The four-minute clip “When I Taught Will Smith My Guitar Style” shows Polish fingerstyle prodigy Marcin Patrzałek meeting Will Smith in a Miami rehearsal room on the eve of performing their new single “First Love,” Smith’s Valentine’s-Day collaboration with Spanish flamenco-pop star India Martínez.
Marcin keeps a thumping bassline with his thumb, adds snare-like golpes on the guitar top and sprinkles two-hand tapping melodies, while the actor marvels at the “movie-set multitasking” needed to make it look effortless. Smith gamely tries the pattern, laughs at his own struggle and finally locks into a groove with Marcin, wrapping the rehearsal in good-natured awe that previews the texture underpinning their forthcoming live show and single.
The informal lesson doubles as context for Smith’s musical comeback: “First Love,” released 14 Feb 2025, blends Martínez’s flamenco inflections, Smith’s rap verses and Marcin’s orchestral-solo guitar to create a trilingual romance anthem.
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Just days later the trio debuted the track at Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro, where a playful near-kiss between Smith and Martínez made celebrity headlines and underlined the chemistry hinted at in the rehearsal video.
Guitar-world coverage emphasizes how Marcin’s breakdown of golpes, open tunings and layered tapping parallels Smith’s acting advice about knowing lines so well you can forget them, while noting that the Polish guitarist is credited on track 9 of Smith’s forthcoming album Based on a True Story—turning a viral jam session into a strategic teaser for the actor-rapper’s wider musical return.
Sometimes a performance comes along that is like nothing else you’ve ever seen, we guarantee this “Fly Me To The Moon” guitar arrangement is sure to impress! Taking one of the crooner classics and turning it into a guitar masterpiece is quite a tough job, but Marcin makes it look easy. His fingerstyle/finger tapping display makes sure all the notes are there whilst simultaneously keeping a steady beat.
Marcin Patrzalek is a Polish professional guitarist. He started to play classical guitar at the early age of 10. Now, as a young adult, he has developed into an accomplished composer & musician.
When only fourteen years old in 2015 he won ‘Must Be The Music Poland’ (ninth edition). A great achievement as he’s the first and currently only solo guitarist to win such a prestigious talent competition/show. Marcin also appeared on Americas Got Talent in 2019:
He studied classical guitar under the professional guidance of Jerzy Pikor, his teacher. Adding additional styles and techniques to his performances he learned flamenco techniques through a Spanish guitar teacher called Carlos Pinana.
After studying a few different styles and techniques he landed on his preferred style. Acoustic fingerpicking. Marcin didn’t stop there though. He started producing using his computer and combining his tech production with his acoustic guitar style. He recorded his own debut record called “HUSH”.
In 2018 Ibanez, a large world-famous guitar manufacturer from Japan asked Marcin to become one of their official endorsers for the brand. They provided him with guitars: AE900-NT and AVD80-NT models which he plays beautifully.
In 2016 he released an Album (LP) called “HUSH”. Distributed by a Polish record label “My Music” the album was released on October the 7th 2016. It featured different styles of music including 6 original tracks, 2 electronic remixes, and 2 instrumentals. Below is Marcin performing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
In the same year of his LP release, he won the International Classical Guitar Joaquin Rodrigo Competition and was a finalist in the International Fingerstyle Competition Guitar Masters.
Below is another brilliant guitar cover, this time of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You”. Marcin creates the melody and the beat brilliantly using just one guitar!
Quite a talent. If you want to see more from this awesome musician subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Facebook.