A Brief Musical Interlude

Occasionally someone sends me a youtube video that’s just too cool to ignore.

That said, even the really cool ones I keep to myself. I worry if I posted them up here, I’d eventually become the blog-equivalent of that guy at work that forwards you two dozen funny cat stories every day.

Still, there are a few cool videos that are book related and cool, so I feel like I’m justified in sharing them here…

Here’s a guy who showed me that you can actually play a guitar with three strings. You can play the hell out of it, in fact.

And here’s some guys that took a crack at writing and playing Tinker, Tanner.


Share and Enjoy….

pat

This entry was posted in fan coolness, music, videosBy Pat36 Responses

36 Comments

  1. Blue Iris
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:28 PM | Permalink

    What if those three strings he was playing with were the ones that broke and it was a different set? Alright I’m just messing around. That dude is awesomeness. I was wondering if he was going to throw some chords in, and I’m glad he did.

  2. Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:29 PM | Permalink

    So Awesome that doesn’t sound too far from what I Imagined Tinker Tanner to soud like when I was reading.

  3. CharlieTheBull
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:30 PM | Permalink

    That’s pretty cool. I used to play with 4 strings with my punk rock band The Craptaculars but only because I sucked and played with two fingers and 6 strings made it sound worse that it already was:)

    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Widow Of Sirius
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:31 PM | Permalink

    I’ve seen both of these, and I freaking loved both. I’m glad you shared them for everyone :)

  5. themuffinman24700
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:32 PM | Permalink

    Haha, that’s awesome.

  6. Damian
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:33 PM | Permalink

    Good stuff.

    I’m pretty sure the first is a reeeaallly stripped down version of John Butler Trio’s ‘Ocean’.

    Not sure if it’s cool to link here, so just type it in on Youtube. It’s a pretty amazing solo instrumental and definitely worth checking out.

    • PirateXxEsque
      Posted June 23, 2010 at 10:41 AM | Permalink

      That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard live, I think.
      Live at Federation Square = <3

      Totally can hear that, though I wonder if a lot of things would start to sound alike that stripped back…

    • Mid
      Posted June 24, 2010 at 11:35 AM | Permalink

      Yeah it’s definitely john butler’s song.

  7. Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:40 PM | Permalink

    I loved the “please dont sue us Patrick” haha

  8. He without a clever name
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:42 PM | Permalink

    Keep watching the guitar video, the guy lets it out about halfway through, you’d never know he was limited.

    I actually really enjoyed the video quality of the second video. Watch that muted and it has a creepy “The Ring” vibe to it. Nifty.

  9. Tashandtwo
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:43 PM | Permalink

    Brilliant, loved ’em both. The excellent guitar playing reminds me of Newton Faulkner, not sure if his music has made it Stateside yet, but you should check him out :D

  10. Drumsfellow
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:53 PM | Permalink

    Seriously, Patrick Rothfuss (I’m not sure how to address you, so I’m using the generic superstar-full-name approach), I’m surprised You don’t play an instrument. (You don’t, right?)
    How come?

    That being said, I love the videos.

  11. thain1982
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 12:58 PM | Permalink

    As a guitarist, I can say that only having 3 strings actually makes what the gent in the first video is doing easier, as he doesn’t have to worry very much about right-hand finger dexterity. I’ve done (much slower) similar things on a fully strung guitar, and about the only way to do it is to either play in an open tuning so that the strings you can’t avoid hitting will add a pleasant drone or finger-pick (and to finger-pick at the speed he’s strumming requires more dexterity than I possess).

    Very nice video, but it does limit what he can do a little too heavily to keep it that way =).

    I like the sound of Tinker Tanner, though it’s a shame they recorded it the way they did. It would be nice to hear a high-quality recording.

  12. Mossy Toes
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 1:09 PM | Permalink

    Hee, forty daughters. I liked that Tinker Tanner one, I will confess.

    • borvise
      Posted June 22, 2010 at 10:14 PM | Permalink

      Me too.
      The Tinker Tanner video is just an excellent fun. Not exactly how I thought of it, but it certainly has the simple feel, catchy-chorus element and opportunities for silly, self-written verses. I only see it missing a super-distinctive intro with those three well-known chords and a bit more ancient-ness in the feel. That said, very good stuff.

    • Skoivan
      Posted June 22, 2010 at 10:52 PM | Permalink

      It made me happy in my soul. :) I loved how it was recorded in a manner to make it sound even more like an old folk song. :) Happy happy happy. Did I mention it makes me happy?

  13. sortova
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 1:13 PM | Permalink

    I wish the three string guy knew more about filming a video. Most of the time I was staring at the guitar where the neck meets the body when I would have much rather been watching his left hand.

    I do agree with the other commenter that sometimes not having strings in the way makes things easier, not harder.

    Now let’s see Stevie Ray Vaughan’s version of “Little Wing” with three strings …

  14. Posted June 22, 2010 at 1:15 PM | Permalink

    Some pretty music right there and Tinker Tanner had me grinning like a crazy, hah.

  15. davidstvz
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 1:55 PM | Permalink

    You can play all kind of music with a limited number of strings. The tricky thing is playing a 6 string song well on 5 strings or 4 without any practice at it (and in same cases, if the song is written a certain way, no amount of practice will help).

  16. Posted June 22, 2010 at 3:57 PM | Permalink

    Cool. The first guy could definitely have played a three string version of DMB’s Crash Into Me. That’s what it reminded me of anyway.

    Side Note: Your comment about posting videos reminds me that I probably abuse people’s e-mail accounts way too much. I’m..well..bored. Also I have no social skills. My apologies if I have ever contributed to the equivalent of a LOLCatz snowball effect on here or in your e-mail.

  17. Iamthewalrus
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 4:07 PM | Permalink

    I am sorry to say, but I believe that after 40 repeats, I may know all the words to Tinker Tanner. Awesome song.

  18. girder
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 4:26 PM | Permalink

    On a side note, the Presidents of the United States of America also play bass and guitar on three and two strings respectively and a ukelele only has four strings.

  19. brian199
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 6:03 PM | Permalink

    Not going to lie these are pretty awesome :)

  20. Mulligan
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 7:07 PM | Permalink

    Ahhh, a good melody to go with some lovely lyrics of drunkenness, promiscuity, and incest. If that doesn’t fire me up for the second book then I must be dead!

  21. kessallia
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 9:37 PM | Permalink

    Thanks for sharing! Of course now I’m once more bummed that I never learned a musical instrument to any mediocre degree of sufficiency…. Oh well. Maybe I’ll eventually pull out my bodhran and try to figure out triples once and for all….

  22. Skoivan
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 10:46 PM | Permalink

    I like how at the end of Tinker Tanner the banner says “Don’t sue us Patrick.” :)

  23. Naznarreb
    Posted June 22, 2010 at 11:39 PM | Permalink

    I can think of few higher praises for an author than when their work inspires others to be creative in turn.

  24. Posted June 23, 2010 at 4:48 AM | Permalink

    Hi Pat,

    I’m the one of the first video, thanks for sharing it with the rest of the people who love your books! And thanks everyone for the nice comments!

    @Damian: I’ve lived in Australia and seen JBT a couple of times. I don’t know how to play Ocean but I guess there might me something of it in my improvisation. It was, after all, an improvisation based on a simple melody (the one that keeps repeating itself through the song) so it just “goes where it goes”. :)

    @Sortova: Yeah, I filmed the video with my phone, putting it on top of shelf… Thing is, when I saw it I realised I was sitting too close to the camera. I recorded another take but because I was improvising, I didn’t quite like the sound of the second song. So I chose better music over better video.

    The Tinker Tanner version is awesome! :)

    Joaquin

    • Oohaha
      Posted June 23, 2010 at 6:46 PM | Permalink

      Pretty Shwing m8.

  25. laurafromNY
    Posted June 23, 2010 at 9:03 AM | Permalink

    wow…both have awesome skills! way to go guys, nice job! I too would have liked to see his left hand…got to learn some strings…(>_<)

  26. Skye
    Posted June 24, 2010 at 2:04 AM | Permalink

    O.o

    Both of those were so cool. I had “one of those days”, but now I’m off to bed with a smile on my face. Thanks, Mr. Rothfuss and various other creative people. :D

  27. Nivake
    Posted June 24, 2010 at 8:14 AM | Permalink

    I’ve actually been meaning to write a song about the Edema Ruh.

    The problem is that I don’t know how to pronounce it. Is it like “enemy” with two short e’s? And is “Ruh” pronounced like “Flu”?

    Please enlighten me Pat, I’d hate to rape your much thought over creative names with my own shitty pronunciation in my song.

    Love you, love your book, love the videos ^^ (Especially Tinker Tanner)

  28. aby
    Posted June 28, 2010 at 8:49 PM | Permalink

    hey!!!!!!!! soruu but i d read your book and i just can not wait to now when are you going to release the next to parts!!!!! please post me back soon
    by the way im a huge fan of your work is soo increible in soo many ways i mean you dont say too much but not too little and your story is just breathtaking you learn by just reading about a hole new world really you should make it a movie!!!! i really relate to kvothe he is kind of like me so smart jajaja please i want to buy your next book as soon as it gets here in mexico well congrats and dont let me down all right??

  29. jpohlmeier
    Posted July 6, 2010 at 10:33 PM | Permalink

    Pat, I don’t know if you ever even see comments on posts once they are more than a few days old, but I wanted to say, I kept imagining the music of Andy McKee as I read your book. He became huge on youTube a few years ago, so you have probably heard of him. He is someone you need to see and not just hear play. (Plus he often sports Pat Rothfuss style hair/beard.) I don’t know if plays the lute, but he definitely plays some unusual stringed instruments and plays the guitar in a unique style. When you talk about your movie dreams, I think he would be great to work on the score.

  30. simrat sinsinwar
    Posted July 31, 2011 at 10:00 AM | Permalink

    OH I HOPE U READ THIS PATRICK!! I LOVE YOUR ARTICULATE BOOKS VERY MUCH “ESPECIALLY” KVOTHE!! THESE VIDEOS WERE AWESOME BUT U SAID THAT U HAV MORE OF THE COOLER VIDEOS WELL IF U CAN PLS POST THEM!! or if not please send it on [email protected]!! this post is for patrick rothfusss and all the ppl with really cool youtube videos!!

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