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“I don’t know what that is” 😂. Truer words were never spoken

He’s Holdsworth, Beck, Montgomery, Van Halen, Gatton, and Johnson all in one Sicilian package.

That "Eugene's Trick Bag" is from the old movie "Crossroads". Steve Vai performed it originally for the sound track. That kid is from another world my friend!

Italy should declare him as a national treasure.

I do not like EVH`s Eruption, but I can listen to Matteo`s blues. The tone, speed, clarity is beyond anything I have ever heard before Steve Vai says the future of the guitar is in Matteo`s hands. He amazes me. Normally I need lyrics to catch me in a song. Watch Matteo and Joe Bonomassa on stage

Matteo is a phenomenally good guitarist and musician. He doesn't lose the 1st fret with the string dampener. It just cuts down on open strings ringing because he can't dampen them with his "Classical Guitar" inspired hand position. He moves the string dampener subconsciously as necessary, which he talks about and shows in the Rick Beato video.

With his picking style he cannot rest his palm on the strings to dampen them.. hence the dampner on the end. That is how he gets such a clean tone. He is flat out amazing.

Haha! I have watched a LOT of your videos and it's pretty amazing to see the look of "I have no idea how to process or explain this" on your face. I'll say what I've been saying about Matteo lately; it's not just what he does, it's the apparent EASE with which he does it. I've watched so many guitar players in the last 43 years and 99% of the time when someone has done something as next level as Matteo it looks like they're working hard, concentrating deeply, even struggling. Matteo looks like he's just channeling pure brilliance in comfort. Like that energy is flowing through him and out of his fingers without thought. He my be working as hard, concentrating, even struggling... but he makes it APPEAR as if he's doing it all with ease. Like he's just having a good time, nothing to worry about.

I just saw him live at the Steve Via guitar academy camp and he was amazing.Incredibly talented young man and he's a flawless live player no tricks he is that good.

The Jaco Pastorius of 6 string electric guitar. A groundbreaking, trailblazing, unique style.

Your speechless expression was precious! Just like mine and likely 1000s of others at first watch! I've been playing, performing, and studying for over 60 years and Matteo is fresh new inspiration.

Matteo has all the remarkable chops of his generation combined and can play the blues. Dudes unstoppable

You are a goddamn legend- i have learned so much from you! I would also like to commend your humility- i love when you just appreciate an artist who you may not even understand their musical decisions. Seriously- the world needs more people like you.

Eugene’s trick bag is Vai from Crossroads

seeing your face turn red,.. and you don't know what to say... makes this video fun.. as well as seeing Matteo at work, of course❤

the guy is not using a pick...in Rick Beato's interview Matteo explains how his style is a mix of playing like a bass player and some kind of classical/flamenco guitar technique.

I bought his album, "The Journey" on bandcamp, it's not just crazy cristal clear mindblowing shredding, I mean, it's music first! All his incredible technical skills serve his creativity for the music. That man really as stories to tell with his guitar, and his band is also absolutely phenomenal!

He's on a different level than 99.9% of guitar players.

Michael, the look on your face at 2:43 says it all! This young man is a prodigy, no other way to look at it. A simply stunning musician. And he's only going to get BETTER- damn!

The minute I saw a video of him playing 6 months ago, I knew I was witnessing a once in a lifetime natural phenomenon..go down the rabbit hole of his recordings and videos , just incredible ..

That last lick on the blues in G is a tribute to Robben Ford. Also, love that descending lick, raking the bass note, and ending with the double-stop. Pure goodness.

Michael, You are absolutely an extremely talented guitarist, musician and teacher ... SO when you are blown away, like me, it is really saying something!!!!

The string muffler on the first fret is loosely fitted so, when he needs to, Matteo can shove it off the end of the nut and then he pushes it back if he wants to. This kid is so fast he can manipulate time itself!

I think alot of us guitarists can only watch with dropped jaw in awe of his abilities, Absolutely Awesome 👍👍

The interview was great. Super humble person.

I've been tracking *Matteo* for about the last 3 years. I think he's next level on the guitar, pure and simple. On *Rick Beato's show,* he was very generous in sharing his tips on how to play. Clearly, anyone who wants to mimic that style has a few thousand hours to invest, to come anywhere near. Perhaps a classical guitarist who harbours a love of jazz and rock might come close. For me the late *Allan Holdsworth,* held the title for many years. In addition, Allan hit the mark with some interesting music, that's definitely his own. Matteo's just starting off in some regards with composition, and he's got a few cracking self penned tunes already under his belt... *Drop D, Falcon Flight, Silk Road.* He's the business atm, and all the *big boys* know it. 👌

His Cliffs of Dover is outstanding as well. Actually, everything he does is pretty spectacular.

"I have no idea what that is" pretty much sums up everything he does!

Cool, forced you to explain and demonstrate (wow!) things at a very accelerated pace unlike some other reaction videos. Shows your and his greatness.

What an excellent clip! It was a genuine 'reaction' I loved the fact that you could explain, you did, and what you couldn't explain you said (re his technique) was 'way above your pay grade' ... BUT you're so gracious with your praise. I was impressed with YOUR reaction and comments.

Mateo is amazing. Very tasteful.

This was enjoyable to see a player experience Matteo for the first time. #1 because I don't feel so bad for discovering him fairly recently also lol. His first record/album is the best guitar-monster record I can think of. It actually flows. He gets his dad playing on it too, his dad being a master of course. This kid is the whole package. We should thank God that our next level guy is a beautiful person. Someone this freaky good is often a weirdo let's be real lol. Matteo is a well-raised young man and one can assume a few gals will find him let's say cute lol. The banjo has Bela Fleck, the mandolin has Chris Thile, Mark O'Connor is not human so he's the best fiddle player alive along with being arguably the best guitar player alive, the guitar being his second or 3rd instrument lol, and Jerry Douglas is still cooking. I get that most people don't get Bluegrass, but put these monsters together after Matteo has a good 6 months to listen to Tony Rice and Doc Watson, and we'll have the greatest American music played at the highest level it's ever been played.

Matteo is a flipping beast.

He knocks the damper out of the way if he wants the bottom fret. He explains it in Ricks program.

In the video you shared, I hear Robben Ford, Scott Henderson, classic blues players (among others obviously), but in general the licks, scales, runs and arpeggios are normal to my ears (in terms of note choices, starting and ending point and patterns, etc). The only reason he caught my attention here is his out of this world finger technique in his right hand (aided by the dampner to cancel noise). That alone makes him superb!

That right hand.... I watched Rick's interview and he learned top down before classical finger technique and he switches so effortlessly.

I laughed at the same time Michael:-))). I'm a 76 year old rocker and have NEVER seen anything liken this!!

Watch the whole Beato interview...crazy stuff, the kid's legit

More Matteo Mancuso PLEASE

I love seeing your holy shit face Mike! Matteo is such a beast in both his left and right hand.

When you watch Rick's video, he goes into a lot of details of his technique, including the sting mute thingy. He explains the why and how, and there's a funny moment where Rick points out that Matteo just moved it but he didn't even notice and attributed it to muscle memory 🙂 Have a good one, Michael!

This is Claudio Quartarone's guitar technique. Truly one of the best in the game! His skills are on another level.

I like how you are amazed how good it sounds without string noise then dis the first fret mute that creates that tone.

There is nothing to say!, He has so much taste even more than his chops. The "Kid is BRILLIANT".

Ha, nice reaction! He's from a higher plane of existence than the rest of us.

He's so fun to watch,it's hard to close your eyes.Do that.Close your eyes and his influences pop out immediately. Fantastic talent.

HEY MICHAEL ! FROM ONE G.I.T. GUY TO ANOTHER, I TOO WAS SPEECHLESS. EVERY TIME I WATCH A VIDEO FROM MATTEO IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME. STEVE VAI EVEN SAID, THIS KID WAS THE NEXT BIG THING ON GUITAR !

You've only scratched the surface regarding Matteo's talent. There's some really incredible stuff out there on youtube by Matteo. I recommend starting with the video by Face Melters, which gives a great sampling of his versatilty. You can track those clips down for the complete tunes. Then there is also videos from his first and recently released album The Journey...check out Drop D and Silkroad. He also has out covers of tunes by Carlton, Holdsworth, Beck, Weather Report etc, where he puts his own stamp on them while keeping it real. There's also been a number of interviews where Matteo explains how he developed his approach. Seek Music is Win, Guitarist, Thomann's guitar and basses, etc. And you haven't been under a rock...Matteo's been putting out videos for 6-7 years, but only in the past few months (probably due the album release), he has suddenly gained recognition. He's absolutely amazing, with all his knowledge, humbleness and development of his technique. Enjoy...

I've been fillowing Mancuso for probably five years. It amazes me more people haven't heard of him by now. "Preposterous"

Michael, its almost like when I saw Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac and seeing him play without a pick and seeing what he could do! Being self-taught at that point and always using a pick and then seeing what Lindsey could do was eye opening. Same here with Matteo, incredibly gifted and I will need to check out more of his music! ✌️

Been following Matteo for 6 years or so since the first clips of his band Snips hit you tube.

He pushes the bounds of melodic writing. He’s not just one trick pony he’s proficient at it all

In the interview with Rick Beato, Matteo states that he just pushes the string mute out of the way when he needs the first fret. He said it is just muscle memory at this point and he doesn't have to think about it.

I just saw him for the first time today playing with Cory Wong at NAMM and was blown away by them both. So good!

Watch the entire Rick video….he explains the dampening technique in the right hand as well as as the wrap on top of the neck

Don’t feel bad because he makes you feel like you are ordinary…. Been following this guy’s progress for a long time and he is very , very talented…. He does what he does and he does it to a level you or I will never reach… so relax and take a breath and realise we are only human… he is something else…🫤

Love the honesty… thanks

Your passion for good music is contagious

Eugene’s trick bag is from Vai’s solo in Crossroads movie with Ralph Machio.

Oh my. I thought I would never hear anybody play the Crossroads thing again. Made my day. Now I have to go watch the movie again.

Great video! A few mention Malmsteen, not even in Matteo's League. Matteo with the right hand finger picking is just as amazing as his left hand moving all over the fretboard. Shredding with fingers? What? My eyes keep shifting back and forth amazed and both hands. Incredible

To me it seems like when Einstein first presented the theory of general relativity and the best scientists at the time were looking and saying: "what the hell......" It's another level. it will take time to understand the ramifications, but Matteo is extending the concept of playing the guitar.

Awesome, I'm glad you got around to Matteo.

I've been watching him for a while, and he's a generational talent. And we all get to watch it happen--one of those blessings of living when we do. He is equally at home on a classical guitar and has played with Al Di Meola. It's so easy to be speechless.

Love that you did a reaction to this as I discovered this same blues video around 2 weeks ago and have easily watched it 100 times in awe 😂 the fact he is so young aswell is mind blowing, his other videos are equally amazing, hope he performs in the UK sometime 🇬🇧

This is the first video in a while where you look Shell Shocked....which I totally understand.. what a talent

Rock? Jazz? Fusion? Using Classical techniques? Incredible !!!

He plays with his fingers because his dad was a classical guitarist and Matteo said he learned from his dad and thought that was how everybody played guitar,So that’s how he learned and he’s never looked back,This kid is off the hook and there’s nothing he can’t play and I’d go as far as to say this kid’s technique is the best I’ve ever seen,The fingers on his left hand are perfect for guitar,Long and thin and obviously super strong it’s like a Praying Mantis flying across the neck just a thing of Beauty……🎸🎸

Ha! Saw the same video short from Beato. Went on a 3 day Matteo binge after that. Also had never heard of him. Don’t know how that was possible. Such a talent. He’s on tour now in the US.

I heard him play a Strat without the fret wrap. He sounds the same. He was jamming with the “Music is win” guy.

Exactly what I was waiting for

Truly amazing playing. Clarity and coordination of playing is wonderful. He is taking full advantage of the characteristics of electric guitars. What a shame that he doesn't play Classic guitars in the Segovia tradition.

Wow! Amazing. Thank you so much for introducing me to Matteo🎸

you might be living under rock on this one.....ive been listening to this kid for 3 years now........but yeah it is WOW!!!!!

Rick asked him about the dampener. It's loose so he just pushes it up past the nut when he's on the first fret. Eugene's Trick Bag is what they call Ralph Macchio's part at the end of Crossroads. It's based on Paganini

I use a string dampener..( I’m classically trained and often use rest and free stroke on the electric guitar.. the hand is floating so there’s no possibility of muting strings the traditional way) when I want the first fret I simply push it over the nut …

Awesome video again, love your passion and great knowledge for music.

well you missed the most important part, despite he has everything else down and more. in contrast to most of the other young virtuosos, he knows how to SWING! (there are other videos of him doing some bebop stuff)

his blues soloing here is very reminiscent of Scott Henderson's solo in Dolemite.

Thank you Michael ! Speechless?? Right there with ya! Except one word - freakingamazing

Amazing virtuosity but the Chords to "You really got me" simple as it is, was the best.

He’s out of this world, jaw dropping experience

There´s a clip of him playing along to a jazz sax solo. Craziest thing I've ever seen played on guitar. The note choices looks so unnatural on the neck and yet he is completely locked in from start to finish.

Oh my gosh. You perfectly described the exact point of emphasis... Unbelievable your awesome.

congratulations.....Amazing guitar. Extremely beautiful

In that interview Rick asks specifically about the string damper. Essentially, he’s got to the point where he slides it off/on the neck as he needs without thinking about it. It’s just muscle memory.

8:48 - 20 seconds speechless part - pondering decisions in life and stuff

You are correct that the black wrap is over the first fret, but it is loose so if he hits the first fret the wrap just moves over the nut as if it's not even there.

Dude i have to say ...i love the top on yr prs. Great upload

Matteo is insane. Of all the things his does flawlessly, his intonation and perfect articulation of each and every note, ringing clear as bells in all their fury, is amazing. If I didn't give up guitar years ago, I would give it up today after hearing/watching him for the past week. His mastery at 21 yo is that depressing. He has to have the string muter on there because he doesn't have his palm level to the saddle for palm mutes.

To borrow from a comment I saw in another video of his - “Scientists have discovered how to fuse Billy Sheehan’s right hand with Paul Gilbert’s left hand.” 😂

I've wondered what Paco de Lucia would have sounded like using his flamenco style on an electric guitar.

Matteo makes me excited for the guitar again. So damn tasteful and melodic. (and CLEAN...jesus that technique is astounding)

There are kind of three distinct use cases for a fret wrap. Case 1: Position the fret wrap entirely behind the nut so that it only mutes any sounds that might be caused by string vibrations at the headstock. This doesn't prevent you from playing anywhere on the fretboard, it just cuts down on a potential source of noise. Case 2: Position the fret wrap so that it covers the nut and hangs over it towards the 1st fret just enough to mute all open strings. This way you still have access to play at the first fret but you cut out a lot of noise from open strings ringing. Case 3: Position the fret wrap higher up the fret board if you are only playing in the higher registers of the guitar, typically for soloing or harmony stuff.

oh my gawd, he's SO good. the malmsteen of blues backing tracks

Speed is one thing; many have that, and it's nothing more than coordination. And usually nothing outside of standard blues scales. OK. But Matteo brings flavor and zig-zags, with lots of creative bits tossed in for good measure. He "paints" the chords, and tasty variations of chords, he's improvising over, like Wes was so good at doing. The right hand technique, well, what can you say? To have perfected that to this degree, at his age, is just...I can't even begin to say. Some are just born to it, and he seems to be one.

Welcome back!

You are a top Mancuso’s Fan !!

That light touch in the intro is smooth as silk. I had no idea who Matteo was, either. He just showed up out of nowhere.