FYI James Taylor

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I cannot play that A. My fingers simply won't fit!

[llew]

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.

That's a great old song...I played it and a good friends daughters wedding. One of the women who sings with me at church was there with her daughter and we had three part harmony...it was a special moment.

Love JT...he's probably my biggest mentor although he'll never know it.

[EZYPIKINS]

I play my open A chord with only two fingers. Using my #2 finger to press the D and G by pressing between the two. I don't have big fingers. Both 2 and 3 are side by side.
I also play an open E with only finger 1 and 3. Placing my #2 finger between the A and D.
And a D chord. Not always but depending on the chords before and after. I'll bar with 1st finger across the G, B, and E with 1st and press the B on fret 3 with either finger 2, or 3.
When I first started playing. I heard Chuck Berry talk about how he uses one finger to press two strings. So I started fooling with it. Seeing how I could adapt it to my playing. Now 50 years later. It is natural. When I look at chord charts. I look at which strings need to be pressed where. It doesn't matter which finger presses them. As long as they're down. Whatever is comfortable to you. What is comfortable for James seems upside down to most people. But to him it's natural.
What I am curious about is, The setup on his guitar. I'd be willing to bet his setup is extremely low. More like the way I set my guitars up. If I set my guitars
action like most people do. I wouldn't be able to play half the stuff I do.

[Italuke]

[QUOTE=Basher;6651119]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

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.

Wait this is confusing. In this example you don't actually play the open A and E right? Unless you want B7sus4/A, i.e. 7th in the bass?

You're just saying you use your pinkie to smash down strings 2,3,4 as part of that shape?

Or did you mean to write x02220?

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

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

That was me! I'm going to record another for the new challenge. I think it's anything that was on the original Apple release. I'm going to play Something in the Way She Moves.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by 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.

Agreed. He's said that it's just the way he figured it out on his own because he didn't have lessons when he started, though he did have cello lessons... I play his hammer on pull off licks just fine with my pinky.

[gwtrucks]

Try example 3 from this link before checking JT's fingering in the video (scroll down for the transcription/tab).

https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/g...-taylor-625951

Both my teacher and I couldn't achieve anywhere near the fluidity until we switched to the shape Taylor uses. It feels awkward, but it doesn't sound it!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

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

Wow! Never seen those shapes before!

I find I can play them (the weird D and A), but I need to hold the neck very high to get my hand at the right angle.

The G is weird too, barring the top 2 with the ring when - if you want that very common alternative G (more common than he is implying) - it's so much easier (right?) to use ring and pinky. He's not using the pinky for anything else, after all. Again, I find I can do that shape, but - why??

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by gwtrucks

Try example 3 from this link before checking JT's fingering in the video (scroll down for the transcription/tab).

https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/g...-taylor-625951

Both my teacher and I couldn't achieve anywhere near the fluidity until we switched to the shape Taylor uses. It feels awkward, but it doesn't sound it!

I worked out the fingering for that in a few seconds before watching the video (and without having heard the track). It's the only way to get the G# and A to sustain as written.

To begin with of course, I probably tried the fingering you started with - index on the low B. But I realised straight away that couldn't work if those notes were supposed to sustain, so switched index to 3rd string for both chords, with middle staying on 5th.

It does feel a little weird, but when you've played as many Bert Jansch tunes as I have, this is nothing.

But still, you won't find me using his A and D shapes in the above video! Anything he can do with his fingerings for those, I reckon I can do with more orthodox ones.

But I do think it's great how he is so willing to explain his tecniques, and so clear about explaining them. Some players can be as willing but not very clear.

[gwtrucks]

Originally Posted by JonPR

I worked out the fingering for that in a few seconds before watching the video (and without having heard the track). It's the only way to get the G# and A to sustain as written.

To begin with of course, I probably tried the fingering you started with - index on the low B. But I realised straight away that couldn't work if those notes were supposed to sustain, so switched index to 3rd string for both chords, with middle staying on 5th.

It does feel a little weird, but when you've played as many Bert Jansch tunes as I have, this is nothing.

But still, you won't find me using his A and D shapes in the above video! Anything he can do with his fingerings for those, I reckon I can do with more orthodox ones.

But I do think it's great how he is so willing to explain his tecniques, and so clear about explaining them. Some players can be as willing but not very clear.

I didn't mean to imply it couldn't be worked out without watching the video, but once you see it, it cannot be unseen. My first rule is if a fluid piece feels awkward then you are doing it wrong. Still, I would have never written something like this due to how I typically approach the board. These type of examples make me rethink which is always a good thing.

[Mandobart]

James Taylor is featured in the latest Fretboard Journal.