I guarantee there are hundreds of kids learning the guitar picking up their acoustics and re-tuning before the video even ends! Wonderful masterclass.

Thanks for producing/posting this. Simpson is brilliant, one of the few people who are both technically proficient and soulful.

Listen to the first 9:43 of his playing and I´m in another world, somewhere anywhere everywhere, can´t say definitely where I am at this point, get totaly flashed and have to give all I can to tkake, to give me a short period of reflection. Since I was a boy, I loved to listen to Werner Lämmerhirt, by the way a fantastic guitarplayer, Hannes Waader and all the guys from the 60´s, 70´s and the 80´s, but man, thats another dimension! The precision of THIS playing.....! Thank you for uploading!

I could sit all day long and listen to Martin play. I just love his guitar technique.

Martin came to my workshop to collect an instrument - even IRL it's almost impossible to get what he does on the guitar. I am stunned by the rapid appregios that come and go from nowhere. Mind blowing... Plus we share the same blues record collection...

This guy's love for his craft is infectious! Could listen to him talk about it and play it all day!

I just found this so interesting to listen to. One of the greatest living guitar players imo

Wow. First time I've ever heard him. Amazing. He is absolutely jaw dropping good. Hell he tunes better than 99.9% of other people. Completely blown away. I really need to look more up on him.

Even when he's just "noodling" his playing is so slick and sympathetic, and a nice bloke to boot.

I once asked TE about Martin Simpson and He Said "Martin is a incredible player". Love this music.

One of the greatest fingerstyle guitarists alive! I saw a video where he was doing quick leads wearing three plastic finger picks with a thump pick! Impressive to the maximum and Kudos, Martin!

Saw him play at church in Hertford a couple of weeks ago. Stunned by how fluid his playing is.

What a talented and nice man. Grateful for Martin sharing his knowledge and passion with all of us.

Just wonderful, Martin is one of the best guitarists the U.K. ever produced

Go see him live, you won't regret it. I was fortunate enough to go to one of his workshops a few years ago. Being a fairly rudimentary player I was both excited and apprehensive, but Martin is such a lovely guy, the sessions were completely inclusive and not even slightly intimidating. A brilliant memorable educational and fun weekend!

Fascinating video, hats off to Martin and Guitarist for making this and sharing it with us all 😅

So helpful! Been trying to come up with something bluesy for ages and this has been super inspiring 😊

Total perfection. Many thanks

Martin, you´re talking, you´re different ways of tuning and you´re playing are a gift to me. Just perfect!

"And if you put a slide on all of a sudden you've got woodally woodally woodally woo woo". Haha, what a great description. Stunning player!

Simply Brilliant Martin, Humble and wise words all in perfect balance! Thank you so much for your inspirational performance. I hope you get to Australia at some time?

Martin's just about THE most fabulous player. I identified with his 'flick' technique, that I learned in the cloakroom at Sidcup Art School from Dick Taylor WAY back. (Not to be confused with Mick Taylor who came later), Dick was the first guitarist in the Stones -after Keef, and was a wonderful blues player. Over 50 or so years I've rarely seen other players do that technique. Wonderful, wonderful stuff Martin. (And your gig at Port Fairy a few years back was a real treat too).

Perfection! Thank you, Martin. Cheers!

Incredible skills and Perfect pitch! Thanks for posting this!

What a lovely sound this guy makes

Genius. Love Martin, true artist.

That right hand technique. Just outstanding

Wonderful Masterclass, thanks !!

I HAVE to see Martin live again. Fantastic guitarist

Wow!! Amazing talent!!! Superb tutorial thank you!

To do what he does, you really need a little guide to open and exotic tunings. Even if you are not a master travis-picker like Taylor, you can get some astonishingly full and rich sounds with these tunings. One of his favorites is, (believe it or not) a Csus2 add 9 tuning. (C,G,C, F, C,D). The bottom three strings are a C power chord and give you incredible deep resonance. Now mike or amp up your acoustic, add some delay, and you will fill a room. You need to explore shapes and runs, but it does not take long to create lovely melodies and harmonic sustains that just keep on ringing.

Thank you for this amazing lesson 👏

Astonishing player.

This guy is fantastic.

Brilliant in so many ways, MS is a consummate player AND that guitar [PRS Custom signature Angelus model], I want one of those, I'm a dreamer, I know! Back to woodshedding, y'all!

Only ever a stunning performer.

i really like this guy

You great!!!

He's a joy to see live

Love it

Put on some good headphones and immerse yourself in the fabulous tones!

world class

EXCELLENT

Arriva México biejones y todo los artistas k biene en el futuro

What a charming dude

I will actually go and see him this year at Towersey! If he doesn't clash with a ceilidh....

I need a sit down with this man I think he could help me out

Oh my goodness. It's hard enough to learn how to play in one alternate tuning. Meanwhile, Martin is over here switching between all of them like it's nothing

He's 'quite good', as Bob Dylan said of the I.S. band when he heard 1st their October Song...

so much skill..i want that so bad

I took a five day master course with him in Connecticut in the mid-nineties. He's such a deeply generous soul - and not a drop of arrogance despite being one of the finest players of his generation. He's also - as you can see here - a suburb instructor. Many of us had signed up primarily on the basis of Leo Kottke being listed among the instructors (which he was in a rather cameo sort of way - i.e. Kottke spent an afternoon on campus talking, playing and taking questions) and weren't familiar with Martin Simpson, but we couldn't have had a better instructor. My memory is that Martin was exceedingly irritated that Kottke had said during Q&A that 'open tunings were a trap', and that the most positive thing Martin had to say about Leo was that 'he had great attack' on the strings (which is very true of Martin's playing too). And I remember playing in front of Leo and the students for about 30 seconds and Leo standing up, walking behind me, reaching over and lifting my pinky which was panted to the soundboard - at which point I could hardly play at all. I also recall asking Martin if I could play his Sobell guitar, which he reluctantly allowed. I can't believe that I had the nerve to ask - how embarrassing. I saw Martin 20 years later at a folk festival in Southwell, England, and introduced myself to him again. He was nice (and obviously didn't remember me) - but it was morning and I was standing in-between him and the bacon sandwich tent, so I kept it short...

Reference Derek Brimstone - amazing performer. Hey Martin, you learnt your chops on all the stuff I did but made a better fist of it :)

I swear at about 23 minutes I heard him say "It's so easy to do".

What guitar is Martin playing here (with the leaves inlays)?

please...what is that guitar? brand and model? I love it!!!

i know i could never afford it, but whats the first guitar he's using?

So good. I can't use thumb picks though. I've just hung up my guitar.☹️

I do enjoy a bit of woodly woodly woo

My theory, which is mine, by Anne Elk :-)

anyone know what mic that is?

He is God ...

How do you tune it with out a tuner?

WONDERFUL! Please tell me how the guitar in open G is tuned? D G D G B D? Is that right?

Watch Martin's thumb at about 15:20, guivering like a racehorse at the starting gate ---- it just wants to *go!*

5:30 Sounds like some Leo Kotke. I wish someone would post up the exact string tuning.

Woodely-Woodely-Woodely-Woodely-Whoo-Whoo... -LLL-

13.17

Martin tuner simpson.

This is witchcraft man!!!...

Fingerpicks destroy the sound even of the best guitars.

If he is going to rattle that neck with the bottleneck, I suggest, not humbly, he said, use glass. Sounds like a car wreck. Other wise, cliche or not, he is one of a million, not in a million. He has a future, I suppose. Where? U.K very probably.