Slide Guitarist Who Uses His Mouth and a Teaspoon (video)

Here's a video of an unidentified guitar player who is picking with his right hand, chording with his left hand and playing slide (with a spoon, no less!) with his mouth. So far, nothing is known about the guitar player or whether his technique is unique to him or not. Thanks to Doug by way of Adam Lore, via Billy Hutchinson, and the Cat Head list. [download video, 6 meg, mpg format]

Doug reports that the video might come from a documentary by David Kramer called Karoo Kitaar Blues. If this is correct, the guitarist's name is Hannes Coetzee.

Comments

[Lukas]

It looks like Doug is right, according to this site:

"Hannes Coetzee is an aloe tapper and self-taught musician from Herbertsdale in the Klein Karoo. He plays traditional and original compositions using a teaspoon in his mouth to slide the melody on his guitar. The only known practioner of this style, he is able to play the melody and the accompanying chords at the same time creating the sound of two guitars with one."

And here is a description of the documentary with a picture of Hannes Coetzee and David Kramer: Karoo Kitaar Blues

[HalfSpeed]

It would make sense that it is Hannes Coetzee, for in the description of the musicians in the film on David Kramer's website, it states that "Hannes Coetzee’s is a soft-spoken 72-year old whose job is tapping the aloes that grow around his Karoo hometown of Herberstdale for their medicinal juice." The guitarist in the
video is filmed amongst some of the most giant aloes that I have ever seen.

[dylan]

that is the most positivley awesome thing i have ever seen. well, i guess segovia is pretty good, too...

[Tony Brower]

Added my musical two cents...

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/KF/2006/05/hannes_coetzee.wmv

Tony (who's always looking for interesting musicians to play with)

[Capers]

having watched this a a few times now i've just ordered Karoo Kitaar Blues on DVD. say no more :)

kalahari.net if anyone's interested. delivery from SA isn't cheap though!