His speaking voice has a Mr. Rogers quality to it. So gentle and unassuming. Draws you in and disarms any instinct to deflect or misunderstand. I don’t get any bit of arrogance or posturing one might expect from a brilliant and successful musician.
@UCAtlpMBsi4oZMeNAJ8iH6AA Wouldn’t that be a treat! Just imagine an hour of him candidly discussing his approach towards writing lyrics and how when combined just so with the right melody they invoke feelings and meaning somehow deeper than the sum of their parts. It’s a strange haunting magic thats woven throughout his song.
No not a D9 it's from son of sam, I'm working on it, he often used open strings in chords that ring beautifully. I do the same thing, who gives a shit what it's called, getting too technical destroys the creative process that's why he didn't care what it's called. Iit's how it sounds that is important and that's how you find those chords by just goofing around and experimenting
Michael Ferenczy He said it was a D7 chord with an "e" in it. What is that? It's called a "D9." If it's a D chord with a 9 but no 7, it's called a "D add9." Unlike you, I know what the hell I'm talking about.
Getting technical definitely does not destroy the creative process. That's just a silly attempt at rationalizing not learning theory. Understanding the voicing of chords allows for more comfortable improvisation and variations.
I can't be 4K while being 1080p, it's like saying it's 360p 2K, which doesnt makes any sense. Maybe you meant something along "Advice Quality : 4K 80Mbps 60fps"
That’s how he talked. What none of these videos captures is what a consummate goofball he was. He was HILARIOUS, at times. I think he’d be super bummed to know people think of him as a super depressed dude.
Yes, most are actually easy to play as one-off chords, the trick is playing all in succession and in rhythm ON top of singing a melody which isn't always the same as the rhythm. It's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
David Cassette, I still would listen, but it will just be annoying if he went all mainstream. When it comes to music, I like it to be only heard of by people who are at least somewhat open to independent music.
+Daniel Plainview Maybe if you just wait to your death then you can reincarnate into Elliott Smith. Until that point, you can do some stuff like eating some sunflower seeds, sleeping, going to buy bread or whatever. It can take a little while.
@@eastwoofer Art is meant to be authentic and different, its meant to open horizons. Educate yourself and listen to some Velvet Underground, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr and Pavement. Ok we get it you listen to commercial music only.
He had the best thing going for writing I reckon. He maybe learned a load of theory as a kid, then forgot most of it cognitively, but played enough so his fingers still knew the theory, then could just relax and turn his brain off while he doodled till the good stuff happened. Pure instinct at that point - loose and playful without having to worry. The words and soul of it can’t be taught or practiced though, he was just that guy. Holy shit he wrote some beautiful beautiful songs. Hard to accept that he’s not here, his music’s been a constant friend in my life.
I was at a masterclass a while ago and the conductor stressed this concept that playing/composing/improvising "by instinct" is only so much effective, because instinct takes you only along paths you traced, e.g. by studying theory or digesting and analyzing diverse music. Whether Elliott Smith knew what he was doing when writing or not, for sure there must have been some valuable input
Nothing random about it. He's put in his 10,000 hours, so to speak. And he knows well how the chords work together, even if he can't identify every one harmonically down to the note.
@@WinstonElena Kurt had such an ear for melodies; all Nirvana songs have amazing melodic hooks, is uncanny. I agree that Kurt is nowhere near as skillfull as Elliott, but I think they were both amazing and skilled in their own way
I love how much his blunt honesty, modesty and humility make for some awkward interviews. Like basically every single one I've seen. He doesn't get this inflated ego that wants to talk about itself, he just answers the question to the best of his ability and sometimes it's not very informative since we can't experience what went on in his head
“ I think it’s easy if you just relax and stop thinking about what people want to hear.” This one hit me hard. I find myself thinking about people listening to my music as I write it and because of that I take way less risks and Probably makes it less emotional
After watching this video, I opened my project in Fruityloops that's been sitting there for weeks and weeks unfinished and causing me stress everytime I've tried to complete it. I just let everything I had flow out of my head, and within an hour it was done. It's a song I made for my girlfriend's birthday and she loves it. Thanks Elliott :)
patrick i know right, im starting to realize all his songs are so much more intricate than they sound because of how nicely his transitions flow together
...plays epic example of a song and ends with: "but, its an electric guitar song" as if to somehow be meek about it. I love him and I miss him. I wish he was still around to continue making such beautifully orchestrated music. RIP, Elliott. Im sure they've got a guitar or two up there for you. I cant wait to get there and see what you've come up with.
I think the lesson to be learned from this video is that Elliott Smith never really knew why he was so unbelievably amazing at writing songs theres just.. uhh.. some.. stuff and chords he likes and.. uhh.. he is imaginative.. and uh.. he likes music. haha. theres no explaining his genius.
GuitarParts101 Not only did he not know why, I don't think he ever even realized that he was so brilliant in the first place. It's heartbreaking but beautiful as well.
honeypot because they are so similar, they are both such interesting beings and it was truly difficult to understand either of them but some how you still do.
"If you like it there must be sth good about it because you like it. There are some records that sells millions of copies, and it's really unclear if anybody liked it ."
I never realize how important his"attack" on the guitar was. He has been utterly unique strumming approach and feel. As much as the chordal imagination, I've got that from the video.
Agreed! His left hand (i.e. his chord changes) is what he's known for but his articulation with his right hand was super loose yet incredibly intricate and precise. Very very hard to replicate, and so important to his sound
He is brutally honest about everything. Elliott's music touches my soul everytime. dear ambitious guitarist, this is for your emotional part of writing music. forget the skills and techniques sometimes. the sense matters more.
I love him... "This is kindof like a d7 but it has an e in it, i dont really know what it is, but i like it!" Hes such a natural, and so humble.we all miss you elliot
Some people feel that being a "great" guitarist involves amazing technical skill, and it can mean that. I personally think it involves doing what's best for the song and coming up with a great part, whether that is simple or complicated. Elliot was great because he knew how to use the guitar to serve the song and not for its own sake.
I agree. Sometimes a really good musician is one with the music theory knowledge and technical skill of someone like pat metheny, but it doesn't have to be that... Music should just be honest, and it should convey something. Whether you convey it through poetic lyrics or complex harmony or weird time signatures doesn't really matter, as long as it successfully conveys what you are trying to put out there.
Jake Khawaja I've been looking for rules regarding how one person gets to turn out great work and others don't for 40 years and the only rule I can find is that there are no rules.
'It would be a drag to have to do battle with conventions the whole time'... Elliot even speaks in poetry. Peace be Upon Him. Thank you Elliot Smith...
Wow, this is SO inspiring .. I was feeling down and this has cheered me up no end; made my day .. thanks a million zillion Elliott .. and thank you SO MUCH NICKYtheCROW for sharing .. tears of bittersweet joy streaming down my face (rest in peace my friend) ...
"Although most of those are normal chords, this one is like some sort of like, some sort of D7 or something. But it has an E in it. I dont know what it's actually called. But I like it." Hahaha that part made me laugh for some reason. Oh Elliott. Totally sick what he does with the inherent melodies within chords though. Makes even the full band songs sound really good on an acoustic.
I had the good fortune to meet Elliott a few times and he was a kind, gentle soul, as well as one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. It's so wild to hear how incredibly fantastic and unique the tone and technique of his acoustic guitar sounds with seemingly no effort.
This is the most uplifting thing I've heard in the past year. I've been struggling with song writing and he gave me the most genuine advice I've been needing to hear.
He describes his secret sauce if you listen carefully: he talks about how he thinks of shapes when writing songs, and then says that it's interesting but hard to talk about. To me, what he reveals is that there is something totally unique and different and indescribable going on in his head, as all of us already know, he is a songwriting savant with a true gift and a mind that works in a peculiar way to produce something sublime
i suspect that the shapes presented themselves as a visceral feeling to him, not necessarily something he could see in his head. it's exciting to think about.
There are a lot of singer-songwriters out there... Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, there was Nick Drake and a lot more. What makes Elliott stand out of that crowd is his true originality. Maybe he was not a highly educated musician, but he had the outstanding talent to turn his sentiments directly into bare naked music like no one else. That's something you can never learn at music school... and it's nothing that the dollar can buy. He was and is an artist - someone who created art!
Elliott is up there with Lennon, McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and they are all in a league way beyond Ed Sheeran and John Mayer
The advice at the end is really simple but I needed to hear it. I’ve been getting better at guitar and making my own little tunes, but recently I’ve been comparing myself to other guitarists/songwriters I see online and being unhappy since I can’t do what they do. I really want to write songs but right now the lyrics just aren’t coming naturally and it all feels very forced. I just need to keep doing what I enjoy doing and eventually the songwriting will come naturally. I am still so early in my guitar journey relatively
Elliot explaining a chord he just played by saying, "I don't know what it's really called. But I like it." This sums up why he was such a great musician. A true artist. He didn't get bogged down by the formality or über-professionalism of it all. He just played what he thought sounded good. Most musicians are missing that today. Too many rely on whole teams of people to produce a "product," to or build a brand. That isn't art; at least not in any true sense of the word. Aesthetics mean something.
Exactly and that’s why these new artists like Doja Cat, BTS, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran now etc. their music lacks sincerity and authenticity and is dullness painted with recycled production gimmicks. Travis Scott uses about 30 co-writers per song, that’s not an artist that’s a product. A real songwriter and musician can sit down and write and produce a song by themselves like Elliott did, they need to go back to the basics and stop favouring image and ‘brands’ over good music.
@@j.c985 that’s not really fair, the music scene is much more competitive than it used to be, making a living out of it and actually being creative and true to ur own creativity are pretty mutually exclusive at this point, sadly also obligatory elliot was a genius
Leigh Boland You have a point, as a literalist, but you don't need to push it. His music IS filled with depth, just like one can be filled with emptiness...And that's why his music is so deep-because for me personally, Elliott's music fills my emptiness...
I’ve always sat and made random chord shapes while bored watching 📺 but I never took them serious enough to write down or record 😩. This man embodied the spirit of “rolling with it” in music while the rest of us followed formulas based in obviousness.
Not a lot of technical advice, but great foundational advice. Write things you like. Find joy in the journey. If you like what you wrote, it will show up in your performance.
this is literally how i play and write and ive been having a hard time coming to terms with productions but this is really inspiring me to be true to my creative vision relaxing
He was an intuitive creator. He didn't have the technical terms to express some of the things he was talking about, but he "knew." I think the most important part was where he talked about being 'relaxed' and to not think about what other people would like, and instead, write what you like. Oh, and just letting your hands and mind 'wander' while u play things is, for me, a sure fire way to get the fire started.
As a songwriter myself I found this to be a very inspiring video. Partialy cause Elliott is my hero. Nothing I didn't know but it's nice to be reminded, especialy from someone you have alot of respect for.
no. There's nothing pretentious or snotty about what Jeremiah said. There are comments here sorta teasing about how elliott doesn't go into great detail all the time, and just says "oh I don't know" sometimes, but if you actually watch it, clearly there's a lot going on here, it just takes a bit of prior understanding to really grasp.
@@copsarebastards Exactly. He's using emotional language, you have to relate to the feelings of writing for it to make sense. As someone who has got too caught up in "thinking" too much while writing, this was very inspiring!
Is and still is my fav/most inspirational musician ever for me and I play alt-country/americana. Never knew what he meant about shapes when I was young but totally makes sense now.
Other guitarists breaking down Elliott's music in a technical fashion: "Key signature X, Scale Y, Minor third, Drop D..." Elliott breaking down his own song: "I play a lot of things where you don't want all the strings to sound, where it's... see, this string isn't moving because my finger's on it. and that one's not moving because my fingers on that too, so these are really just the notes that I'm /playing/... with this hand... everything else is blocked off. It's really just three strings, like a 'half-chord'. Me, a music theory idiot: 'Ohhhhhhhh cool okay'
Lol I fee the same way. I feel like he used mainly his ear and improvised around that- which is how he came up with a lot of dissonant and unconventional chords; with a splash of music theory on top for the fundamentals. Might be a product of his generation of musicians , a lot of guys from that era ‘didn’t know theory’ but could play some crazy stuff - I guess it’s a byproduct of having to learn songs mainly off of records in a time before the internet?
I can't like this video anymore than I do. It's not possible. Everyone who aspires to make music should watch this. Especially the last part. R.I.P Elliott
His speaking voice has a Mr. Rogers quality to it. So gentle and unassuming. Draws you in and disarms any instinct to deflect or misunderstand. I don’t get any bit of arrogance or posturing one might expect from a brilliant and successful musician.
His voice is beautiful.
@UCAtlpMBsi4oZMeNAJ8iH6AA Wouldn’t that be a treat! Just imagine an hour of him candidly discussing his approach towards writing lyrics and how when combined just so with the right melody they invoke feelings and meaning somehow deeper than the sum of their parts. It’s a strange haunting magic thats woven throughout his song.
"i don't really know what it's called, but I like it"
It's a D9, but a strange sounding D9.
No not a D9 it's from son of sam, I'm working on it, he often used open strings in chords that ring beautifully. I do the same thing, who gives a shit what it's called, getting too technical destroys the creative process that's why he didn't care what it's called. Iit's how it sounds that is important and that's how you find those chords by just goofing around and experimenting
Michael Ferenczy
He said it was a D7 chord with an "e" in it. What is that? It's called a "D9."
If it's a D chord with a 9 but no 7, it's called a "D add9."
Unlike you, I know what the hell I'm talking about.
U are obviously young and defensive
Getting technical definitely does not destroy the creative process. That's just a silly attempt at rationalizing not learning theory. Understanding the voicing of chords allows for more comfortable improvisation and variations.
Vid quality: 144 Advice Quality: 1080p 4K
In its defense, I think this might have been the 2nd video ever uploaded to UA-cam.
limnificant really?
Wish this had a million likes lmao
I can't be 4K while being 1080p, it's like saying it's 360p 2K, which doesnt makes any sense. Maybe you meant something along "Advice Quality : 4K 80Mbps 60fps"
this isn't even 144, even potato quality doesn't describe this
How to write a song:
"JUST RELAX - and quit THINKING about what you think other people wanna hear, you know?"
:Elliot Smith
I write music and it really is great advice.
I like how he talks to you as like he knew you, gives it a super personal touch to the vid
true
Its almost like a blog before there was vlogs. His voice really puts you at ease like hes a friend
Sorry vlog not blog
That’s how he talked. What none of these videos captures is what a consummate goofball he was. He was HILARIOUS, at times. I think he’d be super bummed to know people think of him as a super depressed dude.
@@RustinChole There's video evidence of goofball-ness? Or you knew him personally?
His answer to that last question is legitimately fantastic advice
Best 144p video in youtube.
well said
Celahir Alcarin agreed
Amen.
2018 and it still is haha
It's kinda cool that all the Elliot Smith on UA-cam is grainy and pixelated. Suits him.
This video is absolutely amazing. I didn't know you could do that with legos
+Fallingmonsters lol!!
HAHAHAHA . YOU are amazing. You. This comment.
I'm laughing way harder than I should hahahaha
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Mandie Bellamy, you certainly are not. That's great.
When it comes to elliott I always be dramatically emotional, but this comment drags laughter from the bottom of my heart.
Very underrated acoustic guitar player. You can play scales and shred all day, but some of those chord changes and shapes are truly hard to play.
Yes, most are actually easy to play as one-off chords, the trick is playing all in succession and in rhythm ON top of singing a melody which isn't always the same as the rhythm. It's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
not to mention his picking/strumming patterns
Yeah but if he was too worldwide. I'd probably spare less interest. Of course I'll still like his music but I won't listen to him a whole lot.
What? So you're literally admitting that even if his music was exactly the same that you'd be less inclined to listen to it if it was more well known?
David Cassette, I still would listen, but it will just be annoying if he went all mainstream. When it comes to music, I like it to be only heard of by people who are at least somewhat open to independent music.
Tips to be an awesome songwriter:
1. Be Elliott Smith
2. Write music
+unknown I'm having trouble with the first step, do you have any advice?
+Daniel Plainview Maybe if you just wait to your death then you can reincarnate into Elliott Smith. Until that point, you can do some stuff like eating some sunflower seeds, sleeping, going to buy bread or whatever. It can take a little while.
Obsession you have to Obsess
Obsession you have to Obsess
Daniel Plainview Choose a chord to begin with, if you want.
Elliot was so humble, such a gifted musician. His technique and body of work is absolutely genius.
A ridiculously talented songwriter and musician. I'm so glad I got into his music last year. One of the best decisions I ever made.
@@eastwoofer Art is meant to be authentic and different, its meant to open horizons. Educate yourself and listen to some Velvet Underground, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr and Pavement. Ok we get it you listen to commercial music only.
@@kurdt1012i agree 🙌🙌
@@eastwooferTERRIBLE OPINION
He had the best thing going for writing I reckon. He maybe learned a load of theory as a kid, then forgot most of it cognitively, but played enough so his fingers still knew the theory, then could just relax and turn his brain off while he doodled till the good stuff happened. Pure instinct at that point - loose and playful without having to worry. The words and soul of it can’t be taught or practiced though, he was just that guy. Holy shit he wrote some beautiful beautiful songs. Hard to accept that he’s not here, his music’s been a constant friend in my life.
Me too!
great commentary
“He’s music has been a constant friend” 😢😢 I feel that. Such beautiful music that resonates deeply!
I was at a masterclass a while ago and the conductor stressed this concept that playing/composing/improvising "by instinct" is only so much effective, because instinct takes you only along paths you traced, e.g. by studying theory or digesting and analyzing diverse music. Whether Elliott Smith knew what he was doing when writing or not, for sure there must have been some valuable input
wild how he can just play a random bunch of chords off the top of his head and it’s just instantly recognizable as him
Exactly what I was thinking
those were the Christian Brothers chords. just fyi
@@buckminsterowski and 2:30 was Son of Sam
Nothing random about it. He's put in his 10,000 hours, so to speak. And he knows well how the chords work together, even if he can't identify every one harmonically down to the note.
You can do it to if you practice.
"There must be some something good about it because you liked it, right?"
I wish more people had asked about his songwriting process.
Some artists hate that question though. See: Kurt Cobain (though Elliott blew Kurt out of the water )
@@WinstonElena Kurt had such an ear for melodies; all Nirvana songs have amazing melodic hooks, is uncanny. I agree that Kurt is nowhere near as skillfull as Elliott, but I think they were both amazing and skilled in their own way
@@WinstonElenaah the two pillars of white sad sacks, Kurt and Elliot. Never purchase a gun or shoot heroln.
@@estebandido4988 Well stated.
I love how much his blunt honesty, modesty and humility make for some awkward interviews. Like basically every single one I've seen. He doesn't get this inflated ego that wants to talk about itself, he just answers the question to the best of his ability and sometimes it's not very informative since we can't experience what went on in his head
“ I think it’s easy if you just relax and stop thinking about what people want to hear.” This one hit me hard. I find myself thinking about people listening to my music as I write it and because of that I take way less risks and Probably makes it less emotional
Write music/make art for yourself. Soon as you’re performing for others it’s going to fail. Humans aren’t
Smart enough to know what other people want.
After watching this video, I opened my project in Fruityloops that's been sitting there for weeks and weeks unfinished and causing me stress everytime I've tried to complete it. I just let everything I had flow out of my head, and within an hour it was done. It's a song I made for my girlfriend's birthday and she loves it. Thanks Elliott :)
are u guys still together
I kinda want to know too lol
Me too
Damn, I did not realize how intricate "A Question Mark" was till I saw this
patrick i know right, im starting to realize all his songs are so much more intricate than they sound because of how nicely his transitions flow together
As soon as you see him play his songs on acoustic the songs you just listen to and accept are instantly so much more impressive. It's very cool.
...plays epic example of a song and ends with: "but, its an electric guitar song" as if to somehow be meek about it. I love him and I miss him. I wish he was still around to continue making such beautifully orchestrated music. RIP, Elliott. Im sure they've got a guitar or two up there for you. I cant wait to get there and see what you've come up with.
It's even MORE impressive that he played it on acoustic - them thick ass strings.
I think the lesson to be learned from this video is that Elliott Smith never really knew why he was so unbelievably amazing at writing songs theres just.. uhh.. some.. stuff and chords he likes and.. uhh.. he is imaginative.. and uh.. he likes music. haha. theres no explaining his genius.
Don't even try it. When something is as awesome as Elliott, it's imposible to put it into words.
GuitarParts101 Not only did he not know why, I don't think he ever even realized that he was so brilliant in the first place. It's heartbreaking but beautiful as well.
Lol
Man, I miss him!
Such a gift... One of a kind, so many beautiful songs. I'll just be quiet now.
That's all music. Either you have it or you don't, sad truth.
I wish this clip would have been at least one hour of length.
yeah, 2006 sounds about right for an upload date. ahh old youtube.
elliott's a treasure though
art garfunkel yup...2006 treasures..and yes Elliot is golden. A genius. By far the best guitarist and very honest with his song writing
I literally love him so much. I find his voice to be quite peaceful.
Which pixel is Elliot Smith
mitchurd all of them
be humble. sit down
This video was published in 2006 and the original was probably recorded way back in the 90s on cheap equipment. Give him a break
Again . Which Pixie is Elliott Smith ? Aha , I see ^^ hehe
He is the one that looks like one t but it is actually two ts
That one pixel can really sing
He didn't sing one note.
the van gogh of song
Whoa. weird. I've said this before. It's cool that someone else feels his music the same way
Why? Because they both had mental illness? Because they both killed themselves? Stupid comment.
honeypot no cause his work is good ya dummy
@@justaguy9203 Then why couldn't he have mentioned any other famous artist? Why just the one that happened to kill himself? Ya dummy
honeypot because they are so similar, they are both such interesting beings and it was truly difficult to understand either of them but some how you still do.
I really like that he can't explain to a tee what is so natural and so surreal to us. I love ya dude.
"If you like it there must be sth good about it because you like it. There are some records that sells millions of copies, and it's really unclear if anybody liked it ."
I never realize how important his"attack" on the guitar was. He has been utterly unique strumming approach and feel. As much as the chordal imagination, I've got that from the video.
Agreed! His left hand (i.e. his chord changes) is what he's known for but his articulation with his right hand was super loose yet incredibly intricate and precise. Very very hard to replicate, and so important to his sound
"IMAGINATION is the DIVINE FORCE" ... thank you Elliot Bless you ...
He is brutally honest about everything.
Elliott's music touches my soul everytime.
dear ambitious guitarist, this is for your emotional part of writing music. forget the skills and techniques sometimes. the sense matters more.
I love him...
"This is kindof like a d7 but it has an e in it, i dont really know what it is, but i like it!" Hes such a natural, and so humble.we all miss you elliot
Just watching him mess around on the fretboard for a second to demonstrate what chord changes are shows what an accomplished guitarist he was.
Some people feel that being a "great" guitarist involves amazing technical skill, and it can mean that. I personally think it involves doing what's best for the song and coming up with a great part, whether that is simple or complicated. Elliot was great because he knew how to use the guitar to serve the song and not for its own sake.
I agree. Sometimes a really good musician is one with the music theory knowledge and technical skill of someone like pat metheny, but it doesn't have to be that... Music should just be honest, and it should convey something. Whether you convey it through poetic lyrics or complex harmony or weird time signatures doesn't really matter, as long as it successfully conveys what you are trying to put out there.
Jake Khawaja
I've been looking for rules regarding how one person gets to turn out great work and others don't for 40 years and the only rule I can find is that there are no rules.
There really isn't one of his songs that doesn't have some sort of interesting melody, he had an amazing ear for where a sequence should go
+scaredypicker Thnks for this - Really love how you've phrased this; and "doing what's best for the song"
I completely agree
This is legitimately the most useful video i've seen on how to make music. Thanks Elliott
3:37 sounds so good acoustic brings a tear to my eye
'It would be a drag to have to do battle with conventions the whole time'... Elliot even speaks in poetry. Peace be Upon Him. Thank you Elliot Smith...
Seeing him struggle breaks my heart.
I love you, Elliott.
Had to watch this for inspiration by a very talented musician. RIP Elliott.
same here
To us ES fans using UA-cam back in '05 and '06, it was a gift to watch these videos no matter the quality!
I love watching Elliott Smith interviews. He seems like such a down to earth guy.
Wow, this is SO inspiring .. I was feeling down and this has cheered me up no end; made my day .. thanks a million zillion Elliott .. and thank you SO MUCH NICKYtheCROW for sharing .. tears of bittersweet joy streaming down my face (rest in peace my friend) ...
this is the most down to earth and honest i have ever seen him....good find!
I think it's just amazing how easily music came to him...he is truly a legend
R.I.P. Elliott, you are dearly missed.
god, elliott was so cute. i wish he could know how many people love him.
"Although most of those are normal chords, this one is like some sort of like, some sort of D7 or something. But it has an E in it. I dont know what it's actually called. But I like it."
Hahaha that part made me laugh for some reason. Oh Elliott. Totally sick what he does with the inherent melodies within chords though. Makes even the full band songs sound really good on an acoustic.
Video quality is poor, but the genius is evident...
I had the good fortune to meet Elliott a few times and he was a kind, gentle soul, as well as one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. It's so wild to hear how incredibly fantastic and unique the tone and technique of his acoustic guitar sounds with seemingly no effort.
Sweet man he was. Darling, poetic, intuitive, brilliant. Unique. Miss him.
such a beautiful and gifted soul, I wish I could have just a crumb of his talent
he totally would have given you a crumb as well
It's 2021 and that is still a nice hat
This is the most uplifting thing I've heard in the past year. I've been struggling with song writing and he gave me the most genuine advice I've been needing to hear.
itd be a drag to do battle with conventions... you can be imaginitive with it... best fucking advice i ever had as a song writer
The only times I had heard Elliott Smith talk were in interviews or in live show recordings. So, it is fun to hear him talk more than a few words.
"If you like it, there must be something good about it"
He describes his secret sauce if you listen carefully: he talks about how he thinks of shapes when writing songs, and then says that it's interesting but hard to talk about. To me, what he reveals is that there is something totally unique and different and indescribable going on in his head, as all of us already know, he is a songwriting savant with a true gift and a mind that works in a peculiar way to produce something sublime
I don't think shapes is too rare. One of my friend says he sees music as shapes too, and couldn't really explain it
i suspect that the shapes presented themselves as a visceral feeling to him, not necessarily something he could see in his head. it's exciting to think about.
Elliot is a genius but I think you’re kinda taking the ass kissing to another level
*was
@@DeeznutseighthundredthirtyElliot was the first person to invent shapes, how dare you
he's so admirable. I don't know what i was expecting, but this is just so lovely.
he gave some of the best songwriting advice I've ever heard
There are a lot of singer-songwriters out there... Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, there was Nick Drake and a lot more. What makes Elliott stand out of that crowd is his true originality. Maybe he was not a highly educated musician, but he had the outstanding talent to turn his sentiments directly into bare naked music like no one else. That's something you can never learn at music school... and it's nothing that the dollar can buy. He was and is an artist - someone who created art!
I agree for the most part, but I'd have to say that Nick Drake was just as original, if not more.
Ed and John? Cmon Man.
Elliott is up there with Lennon, McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and they are all in a league way beyond Ed Sheeran and John Mayer
I was introduced to Elliott and Nick Drake at the same time by a workmate who gave me Roman Candle and An Introduction to Nick Drake on CD
Ed… Ed Sheeran??
He is very open to let us into his process, which is very artful and honest. Fascinating stuff from one of the best songwriters ever.
The advice at the end is really simple but I needed to hear it. I’ve been getting better at guitar and making my own little tunes, but recently I’ve been comparing myself to other guitarists/songwriters I see online and being unhappy since I can’t do what they do. I really want to write songs but right now the lyrics just aren’t coming naturally and it all feels very forced. I just need to keep doing what I enjoy doing and eventually the songwriting will come naturally. I am still so early in my guitar journey relatively
Elliot explaining a chord he just played by saying, "I don't know what it's really called. But I like it."
This sums up why he was such a great musician. A true artist. He didn't get bogged down by the formality or über-professionalism of it all. He just played what he thought sounded good. Most musicians are missing that today. Too many rely on whole teams of people to produce a "product," to or build a brand. That isn't art; at least not in any true sense of the word. Aesthetics mean something.
sandollor corporatized & sanitized for the masses
Thank you for articulating this. Teams of songwriters producing a product has become the norm. At least for main stream music and it’s sad
I like that take
Exactly and that’s why these new artists like Doja Cat, BTS, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran now etc. their music lacks sincerity and authenticity and is dullness painted with recycled production gimmicks. Travis Scott uses about 30 co-writers per song, that’s not an artist that’s a product. A real songwriter and musician can sit down and write and produce a song by themselves like Elliott did, they need to go back to the basics and stop favouring image and ‘brands’ over good music.
@@j.c985 that’s not really fair, the music scene is much more competitive than it used to be, making a living out of it and actually being creative and true to ur own creativity are pretty mutually exclusive at this point, sadly
also obligatory elliot was a genius
Keeping it "simple" yet very intricate and unique. He was a true genius that's for sure. I could listen to him all day if I could.
His music is filled with Depth.
How can you fill something with depth?
Or how can something be filled with depth?
listen to the music!
Leigh Boland You have a point, as a literalist, but you don't need to push it. His music IS filled with depth, just like one can be filled with emptiness...And that's why his music is so deep-because for me personally, Elliott's music fills my emptiness...
Take notes kids. This boy is arguably the best songwriter of all time
dylan?
Lennon?
svgar er ?
Luca Pelo no argument here, best I've ever heard.
Truth
I’ve always sat and made random chord shapes while bored watching 📺 but I never took them serious enough to write down or record 😩. This man embodied the spirit of “rolling with it” in music while the rest of us followed formulas based in obviousness.
Not a lot of technical advice, but great foundational advice. Write things you like. Find joy in the journey. If you like what you wrote, it will show up in your performance.
Apart from his awesome song-writing and singing abilities, Elliott has also got this amazingly nice voice ...
i love you, elliott
this is literally how i play and write and ive been having a hard time coming to terms with productions but this is really inspiring me to be true to my creative vision
relaxing
This is awesome. I'm so glad he took the time to do this. Great advice for any aspiring songwriter.
Could someone please refine this precious video
17 years ago!!! Jeez!! And video quality is as expected lol
He was an intuitive creator. He didn't have the technical terms to express some of the things he was talking about, but he "knew." I think the most important part was where he talked about being 'relaxed' and to not think about what other people would like, and instead, write what you like. Oh, and just letting your hands and mind 'wander' while u play things is, for me, a sure fire way to get the fire started.
This was filmed on my grandma's rotary phone, but I still love it.
A complete departed genius ! We all miss him definitely !
He was that kind of top composer musician such as Sufjan Stevens these days ! So long!
if i had a dollar for every pixel in this video, i’d have 75 cents ..
As a songwriter myself I found this to be a very inspiring video. Partialy cause Elliott is my hero. Nothing I didn't know but it's nice to be reminded, especialy from someone you have alot of respect for.
Trye
Holy crap, thanks for this, Mr. Uploader!
Gives a lot of insight into how he wrote his songs.
3:40 it's really incredible how it feels the rock with just a guitar... That's elliott Smith!! :')
I find him so calming to listen to here.
If you don't find this informative or educational you're not paying close enough attention.
+Jeremiah Spencer yes, I agree. there are so many bits of guidance and advice in here for those with an open mind
or maybe some people just learn in different ways and you being pretentious and snotty about it doesn't help at all.
no. There's nothing pretentious or snotty about what Jeremiah said. There are comments here sorta teasing about how elliott doesn't go into great detail all the time, and just says "oh I don't know" sometimes, but if you actually watch it, clearly there's a lot going on here, it just takes a bit of prior understanding to really grasp.
@@copsarebastards Exactly. He's using emotional language, you have to relate to the feelings of writing for it to make sense. As someone who has got too caught up in "thinking" too much while writing, this was very inspiring!
thx expert
Is and still is my fav/most inspirational musician ever for me and I play alt-country/americana. Never knew what he meant about shapes when I was young but totally makes sense now.
What a comedian in addition to being so observant and poignant. Love it
Amazing, all these years later and I'm still finding new music by Elliott. Shazamed the intro to this video and discovered Junk Bond Trader.
Some really inspiring words from a legendary musician. Too soon, Elliott.
So much love for Elliot, one of the only truly great songwriters of that time, highly underrated acoustic player! ❤❤❤
Other guitarists breaking down Elliott's music in a technical fashion: "Key signature X, Scale Y, Minor third, Drop D..."
Elliott breaking down his own song: "I play a lot of things where you don't want all the strings to sound, where it's... see, this string isn't moving because my finger's on it. and that one's not moving because my fingers on that too, so these are really just the notes that I'm /playing/... with this hand... everything else is blocked off. It's really just three strings, like a 'half-chord'.
Me, a music theory idiot: 'Ohhhhhhhh cool okay'
Lol I fee the same way. I feel like he used mainly his ear and improvised around that- which is how he came up with a lot of dissonant and unconventional chords; with a splash of music theory on top for the fundamentals.
Might be a product of his generation of musicians , a lot of guys from that era ‘didn’t know theory’ but could play some crazy stuff - I guess it’s a byproduct of having to learn songs mainly off of records in a time before the internet?
Elliott surely knew theory. Especially in his childhood piano time. Waltz #1 and Bye are two beauty pieces of work. (I apologize for my english)
Such an incredible loss. 😭
Saw him live 4 times...fragile and amazing...top singer songwriter....poor Elliott
Such a beautiful take on songwriting. Bless your soul Elliott
Elliott, I love you!!
"do what you personally like, not what people want to hear"
I can't like this video anymore than I do. It's not possible. Everyone who aspires to make music should watch this. Especially the last part. R.I.P Elliott
"jusy relax, and quit thinking about what you think other people want to hear" gold.
Wow, I finally see him using a pick!
Thank you for posting this! I miss him!!!!
This guy is a fucking musical genius and I miss him
now that i think about it, that is what
i like about him the most is his chord changes.