Seeing as how the last Elliott Smith post was so old and was really quite specific, I thought I would start an Elliott Smith topic, not just to share amazing and intelligent music, but also to encourage people to start listening to music and having a reason to love it.
All too often, people try to be a part of pop culture and listen to everything that everyone else listens to... but nobody is really quite sure whether they like it or not. The difference between Elliott Smith and so many other people is he writes what he wants, and he does a great job doing it. His ability to write beautiful melodies (honestly, his melodies are some of the most amazing i've ever heard out of ANYONE. Period.) and also match up his lyrics to those melodies is incredible. One of my favorite songs by him is Tomorrow Tomorrow off of the album "XO"
The reason? First of all, his ability to play his guitar is demonstrated INCREDIBLY in this song. Very few people can play it, let alone sing it while playing. Also, I love the way the song builds up as the story in the lyrics materialize. I specifically love the lyrics towards the end of the song - "I got static in my head The reflected sound of everything Tried to go to where it led But it didn't lead to anything The noise is coming out And if it's not out now I know it's just about To drown tomorrow out "
He's probably one of the best acoustic guitarists to ever walk the face of the earth.... Trying to learn to play his songs well is really something that takes a while... His finger picking (adequately demonstrated in songs such as Angeles, Southern Belle, and tomorrow tomorrow) Is quite incredible. But it's not over the top, either. It's exactly the way it needs to be. He's not showing off, he wrote what he liked. He didn't try to be as impressive as he could, he just was. The songs are beautiful and well rounded... And the lyrics match the music so well. I also happen to love his ability to tune to pretty weird tunings on his guitar. A song that demonstrates this ability very well is the song 'Independence Day' (This song is also amazingly enjoyable to play on Guitar :D )
Also, if you can find it, and want a little light-hearted Elliott Smith comedy, I would encourage watching 'A Strange Parallel.' I dont know about you, but I thought it was hilarious, and kind of showed you what Elliott Smith thought of interviews as well. There is also a robot hand involved. Unfortunately, Part 1 isn't available... I would totally say 'buy it if you can' but i don't think it's available anywhere. This is The ONLY reason I'm posting it. It also gives you some nice versions of songs and it's just a good watch in general. Here is part 2
Here is part 3
Having to do with 'A Strange Parallel,' the band Elliott Smith played with very often was a band called 'Quasi,' which is still around and making music. They are very weird, but they have grown on me. If you want to listen to them, their Myspace page is http://www.myspace.com/theequasi I also liked a lot of his older stuff... This is from his Heatmiser days... This is a GREAT song from 1996.
This is a great song from 1995.. A really simple video, but really nostalgic and really a great song with great feeling... another one of my favorites.. my favorite part of the video is the very end.
Here is a song I really like to play on my piano when I just want to relax and chill out when im at home by myself
I love how beautiful his music is when you're playing and singing it to yourself, just letting your mind wander.. Some people may tease me for that, but I'm not ashamed of myself for loving his music as much as I do. Elliott Smith was an amazing songwriter and an amazing human being..And there is so much more to his music than just these songs, so if you are unfamiliar with his music, but like what you hear, definitely check him out.. you can find his music on Youtube, and you can purchase albums / songs off of itunes (of course...) The Elliott Smith Official Fan Site is http://sweetadeline.net/ ,where you can find news, unreleased tracks, and a bunch of other stuff. Just go through the forums on the website and you'll find plenty of interesting things. One of my favorite quotes of his in response to a question referring to song writing, he responded "Just write the way you want to write. If you like it there has got to be something good about it because you liked it." I think that's how people should write music... Not expecting anyone to like it, but writing something because they liked it themselves. It's helped me a lot to become a better musician and to be content with just enjoying music and having a love for it. And for that, I am very thankful. EDIT: roman candle (remastered) & from a basement on the hill (rerelease) out now in n america, australia, and japan!
April 6th, 2010 marks the release of roman candle (remastered) and from a basement on the hill (rerelease) from kill rock stars. please check out your local record store for availability! some fans who pre-ordered the album received the album early and if you were one of the first 300 fans to pre-order either album or both got a free poster of a rare picture of elliott. the poster also advertises both releases by jj gonson. these releases will be on kill rock stars in n america, australia, and japan and are available in 180 gram vinyl, regular vinyl and cd. this also marks the first time roman candle has been released on vinyl for the first time in the u.s.! if you are unable to pick up a copy of roman candle in your hometown in n america, australia, and japan, please order it from kill rock stars' online store by click on either link below: roman candle - http://www.buyolympia.com/killrockstars/Item=KRS523 basement - http://www.buyolympia.com/killrockstars/Item=KRS524
i found out about elliott smith after hearing him on a sc stream from here and spending quite some time catching a specific enough part of the lyrics to google him
Ok, so he's dead. But his music IS still amazing. So i prefer to use present tense.
And absolutely, New Disaster is an incredible song. I can't really tell you my favorite songs by him because I really like a lot of them for different reasons... I just used these ones because they were in my head at the time of making this thread
On May 18 2010 06:31 LordWeird wrote: Very awesome music. Thanks for pointing me in his direction.
Your very welcome and by the way, if you followed the link to the fan site, it's 'Sweetadeline.net' i go to the website all the time, i dont know why i put .com... it's fixed now but sorry if you followed that and were confused at the location
On May 18 2010 06:46 mrmin123 wrote: Related topic: Nick Drake
I was considering bringing him up in this thread, but decided not too. He's also awesome. I have probably 50 songs of his on my iPod. He uses a lot of really cool tunings as well, using cluster chords on the guitar to give it a very unique, almost acoustic - jazzy kind of feel. Though I wouldn't say Elliott Smith is 'jazz influenced' per say, he does use a lot of really interesting chords... many of which I've brought into my own style of play... The out of key chord in in 'Between the Bars' in the chorus when he says 'That you don't want around anymore ....' is a really interesting touch and display of his ability to write songs really well, keeping them interesting as always Also, I would say Elliott Smiths harder songs are definitely more difficult to play than Nick Drake songs...
Absolutely an amazing song. One of his most interesting.... And you've also further proven my point. There are so many different reasons to love Elliott Smith... I kind of like this song in a similar way that I like 'Roman Candle,' very different to the reason I like songs like Independence Day or Tomorrow Tomorrow.
I haven't listened to him a lot. He's featured in two of my favorite films, Paranoid Park and Good Will Hunting and the songs create an amazing mood. He reminds a lot of Nick Drake
I just posted part 2 and part 3 of 'A Strange Parallel' if anyone wants to watch it. It's a cool documentary with a bit of comedy in it, and is definitely a must watch for a big Elliott Smith fan.
I'm surprised at how many StarCraft players love Elliott Smith. It's only been a couple hours and already a lot of responses o.o I wasn't expecting that.
On May 18 2010 06:46 mrmin123 wrote: Related topic: Nick Drake
edit: I probably should add more to this... Elliot Smith is nice and if you're looking for something similar be sure to check out Nick Drake.
i feel that Nick Drake has better instrumental playing, but Smith has amazing lyrics
Eh, both wrote great lyrics. Drake's lyrics are often clearer and more universal, where as Smith's are introverted and personal. Smith generally uses more chord changes than Drake, and while the technique required to play some of Drake's songs can be very high, a lot of them are actually pretty easy. They certainly had one thing in common, though: they both wrote beautiful music.
On May 18 2010 06:46 mrmin123 wrote: Related topic: Nick Drake
edit: I probably should add more to this... Elliot Smith is nice and if you're looking for something similar be sure to check out Nick Drake.
i feel that Nick Drake has better instrumental playing, but Smith has amazing lyrics
Eh, both wrote great lyrics. Drake's lyrics are often clearer and more universal, where as Smith's are introverted and personal. Smith generally uses more chord changes than Drake, and while the technique required to play some of Drake's songs can be very high, a lot of them are actually pretty easy. They certainly had one thing in common, though: they both wrote beautiful music.
I agree with this post. I actually like Nick Drakes lyrics a lot, though I do like Elliott's probably a little more... Nick Drake's writing style (as far as phrasing and lyrics goes) was very, very different from almost everything I had heard prior to it, and I like that. Also, he incorporates nature into many of his songs as metaphors, which you will find is typically not so successful in music nowadays, but in his case, he executed it very well.
P.S. to meteorskunk - Thanks! That quote really helped me out a lot... it helped me to loosen up and just enjoy myself with song writing... I also love what he mentioned in that interview about how important creativity and love for music is...
Great song writer. I particularly love waltz #4, high times, and pretty mary k (new moon other version). Thanks for inspiring to put him on my playlist again
Damn what a song. This live version is my favorite. Christian brothers. I just see his life's dedication in this performance. Subtle but so powerful.
On May 18 2010 08:40 alexpnd wrote: Great song writer. I particularly love waltz #4, high times, and pretty mary k (new moon other version). Thanks for inspiring to put him on my playlist again
Damn what a song. This live version is my favorite. Christian brothers. I just see his life's dedication in this performance. Subtle but so powerful.
I like how that song progresses.. I also like the alternative Pretty Mary K... It's kind of weird to play on the guitar..Though I know the chords, I can't play it perfectly , and have yet to figure out exactly how he finger picks the notes.. But it's a really cool song that I want to learn to play all the way through... You seriously can learn a lot from listening to his music.
On May 18 2010 09:35 omninmo wrote: i've just always had issues with suicidals... even hendrix (who killed himself with drugs due to inability to go beyond his current musical plateau) .
Well the thing we are admiring is his music and song writing ability. And hendrix killed himself on accident... He was given a different kind of sleeping pill than he was used to(in fact several times stronger), and he didn't think it would be wrong to take a couple extra pills, despite the fact he had alcohol. It was also his first break he had... and he just wanted to sleep. The investigation showed that it was almost certainly accidental. And I wouldn't come to conclusions about reasoning behind him killing himself even if he did... Hendrix was only around for 3 years, and he was incredibly progressive. As for Elliott Smith, he had a lot of problems... I wouldn't want to live the life he did. What he had to deal with was much more than most of us could even shallowly understand. Reasoning behind suicidal thoughts can be incredibly sudden, and though he deteriorated over time, it could have been a sudden reaction that led him to making such a rash decision... After all, though he was depressed, he wasn't very suicidal until the year 1998... That is apparently when he openly admitted that he tried to commit suicide, though he didn't want to talk about it much. After that, though, he seemed to have recovered some what... going to rehab, fixing his life up... then suddenly in 2003, he slipped into a deep depression and killed himself. It's hard to say what leads up to such things... but who knows. The point of this thread is not to discuss something we can't possibly understand. It's to admire his song writing ability and the music he wrote while he was alive. In case you are wondering, source is Wikipedia.org
For some people, the risk for suicide can be highest when starting to feel better. Psychological problems like depression can be really paralyzing and numbing and cause a lot of apathy and, well, depression. In other words, a bunch of things that lead to inaction. If those symptoms are lifted before suicidal ideation is gone, then risk goes up. Elliott was getting healthy in 2003.
I never said he was unpopular when he was alive, I just said he was propelled to fame by his death, much like Nick Drake. No need to get offended, I was just stating my opinion
On May 18 2010 10:40 Liquid`NonY wrote: For some people, the risk for suicide can be highest when starting to feel better. Psychological problems like depression can be really paralyzing and numbing and cause a lot of apathy and, well, depression. In other words, a bunch of things that lead to inaction. If those symptoms are lifted before suicidal ideation is gone, then risk goes up. Elliott was getting healthy in 2003.
Yea, I think I agree with you more than what I said. I thought about it and I was constantly thinking about one of his last concerts (which is found here http://www.archive.org/details/esmith2003-01-31.flac16) And i found some videos and he just looked terrible... but listening to it again, he didn't seem very unhealthy at all... Compared to when he played his show in front of what is now 'Intelligentsia Coffee' at Sunset Junction in Silverlake, California... where he couldn't even finish several of his songs (one reason being that the monitors were screwed up, the other being that he just wasnt in good condition) Of course, when i said 'he suddenly slipped into a deep depression in 2003," i meant the very last weeks he was alive... (all of which is speculation of course. This is assuming you believe what his girl friend said, and dont believe it was homicide) But I think what you said seems to make a lot more sense.... taking into consideration the psychology of a recovering drug addict and alcoholic...
On May 18 2010 10:59 Miss_Cleo wrote: I never said he was unpopular when he was alive, I just said he was propelled to fame by his death, much like Nick Drake. No need to get offended, I was just stating my opinion
Don't worry, I won't get offended. But what's the difference between popularity and fame? Or if there is no difference, how is it he is popular/famous before death but he also attains popularity/fame from a tragic death? I still don't think you understand how time works. A cause can't come after its effect.
On May 18 2010 10:59 Miss_Cleo wrote: I never said he was unpopular when he was alive, I just said he was propelled to fame by his death, much like Nick Drake. No need to get offended, I was just stating my opinion
Don't worry, I won't get offended. But what's the difference between popularity and fame? Or if there is no difference, how is it he is popular/famous before death but he also attains popularity/fame from a tragic death? I still don't think you understand how time works. A cause can't come after its effect.
Here I'll simplify it for you. He was popular with a certain crowd when he was alive. When he died, his story was covered by the media so much that people who didn't know about his music or knew he even existed had to chance to listen to him. I guess you can call his death publicity.
This goes back to my opening statements in the thread......
On May 18 2010 06:21 CtrLZerG wrote: All too often, people try to be a part of pop culture and listen to everything that everyone else listens to... but nobody is really quite sure whether they like it or not. The difference between Elliott Smith and so many other people is he writes what he wants, and he does a great job doing it. His ability to write beautiful melodies (honestly, his melodies are some of the most amazing i've ever heard out of ANYONE. Period.) and also match up his lyrics to those melodies is incredible.
I think what he might actually be thinking about is those who listen to the music because of his death... under the illusion that it's the same 'Legend' status that people associate with Hendrix, John Lennon, and Kurt Cobain..
However, those people are only pretentious individuals who want to be apart of pop culture. They don't have reasons to love the music. In our defense, however, you can't just judge any good musician adequately by skimming through the songs a couple of times.... Good music grows on you. You listen to it and you think 'this is pretty good..' so you keep listening to it. Soon enough you'll start noticing amazing subtleties that make you say 'that was amazing!' It's a lot like when your listening to a jazz writer like Dave Brubeck where you can't possibly pick up on everything after listening to it once... You have to be familiar with it to really love it and adequately review it. So beware when you say 'I believe he's only an average musician' unless you really think you know what you are talking about.... because let me tell you, when you are talking about musicians, you will hardly EVER be right...And i have several reasons showing that he is definitely not just an average writer. First of all, you'll notice in songs like 'Color Bars' and 'Pretty Mary K,' that he changes keys very often... using out of key chords that some how are pulled together... Even in Between the bars, which is one of his easiest songs to play, he uses 2 - 3 out of key chords. Moreover, his use of finger-style guitar in his songs allows him to not only use, but emphasize bass notes in his chords... he wont necessarily change a chord right away, but he'll change the bass note very very often... In many of his songs, it's very very difficult to transition the way he does. For example, in this song..
It's not very complicated, but its by no means average.. You should be much more aware as to how amazing a guitarist he actually was.. and keep an open mind, man... Being contrary and cynical is not a very desirable personality trait. I see it all too often in kids that try to listen to indie music to be apart of the 'cool scene' and whenever they see something thats even relatively popular, they say 'That band is a sellout' or they say 'those guys are terrible' when in reality, they havent even listened to anything. Real musicians and people who respect and love music wont shutout anything without giving it a real chance.
nice to know you're a big fan of Elliott Smith. my fave songs of his are Big Nothing and someone i used to know. There are many of his that i really like but those are my faves. really like his tattoo of ferdinand the bull, its a great drawing. I very very rarely see tattoos that i think look good. somehow it fits how ES comes across to me - ferdinand/elliott.
On May 18 2010 11:41 bovi wrote: nice to know you're a big fan of Elliott Smith. my fave songs of his are Big Nothing and someone i used to know. There are many of his that i really like but those are my faves. really like his tattoo of ferdinand the bull, its a great drawing. I very very rarely see tattoos that i think look good. somehow it fits how ES comes across to me - ferdinand/elliott.
Yea i always liked that tattoo... and once I saw it i always associated ferdinand with elliott.. maybe it was just how I imagined him to be as a person but... who knows lol
The one thing I don't like about that performance, and what Elliott himself really disliked was the fact they had him shorten the song so much. It's only 2/3 the length it was supposed to be.. but besides that, a good performance.
On May 18 2010 11:33 Miss_Cleo wrote: Here I'll simplify it for you. He was popular with a certain crowd when he was alive. When he died, his story was covered by the media so much that people who didn't know about his music or knew he even existed had to chance to listen to him. I guess you can call his death publicity.
So basically you're saying now that his death gave him publicity--and of course it did. But you also called him average before he got this publicity and suggested that lack of fame was the criteria for being average. But the fact is, Smith had lots of popularity before his death, and therefore he had fame. So unless you have a special definition for fame that's significantly distinct from popularity, then the argument that Smith's death was his claim to fame doesn't make any sense.
It's funny, but I never really liked Elliot Smith very much. I mean some of his stuff is excellent, but compared to Nick Drake, neil young Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and all the people he's compared to he just isn't as good.
On May 18 2010 11:35 CtrLZerG wrote:I see it all too often in kids that try to listen to indie music to be apart of the 'cool scene' and whenever they see something thats even relatively popular, they say 'That band is a sellout' or they say 'those guys are terrible' when in reality, they havent even listened to anything. Real musicians and people who respect and love music wont shutout anything without giving it a real chance.
Still you gotta be aware that a lot of bands are sellouts and/or terrible
An artist died today and tomorrow his work is likely to have more exposure. There's an original thesis. -Jesus
Come on seriously. Who gives a fuck about the popularity of a dead artist, where that popularity came from or where it'll go? If you like the music then that's good, if you don't, that's good too
On May 19 2010 02:27 Failsafe wrote: Come on seriously. Who gives a fuck about the popularity of a dead artist, where that popularity came from or where it'll go? If you like the music then that's good, if you don't, that's good too
Yea, pretty much. The point im trying to make is if you have reason to like him, that's good, if you dislike him without any real reason then that is just ignorance. I think he's incredible, one of my favorite artists of all time, and I have reasons for thinking that.
And to the person who doesnt like elliott smith as much as people like Bob Dylan or Joni mitchel, your perfectly fine to think that. It's totally fine if you have an opinion like that, as long as you have a reason behind it.
Elliott Smith is, if not, my favorite all time artist. I started listening to his music in 2000/2001 and was just amazed. His real lift into pop-culture and really into the sites of the media was for his title track on good will hunting, but really that song doesn't even do justice to how amazing his work was before that. My only regret with his passing is that I will never get the chance to see him preform live which is a real travesty.
On May 19 2010 17:00 Tha_Docta wrote: help me out guys, if im to buy one elliott smith album, which should it be
pm me
thanks <3
If it's your first album... I'm thinking Figure 8.... But I, personally, really like XO a lot. Quite a few of my favorite songs are on that album. Either/Or and Roman Candle are both great albums to get eventually, but I would say probably not the best if you want it as your first album.
I would say... go with Figure 8... It's absolutely a great album, and it continues to grow on you when you listen to it.
i just want to say that i've been to an elliott smith concert... it was a long time ago with my best friend at the key arena at bumbershoot. it was amazing. she went up to where the crowd were standing at the front. but i was just lying down on the floor relaxing while listening. it was incredible.
On May 20 2010 02:14 dcttr66 wrote: i just want to say that i've been to an elliott smith concert... it was a long time ago with my best friend at the key arena at bumbershoot. it was amazing. she went up to where the crowd were standing at the front. but i was just lying down on the floor relaxing while listening. it was incredible.
Was the key arena show the one in 98? Their is a video on youtube of him playing Waltz #2... And by the way, just a question... is the 'She' you were referring to your best friend? Or was it a typo... referring to elliott, meaning 'he'? I got a little confused at first and when i read it ... I liked the one at Bumbershoot.. It was pretty humorous at times... like when he had technical difficulties, his response was great =) Assuming you went to see him at Key Arena and Bumbershoot, i would assume you live in the Seattle area, as I do - just wanted to point that out hehe I live on the Kitsap side, though. Of course, I'm not very far from Seattle but... late shows are annoying... having to miss the end of a show and catch the all-too infamous last ferry to Kingston... That's what happened when I saw Death Cab for Cutie in Bellingham... Though I just barely got to see the last part of the show, it was pretty hectic trying to get out and we almost missed the ferry =/
One of my favourite artists of all time. Kind of the reason why I'm into a lot of indie music now as my friend introduced me to him many years ago and I've been into the genre ever since.
I tried to learn 'Angeles' but couldn't once I realized how crazy his unique style is. Makes me that much more appreciative of his music though.
great musician and great lyricist. one of my favorites. i can't listen to him much anymore though cos his lyrics make me want to drink MD2020 and slit my wrists.
The one thing I don't like about that performance, and what Elliott himself really disliked was the fact they had him shorten the song so much. It's only 2/3 the length it was supposed to be.. but besides that, a good performance.
That's what I like about it. He didn't even want to be there, and there's all this emotion coming out of him like he's about to cry, yet he still nails the performance and then some.
On May 20 2010 05:42 Xusneb wrote: One of my favourite artists of all time. Kind of the reason why I'm into a lot of indie music now as my friend introduced me to him many years ago and I've been into the genre ever since.
I tried to learn 'Angeles' but couldn't once I realized how crazy his unique style is. Makes me that much more appreciative of his music though.
Yea, it's incredible.. It took me probably about a week and a half to even play through the song.... I still mess up sometimes, though. He was an incredible guitarist... The chord changes in Southern Belle are pretty impressive, too
On May 20 2010 05:42 Xusneb wrote: One of my favourite artists of all time. Kind of the reason why I'm into a lot of indie music now as my friend introduced me to him many years ago and I've been into the genre ever since.
I tried to learn 'Angeles' but couldn't once I realized how crazy his unique style is. Makes me that much more appreciative of his music though.
On May 20 2010 05:42 Xusneb wrote: One of my favourite artists of all time. Kind of the reason why I'm into a lot of indie music now as my friend introduced me to him many years ago and I've been into the genre ever since.
I tried to learn 'Angeles' but couldn't once I realized how crazy his unique style is. Makes me that much more appreciative of his music though.
wtf is "indie music"
Pretty much artists / bands on Independent labels... It usually refers to a specific type of music... For example, early Death Cab for Cutie, (We have the facts and we're voting yes, Photo album, You can play these songs with chords, something about airplanes) The Shins, Wilco is pretty much considered 'indie' / 'indie rock' Elliott smith has an indie feel to him in a lot of ways since he just wrote whatever the heck he wanted and didn't really let the music industry take control of the way he wrote.. though he wasn't exactly indie (except for his early stuff and i think his Heatmiser days)
Elliot Smith - 2:45 This is my favorite song by far. Awesome when a bunch of friends are singing along with me and just having a good time at some random party.
On May 23 2010 03:18 climax wrote: Elliot Smith - 2:45 This is my favorite song by far. Awesome when a bunch of friends are singing along with me and just having a good time at some random party.
I love that song... i have listened to it a lot in the past but for some reason... it really hit me just the last time I heard it... it's one of my favorites. That happens to me a lot with Elliott Smith.. he's basically his own genre.
On May 25 2010 10:44 TeCh)PsylO wrote: I've never heard of him before, this music is great. Thanks for posting.
You are absolutely welcome! Some people don't like sharing his music because they want him to be 'exclusive...' but there is honestly no reason to do that. Music should be shared and loved by other people who really like him. Besides, his music effected the way i play / write quite a bit (positive changes) and it would be awesome if that happened with anyone else.
Sorry for the double post but, Too anyone who is interested, Sweetadeline.net mentioned that they were releasing remastered versions of 'From a Basement on a Hill' and 'Roman Candle' on KillRockStars' website. And seeing as how I posted so many youtube videos, I felt obligated in more than one way. My apologies for bumping the thread. The links are in the first post. Here is his website as well as the source of the news: http://sweetadeline.net/
It truly is a shame that he passed away, very amazing both musically and lyrically. His music inspired me to pick up finger style guitar quite a few years ago and I still play a lot of his covers. Going nowhere is my favorite Elliott Smith song to cover atm, there have been many
To anyone that hasn't listened to his music before I would suggest starting out with either/or and xo
On June 03 2010 15:24 surLoop wrote: It truly is a shame that he passed away, very amazing both musically and lyrically. His music inspired me to pick up finger style guitar quite a few years ago and I still play a lot of his covers. Going nowhere is my favorite Elliott Smith song to cover atm, there have been many
To anyone that hasn't listened to his music before I would suggest starting out with either/or and xo
Same here. I started playing finger style because of his music... Really love the sound he has... My favorites would to play are probably Southern Belle, Angeles, and Happiness.. though I really love playing all his songs that I actually know. None of them are particularly 'easy' songs... Even in his easiest songs like Between the Bars and Biggest Lie, he always throws SOMETHING in there which throws me off.. in Between the Bars, there is an out of key note... some odd G# which seemed a little off to me and i still occasionally mess it up... and in the live version of Biggest Lie (at least one) he does something where the solo is supposed to be.. kind of fills the void with the lack of 2nd guitar... + his harder songs are incredibly difficult... I can't completely play southern belle.... Trying to get good at playing it smoothly but sometimes I mess up.. Going Nowhere is definitely a song I would like to learn soon.. Love that song.
Yeah I started with his easier songs and worked my way up, it was difficult for me in the beginning because he would do a lot of chord changes and add in different notes to them. After I got pretty decent at chord changing and picking patterns I started focusing on singing, however for the most part it was complete fail. Still trying though... even after years of bad singing lol
On June 03 2010 15:48 surLoop wrote: Yeah I started with his easier songs and worked my way up, it was difficult for me in the beginning because he would do a lot of chord changes and add in different notes to them. After I got pretty decent at chord changing and picking patterns I started focusing on singing, however for the most part it was complete fail. Still trying though... even after years of bad singing lol
Haha I totally understand what you mean man.... Keep it up. Elliott Smith was easily one of the most talented musicians I've ever heard.. And as far as singing goes, your always going to be more critical of yourself. As long as you sing in key, it will be fine... Even people like Conor Oberst and Bob Dylan are fine for me to listen to, despite their 'more than interesting' voices.. so just keep working on it. Interestingly enough, I've been having trouble figuring out Coming up Roses... there is something about that chord progression which is annoying me. And I have actually really good pitch sense... generally, I can pick up on what chord it is just by listening to it... don't have to reference really any other note... but when it comes to playing Elliott Smith, I have the most trouble figuring out what kind of chords he uses... for him it seems the voicing of the chords is almost more important than what the chord actually is, if you want to play it accurately...For example, I was playing Southern belle and realized that in the recorded, he apparently is using a barred C chord shape on the 5th fret with his guitar tuned a whole step flat as a D# (would be an F chord, but it's a whole step flat) up to an F (would be a G if it wasn't tuned differently) instead of using a normal F bar chord shape and sliding it up to G... not sure if he does that in live versions, but it always gets me that he plays certain things certain ways... just amazing how talented he was. And another thing is, most tabs for his music are completely wrong... some are ALMOST accurate... but not quite. Like for 'Pretty Mary K' he plays an op a7 chord (tuned a whole step flat I think...) and moves it all the way up to the 14th fret. That isn't in any tabs i've seen, but that's what i found the chord to be in the intro of that song...
Yeah, you have to really listen to the songs especially for the rhythm, and it is especially difficult to figure out exactly how he plays it because he uses a lot of irregular and bar chords Tabs for his music are indeed terrible, I found that most seem to try and play his songs in standard tuning... which doesn't work out so well.
I pretty much had to leave my guitar tuned a step down because all I played were Elliott Smith songs... lol
9 years ago... I only got into this guy a month ago and I have been completely obsessed ever since. I listen to a lot of music in a given day, and these days its near 100% Elliott Smith, with no sign of slowing down. I've never encountered an artist quite like him. His songs are so honest and authentic, they sound like they come from a place that most artists just aren't comfortable or capable of sharing. I've never been a "lyrics guy", I usually don't place that much stock in them and listen to the music instead, but Elliott has me pouring over songmeanings.com and dissecting metaphors like a poetry major. You'll read so often on youtube comments of his videos "Elliott saved my life", which at first glance might seem odd considering the more often than not despondent and desperate content of his songs, but as you listen more and more you come to understand. The pure grace and beauty this guy was able to put into a song is so awe inspiring that however sad the lyrics might be you cannot help but marvel at his talent. The way he puts together chords, key changes and melodies is reminiscent of John Lenon at his best, but it is backed up by guitar playing more subtle and masterful than the Beatles could ever hoped to achieve (and I love the beatles). This isn't to say that his songs don't make you sad, because that would be a lie. But HOW SAD they might make you is just another testament to the strength of his craft, that he could wrap beauty and depression so tightly around each other until one is indistinguishable from the other. Elliott's music is imbued with a powerful honesty you could hardly expect to get from your close friends, much less some oscar-nominated indie darling. Anyways, he's 9 years gone today, and I'm sitting here learning his songs and wishing he was 43 instead of forever 34. R.I.P
EPT
and by the way, if you followed the link to the fan site, it's 'Sweetadeline.net' 
