Banjo solo" The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise"by Ken Aoki

[Tyman103]

This guy looks like the happiest motherfucker on earth.

[matheussousuke]

Well, not in the beginning but looking after the half, it was remembering me of something funny...

Ahh, Super Mario Bros 2!

[effoff456]

sounds too asian to me, banjo playing is suposed to sound southern

[dannyobo]

This is what you get from eating raw fish and having the stricest schooling system in the WORLD!

[DrAwesome9090]

THE THING IS HE WOULD BE ASIAN!!!!!

[mintymoos]

W.......O.......W!!!!!

[diegodriver2]

shuashuashuashuashuashuashuash­uashua é ate legal

[xxZOSKY99xx]

Firetruck DUB STEP

BANJO MUSIC FTW

[lufkincy1]

Ken is incredible. He is certainly on a par with Johnny Ford and Perry Bechtal. Since he had so much respect for Bechtal, I wonder if he plays my favorite Bechtal piece - The Bells of St. Mary's.

[Liquamen]

Wooohoooo!!!! Fantastic!!!

It looks like they put the drummer in some kind of glass or plastic cage at 2:08. That´s not fair, even drummer have some rights.

[jamcbee]

get em some picks

[gonsuy]

HAHAHAHA @divinegod102 i favourited this vid for that exact purpose!

[divinegod102]

I watch this video every morning and his bloody smile always tell me that it's going to be a great day.

[tptmnc]

As a trumpet, guitar, and banjo player, this is an incredible performance and display of musicianship!

[likewut007]

my face looked just like his face when i heard how great it sound :D

[clayguy2000]

The great ones make it look so easy.

[clayguy2000]

The great ones make it look so easy.

[clayguy2000]

The great ones make it look so easy.

[panxbss]

Fucking awesome... I have an ear orgasm right...

[sniperwill0]

i know how to get an eargasm now

[mfrican1127]

you can tell that this guys just havin a fuckin blast, no matter what language you speak or what culture you might be from, music doesnt have a language, music carries whatever the player expresses it. it gives ya that irresistable urge to smile and make goofy faces like a dork and not care cause your the one havin all that fun!

[BOT101st]

Awesome... but so strange to see eatsterners play western music...

[shoutmusicjim]

I agree with pinkfloyd above - I would place Ken alongside Jerry Douglas (dobro) and Tommy Emmanuel (guitar) as one of the top performers on ANY instrument, let alone plectrum banjo.

[lgeklsflz]

he looks like hes having a great time xD

[VirtualWoodshed]

Amazing. I'd love to see this guy and Jens Kruger get together for a jam!

[TheJessePepper]

yea sounds nice but i think he can do that whit a guitar, to play a banjo as a banjo u need 3 fingers

[StupidManWhore]

EAR ORGASM.

[jakolt123]

THAT SMILE!!! xD

[kssork]

sounds like tremolo style on a classical guitar, only a bit sharper.

[zgiunti]

How can anyone dislike this? That was absolutely SICK!

[demogniak1]

énorme!!les mains les plus rapides de l'Est^^

[PODSpecial]

Epic face...



[premarin24]

pickin and grinnin at its finest!

[geoffrowell]

not just virtuoso playing but with great warmth and happiness. Great to see such a combination. Thanks for posting this

[iloveyouemily]

He's a little hammy,  but outstanding !!!

[demitry1000]

ive never seen some one so happy as they play music, he realy loves to play th banjo

[killingspeedrun]

@demitry1000 you oughta see Mumford and Sons play their song The Cave at the Grammys...their banjo player goes insane...

[joeyservo]

I wish I enjoyed doing anything in life as much as Ken Aoki appears to enjoy playing banjo. He always has that massive smile when he's playing.

[paxukulele]

His smile and expressiveness is as awesome as his musical talent! Wow!

[klumog]

Fantastic! iVE PLAYED BLUEGRASS BANJO FOR THIRTY TWO YEARS AND i STILL LOVE THIS STLYE TOO!mAGNIFICENT JOB!

[gademis91]

How in HELL can you play banjo and NOT smile at the same time!!!!

[simnebrael]

Ken Aoki - Banjo God Made Man - What a player!!!

[Augustofunk]

how thats tuned!??

[MrRandomman123]

@Augustofunk CGBD

[cudder995]

Wow this is amazing

[Jezza40]

Whenever I see someone do something with that much skill, it actually scares me a bit.

[samijan42]

He doesn't just play music, he was born to play music. what a gift!

[divinegod102]

It's always the Japanese that outdo on everything.

[mrpooptube1]

wtf!!!!!!??????????? this is incredible..

[KCKvideo]

I wanted to hear some banjo, and I ran across this.

This made the hair stand up on my neck.

I am a young kid, fallen in love with cello, and bass.

This right here is music, and anyone who plays an instrument with even a hint of passion can see it right in this guys eyes, his smile, and his hands.

That was music, I'm not going to go out of my way to go find racist comments just so I can say something about them, so let's just keep this clean.

My god If I can ever play a cello this way...

[toobsockproductions]

asian... playing banjo, woah

[kilikiss]

This is just amazing, just amazing. You can't help but smile at the expression on his face.

[mrjlom]

0:45 to 0:50 His face is just prishelesh. "Oh, no one can pray banjo like me!" *Eyebrow movement*

[Morouex]

Mnao, essa musica é muito louca.

[Timothydlol]

what an absolute legend



[fdensmore]

I just cant stop smiling when he bobs his head back and forth and bends those strings! makes me want to pick up a banjo :D

[MrXapter]

Fuck you racist people eat this !!!

[LUCASIMP19]

AVE MARIA EM CHINÊS ?

[StudebakerHawk57]

I've played the five-string banjo for over 30 years (i.e., bluegrass and frailing), but this is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.  Outstanding!

[schultinator]

Immel mit glinsen (^_^) :D

[CountLollo]

Just saw this video again after quite some time. What realy makes this one great is this guy, Ken Aoki, ain't only a great banjo player, he really looks like he's having the greatest time he could possibly have with his pants on playing this one.

[Butternut121]

Fabulous!!!!!!

[2BOunCE2]

No matter how good you are at something, theres an Asian somewhere better than you

[SLAYERLEGEND13]

Hes not finger picking. Thats not real banjoing >:0

[bjograsshopper]

@SLAYERLEGEND13 Can you do what he does? There are at least two kinds of banjo music and playing techniques in this world.... Expand your world a little.

[TheRadiogre]

Fucking Epic. Just Fucking Epic. This Dude Is A Legend!!

[djepicurus]

This is incredible banjo playing. My hats off to this guy.

[ajo101]

This makes me happy. :)

[fredsassy5]

i need to learn this masterpiece

[sijotakane]

cowboy shamisen

[SaffyPaint95]

EPIC FACE! =D

[FlorianKordon]

you know where i can buy a cd by him?

[Svetty00]

If anyone knows where I can get footage of the rest of this concert please PM me.

[plinkfloyd]

I have played banjo professionally for 47 years and I can tell you no one has EVER played this song this well in the history of the world. It is wonderful Ken was able to do this with a great band arrangement and great musicians backing him up all on live national T.V.. As for some of the slanderous racists comments I have seen posted on this video you should be ashamed of yourself. I know Ken and he is a warm generous person, so before you make an insulting comment look in the mirror and stfu!

[jjvanka]

@plinkfloyd - I fully agree with your comments. I too played the banjo (tenor in this case) for decades as a pro and I'm perplexed by Ken's relaxed style and perfect technique. There's a lot more to say, but let's just listen and enjoy. - JJ

[TheMrFlamingskull]

@plinkfloyd Hah, funny, "Professionally playing banjo," I not sure I get what you are saying.

[deucecoupe71]

his face says : "I learned this just now!" :D

but his perfomance says : "years of years of practice!" love it!

TNX

[phazomzxhunter]

if you want to be really cool...

learn how to move your eyebrows like that

[Yugiless91]

damn! look how happy he is!! :D

[cinderiscool]

hillbilly asian??

[krimskrams]

@cinderiscool

it's not that kind of banjo picking ;)

[kleschtremania]

it looks sooooo easy... but it took me three weeks to learn it at this speed...

[ButlerSONG]

lol this is awesome

[SADFACE1000]

dayyyum, look at that rice burner go! and look at the size of that cock dippers teeth!!

[richmeister1]

Da Bom............non pareil

[Ribisintance]

Is it Michael Chang playing his tennis

[Ribisintance]

Is it Michael Chang playing his tennis racket

[tookurjaerbs]

Happiest banjo player. EVER.

[Mattechoo]

Anyone else reminded of Mario World music?

[THEOGLUIGI]

@Mattechoo Now that I think about it, yeah it does remind me of mario music. Also he kind of looks like a young version of Miyamoto, the hair cut and everything. Haha.

[captainghey]

EPIC BANJO GUY

[BanjoRomo]

simply amazing

[MonSiGart]

awesome....

[TheAussieSimo]

No matter what you do in life, there will always be a Japanese person that can do it 1000 times better.

[studman5674]

@TheAussieSimo except for guitar, yngwie malmstein tops

[JCcums]

@TheAussieSimo really? so they can drive better and have sex better than anyone?

[Autobot71Ironhide]

@TheAussieSimo

What if you work in a Nuclear Reactor?

[TheAussieSimo]

@Autobot71Ironhide Too soon?

[md65000]

@TheAussieSimo I don't know if that's true in everything, but they've certainly proven they can slaughter whales and dolphins - and torture and murder POWs and non-combatants in wartime - 1000 times better than anyone else.

[TheSquizzlet]

@md65000 And kick pearl harbor's ass. Lawl, that day was funny :)

[thegranitebison]

@TheAussieSimo It's so true it physically hurts

[keglimp]

@TheAussieSimo they make us feel so insignificant..... :(

[tutonez]

@TheAussieSimo Being Japanese has nothing to do with it. It's the discepline they put in to it. most americans know nothing about it!!!

[RSclassicalguitarist]

fantastic!!!!!!!! real music,,

[genia106]

BANJOLICIOUS!

BRILLIANT!

Love this guy...

FABULOUS!

Thank you and Thank you Corrie121 for sharing....I LOVE IT!

[Corrie121]

Really awesome performance.

Thanks a million for sharing.

[genia106]

@Corrie121

My Darling Walter,

Thank you so much...I LOVE IT!

HE IS AMAZING!!!

Smooch

Genia :-)))

[sananas123]

3:04 is that Yoshihiro Arita on that guitar?!

[StevoRB89]

The guy is loving life! lol

[BayesianMan]

He's having one big orgasm.

[sensesfail72]

Lol that guy looks high as fuck as he plays it I love this

[MrLongtimegone]

No matter what you say This dude can flat ass play .There are 221,067 notes that he played with one straight pick. in one song .That ain't easy.lol ( hate his guts )

[caduceus61]

eddy peabody would be proud!!! love it! thank you!

[420dime420]

I swear japanese people are good at everything

[Iskariot132]

HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIT!!!!

[graiypz]

i love this! makes me tooooo happy.....

[rui04]

Japanese are very good at keeping old things precious!

[SoldatSolutrea]

Oh yes, I'm sure because there are stringed instruments with resonating heads rarely found in few African cultures that it would be allowed to be called 'African.'

[TheLucertolina]

lovely banjo !

[rgmaru47]

very good and lots of cudos to him!!

[mbenson2790]

this guy is a fucking weirdo

[Longboardersrule12]

@mbenson2790 all the more reason why it is fucking awesome and this is comming from a guy that listens to metal

[MrFunjoWorld]

i fucking caaaaaaaaaammeeeeee!!! aaah!!!!

[destroyerofpeace]

its just as big as he is

[gingo124]

this is fucking COOOOLLLLLL :D

[nig966]

He is good but not a patch on Eddie Peabody

[balist0]

When all the other guys started playing it made me jump out of my skin like something horrible happening in a scary film. Totally unexpected!

[monkeymagic1986]

haha is that Shigeru Miyamoto

[sananas123]

@monkeymagic1986 no it's Ken Aoki XD haha

[1516levi1]

absalutely great...

[GABOMAN742]

Eargasmic. Brrrrrrr. =D

[TheBlitz1]

=D coooooool

[Theianmcnicol]

this guy is too much, absolutely incredible!!!!!!!

[LongLasta]

holy crap!!! i love this guy

[EchoInTheDarkness]

he is soo precious oh my gosh

[plinkfloyd]

Ken Aoki is undoubtedly the finest Plectrum banjoist in the world today. This video proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt! Simply the best!!!!

[DanceEnTrance]

i want to see this live...it's awesome!

[StevesPianolas]

simply Bloody great !!!  AAA 111

[gdstef1]

purdy banjo and mad skills!

watch this while your blazed! Thumbs up!

[richmeister1]

This Kat kicks Ass!!!!!

[jtromsness]

All I can think of are the credits for snes super mario world.

[goPistons06]

this video is one of those things that make the world great

[neon854]

Damn, he's good. Why even the discussion about American music or not - does it matter?

[RaffHiRPG88]

he plays the banjo like a mandolino _-_

[classicrockfan14]

an asian playing a banjo!?!?!??!!!?

[ewmehmo]

@classicrockfan14

in a canadian tune

[whatman65]

A china man playing a banjo. Now i've seen everything! He's awesome.

[10INTM]

The man is a talented banjoist and maybe thats all that should be important, so I feel a little conflicted about letting his nationality prompt me to bring up this observation of mine, but Ill say it anyway: Japan seems to embrace a spirit of cultural exploration when it comes to things like music. You could probably pick any musical instrument, either current or historical, regardless from which country or era it originated, and still find someone in Japan who can play it professionally.

[RoyalGreenTea]

look at that smile. he's so sympathic!

[shiyakuhatikozou]

素晴らしい演奏でした！

[hapeverse]

Hi,does anybody knows the brand? The banjo is fantastic, is it an Ome?

[krimskrams]

@hapeverse he plays a pietsch banjo, made by norbert pietsch of bremen, germany. outstanding craftsmanship!

[Porterchrille]

What for an amazing sound, perfectly tone-engineering and playing.

[brooklynstudio]

banjo shred

[Augustofunk]

Hi,does anybody know how is that banjo tuned?thanks

[Porterchrille]

@Augustofunk

C G B D from low to high, it is a plectrum banjo.

[dillydean]

hes so happy!!! this is awesome

[babykooksy]

i don't think this is bluegrass :D

bluegrass usually played on a 5 string banjo anyway.

tenor banjo (4 string) is celtic folk orientated.

[tradjazzplayer]

Tenor banjo is celtic folk orientated?

Aahh!

Now I know.

[ArxVirtus]

You are correct, this is not bluegrass. The 4 string banjo is more geared towards Dixieland music. There's a lot of Dixieland in the way he plays but it's not pure Dixieland.

[JohnnySuzuki]

This music is VIVACE!!

this music match in evening.

[gatsonratz]

I loved that.

[darkwaver517353]

the guy looks pretty funny xD awsome how he plays (and lightning fast!)

[darksat6]

sounds like fifties

[100x100betis]

Se nota a la legua que se lo está pasando en grande el tío. ¡Qué máquina!

[sp4cepope]

Should have used a higher speed camera?

[ZZaarraakkii]

HES FAST