It was 1985 … I was just 15 and I was literally struck by this crazy riff …  “one day I should try it” I promise … well, some time has passed and today, on 2020, my Dream has come true. The unique passion for Mark Knopfler, growing up listening to his pieces, had a big part on my Love for music and guitar… The result you hear here is a combination of work and dedication to learn this song … for me it was a unique technique lesson to understand how such a distorted rhythm can come out using just fingers! I used a customized way to play it, since every one has its peculiarities and for me it is less natural the exact way Mark normally use right hand fingers, it is anyway very similar.

Mark is truly irreproducible, what comes out of his hands I have only heard from Him … I studied hardly the isolated riff before the singing part and I have not heard anyone who takes it exactly as Mark has recorded it in the studio; for example, the second part of the riff has a phrasing and a rhythm different from what it does during the all song and it is not immediate to understand but this makes this riff even more unique. I personally created the TABs to try to follow him faithfully hoping that it will please someone … here the INTRO RIFF:

Guitar TABs& Chords I personally adjust for the song:

For the sound, I love so much the studio version. From WIKIPEDIA we know that “the guitar sound was made with a Gibson Les Paul going through a Laney amplifier, with the sound coloured by the accidental position of two Shure SM57 microphones without any processing during the mix. Following the initial sessions in Montserrat, at which that particular guitar part was recorded, Neil Dorfsman attempted to recreate the sound during subsequent sessions at the Power Station in New York but was unsuccessful”.

Infact even on tour (i.e. On The Night LIVE) the sound is very far from the one on the studio recording I have never heard a sound similar to your original recording and I have been working on it for months to get something closer … the trick I found is using properly a static wha and a special EQ adjustment. I can swear that I still don’t believe my ears when I take the Les Paul and I hear what you listen to in the cover, hearing at full volume from the speakers such sound laid me on the ground. I still have to recover 😉 

I recorded the first part of the cover with just one guitar but with a strong wide effect to simulate two tracks in parallel (check it with phones), while on the second part I used two guitar tracks, so you can hear the differences for your way to play it!

To Mark… since from some time You are using the Kemper Profiler too, if you ever want to try this sound…… and well … who can ever know, if it ever happens, please make sure for me to know it … I would die happier the day it happen !!!!

Thanks Mark for all the emotions you gave me in all of my life 💓

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• Master Audio Track, the Backing Track and my Isolated Guitar Track:

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• GEAR USED

* Gibson Les Paul Standard (Bridge Pickup, Tone to maximum)
* Kemper Amplifier Custom Sound by Maurizio70; EFFECT CHAIN: Noise Suppressor + Compressor + Static Wha + EQ Pre Amp + Marshall Silver Jubilee + EQ Post Stack + Ambience Delay & Reverb for wider sound
RIG available here: Dire Straits – Money For Nothing (Kemper RIG)

Hope you like it! Check the site for other songs and cover!

Maurizio70

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I do not own this song. This cover is simply a tribute to the original owners. ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF “FAIR USE”. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE ONLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED.

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