For anyone that’s struggling with their pinky on the fifth, try adjusting your thumb position closer to the fifth fret on the back of the neck. That may give you a bit better of position!
@@justchill5475 I’m a beginner a with no formal training. My advise is that if u get stuck, take a break and come back later to it. I was getting caught up in the same mistakes, and next morning I figured it out in like 1 minute. Good luck!
The percussive tapping is definitely an iconic John Mayer, but if you listen to the actual song he doesn’t really tap, it’s really just the low E providing a bass note. Great job!
7:30 Stretches hands across 5 frets of the guitar to hammer on with his pinky finger: "Now this part is gonna be a bit tricky. Some of you are gonna struggle." Me: "Does your doctor know you can do that?"
With this attitude you can't learn anything. It's a very doable stretch. Long fingers is an excuse for not practicing. Go see Sungha Jung. He has tiny fingers but does insane stretches. John Mayer's Stop this train has a 5 fret stretch as well. I used a metronome from 60bpm to 90bpm and got comfortable with the stretch in a week or two. It's a tough stretch because it's a John Mayer song. But long fingers needed, exe file has crashed is a stupid attitude you're going nowhere with.
gkooah Of course I’m joking. I don’t think you need really big hands to reach that stretch. You should be able to get it with regular size ones. Practice should get you there.
5'6, that's above average, I reckon with enough practise you could stretch that far. You might just need to alter the position of your left hand on the neck.
Might be easier for some folk to move that difficult section up the neck. As follows: 8th fret on the E (2nd finger), 7th fret barre on the A, D & G (1st finger), 9th fret on the D (3rd finger), and do the hammer-ons with your pinky on the 10th fret A string.
This is a tricky song! Thankful you not only took the trouble to address all of its bits and pieces but you also presented them well. I've seen other tutorials that gloss over some of the more challenging aspects of the song or rely on the viewer to monkey-see-monkey-do without the ability to describe what's happening.
Awesome job! Thanks a lot for your patience explaining this to us all. Just a tiny thing. Very often you say the following: "play A, D, G" (like in minute 5:10) and it's really confusing because you are playing the notes "D, F#, G". Even though I've been playing for over 20 years I never heard this before and it took me some time to recognize you are actually referring to the strings (that when played open, sound "A, D, G"). To avoid potential confusion I'd suggest sticking to the standard way: "play 5th, 4th, 3rd" (+ fret number, if necessary), or just the notes "play D, F#, G". Thanks again!
Thank you very much! Thanks for feedback too, will definitely take on board. I would much rather say the notes but I know there's a lot of people out there that have no idea what any of them are. For that reason, I feel labelling the strings helps more people than saying the notes. Perhaps I'll try calling the fret and string together, I want things to be as clear as possible but teaching via a camera is tricky.
@@SixStringFingerpicking I guess that's why the standard way to mention strings is by number and not by how they sound when they play open in a particular instrument and tuning :)
So helpful. That G-A on the bass note before going up to the D shape was weirdly tricky. Amazing how your fingers can be baffled, but after a few days/weeks of trying you get there. SLOW = SMOOTH = SMOOTH = FAST
@@ctown6592 he couldn't have possibly described it in better detail. Sorry your small ornery brain can't handle the information being spoonfed to you. Maybe try to learn "Smoke on The Water"?
For anybody struggling, try switching to an electric guitar. The lighter gauge strings and smaller neck radius really helps with reaching to those tougher chords.
Don't go with the easier route. Do it as it is. If every other player can do it on acoustic, you can too. You'll never improve if you kept circumventing through such situations.
Awesome tutorial man! This is definitely the hardest fingerpicking song I’ve ever tried and I learned it in 40 minutes with your tutorial. I thought I wasn’t even gonna be able to play it. I’m definitely gonna be subscribing and learning all of your awesome finger style songs. I play really well with a pick, but I’m trying to get good with my fingers and learn some hybrid picking too.
For those with smaller hands drop that thumb all the way to the bottom of the neck of the 3rd fret. Might take u an hour or so to learn it but it’s all about feeling it out
Excellent lesson!!! I was meaning to learn this song for years, finally got around to it this evening and you explained the technique so well I got it down in the first attempt. Thank you!
Six String Fingerpicking great pace too, most videos are too slow and take too long to explain everything but this is perfect, also like how you explain the proper names of the chords instead of just tabs! Super helpful
Great vid! Thank you! I thought this was impossible to play until you taught it here. I only now struggle with my pick sliding off, thoughhh. And then falling inside the soundhole 😂
well i'm dumb. On the tricky part of the verse I was accidentally lifting my middle finger too, so that the D string was unfretted, and wondered, WONdered why it sounded like shit.
Same here. There must be some other way of doing it too. Even when I reach it, it doesn't make sound like his. I love this song so much, and much beautiful part is that jazzy part, yet I am struggling too.
I play it with the thumb wrapping over on to the 3rd fret A string, 1st finger barring fret 2 on the D and G, 2nd finger on the 3rd fret B string, then I can use the 3rd finger for the 4th fret G string, and the pinky to hammer on the 5th fret D. Much easier to get a clean sound and a faster transition for the thumb back to the 3rd fret E string for the main riff
I’ll tell ya this. I been playing for 25 years off and on. I never had interest in learning songs with tapping until the last few years when I broaden what I knew off hand. Learning that simple thing this late in the game was a nightmare. If your new and your having a hard time with this I highly suggest you get it down early because it’s not natural later. I could play insane solos quicker than I could learn that.
J Norm007 I’m sure at some point I’ll get on to Here Comes the Sun. Got to get this top 60 list finished first though. Really glad you like the site! Thanks
@@SixStringFingerpicking thanks for reply. The song Here comes the sun is the most beautiful fingerpicking song there is in my opinion. There is a girl that comes up (with abnbplay through (Gabriella?)if you search it on RUclips that if you give it a listen I'm sure you'll be reminded it should not have been left out of any top 5 let alone 60, but looking forward to what's in store
Yeah it's a stunning song and a brilliant cover she's done. The fact is that this 'top 60' list I'm doing isn't going to end, I'll keep going with it indefinitely. Eventually it will have hundreds if not thousands of tunes on it.
Is that a Dunlop Jazz III pick you're using, or are your fingers massive? (edit: or some other small pick) I can't fingerpick for shit with a finger that's also hiding a pick. For this song, Gravity, and any other song that needs both fingerpicking and strumming I always hide the pick with my pinky. I just tried to play this song with a pick hidden in my index finger and I immediately dropped it into the sound hole :(
It's a Jazz III. You don't have to do it that way, I just saw that that's how John Mayer does it. I think it's worth getting to the point where you are comfortable holding a pick and playing with your fingers. it's tricky at first but well worth it.
@@SixStringFingerpicking most videos ive seen John holds the pick between index and middle finger iirc? Do you think there's a downside to holding in the pinky? It's what I have muscle memory for, I find I can switch fast enough.
@@itstomis He does do that, I think more people favour that technique. To me it really doesn't matter which one you use. Stick with what ever is working for you.
All the people who are struggling with that pinky- here's a small cheat- remove your ring finger from the B string- and don't pluck that string during the pinky-hammer parts.
My problem is my pinky finger finds it so hard to reach at fifth Fred d string. It doesn't make the exact sound like you show. I wish you would see other way for people who have not so big fingers like yours or john Mayer.
Sam Replete there is no “other way” to play the song the way it sounds. There are plenty of amazing guitar players with small hands, it’s possible for anyone except a little kid to do that reach, it just takes a lot of practice and flexibility and finger strength. You can definitely do it this way, just keep at it
I don't think my pinky is strong enough. I mean, I can somehow easily reach the 5th fret but I don't have any strength left in my pinky to do the pull off😅
For anyone that’s struggling with their pinky on the fifth, try adjusting your thumb position closer to the fifth fret on the back of the neck. That may give you a bit better of position!
That's not helping!!!!
That literally does nothing given that your thumb is separately jointed from the rest of your fingers
those guys are lying this definitely helped me ty
Took me 2 years to get it smooth...
You'll get there, with repetition and a LOT of patience
Your a genius 👍🏻
Me: I wanna play like John
Pinky: Nope
My pinky sucks too. 😭
Lol so tru😂
I just tried to learn that part and just made ths chord shape and wiggled my strumming hand on the strings. Close enough.
In my case thumb says no
He has huge thumbs :(
Well, after learning “neon” this is just warmup
One doesn't simply learn "neon"
Fan of Last of Us and John Mayer AND playing guitar ? Welcome in the club lol
@@quietveils-coversandorigin7234 🙂
I was feeling good about myself because I learned the slow dancing in a burning room intro and I open the neon tab and burst into tears
@@ws4jb same😭😭😭
The ONLY accurate tutorial around. Perfect 🙌🏼 very helpful man
Glad you like it Sam
After 1 minute of watching I instantly subscribed. You have a great style and are really good with playing. Keep up the great work!!!
Thanks a lot! Glad to have you on board!
Never thought I woulda learned something that seemed so difficult so quickly! Awesome teacher, awesome song!
Going to start to learn now hope I can play
@@justchill5475 I’m a beginner a with no formal training. My advise is that if u get stuck, take a break and come back later to it. I was getting caught up in the same mistakes, and next morning I figured it out in like 1 minute. Good luck!
@@christianconstable1097 yeh I will first learn first verse practice for 2,3 days then comeback to video then learn other verse slowly 😁
Thanks Christian
Part 1: 2:45
Part 2: 5:48
Part 3: 9:38
Thanks amigo!
Amazing tutorial! My pinky is struggling for dear life to get to the 5th fret so hopefully I manage to get there soon!
The percussive tapping is definitely an iconic John Mayer, but if you listen to the actual song he doesn’t really tap, it’s really just the low E providing a bass note. Great job!
He definitely does tap
7:30 Stretches hands across 5 frets of the guitar to hammer on with his pinky finger: "Now this part is gonna be a bit tricky. Some of you are gonna struggle."
Me: "Does your doctor know you can do that?"
With this attitude you can't learn anything. It's a very doable stretch. Long fingers is an excuse for not practicing. Go see Sungha Jung. He has tiny fingers but does insane stretches. John Mayer's Stop this train has a 5 fret stretch as well. I used a metronome from 60bpm to 90bpm and got comfortable with the stretch in a week or two. It's a tough stretch because it's a John Mayer song. But long fingers needed, exe file has crashed is a stupid attitude you're going nowhere with.
@@whitewalker608 thankyou for motivating me
@@Theman-im3fl you got this, bud
The stretch is not my problem, its having the other strings still ring out and also the pinky strength to hammer on correctly.
Dude I have a max seven fret stretch
I love that you always upload rare good artist's songs.
This song is like an epic boss fight for your little finger. There is nothing particularly difficult about this song except that one part!
Great job Sir. You're a great teacher! Thanks a lot! loved the song
Thank you
It took me like two weeks to get the pinky part down. Worth it!!!
5:50 you just shattered my dreams of ever playing this song
Just play the first part and then stop. No one will know you can’t, and half will believe you can.
@@DanStPeter-eb4jj practice and you'll get it, coming from a guy with small hands :)
@@DanStPeter-eb4jj belief can, belief can
HAHAAH same
It’s pretty easy to do if you work out a little.
Such a good instructor, watching John and trying to learn his music and style usually just hurts my head, lol. This was great, ty.
how the hell do you get your pinky to reach the 5th fret
gkooah I have this miracle grow stuff that I rub on my fingers every night.
gkooah Of course I’m joking. I don’t think you need really big hands to reach that stretch. You should be able to get it with regular size ones. Practice should get you there.
thanks for the reply
i'm a 5'6 girl tho so i have tiny hands
5'6, that's above average, I reckon with enough practise you could stretch that far. You might just need to alter the position of your left hand on the neck.
Might be easier for some folk to move that difficult section up the neck. As follows: 8th fret on the E (2nd finger), 7th fret barre on the A, D & G (1st finger), 9th fret on the D (3rd finger), and do the hammer-ons with your pinky on the 10th fret A string.
This is a great tip! Thanks
dude you are really helping me with those tutorials, thanks a lot :D
8:44 (please ignore, for personal use)
Don't tell me what to do
Yeah. stop telling people what to do they don't have to listen to you
Lowkey wasn’t hard tho 😐
too bad. i’m using it too
This is a tricky song! Thankful you not only took the trouble to address all of its bits and pieces but you also presented them well. I've seen other tutorials that gloss over some of the more challenging aspects of the song or rely on the viewer to monkey-see-monkey-do without the ability to describe what's happening.
Martin VanBuren really glad you enjoyed the lesson Martin and got something out of it!
Huge thanks for the lesson, once again. PS. Light gauge strings and smaller action will help getting the percussive slap consistent :)
Awesome job! Thanks a lot for your patience explaining this to us all.
Just a tiny thing. Very often you say the following: "play A, D, G" (like in minute 5:10) and it's really confusing because you are playing the notes "D, F#, G". Even though I've been playing for over 20 years I never heard this before and it took me some time to recognize you are actually referring to the strings (that when played open, sound "A, D, G"). To avoid potential confusion I'd suggest sticking to the standard way: "play 5th, 4th, 3rd" (+ fret number, if necessary), or just the notes "play D, F#, G". Thanks again!
Thank you very much!
Thanks for feedback too, will definitely take on board. I would much rather say the notes but I know there's a lot of people out there that have no idea what any of them are. For that reason, I feel labelling the strings helps more people than saying the notes. Perhaps I'll try calling the fret and string together, I want things to be as clear as possible but teaching via a camera is tricky.
@@SixStringFingerpicking I guess that's why the standard way to mention strings is by number and not by how they sound when they play open in a particular instrument and tuning :)
How do you not have more subscribers?? You're one of the best!
Thanks
Excellent tutorial. That C9 part is brutal though!
Smoothest pick retrieval i've ever seen
Love this tutorial, thanks! Also love seeing the Yamaha, my favorite
So helpful. That G-A on the bass note before going up to the D shape was weirdly tricky. Amazing how your fingers can be baffled, but after a few days/weeks of trying you get there. SLOW = SMOOTH = SMOOTH = FAST
I just wing the hammer on part
Josh Cawley You have to when his dumbass can’t explain without stuttering and starting over.
@@ctown6592 he couldn't have possibly described it in better detail. Sorry your small ornery brain can't handle the information being spoonfed to you. Maybe try to learn "Smoke on The Water"?
Connor Townsend Townsend you pressed over a guitar tutorial?☠️☠️
Connor Townsend Townsend had a few bad days ?
Safe bet Connor Townsend Townsend did not have much luck learning this song 😂
Who else threw their guitar into the wall while trying to learn the tempo for the intro lick
the timing of the second part of the intro riff is frustrating as hell
You earned a subscriber mate! Great Job!
Swarnabh Kashyap glad to have you onboard! Thanks for subscribing.
Thank my friend from thailand
Ohm Woodooshy it’s a pleasure my friend.
本当に感謝しています。💐🙏
For anybody struggling, try switching to an electric guitar. The lighter gauge strings and smaller neck radius really helps with reaching to those tougher chords.
right but wrong hahahhahahaha😅cuz you're getting that acoustic sound and any player can practice that kind of a stretch/fingerstyle
Don't go with the easier route. Do it as it is. If every other player can do it on acoustic, you can too. You'll never improve if you kept circumventing through such situations.
Helped me a ton, thank you so much
It's a pleasure, happy it helped you out.
Great tutorial 👍You are a good teacher
Awesome tutorial man! This is definitely the hardest fingerpicking song I’ve ever tried and I learned it in 40 minutes with your tutorial. I thought I wasn’t even gonna be able to play it. I’m definitely gonna be subscribing and learning all of your awesome finger style songs. I play really well with a pick, but I’m trying to get good with my fingers and learn some hybrid picking too.
For those with smaller hands drop that thumb all the way to the bottom of the neck of the 3rd fret. Might take u an hour or so to learn it but it’s all about feeling it out
Lessons are fantastic
Thanks
nice job easy to understand very gratefull
Thank you for the tutorial! I'm almost there!! 🙏
Awesome video! As an electric player with a love for JM, I needed this
Yesss after I get this down this is how I’m gonna impress my crush😆😂
Go get em king 👑
Good luck my man
@@yo55arian49 thank you bro now we are dating🤠🤠
@@noahholland914 lesss gooo bro
@@noahholland914 POP OFF
It's funny, to this day I was convinced that my pinky was NOT made out of noodles.
Beautiful guitar and great playing. 👍
This is spot on
Me: this song is way too advanced for me
Also Me: *continues to watch video and try it anyway*
Nobody seems to mention that John plays the A string with his thumb while hammering and pulling with his pinky on the fifth fret
myndful beats wtf 😂
Nobody I know is a bigger John Mayer fan then me I’m pretty much his number one fan
I talked to my pinky and it has declined the offer to move to the next town. We are currently looking for alternatives.
And all I see is the lacquer dots above the 19th fret:). And nice playing by the way;)
Excellent lesson!!! I was meaning to learn this song for years, finally got around to it this evening and you explained the technique so well I got it down in the first attempt.
Thank you!
Thanks, very helpful 👍🏻
you play very well! thank you for the video and lesson. you also make it look a lot easier than it is :P
Thanks a lot Dusty
So helpful thanks❤️❤️
my favourite song btw
You have a new sub :) great tutorial and very good explaining, thanks a lot!
Thanks!
Great lesson dude, thanks!
Glad you like it!
very nice man, thx
great lesson, you've earned a sub!
i feel like i've got the rythem really tight but my thick sausage fingers keep muting the strings
Mark Rutte thank you! Keep on practising and I reckon that muting will go away.
that second part hard as hell damn lmao
joe frank it is, but you can do it!
Six String Fingerpicking thanks for the encouragement! Great vid by the way, very clear!
joe frank thanks a lot, just keep playing.
I still have trouble getting the timing of that open A after the G B on the first part.
Thanks for this dude
Pleasure
Need some help finding a tab version of “on a night like this” by The Romantics
Excellent lesson thank you
Jarrod Bolon you’re very welcome
Six String Fingerpicking great pace too, most videos are too slow and take too long to explain everything but this is perfect, also like how you explain the proper names of the chords instead of just tabs! Super helpful
@@JarrodBolon Thanks again, really glad that you like it. Yeah I always think it's best just to get to the point in your lessons.
wooow thanks man!
Viola Clementi pleasure
Great vid! Thank you! I thought this was impossible to play until you taught it here. I only now struggle with my pick sliding off, thoughhh. And then falling inside the soundhole 😂
Thanks, glad you like it!
This is amazing, thank you so much :)
Pleasure.
Thanks for the lesson! How did you ding your beautiful guitar? :(
Jesus my hand wants to naturally slap the rhythm every single second of the way.
The part you are looking for is at 7:54
Devin Killough lol how’d you know?
That's a Dsus4 (g in the key of D). Good video mate
Awsome! Thanks
I have really small hands and I can barely hammer on with my pinky and when I manage it mutes my other strings any tips?
well i'm dumb. On the tricky part of the verse I was accidentally lifting my middle finger too, so that the D string was unfretted, and wondered, WONdered why it sounded like shit.
I think everyone makes these silly mistakes from time to time. It's good to laugh at yourself when you do.
👏 thank you so much
You're very welcome
I am currently pulling my hair out trying to get my pinky to the fifth fret.
Same here. There must be some other way of doing it too. Even when I reach it, it doesn't make sound like his. I love this song so much, and much beautiful part is that jazzy part, yet I am struggling too.
D.J. Flickinger **plays it with capo 9** hehehehe
I play it with the thumb wrapping over on to the 3rd fret A string, 1st finger barring fret 2 on the D and G, 2nd finger on the 3rd fret B string, then I can use the 3rd finger for the 4th fret G string, and the pinky to hammer on the 5th fret D. Much easier to get a clean sound and a faster transition for the thumb back to the 3rd fret E string for the main riff
I can do the pinky part. its the D part where you slap the thumb then thumb the D right after fluidly.
I think the secret on the third chord is he drops his wrist big time. Im still figuring it out but hopefully that will help
I eventually give up on the pinky thing and just lift my second finger to play that G note on the empty G string. And life just is easier afterwards
I don’t get the second fingering part how do you do that
You're awesome!
Thanks
When you hammer on is it normal when your pinky muted the string bellow
What do I press for Asus4??!? @ 12:50!
Anyone have any tips for building speed?
I’ll tell ya this. I been playing for 25 years off and on. I never had interest in learning songs with tapping until the last few years when I broaden what I knew off hand. Learning that simple thing this late in the game was a nightmare. If your new and your having a hard time with this I highly suggest you get it down early because it’s not natural later. I could play insane solos quicker than I could learn that.
This tempo is really difficult to nail down jesus christ john how do you come up with this.
I swearrrr
Finally a John Mayer song where I don’t have to change the tuning of my guitar 😫
I will know how to play this song by the time COVID 19 is gone....
Civid isn’t gone but how’s it going bro?
Challenge accepted
Great video. Thank you. Could you please say, is that Yamaha CPX600? If not, what model is it? Thanks
What tuning is this in, casue when I take of my pinky and play the d,g,b it sound different
Please do fingerstyle lesson on Here comes the sun. Love the sight. Huge fingerpicking fan and student
J Norm007 I’m sure at some point I’ll get on to Here Comes the Sun. Got to get this top 60 list finished first though.
Really glad you like the site! Thanks
@@SixStringFingerpicking thanks for reply. The song Here comes the sun is the most beautiful fingerpicking song there is in my opinion. There is a girl that comes up (with abnbplay through (Gabriella?)if you search it on RUclips that if you give it a listen I'm sure you'll be reminded it should not have been left out of any top 5 let alone 60, but looking forward to what's in store
Yeah it's a stunning song and a brilliant cover she's done. The fact is that this 'top 60' list I'm doing isn't going to end, I'll keep going with it indefinitely. Eventually it will have hundreds if not thousands of tunes on it.
tbh if you can do the pinky thing like me just do it on the g string 4th fret. sounds just as good
Forget the pinky, I can't even get my index to hold down the 2 strings 🥲😭 Any tips? Or just practice practice practice
You've pretty much answered your own question. It's most likely just a case of practice, practice and more practice. You'll get it
IM GOING TO CRY
I'm able to reach the fifth fret, but how do I stop my pinkey from muting the other strings?
You've just got to angle it away from the rest of the strings. Easier said than done of course.
Is that a Dunlop Jazz III pick you're using, or are your fingers massive?
(edit: or some other small pick)
I can't fingerpick for shit with a finger that's also hiding a pick. For this song, Gravity, and any other song that needs both fingerpicking and strumming I always hide the pick with my pinky.
I just tried to play this song with a pick hidden in my index finger and I immediately dropped it into the sound hole :(
It's a Jazz III. You don't have to do it that way, I just saw that that's how John Mayer does it. I think it's worth getting to the point where you are comfortable holding a pick and playing with your fingers. it's tricky at first but well worth it.
@@SixStringFingerpicking most videos ive seen John holds the pick between index and middle finger iirc?
Do you think there's a downside to holding in the pinky? It's what I have muscle memory for, I find I can switch fast enough.
@@itstomis He does do that, I think more people favour that technique. To me it really doesn't matter which one you use. Stick with what ever is working for you.
this song makes me want to return to nature and become a farmer
Thank you ^^ I love Clapton. John Mayer
All the people who are struggling with that pinky- here's a small cheat- remove your ring finger from the B string- and don't pluck that string during the pinky-hammer parts.
What do you mean???? Which starting not to pluck????
@@samreplete1842 Don't pluck the B string.
My problem is my pinky finger finds it so hard to reach at fifth Fred d string. It doesn't make the exact sound like you show. I wish you would see other way for people who have not so big fingers like yours or john Mayer.
Sam Replete there is no “other way” to play the song the way it sounds. There are plenty of amazing guitar players with small hands, it’s possible for anyone except a little kid to do that reach, it just takes a lot of practice and flexibility and finger strength. You can definitely do it this way, just keep at it
@@tradeka4206 thanks bro.
I don't think my pinky is strong enough. I mean, I can somehow easily reach the 5th fret but I don't have any strength left in my pinky to do the pull off😅