One-Man "Guitar Orchestra" Plays 'Star Wars' Theme

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In this 2-year-old video, Cooper Carter plays all 31 orchestral parts heard in the original big-screen version of the Star Wars theme song—on guitar.

We're talking about the full orchestra here, including the oboe parts, the flute parts, the violin and viola parts, etc. And don't even get me started on the trombone parts.

"Forty-five tracks, 31 orchestral parts, 12 Star Wars shirts and a whole lotta guitars," Cooper says. "[It's] one giant tribute to the greatest saga of all time."

The iconic piece was, of course, composed by John Williams, and Carter arranged this "guitar orchestra" version himself. YouTube viewers have referred to it as "epic," and the thumbs-up-to-thumbs-down ratio is truly remarkable.

Carter used Fractal Audio's AX8 amp modeler to dial in the many different sounds heard in the clip, which you can check out below.

For more about Cooper, visit coopercarter.com and follow him on YouTube.

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

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.

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