Debussy, Clair de lune, guitar solo, James Edwards

[IchthusremyD]

could be inspiring also for the deaf...especially who would like to learn to play the musical instruments...

[lunovere]

Truly enchanting!

[exShinra]

Every one of the notes feels alive, and like it has its own personality and voice. The animation does it a great justice.

[666BLeue]

I could fall asleep to this,

but I never want to. It's too nice :)

[colyerT]

That brought a tear to my eye. Thank you very much.

[86proofjm]

I think it's amazing what these classical guitarists can do, but this piece sounds better on piano.

[Sociopatrol]

Does anyone hear the spiderman theme (movie) by Danny Elfman at 1:55-2:05? Maybe Danny got a little inspiration. I mentioned this on smalin's piano music video (same Clair de lune) as well but was interested in other responses and opinions.

[PianoJZB]

Beautiful work, thanks a lot for this!

[moetyman]

is there a download for this?

[smalin]

@moetyman Sorry, no, I don't think so. It's on Edwards' CD, which you can get on his web site, but I don't think it's available separately.

[richardmatchett]

WOW! This is so relaxing! :)

[ZachsSmirkingRevenge]

@smalin, I do not see a "Rite of Spring" on your Channel. I would greatly appreciate it!

[smalin]

@ZachsSmirkingRevenge So would I.

[papibuddy]

@ZachsSmirkingRevenge do a search for stravinsky rite of spring it should pop up.

[jeffhrsn]

Larger circles for louder notes and smaller circles for quieter notes and you've nailed it 100%!

[GizmoCCXR]

the emotional appeal of this song is incredible. like nothing i've ever heard in my life. absolutely amazing

[plume012]

minca mia..

[nahedh]

Tough day?

Just fullscreen this and let it all go.

[cwlithium]

I never heard this version of it, I'm really liking it. Also as always, I'm loving the animtaion.

[kilerfreeride]

hey is this in standard tuning as i t doesn't say on the music sheet pdf?

[smalin]

@kilerfreeride You can figure this out from the score; look at the first 6th-string note.

[Fichtezxc]

@kilerfreeride It's in standard tuning in D but I'd recommend tuning down a half step to match the original key.

[keebordcowboy]

i don't believe that there could exist any word describing the feeling of this...the closest it comes to me now is the feeling of the smile of my daughter and her laugh, or the touch of my wife's hand when she is calm in here sleep on my face...no words. this is a Feeling...when your heart glows..

[nikumuMINA]

and dont you think their is a mistake at the very last section of the tab/partition ?

its write 5-7-6-7-5 but it doesnt sound like what james did at the end , please take a "look".

[Ainigma]

i've known clair de lune for quite a long time. i gotta say, watching this video synced to the audio gave me shivers and goosebumps, simultaneously letting my sad feelings fade away to allow me to feel joyful, calm and content.

thank you for making all those videos! - which i've been also watching for quite a long time ;)

[abracadabra324]

For those who want this piece:

Go to amazon find

From the Dance: Classic Guitar/Solos by James Edwards

it is a hard piece

[tefynikita16]

Ficou ótimo ^^

[MsChrissy760]

whats this beautiful sound that i hear

[MsChrissy760]

Wow, really the best music since last year!

[BlackXSunlight]

Oh I definitely couldn't read that from my iPhone. I had to get on the PC, but thanks so much smalin!

[BlackXSunlight]

Someone please send me the tab for thus. Can this only be played with a 10-string guitar?

[smalin]

@BlackXSunlight Please read the FAQ.

[HonestMan395]

@BlackXSunlight This can only be played by someone with three hands and eight fingers on each hand. :D

[hello12289]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD SOUND NOTHING LIKE THE PIANO ONE BUT IT ABSOLUTELY DOES AND IT SOUNDS GREAT!!

[nikumuMINA]

and dont you think their is a mistake at the very last section of the tab/partition ?

its write 5-7-6-7-5 but it doesnt sound like what james did at the end , please take a "look".

[smalin]

@nikumuMINA There is no video of this performance.

[urgirlcassie23]

@Eamesam I'd call the way it's ended a sort of arpeggiatic "stinger" to steal a term from marching terminology. It's sort of a "feint", if you will, in that respect as it does the full-chord arpeggio, then a sort of inverted 7th version for that "soft" part.

[eahkub]

incredible arrangement, wow seriously .. I always thought the piece was unable to be arranged for solo guitar (without lose so much notes from original) until I come into this!

[Eamesam]

Smalin, is there a name for when a composer ends a piece via notes. I.e, Debussy ends this by making the notes go from deep to high in a soft tone. Is there a name for this?

[UrMuMSeDsO]

@Eamesam a spread chord played quietly? :L

[smalin]

@Eamesam As far as I know (and I have a degree in music composition and taught courses in music notation, so I'm as likely to know as anyone), there is no standard term for that kind of thing.

[Eamesam]

@smalin Sigh, oh well, thanks for your help. I just think it sounds so beautiful. :)

[DayzeBreak]

@Eamesam yeah, i agree. its "missing" the top note, so it kind of feels almost empty and quiet. like the listeners are waiting for something that never comes, and eventually the music fades into silence, a very beautiful moment

[omnipotato98]

@Eamesam The term you might be looking for is arpeggio. That is when a chord (like the major chord in the final seconds of this piece) is played one note at a time ascending or descending in pitch. There is no specific term for ending a piece with an arpeggio, though.

[SpazzyAsian]

This is just.. wwoww. <3

[GeoffonTour]

stunning.

[ALK883]

you should make a vid for flight of the bumblebee

[smalin]

@ALK883 I did. It's on my DVD (hint, hint).

[Akhius]

WHY SO EPIC?

[antipax00]

Hi smalin, when are you releasing a new version of the MAM player? There's just so many new effects you've been showcasing that are not available in your software, which has last been updated back in 2006.

[smalin]

@antipax00 I don't know ... I'm working on other things at the moment ...

[omniscientantipathy]

Your videos always make me trip the fuck out. <3

[Ospr3yy]

Do you mind if I use this instrumental for a bird video I'm compiling?

[smalin]

@Ospr3yy You'll need to contact James Edwards for permission.

[Ugallardo]

THANKS!

[Greek2xprotein]

Beatiful...the part at 1:50 always gets me...

[JIPALIG]

one of my all time favorite songs, tabs are a bit above my skill level but im definitively taking the time to learn it.

[Staudinka]

My dwarf in Lord of the Rings Online can play this, but it doesn't sound half as good^^ But very nice, I only knew Clair de lune on the piano.

[FRIENDSSIMS3D]

Tabs?? I need it! :)

[smalin]

@FRIENDSSIMS3D See the FAQ.

[kradim]

1:55 favorite part

[jaleuterio]

Beautiful

[fervbaby]

@smalin

I was wondering, if I wanted to learn this song, is this in a different type of tuning compared to standard?

[SingHouse]

@fervbaby no this arrangement is standard tuning.

[fervbaby]

Thank you, thank you for such a beeeeeaaaaaaauuuuuttttiiiiffff­ffffffulllllllllllllllllllllll­llll times 9687494132168435486154 piece

[mikeb1444]

Well played!

[flawlizbby21]

What a magical story ride I just went on(:

[MrLystel]

the link to the tabs doesnt work for me :((

[lalee33]

Such a beautiful video, in all my life, I've never seen anything more convoluted in meaning then the lines and circles in this video, the connotations are limitless, thank you for uploading

[bubblytar]

I must say, the faster tempo in the beginning half was a little too speedy to be able to grasp the beauty of the chords in time, but then it ended up slowing down to my liking after the arpeggio section and I LOVED IT!! Thank you so much for this. It is true bliss <3

[HenryTheGuitarist]

I've only picked out the first few bars, but this is beautiful.

[Sebastian1011]

@HenryTheGuitarist there is a tab, you know

[ok69severin]

rellax



[zinc1024]

A few more minor transcription issuse: the 2nd high G in measure 33 can't be sustained and needs to be re-struck: that's not properly shown in the sheet music. I don't know how the dual artificial harmonics (A and F#) shown in measure 51 can be played; I think the F# needs to not be a harmonic. Playing the arpeggio section cleanly with clear voice separation and singing melody is HARD!! Fantastic transcription overall though.

[tib0ulay]

I'd love to be that good. But I guess that I need to keep practicing. ^^'

[rachel21421]

So touching soul music and animation ;)) keep going on

[flyholes]

my soul thank you

[tavoochoa100]

fucking cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kamilla4ever]

Oh that's so amazing.... 

[RandomMocker]

This is the best solo arrangement for this piece I've heard, played wonderfully as well! Will definitely be learning this :D

Thanks :)

[AngelOfDeath373]

so amazing...

[magicboy6264]

beautiful

[Yond22]

This sh*t is amazing !



[directfader]

dude. astounding.

[antiplaca]

A MAZING

[OrbiliusMagister]

This animation truly does justice to both sheet music and performance. Guitar sheet music compared with keyboard or choral scores just squeezes most of its intricacies and polyphonic tricks into just one staff. I 've been reading a lot of music for years, but I wouldn't have deciphered the actual complexity and mimicry without a live performance (what a wide palette of sounds can a guitar display!) and your animation. Thank you for this big service to music.

[IceIsNice286]

Man do I love some classical guitar. <3

[BeatTriathlet]

im ersten moment dachte ich, die scheiß Kreise machen einen wahnsinnig..

...Aber die machen Süchtig!!!:D

[smalin]

@BeatTriathlet Yeah, I'm a pusher. The first videos are free, but later, you'll have to pay for them. ;-)

[ntomataki778]

Nothing is better than the solo piano version but this guitar performance is epic!

[Xinnah]

Ah the serenity.......almost like drifting on a sea of clouds...

[alex4ua]

Beautiful...

Do you have Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.1 or Gnossienne No.1?

Or any other classical music performed by guitarist with sheets?

[Earthtoaster]

First song that has ever made me draw a tear because of the beauty.

[ssw166]

What is that clicking sound? I'm not sure if it's supposed to be there or not. I'm not a guitarist.

[smalin]

@ssw166  That's the sound of the guitarist's fingers squeaking on the strings. It's normal.

[japanman141]

@smalin ive always loved this sound when i play

[EvelineHeart]

when the video came to 1:55 i just stared ... i never thought someone could play the guitar so gently and... just so... ahh... where is the napkin?

[LucyFerSTFU]

Im gonna try my absolute hardest to learn this on guitar, but it might take a while, .... like a a half a year

[FuckinMetalBitchs]

thank you very much

[0llril]

My computer crashed when i clicked the thumbs up botton a coulpe million times

[dontpooponmeplease]

This is amazing. Do you have sheet music for this?

[smalin]

@dontpooponmeplease See the FAQ.

[dontpooponmeplease]

@smalin FAQ?

[smalin]

@dontpooponmeplease Yes, up there where it says "Show more" ...

[MouseAndCo]

i could just stare at that animation for 5 minutes .. oh i just did :P

[keefr72]

great stuff. thanks for posting a link to the tab. very nice playing. cheers

[zinc1024]

Awesome transcription, and thank you SO MUCH for sharing it! I started on the Kleynjan's a week ago, discovered this...and I'm switching. This is prettier and a bit more playable too. And the key is perfect, just tune the whole guitar down a 1/2 step and it's in the proper key of Db (better than using a capo to go from C to Db). There is one typo in the score: measure 17 the melody should go F# - G - F# - E - F# -E. The score has it as F# - G - D - F# - E, and that's not correct I believe.

[smalin]

@zinc1024 Yes, you are right.  Surprising that the mistake is in both the notation and the tablature.

[SingHouse]

@JadeRavenLynx Amen to that brother.

[SingHouse]

Ok. I think this is even better than Francis Kleynjans' arrangement, dare I say. His was fabulous but some parts are far too difficult. I prefer his key (C major) because you can put a capo on the 1st fret and be in Db maj (original key), but otherwise I can't fault this version... you get used to the D major eventually.

I shall definitely be practising this version so thanks for the free PDF (much appreciated), a very good performance, I like the soft touch you have.

[xDaBeginninGx]

dear smalin,

you and the people who surround you are so talented. keep up the good work.

[adsvx]

Have never heard this done on guitar, and considering I am a guitarist one would think I would have by now. Apparently I had to wait until this beautiful version became available. THANK YOU for a wonderful version which shall remain in my favorites forever.

[iforgot114]

@JadeRavenLynx I completely agree with you on this matter but you have to understand what group of people choose to use these "phrases". Of course it is the younger generation, and I believe the reason for this is simply because they are either influenced to such a degree (much like a spoken dialect) Or they are afraid to communicate and therefore take an extra "moment" to iterate their thoughts.

[MrLystel]

I try to do my work while listening to this but i cant because i get into this sort of trance where all i pay attention to is the music.

[Blackninjaofdark]

@JadeRavenLynx No Problem and I agree with you.

[rmanandhar7]

beautiful playing

[zensparkle2481]

I wonder why they always play Clair De Lune in the key of D on guitar...

Sounds nice nonetheless!

[mscrystal015]

frankly, Im more of a rock person,

but this song is just awesome

Im glad that I have been one of the few who discovered this beautiful piece of music

=))

[bouse888]

im cying

[Damstraight68]

@bouse888 sissi =D

[ronanmorgan179]

Would love to learn this:D but it sounds wayyy to complicated;((

[Blackninjaofdark]

@JadeRavenLynx you are 12 and you talk like that? Your are a boss

[iforgot114]

So beautiful.

[Roziefly]

I love this!!! =-)

[ChillyAmo]

i feel like im the only kid that likes this kind of music

[Grace7326]

@ChillyAmo

No way! This is just wonderful - whether on guitar or the piano (I play the piano myself).

[Asgard314]

@ChillyAmo Nope, 16 and I love this music. -_-

[MEteoriss]

@ChillyAmo no need to feel you're alone. the only problem is that too few are aware of this treasure trove. we should feel privileged to be the among the anointed ones.

[laxernator100]

@ChillyAmo so do I, I feel like this world is clogged with terrible music and people do not know real music!



[meeatsbabies]

@ChillyAmo

15 and listening to it. You should be glad that you're one of the few that still appreciate music that is good. Not degrading songs about "b***hes" and "joints". This is what makes life and the world beautiful, and don't take it for granted.

[JacksenPierce]

@meeatsbabies Joints are a blessing my son, you will learn one day.

[daveytjuuh]

@ChillyAmo

you're definitely not

[VivianitaIrie]

Musica para el alma!

[HeardTheSound]

You're very talented, but this piece wasn't really meant for guitar in my opinion.

[bilstew]

@HeardTheSound Interested to know why you think this should be.?

[slsmith9296]

this is one of the best renditions of this song i had ever heard

[Nirvanuss]

Hermosa! increible! impresionante, para mi gusto. Ha sido una experiencia totalmente relajante. Grande es el arte que el humano puede tener. Muchas gracias! Thanks a lot! master piece!

[GreeneMachine23]

This art actually helped me to learn some of the more involved picking sections.

[molitatron]

@lllSkywalkerlll congrats on having the confidence to face this piece. 2:03 onwards sounds mad hard

[hero1345679]

This song reminds me of Paris somehow.

[oliverjre]

lol git vs ivory bashers... let the war of words begin!!! *sits back eating popcorn*

[PianoDude1011]

i prefer the piano version

[GuitarSlinger2112]

@PianoDude1011 Good for you.

[poratitipuri]

i cried!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[krolMtz]

bravooo



[JrodMcKenzy]

ttly trippy man.

[gsarci2011]

uh, this doesn't sound like c-sharp major at all...

but the idea of playing Debussy's most famous piece on guitar is very nice...

nice performance, sir!

[MoonBoots123]

B-E-A-U-tiful.

[Theblackknight10101]

buetiful

[Harmonikz]

incredible.

[naomitandy]

What a beautiful version, makes we wish I could play a guitar :) x

[padraigoconnor]

Hi, just wondering if it would be possible to do the piano one with the same kind of visualisation? I absolutely love Clair de Lune and this visualisation is wonderful, and I love this version on the guitar. You´re doing good work my friend. Any chance? Pretty pretty please?

[matt7evenb]

Reminds me of the band Opeth.

[embry114]

hahaha try the piano version and the guitar version at the same time, its weird how both beautiful pieces can be ruined like that

[danthecat21]

@embry114 OMG TOGETHER IT'S AWFUL :'S

[ambrishrk]

Remarkable talent. Thank you!

[BunBun969]

beautiful

[MirkwOodElf89]

when you think the piano version is touching perfection you listen to this.. so unbelievably beautiful and different. although a piano player/fan myself, I believe this is amazing. great upload!!!

[RandyWilliams1944]

Absolutely beautiful I like both versions , but Guitar just nicks it for me...Randy Williams...

[Roonxas]

Hermoso :') Bello :')

[cherry7590]

wonderful :-) love it ! I want to get asleep.. lol.

[jebasta123]

I might sound like a real freakin' noob, but are there two different guitars in this song?

[molitatron]

@jebasta123 i ca only read "performed by James Edwards." and ive never seen anyone play 2 guitars the the same time (except that korean guy, whop played mario covers and whatnot), so I guess its just an amazing performance :).

btw, pseudo-junkies googling "how to get naturally high" should be redirected here, this is amazing (animation and all)

[smalin]

@molitatron Yep, it's just one talented guy. I'm visiting him this summer; maybe if there's time (and this is still in his fingers), we'll do a video of him playing it.

[molitatron]

@smalin wow, that would be amazing!there are some really intricate parts, seeing the player would be muchly appreciated. I´ll be waiting for it ;). Thanks for all your videos

[cutegalzxxx]

Personally I feel like I'm a French resturaunt or something, cause the name is French and stuff :) it's so beautiful

[Kiddalee]

This is so neat.

[lehnrik]

@XNFORCER No it picks.

[hel0m0t0]

this makes me feel like im at a romantic moonlit dinner in mexico :)

[TheSneakyPineapple]

@hel0m0t0 me too :)

I prefer Clair de Lune on the guitar rather than the piano.