How to Play Acoustic Guitar Like James Taylor

[@rockmoussealt7764]

Terrific demonstration of memorable Taylor style. You bring out the beauty of the acoustic guitar.

[@eclecticexplorer7828]

I love Taylor's style. I will be listening to this repeatedly to try to pick it up.

[@daverenick5830]

This is a very intelligent analysis of what he's doing. Very accurate. Thanks Much!

[@SanityTomorrow]

You are really intelligent, and I learned a lot from your video and your genuine and unupholstered insight. Thank you so much! Really.

[@Steve-yk7iu]

Thanks for the tutorial. I first saw JT’s “A” & “D” fingering on his Fire & Rain lesson on KZbin. Your explanation of it is most helpful.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

Brilliant. Been JT fan all my life. Since my Dad owned the first album back when in 1970 when I was 4.

[@jonjeffries3265]

Mee too at 9yrs.. ☺️

[@rustypatch9543]

Love this. James Taylor was the first album I even purchased as a kid. Still a classic.

[@jimmcfarlane5611]

Chords are Melancholic. Take me to another dimension ❤

[@Dan-bf4tw]

SUPER informative about what JT is doing in his songs. Thanks!

[@ruthmanning9818]

Thanks for your info on James T style of composing his songs etc. I am just starting to learn how to play guitar and I too love classical type melodies. How ever my bass line might reflect ... Motown tones and symphony runs. I love music . Thanks for playing your guitar and talking about fingerings. Blessings to All in 🌍

[@patrickcowan6596]

Fantastic lesson. Thanks so much.

[@robertnewell5057]

A great examination of JT's music, Jeffrey. Really enjoyable. For JT fans, I should mention that James done has note for note tutorials of a number of his songs, on both his own channel as well as discussing his approach to playing and even how he does his nails!

[@JerryEdwards-h2o]

Thanks I really enjoyed this lesson and it inspired me to thinking on how i conduct chord changes thruout a song.

[@paulrhodesquinn]

I love this! JT is my favourite acoustic player. Thanks so much for this video!

[@moshezarviv1252]

great and smart video !!

[@daneshj4013]

Great video. Love all the history nods to other styles and influences, chord progression and fingering style breakdowns and analysis, and the gentleness of the entire video. Hope there's more of these types of videos for other artists (like for Paul Simon 😬)

[@jimmcfarlane5611]

Have seen him in concert here in Scotland 7 times

[@scottschmittmusic]

Wow! You are So Good! This really makes me want to play fingerstyle I guess you can't get these phrasings with a pick.. I'm a Strummer I really gotta learn to stretch myself

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

Here is a good resource for fingerstyle; our recently revised "Acoustic Guitar Solo Fingerstyle Basics" book. Now with 3 hours of video: store.acousticguitar.com/collections/new/products/solo-fingerstyle-basics

[@jopberlin]

Great Lesson…thx👏👏👏👏

[@ronaldpapa8182]

Fantastic!!

[@claudelarosa3378]

Merci ,pour ces tres beaux Plans, du subtil jeu guitare du Grand James ,

[@Billsingsong]

Thank you for the lesson. What is the name of the sound hole pick up?

[@cmddav2206]

Hi What pickup are you using? Ty:)

[@michaelkrailo5725]

Even looking at that Mexico tab, that is a tough one to play.

[@Billsingsong]

Do you teach Travis picking?

[@garyhopkins9275]

I started Travis style by learning 'Streets of London' Ralph Mc tell or 'This old Guitar' John Denver. Both in C major. If you can crack this, it opens up a world of possibilities! (Independant thumb).

[@norbertogustavoblanco1700]

Nails or just finger tips? Thanks!

[@jimmcfarlane5611]

Paul Simon is also excellent

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

Follow along with the TAB and notation here - acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-guitar-like-james-taylor/

[@kenrehor]

Leland Sklar discusses how he developed his bass style working around JT's complex bass lines. This is a great example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6bFpoimqq1jeJI

[@robertnewell5057]

Thank you

[@rjlchristie]

Standard guitar terminology is to use digits 1-4 for fretting hand fingers, terms such as ring finger, index are reserved for the plucking hand. I'm not being pedantic. Use of convention avoids confusion between the hands and is important in classical and fingerstyle instruction. I'm surprised a professional instructor for a trade magazine doesn't observe convention.

[@58landman]

I don't think you should be surprised at all. This is a vid on Taylor's technique and not a discussion of which finger goes where in a purely pedantic approach, such as you might find in a discussion of classical method. Jus' sayin'

[@rjlchristie]

@@58landman Actually, it is described as a lesson by its presenter, not a casual discussion. And conducted by someone presumably presenting themselves to be an authority or expert, teaching as a representative of a specialist magazine. The lesson is on the guitar style of a player and technique is inherent in any such discussion. Technique and music is best communicated using standard terminology to avoid confusion. That's what the terminology is developed to do. I say "best method" advisedly, it is not the only method, but centuries of development and use of language conventions in music and other fields would indicate, to all but the most pig headed, that such systems have proved to be efficient and the clearest means of communication. Just making observations.

[@58landman]

@@rjlchristie I spent a few years as a student of Classical guitar and that study required specific ways to sit, hold the instrument and play. And, of course, read music. All was very systematic and the playing of various pieces illustrated and generally required the use of techniques that were widely accepted across the board for all such studies, but, which also required attention to how the piece was constructed and best played. That means that playing a piece by Bach could be entirely different from playing a piece by Sor. And, within that world it was entirely unacceptable to play any piece 'the way you wanted to play it" as opposed to how it was written, etc. But, in finger style guitar some of those techniques and rules get thrown out and are of no use at all and you likely will not get a FS player to engage and play them per a Classical approach. And who is to blame them? The pieces are different and they're played differently by the thousands of peeps who pick up the instrument and begin playing. So, being critical....and that's what you are doing....of a player's technique for FS playing is probably a safe thing to avoid. If you start that, you need to realize that you're gonna lose their hearts and minds very quickly.

[@rjlchristie]

@@58landman "So, being critical....and that's what you are doing....of a player's technique for FS playing is probably a safe thing to avoid." That charge is false. My observation is in regard to teaching and communication, it has nothing to do with criticising anyone's guitar playing technique. Your observations in regard to classical vs other styles., Sor vs Bach are irrelevant with how a teacher communicates basic technical instruction. In all fingerstyles (classical fingerstyle is but one of these) the two hands are assigned different functions and conventions of notation and description have been developed to avoid confusion between the roles of bath when communicating. It is really as simple as that. The possibility of confusion doesn't evaporate because someone is performing a delta blues rather than Rodrigo's Invocation and Dance. A teaching authority is remiss to open their instruction to possible misinterpretation by using substandard systems. "Use your first finger for the C note" simply doesn't define which hand's first finger is being used.

[@58landman]

@@rjlchristie Ok Buzz, whatever you say. God, you're boring.

[@jimmcfarlane5611]

I would have quit playing acoustic if it wasn't for JT

[@marcodossena3295]

if you believe in miracles...:-)

[@ICRA95]

How to not destroy your nails with steel strings

[@onefoot7]

You're missing about 3-4 notes, important notations!, per bar....you're using no pinkie, and James makes up his own chord changes always uses the pinky finger. That's the whole point...most (all), can't mimic Taylor even closely, so it's best to not do. or it's a disgrace to the Great one

[@jeffrey3498]

Why would I want to play like James Taylor? I’ll never be James Taylor. I can only be myself.

[@area49g12]

True, but others who have to listen to you, may also like JT so it's a treat for them,

[@jeffrey3498]

@@area49g12 It would be a treat to hear a second rate James Taylor? 😂

[@area49g12]

@@jeffrey3498 Everyone's going to be second rate to the original, Don't be so hard on yourself ;-)

[@jeffrey3498]

@@area49g12 I’m not too hard on myself. In fact the opposite: I’m sparing the audience and myself from that misery. 😃👍

[@gmoore6166]

Sometimes guitar players derive their style from their influence’s such as JT and many others, most guitar players will tell you that their style actually evolved from their influences and their style.