FYI James Taylor

[Dryfly]

Just ran across a YouTube video posted today by JT. Search James Taylor Covers Challenge.
He's even sporting a new white goatee. I haven't researched what the challenge is yet.

[Tahitijack]

For the three people that don't know, James Taylor has done tutorials on how to play some of his music. Amazingly Fire and Rain is one of those songs. Enjoy learning from one of the best.

[Lkristians]

One of our members over in Show and Tell had his youtube song accepted. Check it out!

[LakewoodM32Fan]

He's a national treasure, musically speaking. And has some of the most interesting fingering patterns I've ever seen. Watch the Fire and Rain or the Caroloina in My Mind tutorial videos he posted for some really interesting ways he does basic shapes like D, A and G.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I'm working on 'You Can Close Your Eyes' now. He plays his A chords upside down which explains how he gets that snap.

[Dogma]

Featured in the most recent issue of Fretboard Journal which hit my front porch this afternoon!

[Ray175]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

I'm working on 'You Can Close Your Eyes' now. He plays his A chords upside down which explains how he gets that snap.

Upside down?

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Originally Posted by Ray175

Upside down?

Yes, watch his tutorials. On things like an open A chord, (so x02220), if you number your fingers 1 for the index, 2 for middle and 3 for ring finger, he frets it like this (x03210) so his ring finger is on the D string 2nd fret, his middle finger is on the G string 2nd fret, and his index finger is on the B string 2nd fret.

I have never seen anyone else do that (although certainly with millions of players someone else probably does, but I've never seen it).

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

Yes, watch his tutorials. On things like an open A chord, (so x02220), if you number your fingers 1 for the index, 2 for middle and 3 for ring finger, he frets it like this (x03210) so his ring finger is on the D string 2nd fret, his middle finger is on the G string 2nd fret, and his index finger is on the B string 2nd fret.

I have never seen anyone else do that (although certainly with millions of players someone else probably does, but I've never seen it).

Wow! A first-position A is, and always has been for me, (x02130) - it makes it easier to get my fingers close to the fret. I’ve never been able to play it with just one finger, and I’ve never even heard of anyone playing it (x03210)!

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Wow! A first-position A is, and always has been for me, (x02130) - it makes it easier to get my fingers close to the fret. I’ve never been able to play it with just one finger, and I’ve never even heard of anyone playing it (x03210)!

To be honest I don't think I could play it your way either. I either fret it (x01230) (basically index, middle, ring fingers from top to bottom) or occasionally I'll do x02340 with my middle, ring and pinky from top to bottom, if I need my index finger to do something like hit the F# on the low E string for a walking bass note to another chord. I don't really have the finger strength to play it with one finger either.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

To be honest I don't think I could play it your way either. I either fret it (x01230) (basically index, middle, ring fingers from top to bottom) or occasionally I'll do x02340 with my middle, ring and pinky from top to bottom, if I need my index finger to do something like hit the F# on the low E string for a walking bass note to another chord. I don't really have the finger strength to play it with one finger either.

Ha! That (x02130) form was how I first learned it, sixty years ago, from a friend who was a flamenco-player. I guess it’s a case of the ‘first’ way being the most natural-feeling for me. FWIW, I struggle to play it (x01230) too - I always get buzz on the D-string because I can’t get my pointer close enough to the second fret (and it’s even harder now my hands are getting gnarly and arthritic).

But I guess it’s a case of ‘whatever works for the individual’. As my old dad always said when he hit a snag, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”!

[tonyo]

(x02130) is how I learned it and how I mostly play it, although some songs I barre it with one (index) finger.

I was taught (x02130) by Justin Guitar and it made my first song easier to change chords because my index finger stayed on the one string for A E and D.

[Jwills57]

I teach guitar (well,I did before Covid days, though I still have kept a student or two), and I would never recommend fretting the "A" and "D" chords the way James Taylor does. Don't get me wrong--he's a tremendous player. I don't think he ever gets enough credit for the sophistication and depth of his playing. But his "unique" method of fretting certain open chords, which works well for him, just seems awkward to me. I've tried his way a few times, just to say I tried, and never could figure out the logic. But, as I said, he's a brilliant musician, so I guess to each his own.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

In the beginning of this clip he explains his A & D chords.

[Basher]

[QUOTE=Brooklyn Bob;6651111]In the beginning of this clip he explains his A & D chords.

I must say that his finger positions shocked me when I first saw these tutorials!

I can't for the life of me play his x03210 A-shape without major contortions. However, as a native x01230 player, having watched his tutorials, I've switched to x02130 for anything in that JT style where you're using a lot of Asus2/Asus4 hammer-on/pull-offs. It seems a bit more comfortable and cleaner sounding.

It's funny the stuff that you learn and just accept without realising it's considered difficult by some players. I think it's because everything feels a bit odd and challenging at first.

For example, I learned to play a barre A-shape with my little (pinky) finger alone and with a little "step" to allow the E string to ring cleanly (so barre with the index finger fretting x04440). It's just how someone showed me.

I've since met quite a few players who seem unable to make that shape work for them. Needless to say there's a lot of stuff others do naturally that I find odd or difficult, James Taylors grips being among them!