THE CLAP (Steve Howe) by Jacques Stotzem

[richray1]

Hi Jacques - Fantastique !

[07hd]

Awesome!

[segintendorocks]

Absolutely amazing. My dad is a big fan of you playing this song :D.Your guitar playing is so smooth and almost no ringing. Keep up the good work :).

[SoviakPavel]

Hey Jacques

Outstanding.. I am a fingerstyle, hybrid flat picker American living in Ukraine. Any chance for lessons? If not, love your playing...

[bruedwards]

wow, you make it look effortless, an amazing rendition

[MegaDutchdude]

Hi jacques,

just like so many people here I very much enjoy your playing.

I used to dislike acoustic guitar, but since a couple of years I changed my opinion.

Players like Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Johnson and ofcourse our own Harry Sacksioni made me buy an acoustic and now I really like it.

Especially your playing and versatility is an inspiration!

Thank you!

Stefan,

Deventer, Holland

Do you speak/write Dutch?

[JStotzem]

@MegaDutchdude Hi, thanks for your comments :) I don't speak Dutch, just English, German and French

[Brindles09]

Jacques, I have so much respect for you playing this... I'm 20 and have been listening to Yes for a while now. This piece has always been something I've wanting to master but I just can't get the hang of using fingerpicks. And the tempo of the piece is just so difficult. Do you have any advice?

[JStotzem]

@Brindles09 Hi, thanks for your comments. You don't need to use the fingerpicks to play this piece correctly, you can have also a good sound without or with your nails. Concerning the speed, you need to practise slowly first and when you know every places slowly you can speed up the tempo. All the best Jacques

[guitarreilly]

@JStotzem best cover on youtube better than steve himself although he did wright it hey what sort of picks do you use on your fingers are they hard to use?

[JStotzem]

@guitarreilly Hi Thanks for your comment. I use plastic fingerpicks on index and middle finger + thumbpick. It takes some time to get used to them. Jacques

[guititaly89]

actually is finger + pick..

[TheJOcorm]

im stunned it was perfecto my friend !

[VegaSG77]

Yeah!!! great sound!

[drneme]

VERY GOOD!!!

[MollyMoo1985]

Simply amazing!!!

[cellohood]

Brilliant!

[groeneveldp]

mr stotz,

listening to you playing this composition shows that you indeed you play this song with great pleasure and to be honest I like your version more than steve's.

thanks for sharing this video.

[Rhayad3r]

holy crap... this is perfect

[TheReilly8]

check my version please

[1ramdam]

even steve would have to enjoy it....thanks

[wolff1955]

Well done! I enjoyed it.

[holasisoyfedde]

sinceramente te felicito .

[PlayItAgainJohn11]

Slick!

[helloaidan]

Wow I love that guitar, what kind is it?

[JStotzem]

@helloaidan hI this is my Martin Signature Model OMC Jacques Stotzem Custom Signature Edition

[rockman1066]

@JStotzem can u send me the tabs for this?

[JStotzem]

@rockman1066 Sorry I haven't done the tab yet Jacques

[rockman1066]

@JStotzem sorry to be a pest but when will you get around to it?

[JStotzem]

@rockman1066 I don't know because it's a big work to write that tab !

[rockman1066]

@JStotzem true thanks anyway

[emaclynch]

@JStotzem it sounds like a piece of shit

[MegaDutchdude]

@emaclynch I invite you to do better. Otherwise: shut up!

[AintNoCrime]

Imagine being this guy's neighbor. Awesome free music every day! :)

[JempyHuelSe]

I've seen you live :) what an honor !

[zoomerx]

wow.

[NevilleRhysBarnes]

Excellent. (But it's "Clap" not "The Clap".)

[ziljhan]

lol.. tayeule

[WmAndrewWynn]

I've watched every youtube video of Steve Howe playing this and I've got to commend you! You play it better than he does - by far!

[jvalentif]

Greeeeeeaaat guitar playing, you have got a new admirer.

[cokaine01]

Hey J.......... Definitivelly the best cover in the net. Congrats!. I´m working in the clap (should i say AGAINST??) and hopping to upload my version in about 2 weeks. Hope it sounds like yours, not an easy task BTH. Greatings from Argentina!!

[cokaine01]

hey j........ definitivelly the best cover in the net (i´ve seen them all) congrats! . Im fighting with this song , hope to upload my version in about two weeks, and hope it sounds like yours, not an eassy task. Greatings from Argentina

[twinsmm1]

Simply AWESOME!

[dottenday]

You play it better than Steve Howe. I like steve, but he seems to be a rather sloppy player. Very nice.

[Atkinsfan]

Could you share with us how you felt when Martin guitar approached to have your own signiature model? That is an amazing accomplishemnt. You are a gifted musician, my friend.

[JStotzem]

@Atkinsfan It's a fantastic feeling to get the honor of a Martin signature model, a dream comes true !

[rohmer50]

Very nice!

[tuckasamms]

Absolutely Breathtaking Jacques. An absolute pleasure to sit and absorb it! Cheers Tom

[jd9547]

D: Amazing!

[ozmitch]

Superbe! Excellent!

[BillabongDidgeridoo]

Bonjour Jacques,

C'est toujours un plaisir de vous écouter. Continuez à nous transporter.

Nicolas

[kkksssddd]

how long did it take to learn this song

[dieinaditch]

iv 'e just listened to troubleclef doing this song and with the very greatest of respect to a man whose "rainsong" brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat i think this version just has the edge. long may you both live and play !!!

[elganator]

simply amazing!  Such a difficult song

[soundman2002x]

well holy shit, i guess thats why i stopped playing... my goodness......bravo

[Gangly1]

Best I have heard since the Yes Album original.

That includes Steve Howe's later efforts.

Superb!!

[codmw2mf]

i've got to say you are amazingly good, keep going (next song needs to be ''La ville Stragiato'' that would be awesome)

[harleydjackson]

I don't often comment on videos but yours deserves one - very freaking impressive!

[swiftyj77]

Good Job!

Steve's stated goal was to imitate Chet Atkins ( who played with a thumbpick). Though a great composition, Steve's tone via hybrid picking (flat pick and fingers) always sounded thin and stilted. This guy sounds far better than Steve himself.

Ask any truly advanced fingerstyle guitarist and they will concur. See the Chet

Atkins Appreciation Society website for some serious tone and playing.

[sj73]

VERY impressive... My only criticism, and it's a minor (superficial) one... Steve Howe executes this with a hybrid pick/fingers technique...  NEVERTHELESS, this video exhibits the calibre of musician you are! well done!

[realcygnus]

u like 2 play...hehe i bet u do.....better then SteveO himself.....& almost as cool as the recording.....I think howe didn't use any picks....so natUral & F'n fantastic...... as if its easy.....a chore 2 learn & even moreSO 2 play so fluently .....incredible !...really thE best I ever seen !..spread the word ! stotzem !

[realcygnus]

closer 2 the recording the steve-O himself !

Fan F'n tastic !

[887690]

maybe this is better...:P

[twinsmm1]

Wow! Bravo! Hands dowon the best version ever! Even cleaner than any of Mr. Howe's version (all due respect).

[887690]

i think you need to hear the one the yes album, i mean no disrespect this one is also awesome, but that one is so much better.

[twinsmm1]

i have, of course.

[realcygnus]

fan F'n tastic I never heard any1 do that so good !

[PorterMcCartney]

damn good!

[kkksssddd]

did you teach yourself to play that

[JStotzem]

Yes, i learned by myself, just by listening

Jacques

[TheReilly8]

@JStotzem hey man this is so fucking good you no those things on your fingers are they hard to play with?? its just i tried them and they are impossible to play with they just get caught in the strings

[dulcimerz2drumstix]

Sweet! No question you put time and effort into your songs. Great version and thanks for posting.

[Spyes23]

Wow! Amazing!!

That was truly a great cover of that song! I'd say more, but there's really no more I could say, except that that was an incredible performance!

[redredredredhair]

that was incredible.

[lyticityl]

that must have taken a lot of practice.

best of all though is you made it look and sound both easy and fun.

nice!

[nasonguy]

Steve Howe would be proud!

[racsouza]

It's really a hard mission to play this classical tune fluently...

Congrats!!!

[jesper79]

By FAR the best cover on Youtube!! I love the way you play... I don´t agree with everything you do, but I have tremendous respect for your way of making the piece your own!!

5 Stars from Denmark

[pacocanas]

Just amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[honeymu5tard]

Love it. Thanks for sharing.

[yandarkness]

VERY NICE!!! You are great!!

[nAiTo0918]

You nailed it my friend!!! And your leg never stopped. sign of someone who is really into the song. THANKS!!

[Sheistmeister]

Brilliant - this piece is the Holy grail for me as a guitarist - I have finally got good enough to learn it myself - but cant play it half as good as you yet. Very well played!

[Cj1500]

Excellent! I'd love to see a 12 string version. :)

[peresaker2]

Nice job! You sound like you're having fun. Its a tricky piece but you play it really freely. Good stuff! :-)

[zlonxman]

Wonderful! I had been trying to learn how to play this song for years. I know the notes thru a guitar tab by Steve Howe himself. But there are a lot of parts that are just too damn fast with too many notes for me. You play it beautifully. And you don't break out a sweat either. Bravo.

[heikah]

Well done!!

what kind of thumbpick are you using??

[JStotzem]

I use a Herco Blue Nylon thumbpick

[heikah]

is it the flex 52 ?? those are hard to find in Holland.

[JStotzem]

no, it is Herco blue

[heikah]

From the internet i've found two types of blue Herco:

Herco HE115 Nylon Thumbpicks - Medium Blue Flex 52 Thumbpicks.

Can you tell if there's a big different??

[JStotzem]

Hi, I checked and the one I use is the Blue Flex 52

All the best,

jacques

[heikah]

I've ordered a dozen of those,they play great!!

Thanks for the tip.

BTW are you playing the the index and middle finger natural or also with a pick?

[JStotzem]

great ! I play also with two fingerpicks on index and middle finger. I use D'addario plastic picks, hard to find, but similar to the dunlops.

Jacques

[mpdsal]

Bravo! Outstanding. How long did it take you to master this song?

[JStotzem]

Hi thx, I play that song since a long time, I don't remember how long it took me to manage it.

[jacksonk12]

haha what a nice ending !!!!

[UngratefulLiving420]

awesome job dude! im sure steve would be impressed

[kikerocha80]

excelente!

[GibsonHummingbird]

Excellent Jacques.

[leirbag23]

damn, you actually play it better than steve howe himself

[fantasia985]

Bravissimo!! la migliore versione in rete!!

Complimenti!

[nicolaisgoro]

Excelente versión!!!

[paulocunha61]

Cara,

como dizemos aqui: "Totalmente excelente!"

Muito bom, bem desenvolvido, técnica excelente sem perder a expressão!

Parabéns!!

[freelovehippy]

You gotta love that transition at 1:50 haha. Great playing!

[DrewAnti1960]

great playing man

[jlhoyos]

just.. amazing!

[JGPorcello]

He doesn't even look like he's tryin'...

[mchar69]

Holy Mother of God . That is a piece of genious, you make it seem so easy.

You suck us in by being SPOT-ON - then fool us at the very end ...awesome x 10.

[windingboy]

Man, respect. Totally spot on. Love it, hats off to you, sir!

[rafaeldeam]

the best version, so far.

[carrietide]

You sure got it right!!!!!!AWESOME!!!Man you can play!!!!

[colinbritt]

Absolutely marvellous! Colin and Linda xx

[acousticland]

uguale. Clonata. perfetta.

[kilgorewon]

this guy is one awesome picker.thanks

[tuscarett]

Después de escucharla por segunda vez ,puedo decir que eres uno de esos músicos tocados por el ala de un ángel.

[tuscarett]

El otro día escribí un comentario elogioso sobre otra interpretación del mismo tema en you tube, pero la tuya es mucho mejor. Tiene una espléndida claridad.

[javajunkee2]

Bravo! Well done.

[sapoboi]

Best youTube version! Better than Steve Howe!

[pootinhammer]

wow wow wow!!!!!!...that was great...just absolutely perfect, you could not have done better.i loved it...keep it up!

[skateboardwherever]

OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!! ..i have to learn it!!!

[mxyptlk]

Bravo Jacques... cracking rendition..... you must play this at sheehans next time you are over...... How about mood for a day next...... Always enjoy your playing.....

[RamoneRocker21]

wow

oh my gosh perfect.

brilliant! fantastic!

AWESOME!! completly awesome!

[fjcos]

WOW.

WOW.

Just WOW.

Steve Howe himself said that very very few people have been able to master this song. Welcome to that list of few people. This is simply fantastic.

[nsaretard]

You slamed it! WTG

[Galileo258]

Ben ça alors !!! si j'avais su qu'il existait un belge qui avait un tel niveau, incroyable ....(merci vivacité lol )

[Phil380]

Réecoute Philippe Catherine!...

[adolfo21]

I just got owned

[Jr72]

really god man i like it .you got it man

[sajones22079]

The best cover yet. can you imagine writing this crazy thing

[nsaretard]

and howe young a composer/writter when yes album even before! truely gifted!

[jodaaddy]

I see a few references to troubleclef here in the comments, and I agree he is a great player. I thought he had the best cover on youtube for this song until I saw this. Wow. What really sets this version apart is the use of the fingerpicks, it gives more life, more vibrance to the song. My respect to you, sir! I can only hope to play this well someday.

[EddyW4r]

Man...

awesome,you really rock...

U can do a tutorial for us????

(sorry about my english..)

[JStotzem]

I will write a tab, but I need some time, too busy with concerts at the moment. But I have many requests for this, so...

[EddyW4r]

yeah,

plx tell me when this happen...

thx a lot.

[TikofromTo]

Quite possibly the best piece of music I have ever heard! unbelievable the level your at, it must be real fun to play at that level where everything sounds right anywhere on the fretboard, BLOWS MY MIND.....GODSPEED

[nsaretard]

my main man! please we howe fans /players will be forever greatful! TY!

[nsaretard]

lol, me too, sorry for my english! lol

[wwwpaul]

YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES!

[GuitarTheBoy]

awesome... but, is it better than steve version?? Very clean, excellent!!

[cgd62]

Very gooooood!! Congratulatios!! Amazing!!!

[miketyler123]

You are Steve Howe!

[kwakhed23]

as a long-time yes fan, i find this very impressive. i have to agree with whoever commented above that, when i close my eyes, i'd swear it was steve howe. most excellent!

[JStotzem]

thanks !!

[bradziaha]

super.nigdy tego nie zgram :(

[sawguitar85]

That was excellent to say the least.

[julyvalls]

you are amazing!

[bundr]

With all do respect, i think troubleclef is an incredible player... but your version is definitely better. Very clean, and faithful in comparison to the original.

[Bewzack]

FAKE!

[AlexChernetsky]

That's great, really !

[goforkt]

I"m not worthy... I'm not worthy. hehe... great!!

[asbfly2]

Wow, I've been sitting with my guitar and the music to this and trying to learn it. I really like this version. Very clean indeed. It surely rival troubleclef's.

[rockinhardyea]

dude!!!!!!!!!!! ur my hero! that was SOOOO amazing!

[nomiser]

Hey man, can you share the tabs for this? I can't find good tabs on the net...

[JStotzem]

Hi,

Sorry, but I haven't done it yet, maybe in a near future because of many requests.

Jacques

[epirawr]

Yes, I would certainly appreciate that.

[RaysTrack]

I agree - this is the cleanest take of the original version I've heard - much respect!

[rickdav79]

awesome!perfect cover!5*****

[MNX58]

I have always loved this tune. Fanstastic cover. Dare I say it is better than the original!

[JStotzem]

Waow, thanks !

Jacques

[pachacamacs]

I agree. When Steve Howe plays it, it seems very difficult. When you play it, you make it look almost easy... and a pleasure to listen to !

[ChrisStassart]

Amazing..... how u played it was fantastic but then i was reading a comment below and you learned this by ear......................... Are you serious? i mean holy C**p you are amazing!

[JStotzem]

Hi, Thanks for comments. Yes, I transcribed it by ear, because the transcriptions you can get on internet are not accurate. I based my transciption on the original version.

Jacques

[crheath2001]

Best cover I've seen of this song. Just as good as the original. Good job!

[squiddort]

your are really good mr jacques... i can't believe it... you play really as him!!!!

[theSalamanderRenamer]

amazing. will you please do a lesson?

[minifox13]

oh my god what kind of strings do you use they sounds amazing

[JStotzem]

I am playing D'Addario EXP 15 (010 to 047)

Jacques

[davidguilfoyle]

Hi Jacques, I think your rendition is fantastic, so full of elan and joie de vivre. Did you learn it by ear or do you have to use tabs like us less mortals?

[JStotzem]

Hi David,

thanks for your comments and I learn it by ear, all the tabs you can find on internet are not very accurate. I will write it one day, but I am working on recording a new CD now and it will take a little time. All the best, Jacques

[godinlowden]

c'est vraiment superbe et joué avec tant de facilité qu'on croirait que c'est simple.

Stewe Howe a beaucoup plus de mal à y mettre de la précision et de la fluidité!

[koffdiggity]

dang. well done.

[GaryNull]

First time I've seen this played with finger picks. I've seen guys play it without a pick too.

Advantages of finger picks: much easier to

do picking. But scale runs are more difficult.

This tune is harder to play with a pick.

[tubedomi]

un morceau que je ne connaissais pas, mais qui te va bien, qui respire la joie de vivre ... partagee.

a+

dominique

[neoclasiccl]

as close to perfection as you can get amazing!!!

[boomklever]

This one is soooo close to the original! If I hadn't seen the video I'd swear it is Steve Howe.

This has been my all time favorite guitar tune for many years (it now is Tommy Emmanuel's version of House Of The Rising Sun)!

It is clear from the video that you enjoy the playing yourself as well!

[TexOz999]

that was amazing

[gskarogiannis]

Your playing is great as always Jacques. Thanks for sharing. Best regards George.

[AnchoriteProductions]

Great job Jacques!  You look like you are having a blast playing this one! Boy this piece brings back memories! I love the outdoor setting too. :-) -Derek

[stawney]

love it!!