Elizabeth Cotten Wrote the Perfect Melody (And How to Play It)

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

Hey BGI, check out Black Mountain Picks over here 👉 www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/blackmountain

[@nicolen.9642]

Elizabeth Cotten was a remarkable lady. Imagine an elderly woman on stage, with just an acoustic guitar (upsidedown, lefthanded)... "Freight Train" is legendary. Thanks John for teaching Elizabeth Cotten's swing 🎶🎶🎶

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

She and Etta Baker are two of my all-time favorite pickers! Such talent and they both seem to have this wonderful spirit about them. And yeah, Cotten blows me away with the upside down picking.

[@fiddlerfinch]

Libby Cotten was absolutely remarkable! Absolutely. And NOBODY on KZbin is teaching this tune better than John Hatcher, period. He hit's every important detail that others miss while teaching the simplified version. If you're not a member of BGI and you wanna fingerpick you should try it out - best guitar deal on the internet.

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

Wow, David! Thanks so much, I really appreciate the kind words. Play On!!

[@jetobey5656]

One of the first songs I learned to fingerpick--a simple version. I progressed and dressed it up a bit. It was good enough for Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to play and record. Thanks, John --A great memory; I picked up my guitar---my resonator. My only other acoustic is my vintage Guild D-40 and I am about to reset-reglue the bridge and then, I'll need to do a neck reset. I had already lowered the saddle, long before "time" lifted the back of the bridge. I have had that Guild so long, it is a part of me.

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

Thanks, Mike! Such a good song and always good to see you in the comments :)

[@SteveWBoily]

Steven from Toronto. I purchased Black Mountain picks app 6 mths ago and it is all that I am using right. I love them. Keep up the great lessons BGI.

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

That's great to hear, Steven! And thanks for the kind words about BGI 🙏

[@CC-qb9sm]

Quick tip to help grow John’s channel, be sure to let the video play all the way through from start to finish. As an instructional video many of us have to go through and do it piece by piece, but my understanding is letting it play through once is really good for the KZbin algorithms (while at the same time lets us see what the whole thing is about and where it’s going). This channel is so good for the blues and for pick’n and grinning in general!!

[@cricketman676]

Love your videos! Thank you for the inspiration bro.

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

I appreciate that! Thank you for watching and commenting my friend!

[@SingleMalt77005]

Another great lesson BGI. I always find tab a great adjunct to video and having it for reference gets me across the goal line faster. Nudge nudge.....

[@shashankrao23]

One of my first fingerstyle songs I learned absolutely a must for anyone who enjoys this swing 🙂

[@polyphant]

Love it, just learnt this on BGI, what a great way to start the year :) Great lesson as ever!!

[@paulkielty3800]

I’ve always loved this song but never gave it a series go ,but going to now ,wish me luck everybody and good luck everyone else .

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

Go, Paul, Go!!!

[@oddjobtriumph1635]

Just found this channel.....Loved you in Twister, Appolo 13 and my fave part of yours was the sleazy car salesman in True Lies ... all kidding aside...this channel is absolutely Brilliant .....keep up the good work Bill 😉

[@antonioziz]

Beautiful sound of this song and i like the way you teach it. All thingh inspire lots of ideas as always. Thanks from italian blues lover.

[@Daytripper51]

I literally play this song every morning as a warm up....It's challenging....

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

That's a great way to start the day!!!

[@w13rdguy]

I think it was in a Ken Burns documentary that I saw it. Ms. Cotten played left handed on a right hand guitar, without restringing. Her thumb picked the high strings(GBE), and her fingers were on the EAD.

[@BluesGuitarInstitute]

Yep and it breaks my mind to see her play like that. I know someone who plays like that but he's a flatpicker. Seeing Cotten fingerpick like this is just amazing. There's a video on KZbin of her playing Freight Train that you should watch if you haven't. I'll be searching for the Ken Burns doc with her in it now 👍

[@ynotedaw6960]

Such a great, great song.

[@CC-qb9sm]

Wow! Such an amazing lesson! Such an amazing song selection! Thank you so much for doing both the simplified version and the more intricate version, fantastic approach! I’m not sure what my favorite performance of this tune is, will have to give that some thought. Have a great week John!

[@epipick]

Too often this old classic gets strummed instead of picked but picking makes such a difference.

[@PeteHowlett]

That's a Tommy Emmanuel/Chet Atkins arrangement in the opening, EC's style is devoid of syncopation...the result of her upside down guitar configuration.

[@aprylrittenhouse4562]

Hi. Im 57 and. Dissabled. Ive played guitar yrss ago been getting back into it. It seems ive plateaued. I saw video of you doing micro licks in e 7 yrs ago. I did it it worked. I actualy accomplished something. Ive got a. Question. Is your program like the you tube videos. 15.00 may not seem like a lot to some people. But it is to me. It took 2 yrs of saving to get a 500.00 martin. Could i try it for a mnth like a test drive.

[@calebsj]

why is it called Travis picking? should be called Cotten-picking...