How to play The weight by the band acoustic guitar lesson

[MrStonyRidge]

Great lesson. You done good!! Even I understand! Thanx!

[msbilliejos]

Very well taught, easy to follow...even for me !! thanks.

[maggiecathcart]

Thank you so much! This is a great help

[MrLazza57]

thank you

[dcmobileads]

Thx, much easier than it ever sounded!

[70mach13514v]

one year later and I just watch the same move and found my way to this lesson

[ElmoPiano]

Thanks for posting this great old classic. The sheet music for the piano part for The Band's "The Weight" - which was played by Garth Hudson - can be found at manymidi.com/sheetmusic.htm - a note-for-note transcription.

[Lazairus]

@ElmoPiano #

and if thats not good enough, I have a ecopy of music from big pink songbook, which has the sheet music also.

[JoeDeeaz]

this is by far the best lesson on this song...THANKS!!!

[woekie1963]

whx u kelped me out a lot !

[Lazairus]

faster than flash gordon

[Lazairus]

so explain that c hammer on bit again.

[tripheath]

good job..........I like to do this in G also(and it actually sounds good to use an Em instead of the Bm on mandolin) ......easy enough to move this song to A if needed

[MrStonyRidge]

G is better for me too ! The intro seems shorter than I remember? But, this works great! Thanks a lot! 80k views ! I guess I'll be hearing this song in clubs more often!

I vote like!

[MrStonyRidge]

Starting in G is way better. Maybe mention that fer all the haters.. But, great job! You just placed a song in my wheelhouse that I otherwise did not have. TY! It is my new favorite song to play!

[jsinteractive]

Thanks, this helped my son out a lot. Looked at a bunch of versions online today and saw a great cover of the The Weight by Switchback.

[gnock32]

Thanks, very nice lesson!!

But please put your thumb from the E-string ;)

[wuchak]

@gnock32 He's using his thumb to mute it when he plays the chords that don't use it. This makes strumming (especially upstrokes) easier since you don't have to worry about sounding a bad note and adds a bit of a percussive sound that reinforces the beat.

[stiltsville100]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Helps people like me who love the song but can't play it, to at least have a bash at it.

If anyone gives you negative comments for things like this but doesn't give any constructive reasoning behind it, I'm sure you know to ignore it and listen to the majority of positive comments from people who appreciate that you've made the effort.

I'm off now to totally annihilate the song in the comfort of my own front room. Cheers.

[johntube420]

you go wayy too fast when teachin i need time to get use to the chord switcjing so slow down next time

[madnezz88]

Viewers have too much concern over playing songs *exactly* the way the original band plays it. What key you play it in is decided by what preference, what key suits your voice, what key lends itself to the kinds of guitar fingerings you like to play... playing this in G seems like a better fit. If you have to hear it in A just put a capo on 2.

[leecallaghan]

this song is played differently by page white and the edge.. the band plays it with amaj, c#min, and a d in the verse.. then that other part in the song is an amaj, emaj, f#min, e maj, dmaj........ correct me if im wrong??

[tom87pate]

Thanks for the help buddy!!!!

[okcrounders]

Verse: A C#m D

Chorus: A E D

[okcrounders]

Chords are all wrong. So is the intro.

[danielc121162]

@okcrounders you are correct though there are a lot of people who play it in G

[chansons7]

I can finally 25 yrs l8r get that intro. Thanks

[thebirdman19]

The strumming gets me everytime... i can never figure it out :-/...any help?

[AmericanaMad]

Thanks muchly for this...good stuff mate, Newcastle England

[tinnigeimgengill]

I've been wondering about that intro for a long time... it's so simple after all.

Nice voice man ...! Peace

[JoeDeeaz]

Thank you!

I guess I should have asked it like this:

Do I put a capo on the 2nd fret, and then finger the same chords?

I know they become one step higher ...ie, capo on 2nd fret, finger a G chord, and it becomes an A chord...am I right?

I also want to sound like the Band in the intro...they start higher on the fret board, is anyone kind enough to show me, or share the tab...I just love the intro.

It captures the whole mood of the song.

Again, everyone...THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!1

[JoeDeeaz]

Dude!....too cool.

I cannot believe you nailed it.

Thank you!

[c786804]

How come at the start when you play the chorus you do not play the D, you just move your finger onto the E string second fret?

[fortthewayne]

it's actully in the key of A

[riverkane]

Thank you! I'm having fun with this one. You teach well. Don't sweat the haters. ...

Would like to see Cripple Creek.

[RussellRiot]

thanks man keep them coming,,, you explain it well,, thanks

[valleyboy987]

Thanks man, that's really good, i gave it 5 stars. Just been watching Jimmy Page, The Edge & Jack White play it at the end of It Might Get Loud, and they're all using the same chords as shown here. The only difference is for the bridge they go G, F#/D, Em, D, CC, G. The G at the end sound pretty cool!

[spore2007]

@valleyboy987

thats what made me look this up :)

[poyntz55]

@valleyboy987 Man, we must be connected. I have just searched youtube because of watching the exact same thing.

[Bluvs28]

@poyntz55 same here, clicked on this video moments after watching "it might get loud" i guess its inevitable.

[gigglyblonde]

@valleyboy987 I juuust watched that and now on the hunt for the chords haha

[YungBluds]

are the hammers on needed? i feel like its making the song 10x more difficult.

[darthsage411]

they aren't needed to play it, they just use them in the album version so if you wanted to make it perfect you can use them but they arent required

[BackYardGardeningTip]

You did a great job in my opinion and have helped me understand the pattern and rythme more, thanks

[Gonserj1313]

Could you tell me all the chords that u use in this song it gets a little confusing. thanks.

[AustinsHideout]

Fail!

[TheMrDiriskipoint]

Very good man!!!

[LeeMan3228]

sweet dude i just learned this song! Thanks!

[rbharley922]

Great song and Great lesson Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Garth would be proud

[forgeinmind]

all these guys are just easily frustrated, i found if u put a capo on the 2nd fret it sound just like the song thanks for posting this :)

[themagistrate]

Nice version. Thanks.

[guitarmasterword]

wrong it's in a sharp watch the movie.

[pepelepew9798]

Just slap a capo on the 2nd fret and then you will be in the key of A.

[JoeDeeaz]

@pepelepew9798 Ok...so you capo at 2...what are the chords after that?

do you play the same ones...which of course sound a step higher.

[pepelepew9798]

@JoeDeeaz yep..same chords if you want to play along with the version recorded by The Band

[pepelepew9798]

@JoeDeeaz yep...same chords if you want to play along with The Band...I also like to drop my bass E string down to D, then I can easily play the bass walkdown part after each chorus....then you have to play the G chord with third finger on lowest string at the fifth fret and first finger on your high E string 3rd fret.

[Hardy1953de]

Most covers even don't show the intro. So I don't care if its exactly as the recording as far as it fits. Music lives from interpretation. I dig this lesson.

Cheers!

[Hardy1953de]

nice!

[deadpanrookie]

Sorry man, but the intro riff is wrong and it's in the wrong key, as far as I know.

[ynkysrbest]

WRONG>>>THE SONG IS IN AAAAAAA

[ST33ZNINETHREE]

the beginning riff is fuckin wrong.

[SiriBeantSingh915]

would a Bm7 work instead of a regular Bm?

[heracluem]

thats great instruction, thanks very much. keep them coming

[Varldsligist]

Great instructional video, i'll definitely give this song a try tomorrow. I wish you'd make a video just like this one with the song "Angie" by the Stones in the future, i've been struggling with it for days.

[flamingoguy1]

One of the best "How To" guitar vids I've seen. Thanks for taking the time to show us this great song.

[iFeedTheCat]

great job, thank you!

[johnnysimmons]

the beginning is wrong> chords are okay