You really don't notice how much of genius Elliott was until you try to play his songs. He was a one-of-a-kind talent. Great video! Also: Despite what you say in your description, your English isn't that bad at all. I understood you perfectly
His song writing is truly amazing, I looked past it until I did a deep dive and tried to learn his songs on guitar. That’s not even touching on his vocal melodies and what not.
These tips are all spot on. To add to the third one where you mention him "hammering" the strings w/ the right hand, a lot of the time ES played with his right hand quite close to the neck of the guitar, either right over the soundhole or even sometimes over the neck and fretboard itself. You get a much, much warmer tone playing from that area, and it makes the "hammering" require way less energy from the hand since you're moving the string less distance.
Subscribed - if you like Elliott, I like you! It's funny how the thumb and index finger strumming is such a key to his style, it took me years of casually tooling with his songs to naturally figure that part out. He was a beautiful man.
Thank you for showcasing Elliott Smith and keeping his legacy alive, he is truly missed in my eye as I feel he had many more songs that disappeared with his passing
Nice video, my strumming hand is most of my problems when I try to cover him… I’m going work on these( luckily my friend taught me to play the g chord like that first for a easy transition) it’s weird for me to play it with my index at all now😂had to learn the traditional way to play a blind melon song and it fkd me up for a minute 😂
He uses thumb/index strumming along with Travis. First bass is pick and second strum (Memory Lane, Angeles). Index sometimes strum too (in live recordings).
I didn't quite understand the technique of the right hand hammer ons, as you called them. I can hear what you mean but it would be great to slow it down as part of a demonstration. Thanks !
I need clementine. I have watched tutorial videos, but I can't figure out the strum picking used in the song. Can you guide step by step how to do that and put me out of misery. Thank you
There’s a video of Elliott playing clementine live on some morning show that has a little of camera angles on the guitar that helped me learn it you should check it out it really did help
One advantage of the way he played (open position) G chords is that it makes transitions & chords possible that wouldn’t be otherwise. I actually didn’t even know that he usually played G that way, but I still stumbled upon that shape/fingering for it, because in Say Yes, there’s one verse (or bridge or whatever you’d consider it since it breaks from the pattern of the other verses) in the latter half of the song where he starts playing this transition from G major (3-2-0-0-0-3) to (3-2-1-0-0-3)… Which, best I can figure, you’d call D#maj7#5/G? Whatever it’s called, it’s a lovely transition- in the context of the song it sounds awesome… But if you were playing G the way it’s traditionally fingered, it would be impossible- you have to play it, at least for that verse, in the way you identified in this video, so that you have your first finger available to lay down on that first fret. So this transition goes from impossible to play in the other fingering to trivially easy… I’ve never tried playing the G that way on the earlier verses, because the way I like to play the first descending part of the chord progression- what sounds best of the possibilities I’ve tried- is (3-2-0-0-3-3), (2-0-0-0-3-2), (0-2-2-0-0-0), etc., so that first transition feels natural & comfortable to me from a normal G fingering. But perhaps he played a different second chord which would seem more natural if I was coming from his idiosyncratic G fingering on those verses too. At any rate, he was certainly a brilliant guitarist & composer- songs like Son of Sam & Tomorrow, Tomorrow still utterly blow me away, & even as, by now, a quite experienced guitarist, I still find them challenging to learn. If only the man had lived another 20, 30, 40 years, I can only imagine what else he would’ve brought into the world, but I’m grateful for what he did.
Also take another stab at son of Sam. The only really hard part is the intro and outro but just listen to the acoustic version a lot while you’re watching a tutorial. You’ll sound it out eventually if you learned Say Yes.
The chord on the second bridge of Say Yes is called G+ or G augmented. 1-3-#5. Your guess wasn’t too far off, as augmented chords are symmetrical (ie G+=B+=D+).
Good stuff, you really nail his style, tusen tack! He was a magician/genius, there are so many tricks in his guitar style, e.g. playing a few strings (half-chords), stepping from one chord to another, hybrid picking-strumming (e.g. Condor Ave, Angeles) etc. Just recently this video was uploaded with the perfect angle to his playing: ua-cam.com/video/Z422CfUOqMQ/v-deo.html
Thank you! Gibson Sheryl Crow Signature. I've been playing that one for years now. I had to remove and replace the fretboards earlier this year cause they were almost gone. BUT I still have a lot of trouble with it getting out of tune. I dont know whats wrong!
@@musicswede1 man, I was all about getting a J45 but then started leaning towards a fuller louder sounding hummingbird, then realized your SC signature is a hummingbird just coolest looking! gotta get my hands on one as my main guit. still having trouble keeping it in tune?
I don't know how you play memory lane, but that song is not ergonomic. Maybe I'm playing it too much by ear but the start has a stretch that most people can't do.
Awesome work. I'm a huge Elliott Smith fan, he's the reason I'm a musician, his playing is complex and emotionally captivating with a simplicity to it that I just love. I'd love to have some of his guitar abilities in my playing, but if I had any suggestions for any other musicians starting out, I would be finding your own way. Nothing will be easier than just playing like yourself. Elliott Smith didn't have anyone else that he was copying and he found his own and I think that's the best way to go about it. That is the most rewarding and you can really trust it when you're being yourself. Eveyone has something special inside of them, it's up to you to bring a new hint of music into the world. It's going to be beautiful and full of love, I know you can do it.
I think that’s so true. If you have seen / find the video ‘Elliott smith gives a songwriting lesson’ (something like that) he says if you like what you’re playing there must be something good about it. That is to say, trust your own musical instincts, rather than trying to sound like someone else. I think there is wisdom in that.
Its all about the thumb and pointer with Elliott haha
You really don't notice how much of genius Elliott was until you try to play his songs. He was a one-of-a-kind talent. Great video!
Also: Despite what you say in your description, your English isn't that bad at all. I understood you perfectly
His song writing is truly amazing, I looked past it until I did a deep dive and tried to learn his songs on guitar. That’s not even touching on his vocal melodies and what not.
That's true. Which is why a "one weird trick" video about how to be like Elliot Smith is r e t a a h d e d.
These tips are all spot on. To add to the third one where you mention him "hammering" the strings w/ the right hand, a lot of the time ES played with his right hand quite close to the neck of the guitar, either right over the soundhole or even sometimes over the neck and fretboard itself. You get a much, much warmer tone playing from that area, and it makes the "hammering" require way less energy from the hand since you're moving the string less distance.
This is a very good point and I didn’t really notice this till you pointed it out, thanks!
Great, concise lesson. Thanks
Great lesson - THANKS!!
I'm loving these insights!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Subscribed - if you like Elliott, I like you! It's funny how the thumb and index finger strumming is such a key to his style, it took me years of casually tooling with his songs to naturally figure that part out. He was a beautiful man.
This is a brilliant video! Thanks for uploading, helped me quite a bit :)
Beautiful guitar.
Thank you for showcasing Elliott Smith and keeping his legacy alive, he is truly missed in my eye as I feel he had many more songs that disappeared with his passing
Your English is great, and I appreciate the straightforward nature of this video.
Damn, you've got some really good right hand stuff here.
Thanks for sharing! Would like to see you play some Smith covers.
This is awesome. Also your English is great!
Your English is great! great video :)
As a old Elliot Smith fan, I thank you!
*Elliott, not a big deal but thought I should just make the correction.
@@sonicdiablo8968thank you isaac
Wow- great stuff, man. Thanks- very perceptive! Don't apologise for your English either- it's great!
Nice video, my strumming hand is most of my problems when I try to cover him… I’m going work on these( luckily my friend taught me to play the g chord like that first for a easy transition) it’s weird for me to play it with my index at all now😂had to learn the traditional way to play a blind melon song and it fkd me up for a minute 😂
He uses thumb/index strumming along with Travis. First bass is pick and second strum (Memory Lane, Angeles). Index sometimes strum too (in live recordings).
I started using my finger as a pick just for the better control it gives me
Thanks for the video! I just started getting into Elliott’s music.if you have time, a video for stupidity tries would be awesome
Your English is just fine, my friend.
Playing an open G major without your index finger makes it easier to transition to a G7 too
I didn't quite understand the technique of the right hand hammer ons, as you called them. I can hear what you mean but it would be great to slow it down as part of a demonstration. Thanks !
You can slow down the video to see better what he does
U hit it harder
I need clementine. I have watched tutorial videos, but I can't figure out the strum picking used in the song. Can you guide step by step how to do that and put me out of misery. Thank you
There’s a video of Elliott playing clementine live on some morning show that has a little of camera angles on the guitar that helped me learn it you should check it out it really did help
One advantage of the way he played (open position) G chords is that it makes transitions & chords possible that wouldn’t be otherwise. I actually didn’t even know that he usually played G that way, but I still stumbled upon that shape/fingering for it, because in Say Yes, there’s one verse (or bridge or whatever you’d consider it since it breaks from the pattern of the other verses) in the latter half of the song where he starts playing this transition from G major (3-2-0-0-0-3) to (3-2-1-0-0-3)… Which, best I can figure, you’d call D#maj7#5/G? Whatever it’s called, it’s a lovely transition- in the context of the song it sounds awesome… But if you were playing G the way it’s traditionally fingered, it would be impossible- you have to play it, at least for that verse, in the way you identified in this video, so that you have your first finger available to lay down on that first fret. So this transition goes from impossible to play in the other fingering to trivially easy… I’ve never tried playing the G that way on the earlier verses, because the way I like to play the first descending part of the chord progression- what sounds best of the possibilities I’ve tried- is (3-2-0-0-3-3), (2-0-0-0-3-2), (0-2-2-0-0-0), etc., so that first transition feels natural & comfortable to me from a normal G fingering. But perhaps he played a different second chord which would seem more natural if I was coming from his idiosyncratic G fingering on those verses too.
At any rate, he was certainly a brilliant guitarist & composer- songs like Son of Sam & Tomorrow, Tomorrow still utterly blow me away, & even as, by now, a quite experienced guitarist, I still find them challenging to learn. If only the man had lived another 20, 30, 40 years, I can only imagine what else he would’ve brought into the world, but I’m grateful for what he did.
I always played the first chord after G in the bridge in Say Yes as x01003 so I never had a problem playing the regular G shape.
Also take another stab at son of Sam. The only really hard part is the intro and outro but just listen to the acoustic version a lot while you’re watching a tutorial. You’ll sound it out eventually if you learned Say Yes.
The chord on the second bridge of Say Yes is called G+ or G augmented. 1-3-#5. Your guess wasn’t too far off, as augmented chords are symmetrical (ie G+=B+=D+).
Which Gibson are you playing? Beautiful looking!
Gibson Sheryl Crow signature!
Good stuff, you really nail his style, tusen tack! He was a magician/genius, there are so many tricks in his guitar style, e.g. playing a few strings (half-chords), stepping from one chord to another, hybrid picking-strumming (e.g. Condor Ave, Angeles) etc. Just recently this video was uploaded with the perfect angle to his playing:
ua-cam.com/video/Z422CfUOqMQ/v-deo.html
Oh I will check it out. Tack for your comment! :)
Hej! Går det att ta lektioner av dig? Bor i Sthlm.
Det går! Mejla mig: radioponti@gmail.com
Nice one brother. What Gibson model is this one?
Thank you! Gibson Sheryl Crow Signature. I've been playing that one for years now. I had to remove and replace the fretboards earlier this year cause they were almost gone. BUT I still have a lot of trouble with it getting out of tune. I dont know whats wrong!
@@musicswede1 it looks and sounds really great. I like that it’s different from the gibsons we usually see. You mean frets?!
@@cozxmos haha yeah sorry. i mean frets!
@@musicswede1 man, I was all about getting a J45 but then started leaning towards a fuller louder sounding hummingbird, then realized your SC signature is a hummingbird just coolest looking! gotta get my hands on one as my main guit.
still having trouble keeping it in tune?
You look kinda like a european Marshall Vore
4:32 Did you try to play and sing "Brain damage"? I almost hear words :)
I don't know how you play memory lane, but that song is not ergonomic. Maybe I'm playing it too much by ear but the start has a stretch that most people can't do.
Awesome work. I'm a huge Elliott Smith fan, he's the reason I'm a musician, his playing is complex and emotionally captivating with a simplicity to it that I just love. I'd love to have some of his guitar abilities in my playing, but if I had any suggestions for any other musicians starting out, I would be finding your own way. Nothing will be easier than just playing like yourself. Elliott Smith didn't have anyone else that he was copying and he found his own and I think that's the best way to go about it. That is the most rewarding and you can really trust it when you're being yourself. Eveyone has something special inside of them, it's up to you to bring a new hint of music into the world. It's going to be beautiful and full of love, I know you can do it.
I think that’s so true. If you have seen / find the video ‘Elliott smith gives a songwriting lesson’ (something like that) he says if you like what you’re playing there must be something good about it. That is to say, trust your own musical instincts, rather than trying to sound like someone else. I think there is wisdom in that.