Little Black Submarines - The Black Keys (Cover by Chris Merkley)

[victor22800]

What a voice!

[CrossMusicCovers]

Great job , Check out my version!

[kamodo101]

Fantastic cover. You've got a great voice man.

[MerksBigBus]

@kamodo101 thanks for the comment. I have an original song uploaded to my channel called "Tarbox" if you're interested...has a little bit of a Black Keys / North Mississippi Allstars vibe

[Juusteli]

Reminds me of stairway to heaven

[xXStaySeventeenXx]

"gets a little louder halfway through" fuck yeah it does. haha love this song. what are the chords you're playing for the electric? i'm doing this in my school's battle of the bands and can't find a decent enough tab for it. help me out?

[MerksBigBus]

@xXStaySeventeenXx thanks for the comment...a funny one at that. someone else asked about the chords a while back...should be listed right above here but if you don't see the reply I think they're on the next page. I think someone else also posted a comment right afterwards with a better description of what's going on in the original. Good luck in the battle of the bands!

[xXStaySeventeenXx]

@MerksBigBus awesome, thanks!

[Lancealot24]

Nice



[madbrad812345]

Picking pattern??

[musicsuxnowadays]

Dude, great fucking cover. can you do a CAVO song?

[MerksBigBus]

@musicsuxnowadays been putting time in on my bus these days and am doing some traveling so I still haven't made good on some White Stripes and Raconteurs requests but I'll check out some CAVO songs out as soon as I can...thanks for dropping a comment

[DrDaveDoesnt]

Can somebody or you tell me how to call this "woodendrumboxes" I like to have these :D

Thx

[MerksBigBus]

@DrDaveDoesnt there are probably some similar things out there but these were home made to try to mimic the rhythm of a washtub bass. I call them acoustic boomboxes...

[yoitsdaman]

Shit man this was really good!

[MrMannydac]

Love it!

[sfcx92]

Strong work, man!

[jasonmkang1]

hi ive been trying to find how to play the electirc guitar part for this song and i was wondering f you could tell me how you played like the chords and where you bended the notes. Thanks!

[MerksBigBus]

@jasonmkang1 thanks for checking out the video. I adapted what they were playing and just went with bar chords for the Am G D Am G A parts then threw in a C before the bend part. I'm bending the G and B string on the 7th fret at the same time together...maybe w/ some incidental neighboring strings making their way in there but that was what I was aiming at.

I think they double up two quick bends and add a set of bends one step up at the end of the phrase...hope it helps!

[ThePenislandband]

@jasonmkang1 Am then bar the thrid fret and do like a F sharp thing on the 3rd fret then power chord the 5th fret of the A string then up one to E string and repeat

[billygolicki]

Sweet!! Nice Job Chris.....

[PortobelloRoadMusic]

Is this Bill Cowher?

[theguywithheadphones]

Hi! I've been trying to find how to play this song... Can you tell me what chords should i use? Thanks!

[MerksBigBus]

@theguywithheadphones not sure if they do this exactly the same but I played Am for the intro then Am G D A Am G A for the verse then Am G D A C D A for the chorus. hope that helps!

[theguywithheadphones]

@MerksBigBus Thanks! Somehow I like your cover better than the original. You should do a Tighten Up cover, that's one good song! :)

[DiggerJonesMusic]

@theguywithheadphones thanks for the comment. My band Digger Jones has actually been covering Tighten Up at our shows this past year...I'll be sure to post it if I get a decent quality video to share

[highrev3]

I have been picking the top two strings of each chord going downward, then picking from the bottom in an upward direction, picking 4 notes in that up part. Sounds good to me :)

In the louder section I just play the open chords, looks like you are playing power chords. I'm gonna look into that.

I saw the comments on White Stripes, Jack White inspired me to pick up the guitar, and pushed me to explore the blues.Have fun

[highrev3]

Hey great cover, I just started playing and taking lessons. (im 40, midlife thing) I am learning this song. Just looking for other covers to see whats up. I like all the comments on the picking. I am having trouble too :) I was listening so intently to "get it right" but it is so quiet in comparison to the vocals, thenit hit me. As an artist they probably constructed it that way, they want you to pay attention to the vocals, at least that is my take.

[bommel448]

hell of a good cover! That is something...

rock on !!!

[inextremis28]

Amazing

[tekwar2001]

Talk about a one-man-band...heck of a job...love the drum beat on the boxes

*applaudes*

[jonoferguson22]

Great Cover!!

[TheJovanist]

damn this is good. :) The drum part made me go holy shit.

[fenderrust]

where did he pull the strat from??

mind = blown.

[Sunjata0]

woody harrelson i love your movies too!

[m11170]

Love it....fantastic. If Chris Whitley can no longer be with us, I'm grateful that you are. Thank you for sharing.

[MrNutteh]

all people struggling with the picking pattern : try to play the bar chord versions of the chords an pick down from E string to G string and up again (G string determines major or minor for 6th roots) and for the 5th roots do the same to the B string!

[BJRhythm88]

Great work!! Very nice voice :) This song is just amazing, great interpretation!!

[5Harring]

wow thats amazing

[Eatspeggetti]

Chris...This is amazing my old friend :)

[MrBiPauler]

Awesome. Turn it up!!

[jodysoldman]

well done - great rendition. fuckin' Dan Auerbach. The guy is like King Midas. His worst song would blow away my best.

[bulletwork]

dude, I don't even have the words to describe it, but that blew me away. Been jamming to this song since Tuesday and finally broke out the guitar today to learn this song. Was watching a few covers to see how others were playing it, and your just blows every other cover away! Definitely gonna subscribe!

[djhelenk]

well done! really good. I hate the electronish sound on the original song. it's a good song but THE BK went all commercial. I prefer their older guitar sound. you gave it a better feeling on the cover.

[nzkiwipride]

Brilliant cover mate, your voice is great and I really enjoyed your guitar work too. A pleasure to listen to.

[themajesticgoat]

amazing cover

[LUISELPOLLOLOCO]

I can't seem to figure out the finger picking help please?

[MerksBigBus]

@LUISELPOLLOLOCO I just kind of adapted what he was doing into what worked for me so I'm not so sure I'm going to be the help you're looking for if you're trying to get it exactly the way he does it. I'd just go with whatever feels good to you over the chords and make it your own...

[03underground]

@LUISELPOLLOLOCO after u strum the strings ur fingers start to burn

[LUISELPOLLOLOCO]

@03underground that makes no sense.

[TheAkanian]

amazing voice and really awesome cover! will you try to cover the consoler of lonely from the raconteurs it would be really cool!

[MerksBigBus]

thanks @TheAkanian. going to check out some White Stripes songs @joobaaastard sent my way so I'll give it a listen too. if I can do an honest take I'll be glad to give it a shot...

[joobaaastard]

and please... i hate to sound sooo fanboy. but would you please cover some jack white/ stripes stuff that would definitely suit your style.

Like... 300mph outpour blues, Do, I fought piranhas, little bird, hello operator, death letter, catch helll blues... a martyr for my love for you.

please & thanks for doin what your doin. it's inspiring to others

[MerksBigBus]

@joobaaastard not super familiar with all the White Stripes material but I do remember liking their version of Death Letter. I'll check out the songs and try to give one of them a go when I get home next week...thanks

[joobaaastard]

It's a display of perfect control and co-ordination, complete synchronicity. The wooden boxes & stomping added so much.

but yea... that takes years of practice to play/stomp/sing so wonderfully, and your obviously very talented because it's not like the songs been out for ten years & that's the only thing you've been practicing.

I'm curious, how many takes to get that version?

[MerksBigBus]

@joobaaastard thanks for the comments...love that hendrix story. this was the second take. I grabbed a completely wrong chord in the electric half of the first take;)

[joobaaastard]

i used this particular video of yours to describe to co-workers/friends what someone with REAL musical talent sounds like. This album JUST came out and already you've recorded a fantastic version days later.(reminds me of how paul & john were blown away when two days after sgt peppers was released they saw hendrix already tearing up a version of their song.) Anyways to some idiots they might not understand just how complex what your doing here is.

[ShakeyNineteen64]

Great cover and you have a really strong voice :-)

[hsp882]

awesome cover

[Robmlufc]

Nice one Chris that's great!

[rollssolo]

Yes! Awesome cover

[technologyms]

great job man. keep posting.

[MattAlbie]

Great cover. LOVE the new Album the more I listen to it!

[MerksBigBus]

Thanks for commenting and subscribing everybody. If anyone else is interested in hearing some songs I wrote, I have a few posted on the links to Old Boy Records above.

They're from a solo album I put out a couple years ago called Thirty Miles from Nashville...there are some Black Keysish tracks but it's a bit of an acoustic/electric mix. Working on a new cd for 2012...thanks for listening!

[swolldubbin291]

well done and great song to cover

[jmanxoom]

Fawkin awesome! Keep on rockin!

[smashhhh]

Vero good cover

[JustLOVE805]

so talented

[JENNGRAUER]

Great cover. this guy is a one man band! Just checked out his original music and bus project too.

so cool!

[LoBuDeBerga]

nice one!

[MusicH0g]

real good cover ... Love the whiteness and the tapping on boxes for drums.



[TheDustyRevelator]

well done bro' !!

[QueenSandieth]

Great Job switching up the instruments! Nice effect. Good voice too :)

[IceBall83]

Amazing. Going to check your originals.