He makes about $4 a day singing on the streets for whatever change is thrown at him. His guitar is cobbled together from an old stick, a paint can and old guitar strings.became an internet sensation in December with a video uploaded by a potato chip company in his home country of Liberia.
Somebody with a cell phone camera approached Weesay on the street and asked him to make up a jingle for O! Chips potato chips. Weesay picked up his three-string "can guitar" and proceeded to rock out. The result was a two-and-a-half-minute video that was viewed by millions.
Before you watch the video and then drift off to the next viral thing, note a few things about Weesay’s guitar and technique:
01. His frets are made from bike spokes or coat hangers and are apparently moveable; yet he has a mastery of intonation. This instrument should be completely out of tune…but it’s not! Weesay plays it like a boss.
02. Being a fan of reggae music, Weesay has the frets set up mainly for I, IV, V chords and tunes his strings to a root, third and fifth for a major chord. This allows him the ability to play common reggae rhythms.
03. Note the stick plectrum, similar to a “risha” pick used by Mid-Eastern oud players. He uses downstrokes for almost all picking.
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