Guitarist Performs Mozart By Double-Tapping On Acoustic Guitar And It Is Outstanding

Jan 09, 2021 by apost team

Lucas Stricagnoli is an acoustic guitarist from Italy known for performing popular songs using innovative techniques. Since posted his guitar rendition of a Mozart classic, “Turkish March” on his YouTube page in July 2020, Stricagnoli's uniqueness has attracted many listeners online. Read on and you'll understand just what we’re talking about!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest pianists to have ever lived. He died at a really young age (35 years old to be exact) but the legacy he has left behind knows no time. According to the New York Times, Albert Einstein has described Mozart’s music to be “so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master.” They lived in different centuries, but Einstein sensed an affinity between his and Mozart’s creative processes.

Despite his early demise, Mozart was able to compose music for a span of 29 years. In the 1760s, he and his family would travel around Europe—namely Italy, England, The Netherlands—where Mozart would perform as a child prodigy. According to his biography on midiworld.com, Mozart was dubbed “a boy wonder,” but to his family and loved ones, he was affectionately known as Wolfy. He was a mere boy of eight when he wrote his very first symphony. And then 11 years old when he wrote an oratorio (a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists) before writing his first opera one year later. By the time he was about 15 years old, Mozart was granted a seat in the court orchestra by the prince-archbishop of Salzburg, Austria, Mozart’s birthplace. Mozart was a devout Roman Catholic who remained faithful to the Catholic church up until his death and was baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.

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The third movement of the Piano Sonata No. 11

“Alla Turca”, also known as the “Turkish March” is the third movement of the “Piano Sonata No. 11” composed by Mozart in 1783. This is not a piece that would normally be played on a guitar, but one skillful musician has proven that it can sound wonderful on a modern string instrument.

According to Classic FM, Mozart had written a total of 20 sonatas for solo piano but Piano Sonata No. 11 is one of his most famous. It was written in a time period where all things Turkish had been the trend, thus the “Turkish” style march in the third movement of the sonata. The guitarist in question is a man by the name of Luca Stricagnoli. 

The sound of the “march” is imitated from the “the percussive Janissary music of the Turkish military bands,” according to Brittanica.

Luca Stricagnoli

Luca Stricagnoli was born and raised in Italy, as per his bio on his website. He is an acoustic guitarist known for his unique guitar-playing style. He has been featured in many media outlets and has even managed to capture the attention of world-famous artists like “Red Hot Chili Peppers” and “Walk Off The Earth”, who are also known for their innovative playing techniques. Stricagnoli has even invented his very own guitar which he features on the first track of his latest album “What if?”. The track has amassed over 40 million views online. According to his Instagram page, Stricagnoli got married last October to his wife Meg Pfeiffer who is a musician herself. For the album tour, the husband and wife have crossed more than 10 countries on three continents. 

In the video description, Stricagnoli explains that he was reminded of the genius of Mozart after re-watching the 1984 movie “Amadeus”. “When I think of all the wonderful music he composed and how much he did in his short life, I feel so much admiration and respect towards him,” Stricagnoli writes.

“Turkish March” is hard enough to play on the piano. So just imagine the kind of skill you would need to have to play it on an acoustic guitar! But Stricagnoli decided to give it a shot anyway. 

“I don´t normally play pieces belonging to the classical music world but I felt inspired and so I decided to try and arrange his Turkish March (Rondo Alla Turca) using the technique of double-tapping, but on an acoustic guitar. As he had mentioned, Stricagnoli uses a technique called double-tapping to play the accompaniment part of “Turkish March”.

What is double-tapping in guitar playing?

According to guitarlessons.com, double-tapping involves using two hands to perform the hammer-on and pull-off technique to make notes on the guitar. Since Stricagnoli uses both his hands to play the notes of Turkish March on his guitar, there is no strumming.

For this video, Stricagnoli uses the guitar which he invented to play the Mozart classic. You can tell he has practiced this piece a lot and is very talented with the instrument. He does not need to refer to any music scores to play “Turkish March”—he plays it by heart.

It is amazing to watch Stricagnoli work his magic on the strings. He plays each note with such care and passion, you can feel it through your screen. Many agree that Stricagnoli is a master at what he does.

“I've been playing guitar for 20 years and this motivates me... To quit playing and start a new hobby in gardening,” one viewer joked. “I'm sitting here grinning like a fool!” another person wrote.

“That was just outstanding; there are no words to describe the admiration I am feeling for your ability to play that guitar! I am going to drag my guitar outside now and set it on fire!” As of today, January 9th, 2021, Stricagnoli’s video has nearly one million views, but you can expect it to be as successful as his other covers soon.

Going through his YouTube channel, you can see that Stricagnoli often does covers of more modern songs. Some examples include songs by Eminem (his "Lose Yourself" cover has over 7.3 million views currently), Red Hot Chilli Peppers, U2, Michael Jackson, and more. 

What did you think of Luca Stricagnoli’s playing? Has his guitar rendition of this Mozart classic made you a new fan and subscriber? Tell us your thoughts about this video and be sure to show this amazing version of Turkish March to your loved ones!