Air on G Bach classical guitar improvisation - seth maxwell

[guitarplayer9523]

These is the greatest Bach interpretation I've ever heard. I dream to be able to play that one day.

[rcozcap]

Great! very impressive version...

[b3nd3r42]

Just beautifully. Bach's air is one of my favorites, but your improvisation gave it whole new dimension. Its seem to me like you take the best from original and dress it into new fresh clothes.

[Dild20]

Still several months after first watching this vid, it is still one of the best ones i know

[misterbox]

very nice... i might just have to get my acoustic out of the case... its nice to remember that no matter how many shows i play and how long im on the road, that i started playing guitar for fun, not money. so thanks and keep on pickin!

[KingOfShadows1500]

not bad...

[lighterhead]

Yo seth! I forgot to follow up on my music project. So anyways, it's been forever since I did it, but I totally made an A! lol..

The professor said that was probably the best example of two periods complimenting each other that he had seen in some time.

Thanks again man, keep it up.

[sethwmax]

wow that's very kind...thanks for the update :)

[kjvonly01]

Awesome talent young man, just awesome.

[Dild20]

i seriously think that this was utterly perfect man. Really really good!

[uk318]

you'r song is inspired me.

[italianfish78]

SPECIAL!!!!!!!!!!

[ferelfortin]

VERY NICE VERSION

Greentings from Argentina

[BRVNL]

Really nice!

[roberttiso]

Your improvvisations are superb, very nice style 5*

[Rockerl3oy]

Very good! 5*

You might want to check Philippethomas84, In my opinion he's a revelation in classical electric guitar playing.

[sethwmax]

Thanks bud!!

I checked out Philippe. He's incredibly talented. thanks

[newbie22]

man you make that guitar sing!

[astounda]

ah ha! tuned down a half step? ha great man i got it down still doesnt sound as good as you but i got it

[GERSON25]

"second" i meant! :P

[GERSON25]

I´m a guitar player aswell and this guy its really GOOD!!! TRUST ME!!! The details!!! OMG Very Good BRO!!! Keep on it (its my secon coment )

heheehe..

Very good!

[GERSON25]

dude! NiCEEE!

:)

[Affe26]

Frikkin' awesome playing!

[JoshuaEvan]

beautiful sounding guitar man. great playing

[lighterhead]

Seth, amazing job, once again.

We're studying a ton of different Baroque, Classical etc. styles in one of my classes at my University..So if I could get your permission, I'd like to use this on video on my project of "Music: Then and Now". We compare the music from then, music from now, how today's music has benefited etc. And I'd like to show how the two styles compliment each other and your vid. is a perfect example.

Is it ok with you if I use this video?

Once again, fantastic job

[sethwmax]

wow thanks man! heck yeah you can use my video. it'd be my honor! thanks and good luck with the project.

[lighterhead]

Ok cool I appreciate it!

Thanks again

[astounda]

man i can not for the life of me figure out your amazing use of pinch harmonics lol but holy cow i cant get it out of my head i wont stop until i get this

[astounda]

could you tab this please?

[kngV]

that was beautiful, great job man

[justshootme63]

Hello again! I droped a comment a while back....(I've the same guitar as you) Im looking into different strings and was curious what ones you are using??

[sethwmax]

i use elixer light - cost a little more but I think they play and sound better longer. cheers

[katvanbus]

Very Nice!

[followthelyrics]

yo awesome job

[sethwmax]

it's the one that's way overpriced ha ha

it's a 2006 taylor 914-ce

[LordMagnumEric]

sounds great man :)

[Sharpmusicmedia]

That guitar sounds beautiful

[kahron90210]

how would you suggest strengthening hands and fingers for a beginner guitar player.

[sethwmax]

honestly practicing daily and pushing yourself to tackle more complicated pieces is the only approach i can think of. personally, i feel my fingers could be stronger if i could manage to practice at least every other day or more. thanks for dropping by...

[Torfinnmadssen]

Very nice playing there, man! Wonderful, melodic and technically advanced playing! Really sweet!

[sethwmax]

thank you.  i am very glad you like!

[Rexicano]

You might want to try some of those trills in the Baroque style;

the high note comes first.

You play way better than malmsteen ...

but are you sure Segovia did this? I have almost every record Segovia did and not heard it.

Nice arrangement.

[sethwmax]

ha ha thanks man

i guess maybe Segovia didn't. i have an old cassette tape recording of what i assumed was Segovia (probably cause it was so good and Segovia was the only classical guitarist i knew of at the time), but i searched for "Segovia Air on G" and found nothing, so you are probably right.

THanks for the ideas on the Baroque style. I am not trained so i enjoy any constructive criticism..thank you!

[Rexicano]

I'm not a purist on Baroque music at all; but I think you would have fun trying some trills the other way.

I learned mostly from records so I don't really follow rules but do what I thinks sounds good...Parkening plays a real nice Adagio by Bach or it's an Air...sounds very good.

[sethwmax]

so by baroque trill you mean start roll up the scale instead of down? (best def i could find googling "baroque trill"). couldn't find the parkening adagio, but i did check out some of his other stuff...excellente!!

[Rexicano]

I think it's a general rule to start the Baroque trill on the higher note first of the two notes trilled.

BUT, I really think that this is not and should not be a hard and fast rule for all trills every time; Only if they sound right.

I guess this is a personal call...but listen to a lot of Baroque music (not on guitar) and see what you like. Segovia was in NO WAY a Baroque specialist or expert and his Bach sometimes was horrible. With modern Spanish music he was superb.

[shawankita]

hey this is a great vid !! i've not heard this song b4 and i just was looking through and saw ur vid.. and im thankful i heard urs b4 the original !! i love it!! great job!! im starting to learn classical guitar myself in school and i just started !! gud stuff !!

[sethwmax]

thanks for the kind words. i wish you the best with your guitar schooling!

[shawankita]

thank u and keep up the great work!

[SFmajkl]

Great work man.

Great guitar man.

Great channel man.

[sethwmax]

thanks x 3!!

[Osodel]

I think I just shit my pants...

[sethwmax]

i hope that's a good thing ;)

[Osodel]

yeah, it is

[dmio2]

lovely

[justshootme63]

Played beautifully. Its funny i stumbled on your video, i have the exact same guitar 914ce although mine is the Fall Limited Edition. Not sure what the difference is but there great guitars right? can't beat a Taylor!

[sethwmax]

thanks bud! yeah i love mine (although some days i wonder whether the extra dough for the 914's inlays was practical), but hey it is a beautiful instrument. let me know if you post a vid of yours...

[HunterPliskin07]

I'm loving the way you're feeling it man.

Being one with a guitar... ignore the dumb bastards that think it's all about speed. It isn't at all, you are an incredible guitar player in my opinion ^_^

[sethwmax]

haha right on man! you're my hero right now =) thanks for the major props (even though i probably don't really deserve them) peace

[vaibanez17]

ah, the title of this song would sound like a rap video today..."Air on the G-String"...awesome version of this song, i'd like to have tab of this so i could learn that...

[sethwmax]

Ha that's hilarious buddy. i should've got my girlfriend and her friends to walk around in G string while i played (eh...or maybe not). man i wish i had the patience to write the tab to this. i bet you could learn it by ear and eye tho. 'preciate the kind words man.

[SPAINPEDRO]

You are my favorit.This is a best guitarpalying.Congratulacion.

[sethwmax]

thanks bud! :)

[nefertum]

Beautiful! You are great!

[goldietoon]

do you know trace bundy? I think you've got the same guitar, what guitar is it actually?

ps: nice one

[sethwmax]

i'll have to check him out. this is a taylor 914-ce. thanks! :)

[0JaviCiari]

Wow that sounds amazing. It's classical music with a modern feel. Great job!

[sethwmax]

thank you! i played this at an open mic last week as a prelude into a modern Lemonheads cover, and it absolutely floored me how folks who never listened to bach were all about this piece!!  thanks for the encouragement!

[imslicc]

guitar is the greatest instrument in the world. unfortunately bach can't be played on it alone. if you miss one note the hole piece is ruined.

[sethwmax]

it's tough no doubt. esp without the bass pedals, but i wouldn't say segovia ruined any of bach's pieces. check out segovia's cello suite on my fav's list to see what i mean. thanks for stopping by!

[edmaximus]

I loved that..noce slap with the harminics and the bacj stuff...really nice stuff! Awsome

[sethwmax]

thanks bud and thank you for keeping an open mind...it is surprising how many bach purists get mad when you hack his music. ;)

[P5ych00]

that's talent... nice

[uk318]

please post tab so simpler pepole like me can spreade the joy and say seth maxwell incouraged me to play like this what a master for a young man

[sethwmax]

hahah thanks man! :) well, im not much of a tab writer, but maybe if i get some extra time... thanks!

[uk318]

frekin great better then malmstine dude yure a goddamn guniuse

[Jaliya48]

Nice, this is a bit similar to malmsteen's version...

[sethwmax]

good call! i did see malmsteen do this on a G3 dvd which prompted me to "go after it". thanks for reminding me...i had to update my video description to give malmsteen props.

[tertiuswait]

Very Cool man.. listning from South Africa

[sethwmax]

sweet dude! thanks for checking it out!

[tertiuswait]

You should tab this out and post it somewhere for people to use. I know I would use it.

[Chrish53]

Great playing..

[cunananronaldo]

That was awesome my friend. I'm listening halfway around the world...the Philippines...great job on the arrangement

[sethwmax]

cool thanks!! one of my coworkers is from there....very nice i hear. thanks for dropping by!

[jigglestumps]

Fantastic, well played and beautiful adjustments. What's the tuning you're using?... I just realised (because I was half way through listening) that it's actually normal tuning. Sounds even more beautiful now that I know that.

[sethwmax]

thanks,much appreciated! the tuning on this seems to be a bit deceptive for some reason because several have asked whether it was not standard.

cheers

[lighterhead]

dude come play at my wedding or something. really inspiring

[sethwmax]

ha ha...thanks a lot bud! congratulations on the wedding. i'd love to man, but Afghanistan is a bit too far from North Carolina for me.  best of luck to you tho ;)

[omaregb]

you are a good player, but i think that great pieces should not be altered freely, you know for respect to the compositor

[sethwmax]

thanks man. i hear what you are saying, and i do respect the compositor, that's why i did this.

[thugballer77]

great job man

did u make the arrangement yourself?

[sethwmax]

thanks bud! from about the 30 second mark on is my arrangement, but the first 30 seconds is pretty close to the arrangement i saw yngwie malmsteen do on G3 Live in Denver dvd.

[akkie999]

WOW tanx dude or sharing ;)

From holland 5 points ^^

Really nice to listen to ...easy listning...high performance.

2 Thumbs up ..Nice...Thanx!!

[sethwmax]

wow way cool thanks for listening from north carolina =)

[Zerox7152]

Amazing, how long have you been playing guitar?

[sethwmax]

thank you! =)

i've been at it on and off for about 18 years...ha...i ought to be able to play something, huh!?! ha ha

thanks for checking it out!

[daniik101]

where do you get the tabs for that...it was amazing...please post a reply...pleeeeaaassse!!

[sethwmax]

no tabs for this unfortunately my friend...at least none that i know of. but thank you very much for the compliment!

[SaraVaughanfan]

Terrific. Pure genius.

[sethwmax]

haha thanks ;)

[comatosis187]

wow, i am just speechless. amazing job! you have an unbelievable amount of talent, i hope to see you on mainstream tv someday

[sethwmax]

haha now i am speechless. lol thank you. ;)

[francoMag87]

this is beautiful man, 5 stars to this..great job, your guitar sounds awesome, and it sounds better when someone play it like that...5 stars!! God bless you.

[sethwmax]

wow thanks! yes its definitely my fav guitar.  thank you for the compliments. blessings to you too.

[mtarek16]

you're very good ! the intro sounds like that of yngwie malmsteen when he played it live,, just what I was looking for =)

[sethwmax]

good call ;) i watched that dvd and it shed a lot of light on how to play this piece. i wish i knew andre segovia's version!

thanks for the props!!

[jasonism123]

what's the brand of that acoustic guitar? sounds good man..keep it up.

[sethwmax]

thanks man!

its a taylor 914ce

[la1880]

beautiful!! Do you do requests? Would you like to play Magdalena Menuet for me??? That would be so perfect!!

Luvs

xoxoxoxo

[sethwmax]

afraid i don't know that one =(

thanks so much tho!

[zneella]

great man. very innovative playing.big 5*****

[sethwmax]

thanks a lot man!

[guitarrox]

wo now thats some sweet playing man! I gota thank Joy at the lounge for introducing your music to me . You got some real talent man and you just gained a new fan RoXOn

[sethwmax]

wow man thanks a bunch...i twiddle around a lil i guess, but you have serious talent with songwrititng!

[bfsongs]

Seth, I heard of you cos of Leopard Lounge.

This is my favourite piece of music ever! I'll try to post it when I have some time to record it. I subbed. Check my stuff, if you have the time.

5 Stars!

[sethwmax]

Well that's the nicest thing anybody's said to me ever! Thanks and i'll definitely be there. =)

[goodni2]

really beautiful - esp that hook at 59 secs. thanks for posting.

[sethwmax]

thanks bud.  i'm glad you like it!!

[Clinton072615]

Great just Great. Do you have a tab for this or did you just make it up or something. let me know

[sethwmax]

sorry no tab my friend. i watched Yngvie Malmsteen do the beginning of this piece on a G3 dvd (it's probably here on youtube somewhere too), and improvised around that. cheers and thanks a lot!

[bennny1988]

no words man;] your improvisatoin is great;]

[sethwmax]

thanks man. appreciate the kind words!

[5inner05]

I like the way you "play" drums with your left leg lol

[sethwmax]

haha you should hear me in the kitchen (hard floors). you can barely hear the guitar then. i saw a guy perform once with a boot on his foot that was wired to a drum sampler or something to that effect...i need one of those (or maybe not) =) thanks for the kind comments!!!

[5inner05]

I was just trying to remember how this part was called... Really thnx man... Five stars, a pretty nice version...

You inspire me ( I play the piano )

And now I'll get the sheets ... Thnx

I'll recommend you :)

[dArLeNewk]

Very nice I LOVE the sound,your very talented!!!

[KUNIGUITAR]

★★★★★

[cdiehlpala]

Aig on G is one of my alltime favorite classical pieces... I soooo dig this!

[sethwmax]

Thanks, it's definitely one of my favs too! Andres Segovia does the best version I've heard.

[dudeanwalker]

you did improvise very well, the tune was very recognizable!

[Topnoteboy]

You really hit those harmonics clean. What kind of guitar is that? It really projects the sound.

[sethwmax]

Thanks bud! It's a Taylor 2005 914-ce through a SWR California Blonde amp with light chorus and delay.

[V1RTU0SITY]

thats really good :) sounds very peaceful and serene ... nice version

[snakehead2007]

How dare you pollute Bach with your piddling!!! JUst kidding....AWESOME...I like it better your way! Nice strings too!!!

[guitmartiman]

Don't often hear Bach improvised! That's usually frowned upon by purists. I kind of like it though! Good work!

[PHL7445]

Cool version...

[meglumine]

You started out with a version of Air on G but then it changed to something else. It still sounded pretty good though. Nice calves.

[sethwmax]

haha...thanks! yeah, i don't know the entire song so i digressed into my own material around :35. it could've been a little cleaner, but i'm glad you like it.

[654321654321]

im not a big fan of this kind of guitar, but i think you really made it sound great playing Bach´s music,

that shows talent.

great video : )

[dinky1689]

ure improving is really well done sounds very good i was a lil upset how it ended so quickly lol....good job dude

[sethwmax]

thanks bud. unfortunately that's what happens when i run out of chops. haha

[b99town99]

insane bro! send me a tab

[junkyman2]

nice man....i enj0yed your vid. please keep posting em man, your good and original

[sethwmax]

thanks bud. i will keep em comin.

[clarinet050]

I REALLY like this. I mean, the improve makes it seem like something else completely... it's really really beautiful. My compliments :)

[sethwmax]

Thanks a lot...comments like this really make the practice worth it. ;)

[doublearejazz]

nice..

you wonna hear/see improvised bach music ..?

visite renatorozic dot com or look for vid "bach sarabande jazz guitar" - and you ll be suprised !

:-)

[Kherad]

That was great, but I kinda don't like how your guitar sounds - it's too metallic for playing Bach. Get some classic guitar :P

[sethwmax]

true true.  appreciate the compliment.

[kaliazzura]

Hey this is very cool!

[amiegurl]

holy HELL your good. gave me some MAD goosbumps

[LeonJaaLeonheart]

fucking aweasome man

[Sinnsonido]

Taylor 914ce? Thanks for posting this...I just keep watching. Wish I could even play Bach, let alone improvise to it.

[sethwmax]

yep, good call Sinnsonido, and THANKS for the props!

[souldistortion25]

very beautifully played. you have a very unique style that is all your own. respect for classical music has certainly made you a great guitar player. very nice man. you need to upload more videos. and some original material.

[sethwmax]

thanks alot bud! i swear on my marshall that before i die i will post some completely original work! lol ;)

[souldistortion25]

BEFORE YOU DIE? come on man, i wanna see what you're all about. post some soon man.

[sethwmax]

3. i think learning to play by ear is good practice for improvising. i practiced the "meat and potatoes" of this tune many times and most of the improv stuff comes from trying to intertwine similar melodies i've played before. for using harmonics i try to think about where each of harmonic notes (like on the 5th, 7th & 12th frets) is elsewhere on the guitar and that helps me predict when i can use them.

hope that helps! thanks for the compliments! ;)

[kkhsu]

Wow, thanks...So you just memorized those harmonic notes on 5th, 7th and 12th frets and use them whenever these notes (eg., note A on A string, 5th Fret) fit in the scale/context? Thanks again

[sethwmax]

yeah, the 5th and 12th fret notes are easy because they are always the same note as the open string just different octaves. you can get really crazy with it too if you activate your bridge pickup (esp with humbuckers) you'll hear lots of new harmonics between and beyond the 5th, 7th and 12th! have fun finding them all, even the ones past the end of the neck and over the pickups. :)

[kkhsu]

Thanks Seth, this is really useful information! Are you a pro or music student/teacher?

[sethwmax]

no prob man! i'm just a hobbyist having fun.  let me know if you post some vids up sometime...

[kkhsu]

Hi Seth, this is really great! May I ask you a few questions, if you would care to share?: (1) are those open string (EBDGBE) harmonics at the beginning? (2) the harmonics at 1:08, how did you pull that one off? Too fast for me to see:)..(3) you sense of harmony is awesome. What would you recommend for my practice routine so that i steer in your direction to be able to improvise using great Harmony and harmonics? Thank you very much!

[kkhsu]

Hey Seth, this is real awesome work! May I ask you a few questions, if you would care to share: (1) are those open string (EBDGBE) harmonics you played at the beginning? (2) what about the harmonics at 1:08 minute, how did you pull that off? (3) what's your suggetion for practicing routines if I want to go in your direction (being able to improvise as good as you are, especially using a lot of Harmony, Harmonics, and passing notes? Thank you very much.

[sethwmax]

Hey, thanks for the compliments! I'll try to answer your questions...

1. yes, they are open, with 12th fret harmonics on the D, G & B strings

2. more of the same as above but plucking two strings at a time like D+G, G+B & B+E

3. answered on your next comment

[metalmaster6666]

that was awesome

[voltaspeeder17]

Amazing playing!

[jnizoh]

Hey man. that was really great. you really know your stuff :]

[hottlilhunny]

great job seth! you are amazing.

[boto2k]

great job..where i can ge the tab?

[sethwmax]

thanks!! i've only heard it played before, i've never actually seen the tab anywhere. you could probably google it. the beginning was always my favorite part, though, so i'm content for now.

[GET2THACHOPPA]

we've got electric.....we've got classical........do I here Banjo anyone?

[sethwmax]

sure. there's this rainbow song kermit the frog stole from me... haha

[GET2THACHOPPA]

Sounds like a good vid to me. Let's see it.

[dpugh999]

yo... sounds good... later David Player's Choice

[kerin45]

Air on a G string - J. S. Bach