About This Piece
Goby is one of Kaki King's best-known pieces — an intense, driving composition from her debut album Everybody Loves You (2003). The piece established her as one of the most technically innovative guitarists of her generation, drawing comparisons to Michael Hedges for its two-hand tapping approach.
Named after the small bottom-dwelling fish, Goby has an undulating, rhythmically relentless quality that mimics something in constant motion.
Technical Overview
- Two-hand tapping in Open G: Both hands tap on the fretboard simultaneously, creating a dense, pianistic texture
- Percussive drive: Regular slap accents on the body provide a beat underneath the melodic tapping
- High-speed coordination: The piece requires both hands to operate independently at considerable speed
Learning Path
Learn the tapping pattern hands-separately first, then slowly combine them. The coordination required is similar to learning a complex piano piece — the mechanical difficulty is high, but once the muscle memory is established, the music flows naturally.