS ARE SOUKOUS AND SPANISH GUITAR.

    GOD IS GREAT SO IS HIS CREATION!!!

    I'M TRULLY AMAZED, HONNESTLY SPEAKING.

  • @kathya36 Wow, thank you so much!

  • @kathya36 When did god suddenly come into the equation. lmao

  • great job bruh, very diverse guitar skills man, how everything should be

  • Congratulation man,soukous isnt easy to play, but you did it.

  • This is great! I would like to learn to play guitar for fun some day!

  • don what state are you frm?

  • @kehbiz Washington state

  • @donkellermedia how can i get in touch with you: i work with some musicians from zaiko and we'd like to see if it's possible to find a way to work something out. Do you have a mobile number or an address where we can contact you directly.

    thanks. By the way we're in brussels, Belgium.

  • Amazing, I wish I could learn even just a pinch of this skill. Where do I start? Great Skill, indeed!!

  • You can buy soukous guitar technique by Jeannot Bel.It is available in ebay and Amazon.

    Thanks.

  • @jeannotprosmart Congratulations on the DVD! I found it on ebay. Where is it on Amazon? I can't find it.

  • omg boring)

  • I love it....

  • one word GRRRRREEEEAAAAAATTT!! :)

  • nice one don

  • I'm trying to insert a filtered recording of this great stuff in a remix of "Wanna be starting somethin", I hope to put this online in a few weeks ...

  • @messager3000 Please do not forget to cite my name somewhere for my contribution. Also a link to my channel and/or original video would be great. Let me know when you get it done. Thanks.

  • @messager3000 Oh, also if you let me listen to it before it is done, I might be able to re-record some lines for you with better quality. Therefore your final version will have better source material to work with. Thanks, just send me a message and we can go from there.

  • Sans faute! CONGRATS! U are a true musician, a real artist : all soul and passion. Keep it up in deed!

  • Very nice !!!!!! congratulations

  • WWAAOOOOAAWW!

  • hey mate can you point me in the right direction to some soukous backing drums and bass, midi or otherwise? Been searching all over the net for something..cheers

  • @johnbeddoe You can program them midi wise. For the drums just have the kick drum hit every down beat. Then either have the hi-hat or snare hit along a clave rhythm (basically what you hear on most soukous songs - there are slight variations you can do). For bass, just listen to whatever song you wanna cover and try your best to figure out a simple version and loop it.

  • I love Congolese MUsic .. God help the people of Congo !!!

  • awesome! Hey what delay setting are you using? It seems like you got the sound!

  • i downloaded that program...and slowed down the songs..but its so hard to figure out what frets and strings to start off on..any suggestion???, i have an acoustic steel string guitar..

  • @1sidedDimpels First of all, I don't recommend playing this song on an acoustic steel string guitar. It would rip my fingers into shredded meat!!! There are a lot of slides in this type of music and I don't think it would be good for your fingers. Use an electric guitar. This is a hard song. I wouldn't start on these, I'm not stopping anyone of course. When playing think about what key and chord you are playing in. Use that chord shape as a foundation. What other kinds of music you play?

  • @donkellermedia..thanx, i play indie music, i'm into a lot of bands and cultural music, i major in religion so ive come in contact with a lot of afrocentric,hindu,east Asian stuff..

  • @donkellermedia hi. I kinda figured out how to play the way you've demonstrated in this video. I play the song on an ovation appluse guitar and a small amp. It sounds ok but needs very quick fingers. How can one develop speed in the fingers?

  • @giggimax Nice. Playing on an electric guitar would be easier and faster. To develop speed, practice one section slow at a comfortable tempo. When you do that well, increase the tempo a little bit and play until you barely make any mistakes. Eventually you will get to the tempo you want. There is no shame in starting slow no matter how experienced someone is

  • very good

  • im learning Soukous too. this dud from africa is teaching me for free. im not as good as you yet man. you are great keep up the good work.

  • Very good work! I am a congolese rumba fan too (especially OK Jazz, Zaiko Langa Langa and Choc Stars), and I'm learning to play the guitar parts... on the accordion! Imagine two or three accordions [no amplifiers needed] playing this music in the street...

  • very nice. Well done!

  • que sabor.......

  • Great !

  • please tell me how I can play that, cool stuff!

  • @flagot2000 One nice tool is to have software that can slow down parts. One free one is called Audacity, you can google it. Just select a part of the song and go to Effects --> Change Speed. You may have to first convert an audio file an uncompressed .wav or .aiff file. But regardless improve your ability to play by ear. Be able to hear each and every instrument separately by yourself.

  • u must be good music researcher. u the example of the fact humanity truely possesses the compassion to live among many kinds.

  • @donkellermedia thanks a lot, I will try it.

  • Simply the best interpretation player I ever heard on Youtube!

    Amazing

  • I have a white friend from scandinavia who plays congolese music.... He is very good.

  • woooow , you are the first white am seeing playing this kind of rhythm..keep it up. i think you got some african blood. lol

  • @quojo4r lol ;)

  • Well done! Its very difficult style for any white people.

  • Comment removed

  • bravo

  • Nice!

  • Have we figured out what key the scale is in or what notes are we playing.

  • wow. excellent!! 5*

  • Oh how nice. I like playing the same, but it is not possible.

  • i am in looove! nice work

  • Hi Don, if you are in the U.K lets get together and do something.

  • This is a mi compose style right?

    How exactly do you achieve this.

    Do you actuaclly swap around the d string with an e string and tune the e string to a 'd'.?

  • Learned these songs by ear. Just standard tuning.

  • Can be better then feeling is not realy the congolese feeling something is missing ..but congratulation for your effort

  • ainda acho que este gajo e' de+?

    damn!

  • KILLED IT, VERY GOOD BRO!!!

  • Man you are awesome. If I close my eyes I can imagine I'm listening to Bopol or one of those great stars.

  • Oh my lord! You just killed it !

    What rythm and melody!

    right now I'm going to purchase my own guitar and play as you are doing.

    Thanks for that GREAT moment

  • Incredible!!

  • 10/10 ,,,very well done

  • Wooow that is Great

  • CONGO RDC makes great music !!

  • very nice job

  • Congo man- very dacing.

  • My guy.....I am from Nigeria and just wanted to say God bless you for playin this very sweet and tantalizing soukous. Chai, this thing just makes me want to jump up and get down!!!

  • Don....this is Superb....Man...I don't know what else to write....I am amazed and really appreciate your performance....Well done...!!!

  • Great performance. Elegant, powerful, pure soukous!

  • Congratulations: elegant, nice!

  • Very nice man. I am impressed by your skills

  • niiiice that's great thank you

  • You can play it slowly?

    I'd like to learn.

  • Nice lines. That's a Godin? I've got one of the SD dual humbucker models that sounds real nice. But I think pure single coils are the utlimate for Soukous.

  • Nice one. Don. I got a guitar as a present last Xmas but still have to learn how to play it. To my utter shame. This has absolutely inspired me.

  • Nice, dude. Well played.

  • Awesome... You are a genius and really talented. Have u got a myspace?

  • wtf...are you african ???]]

    \

    or lived in africa?? thats crazy

  • Bravo !!!

  • Bravo old sir! This is some fantastic playing!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

  • Just awesome, you are great Man

    Prince Magloire

  • good job bro you are doing something other non Africans have not thought about. Do have any love for this generations soukous and Ndombolo guitarists? i think you should check out Flamma Kapaya, former solo guitarist for Werrason and Wenge Musica Maison Mere. He is very good and have you ever thought about creating an instrumental band that covers music like this. Too bad i am not in the states I would have offered to be your drummer. Good luck to you though

  • tres tres bien

    droiture de congolais

    solo de manuaku

  • damn you're good!

  • Comment removed

  • wow, who's your inspiration (Congolese Guitarist)

  • Great question!! Well, I think the first name I can remember is Franco and TPOK Jazz. Mario was the first song that blew my mind. He had so many other guitarists in his band that won't name them all now. Others - MATIMA from Zaiko!!!!!!!!! Diblo, Pablo Lubadika, Syran Mbenza, Huit Kilo, But the mass majority I have a hard time getting their names with a lack of information. . Zaiko had a number of amazing guitarists, I like the Anti Choc stuff. Well, the list is too long :)

  • Can't believe I forgot to mention the great Johnny Bokelo.

  • ey where are u from? its noticeable you've spent some tiem with this music. great

  • I'm from Washington state - USA. I love African music so I've been playing different styles for a while :)

  • i like your own impro.that's mean you get the spirit of the music.go ahead it's good.just one advice.slow down a little the tempo,what makes people dance is definitely not the high tempo but the feeling in it.

  • Comment removed

  • I completely agree the importance of the rhythm guitar. Good to know someone who obviously knows more than others about Soukous/Rhumba guitar. You play rhumba/soukous correct? Well rhythm guitar is key in so many other styles of African music. This was a quick start for getting a youtube video online. It takes a longer to get all the parts locked when you are the only one playing. My videos in the future will definitely feature rhythm guitar. Freddy De Majunga, Lokassa Ya Mbongo style.

  • bravo!

  • Moi je suis et je reste convaincu que ce jeune homme est le descendant d'un ancêtre Congolais.

    Il joue sans faute au point de faire la joie de tous. Ayebi penza, aza makasi, azolelisa guitare lokola "petit poisson"

    Jossart a integrer ye ne Zaïko sans attendre.

  • Hi donkellermedia,

    Good work man. What advice and tips would you give to someone interested in learning soukous guitar?

  • fantastic. masha allah.

  • white men can't jump, but they can definitely play guitar. As an african guitarist, i just take my hat off, men. This is superb...

  • You laid it down Brother....

  • ahhhhhh zaiko langa langa bo ke wapi ahhh zaiko for ever........

  • bueno muy biem hay que cambiar colores........ en cuanto a los andantes pero te felizito...............

  • Congratulations!

  • Keanu Reeves!!! hehehe nice work man

  • @frankplay19 whoa...

  • You are really good! Thanks a lot for posting this. It helps me improving my own skills. Looking forward for more soukouss!!

    By the way, have you been living somewhere in Africa for some time? That wouldn't surprise me...

  • Thank you. I've never been to Africa but I definitely should!

  • Hi Don! I'm learning african guitar patterns. Do you know where I can find some Soukous Tabs? cheers

  • I think Don Keller is gonna take our African Music above......this is just great......he reminds of Diblo dibala. Hey Mopao Mokonzi, can you take on this guy?? your music is gonna improve on solo.

  • Nice sound. what pedal are you using?

  • In this case I'm using the software delay effect in Logic (Apple).

  • So beautiful! Congratulations! Could we know the name of the Zaiko Langa Langa songs? Gracias!

  • I would like to know what guitar sound effets I shoukd use to play soukouss guitar. thanks.

  • Delay pedal. Sometimes you can use a chorus pedal to get an 80's soukous sound.

  • I would like to know if you can send me some staff for learning to play soukouss guitar, I will appreciate it many thanks.

  • You surely did a fantastic job.Bring us some more stuff especially from oldies of Zaiko Langalanga

  • Thank you. There are so many mind-blowing guitarists, and guitar lines from Congo, Mali, Guinea and beyond. I will cover lines as I move forward, but I will also try to post my own songs down the road.

  • Yes,it is true that there are so many great guitarist.But R.D.C-Kinshasa is unique..and there has never been a spectacular group in Africa like Zaiko Langalanga(Nkolo Mboka).And it had the greatest guitarist ever..like Manuaku Pepe,Roxy Tshimpaka,Mbuta Matima,Petit Poisson,Beniko Popolipo...