John Mayer - Clarity (Acoustic)

[lilbrazilcutie]

i want to learn how to play this :(

[elambing]

@lilbrazilcutie theres a link to a tablature in the video description, and jwdubs' video response shows how to play it very well

[Sean17Notice]

john needs a new phone

[o0oxMuSicxo0o]

No spaces in the url! Just had to type it that way.

[elambing]

@o0oxMuSicxo0o great, ill put the link in the video description!

[o0oxMuSicxo0o]

Its not letting me post up the link though, go to ultimate guitar . com. And look up John Mayer Clarity, & click the tab that says Clarity (ver 3)

[o0oxMuSicxo0o]

Some one actually did the tabs!

[xSteezyTaco]

This song is Really hard to learn. :' /

[killjoychrisf]

I love how he finishes the song and just turns and answers the phone like nothing that amazing just happened. haha "Hello~"

[EtherealWheel]

Ok nvm what I said at all. Took me two minutes to find the chords he's using. It's E - 3rd fret / A - 5th fret / D - 4th fret / Open G (that's the first chord) and theN A - 5th fret / D - 4th fret / G - 6th fret / Open B (that's the second chord) The letters indicate what open string to fret.

[dmbanded]

tabs for this?

[tanakung]

two guitars? O.o

[TuNguyn]

check out that badass pickroll at 0:38...

[Passion4CoolMusic]

he sounded english when he said hello

[AcousticLvr22]

it must be fun to be able to play like that XD

[NoNoNoScope2Pro]

Does anyone remember house phones?

[banazo00]

I love this version, its just like all of us 'average joes' jamming in our room.

[likeming26]

FUCKING PHONE! why do you have to disturb his playing?

[BabyWassup]

What a perfect shave;P

[nivlas1]

Great guitar.

[MrBetoTap]

this was the time in what mayer appears in mtv , now is a wonderfull time!

[DJBigz1988]

ahah hes got commitment to a song. if the phone rings while im trying to play i drop everything to answer.

[robbishcan]

those fingers..... crazy.

[PatrickEAtchison]

John Mayer is the best. 

[cadiemad]

Speechless!!

[AaronCLaTray]

2 dislikes hmmm....go to hell dislikers

[cadiemad]

this is the most pure music you can have. just a man and his guitar making the most beautifull music.

[Bostown123]

i can't get enough of this... it's so soothing... lovely moment by an amazing amazing true artist

[wackowatermelon]

This is so easy to play ! but hard to explain because you use a lot of funky finger picking and you use your thumbs a fair bit too

[pastyourhorizon]

Martin OM-42. Wonderful guitar played by a wonderful artist.

[ruipsoa]

in fact this version is so much better because of the whole ouuuouuu...

[tw0ntw0n]

I WANT THAT SHIRT

[Sureilikepizza]

I hate this damn phone

[Boss44221]

You just need to pick each string instead of plucking the whole chord, I could put up a vid if you guys would like.

[EpicAdventures11]

how adorable.

"hello?" (:

[adamsimonsmusic]

Peep the pick coming out at :39

brilliant.

[HalfBillion]

I wonder if this is his place in New York or L.A.

[jasoncudbill]

this dude brings me a whole lot of joy..

[JG129]

@elambing It really isn't as hard as it sounds. The beauty of acoustic is even open strings sound amazing !

[guitarshapedjuicebox]

i love you john

[lucyc66]

lol @ the phone ringing

[AlzAdventures]

awww he looks so CUTE in this video! and i loved the acoustic version of this song, amazing! hahah at the phone ringing

[h4rsh3ys]

@elambing yeah thats it for the verse. i haven't bothered for the chorus or bridge

[h4rsh3ys]

@elambing for the verses yes. chorus and bridge may be different, but i havent looked into it, the verse is the easiest part. try it.

[lefte18]

this is a martin om 42 right?

[A7X514]

@lefte18 i think it might be his OM-28

[lefte18]

@A7X514 lol no its an om-42. sry idk why i asked because i already knew it what it was you can tell by the martin decal on the headstock the inlays and the pearl dots on the fretboard

[TehCavern]

i want to favorite! how can i ?

[ams914]

I wish I could find this version as a tab... it's interesting the way he plays the chords here.

[elambing]

@ams914 dont we all! i wish i was better at transcribing, but this is beyond my skill

[h4rsh3ys]

@elambing its not hard. its just a variation of the same chord.

[minconsin]

@elambing are the acoustic tabs on ultimate guitar correct for this song? i dont have my guitar now so i cant check it out. and are the two high strings just being played open as standard tuned?

[supern00b]

@elambing G5 - f#m7(9?)-bm7

[lambgtr7]

@elambing im workin on it

[LaPerssonandro]

@ams914 Play around with hammer-ons.

There's tabs with the pre-chorus stuff. This is the most beautiful performance of Clarity I've heard.

[Shinando57]

@ams914 Actually, the chords are just the same, he only changes the place of the chords on the scale. On the chorus, instead of playing the G on the 3rd fret (6th string) ele does it on 10th fret 5th string and this way with all others.

[jwdubs]

@ams914 i believe it is all the same chords....just when you finger pick it add the extra pick with your ring finger to get the g chord in there and hammer on with your left hands pointer finger if that makes any sense..i can make a video if you want

[ams914]

@jwdubs You should make a video! No I don't get what you said, I play it using my first, middle and ring finger already. So I don't get what adjustments you are trying to explain. I play it with middle on low E, first on the A, and Third string on the D.

[jwdubs]

@ams914 The video should be under the video responses tab....good luck and let me know if you want tutorials for anything else

[JMBelief1]

@ams914 I have tabs if you want them..

[ams914]

@JMBelief1 Yeah I would love them... just pm me. Thanks. Always nice to see it on paper if its available.

[tquist53]

@ams914 do you mean how he picks the chords or just the chords?

[TheCptTonio]

@ams914 check on ultimate-guitar, there is a tab for this version

For the technique, check for a Neon's tutorial

[Blubellfield]

@ams914

Guys use your ears, it's the best way of improving your guitar playing.

[Melleniacon]

What is the variation he plays on the chorus? I know the recorded versions chord, but those first 2 chords on the chorus are eluding me

[samuh14]

i love this song

[rjaafar]

what notes is he hammering on, ughhh im trying to figure out how to play this song, its so difficult!!!

[mazemills22]

ok but it aint that rare

[starkid77]

He has some juicy lips up close, lol

[TheAngelJC]

1st of all john mayer DOSENT mess up

2nd hes professional and hes done this for a while so the odds of him messing up are VERY slim.

3rd he can play anything he wants and it still sounds good even if he "messed up" or not

4th what might seem like a mess up to you may be an artist trying something new instead of playing the same thing

[soundlaboratorium]

@TheAngelJC

The debated 'mistake' isn't in the lyrics or even in the actual audio. If you look closely at 0:37, he takes out his pick and starts strumming the chorus. But, in the AUDIO, he is still plucking the bass notes.

Could mean that he went to the chorus too early (forgot to do the 2nd verse) so they had to do take 2, or it could just be an editing goof by MTV.

Either way, if Mayer 'made a mistake' it still doesn't discount that this is my favorite version of "Clarity" he's done.

[SaladTaste]

@soundlaboratorium It's an editing screw up. Compare the 'mistake' shot to the one where he actually starts playing the chorus, it's the exact same shot.

[amylice]

lovely, he's amazing

[Dennis6744]

I'm somewhat dissapointed that he doesn't answer the phone with "i'm in the middle of a song, shithead!"

[Nathan59]

Best version IMHO !

[KEHMusic]

Its his own song so i believe he has the right to change whatever he wants on it. He is one of the best musicians ever so he should get to do whatever he wants.

[HASHlRAMA]

When john mayer said hello, while answering the phone I...

JIZZ IN MY PANTS!

I JIZZ IN MY PANTS!

[ocelott22]

lmao good one

[Nikegoes]

He didn't mess up....he said " by the time YOU recognize this moment.."....then went on to saying "then YOU'LL bend the light pretending..." He switched it from I to You, like he does whenever he wants variation. Case closed. he knows what he's doing.

[bboyxchristian]

he didn't mess up... he meant to say that. he always changed the words during live performances.

[DestineeAnne]

HAHAHA "hello?!"

so random.

i love this guy(: i hope to play like him one day!

although i dont think i could ever get that amazing! but on the bright side..i finally got "stop this train" down(:

[robeer112233]

i agree with pdw522

[aggiepunk09]

haha he answered the fucking phone!

[SgtPeperz]

lol i thought it was a cover for a second. i was like damn this guys good

[bassfrk402]

how is this rare if it was on MTV as #2? lol

[vintagesound29]

I think it is MTV 2, not #2 on MTV. Just guessing. Not 100%.

[Boss44221]

@vintagesound29 Your guess is right haha

[fraldexxx]

it's mtv 2 not #2 in any sort of ranking

[Boss44221]

Yea it's definitely an OM-42.

[sehnsucht77]

socially inept and plays guitar all the time and got good? you basically described every single guitar hero's early beginnings! Clapton, Malmsteen, Van Halen, Page...all of them have this detail in common.

[zguduiala9]

Martin OMJM. His model.

[ericgo]

a custom Martin

[Boss44221]

What kind of guitar is Mayer playing?

[l0rd0vwar]

its actualy not his signature, to my surprise its a om-42 or thirty something maybe? you can tell by the cf martin logo at the head

[RubyTuesday93]

nothing pisses me off more than the phone ringing while im playing a song on guitar.

[LAsFinestSurfer]

Haha, for that reason i turn my off while i'm playing.

[jmneon]

i 1000% agree with you romancasco. I love that john mayer is just a normal guy but with extraordinary talent. he is such and inspiration.

[SamuelTJMartin]

what kind of Martin is this?

[romancasco]

the phone ringing at the end is great...it adds realistic touch to the environment...John is just a normal man playing his guitar like all of us do in our rooms, and but he adds his extraordinary lyrics...

[jmneon]

amen to that.

[ams914]

Everyone says he's a normal guy, but i'm naming a syndrome after him. John Mayer syndrome. It's when you are so lonely and socially inept that you lock yourself in a room and play guitar on end for years. he just ended up getting really good and becoming famous.

[pdw522]

He still writes all of his own lyrics and he co-produced his album that just came out.. so it's not like he's just some good guitar player, he's an outstanding guitar player as well as a very accomplished singer-songwriter.

[tw0ntw0n]

@ams914 i live with jm syndrome then...at least ill get paid.

[MaDNeSs0051]

for skittlezGTI...it was actually Jimi Hendrix and SRV who influenced him

[jazzaman11]

and alot of others...clapton and other blues legends like b.b.king, and buddy guy...he uses alot of their licks although epecially hendrix and SRV i will agree

[SkittlezGTI]

lets jsut say no one knows except him what influenced him to play guitar.

[lefte18]

the action on his gutiars super low

[metallifan84]

yea it is. i have a shitty yamaha acoustic that feels like pressing on barbed wire when i try and play this wonderful. i really need a guitar like his and that kind of action

[jchay55]

just get your action lowered lol

make some slight changes to your truss rod

[metallifan84]

to lower action on an acoustic, do u turn clockwise or counter-clockwise?

[hipyaboyya]

counter clockwise mate

[jgl2222]

if u learn how to rip this song on ur guitar, ur gonna be even better when u get a nice guitar like his. i have a jasmine by takamine

[dukefiya]

how u figure?

[kevinnoschang]

*shakes his head* His dad rented the guitar for him and his brothers, and he started playing because of michael j fox playing johnny b goode in back to the future.

[pedrocardosomusic]

he's so damn great :D

[aio193]

the phone ringing is perfect.

goes to show he's like anyone of us. There's always someone bothering you when you're busy playing the guitar...

superb playing though.

[biatch0706]

@aio193 this shows how JOhn Mayer's dedicated to his music. He's not gonna answer the phone unless he finish playing.

[vista1995]

such a good song..damn that phone for ringing

[j4bnow]

how is he doing it? this version tops his other versions... sadly the phone rings annoyingly

[mayathebeex3]

whoever first handed john mayer a guitar deserves the worlds best hug

[stylerkidpro]

it was his father.. he bought one for john and his brothers.. john locked himself up in his room and played guitar alone for 8 years :D

[mayathebeex3]

hahahaha

[stylerkidpro]

it really was like this!

[TintedRedFilms]

like this version

[lovesurfin]

I love how nonchalant he is.. and how perfectly he ended the song before picking up the phone.

[gookingwenceslas]

you sound nothing like John Mayer and are awful... lol :)

[carstairs91]

Post something better then! :D

[searteroc]

he didn't mess up XD he just did it differently :p ... it's what makes music something special, when he does something unpredictable, improvising, showing emotions of the moment

[elambing]

thanks for sharing. i like his music

[soundlaboratorium]

I think what he really means is that he hates him for his epic guitar skills. I do. But not really.

:)

[redbelt12]

you're missing out then.

[jdkjkjdkjdks]

you hate him? so could you tell me why is your favorite list are full of John's video?

[TintedRedFilms]

LOL

[PsycD]

gotta love the way the phone ringing was somewhat in sync with the song hahaha in terms of timing and tone..

[GetnFunky]

thats mesed up, thats edited after

[snuffeljay]

He doesn't mess up he plays a flageolet

[backpain100]

at 0:38 doesn't seems like he messed up. Yeah sure, he did draw the pick out but the guitar chord is not the one he use for the chorus. The chord for the chorus look completely different at 1:11.

So we know for sure there's no problem with the audio. May be the editor messed up with the video clips?

[jharufeo]

does anyone know what tabs he's playing at 1:00 for the oooos?

[RascallyNinjas]

3-0-5-7 to 10-0-12-14.

In the same shape as the verse chord fingering.

[neoncoloredblues]

i need the tabs for this terribly, i know how to play clarity, but i do not know how he adds the lil shit in :)

[Heyn20]

haha o JOhn é muito fera!:)

[tonylemuso]

word, that whats makes this to dope

[Heyn20]

Eu escuto esse vídeo só pra ver o final!!

Amo ver o olhar dele de quem foi pego desprevinido e a forma como atende o telefone!

Eu prefiro esse vídeos mais caseiros porque ele fica mais transparente! Adoro!

[Heyn20]

aiai..And I will wait to find

If this will last forever...

[tumcubus]

that phone call at the end ruin a great performance

[aio193]

somehow makes the performance "real"..

[tteague5523]

Actually at 39 seconds...you can see that he is finger picking and he has his pcik in between his pinkie and ring finger (where he holds it until he needs it) the he shuffles it up to move into the chorus...then it cuts away....while still in the verse.. even though he was moving into the chorus....so it was edited

[Phlikone]

Cool video. At 0:39 it says "Who cares if he messed up...seriously." Uh...he didn't mess up. Those are called "harmonics". He barely touches the string to give it a "vibrating" sound. So that should only make you appreciate him even more. It's a hard technique.

[mariofan000]

phlikone i think he messed up part of the lyrics not the music

[elambing]

tteague5523 got it right. people in the earlier comments of the video were claiming that he messed up at 39, and that he stitched videos together. whether he did or not doesnt matter, the song still stays the same and if you arent watching intently you dont notice.

and i dont hear any harmonics, probably because they are nonexistent

[POCKETxACES]

dang yea it took me forever to figure out what you guys were talking about...whoever noticed that at first is very observant...lol

[13Musicrazy]

He didnt even mess up i wouldnt even have notice if no one would have said thing people are to darn judgmental

[ALoveEternal]

I've been looking for this video for like years -_-

[GatoGuitarPlayer91]

When Mtv played REAL Music..

[camaross89]

...when MTV played more than 10 seconds of a video..

[shoe59]

haha +100

[Crowa1392]

My God. It's almost inhuman.

[randnaz]

genius.

[ruipsoa]

i haven't words to describe this....

[ashdabrothers]

What in the hell are you guys talking about? He is strumming, and playing. So what if he messed up? He is a true artist. <3

[chrisbworth]

Oh I've changed my mind, but I know that he didn't mess up. The audio track is clearly one take. For whatever reason the guys in the editing room must have used a video clip from later on in the song, since they had several angles to pick from. I hope that makes sense. It does to me, but

[123srv]

all it is is a video clip from the start of the song