How to Play "I am a Child" by Neil Young

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

IF YOU HAVE FOUND THESE VIDEOS HELPFUL, PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING TO THE ZOË MYERS MEMORIAL FUND AT www.gofundme.com/zoemyers. ALL MONEY RAISED IN THIS FUND IS GIVEN TO LOCAL SCHOOLS AS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS WISHING TO PURSUE MUSIC VOCATIONS IN COLLEGE. IT IS IN HONOR OF MY DAUGHTER ZOË WHO LEFT THIS REALM 24 AUGUST 2014 AND WHO WAS MY MUSICAL COMPADRE ALL HER 17 YEARS ON THIS PLANET. THANK YOU. WE HAVE GIVEN OUT OVER $10,000 TO LOCAL SCHOOLS IN HER HONOR SO FAR.

[@CraigsListofVideos]

Excellent job illustrating I Am a Child. Thank you!

[@richardpowell3259]

Great lesson. 👍 Neil was a game changer for me on the guitar. I learned harmonica by Neil. When you play to show how the song goes. Put feel into it brother. Don't just bang it out. Feel it. It will shine in your videos. People will feel your passion. I know it's a lesson. But show the people to FEEL it. Feel makes a good guitar player out of a sub-par guitarist. Good job. 👍

[@chucks6318]

Real nice job playing - have never seen a lesson on this one anywhere else before - glad you grabbed this one. Thanks

[@timmatuszewski8428]

Great lesson and interpretation of a classic NY song! Thanks for sharing.

[@drewcunningham2]

Been looking for someone to teach strictly Neil Young tunes for some time - glad I found your channel - well done mate!

[@noeloakes890]

I just stumbled on here and watched because I think this is the absolute best song Neil ever wrote. Never thought I’d attempt it on a guitar but this guy teaching is so excellent I now will . Tx dude 👊

[@deed3211]

Thank you for teaching Neil's songs. Advanced for my beginner fingers but stirs my heart from memories of teen years if jamming on our accoutics. Thank you. Be well. 💜

[@fomomoto3]

Great lesson, well explained and includes the subtle details often left out, that really make the difference. Thanks.

[@pedenmk]

Just found this jewel of a channel. Many thanks.

[@07strummer]

Really helpful lesson .. a complex sounding song made accessible - Grand song too !! Thanks

[@mtk43]

it´s an old tutorial but it is, by far, the best on youtube . Thanks from Germany

[@joepetrosky3411]

Excellent best lesson ever

[@KaslEs]

Thank you so much for sharing this - it's a lovely rendition of a sweet song.

[@Bigsbeee]

Eric is THE man for sure. another great job and VERY much appreciated.

[@superdivamom]

wow, i may just have found someone who loves Neil almost as much as me! I was at his Massey Hall show about 3 years ago. I taped the entire thing too! If only i could play ! thanks for the lesson :)

[@wimthybaert007]

Thank you Eric, you really thought me how to play it well. Thanks from Belgium

[@rae2717]

God bless. I don’t know if you still go on this page but these lessons are great man and I appreciate them/you.

[@niamhsdad01]

Thank you for this,just been listening to the unplugged mr soul and watch out for my love lovin it✌️🤘

[@kristenstanton9677]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@papajay111]

Now I see the Butterbean tuners ,,,,,, and subtle Herringbone That's a new 2018 I bet! Wow ,,,, what an instrument!!

[@ngumbo]

Thanks so much. Very thorough, and presented clearly and simply.

[@nichtfweep]

By far the best teacher of neil young! Keep up the videos! Much appreciated :)

[@cwsiggy77]

holy crap - best tutorial on this one.. thanks

[@paulrbates]

An incredible lesson. Thank you so much.

[@pedenmk]

👏👏👏 you make it look easy. Thanks

[@patriciaharding]

Thanks so much for posting this tutorial. It's such a beautiful song and you show exactly how to do it!

[@redwatch.]

Great lesson, thanks--I really get the feel of the song.

[@michawiechowski6275]

great tune and great lesson, thanks a lot!

[@loveguitars]

Excellent

[@zippie163]

Thank you for this. A great lesson and very clear instructions. Enjoyed a lot.

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

@Hannzor It's a 'touch" thing, but there are ways to approach it logically. Playing bluegrass has really helped me, especially the technique of using the "rest stroke" to emphasize notes.

[@Level2442]

amazing Eric...as always ! super regards from Italy steve

[@davepryor2034]

thank you! I love this song and you laid it out great.

[@fomomoto3]

the intro is a III II I walkdown in D the chords are F# min, E min, then D. Later he kind of shifts into G (assumed based on the inclusion of C and A min, in D A would be a major or a 7th not minor).

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

I'm surprised no one has busted me on leaving out the walk down from A-G-F

[@kortt]

Thanks so much, been trying to learn this for a while and your method of teaching helped me get it down. Great stuff!

[@davidchilds1546]

Thanks! Good lesson.

[@icitnow]

wow this is really really great! I love this song! I had been doing the the DMaj 7 thing as a barre over the g,b,e. This makes it more easier and has more ringing tones in there than the other form, and your explanations of hammer ons and pull offs are excellent! Thanks!!

[@Mcleod0000]

Im blown away , your a master guitar player !

[@LSDfischbein79]

thanks a lot man, neil young forever

[@royohrn5848]

Pure love for you and your song ,the essens of mankind god dammit.peace for vegetable ,people what ever

[@noamhemsky]

great job

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

I love both of those songs and will get to them as soon as I get to some 12-string Neil (Thrasher and Sugar Mountain)

[@SimonRobeyns]

i'd love to learn how to play the rust version, which to me is by far the best sounding version specially with the fantastic harmonica along with it

[@benanderson1400]

+Simon Robeyns ... it sounds better on the "Rust Never Sleeps" version because Neil is using a 12 string guitar.

[@sugarkang]

Awesome. I've always wanted to know how to play this song.

[@scottsheckman3161]

Thank you!

[@edwardkrzynowek241]

This major to minor switching business is very tricky--also the tendency Neil has to change the order of the chords around in a progression to make it hard to play right. You have a good ear and this sounds right. Of course that opening chord configuration (and when used in the middle) is technically what amounts to a Dmaj7 but I'm not trying to nitpick with that comment. Nice job!

[@Garrett2142]

Awwwwwwesome

[@dror7527]

Ty great

[@jbdawg4337]

Very nice tutorial, thank you for the help!

[@Hannzor]

@EricDMyers thanks. since i decided on buying an e-guitar instead of a banjo i will look into the rest stroke more than the bluegrass.

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

@DMB1045 It's one of those things you really have to show. Tabs can't convey the subtle touch and emphasis that is placed on the melody notes on the 1st and second string as you strum through the chord. That's why I made sure to include my strumming hand in the video. You are basically raking down and up the strings. Try just playing the melody notes. Then, when you are comfortable with that, strum into them.

[@climey]

great thank you so much so much easier to play when someone else shows you then tabs

[@kristiespeckful]

Thank you so much! really inspired.

[@Hannzor]

i love your neil young covers and would certainly love it even more if i could play such a nice young sound too, but my problem is this note-emphasising-thingy. alternate picking is the one thing but hitting single strings (on the upstroke) while keeping the strumming flow up during chord play seems impossible to me. do you have some tipps on how to do this? or anybody else :) any help is much appreciated :)

[@anvikshiki]

I want to add my voice to dalescher's request for a lesson on "Bad Fog of Loneliness." There are lots of KZbin covers of this, but no instructional videos. And, unfortunately for you Eric, you've made yourself THE guy on KZbin who does the best NY instruction. So, I hope you can spare some time for it. Thanks much! Cheers.

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Great "lost" song.

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Here's a great lesson on it. Don't know how I could improve on this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4Kpm6umapqciJI

[@LaurenceWindy]

Fantastic tutorial. So professional with the two cameras. Even I was abe to master the song. (except for the vocal, which I guess is a bit important) Oh well.

[@edwardkrzynowek241]

Practice singing a note just slightly sharp or flat on occasion and you'll probably sound more like Neil Young. I never would have thought a guy who missed perfectly hitting the notes could sound so good but it works really well for him.

[@DMB1045]

Great job on the lesson. I have been playing this song for some time now, but want to learn it more accurately in terms of the picking and emphasis of each note. You are playing it perfectly! Although you covered it several times in your lesson, I am having difficulty getting the d minor riff that starts the into and chorus. Can you give me a simple tab or written description of the sequence of the strum in relation to the individual notes you are stressing so I can learn this part? Thanks!

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

@Hannzor I think some of the best guitar players ever play guitar in the bluegrass field. Check out anything by Tony Rice. My personal fave is Clarence White.

[@mookee32]

Thanks...BIG Thanks!

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Well, I actually give guitar lessons at Morgan Music in Lebanon, Missouri, twice a week, so come on down. I also do a lot of their guitar product demos. But that all is just a side gig.

[@alexmimmameditango4944]

Great

[@mookee32]

Thanks............

[@Hannzor]

@EricDMyers okay, i'll get some albums. thanks for the info.

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Also, you have to be very accurate with your strumming and able to 'push' a little harder on the strings that you want to emphasize, all the while using hammer-ons an pull-offs and slides to accent notes.

[@dalescher]

I do love your lessons. Really close to the Massey Hall mood. Do you plan to make a lesson of cowgirl in the sand and bad fog of loneliness? It will help lot of us. Happy new year and best regards from France.

[@papajay111]

Is that a bran new D28? It sounds like it was made in the 30s! But it looks way to good!

[@spencermoore2655]

Hello, wonderful version of the song. Love the cover and am enjoying learning how to play it. I am wondering if this is standard tuning. It seems as if the sound is a bit off and im wondering if hes tuned it down a half-full step on this song in particular. Do you have any insight on this?

[@chaddywac]

Eric you do Neil like Neil! Where r you? I would fly or drive and pay you to show me more

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Yes that's an HD 28. The D35 should be more than enough to get you in that territory. Maybe a fresh set of strings would do the trick. PS Check your channel messages!

[@williamvolz4096]

Maybe a softer touch

[@Dippides]

On Live Rust Neil plays harmonica over the second part of the intro. He also plays harmonica between the chorus and the verse later on, but that is an extra few bars added to the chorus part. In that part I'm not sure what chord he is playing after the D. Is it G or Am7? Or something else?

[@johngeddes7894]

Which pick did Neil frickin use on this song? Word has it that they made the entire record without a single microphone. He always loved his catfish every time.

[@chaddywac]

Man If you ever get down to GulfShores Al I would be more than glad to pay u! I am doing my best to get "I am a child" I just wish I could somehow discuss cords with you!

[@fluffyusa]

talks for the time-out/lesson on this song!

[@JarredHolland]

Double drop d?

[@hootenanny58]

Really clear. Picked it up like a treat. Now I can't stop playing it :-) Looking for some advice. True to the NY tone, I'm assuming that's a D-28 you're picking - or is it a HD?. There's a used D-35 that's come available at a price I can afford. I've played it, no probs, some minor dings, and to my ear, a fuller bottom but muddies those NY-signature bright accents. Maybe I should just stick to my guns (and to the Religion of Neil) and hold out for a D-28 to come to market? TIA

[@picolodaemao3]

Oh man i love Sugar montain but i don´t have a 12 string

[@okaykid77]

Hey, really like what you're doing. On other versions Neil plays the intro with a harmonica. Do you happen to know what key that harmonica should be in?

[@NeilYoungLessonChannel]

Neil's harmonica key choices are often a mystery to me!

[@fnzago]

Good but too fast.......

[@morphorhetenor1390]

Why don't you play faster? I can still catch one chord here and there. What's the use? We are trying to learn. We are not experts like you, and trying to learn. Why can't you go slower? It's a shame.