How to play Sleeping Sickness with City And Colour (Guitar lesson)

This is a timestamp-based tutorial, which means you can click your way through it skipping the parts you don't want/need to watch. The free papers for this song along with other helpful materials can be found at: www.astlessons.com/songpapers....
You can also follow me on social media where I share uploads, post updates, ask for opinions, release vote results, et cetera:
/ astlessons ∙ / astlessons
01. Song presentation (00:10)
02. Song overview (00:56)
03. Intro - Demonstration faster (01:18)
04. Intro & Playing Patterns - Walk-through
∙ Chords (01:39)
∙ Strumming explanation (02:49)
∙ Strumming demonstration (03:38)
05. Intro - Demonstration slower (04:36)
06. Verses & Pre-Choruses - Demonstration faster (05:12)
07. Verses & Pre-Choruses - Walk-through
∙ Verses (05:46)
∙ Pre-Choruses explanation (06:12)
∙ Pre-Choruses demonstration (06:37)
∙ Verse 3 (07:05)
08. Verses & Pre-Choruses - Demonstration slower (07:25)
09. Choruses - Demonstration faster (08:25)
10. Choruses - Walk-through
∙ Chords (09:01)
∙ Strumming (10:02)
∙ Structure (10:25)
11. Choruses - Demonstration slower (10:51)
12. Interlude - Demonstration faster (11:54)
13. Interlude - Walk-through (12:15)
14. Interlude - Demonstration slower (12:56)
15. Solo - Walk-through (13:31)
16. Finer details - How you can make it more interesting (14:09)
17. Simplified version - How you can make it easier (15:08)
City And Colour - Sleeping Sickness
Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)
Key: E minor (E F# G A B C D E)
Tempo: 67-68 bpm
Available papers: CD, LC, PP & T
You can buy City And Colour's album "Bring Me Your Love" on:
Amazon - www.amazon.com/Bring-Your-Love...
iTunes - itunes.apple.com/us/album/bri...
I apologize in advance for the guitar being a little out of tune, some of my tuning pegs needs repairing or something cause they refuse to stay still, didn't have time to fix it before this tutorial and I had to upload the video now for one of my private music students. I will definitely fix it before the next guitar video.
All of the material on both this site and the website connected to it is intended for educational purposes only, and neither now nor ever will it cost anything. All transcriptions are made personally by me by ear; there has been no use of books, e-books or other published materials that is copyrighted. For more information about the purpose of Astlessons and copyright matters, please visit www.astlessons.com and read "About". All credit goes to the artists, writers, composers and/or musicians behind the song. If you are one of these and feel that your material should be removed due to copyright infringement, then please follow the contact instructions on the "About" section of the website.

[@BradleyType]

I can't believe I hadn't found this tutorial until now. BEST Tutorial I have possible seen on here! Thank you!

[@thepoochypooch]

This has to be the best tutorial ever made, its beyond easy to follow along with the instructor!

[@hhoges9895]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I've been searching for ages trying to find a tutorial that explains the strumming and the double strum, as well as one that goes slow so a learner like me can follow! Your video was perfect!!

[@Astlessons]

Thanks alot, both for compliments and leaving a comment about it! And you're welcome. Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm going for, trying to cover all aspects and moving slowly from one thing to another. I put alot of time into it, so comments like this gives me the energy to keep going. Feel free to stick around, I'll keep uploading and keep improving!

[@celestewilson772]

Thanks for uploading this tutorial and putting so much effort and consideration into it. I just picked up the acoustic to learn how to play and I haven't been able to find a song I can learn because they teach too vaguely. This tutorial is perfectly descriptive, visually and verbally. I'll be learning my first and favourite acoustic song thanks to you.

[@Astlessons]

Celeste Wilson You're very welcome, glad I could be of help learning this awesome song! Yes, it does take alot of time doing them this way, but I'd rather make one thorough tutorial a week covering all aspects then a couple hasty ones just to get alot of views. And people leaving comments like yours makes it feel like time well spent, so thanks back. Hope you'll enjoy more upcoming tutorials, and just ask away if you run into trouble on the way learning to play!

[@robosaurk]

Awesome tutorial :D This is one of my favourite songs and it's really hard to find a good tutorial, this helped a lot!

[@nevergongiveuup]

Hey man, thanks a ton for these vids. Playing helps me decompress after my day, and learning something new while I'm at it is great. Awesome format, awesome music.

[@Astlessons]

Evening! You're welcome, and thanks for telling me. Yes playing music is wonderful that way and especially City And Colour songs with a mix of nice melodies, emotion and meaningful lyrics. Hope you'll enjoy more coming tutorials then, take care.

[@Astlessons]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear it! Feel free to stick around for more if you want, I will definitely do more City And Colour songs.

[@tobianish]

Best tutorial I've ever seen. Thanks a lot, much appreciated.

[@Astlessons]

+Wavy Gravy It was my pleasure, glad you found it so helpful! Thanks for that, means alot to hear, I hope you'll stick around the channel as well. I'm always trying to improve so if you like this one from three years ago you should check out some of my later videos as well, for example I just released Paradise if you like more of his songs.

[@Astlessons]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hehe, there's always alot of brilliant artists popping up so that sounds like a good plan:D

[@milostewart6799]

absolutely the best tutorial I have ever seen and used.

[@Astlessons]

Milo Stewart Wow, I really appreciate the awesome feedback, thank you! Hope you'll enjoy more of my tutorials as well then!

[@kerrydustin3996]

Such a shame this channel isn’t active anymore. This tutorial is the best I’ve seen so far!

[@Astlessons]

Thanks alot for the compliment! I appreciate you took the time to tell me, and it's nice to hear it helped. Let's hope I'll end up doing more of your favourite songs then!:D

[@Astlessons]

You're most welcome! Thanks for leaving the comment telling me, both that it makes me happy reading positive feedback and that it's good to know how my methods are working. Feel free to stick around for more, I will keep them coming more frequently than before now!

[@cbrudder84]

I just want to say you are by far the best guitar teacher on KZbin. I have never been able to pick up songs so thoroughly, so I really appreciate your attention to detail and efforts. I just want to say that I have watched this song live many times online and I am SURE that he plays the chorus differently. I can't tell what he plays, but he goes past the Dadd4 in a few parts. Any idea what he is playing? Also, I would like to second the request mentioned below about the song "The Girl" by City and Colour :) Thanks again! Great work!

[@Astlessons]

+Chris Rudder Thanks, that comment really made my day! You're welcome, glad I could be of so much help. I've checked a few more live performances now, and I found him playing a different chord in the choruses sometimes yes. It sounds like another voicing of an Em to me, which is highly likely since it's the regular Em he switches it for. So I'm 99% sure it's either 7 7 5 0 0 0 (B E G G B E) or 7 7 X 0 0 0, which looks accurate if you watch a close-up when he plays live (for example on the Juno awards performance). Please give this comment a thumbs up so more people can see it! The Girl has already been added to the requestlist yes, but feel free to request something else for the website vote, I don't have to ask if you're a subscriber after that comment:D

[@Astlessons]

Thank you for the great compliments, and taking the time to tell me. Well, I don't like making promises unless I'm sure I'll hold them:D. What I can promise is that I'll think about it, and that there will be more City And Colour songs. Later this year I will start taking requests from subscribers and do one request-tutorial a month, exactly how it will work is not finished yet. Another problem is that I'm not half the guitar player Dallas is:D, but I've started playing more lately so improving!

[@bemiand]

Great stuff! Really well explained and preformed. Maybe even I will be able to keep up with new contemporary music :D

[@Astlessons]

Thanks alot Hugo Haare, that's some compliment! I try to make it as easy as possible to learn without cutting corners on the transcriptions, I do have some things to work on with on-screen personality etc. but it's getting a little better each tutorial:D Saw you played piano and have started doing covers on KZbin, that's nice! Someday I'll start doing piano tutorials also, since piano is my main instrument.

[@thepoochypooch]

Piano is my main instrument too! I am trying to teach myself other instruments too though, such as guitar, and will hopefully be uploading a guitar cover of sleeping sickness soon (thanks to this tutorial and your website).

[@Astlessons]

Hugo Haare Nice, yeah I've also found that variety with other instruments is good in many ways. Awesome, I'll gladly take a listen then so just let me know!

[@mase_chiladin6706]

So good

[@catherinepinsent6201]

great lesson, easy to follow. i nailed it after watching this video :)

[@Astlessons]

Catherine McComb Well thank you for that comment I'm glad to hear it, love getting feedback, and especially when it's positive of course:D Hope you'll enjoy more of my tutorials as well then!

[@user-lo3sf3of5h]

buen tutorial muchas gracias

[@Slipter]

Thanks for the video man!

[@Astlessons]

+Dave Cnvs You're welcome, I'm glad it helped you!

[@Astlessons]

I have just uploaded the "Song overview" from part 2 to the website on the paper called "E", please give this comment a thumbs up so people can see it!

[@chasemc325]

This was very helpful, cheers pal :)

[@Astlessons]

+Chase MC Thanks, I'm glad to hear it, cheers!:D

[@Astlessons]

I had to use google translate on that one, because I know like three words in spanish:D My interpretation is that you liked it, and it was a compliment that you learned it fast, so thanks!

[@jimmy2sticks]

Your lesson format, playing and explanations are just fantastic. Can I make a request? Could you please, *please do a similar lesson for "Harder than Stone (acoustic version)" off the new City & Colour album? That would be amazing.

[@DJpate]

Great vid! Can you do a tutorial on City and Colour - Constant Knot ?

[@trevorjohnston3206]

awesome tutorial. it would be handy to put the strum pattern when you do play it a bit slower

[@solmilagrosbelini2114]

el nombre del video tendria que ser "como aprender a tocar sleeping sickness en 17 minutos! muy bueno

[@Jay-hm1kq]

Thanks for the lesson! What is the strumming pattern for the first verse? It look like the video picks up showing intro. And then strumming pattern starting with the second verse.

[@Astlessons]

You're welcome Jason! Maybe I wasn't as clear as I thought:D, this video was a year ago so looking back I could probably have explained it better. Anyways yes, the first demonstration is for the Intro, but he uses the same patterns for the Verses as for the Intro. So it's still the four patterns at 3:40 he uses. The demonstrations on part 6 and 8 is an example how it can sound. Then 06:12 I explain what he plays in the end of the verses, the short bits I call the "Pre-Chorus". Hope this helped, or else keep asking til we're synced if I misunderstood what you were after, maybe you know the patterns were used a wanted to know the exact order or something on the cd?:D

[@Jay-hm1kq]

Awesome! Thanks for the help. Enjoying the videos and lessons. Keep up the great work! Subscribed!

[@Astlessons]

Jason L No problems! Nice, I'll actually revisit this song and show the solo in a followup video soon, and regular tutorials will of course also keep coming. Thanks for that, and I'm glad they help!

[@StevenzGuitarCovers]

I would greatly appreciate it if you take the time to do a tutorial of "The Girl" by City And Colour as I have been wanting to learn it for a while and haven't quite been able to figure it out. Thank you in advance!

[@Astlessons]

StevenzGuitarCovers Hey! I've read both of your comments, so I'll answer both of them on the other video to make it easier:D

[@Rowblob1441]

hey there! I'm new to guitar, what do you do to tune your guitar to Em?

[@Astlessons]

+Rowblob1441 Evening! Tune it to Em? If you mean for this song it's in standard tuning, which is the normal tuning, there is no such thing as "Em tuning". So I'm assuming you mean standard tuning (E A D G B E), and I'm also assuming you know nothing about instruments and rather answer you too thoroughly then not well enough:D The easiest way is to download a free app on your phone (just search "guitar tuner" and you'll find plenty), then start from the thickest string and go down, thickest string is E, then next A and so on (D G B E), just simply turn the knobs until it shows the letter you're after plus points around straight up. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask me for more help, and remember there is no stupid questions:D

[@tysonhammond5615]

What kind of guitar is that? Make/model/and year?

[@user-nb8rf4zh1d]

не дурно!!)

[@Astlessons]

степан коновалов Not sure, but it looks like Russian, I tried to translate but it didn't work:D. Anyways, hope it was a comment saying it helped you, and if so you're welcome:D

[@user-nb8rf4zh1d]

Astlessons I liked it so good!!!

[@Astlessons]

степан коновалов Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@TamNguyen-vp9mb]

DUD do you even guitar??? 😂😂😂

[@Astlessons]

+Tam Nguyen Not sure what you mean I'm afraid, sorry:D