Ballad of Big Nothing (Elliott Smith Cover)

[heathculees1]

Amazing... is there a tutorial for that...

[moliba11]

very good!

what s your guitar?

[Jeter077]

Great vid, I've been looking for tabs, can't find any. Where'd u get tabs?

[nangojim]

Love it.

[kotlet157]

very cool !

did you tune to CGCEGC ?

[TheCreepycre]

i have been watching this video for a year and every time i thik i got it i watch this and start over. can you please fly to Maryland and teach me this Damn song

[JamesArthur181]

love this you're quite the talent, and i love the shyness it gives its an elliott smith feel

[Equilombo]

I read the description, but you really should do the chord position's tab

[temeje]

very nice. i find more entertaining trying to figure out the chords from this video than reading a tab.

[Rhapsodyss]

Really, really great. :D

[futurebutterfly444]

very close your only issue is when you go up to the fith fret on the chord for the big nothingggggg you play Fm it should be F and then Fm

[mrbungs]

Don't be nervous when you record a youtube video. Most people watching are probably crap musicians who just love sending bad feedback to make their nights better. As long as you're doing it, you're doing it. That's all that matters. Doing it. Doing it. And doing it well. Redundancy.

[blackblotter]

watch?v=P4zSLR_doCw >>> looks like really played in open C ! ;)

[Heathathnasoodua]

great job, especially the guitar work... i think with proper equipment (and no parents around... lol), you should remake this vid... it'd be great

[Katpeane]

Nasty, dude. This is the best cover of any Elliott Smith song on YouTube (I've watched a lot of them). I cannot believe that anyone is being so critical of the incredible job you did with this. Elliott's guitar playing could NEVER be exactly replicated, but as far as the chords (and your voice) go, you nailed it. Please do more covers. Thank you.

[trilobite3339]

well done, mate

[AnastasiaExpert]

Marry me.

[wilstromgarcia]

To answer your question, I believe the chord you cant get in the "down in the alley" part is just a G7 that is used (as well as by you i think) other places in the song. X0543X

[wilstromgarcia]

One last comment - since you play it 4 times faster than Elliott does I would work on your groove a little bit man. You're clearly a great guitarists, more importantly, and with a great ear, so im being picky. Just feel it a bit man and become the better player. Cheers.

[wilstromgarcia]

Oh also your G7th at the beggining of the verse doesnt need that double top bass, it sounds more accurate just played open on the 5th string.

[wilstromgarcia]

Woops, in below comment I said chorus, I mean verse. Every time you play C in the verse it's up the neck but I think that's wrong.

[wilstromgarcia]

This is the best cover on youtube but, as you admit, you fudge in a couple places. In your case, you fudge on the side of making it more complex since you know what you're doing, whereas others just guess. Your video has helped me to master the song. Your biggest inaccuracy is repeatedly playing some higher voicing of the C chord repeatedly in the chorus when I'm sure it's just the open C strum.

[AngelInTheHay]

Man, I must be terribly coordinated at guitar. I can't move my fingers that fast at all, which means I can't play ANY of smith's songs.

Anyways, amazing cover.

[futurebutterfly444]

where elliott goes "big nothiiinnngggg" it should be major and then go minor not just minor the whole way....

[GoHoGsGo06]

I like the middle finger you give to all the haters at 2:07.

Great version. I used this to help me learn how to play the song (with the tab as well). I really appreciate the upload. by far my favorite song to play. Learning "Somebody I used to Know" right now.

[futurebutterfly444]

hey only one problem

when you go to Fm at the "big nothign part" you need to go to f and then fm.

[abbasidanyal]

Thanks very much for putting this up, man. I really wanted to learn how to play this song, and with your help I think I've nailed it.

[oatslope]

very good, i though he was in a different tuning. this looks just like how he plays it (but it was too far away for me to see). Try playing it nice and big and slow like in the recording. The strumming has a very floaty, relaxed feel to it.

Thanks

[oatslope]

OH and by the way! That chord you're talking about during "down in the alley": it's an F minor.

Its usually F major in that key which is why it sounds so striking. Sounds "romantic" to me, if that makes any sense.

[xxjagxx1495]

pretty cover :) !

[ezion]

really good. sounds spot on. good job.

[fertuiee]

This is a ridiculously good version mate ;)

[fertuiee]

C-

G-

C-

E-

G-

C-

and then just remember- dont be too rough on yourself, he's sat up there jammin wi Nick Drake and Jimmy Hendrix hahaha and theyre lovin it!!

[blackblotter]

@fertuiee Upsidedown ;)

[fertuiee]

@blackblotter .....ah so it is! ooops!! ...you got the picture though didnt you haha!! :)

[slimjimmyg]

fucking savage man, fair play!

[yeseniamcv16]

fucking great man i think you nailed it pretty good

dont listen to haters haha

my favorite elliot smith song to play is No Name #3

[wargrave232]

Really good cover

[winston232]

dude you just named some of the worst bands exept bright eyes and elliiott smith dude you forgot some of the best like Nick drake man

[bryaninvermont]

cgcegc  hes not quite playing it correct but good cover anyway.

[Twobitgangster]

You have really nice arms/hands. :) (not being a dick, I actually think this.)

[soccerboy617]

fucking weirdo

[cloud3443]

wow this is good!

[Sampson021]

Very very good. Im new to Elliot Smith but this is still fantastic.

[onlyeyesabove]

great job, i normally ridicule the hell out of most people but u did a really good job, and ur voice even sounds like his and u stayed in key

[dementedscumcat]

Still the best version on youtube!

[SOCOMJ3SUS]

You sound exactly like McLovin!

[NintenjoPower]

thanks? if you want to make fun of me, you can do a lot better than that...

[krister19]

@SOCOMJ3SUS dick.

[6go6re6]

......nevermind, i guess i should have read the top part of the page first. self slap.

[6go6re6]

whats the tunning?

[agirlwithaguitar1]

Hi, I tabbed your version of this and I'd like to send it to you for you to check it over if you have time. I was planning to post it on ultimate guitar with a link to your youtube site here but I wanted to give you the opportunity to correct any mistakes first.

[hzlo]

hello there, do you still have the tab? i'm doing my head in trying to figure this out! i honestly havent find a note-perfect elliott smith tab out there but this video sounds like it could be.... thanks.

[imageniusdonchaknow]

Beautiful, man! Beautiful! I love this effing song!!!

[zombio666]

great job man!

[antiamygdala]

I've been pausing and re-starting you over and over just to get these chords... you're the first person I've seen (other than Elliott) who uses the proper tuning. Granted, Elliott played it a bit different, but your interpretation is excellent. Now if you didn't play it so fast... slow it down a bit and feel your heart sink ...

[NintenjoPower]

i learn most of elliott smith's songs by watching his live videos on youtube, which is partly the reason why i tend to speed things up a bit.

i'm also incredibly nervous while recording...

[gabe256]

congratulations, i was getting tired of hearing people butcher elliott's songs. awesome version :D

[Stillillgal]

very nice!

[CJGelling]

amazing!

[tttlion]

why didn't U sing aloud????

[NintenjoPower]

because then my parents would've wanted me to play for them... ;)

[tcornellbusiness]

@NintenjoPower hahaha, One day we will have our privacy my friend!!!

[mikeyfatstrings]

man..write your own stuff, record some albums and get huge!

[ngodupsangpo]

Beautiful.. capital B.

[wiggin56]

Hey, I like your playing. The guitar is always accurate and your voice sounds like Elliott, if you could record it better quality.

That's my vote.

[shoreleave666]

This is excellent. Please tab this out and post a link to it!

[jellybeanWeen]

!!!!!!!!

I love this song and think you did it justice!

[jelindsay371]

where did find the tabs for this song in open tuning?

[NintenjoPower]

i just figured it out by listening and watching him play. i don't think there are any tabs for this, besides the one that someone sent me after i made the video. if you want that one, i can send it to you; no problem.

[samwillyjr]

I really love the coda of this song and you nail it well.

[StyrofoamPlatezz]

Hey nvm, you explained your oppen C in Independence day. but thansjk for the post i am very glad you posted, now i really know how to play it!

[StyrofoamPlatezz]

1. Awsome job best cover of this one ive seen yet

2. i tried learning form this vid and i tuned to open C but when i play it the g string and the high E sound out of whack with yours, i used the tuning from a guitar book and this is it: CGCGCE but when i play your chords it sounds not right, i have to move up or down one fret on them for it to sound right, if you have any advice, it would help a lot. thanks

[Joel19855891]

i think he is tuned to cgcegc

[AndyConny]

very impressive

[ronniesflyer]

Awesome job, man. I love this song. What tuning did you use?

[Ekrindul]

One of the rare songs where it's obvious Elliot used a pick.

[Tayl0NP]

Holy shit, you did it!

[eelz212]

wow kudos man- that Open C tuning is the answer i've been looking for! sounds authentic. and good singing. right on.

[JackoMazzo]

too fast...and some chords are wrong...but this is the best "home-version" I ever heard. Good Job! ;)

[alekschang]

yeah it's hard to see your fingers. it'd be much appreciated if you made a tutorial or a tab

[mebe]

awesome job im tryin this song. mind passing me tthe tab?

[Stillillgal]

great

tnx

[scatmanwfm]

damn good cover

[clevermint37]

i sure will, ive tabbed so il send you it

[aviweizmann]

great job! this is my favorite song by Elliott!

clevermint37, if you could send me your tabs for this song i would really appreciate it

i have most of it down but there's a lot of chords i cheat on

[clevermint37]

thats pretty much right, i play it basically the same way but i play some of the chords differnt, especially in the chorous. very nicely done though

[NintenjoPower]

Could you tell me what chords you play during the chorus? Because I couldn't for the life of me see what he was playing in any of the videos here on youtube...

[ichbinerick]

awesome job man! clevermint any way you could send that tab my way? thanks all!