Marcin wields classical, flamenco, percussion, and two-handed tapping to create jaw-dropping music. Dragon In Harmony is his first full-length album, and it’s a stunner. Combining accessible tunes with guests Delaney Bailey, Tim Henson, and Ichika Nito, Marcin loves the music of Bill Evans, Mozart, and Nirvana, and the result is sublime.
What prepared you for what you’re doing on the guitar?
Classical guitar is the core of all technique. Maybe not the whammy bar (laughs). For right- and left-hand ability it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about independence, synchronization, speed, or proper posture. It all comes from classical guitar. I played classical for eight years and it gave me a base I can always return to. When I was 14, I was inspired by Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Doss. If you have a strong classical background, the tapping and the percussive stuff won’t scare you. The scariest stuff is Bach or Paganini’s “24 Caprices.” When I saw Tommy Emmanuel, Mike Doss, and Andy McKee videos, it never seemed difficult, but I wondered, “How can I do that?” So, I found my own way to do it based on the tools I had. When you have the tools, you stop asking for advice and focus on your strengths. That’s when you get your style.
How difficult is it to maintain your chops?
I’m really green with touring internationally. At first, I thought I would practice everything so hard it would become mechanical with muscle memory. I’d be so ready and so disciplined there was no way anything could go wrong. After the first few shows, I felt I was lacking something. The preparation was not right.
When I played China, Taiwan, and Korea, I prepared my brain more. I had the technique because I was playing all the time. The brain, spirituality, and what you say from your heart is more important. The audience has reactions, so I want to resonate with them. There’s a real conversation I can have. That’s what I’m doing a lot more in terms of practice. I’m maturing as an artist, and hopefully, in the years to come, people will hear that on the records.
How’s the reception to Dragon In Harmony?
It’s been great. This has been a big change for me. Before, I was playing in bits and pieces – a video, a single, or a one-off performance. This is my first album, and I’m happy because I’m meeting people who only knew me from TikTok and Instagram. They’re listening to me on Spotify and buying the vinyl. The audience is treating me like an artist. I was playing pool with my friends when this guy came up and showed me his phone and said, “Man, I listen to Dragon In Harmony daily!” It was the best interaction I ever had.
You have cool guests on the record.
I don’t want people to think of my style as a gimmick, so I put myself in a setting playing with Tim Henson on “Classical Dragon” and Ichika Nito on “I Don’t Write About Girls.” I’m putting myself in a mainstream setting. The sounds that we’re making are accessible. It’s not Ariana Grande, but it’s more-accessible than the other acoustic guys who do percussion and tapping. I’m also spreading out to guitar players. In 2023, Steve Vai invited all these electric players to the Vai Academy, and then there’s Marcin, the black sheep on acoustic (laughs). It’s pretty cool because I’m getting accepted, which is something I’ve always wanted.
Talk about your signature guitar.
It’s called the Ibanez MRC10NT Marcin Patrzalek Signature. It’s one of the proudest moments in my career. Ibanez is my oldest partner – they reached out to me in 2018. I wanted to make a guitar that you could use in any setting. It’s based on the AE900, which they stopped making, so I took that as a prototype and tweaked it. I added a scratch pad, which is unpolished spruce and is like a pickguard but higher on the body. We also re-did the shape and added special bracing and a plate over the sound hole so I could use my wrist as the kick drum. It protects the guitar and makes the sound tighter.
Its action is low, so you can play fast and do two-handed tapping, which I do a lot. The string noise is also minimized. Flamenco guitars have low action, so I wanted that. The body comes from the classical school, where you widen the back near the input jack, making it warmer. The pickup is a Fishman Rare Earth humbucker.
What’s next?
I’ll be touring Europe, then America. I’m also working on a score for a video game. – Oscar Jordan
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
