Latch

Sam Smith’s Nirvana EP, released in 2013, was his debut EP and featured four songs, including the acoustic version of his breakthrough single “Latch”. The EP was a critical and commercial success, reaching number two on the UK Albums Chart.

“Latch” is a collaboration between Smith and the electronic music duo Disclosure. The song was a global hit, reaching number one in the UK and the top ten in several other countries. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2015.

Both the Nirvana EP and the song “Latch” helped to launch Smith’s career and establish him as one of the most promising new artists of his generation. The Nirvana EP is a showcase of Smith’s unique voice and songwriting skills.

How to play Sam Smith’s Latch (Acoustic) for classical guitar

(Resources: learn more about Premium Memberships here. Get my weekly posts right to your inbox.)

For my instrumental version of Latch. I simply wanted to capture a snapshot of Smith’s incredible vocal phrasing. My intent was to create a short solo guitar piece that would encompass the intro, verse, pre-chorus, and chorus. I recommend this piece for intermediate guitar players and up.

Enjoy, the tab is available below:

**Latch (Acoustic) by Sam Smith | fingerstyle guitar

If I’m playing all over the guitar neck (as you eventually have to with Latch) I prefer to be in a capo position that makes it easier to read the frets. The capo position is actually the first fret. However, you’ll have to play on all of the undotted even frets. I remedied this by tuning the guitar down one half step (from low to high): D# G# C# F# A# D#. Then I apply my capo to the second fret. This make a world of difference (for me) in the readability of the guitar.