Guitar
Independent · 2007
Ewan Dobson
Guitarist · Composer · Arranger
Biography
Ewan Dobson is a Canadian guitarist, composer, and arranger whose career spans more than 20 years and encompasses classical guitar, progressive fingerstyle, acoustic metal, flatpicking, and original instrumental music. With over 30 years of playing experience, 21 full-length albums and one single to his credit, Dobson has established himself as one of the most stylistically diverse acoustic guitarists of his generation.
A lifelong student of the guitar, Dobson's work bridges the worlds of classical repertoire and contemporary instrumental music. His recordings include acclaimed arrangements of Niccolò Paganini and J.S. Bach for flat-picked steel-string guitar, as well as world-premiere recordings of Paganini's "6 Piccoli Waltz" and previously unrecorded Domenico Scarlatti keyboard sonatas (K. 55 and K. 160) arranged for guitar. At the opposite end of the musical spectrum, he pioneered a style often described as instrumental video game progressive rock, blending virtuosic acoustic guitar with influences from metal, electronic music, and video game soundtracks.
Dobson has toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Japan, and China, performing both as a solo artist and as part of international concert series. He was also the first guitarist ever invited to perform at Gamescom, the world's largest video game convention, reflecting his unique position at the intersection of contemporary instrumental guitar and gaming culture.
His international breakthrough came in 2011 when his composition "Time 2" became a viral internet phenomenon, eventually accumulating more than 34 million YouTube views on its original upload. Reaching the front page of Reddit—widely regarded at the time as "the front page of the internet"—and being featured across prominent web portals including eBaum's World and GeeksAreSexy.net, the massive cross-platform circulation cemented "Time 2" as a defining viral hit and an enduring piece of early YouTube video history. Over the course of his career, Dobson’s total online video catalog surpassed 85 million views before being returned for independent distribution and re-uploaded to his own official channel. “Time 2” reached No. 1 on the iTunes charts in Finland, Germany, and Sweden, while also charting in Austria, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Denmark—an exceptionally rare achievement for an independent instrumental guitarist.
During the viral explosion of Time 2 within the gaming community, legendary professional StarCraft II player Dario "The Little One" (TLO) Wünsch regularly used Time 2—along with numerous other Ewan Dobson recordings—as background music during his live StarCraft II gameplay streams, which were watched by thousands of viewers. TLO enthusiastically described the music as "the shit." As one of the most influential figures in the early StarCraft II esports scene, his endorsement helped introduce Ewan Dobson's music to a large international gaming audience.
This video shows the performance of "Time 2" on Ewan Dobson's official channel, highlighting the precise delay technique and signature performance style that launched his international viral breakthrough.
Dobson has twice been invited by virtuosic guitar icon Marty Friedman—former lead guitarist for Megadeth and Cacophony, current Japanese pop music star, and official Ambassador of Japanese Heritage—to record on his solo albums. Most notably, Dobson performed the acoustic guitar parts on "Horrors" from the 2014 album Inferno, a landmark track written jointly by Friedman and Jason Becker. The recording marked the first collaboration between Friedman and Becker since their legendary era in Cacophony, making it a distinct honor for Dobson to be the guitarist selected to take part in this monumental piece of guitar history. He later returned to record fingerstyle guitar on "The Blackest Rose" from Friedman's 2017 album Wall of Sound.
Throughout his career, Dobson has received numerous awards and endorsements, including winning both the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Championship and the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix, while also placing third at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Winfield, Kansas. He has been endorsed by companies including Ernie Ball, Godin Guitars, L.R. Baggs, Radial Engineering, AER Amps, Jim Dunlop, and Arobas Music (Guitar Pro).
In recognition of his artistic contributions, Dobson's complete body of work (2004–2025)—including recordings, manuscripts, videos, tour documentation, and related archival material—was officially preserved by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick for long-term cultural preservation.
Outside of music, Dobson is also known internationally for his wildlife photography and birding work. He unofficially holds the world record for the greatest number of wild songbird species documented feeding from a human hand, having recorded 28 species, and has been featured in Bird Watcher's Digest as well as major Canadian newspapers.
Today, Ewan Dobson continues to perform, compose, arrange, and record independently while exploring new possibilities for the acoustic guitar across classical, contemporary, progressive, and experimental styles.
Record Label: Independent
Working with Marty Friedman
In 2013, Marty Friedman approached Ewan Dobson and asked if he would like to contribute guitar playing to his upcoming album. The project became Inferno, released in 2014.
Friedman sent sheet music whose origin was initially unknown. At first, the project itself was very hush hush, and it wasn't clear what it would ultimately amount to. The parts were to be played more or less note for note. Friedman also sent a recording of himself playing a line and asked for it to be performed on acoustic guitar. Several other parts were communicated either through sheet music or recordings of Friedman's own playing, which were then transcribed by ear.
Shortly before the album's release, it was revealed that the song "Horrors" would become the first collaboration between Marty Friedman and Jason Becker since their days together in Cacophony.
Having grown up listening to both Friedman and Becker, the opportunity was regarded as a labor of love: a modern-day Cacophony reunion, with acoustic guitar parts written by both musicians performed together in the same song.
🎸 "Horrors" — Ewan Dobson's acoustic guitar parts
- 0:00 – 0:26
- 1:55 – 2:24
- 2:40 – 3:26
Marty Friedman interviews discussing "Horrors"
These interviews feature Marty Friedman discussing "Horrors", his collaboration with Jason Becker, and the acoustic guitar performance on the track.
Wall of Sound — "The Blackest Rose"
Ewan Dobson was also invited back to contribute to Friedman's 2017 album Wall of Sound.
On the song "The Blackest Rose," he performs the fingerstyle acoustic guitar passages accompanying Marty's solo from 2:25 – 2:53.
It was an honour to contribute to both of these albums, and the opportunity remains something he is grateful to Marty Friedman for.
Sponsors & Endorsements
Ernie Ball Everlast Coated Phosphor Bronze or 80/20 Bronze
.013 - .054 and a .068 or .070 when using a 7th string
Godin Extra Hard Tension Nylon Custom Prestige Strings
Jim Dunlop Customized Tortex FLOW .73mm and .88mm guitar picks
L.R. Baggs Pickups — Anthem SL-C / Anthem SL / M1A
Godin Multiac Nylon Grand Concert Models
Arobas Music — Guitar Pro Software
Discography
Ewan Dobson's recordings — with direct links to the available listening and purchasing platforms.
The Red Army Love Potion
Independent · 2008
Healthy Obsession
Independent · 2009
Ewan Dobson I
Independent · 2009 · Re-released 2025
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Ewan Dobson II
Independent · 2010 · Re-released 2025
Ewan Dobson III
Independent · 2012 · Re-released 2025
World Candies
Independent · 2012
Acoustic Metal
Independent · 2013 · Re-released 2025
Acoustic Metal II
Independent · 2014
12 String Guitar
Independent · 2014
Acoustic Metal II – Drums Version
Independent · 2015
Insomnimania
Independent · 2016
The Pit of Despair and the Joy of the Trampoline
Independent · 2016
Signor Paganini and Friends
Independent · 2016
More Paganini and Friends
Independent · 2017
Little Angels
Independent · 2019
Tribunal of Penance
Independent · 2021
Circles of Torment
Independent · 2023
Carotenemia
Independent · 2024
Remixes / Re-Imagined
Independent · 2025
Haunted House Party
Single · Independent · 2025
Time 3 EP & Live EP
Independent · 2025
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