We Talk To Marcin
Patrzalek
8 Mar 2019
“I’d like to travel the
world, and South Africa is the perfect place to start”
By Louw Mulder
Sometimes, when you get to
experience pure talent reimagined, then brought to life by an artist of a young
age, there are simply no words to describe the majestic sense of wonder. This
was the case when Marcin Patrzalek gave me a personal one-on-one demonstration
of only a few minutes of what he is capable off. I was given the wonderful
opportunity to spend some time with this 18-year old Polish Guitar Pioneer.
It all started at the age
of 10, as he said, by complete accident. “I had nothing to do during the
summertime where I live in Kielce and my dad wanted me to have some sort of
activity,” Marcin said. After being rejected for Guitar lessons, due to the
fact that the guitar teacher they approached denied teaching children, Marcin
was referred to another teacher, from whom he then started learning Classical
Music. His real talent, it can be said, became visible already at this young
age, as only after three months taking up this six-string instrument, Marcin
won his first local talent competition in Poland.
Building on this newly
proven talent, Marcin started progressing, and then got to meet Carlos Piñana,
a Flamenco guitarist from Spain, who proposed to help Marcin with some classes
through Skype, introducing, and opening many doors for this youngster, with the
Flamenco style of Guitar playing, until he received an Acoustic Guitar for
Christmas. Friendly, and very clever with his English, he told: “I had no
teacher, so I started to experiment and create my own ideas and techniques. I
would look at the internet and combine really different contrasting ideas
myself.
What was born out of these
self-taught experiments, were what he calls a really cool style, now gaining
more and more popularity worldwide, called the Percussive Finger Style. “It’s
so new, and fresh that it differs a lot – Everybody plays it differently, as
everybody has their own experiments.” Marcin told me.
At 14, and only for fun,
Marcin entered the Polish Talent-show for musicians, Must be Music. “This was a
huge deal for me, as I didn’t go there to win, I just went there as I like
playing on stage, showing my talent and skills to people,” he said. But then
his big break, when started to gain popularity by winning this competition:
“Winning motivated me. I started to release videos, and then my first Album
called Hush, when I was 15.”
With the release of new
arrangements and videos on-line, Marcin started to gain more and more
popularity on the internet. “I decided to arrange Beethoven’s 5th symphony for
myself, with another Talent competition in mind,” he told me: “I went to Italy
to enter Tu Si Que Vales 2018, same as Italy’s Got Talent, and I also managed
to win that, which was a huge surprise for me.”
It was after making this
mark of his on the bigger International Talent Arena, that his travelling
outside of Europe then started, with a successful tour to Mexico. “My style is
so new and interesting, visually, that where I go and play, people have so many
cool things to say,” Marcin shared with all his excitement evident in his eyes
and his smile: “I want to travel as much as I can, and South Africa is a
perfect place to start.”
Seeing the world as part
of his traveling, is not his main priority, but sharing his talent with the
world. Audiences worldwide have seen the Marcin Magic online, and would now
want to see this visual style for themselves. “With Beethoven 5th Symphony, you
can clearly see how the guitar is used in a really weird and percussive way,
like the scratching, the tapping, playing with one hand, which is a weird thing
for people to see,” he teased: “When I travel, I hear many different opinions,
and the one I am most happy about, is when people say they’ve never seen
something like this before.”
It was then time for
Marcin to show me his guitar. “My first guitar broke due to wear and tear after
quite a long time. Ibanez Guitars also saw my arrangement on line, and they
endorsed me, and now I am an official endorser of Ibanez Guitars, which means
it doesn’t really matters if my style breaks another guitar…” he brags, laughs,
and then put his own over his shoulder.
Marcin Patrzalek and
CH2Marcin is playing on a somewhat modified Acoustic Guitar. A normal acoustic
guitar does the job, and he can play it in his style perfectly, but he admits
that most of his sounds go missing because the Acoustic guitar cannot amplify
all the sounds effectively. “There is a very detailed electronic equipment
inside my guitar,” as he points and showed me his secret: “So when you scratch,
and when you play and when you do all these sorts of weird percussion elements,
you can hear it very clearly.”
Understanding what he
meant, I asked him if he ever thought of designing his own guitar, especially
aimed at the vision he has for the Percussive Finger Style: “I am,” he laughed:
“I can’t give too much detail as the work is still confidential, but it is in
progress. It’s a completely different
world, because when I take the sheet music for a full symphony like Beethoven’s
5th Symphony, or Metallica’s Masters of Puppets, I want to compress everything
into one instrument, so it is important to get a huge amount of different
sounds from one guitar, and that’s why we are modifying the guitar to suit this
style even more.”
Marcin Patrzalek with Louw
Mulder.. Now a huge Fan...At this point, with his instrument over his shoulder,
I noticed that Marcin was done talking, and that he would just want to play,
showing off his talent that burst naturally out of his passion for what he
does. If I could comment, I would say, Marcin Patrzalek can easily be compared
to a modern day Mozart, and other world famous composers, who did not let young
age defeat their need to create new sounds, melodies, and Music.
With performances in
Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africans can now experience this
magical talent live, in an intimate setting during the SA tour of Guitar
Wizards. During this tour, Marcin will be sharing the stage with South Africa’s
award winning Guitar Duo, CH2, who brags with their own International acclaim.
For Marcin, this is an honor to play with them: ”It will be a mutual sort of
teaching experience because they have a different style than I do, and I have a
different style than they do,” he said: “During our show, you will hear some
similar dynamic vibes. It’s a nice contrast that makes the show interesting.”
Marcin, in a very exciting
tone, gave me some secrets and spoilers for the SA tour of Guitar Wizards: “I
will be playing some pieces with CH2 during our huge finale. I am even playing
some South African tunes with them, so the finale will have some fireworks.”
another enterview:
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/marcin-patrzalek-my-goal-is-to-show-the-world-that-percussive-acoustic-guitar-should-be-the-next-big-thing
Marcin Patrzalek: “My goal
is to show the world that percussive acoustic guitar should be the next big
thing”
By Amit Sharma last
updated March 24, 2021
Following his knockout
viral cover of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, the Polish fingerstyle wunderkind dives
deep on his mesmerizing technique, melding genres and why he got bored of
playing classical music
Marcin Patrzalek
(Image credit: Klaudia
Kurek)
It certainly feels like
the world of percussive fingerstyle acoustic has never been more vibrant than
it is right now – with last year’s return of British virtuoso Jon Gomm and Mike
Dawes’ viral tribute to Eddie Van Halen with his solo arrangement of Jump,
fretted and drummed on his striped-up Andreas Cuntz signature.
As for rising stars, 20
year-old Polish guitarist Marcin Patrzalek could very well be one of the most
exciting names to have emerged in recent years, having won competitions in his
native country before appearing on 2019’s America’s Got Talent, eventually
getting through to the semi-finals.
His YouTube videos have
each racked up millions of views, perhaps most notably his wild reinventions of
Moonlight Sonata and Beethoven’s Symphony No 5, which he famously spliced with
System of a Down’s Toxicity in front of Simon Cowell and his co-judges on
primetime television...
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“My goal is to show the
world – not only musicians and guitarists – that percussive acoustic should be
the next big thing,” says Patrzalek, talking to GW from his home studio.
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“It deserves attention
from the mainstream and the average Joe, because it’s something many still
haven’t seen or heard. That’s why my own songs, like Snow Monkey, are more
mainstream-oriented, with hip-hop, Latino and Reggaeton influences. It’s a
marriage between experimental playing and very much mainstream and accessible
things...
“I’m not saying my next
album will sound like Ariana Grande, but I’m always trying to push where it can
go. Maybe at times that’s something that’s lacking in the guitar world. I love
experimental and niche music, but I want everyone to know that you can put
percussive guitar into anything you want. Using these different sounds and
approaches will help the general public understand this will be the next big
thing!”
His latest clip, which
sees him tackling Led Zeppelin classic Kashmir, racked up 700k views in its
first week – and deservedly so, when you factor in the mind-boggling
musicianship and sheer inventiveness with the Ibanez in his hands.
Here, he talks GW through
his early roots, dazzling techniques and the secrets to getting the most out of
his six-string...
When was the moment you
realized the acoustic would be your primary means of expression?
“I picked up the guitar
when I was 10. It was a classical guitar and in that kind of world, 10 is
actually kinda old to be starting. When you see these classically trained
violin players, they usually start at four or five. I got into playing
classical because my dad wanted to find me something to do. I didn’t ask him
though…
“I loved music, especially
metal around the age of 10. Metallica is usually the first thing people get
into with heavy metal. My dad is also really into rock, so he wanted me to
start practicing. His friend was a classical teacher and they randomly bumped
into him in a shop, and that guy told him he wouldn’t teach me because he hated
children...”
That’s quite an odd thing
to say…
“What a response, right?!
But he gave my dad the card of a different teacher in the same city, and that
guy did take me on for lessons. Immediately he was impressed and very
supportive. So I started out playing purely classical and started gaining some
recognition in terms of contests here in Poland.
I slowly started to get a
little bored of classical music – or rather just repeating what others had
played for decades, for centuries
“I really enjoyed
practicing, which is something people don’t normally like, and that helped me
get into it quickly. I don’t remember the exact date but my dad and my teacher
have told me I won my first competition within three months… which is super
quick for a beginner. It was a 10 year-old’s competition – after that I felt
really motivated.”
So what did you end up
doing next?
“The next few years were
development-heavy for me, but I slowly started to get a little bored of
classical music – or rather just repeating what others had played for decades,
for centuries. You get a track to learn, it’s a standard in the classical
repertoire, and you play it exactly the same way as 50 other people in your school
would. So what’s the point?
“I moved on to flamenco
and met a Spanish guitarist called Carlos Piñana who was over here doing
workshops. And he was impressed with what I was doing, which was flattering and
proposed we have classes through Skype. It was a huge deal because he was a professor
at a university as well as a touring musician...
“To be taught by him as a
13 year-old was an honor! I did that for about four years and it was after
getting to a good level at both genres, I got an acoustic for Christmas. That
was a great Christmas gift from my parents. That’s when everything changed.”
Marcin Patrzalek
(Image credit: James Hole)
Did you find flamenco less
limiting than classical?
“Classical guitar is very
traditional, there’s not much to say, but a lot of it forms the very basis of
music in general, as well as guitar playing. Flamenco is less strict, but there
are still these rigid rhythms and compasses, as well as a specific idea of what
flamenco music is on guitar. With the acoustic guitar, there is no limit.
“You can play it around a
bonfire, which is what most laymen imagine acoustic guitar is, or you can do
wild stuff that nobody expects. After switching to that, it took me about a
year of looking at what other percussive players were doing online and
incorporating my own classical and flamenco techniques to know I could take my
music even further.”
Which players have been
most influential on your two-handed approach?
“I didn’t know about
Michael Hedges when I started but everybody in this style eventually discovers
him. He’s the OG of this style. In the '80s/'90s he essentially made the
blueprints of what’s happening now and is still being developed. He died
tragically and way too soon.
“I didn’t take anything
from him directly but indirectly he inspired me greatly. People who cover my
arrangements or play in my style will indirectly have him as an influence. His
techniques transcend through everybody and I just wanted to mention him because
a lot of people still don’t really know about him.”
I never really had one
guitarist that was the huge idol for me, whose footsteps I wanted to tread.
That was never a thing for me
“Mike Dawes is another
player I look up to. When I was 15, he was starting to blow up with his
arrangements and ended up being a huge influence on my style, helping me
realize what could be possible.
“He’s now my friend and we
keep in touch on Instagram. We had an opportunity to meet up but Covid
completely destroyed that. He’s a great guy and I’m happy to know him.
“Jon Gomm is also a
fantastic person and musician, we’ve talked a lot. He’s not a huge influence on
my style per se; I think we’re a bit different. Also he’s a singer too, which
is a fantastic thing but I don’t have any aspirations to try myself. All of
these people had some influence on me – I’ll take anything from metal to
flamenco to hip-hop in my arrangements.”
Which is the secret to
making a lot of classical ideas feel contemporary?
“Yes, it’s what’s most
important to me... taking ideas from other music styles, like when I listen to
metal stuff, for example, I hear those breakdowns in djent and feel inspired.
That all goes into my approach, perhaps in ways it might not for others. And
the same goes for flamenco, Paco de Lucía is one of my biggest idols. You can
hear so many fiery techniques and incredible things in his music.
“These are things that I
borrow, which aren’t necessarily borrowed by other percussive players… everyone
does their own thing. Tommy Emmanuel is another one, he had these videos that
I’d watch every day when I was younger, sometimes even two a day. I never
really had one guitarist that was the huge idol for me, whose footsteps I
wanted to tread. That was never a thing for me.”
As you mentioned, metal
and classical have a lot in common... Yngwie Malmsteen would say the same!
“In my opinion, all genres
can work together. I don’t even think the word genre shouldn’t really exist –
sure, it’s good for categories. But there’s no actual division. Right now I’m
working on my single and my label asked me what genre I should pick for Spotify
and Apple Music. Nobody really has a clue… because what does it really mean?
“A lot of metal borrows
from classical and symphonic music. Yngwie Malmsteen was the go-to for that,
because he learned a lot of things from Paganini and was able to combine them
naturally. The techniques and harmonic structure of heavy metal can be very
close to classical, especially when you look at Paganini.
“Even with a band like
Animals As Leaders, who incorporate a lot of jazz ideas, there are so many
harmonic similarities. If they didn’t use distortion or heavier drum beats,
maybe it would be more obvious.
“Then there are bands like
Chon, but if you take away the drumming and rhythms, you would be very close to
jazz and classical music. It all comes down to which steps you take and how you
branch out...”
I try to make everything
sound different, even if it’s a one minute video on my Instagram. I like to
digress into all sorts of things… that’s the cool thing about today’s music,
there’s really no boundaries
And you have a major label
helping you do that, which is interesting...
“Sony, who I am working
with, have a good budget for what I can do, so I’ve been embracing more
electronic stuff. If you look at Moonlight Sonata, which is the biggest video
on my YouTube channel and obviously a classical arrangement, there’s some big
bass underneath it and 808s in one section – which has more of a hip-hop sound.
There’s also clapping which is more of a flamenco-inspired thing.
“It’s a marriage of
genres, like a lot of pop music. Ariana Grande is nearly rapping nowadays.
Polyphia are making trap-inspired metal. Things are going in different
directions.
“What I’m not a fan of, if
I can go on a tiny tangent, is when people arrange things and that’s all they
do. It’s a good way of revisiting things, but when you arrange it for
percussive fingerstyle, why not try to experiment a bit?
“I try to make everything
sound different, even if it’s a one minute video on my Instagram. I like to
digress into all sorts of things… that’s the cool thing about today’s music,
there’s really no boundaries.”
You’ve been working with
Ibanez guitars for a while now...
“And they have been a
blast to work with. They’re such amazing people and it’s clear they see the
potential of percussive playing and where it can go in the future. They want to
invest into that, which is something not many brands want to do these days. The
one I’m playing right now is the AE900. I’m not sure if it’s still produced,
it’s become a bit of niche thing, but they have many similar models in the AE
line-up.”
What do you like about how
they play?
“The main thing about
these guitars is that they’re strong – you can really hit them and not worry
about anything breaking. The action is also pretty good immediately, but also
very easy to adjust. I play with a very low action so it’s easy to play certain
things and there’s no buzz.
“Despite being a very
commercial manufacturer, the instruments are still very high quality. I see a
lot of younger players picking up the acoustic because of me, which is very
flattering, and it’s great because they can all afford an Ibanez. If I was
playing a $20k guitar, there’s no way people could get the same instrument.
“It’s a very organic
guitar – just an acoustic with a scratch pad that I attach myself. They’re a
very accessible brand and very good to work with. I’m actually working on a
special project with them that will get announced in the future.”
And where does your guitar
go next?
“When I play live I prefer
to go DI. I don’t do amps because this style is very delicate with a lot of
dynamics. The pickups I use are Fishman and like Ibanez they see the full potential
of percussive playing.
Every player should see
what their strengths are, and we all have unique talents
“I use the same ones that
Jon Gomm uses, and they’re able to pick up the whole body. For the AGT
semi-final, I went fully drive with no pedals, no thing… which was very weird.
“Compression is very
important because I’m always tapping or playing percussion. You want to get all
the volume you can, but obviously not too much. EQ is very important too – I
know most players think of delays or distortions or reverbs when it comes to
pedals but in this style you need to focus on the technical side.
“It’s all about EQ,
compression, ambient reverbs… things that will make your instrument sound huge.
Like an orchestra, not like just one guitar.”
As for the technique
aspect of modern fingerstyle, were there any exercises that were fundamental in
your development?
“In this style,
left-handed tapping is by far the most important because if you can play
everything with just one hand, that leaves your other hand for percussion or a
drum part.
“There’s no secret formula
but I’d definitely say there were a few things that helped with the
synchronization side of it, especially flamenco exercises which force you to
stretch and keep your fingers in place. Some of them can make your fretting
hand feel like it’s burning!
“That made my left hand
really flexible so I can play all the fast tapping stuff. Another thing I did
was carry on building my finger muscles while watching TV, running through
legato scales, because the fretting hand really is key.
“Some of my more complex
rhythms have both hands playing the beat, with my fretting hand filling in the
gaps. Then for fun, I might change some of the figures and see where it goes.”
Marcin Patrzalek
(Image credit: James Hole)
Though you may be fretting
hand-led, it definitely looks like your picking hand is equally as strong…
“Some players are so
precise with their picking hand. I wouldn’t say I’m one of them – not that I’m
bad at it, either. But the fretting hand has always been dominant in my style.
Every player should see what their strengths are, and we all have unique
talents.
“So it’s important to
develop them as much as you can, to hone in on your own sound. I have no
aspirations to become the fastest picker in the world because that’s not really
my background.
“Don’t try to mimic every
person you like and feel blessed in every single technique – instead be solid
across all the fundamentals, that’s a given, and then see which ones resonate
with your own style.”
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