I agree with you 100%. I don't like to label anyone as 'the best' because everyone has a unique virtue, but for me Mark Knopfler is a genius. He is very versatile, from Sultans of Swing, to Planet of New Orleans, Postcard from Paraguay or Tunnel 13 from his last album ...all different but fantastic. Of all his repertoire, I can't label any of them as "my favourite" because my favourite is always the last one I've listened to. I hope he continues to give us music for many more years to come.

Mark is my favourite guitarist of all time. ❤

Mark has said in many interviews that it is “always about the song” first and foremost. I believe that respect for the music, in turn, is respect for his audience. You feel that respect shine through on each and every thing he has done.

@CarinTibellAhlin

Ай бұрын

Well said! Thank you. 🙏

King of feeling, subtlety and precision. Making every note count! Classy playing always (soft, heavy…) So many strengths he’s got! He can make his guitar sing, cry, weep, sooth, comfort, shout, scream, plead, contest, complain, protest… He’s not a show off at all and what people don’t always realize is how fast he can be. I’ve seen country, bluegrass licks by him that could make any shredder blush!

Best is so subjective. As you said it’s how the music moves you emotionally. It’s not specifically technical. I love that you mentioned playing guitar should be seen as a service. This removes ego from the equation and makes the music that much better. Mark is a master of this. I tear up with joy and sadness when I listen to him and Dire Straits play, especially live.

Mark and David Gilmour are my 2 favorite guitarist of all time 😊

The epitome of musical touch and soulfulness.

Yes, yes he is.

Great video and explanation. Mark Knopfler is my favorite guitarist (and Dire Straits my favorite band) for a very simple reason-he touches and moves me emotionally the most. Quality of art and an artist is subjective. The purpose of art is to make someone feel something in some way. The artist, regardless of their form (dance, paint, music, whatever), who moves you the most is the best artist. That doesn't mean that artist is the "best" to everyone, we each are moved by a piece of art differently and there is no right or wrong answer.

@CarinTibellAhlin

Ай бұрын

Well said! 🎶🎸

I like the way Mark Knopfler employs great sensitivity. As Brando said about acting: never let them know what to expect from your next expression or intonation. Mark does that with his playing. He’ll surprise you with the ultimate in a powerful twang, then again with the gentlest softest note when you don’t expect it. These turns surprise you when you hear a song of his for the first time, then, as you know the song, you can melt away on clouds and waves of pleasure, on and in-between these changes.

Спасибо!

Mark can tell a full story without ever saying anything

I dont think that being fast is that dificult, but using all the technics that Mark uses with that ease thats ABSOLUTELY GENIOUS!

Without doubt MK is a genius the lyrics, the style of play and tbh its the soundtrack of my life

GOAT !!! 🐐

All the great guitarists in the world need to be on top of their game if the want to share the stage with knopfler…..he is top 3 greatest players

someone put it nicely like so: he sings so nonchalantly, cause his guitar does the actual singing for him.

As I'm really hard Knopfler fan, it is easy to answer, he's a genius. He is an storyteller, but not only in words, music is part of the story, it's not only accompaniment, he's able to integrate music and words in an unique composition, and this is very difficult to find. His guitar style is really personal, maybe not the fastest guitar player, but he is the only that can play this way. My first DS album was Brothers in Arms, but when I heard Telegraph Rd from Alchemy, and was able to understand the song (I'm not english native speaker) my world changed. For me, he is a musical genius

just because he doesn't always play at 1million miles an hour ( not to say that he can't), doesn't mean he doesn't compare to the other greats. In my opinion, he is the greatest, as the emotion and feel he creates is completely unmatched to anyone, and when he does play longer faster solos they sound absolutely incredible and he never plays the same solo twice for any song. Not to mention he sings and plays at the same time, and writes every song himself. You know when someone is a great player when they make the live versions of their songs sound 100x better than the studio counterpart, which knoplfer/dire straits do for pretty much every song

It's not just his guitar playing. It's his songwriting skills. In fact, I'd argue that he's a better songwriter than a guitarist.

The first word out of my mouth when describing MK’s style is … Lyrical.

Terrific video. Knopfler is my favorite guitarist. I love finger-pickers in general (Lindsey Buckingham is another favorite, and I find Mike Dawes fascinating) because of the complexity they can achieve, as well as the qualities you mention. But for me, what differentiates Knopfler from everyone else is his use of dynamics. That’s the element I find so often missing from electric guitarists, especially “shredders.” I grew up playing the piano, and with piano music, you often get crescendos and diminuendos and accents in every line. So many guitar players just crank their amps to 11 and let it rip. Listening to Knopfler live is an emotionally satisfying journey because the dynamics create variation and drama. Even when playing a fast run, he uses dynamics. You can hear the ebb and flow, and that it’s intentional. Then he’ll slow down and play softly for a few measures before suddenly accenting a note or short run. I think that’s key to the melodicity and compositional quality you describe. I think of it this way: music is three-dimensional. The first dimension is the notes being played, the melodies, counter-melodies, and harmonies. The second dimension is time: rhythm, speed, rubato, and so on. The third dimension is dynamics. Too many guitarists have mastered the first two but ignored the third. When you hear Knopfler, it’s like stepping from a flat two-dimensional space into a three-dimensional one. Arguments about the best guitarist (or other musician or artist) seem silly to me. I think in terms of a pantheon, a stage of greatness at which a person is unsurpassed at something. I’ve noticed that those people are usually quite humble. They recognize what they do well, but they also shake their heads in admiration at what other great ones do. And because they are humble, they never stop learning.

My two goats are Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour🔥

Thank you for those insights! Very thoughtful and inspirning❤

Thanks! As usual, you provided so much insight. Your appreciation for art is admirable. Here you concentrated on his guitar playing. His greatness is in the whole package. He’s a master storyteller and the guitar is an integral part of telling the story. I always say, there are great composers, guitarists, poets, musicians, singers and storytellers in the world. Mark Knopfler is one of the few that is all of those in one complete package. Check out Mark Knopfler - Privateering Tour- Kingdom of Gold - HD AUDIO. And Mark Knopfler - Hill Farmer’s Blues - Cordoba 2010 - HQ Audio.

@FaanaMusic

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for the super thanks, I'll check this one out for sure 🙏

Thanks ❤ Your students are very lucky to have such a teacher . I love how deep and at the same time simple you can talk about music. I’m a piano teacher but now because of your channel I see guitar playing quite differently 🙂 Good luck!

@CarinTibellAhlin

Ай бұрын

What a nice comment!

I don’t get into best or greatest he’s just my favourite guitarist and that’s all that counts.

Mark's life path number is 7 (diminished from his birthday numbers), so alone that makes him genial.

Yes. The end.

🙏Please note that with his right hand Mark Knopfler plays, with his thumb, the index finger and the middle finger. The other two fingers are supporting his hand. I'm afraid you only mention the thumb and index finger. Also, you might have heard that Mark calls his technique a "claw finger style of playing". 😂 He is a "lefty" playing right-handed, which means that his left hand has got a lot of extra strength as well. 🎸

It's wonderful to see your delight in discovering Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. As an Old Timer I've been watching and listening to these guys since the early 80's and the popularity now proves that good musicians playing good music will always be appreciated. Knopfler and Clapton have played together many times, including at Live Aid in 85 which you reacted to in a previous video. I'm looking for the Prince's Trust concert from around that time when they were on stage together, but this clip may work as well. Here's Eric Clapton joining DIre Straits on stage before a huge audience at Knebworth,, sharing lead guitar on Money for Nothing. Enjoy! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ka6DzLSlhtOnf7Q.htmlsi=UBtJEqXYPwl59iZD

@stuartnuttall

Ай бұрын

Actually here's the Prince's Trust clip, with Sting on backing vocals, Elton John playing keyboards and Eric Clapton (from 40 mins). It's actually not the concert I was thinking of, but it's quite a line-up! kzread.info/dash/bejne/mp2qp9R8gZq4Zqw.htmlsi=iy1p9x4KPDVw5nvU&t=2405

Definitely tied with Lindsey Buckingham as my favorite! Checkout Lindsey on Go Your Own Way live! Lindsey certainly had the more successful career, both in Fleetwood Mac and his 7 solo Albums! Both guys finger pick!

Agree with you , apart from his technique, his best highlight is the melodicity. I describe It as "you can sing their solos and riffs". A step beyond George Benson does, haha!!

Yes, yes he is. Next question.

@FaanaMusic

Ай бұрын

Haha, who is the second best? 🤔

Mark says he isn't and that is good enough for me. He has written a couple of tens and one eleven so he is bloody marvellous all the same.

His ability to compose a piece and play it is unmatched. Listen close to recorded stuff like Boom Like That, So Far from the Clyde, or Cleaning my Gun … how he plays along with the song in way that makes the guitar a second voice. As for shredding, just watch the intro for Heavy Fuel and you can hear and see how he excels there. To your point, in small doses it is stunning. To much and it’s boring. Speaking of playing fast, another great speed run is in The Bug, also from On The Night.

I think there’s no such thing as greatest this, greatest that. Especially in a such subjective field as music. Don’t get me wrong, I love MK and DS since I was a kid in the late 80s. But greatness is pretty hard to measure. Anyway you should listen to “Layla” (Eric Clapton & Mark Knopfler, Montserrat 1997 and “Altamira”

Just to say that there is a theory suggesting hay-fever is connected to the nervous system which works on a 7year cycle.I suffered terribly from 7years of age but in my 28th year it had vanished never to return!

@FaanaMusic

Ай бұрын

Hmm, that would be nice if it worked like this for me, unfortunately no luck so far. Although I have to say it has not been as bad as usual this year. I'm really glad you're fine now!

The answer is yes. Full stop.

I love Mark, but imo David Gilmour, Steve Rothery and Andy Latimer are better 🎸👊🏻. But of course it is a matter of taste

Mark is great but for me the GOAT is Dave Gilmour….

SIMPLE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. LOL...NO. Stupid question imo.