• Blind Guitarist Jose Feliciano plays Flight of the Bumblebee
    41 replies, posted
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bSxPyroCYs[/media]
1:35 sounds like a piano.
eh i've seen better.
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173328]eh i've seen better.[/QUOTE] well he couldn't, why? hes blind.
[QUOTE=Laferio;36173352]well he couldn't, why? hes blind.[/QUOTE] that's still not impressive. he uses a pick and halfway through when it falls he's not able to play it properly anymore because it comes out jerky. i've seen a dude who fingers through the entire piece. looking at your guitar doesn't improve your playing at all. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC_jGKtd1Q4[/media] no pick, all fingers, plus most of the time he's not even paying attention to the left hand.
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173462]that's still not impressive. he uses a pick and halfway through when it falls he's not able to play it properly anymore because it comes out jerky. i've seen a dude who fingers through the entire piece. looking at your guitar doesn't improve your playing at all. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC_jGKtd1Q4[/media] no pick, all fingers, plus most of the time he's not even paying attention to the left hand.[/QUOTE] Please fuck off you nitpicking asshole, you'd have to be the snobbiest sheltered prick to not realize how amazing Jose's performance is. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Flaming" - BANNED USER))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Bound;36173530]Please fuck off you nitpicking asshole, you'd have to be the snobbiest sheltered prick to not realize how amazing Jose's performance is.[/QUOTE] well that's pretty mature of you to call me that, but whatever. i'm just giving my 2 cents. if you guys wanna see something impressive then check out limbless people who play guitar, not blind people. or maybe even deaf people who studied music their entire lives and can listen to the song simply by reading sheets. that's impressive.
MenteR's right, being blind has nothing to do with your ability to play guitar. The performance was sloppy at best.
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173573]well that's pretty mature of you to call me that, but whatever. i'm just giving my 2 cents. if you guys wanna see something impressive then check out limbless people who play guitar, not blind people. or maybe even deaf people who studied music their entire lives and can listen to the song simply by reading sheets. that's impressive.[/QUOTE] you aren't helping yourself here
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173462]that's still not impressive. he uses a pick and halfway through when it falls he's not able to play it properly anymore because it comes out jerky. i've seen a dude who fingers through the entire piece. looking at your guitar doesn't improve your playing at all. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC_jGKtd1Q4[/media] no pick, all fingers, plus most of the time he's not even paying attention to the left hand.[/QUOTE] So you're saying being blind is no handicap? The dude in the video you posted looks at his guitar all the time and I'm pretty sure it's more difficult to learn where the frets are without seeing.
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173573]well that's pretty mature of you to call me that, but whatever. i'm just giving my 2 cents. if you guys wanna see something impressive then check out limbless people who play guitar, not blind people. or maybe even deaf people who studied music their entire lives and can listen to the song simply by reading sheets. that's impressive.[/QUOTE] I'm sorry, I didn't realize everything was a competition. I also didn't notice that the thread title said "BEST BLIND GUITARIST EVER JOSE FELICIANO PLAYS FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEES". Pretty sure the thread isn't about who's the best handicapped person playing guitar, and it's about a blind guy playing Flight of the Bumblebees, on a guitar, pretty well at that. Good job posting a shitty quality video of a guy who isn't handicapped doing the same thing, by the way.
it's not the same thing. he uses a pick, he plays a different version and he still gets to play it really sloppy and jerky. i'm not talking about competition and you guys don't need to get so damn worked up over my opinion. also looking at your hand is something instinctive and doesn't aid you at all. some classic guitar players usually look at their right hands, some usually look at the left and some prefer to look at the floor. it really doesn't matter. now i'll get out of here because everyone's got super worked up over a simple opinion i gave. and no, being blind shouldn't make it harder. my grandfather (who's now dead) eventually got blind. however, that didn't affect his ability of playing piano because again, it's all about sounds and how your hand flows around. seeing where you put your hands might help you when you start learning how to play an instrument but once you get the hang of it, it shouldn't matter because you shouldn't be spending time looking at your hands anyway.
HEY. Maybe hes all sloppy, and jerky because. Maybe.. Hes blind? [quote]and no, being blind shouldn't make it harder.[/quote] that is literally the dumbest statement I've read in all of 2012 congratulations.
then he should practice. you're pretty much using his blindness as an excuse for his sloppy performance. last post i make here anyway.
[QUOTE=MenteR;36173846]it's not the same thing. he uses a pick, he plays a different version and he still gets to play it really sloppy and jerky. i'm not talking about competition and you guys don't need to get so damn worked up over my opinion. also looking at your hand is something instinctive and doesn't aid you at all. some classic guitar players usually look at their right hands, some usually look at the left and some prefer to look at the floor. it really doesn't matter. now i'll get out of here because everyone's got super worked up over a simple opinion i gave. and no, being blind shouldn't make it harder. my grandfather (who's now dead) eventually got blind. however, that didn't affect his ability of playing piano because again, it's all about sounds and how your hand flows around. seeing where you put your hands might help you when you start learning how to play an instrument but once you get the hang of it, it shouldn't matter because you shouldn't be spending time looking at your hands anyway.[/QUOTE] Keyword here is "eventually" went blind. What if this kid has been blind his whole life? Are you one those "music is a competition" guys who masturbate to guitarists like Michael Angelo Batio?
nope i'm not. and if he's been blind his whole life then it's probably been harder for him to learn how to play it but honestly once you know how to play it it's the same thing. now i'm off, again. i just stated an opinion, sorry if i offended anyone.
Starting out learning to play guitar granted must be very hard but even an amateur eventually plays without looking at their instrument much if at all. This guy is a great guitarist. I know I'm taking sides with the group of people being rated dumb and having their argument torn apart but being blind is irrelevant. Especially if he wasn't born blind.
If you post something it's because you think that thing is relatively amazing or better than the average. By posting it you are being competitive. The OP's post inherently made the point that the playing of this song, in this way, by a blind guys is really impressive. MenteR is simply saying he doesn't think it was that impressive and that you are all giving him way to much leeway because of his blindness. Now, I don't play guitar... So I have no idea whether being blind is that much of a detriment, but this whole idea about not being competitive about music is a load of BS.
[QUOTE=JoeyZ;36173588]MenteR's right, being blind has nothing to do with your ability to play guitar. The performance was sloppy at best.[/QUOTE] Actually it has A LOT to do. How do you think you would begin to learn that song blind? EDIT: YES, he was born blind
[QUOTE=JoeyZ;36173588]MenteR's right, being blind has nothing to do with your ability to play guitar. The performance was sloppy at best.[/QUOTE] Actually being blind can give people a distinct advantage with music. Although they can't read music the same way a normal musician can, their ears are generally far better tuned to the subtleties of music. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=SKxJason;36174052]Actually it has A LOT to do. How do you think you would begin to learn that song blind? EDIT: YES, he was born blind[/QUOTE] By ear, just like tons of musicians who don't know how to read music.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;36174091]Actually being blind can give people a distinct advantage with music. Although they can't read music the same way a normal musician can, their ears are generally far better tuned to the subtleties of music. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] By ear, just like tons of musicians who don't know how to read music.[/QUOTE] An advantage? WTF are you talking about. Playing by ear is a shitload harder than being able to SEE the frets, strings, and the notes. You guys just can't appreciate extremely talented musicians and have to find a way to put them down. SMFH
I've been playing my vintage hofner 12-string guitar for 6 years (model 4900 acoustic) Unlike many people here, I can actually, successfully play an instrument. Is playing the piano blind, MUCH different than playing a guitar blind? Fuck yes it is. Should you take into account that the man is blind in the OP? Yes, do I think it hindered his ability to play. However, nobody here should even KNOW what it feels like to be blind. This is the same man. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-lUBlbJkrQ[/media]
[QUOTE=SKxJason;36174170]An advantage? WTF are you talking about. Playing by ear is a shitload harder than being able to SEE the frets, strings, and the notes. You guys just can't appreciate extremely talented musicians and have to find a way to put them down. SMFH[/QUOTE] Considering I play the guitar, I play WAY more by ear than by seeing. Seeing is completely pointless when playing a guitar as there are ways to feel where you fingers are placed plus muscle memorization makes actually having to feel the guitar a null point anyways. All-in-all, the guy did a sloppy job and you are using his blindness as an excuse.
[QUOTE=SKxJason;36174170]An advantage? WTF are you talking about. Playing by ear is a shitload harder than being able to SEE the frets, strings, and the notes. You guys just can't appreciate extremely talented musicians and have to find a way to put them down. SMFH[/QUOTE] The sense of touch and sound take the place of sight. After a short while, you get used to knowing your way around the fretboard by touch alone. I can close my eyes and hit any fret on the guitar from any position because I know what it feels like to move my hand to that fret. Also, playing by ear is actually easier than reading music for many. Many, many musicians swear by their ear, and for good reason. When you actively listen to the piece, trying to place each individual note and the rhythms, it gives you a stronger sense of connection to the piece, rather than mechanically reading from a piece of paper where each note is supposed to go. When you play by ear, you make the piece your own in a way. This is why blind people have an advantage, because they have no choice but to practice by ear, and their ears are so much better at picking up the small subtle changes of intonation. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] He is playing a MUSICAL instrument, after all. Music stays in the realm of sound. Him being blind doesn't effect his perception of music, or his ability to make music.
Chromatic scales aren't that impressive/beautiful. There's tons of other tunes that are harder (which is the last thing a musician should strive for) and prettier (e.g. Chopin, Rachmaninov, Giant Steps by Coltrane, ... ). I don't get why people get all wet over technique, you play music, it's not a competition.
[QUOTE=Laferio;36174172]I've been playing my vintage hofner 12-string guitar for 6 years (model 4900 acoustic) Unlike many people here, I can actually, successfully play an instrument. Is playing the piano blind, MUCH different than playing a guitar blind? Fuck yes it is. Should you take into account that the man is blind in the OP? Yes, do I think it hindered his ability to play. However, nobody here should even KNOW what it feels like to be blind. This is the same man. [/QUOTE] Been playing drums for 7-8 years and been playing the piano for a year now. If I was blind, it would be a lot harder to find the right keys on the piano when I was starting out. I literally had to stare at the keys constantly. It's a bit easier on the drums though, which I've seen played awesomely by Stevie wonder for example. Nonetheless, being blind(or any disability) will have some effect on your general playing. Also, being blind will make it difficult for you to read notes, which is almost essential for professional playing(if you don't have a photographic memory of tunes).
[QUOTE=Thaard;36174336]Been playing drums for 7-8 years and been playing the piano for a year now. If I was blind, it would be a lot harder to find the right keys on the piano when I was starting out. I literally had to stare at the keys constantly. It's a bit easier on the drums though, which I've seen played awesomely by Stevie wonder for example. Nonetheless, being blind(or any disability) will have some effect on your general playing.[/QUOTE] You're not supposed to look at the keys when playing the piano. The whole blindness thing really isn't that much of a factor when it comes to music. Screw sight reading, it's just one of many ways to play music. Also if you want a really "impressive" blind musician, look at Art Tatum. He was practically blind and learned the piano from those mechanical piano's, which at times were actually written for [U]four[/U] hands instead of two, yet he didn't give a fuck and just learned the piano, making him one of the greatest jazz pianists of the 20th century (Horowitz, one of the classical piano "giants" actually said "If that guy starts playing classical music, I quit" )
[QUOTE=yawmwen;36174265]The sense of touch and sound take the place of sight. After a short while, you get used to knowing your way around the fretboard by touch alone. I can close my eyes and hit any fret on the guitar from any position because I know what it feels like to move my hand to that fret. Also, playing by ear is actually easier than reading music for many. Many, many musicians swear by their ear, and for good reason. When you actively listen to the piece, trying to place each individual note and the rhythms, it gives you a stronger sense of connection to the piece, rather than mechanically reading from a piece of paper where each note is supposed to go. When you play by ear, you make the piece your own in a way. This is why blind people have an advantage, because they have no choice but to practice by ear, and their ears are so much better at picking up the small subtle changes of intonation. [editline]2nd June 2012[/editline] He is playing a MUSICAL instrument, after all. Music stays in the realm of sound. Him being blind doesn't effect his perception of music, or his ability to make music.[/QUOTE] You know your way around because YOU DIDN'T LEARN TO PLAY IT BLIND.
[QUOTE=Number-41;36174383]You're not supposed to look at the keys when playing the piano.[/QUOTE] It was at the very start of playing piano. I was reading notes and had to find out where they were on the piano. Also, who told you you can't look at the keys? Pro's look down on the keys all the time?
You can do anything you want, but when sight reading, it's preferable you don't. In general you want to allocate your mind to the end product only, not sight reading or the technical aspects of music (i.e. "where do I put my fingers" or "which notes do I have to play now" ). I'm sure nearly all of the pro's can play blindly (except maybe stuff like going from C0 to C7 with one hand)
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