elliot smith

Untitled Guitar Finger Picking Demo

Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith’s primary instrument was the guitar, and he had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by a “whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery”, and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.

Elliott Smith was a major influence on my musicality in my most formative years. When I joined my rock band in the late 90’s, we were all devouring music by ethereal songwriters like Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley.

Elliott Smith was an incredible guitar player to say the least. He possessed a finger-style hand that would rival Lindsey Buckingham.

His musicality was an indie-folk take on the complexity and chord mastery of The Beatles. Like Lennon and McCartney, his guitar lines possessed a myriad of chord changes, creating a broader melody under the principle vocal melody. The guitar was so elaborate in Smith’s songs, that really, the vocals and lyrics almost seem like an afterthought.

Elliot Smith’s personality seemed like an authentic brooding musician. Music was a way to temporarily soothe his own personal troubles — and success just sort of happened as a result of his undeniable talent. Tragically, Smith took his own life in 2003.

How to play Untitled Finger Picking Demo by Elliott Smith

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My guess is that Elliott Smith probably never intended for us to hear this, and he would cringe if he knew it was the first song of his documentary album. However, as fans, we think it’s amazing.

Untitled Finger Picking Demo is exemplary of Elliott Smith’s musical thought process. The song or riff as it were, is is broken down into movements — resolving with the introduction. If you’ve spent anytime learning Beatles songs –you can clearly see and hear the influence.

The guitar tab is exactly 3 pages long, and written straight through, without repeats. It serves as an awesome fingerpicking exercise for intermediate guitar players and up.

Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

**Elliott Smith Finger Picking Demo

Untitled Finger Picking Demo is played in standard tuning with a capo on the first fret.

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