John McLaughlin and Shakti Videos

lfitomshi Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - I followed stringrip's suggestion. You've got to hear the Shakti concert from 1977. I've never heard guitar like that. Never.

BakedWalnut Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - Just got the original album yesterday! Cool stuff indeed....although it does vex me somewhat to hear the sheer speed of Mclaughlin's playing. I wonder whetehr he uses a particularly light set of strings to help him cut through em so fast...

lfitomshi Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - Actually, everything I've said applies to the Shakti 1977 concert from Paris, which I selected inadvertantly. Check it out also on Jazz Fusion TV. Not sure about the gauge of strings for this guitar. Hopefully someone will post a more knowledgeable comment about it. In my opinion this concert offers everything a guitar and music lover wants - passion, imagination, creativity, joy, incredible interplay, just enough unpredictability in the soloing runs, energy, speed, and technical mastery.

BakedWalnut Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - Whats the album called?(I need more)

orientalnegro Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - A scalloped fretboard and bags of practice helps. Utterly mind-boggling playing, I just can't get over how fast, fluent and tasteful Mclaughlin's playing is.

lfitomshi Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - On Jazz Fusion TV, select Shakti 1977-04-10 Paris. You can download from there. It's awesome. Also, Shakti 1977-05-12 is quite nice.

nikhiljo Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - When I was a kid my dad kept telling me I'd be good at Tabla, and I should learn it. But NO, I had to be "cool" and learn the drums instead!! What a DOUCHE I was, DAAMN!!

AndiLui Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - John never used scalloped fretboards, at least not in the seventies :) I'm not so sure though what he used in the eigthies^^ his les paul that he used on the two 'mahavishnu' releases from the mid-eighties is defnenitly not scalloped^^

Maugister Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - His acoustic Shakti guitar definitely is scalloped, he has mentioned it himself many times. The idea was to mimic sitar and allow truly insane bends. This is the trademark sound of John on any Shakti recording, and is allowed by the custom made scalloped guitar he used.

AndiLui Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - ah,therefore I must have missed it,I was always more interrested in John's electric work. I did some resaerch : That 'shakti' guitar has also 7 sympathic strings, like a Sitar, that's where the sound comes from,the scalloping is a.f.a. I know only helpfull by certain playing techniques(bends), although it makes playing chords with correct intonation harder.

Maugister Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - You are correct - by removing the wood, the friction between the string and the board becomes much smaller and helps naturally with bends, allowing them to become vastly "bigger" in a sense. You can hear this by listening to John's playing, most of the time he is totally going out with bends, easily bending the note over two/three whole notes up from the original point. But because there's more room to push the string, the correct intonation is indeed more difficult to achieve.

dorian411 Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - Yes this WAS an amazing experence. I operated the light console for this show in the gym. I basically told the spot ops to open wide with a light color, sit down and enjoy the virtuosity. I did not do any cues either.

dorian411 Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - Have to completely disagree. What does "pentatonics" have to do with tempo any way?

dustyflair Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - How much Acid did you do before the show?

goldijun Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - ahh what a band!!!

KOALAsounds Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - LOVE SHAKTIsuch a great band.I would like to see them one day in Belgium

MafaRu Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - So damn beautiful...I love this!!

djsewell Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - this is music my friends!

Zeonoid Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - I love their albums from 76 and 79, this one is 76 Ithink... When I hear song called TwoSisters sometimes I cry.. No I`m serious... and Iplay in a punk band

Doggy1066 Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - I agree, Zeonoid. Awesome musicians. Couldn't be better, and flat out amazing. Best!

Doggy1066 Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - What does this have to do with the music, dustyflair?

dustyflair Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - I was aking that because how could you go to this AND NOT TAKE ACID? I would have taken as many hits as I could handle (5-10) and really made this a religious experience. That's what I meant.

Zeonoid Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - dustyflair man, it has nothing to do with any drugs ...did you know cobain took his first heroin shot after recording nevermind with butch vig? really just good friends bottle of wine and this 76 shakti album is going right thru your brain no chemicals needed

guitarvirtuoso53 Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - nicely done

JoeMarklin Says:

Jul 26, 2008 - This is the single best piece of art I have ever experienced.