@@theliamofella I think there is definitely lots of truth to that. He was really, really good at giving off, as you said, impressions, through his incredible ability to construct mood at atmosphere. He does it through lyrics and metaphor that SORTA point you towards what he means, but to nothing specific, as long as everything sounded cool, that seemed to be his main criteria. Couple that with coinciding melodies, vocal expression, you just... Sorta know what he means. Oh well Okay highlights it well. He was clever, he chose words that sounded and flowed the best over what made his meaning most obvious, which isn't a revolutionary idea lol, he was just pro at it. He chose good ones. But for sure Elliott was melodically inclined over anything. Then other times he was just blatant and literal with his words, especially in FABOTH (strung out again, Kings crossing, shooting star). Other times, in between. Really dynamic writer at the end of the day.
Junk Bond Trader yes many people like Dylan are often asked what did “that song” mean and often they would say they don’t know themselves, often the best lyrics are when they have different meanings to different people, It’s an old technique like you said, just string lines together that sound good
I'll be completely honest here, Elliott Smith pretty much raised me. My father passed away when I was 11 and I'm currently 33. My friend call me shelliott smitholm (a variation of mine and his name collided) and I'm not necessarily "proud" to say that for certain not 1 week of my life passed without a decent Elliott Smith session. It can be very depressing, but that's where I found my comfort. I also became a heroin addict. I related to Elliott on an extremely deep level. I can say that decades have gone by where I'll listen to a song and all of a sudden it will "pop" for lack of a better term, and I'll understand the true meaning like at it core, the very essence of his emotions that he was conveying. I thought I had understood the song previously, but I hadn't had the years of experience I needed to actually get the real meaning.. Or maybe what I mean is to truly empathize with the meaning on a personal level. That being said, I'm a musician. I write songs all the time and I'd say over half of the songs I write are freestyle, I have no idea what I'm going to say as I'm playing. But I've recorded them, and after just one take, boom I've got my song. Then I get to listen to it and hear how well the lyrics came together more perfectly than I ever could have created beforehand. And that's my firsthand account that music, I believe, really is channeling the very essence of your emotions on an almost sub-conscious level where had you tried to write the song any other way it would just be impossible to do so. Long reply I know, I love Elliott. Enjoy.
@@JunkBondTrader ha it’s this dude again whaddup. There’s a great 3 part analysis of his technique n writing that goes more in depth w/ this if ur tryna learn what he does as a writer
The thing people tend to forget is, while a lot of songwriters just use standard barre chords to write a song, Elliott knew the secret lay between the barres..
one big Elliott Smith trick: hit the bridge fast. Pretty Mary K (Figure 8 version), Little One. none of this verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge circling the drain for that guy. compress your verses into choruses as much as possible like in Stupidity Tries, where the bridge comes after 46 seconds. what a mensch.
Thank you so muck for this. Elliott Smith has been my favorite composer ever since I heard his music in Good Will Hunting. I want more people to know of his gentle, delicate genius; so thank you for spreading the good work, especially with content this good to boot. I wish it were an Elliott Smith year! :D
thanks so much for these videos man! ES is my biggest inspiration when it comes to songwriting/guitar playing. I probably wouldn't be here today if i had not discovered his music. so glad theres others out there that appreciate him like i do
I started learning guitar on my own 5 months ago and watching this video I realised I found all these tricks by myself because it sounds cool. Anyway thank you for putting it into words.
Didn't even know about Elliot Smith until I heard a one year commemorative retrospective on NPR. Thanks to efforts like yours, his art won't lapse into an unjustified obscurity. Everybody owes you one. Just one, though, don't go nuts.
I would trade four of these morons, for a weekend with Elliott Smith. You better believe that I will have forgotten this prick by morning whereas, Elliott is remembered every day.
@@stiiffyrabbit why would you call someone you don’t know a prick? Especially considering Sean is one of the nicest teachers on RUclips and one of the only ones I know that talk and play Elliott Smith. With a ‘itude like that I seriously doubt E.S. would wanna spend a second with ya
@@louieo.blevinsmusic2011 I didn't call her a prick, so I couldn't say. I can say that Smith has no say in the matter, on account of he's dead. Get caught up.
@@stiiffyrabbit Sean, why did you call Sean a prick….. obviously not a her. No shit he’s been dead. 😒 I’ve forgotten more about Elliott Smith than you’d ever know.
Cool video man. I hadn't picked up on the minor 3rd progression thing, it's been a while since I've tried to learn anything of his. Would've loved to have had this when I first started playing guitar and wanted nothing more than to mimic Elliott ha.
I think moving major chords in minor 3rd is a pretty common songwriting trick. It can definitely be found in the music of The Beatles, Roxy Music, Captain Beefheart, Buzzcocks, Love, the list goes on. I believe it's one special use of parallel modes. So, when in C major, you can borrow chords from C minor (e.g.. Bb) or other modes rooted in C.
Thanks so much for this! I'm a songwriter and I'm deep into learning a lot of songs from XO right now, really awesome to find a theory based discussion of his songwriting, yes that minor third major chord shift is IT.
Hey, Elliott Smith was underrated but so are you. Thank you for this amazing video, 'would love a musical analysis of King's Crossing. If possible, the more musical theory (advanced), the better. Thanks again for being awesome; liked and subscribed.
the chords to King's Crossing are quite simple and with the tricks Mr. Sean outlined in the video you'd have that angle covered; what I'd say are particularly striking about the song are the the descending-fourths melody and, especially, the arrangement - the way Elliott Smith tacks piano, organ, guitar and drums together so each one provides the main texture at a different point is phenomenal; a good solo instrument arrangement of that song would need an array of different techniques to be even half as interesting as the original. I know live he played it pretty folky-strummy but the album version is incomparable imo.
Elliott was undersold! But pobably, relatively speaking, one of the best rated artists ever. Lots of people who love him, even more who don't know him, and very few that for sure dislike him, compared to anyone I can think of. A real musician's musician. Of course everyone knows what you mean by underrated, I just wanted to put this out there :p
Thank you for the great vid! Lovely to see some of the specifics of Elliott's playing explained! I write and play guitar and when I got into Elliott, he absolutely blew me away! I couldn't listen to anyone else for about six months!
@@GFEBMX he would fill out the chord with his voice, like on In Bloom. check out Rick Beatos' video on Heart-Shaped Box, for a guy who never studied theory Cobain wrote some killer voicings.
@@SilentAttackTV he was a huge fan of The Beatles and all of their solo music as well. I’m gonna assume that’s where he got most of his awesomeness from. He also loved Bob Dylan. Elliott just “had” a great ear and was very experimental when it came to music.
The end of the chorus of Sweet Adeline reminds me of moving diminished chords up by minor thirds, like the Rocky and Bullwinkle thing where the lady is tied to the track. Doing it with major chords instead of diminished is interesting and kind of herky jerky, I like it.
sounds reasonable! :-) my favorite is the Maj/relative Minor twist in songs, it was the first "idea" where I thought "I want to use that - a lot!" - it is like a dramatic twist in a story and such a surprising element, like in the GoT Theme or many Beatles songs. Just love it! I think the min 3rd is a similar sound...
For the record, when you note the F major to F minor move (usually the minor four right?) that could be seen as YET ANOTHER use of the 'major chords in minor thirds' pattern as the relative major of Fm is Ab major. So looks a lot like a F -> Ab change! very cool sound used yet again
I have also noticed that while his songs are full of major chords the feeling of his songs feel minor or sad so maybe it’s how his melodies fit over top.
Dear Sean, I have really enjoyed all, of the recent presentations that: you and your people have sent; to RUclips. Keep up with the great work. I know that it, will be a great, success. Yours Sincerely, Derek Rocha of Melbourne VIC Australia 🙏😎🍌🎸📒🙏
Awesome! I wasn't expecting a response, thank you so much. I cant wait! They're my white whales of ES songs. I really appreciate your videos and lessons =)
Condor avenue ; what a masterpiece. Saw an early 2000s interview where ES was fanboying on the band kiss as one of his earlier inspirations … who would’ve thought ?
Surprised theres no tip on his playing style which is as much part of writing songs in the elliot smith style as is the theory behind the elliot smith style. That finger strum he does for example and also playing close to the.neck
Another thing that Elliott did was use a major 2nd chord in a key where it does not diatonically belong. People often label this as "The Elliott Smith Chord", tho truth be told its the interval that matters, not the chord. There are some great videos that go into depth about this but if you listen out for it in his songs you will see it throughout his entire discography. Many artists that are inspired by elliott and even just indie artists that are not, use this chord in many of their songs.
I dont really believe you should try to write songs like somebody, just write what you want to hear and at your own pace. But this lesson was pretty accurate to how he wrote his music. Glad to see another elliott fan! Keep it up
Very cool video, thank you! So how does the chord a minor third apart from the major 1,4, or 5 fit in the diatonic chords of the key? What kind of substitution is it?
Thanks for watching! I'm not sure there's really a name for that kind of substitution, but the way I look at it, there are only 2 intervals diatonically where a chord is a minor 3rd away from another chord. C major as an example, it'd be the distance from the vi to the I (am to C) and the ii to the IV (dm - F). So I think maybe one of the reasons his music is thought of as 'sad', is that even his major chords are coming from a place that diatonically should be minor. Just a theory.
Thanks for that, really nice way of presenting some of his writing skills. I dont think he was born a genius. He was super hardworking. He made so many songs, some of them not so great and others he worked hard to develop. He also spent time connecting to his emotions and experiences and putting them in to his lyrics and emotions. Yeah theres a bit of magic there, in that he was good at connecting his heart and emotions to the music but he was a good song crafter, that spent alot of time developing his skills
I’ve always heard the Beatles used to transition to the 4 chord when playing a 1-4-5 progression when they needed a bridge. Is there any correlation to Elliots style here?..
the major to major intrigues me cause usually these chords would share two notes but elliott chooses to make them share one. each major chord has a minor relative in major keys (I vi, IV ii, V iii) that shares two notes but elliott is making them share one. so Em ii has E G B and G IV has G B D but making E II gives it E G# B. id love to study melodically what hes trying to do here, maybe it's chromatic movement or a key change thing? elliott loved swapped ii especially to II but not as a secondary dominant but as a bittersweet chord ruclips.net/video/ahj17nnoaxE/видео.html like how radiohead turned IV to iv in creep to make it somber
also he walks chromaticly or through a scale i've noticed,Rose Parade the 3 high strings are chromatical right ? i don't have a trained ear so i'm guessing.
Also I've noticed he will use a dominant 2 chord a lot, such as A major while playing in the key of G major (Say Yes, Angel in the Snow, Miss Misery, All Cleaned Out, etc) as well as walking major chords up and down whole steps, as opposed to minor thirds as this person suggests
Completely isolate yourself into obscurity and do nothing but get high and write. I’ve heard many a musician say that they wouldn’t wish that kind of talent on anyone, because you need to be well and truly fucked in the head to create that caliber of music
Yeah should've mentioned that. I had just recorded the cover with Andrea and we changed it to that one for her vocal range. It was still in my head that way and totally forgot to mention that's not the original key or chords.
@@chrishappe5410 chromatic inversion, negative harmony or just taking the chord numbers of whatever key it’s originally in and matching the st’s/rd’s/th’s. I never remember the names to chord theory processes I just kinda play with them. Haha. ADD is a hell of a condition.
i dont get it, first you say move 3 frets or 3 semitones on the scale, example from F the 3rd minor would be G# but you say A#. then from Bminor you move to E when it should be D isnt it? or D minor? i dont get understand. could someone explain me this?
I literally just learned about intervals and major/minor scales! :D It's great I could actually understand what you were talking about haha. I'm gonna steal the technique.
dude... this video made somethin CLICK for me... cuz i lsten to elliot.. Nirvana.. and a friend i know ... who all do that.. usually a minor scale UNTIL it gets boring, and then they climb MINOR in a major way :)
Idk if you changed up the lyrics from “A distorted reality (is now a necessity to be free)” on purpose to make them more ‘RUclips/family appropriate,’ or if you simply misunderstood what he was really saying, but the lyrics actually open with “I’m floating in a black balloon (referring to a “balloon” of “black” tar heroin, [the most common type of diacetylmorphine found on skid row in Hollywood or the west coast in general, which is where he was living when he developed his habit, and wrote and recorded this song...] commonly wrapped in actual pieces of balloon to be smuggled in the anal cavities of ‘drug mules’ crossing the US/Mexican birder). OD** on Easter afternoon...” instead of “...all day on Easter afternoon...” as sung in this video. Not trying to come off as a shtickler, or a pompous, know-it-all ass, especially if you changed the lyric consciously to avoid the more “controversial” subject matter in the presence of an unknown demographic of your inter-web audience... just throwing the correct lyrics and backstory out there in case you didn’t know, and wanted a little more insight into some of his troubles and what fueled some of his most amazing songwriting (btw, not promoting drug use here, I’m very anti-... just extremely sympathetic/empathetic...) Annnyway, great video! Stellar and poignant analysis, and Cheers!
When you say "parallel minor" you are actually talking about a minor plagal cadence, which uses the minor iv chord to return to the tonic rather than the major IV chord. Beatles used it a lot, but also this is a very old form of modal interchange. This is "borrowed" from the parallel minor key, but in the examples you gave, the major to minor change is the IV - iv chord, not the parallel minor tonic chord. It works well because the voices lead back to the I chord chromatically. Here's a good explanation: ruclips.net/video/YEadIDOBpuA/видео.html&ab_channel=SignalsMusicStudio
Smith was a poetic genius. You can't teach that. Most of his songs have 2nd and 3rd meanings
I think most of his songs give the impresseion of extra meanings but actually have no real meanings
@@theliamofella I think there is definitely lots of truth to that. He was really, really good at giving off, as you said, impressions, through his incredible ability to construct mood at atmosphere. He does it through lyrics and metaphor that SORTA point you towards what he means, but to nothing specific, as long as everything sounded cool, that seemed to be his main criteria. Couple that with coinciding melodies, vocal expression, you just... Sorta know what he means. Oh well Okay highlights it well. He was clever, he chose words that sounded and flowed the best over what made his meaning most obvious, which isn't a revolutionary idea lol, he was just pro at it. He chose good ones. But for sure Elliott was melodically inclined over anything. Then other times he was just blatant and literal with his words, especially in FABOTH (strung out again, Kings crossing, shooting star). Other times, in between. Really dynamic writer at the end of the day.
Junk Bond Trader yes many people like Dylan are often asked what did “that song” mean and often they would say they don’t know themselves, often the best lyrics are when they have different meanings to different people,
It’s an old technique like you said, just string lines together that sound good
I'll be completely honest here, Elliott Smith pretty much raised me. My father passed away when I was 11 and I'm currently 33. My friend call me shelliott smitholm (a variation of mine and his name collided) and I'm not necessarily "proud" to say that for certain not 1 week of my life passed without a decent Elliott Smith session. It can be very depressing, but that's where I found my comfort. I also became a heroin addict. I related to Elliott on an extremely deep level.
I can say that decades have gone by where I'll listen to a song and all of a sudden it will "pop" for lack of a better term, and I'll understand the true meaning like at it core, the very essence of his emotions that he was conveying. I thought I had understood the song previously, but I hadn't had the years of experience I needed to actually get the real meaning.. Or maybe what I mean is to truly empathize with the meaning on a personal level.
That being said, I'm a musician. I write songs all the time and I'd say over half of the songs I write are freestyle, I have no idea what I'm going to say as I'm playing. But I've recorded them, and after just one take, boom I've got my song. Then I get to listen to it and hear how well the lyrics came together more perfectly than I ever could have created beforehand. And that's my firsthand account that music, I believe, really is channeling the very essence of your emotions on an almost sub-conscious level where had you tried to write the song any other way it would just be impossible to do so. Long reply I know, I love Elliott. Enjoy.
@@JunkBondTrader ha it’s this dude again whaddup. There’s a great 3 part analysis of his technique n writing that goes more in depth w/ this if ur tryna learn what he does as a writer
The thing people tend to forget is, while a lot of songwriters just use standard barre chords to write a song, Elliott knew the secret lay between the barres..
hey oh!
Between the Barres
@@oliviapetrowski4553I’m dying😂😂
😂🎼
one big Elliott Smith trick: hit the bridge fast. Pretty Mary K (Figure 8 version), Little One. none of this verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge circling the drain for that guy. compress your verses into choruses as much as possible like in Stupidity Tries, where the bridge comes after 46 seconds. what a mensch.
He was an amazing songwriter and guitarist.
Thank you so muck for this. Elliott Smith has been my favorite composer ever since I heard his music in Good Will Hunting. I want more people to know of his gentle, delicate genius; so thank you for spreading the good work, especially with content this good to boot. I wish it were an Elliott Smith year! :D
Happy to spread the word!
thanks so much for these videos man! ES is my biggest inspiration when it comes to songwriting/guitar playing. I probably wouldn't be here today if i had not discovered his music. so glad theres others out there that appreciate him like i do
You and me both man!
I started learning guitar on my own 5 months ago and watching this video I realised I found all these tricks by myself because it sounds cool. Anyway thank you for putting it into words.
Didn't even know about Elliot Smith until I heard a one year commemorative retrospective on NPR. Thanks to efforts like yours, his art won't lapse into an unjustified obscurity. Everybody owes you one. Just one, though, don't go nuts.
I'll try not to overdo it :)
I would trade four of these morons, for a weekend with Elliott Smith.
You better believe that I will have forgotten this prick by morning whereas, Elliott is remembered every day.
@@stiiffyrabbit why would you call someone you don’t know a prick? Especially considering Sean is one of the nicest teachers on RUclips and one of the only ones I know that talk and play Elliott Smith. With a ‘itude like that I seriously doubt E.S. would wanna spend a second with ya
@@louieo.blevinsmusic2011 I didn't call her a prick, so I couldn't say.
I can say that Smith has no say in the matter, on account of he's dead.
Get caught up.
@@stiiffyrabbit Sean, why did you call Sean a prick….. obviously not a her. No shit he’s been dead. 😒 I’ve forgotten more about Elliott Smith than you’d ever know.
Cool video man. I hadn't picked up on the minor 3rd progression thing, it's been a while since I've tried to learn anything of his. Would've loved to have had this when I first started playing guitar and wanted nothing more than to mimic Elliott ha.
Haha, same! It only took me like 10 years to figure out :)
I think moving major chords in minor 3rd is a pretty common songwriting trick. It can definitely be found in the music of The Beatles, Roxy Music, Captain Beefheart, Buzzcocks, Love, the list goes on. I believe it's one special use of parallel modes. So, when in C major, you can borrow chords from C minor (e.g.. Bb) or other modes rooted in C.
It kind of reminds me of Ennio Morricone soundtracks as well. I think Ecstacy of Gold from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly uses this trick.
Major chords a tritone (b5) apart is another similar trick. It's used in Radiohead's Karma Police chorus, and post punk band Magazine used this a lot.
Definitely, it's not like he invented it. But I do think it's a signature part of his writing that he uses frequently.
Thanks so much for this! I'm a songwriter and I'm deep into learning a lot of songs from XO right now, really awesome to find a theory based discussion of his songwriting, yes that minor third major chord shift is IT.
thanks so much for reaching out and saying so Anna! Love Elliott!
An Elliott smith week seems to short to cover all his genius, why not make it a month :p
AceGamerZ or year
I'll add some more vids for sure :)
I want his songs played at my Funeral. They are that good.
@@quantumquackery want it as the national anthem of kingdom of wadiya.
Or a century
damn this video is pointing out every reason why I fell in love with his songwriting haha thank you sir!
The best ever!
Really cool video! I rarely see somebody break down Smith's songs like this. Very interesting, please keep doing stuff like this. Thanks man!
I've always found it crazy how he could write such poppy, simple sounding songs with such complex chord progressions.
that chord progression is very popular in indie music (90s 2000s). alot of nirvana songs have that too but kc just plays power chords
Excellent video Sean. It’s great having the not so obvious stuff I hear in his music broken down. The half step down really fits my voice better.
Always happy to help! I'll keep em coming!
Full step I thought
Hey, Elliott Smith was underrated but so are you. Thank you for this amazing video, 'would love a musical analysis of King's Crossing. If possible, the more musical theory (advanced), the better. Thanks again for being awesome; liked and subscribed.
Thanks so much!! Definitely will need to break that song down soon!
the chords to King's Crossing are quite simple and with the tricks Mr. Sean outlined in the video you'd have that angle covered; what I'd say are particularly striking about the song are the the descending-fourths melody and, especially, the arrangement - the way Elliott Smith tacks piano, organ, guitar and drums together so each one provides the main texture at a different point is phenomenal; a good solo instrument arrangement of that song would need an array of different techniques to be even half as interesting as the original. I know live he played it pretty folky-strummy but the album version is incomparable imo.
Elliott was undersold! But pobably, relatively speaking, one of the best rated artists ever. Lots of people who love him, even more who don't know him, and very few that for sure dislike him, compared to anyone I can think of. A real musician's musician. Of course everyone knows what you mean by underrated, I just wanted to put this out there :p
@@JunkBondTrader he has the biggest “cult” following IMO. Best singer/songwriter ever IMO
Ok so basically tune to D G C F A D.
That’s All I needed to know.
I feel like the last D string may not even be needed
Thank you for the great vid! Lovely to see some of the specifics of Elliott's playing explained! I write and play guitar and when I got into Elliott, he absolutely blew me away! I couldn't listen to anyone else for about six months!
this major chord-minor third thing youre describing is called a chromatic mediant. its a very earcatching technique
Thank you! Something new to study and play around with today.
I’ve noticed Kurt Cobain also did the minor third thing tho he used fifth chords
thats the only chords he used
@@GFEBMX he would fill out the chord with his voice, like on In Bloom. check out Rick Beatos' video on Heart-Shaped Box, for a guy who never studied theory Cobain wrote some killer voicings.
he used major chords
@@GFEBMX nope
yup, theyre called chromatic mediants if youre interested
This harmonic movement is theoretically called "chromatic mediants"... go look it up
"OD on Easter afternoon." Granting you the possibility that maybe you were just trying to keep it family friendly.
I've heard it both ways ;)
Hahahaha I was gonna say that toooooo
black balloon means a balloon with heroin in it, so not exactly any more family friendly.
Step one feels accurate. He also had a dogged pursuit of studying the genius of the greats.
Where can I read more about this, or how do you know this? Who did he study?
@@SilentAttackTV he was a huge fan of The Beatles and all of their solo music as well. I’m gonna assume that’s where he got most of his awesomeness from. He also loved Bob Dylan. Elliott just “had” a great ear and was very experimental when it came to music.
The end of the chorus of Sweet Adeline reminds me of moving diminished chords up by minor thirds, like the Rocky and Bullwinkle thing where the lady is tied to the track. Doing it with major chords instead of diminished is interesting and kind of herky jerky, I like it.
Love Elliott!
sounds reasonable! :-) my favorite is the Maj/relative Minor twist in songs, it was the first "idea" where I thought "I want to use that - a lot!" - it is like a dramatic twist in a story and such a surprising element, like in the GoT Theme or many Beatles songs. Just love it! I think the min 3rd is a similar sound...
Oh it is!
For the record, when you note the F major to F minor move (usually the minor four right?) that could be seen as YET ANOTHER use of the 'major chords in minor thirds' pattern as the relative major of Fm is Ab major. So looks a lot like a F -> Ab change! very cool sound used yet again
Good call, he's the best!
I have also noticed that while his songs are full of major chords the feeling of his songs feel minor or sad so maybe it’s how his melodies fit over top.
I think major chords often sound sad when you have an added note in the chord like an add9 or major7, where minor chords sounds more angry than sad
Dear Sean, I have really enjoyed all, of the recent presentations that: you and your people have sent; to RUclips. Keep up with the great work. I know that it, will be a great, success. Yours Sincerely, Derek Rocha of Melbourne VIC Australia 🙏😎🍌🎸📒🙏
Talent and hard work and poetry
That s all you need to make an elliott smith song
And also being elliott smith
Seems simple enough :)
I loved this! If possible, could you do some lessons/videos on "Tomorrow, Tomorrow", "Memory Lane", or "Southern Belle"?
I'll put em on the list!
Awesome! I wasn't expecting a response, thank you so much. I cant wait! They're my white whales of ES songs. I really appreciate your videos and lessons =)
'WWESD'. Totally just leveraged this idea to finish a song I wrote. :) Kept the process going. Thanks!
I always think of Just by Radiohead when it comes to this sort of sound
Definitely. Another master songwriter there (or group of them)
Was just thinking that and you beat me to the comment!
Condor avenue ; what a masterpiece. Saw an early 2000s interview where ES was fanboying on the band kiss as one of his earlier inspirations … who would’ve thought ?
Nice video, great guitar playing. Show us his use of maj2 to maj4 intervals next!
Thanks so much!
John Williams also used a bunch of chromatic mediants in his movie themes. It has a very cinematic feel to it.
excellent excellent excellent video Sean!
Thanks so much! Gotta love Elliott.
You should analyze ‘hope’ by alex g
Bro. I love Alex g
yessss elliott smith reincarnate
@@matthewlegermusic ok let's him play a Rachmaninoff's Prelude
I like him but he's not even close to being on Elliott Smith's level as a musician.
I love that song and it's a great aside when Elliott Smith is the subject.
Surprised theres no tip on his playing style which is as much part of writing songs in the elliot smith style as is the theory behind the elliot smith style. That finger strum he does for example and also playing close to the.neck
Another thing that Elliott did was use a major 2nd chord in a key where it does not diatonically belong. People often label this as "The Elliott Smith Chord", tho truth be told its the interval that matters, not the chord. There are some great videos that go into depth about this but if you listen out for it in his songs you will see it throughout his entire discography.
Many artists that are inspired by elliott and even just indie artists that are not, use this chord in many of their songs.
If it sounds good it is good that’s all the theory you need
I dont really believe you should try to write songs like somebody, just write what you want to hear and at your own pace. But this lesson was pretty accurate to how he wrote his music. Glad to see another elliott fan! Keep it up
Thanks for checking it out! Long live Elliott!
Beatles had a huge influence on Elliott.
This is very helpful and inspiring. Thank you.
Great video - thank you. Was looking for an explanation like this for a long time!
You're a champ'. Thanks dude.
Elliott forever!
Cmon Elliot Smith, we know that this is your real name
:)
Very cool video, thank you! So how does the chord a minor third apart from the major 1,4, or 5 fit in the diatonic chords of the key? What kind of substitution is it?
Thanks for watching! I'm not sure there's really a name for that kind of substitution, but the way I look at it, there are only 2 intervals diatonically where a chord is a minor 3rd away from another chord. C major as an example, it'd be the distance from the vi to the I (am to C) and the ii to the IV (dm - F). So I think maybe one of the reasons his music is thought of as 'sad', is that even his major chords are coming from a place that diatonically should be minor. Just a theory.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Thanks as always for watching Lee!
You are not depressed enough to play Eliott's music.
;)
Thanks for that, really nice way of presenting some of his writing skills. I dont think he was born a genius. He was super hardworking. He made so many songs, some of them not so great and others he worked hard to develop. He also spent time connecting to his emotions and experiences and putting them in to his lyrics and emotions. Yeah theres a bit of magic there, in that he was good at connecting his heart and emotions to the music but he was a good song crafter, that spent alot of time developing his skills
Talent is only about who works the hardest. ;)
Name a better acoustic songwriter than Elliott Smith this guy is better that the Beatles and they had 4
I love both. A lot. But no, Elliott Smith is not better than the Beatles.
Nick Drake
@@leonlawson2196 he def is. IMO. Subjective obviously. But not in this case. He’s just better. lol
@@brunosamarques5743 the musician Elliott gets compared to the most. Also died way too damn young.
I’ve always heard the Beatles used to transition to the 4 chord when playing a 1-4-5 progression when they needed a bridge. Is there any correlation to Elliots style here?..
Nice breakdown man!
Thanks for checking it out!
Making the second chord of a scale major instead of a minor also
So if you make the 3rd scale chord a major wouldnt that be considered a key change or modulation?
the major to major intrigues me cause usually these chords would share two notes but elliott chooses to make them share one. each major chord has a minor relative in major keys (I vi, IV ii, V iii) that shares two notes but elliott is making them share one. so Em ii has E G B and G IV has G B D but making E II gives it E G# B. id love to study melodically what hes trying to do here, maybe it's chromatic movement or a key change thing? elliott loved swapped ii especially to II but not as a secondary dominant but as a bittersweet chord ruclips.net/video/ahj17nnoaxE/видео.html like how radiohead turned IV to iv in creep to make it somber
also he walks chromaticly or through a scale i've noticed,Rose Parade the 3 high strings are chromatical right ? i don't have a trained ear so i'm guessing.
Yup! Chromatically moving bass notes is another signature.
Also I've noticed he will use a dominant 2 chord a lot, such as A major while playing in the key of G major (Say Yes, Angel in the Snow, Miss Misery, All Cleaned Out, etc) as well as walking major chords up and down whole steps, as opposed to minor thirds as this person suggests
Very insightful and useful thank you for this video.
Thanks so much for this. This is great information.
Thanks for checking it out!
Elliott has a little from the grave tutorial on this youtube.
Great video - thank!
Interesting. Cheers
Thanks for watching!
coming up roses has this too.
It worked out pretty good for me lmaaooooo
;)
Nicely done sir thank you!! :) ☺
Happy to help!
Completely isolate yourself into obscurity and do nothing but get high and write. I’ve heard many a musician say that they wouldn’t wish that kind of talent on anyone, because you need to be well and truly fucked in the head to create that caliber of music
Why'd u play say yes in a different key
Yeah should've mentioned that. I had just recorded the cover with Andrea and we changed it to that one for her vocal range. It was still in my head that way and totally forgot to mention that's not the original key or chords.
Sean Daniel nah it was pretty cool, how'd you transpose those complicated chords into c? also you should do a cover with just you singing
@@chrishappe5410 chromatic inversion, negative harmony or just taking the chord numbers of whatever key it’s originally in and matching the st’s/rd’s/th’s. I never remember the names to chord theory processes I just kinda play with them. Haha. ADD is a hell of a condition.
Oh snap! The dude from stitchmethod!
;)
Can you please do a video on fond farewell?
Out of all of Elliott's inspirations who do you think he picked up this trick from?
Honestly I really don't know! He's the first person I've seen use it prolifically.
Where you from? Sound like BC.
Chicago actually. I know, it's weird.
Will you please do a cover/tutorial for Band of Horses - No ones gonna love you (acoustic) I think itd be interesting.
I'll have to listen to it!
what type of strings did he use?
I'm not sure tbh. Probably the cheap ones haha
I read somewhere that he used john pearse medium gauge, phosphor bronze strings
Metal strings
@@KitchenerLeslieGirlfrien-bv2mm that I know… i mean what brand etc
@@ducksu_6243 I know. It doesn't matter though.
basicly Elliot never knew musical theories
Oh he knew, and then he crushed em.
Yeah Elliott said once in an interview that “he was more embedded in tradition” , being that he was classically trained musician.
He said he didn't look at his guitar when he was finding things
nice content
Thanks so much!
i dont get it, first you say move 3 frets or 3 semitones on the scale, example from F the 3rd minor would be G# but you say A#. then from Bminor you move to E when it should be D isnt it? or D minor? i dont get understand. could someone explain me this?
from what I got he said Ab or G# since they are the same thing
thanks man
Did you teach yourself guitar or did you go to music school?
Yup, self taught :)
That sassy intro 😂😂😂😂 those intro are always hilarious 😛 Do you take some time to plan what to say or were you born with that talent as well? 😂😂
Haha, sometimes the intros just flow, other times it's the thing that takes the longest amount of time on the channel.
What guitar is that
Taylor GA3
It's the mediantes, it can also be a major third so..
Sounds very grunge / Nirvana as well
Yeah,ok,you are like Elliott,a genius!
Haha, I wish.
Dude please do QOTSA next!!!
I'll have to do QOTSA week soon!
how to TRY to write songs like Elliott Smith. That should be the title of the video :D
I literally just learned about intervals and major/minor scales! :D It's great I could actually understand what you were talking about haha. I'm gonna steal the technique.
dude... this video made somethin CLICK for me... cuz i lsten to elliot.. Nirvana.. and a friend i know ... who all do that.. usually a minor scale UNTIL it gets boring, and then they climb MINOR in a major way :)
nice
Really cool lesson but you got a bunch of lyrics wrong.
Oh I'm sure of it.
O.D. On Easter afternoon
Idk if you changed up the lyrics from “A distorted reality (is now a necessity to be free)” on purpose to make them more ‘RUclips/family appropriate,’ or if you simply misunderstood what he was really saying, but the lyrics actually open with “I’m floating in a black balloon (referring to a “balloon” of “black” tar heroin, [the most common type of diacetylmorphine found on skid row in Hollywood or the west coast in general, which is where he was living when he developed his habit, and wrote and recorded this song...] commonly wrapped in actual pieces of balloon to be smuggled in the anal cavities of ‘drug mules’ crossing the US/Mexican birder). OD** on Easter afternoon...” instead of “...all day on Easter afternoon...” as sung in this video. Not trying to come off as a shtickler, or a pompous, know-it-all ass, especially if you changed the lyric consciously to avoid the more “controversial” subject matter in the presence of an unknown demographic of your inter-web audience... just throwing the correct lyrics and backstory out there in case you didn’t know, and wanted a little more insight into some of his troubles and what fueled some of his most amazing songwriting (btw, not promoting drug use here, I’m very anti-... just extremely sympathetic/empathetic...)
Annnyway, great video! Stellar and poignant analysis, and Cheers!
Yeah I was just doing them off the top and messed it up. Elliott's my guy though!
When you say "parallel minor" you are actually talking about a minor plagal cadence, which uses the minor iv chord to return to the tonic rather than the major IV chord. Beatles used it a lot, but also this is a very old form of modal interchange. This is "borrowed" from the parallel minor key, but in the examples you gave, the major to minor change is the IV - iv chord, not the parallel minor tonic chord. It works well because the voices lead back to the I chord chromatically. Here's a good explanation: ruclips.net/video/YEadIDOBpuA/видео.html&ab_channel=SignalsMusicStudio
Next video : how to become elon musk and replace him
I think Elliott Smith would have said how to write songs like yourself.
7ths and 9ths
Minor 3rd is kind of a 90's thing ...
👍🏼
Say Yes is not in C bro.