Anyone who has tried learning to play guitar knows it’s not as easy as some people make it look. It’s not as visually linear as the piano, requires all of your fingers to do multiple things at once, and until you build up calluses on your fingertips, it can be quite painful. So when someone plays guitar well and with apparent effortlessness, we should give them props. And when someone goes a level (or 10) beyond that, it’s appropriate to experience some serious awe and wonderment.
Meet Marcin Patrzałek, known simply as Marcin, a Polish guitarist who stunned the “America’s Got Talent” audience in Season 14 with his rendition of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Clearly, an entire symphony is not a piece written for solo guitar, but seeing Marcin play it might actually convince you that it was.
The way he uses the whole guitar is mesmerizing, and the fact that he arranged this when he was only 18 is really something. Watch:
Despite his early elimination, 23-year-old Marcin has since built a significant online following. His talents have only grown, as has the number of musical genres he’s covered with the guitar.
Check him out doing opera with this piece from “Carmen.”
@marcin.music When a guitarist joins an opera… #guitar #classicalmusic
How about some blues with a little “Ain’t No Sunshine”…and kittens?
@marcin.music “Ain’t No Sunshine” on one guitar is out now everywhere 🐱 #guitar #blues #cattok
Audiences find Marcin’s extraordinary guitar skills both awe-inspiring and amusing.
“This man straight up said, ‘If i buy a whole guitar, I’m gonna use the whole guitar.'”
“Bruh the guitar didn’t even know it could do that.”
“Bop it. Pull it. Twist it.”
“How my parents expected me to play on the first day of guitar lessons.”
“Okay I know this is impressive but if you’ve ever seriously tried to play an acoustic you know THIS IS SO IMPRESSIVE.”
“I tried this once but decided to do something easier like astrophysics.”
Many were curious about how Marcin plays high on the neck without plucking the strings. It’s actually a guitar technique called “hammer-ons and pull-offs,” which lets Marcin’s fingers function much like the hammers on a piano do, striking the string to make a note.
But again, Marcin makes it look so easy, combining various guitar techniques into a seamless symphony of sound, all coming from his own fingers.
In fact, he makes it look so easy that there are always comments from people who don’t believe he’s really playing the guitar, despite plenty of videos in which he’s playing live and guitarists in the comments explaining how he’s doing it (and being properly awed by it). If you want definitive proof, you might just have to catch him on tour, though most of the dates so far are sold out.
And if you want to hear or see more of Marcin online, you can find his singles here or follow him on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.