Art of Motion is one of the most-viewed fingerstyle guitar videos ever uploaded to YouTube and remains Andy McKee's signature composition for many listeners. Released on his Candyrat Records debut, the piece is a flowing, melodically rich exploration of DADGAD tuning that balances technical complexity with genuine emotional warmth.
The composition moves through sections of cascading fingerpicked arpeggios, percussive body slaps, and delicate natural harmonics with a naturalness that makes the difficulty easy to underestimate. McKee's use of DADGAD is masterful — he exploits the open strings as ringing drones that support constantly shifting melodic ideas in the upper register.
For intermediate players moving toward advanced repertoire, Art of Motion is an excellent goal piece. Begin by internalizing the tuning itself and spending time simply improvising in DADGAD to develop intuitive finger placement. The main fingerpicking pattern, once memorized, serves as the rhythmic foundation for everything that follows.
The harmonic passages require a light touch and precise left-hand placement. Practice them slowly, ensuring each note rings clearly before increasing speed. The percussive elements — slaps on the guitar body — should feel rhythmically inevitable, not like interruptions to the melody.
Art of Motion rewards patient, musical practice. It is a piece where tone and phrasing matter as much as note accuracy.