Guitar
Independent · 2007
Ewan Dobson
Guitarist · Composer · Arranger
Biography
Ewan Dobson was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He 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 and the cultural significance of his work, Dobson's complete body of work spanning 2004–2025, including his complete recordings, sheet music and manuscripts, videos, tour documentation, and related archival materials, 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. His hand-feeding work has resulted in a possible unofficial world record for the greatest number of wild songbird species documented feeding from a human hand, with 28 species recorded, and he has been featured in Bird Watcher's Digest as well as major Canadian newspapers.
His music became part of early online culture, spreading through gaming, tech, and internet communities. Today, Ewan Dobson continues to perform, compose, arrange, and record independently, bringing the music an entire generation remembers from the golden age of YouTube into a continuing exploration of new possibilities for the acoustic guitar across classical, acoustic metal, fingerstyle, and experimental styles.
Record Label: Independent
Hand-Feeding Wild Birds
Outside of music, Ewan Dobson has also developed a unique connection with wild songbirds through the practice of hand-feeding. His work has resulted in a possible unofficial world record for the greatest number of species of songbird to land on and/or feed from a human hand, with 28 species documented.
Professor David Bird, Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, referred Ewan to Bird Watcher's Digest after learning about his experiences with hand-feeding wild birds. Professor Bird believed the achievement could potentially represent a world record.
Ewan was subsequently featured in an extended article with numerous photographs in the September/October 2023 issue of Bird Watcher's Digest, documenting his remarkable experiences with wild songbirds and the unusual relationship he has developed with them.
Ewan has also appeared twice on the front page of The Daily Gleaner, the principal daily newspaper serving Fredericton, New Brunswick, in recognition of his birding accomplishments and footage documenting his interactions with wild birds.
One of the most extraordinary relationships Ewan developed was with a Hairy Woodpecker that became known as Mr. Hairy Woodpecker. Their friendship lasted nearly eight years. Over time, Mr. Hairy became comfortable enough to fly directly into Ewan's kitchen through an open window to be hand-fed.
The relationship continued for many years, and Mr. Hairy eventually began bringing his offspring to the same window to be fed. Ewan has also experienced rare encounters involving Downy Woodpeckers flying into his kitchen. What began as individual encounters with wild birds developed into remarkable and enduring relationships between Ewan and multiple generations of birds.
In addition to rare occurrences such as Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers flying into his kitchen, Ewan has captured rare footage and intimate moments of gently interacting with some of the most beautiful and gentle backyard birds, including Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, and Evening Grosbeaks.
Ewan's video documentation has also captured a number of exceptionally unusual hand-feeding encounters. His YouTube footage is believed to include the first known or available footage on the internet of an Evening Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and Yellow-rumped Warbler feeding directly from a human hand, among other instances of previously undocumented or extremely rare hand-feeding footage.
The first species Ewan hand-fed was a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird on June 4, 2018. The most recent new species was a Gray Jay, hand-fed on November 2, 2023. As of September 12, 2026, no new species have been hand-fed and the documented total remains at 28 species. New footage continues to be recorded when the seasons and the right moments present themselves.
28 Species Hand-Fed
The documented progression of species is:
- Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
- Black-Capped Chickadee
- Red-Breasted Nuthatch
- Blue Jay
- American Goldfinch
- Evening Grosbeak
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Common Redpoll
- Pine Grosbeak
- White-Breasted Nuthatch
- Purple Finch
- Pine Warbler
- Scarlet Tanager
- Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
- Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
- Common Grackle
- Dark-Eyed Junco
- European Starling
- Chipping Sparrow
- Yellow-Rumped Warbler
- Brown-Headed Cowbird
- House Wren
- Red Bellied Woodpecker
- Northern Cardinal
- Rock Dove
- Gray Jay
The House Wren was a unique exception: although it did not technically feed because House Wrens primarily eat insects and spiders, it nevertheless landed on Ewan's hand and investigated the food being offered. The rarity of the bird landing and interacting in this way made the encounter significant in its own right.
The original total of 29 species was subsequently reduced to 28 species after an immature Chipping Sparrow was determined to have been previously misidentified as a Song Sparrow.
Through years of patient interaction, observation, wildlife photography, and filming, Ewan has documented an unusual level of trust between wild songbirds and a human, creating a substantial visual record of these encounters.
Hand Feeding Birds YouTube Channel
Follow Ewan Dobson's hand-feeding bird channel for footage featuring wild songbirds landing on and feeding from his hand, including a number of rare and remarkable hand-feeding encounters captured on video.
.svg){kind=icon}
Watch on YouTube
Wild Birds I've Known
Ewan Dobson's PDF book documents his experiences hand-feeding wild birds, beginning in 2018 and exploring the individual birds, species, observations, and techniques discovered along the way.
The book is available as a downloadable PDF through Payhip.
Read the PDF Book
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 recordings of himself playing musical lines and asked for them to be performed on acoustic guitar. Several other parts were communicated through sheet music or recordings of Friedman's own playing, which Ewan transcribed by ear.
One of the pieces of sheet music Marty sent to Ewan was the exact musical passage shown being composed by Jason Becker in the 2012 documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. In the documentary, Jason is shown composing the music through his eye-controlled communication system, with his father assisting him as Jason communicates his musical intentions. The process includes playing the music back to Jason and making adjustments based on his feedback.
At the time Ewan was learning the sheet music, he did not know that the material was Jason Becker's, although it sounded familiar to him. He simply received the part from Marty and learned it as instructed, unaware of its origin.
Other parts came from Marty Friedman himself. Marty sent Ewan recordings of musical lines, which Ewan transcribed by ear and performed on acoustic guitar alongside the Becker material. This formed part of the musical meeting at the heart of "Horrors": material from Jason and Marty being brought together again, with Ewan performing the acoustic guitar parts.
There were also other pieces of material originating from both musicians. One was an early Jason Becker demo containing the introduction to an unfinished song, which became part of the musical material used for "Horrors". Other sections came from Marty, including his specific direction for Ewan to arpeggiate chord progressions in a particular way.
Shortly before the album's release, it was revealed that the song "Horrors" would become the first musical collaboration between Marty Friedman and Jason Becker since their days together in Cacophony.
Having grown up listening to both Friedman and Becker, Ewan regarded the opportunity as a labor of love: a modern-day Cacophony reunion, with musical parts from both musicians brought together in the same song and performed on acoustic guitar by Ewan.
In retrospect, the significance of the recording is particularly striking: Ewan had unknowingly been given by Marty the exact Jason Becker passage he had previously seen Jason composing in the documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, without knowing at the time that the sheet music Marty sent him was the same musical material. He would ultimately perform that material alongside musical material supplied by Marty, helping bring the two musicians together again in the same recording after Cacophony.
🎸 "Horrors" — Ewan Dobson's acoustic guitar parts
- 0:00 – 0:26 – Jason Becker's early demo material forming the introduction, with Ewan's arpeggiating and additional guitar parts layered into the arrangement.
- 1:55 – 2:24 – The Jason Becker passage shown being composed in Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet begins, followed by Marty Friedman's musical part coming in alongside it.
- 2:40 – 3:26 – Explicitly picked and arpeggiated guitar lines performed according to Marty Friedman's specific instructions.
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
Radial Engineering PZ-Pre Acoustic Preamp
Godin Multiac Nylon Grand Concert Models
Arobas Music — Guitar Pro Software
AER Domino 3
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
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
Follow Ewan