How to sound like Mark Knofler?

Stratman68

Stratman68

Axe-Master
This is from 1987. Mark plays so well with one of the greatest finger picking guitarist in the world.
He plays acoustic and old country song and then Imagine and you still know it's MK.
So, the answer to the title question is simple. You just have to "be" Mark Knofler.
BTW, in the you tube comments someone posted a comment that has been debated forever.
I have always played with my pinky as an anchor. Not sure how I got to that, but if it's so wrong someone should tell Chet and Mark they are doing it wrong.....

 
Stratman68 said:
Thats kind of why I posted it. So much talk about how do I sound like this person or that person or whomever..........Sometimes you just got to be the person...................
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Yeah, I always hear people saying "tone is in the fingers" but I think that, for most famous guitarists, their fingers constitute just 50% or less of their signature tones, and it can be (more or less) easy to emulate them with the right gear.

Mark Knopfler is one of the few whose tone is 99% "fingers" and this makes him pretty unique and inimitable.

PS: I'll add that his ability to simultaneously sing and play so fluently is astonishing too
 
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DLC86 said:
Yeah, I always hear people saying "tone is in the fingers" but I think that, for most famous guitarists, their fingers constitute just 50% or less of their signature tones, and it can be (more or less) easy to emulate them with the right gear.

Mark Knopfler is one of the few whose tone is 99% "fingers" and this makes him pretty unique and inimitable.

PS: I'll add that his ability to simultaneously sing and play so fluently is astonishing too
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I think all of the great guitar players have most of their tone in their fingers. And not just in the way they play, but also in how they approach and think about their instrument. Which is why they all sound like them, regardless of the gear they play on. Obviously when you strum a chord on a Red Special into a treble booster into a AC-30 you'll get that Brian May wall of sound, but once you start playing more complicated stuff you'll sound less like him and more like you. I think that this is why most shredders sound the same and few stand out. Because they are often taught the same way and method of playing.
 
Muad'zin said:
I think all of the great guitar players have most of their tone in their fingers. And not just in the way they play, but also in how they approach and think about their instrument. Which is why they all sound like them, regardless of the gear they play on. Obviously when you strum a chord on a Red Special into a treble booster into a AC-30 you'll get that Brian May wall of sound, but once you start playing more complicated stuff you'll sound less like him and more like you.
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What you say is true, don't take my "50%" literally.
What I mean is that if you plug a Red Special into a treble booster into a AC-30 you already get at least part of Brian May tone, his signature tone (like many others') partly lies in his gear too.
If you plug a strat into a fender amp you basically get nothing of Knopfler's tone, it will sound just like a strat into a fender amp.

Muad'zin said:
I think that this is why most shredders sound the same and few stand out. Because they are often taught the same way and method of playing.
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Totally agree here
 
I never tire of listening to them play together. Never in a million years would have thought of pairing them, but I’m sure glad they thought it was a good idea.
 
Rick said:
I never tire of listening to them play together. Never in a million years would have thought of pairing them, but I’m sure glad they thought it was a good idea.
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Me either Rick. Also saw a video of Chet Atkins with Jerry reed from 1972 and Chet was Sweep picking clean as a whistle, without any delay or OD. Hmmmm. Thought that was pretty interesting.
 
Stratman68 said:
I have always played with my pinky as an anchor. Not sure how I got to that, but if it's so wrong someone should tell Chet and Mark they are doing it wrong.....
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It comes from being self-taught. I’m a huge Knopfler fan, but I’ve often wondered where his talent and determination would have taken him if, early on in his career, he’d lost the pinky anchor and relaxed his hand in the classical style.
 
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I think being self taught is a big key, not the only one, but a big key in the uniqueness of a guitar player.
 
Rex said:
It comes from being self-taught. I’m a huge Knopfler fan, but I’ve often ordered where his talent and determination would have taken him if, early on in his career, he’d lost the pinky anchor and relaxed his hand in the classical style.
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But using the same logic, what would he have lost? Not to mention Chet Atkins, don't think he could have been any greater of a guitar player. I do understand your logic though.
 
MK was very influenced by JJ Cale, especially on the first Dire Straits albums this is quite audible. Guess somewhere it's a mix of someones physics, the music you play along with while learning and a lot lot lot lot of exercice.
 
Stratman68 said:
But using the same logic, what would he have lost? Not to mention Chet Atkins, don't think he could have been any greater of a guitar player. I do understand your logic though.
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He would have lost a couple of constraints. Hand position, in particular. The classical method of addressing the strings gives a more relaxed, neutral position. Tension is the enemy of speed and accuracy.

Sure, he does a superb job in spite of that. But “don’t think he could have been any greater?” Even the most talented runner can do it better if there are no hurdles on the track.
 
BTW, anyone who wants to “sound like Knopfler” would do well to work on dynamics. That’s what really sets him apart from the pack. Strong notes, light notes, grace notes, muted notes, snapped notes, brushed notes — all laid out as a sculpture in the same phrase. The solos from In The Gallery are a masterpiece example of that.
 
Rex said:
He would have lost a couple of constraints. Hand position, in particular. The classical method of addressing the strings gives a more relaxed, neutral position. Tension is the enemy of speed and accuracy.

Sure, he does a superb job in spite of that. But “don’t think he could have been any greater?” Even the most talented runner can do it better if there are no hurdles on the track.
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There is NO WAY you could possibly know that. Sorry, none. Well Rex, I won't keep going back and forth so you can have the last word- Have fun. BTW your example is ridiculous.
If you think guitar playing is muscles and tendons you are so wrong. And No, I do not think he could be any better. He is what HE wants to be.
 
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