Chordplay - The Chords Of The Black Crowes

Here's the next episode of Chordplay with 'The Chords of The Black Crowes.'
Rich Robinson and The Black Crowes have been rockin' their brand of swampy blues-rock music since the last 1980s, and once I noticed Rich's unusual approach to guitar with a variety of open tunings, I became more interesting in tapping into his playing style and relearned several of their songs using his main "secret weapon" - Open-G tuning.
While Keith Richards and several other guitarists have explored Open-G and various other open tunings, Rich has always had a signature style and approach to working with these tunings, and it helps him create a plethora of unusual tonalities, chord textures, and progressions.
This lesson hits a number of great Crowes moments, including various selections and hits such as 'Remedy,' 'Cursed Diamond,' 'Soul Singing,' and much more, and will give those that are new to understanding/exploring open tunings a number of songs, riffs, and ideas to begin working with this common, yet commonly misunderstood tuning on the guitar.
As you work through this episode, you'll surely notice Rich's various influences and stylistic directions come into focus - including tons of classic rock, blues, soul, and R&B, not to mention their patented "slow-funk" blues-rock grooves and "raw-and-rootsy" chord progressions.
Give this episode a view, leave some comments and feedback, and please subscribe to Late Night Lessons - THANK YOU!

[@malditos561]

Some play open G because of Kieth.... I play it because of the Crowes. Thank you, Well done sir.

[@DaPoopIsInDaPudding]

Keith too

[@Oriolesfun]

When they wanted to rock nobody could touch em. Always thought it was bad ass they made a career in such a wild transitional time for rock music. They weren’t Metallica or GnR and they weren’t Seattle. Right in the middle with their brand of rock n roll, right on!

[@michaelshearer3559]

This deserves a second series! nice work

[@benhoward7006]

Thanks, I just saw them Wed. night here in Salt Lake City. They are still awesome. Incredible tone and playing. Rich and Isiah Mitchell sounded like rock and roll guitar should sound. Chris Robinson hasn't lost anything. Great lesson.

[@bobscratchit9665]

Man, I wasn't expecting Cursed Diamond. That and Descending are my favorites by them. I can't decide between them.

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

Another great video...Love this band. I lived in Marietta for a few years in early 90's and use to see Chris quite a bit...he never wore shoes...

[@paulmundy8312]

What a brilliant tutorial & not only that but some fantastic guitar playing & theory too. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Tikap73]

Great video! I spent so many nights front stage left with one eye on Rich and one on his tech and the lined up guitars from 1992 on Crowes, solo (the solo gig I went to was incredibly TINY as well), Magpie Salute and still going.

[@davidpaul6656]

Awesome lesson! Thank you! I Love the Black Crowes! I was lucky enough to see the original band at a small local club on their Shake Yer Money Maker tour. Oddly enough Mark Ford's original band Burning Tree was the tour opener. Fast forward to a year later and he was the new BC guitarist

[@voronOsphere]

Black Crows Chordplay? Why didn't I think of that?!!! Thanks, David!!!

[@Lucashfc]

Amazing lesson! Cursed Diamond is also my fav crowes song :)

[@donaldmccoy49]

OMG!!!! you're on fire sir!!!! LOVE this the most!!!

[@donaldmccoy49]

seen them 8-9 times, all lineups...1st to last incarnations...this led me to my next request.. BLACKBERRY SMOKE!!!!

[@rcsurfingful]

Thank you for this video. I bought the Brothers of a Feather DVD in 2007. I knew very little about open G at that time but that changed quickly. That DVD was my intro to open G. I studied the crap out of it. Also, thank you for the Soul Singing help. I was missing parts. Great job!

[@jamiefischer7494]

Nice lesson. Thanks for posting. Love the Crowes. Love Open G tuning. Now I have to order a capo to play Thorn in My Pride. I have never tried to learn it before, but I will now. Thanks again.

[@gregedenfield1080]

dude, love your "bedside manor" you are a very calming cat, learning a lot, thanx.

[@kamoverturf6192]

Awesome! The Crowes have a history of amazing guitarists, Marc Ford and Audley Freed being my favorite. Marc has a great blues feel and Audley has a almost Paul Gilbert meets Peter Frampton type of technique with a lot of his fast playing. Audley’s first band Cry of Love is amazing too, lots of great playing! And of course the live record the crowes made with jimmy page is mind blowing, probably some of jimmys best playing since zeppelin, especially on the blues covers! Sorry for fanboying but the Black Crowes are one of my all time favorite bands!!!!

[@tonepoet]

Live At The Greek. That album is unbelievably great, best tribute to Led Zeppelin I've ever witnessed.

[@kamoverturf6192]

tonepoet exactly!!!

[@robertiaccarino4363]

Luther Dickinson, too.

[@amoricans]

don’t forget about Luther Dickinson! he’s pretty badass too. but MFF takes the cake. his solo stuff is also fantastic

[@michaelgreer4790]

Best lesson yet! Love the Crowes, and thank you for taking away some of the mystery on how to play these songs. I owe you beers!

[@mattmasonoklahoma]

groovy lesson man thank you!

[@ziggylayneable]

my first introduction to open G tuning was "led Zeppelin 3".I always keep at least one acoustic and one electric in that tuning.In my opinion the best second guitar player they ever had was Luther Dickinson. If you watch the DVD, for "before the frost until the freeze"? Where they are playing live in Levon Helm's Barn. That is a beautiful example,of watching Luther Dickinson live in action playing for the song and not going overboard, and trying to show off.

[@markybgoode]

Good tutorial! Open G is a lot of fun. I couldn’t see all your finger placements so I was a little lost especially the tune capoed at 4th fret. Thanks

[@jay_sun_michael]

Yes! Thank you, David! The Crowes are one of my favorite bands.

[@jay_sun_michael]

Since you haven't seen them live, I've got two links here for your enjoyment. These shows are incredible. Two different eras but equally great. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJW3moKCr9WNo5o.

[@jay_sun_michael]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGO9lICcr7mers0

[@doyleallen3762]

Lotta info. You have almost convinced me to play open G for a while. thx!

[@Whitt-lg5jp]

Excellent video I hope you have a lot more

[@Bobby_Digital37]

Thank you for this!!! I love the Crowes and been trying to figure out how to play Soul Singing and Thorn for years!! Lions is not just my favorite Crowes album, it’s one of my favorite albums of all time!! 😁

[@jerkerjansson386]

Great lesson! Love The Black Crowes! I saw them at the Roskilde festival in Denmark back in 1995. I have never seen so many bongs at a show before or after.

[@DocRaunchy]

beautiful. One of my favourite bands as well. Played 4 of their tunes in a cover set in the beginning of the Nineties with one guitar in Open G and one in standard tuning.

[@timkritzer134]

Sweet! Love them. I've been blessed to see them many times over the years. Such talent!

[@MisterPoppy-sc1sj]

Another very interesting lesson, thank you David

[@Scottocaster6668]

Open G tuning with the '70s chord is totally Keef Richards territory. I can play for hrs in that tuning, opens up a whole new world. Good stuff 👍👍

[@jasongunn69]

Great lesson on a great guitar player. Much appreciated

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

Great stuff, saw them at a festival in the UK in the 90s, instant fan. Hard to handle cover particularly never gets old.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Nice. Open G is the way to get the crowes, nick drake and Keith chord sounds for sure. G and dropped D are the only ones I use anymore though I started in open E exclusively. Good video

[@han36solo]

Great band, great lesson! Thanks Brew!

[@VeloVagabond]

We could all use a Remedy in these strange times!

[@DaPoopIsInDaPudding]

Bogeyman19

[@MatthewScottmusic]

What a cool video man!!

[@samivellamo3995]

Soul Searching got me on goose bumps.Quite a song.

[@deskeurasia5085]

Geat explanations and insightful comments. Thanks!

[@dewey5978]

I saw the black crows live back in the 90s. The played sun rise sun set and it was awesome.

[@bennet65]

I feel like I wrote your intro speech in my head years ago and you just came and said it on KZbin.

[@stevenbarnes9465]

Dude!! Amazing job.. thank you for putting this together

[@tomgoral313]

Thank you for the insightful, beautiful lesson! I always shied away from open tunings, but lately I have embraced the rich sounds of these tunings

[@daveg5857]

BRC was awesome. I saw them at Casbah in San Diego, with like 70 people. So memorable.

[@JB111-b4d]

Black Crowes rock!!!

[@kckrye]

I agree with everything you said. Ha ha! Love me some Crowes!

[@jonbigg7385]

Once again you point out a band that I've long overlooked. That was a really cool lesson. Thank you! While we're talking open G tuning, Watch Over You by Alter Bridge is a great example of open G, made even more incredible by Myles Kennedy's voice. Also, have you ever checked out Seasons, by Chris Cornell? That's in kind of a weird F tuning, similar to the last example in this lesson.

[@BradleyNewman]

This has changed me forever. I have been in standard for 20 years….

[@Bud5150]

I saw Black Crows in Paris Olympia in July 2001 and it was great show, enjoyed it very much. Nice vid as usual. Will you do a FAQ video speaking about your axes, especially your Strat? ( what kind of bridge & humbuckers )

[@dudeman3929]

I really hope you caught them on this Shake Your Money Maker tour. I’m from NYC, I drove to Michigan (7/9/22 show) last week to see them. They were so awesome. I’ve never been a big fan but always thought they had a cool vibe from a far but lately I’ve been listening more and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to catch them live because I knew how good it would be. They were great, just kept on rocking. True musicians, true soul, great rock and roll, awesome. Don’t miss this tour wherever you have to travel to!

[@Blue_3rd]

Cool, thanks 👍 How about some Blackberry Smoke someday? They also have some nice tunes in open G with and without slide, (maybe you could carry on the open tuning theme) some good acoustic tunes too. I love open G and open D, they are great fun. Cheers!

[@cato451]

Wonderful. I’m heavy dosing Crowes right now after finishing the Hard To Handle book by drummer Steve Gorman.

[@davidhoward8951]

Very good job man I enjoyed watching you play and you bring it the way it's supposed to be brought

[@billwarkentin3630]

I saw the Crowes in a small club (maybe held 200-300 people) just as their first album was starting to get a bunch of airplay. They were fantastic! Young kids with a ton of energy! Great to see bands in their formative years! Thanks for the Chordplay, Dave!!!

[@ryanstaggs5956]

Thank you Dave! I love these guys! They had an amazing debut album and they just got better and better after that. I think Marc Ford was instrumental in that. Check out 99 lbs if you haven't heard it. It's a B-side from their second album. Wow!

[@scotv5099]

Cursed Diamond is my favorite!

[@dorkdorkerson3376]

By Your Side is a gem

[@slimbeauharpo4687]

Outstanding ! Thank you sir. Thank you very much.

[@CastlesMadeOf...]

So good! Thanks man 🙏

[@user-rl8pl1cw5n]

Rich usually plays Remedy with a capo at the 3rd fret. We need a second Black Crowes chord play with Sting Me and Gone!

[@chrisgrabowski2678]

Thanks :). I'm surprised many guitarists don't play Open G. It can make guitar understandable. I recommend it.

[@cornstar1253]

It makes everything sound like the stones or black crowes

[@dalewetzel773]

Saw Crowes around late 96. Been a fan since the release of “Shake”. Thorn is my favorite

[@amoricans]

“Thorn” might be the best song in the catalog. never gets old

[@lobitz2011]

Frickin awesome insights. Thank you

[@thenewtowncryer]

Nice work!!!

[@halfindy]

So good. Don’t know what else to say. :)

[@olajonsson9774]

Thanks! Really interesting to hear your thoughts on this! I remember when I was like 12 or so and tried to figure out how to play Stones Honky Tonk Women. Just could not get it to sound right. No internet back then. Since some years now, I found out about alternate tunings, a new world! Cursed Diamond is a favorite, the band is a favourite, chordplay is now a favourite 😀

[@julianschulz1620]

Love the Crowes, though i'm sad Marc Ford won't be on the reunion tour. Really enjoy your lessons & have recommended to many!

[@Otis-Isom]

Isn’t he dead?

[@julianschulz1620]

@@Otis-Isom He is not.

[@Otis-Isom]

julian schulz I see

[@WSG23]

On Remedy They actually invert the intro riff in that bridge. I could tell when you played it you thought it was off. From the verse section they go back to the Eflat section then the F. Reverse from the intro.

[@robertiaccarino4363]

Nice lesson; you would be great to start a band with.

[@windmillcancersurvivor2568]

I second the Kam Overturf Audley Freed shout out. He did some Europe tours with the Crowes and when he rips with that Les Paul Jr/ Collings it is the sound of Angels. He's the Boss!!

[@STAMPER-DESIGN]

Great lesson! Thank you!

[@michaelthompson9253]

youtube michael thompson thunder and rain i like this channel cos you are a proper musician keep up the good work cos ive learnt off you respect sir

[@erasmopontrandolfo4487]

Fantastico grazie mille

[@scottphillips161]

If you look at live footage, Rich has a capo on for 'Remedy' at the 3rd fret to play the song in Open Bb. However, you can play with Marc's rhythm part which is in standard tuning.

[@78stratsl]

Do a deep dive into the Black Crowes please.

[@amoricans]

i second the motion 🤘🏻

[@777gitarguy]

Awesome lesson!!!

[@yourstruly5687]

Great lesson! How about some intro to slide in open G for a future lesson?

[@aaronlalli3730]

Well done! ..take care.

[@robinhowell5713]

Cry of Love is another great band that needs a lot more love (especially since Audley Freed was in both). I’ve seen Chris and Rich separately in small venues in Sacramento and Grass Valley-left the Chris show (too loud) but stayed for Rich, would love to see them when all this Covid crap is gone.

[@davidhoward8951]

Heavy's custom sound like Jimmy Page I love The Black Crowes to man a reek of coolness cursed diamonds got some King's X type sound like Thai would be playing

[@sprazang]

Hey, Dave. Another great "Chords of..." here. Thanks. I'd like to request The Chords of Zebra or The Chords of Randy Jackson. Underrated band and guitarist. I'd love to see/hear you break down the intro to "Who's Behind The Door". Thanks again. Great work.

[@PhotoTrekr]

Always great to see a great band in a small venue.

[@michaelpond6386]

Get yourself a Supro Island series tune to open G and listen to that big gold foil magic.

[@user-fx9nw6im1d]

Awesome cover of Cursed Diamond!!! I’m all caught up till I hit what I think is the bridge where Chris sings “Hold me baby, hold me girl”. Any chance you could send a tab or lend a hint on the next cords? Im wearing myself out trying to figure it out.

[@theimprovisorsguide]

YEEESSS!

[@christopherbilotta8225]

Thanks

[@Scottocaster6668]

Now that I see it, Remedy chord progression is the same as Chicago's"Feeling stronger every day". The first two chords on the 2nd song sound like "Only women Bleed".

[@romucorporation]

Wild!

[@unclesixer]

I always thought the 2nd chord of remedy was C/E and the 4th chord was Bb/D, like F C/E C------ Eb Bb/D Bb-----. Now i have tried it both ways and they both sound good. Any thoughts? Nice video, the Black Crowes have killer songs!

[@nidgeontour257]

Great idea! Love your videos! Can you do chords of Motörhead, or power chords of Motörhead! 😂 Fast Eddie Clarke and Phil Campbell were pretty similar in guitar styles. Thanks dude! ♠️

[@unclestinky6388]

The Black Crowes toured with Jimmy Page as part of the band about 20 years ago. They played mostly the more obscure Zeppelin jam tunes.

[@cornstar1253]

I saw them open for Robert plant in 90

[@davidpaul6656]

Originally they were more of an alternative type rock band under the name of Crowes Garden. Then I think it was there manager or producer told Rich to check out the Rolling Stones and the rest is history as they say.

[@baseballdude8491]

Mr Crowes Garden

[@hrosemd]

Always thought the guitar solo in Hard to Handle was fantastic. One of my all time favorites.

[@amoricans]

fun fact: Brendan O’Brien, the now very famous producer, who recorded and engineered “Shake Your Money Maker”, played the guitar solo on “Hard to Handle”. that album totally launched his career, big time

[@hrosemd]

@@amoricans Interesting. Thanks.

[@waynegram8907]

Chords of Nick Drake lesson would be very nice to learn from. I don't get Nick Drakes music at all and maybe the chord lesson will make me learn what he is all about.

[@robinhowell5713]

What is Home? Would love a little help!

[@xai1971]

***** Thank you!

[@openlatedentistryandorthod7094]

Im gonna try 15:50 in standard and see if it is possible

[@78stratsl]

More

[@eroldcroft-iu2po]

Remedy is open b flat tuning. Capo at 3rd fret. Its not open g tuning. Open g tuning with a capo at 3rd fret.

[@amoricans]

great video man! open tunings are def the secret sauce of the Crowes. makes it challenging to do live w/o a guitar tech but totally worth the trouble. 🤘🏻 check our Crowes tribute band out when you get a sec we’d love to hear what you think

[@darkman237]

Was their cover of "Hard to Handle" in open G also?

[@dannyspencer5529]

When I play the song I play it in standard, but not sure for rhythm guitar, lead guitar definitely standard though for the guitar solos etc.

[@columbo74]

Tabs would have helped a bit. Still i could listen to crowes sound all the time

[@kellybeane7546]

I blocked my cheap Chinese floyd on my used guitar center silver burst Jackson and you can tune to whatever.