Toronto's Mike Nagoda, who was born with cerebral palsy, tried for years to play guitar the standard way, but he simply couldn't; the nerves in his hands would continually seize up.
As a result, Nagoda started playing guitar by resting it on his lap, tuning it to open E and grabbing a slide. However, he soon considered that setup limiting since his open tunings allowed him to play in only major or minor keys and not both—or beyond.
"I had all these sounds in my head, but I just couldn't get them out," Nagoda says in the 2014 "Introducing Mike Nagoda" video below (bottom clip).
Finally, Nagoda stumbled upon Brian Cober, a respected double-slide guitarist, and that pretty much changed his world forever.
"It blew my mind," Nagoda says. "You hear stories of people when they saw [Jimi] Hendrix at Woodstock, and it was completely revolutionary for the guitar. That's what it was like for me because I'd never seen anybody play with two slides before."
Nagoda, whose friend designed and built his special slides, can now play any chord he wants in any key he wants.
Below, check out a video Nagoda posted to his Facebook page July 10 (top clip). He's playing "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat," a sneaky blues/jazz number from Disney's The AristoCats (1970).
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
"[I] love The AristoCats," Nagoda wrote in his July 10 Facebook post. "I would watch the scene with Scat Cat over and over as kid, and it was probably my first exposure to jazz. And yes, Scat Cat is the boss!"
Nagoda released an album, Parliament, last year via Ropeadope Records. You can sample and/or order it here. As a bonus, the album features double-slide guitar work by Cober (and Nagoda, of course). Enjoy!
Everybody Wants To Be A (Jazz) Cat! Love the Aristocats, would watch the scene with Scat Cat over and over as kid, and it was probably my first exposure to jazz! And yes, Scat Cat is the boss!! #jotw #jazzdoubleslide #scatcatisfreakingamazing
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
