4 & 20 Stephen Stills tutorial
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2020
- Hey, all- here's a short tutorial on how to play Stephen Still's classic "4 & 20" from the CSNY album "Deja' Vu." I talk a bit about the origins of his EEEEBE tuning and then demo the song which I performed on My Timberline T20C grand concert guitar. Lastly, I recorded this tune live and unplugged with my Sony HDR-MV1 digital video camera using it's built-in mics....
Once again, my Rat Terrior/Chihuahua "Junebug" makes a cameo vocal appearance which makes the video all the more personal and, well, "folk" . . .
Also- please check out my instrumental guitar recordings at Solid Air Records! www.acousticmusicresource.com/...
As a kid back in in the 70’s I would have sold all my posessions to figure this out. Regrettably, I was without a source music knowledge, or anyone to impart which direction to seek this knowledge. The music store had Mel Bay books, and that was what we had, jump ahead to 2024 and it’s served up with a silver spoon! I’d throw some money in your tip jar if you had one. Thanks for posting this, your efforts are appreciated.
thx sir. I essentially retired from live performing in 2020 and I think back on the decades I played small venues with that ubiquitous tip jar at my side. I used an old brass spittoon and used to tell my audience that "tips is spit spelled backwards" and that spittoon is "NOO-Tips" so don't think of it that way. Always got a laugh and I always made enough chump change to take my family out to dinner that week. Even after years of performing, placing at the fingerstyle guitar championship in Winfield KS at the Walnut Valley Festival, and getting positive ink for my efforts in industry mags across the globe and even representing Martin Guitars for a few years- it's the small local venues with the folks sitting five feet away that are most memorable to me. Those tips were always special . . .
Sir, this is Flippin awesome
Just found your comment- thank you! 😎
Excellent lesson. As a bonus, you sang it very well.
Thx James!
What a treat! It’s still so magical ... thx, Jim ...yes part of the soundtrack of our youth
✌🏼 Class of 71, kiddo.
Yep. Along with Cat Stevens and Simon & Garfunkel as well . . .
Absolutely one of my favorites and you played it so well!!!
Thank you! It might be the easier picker Stills has ever done and it's that tuning that makes it so haunting
beautifully done!
This was EXCELLENT!!! Great lesson!!!
Thank you! It really is an easy tune- basic fingerpicking- it's all in the tuning . . .
So cool! Thanks for sharing such a cool tidbit from music/guitar history, and from your own musical taste
Thank you! The tune is easy- basic fingerpicking and possibly the easiest tune technically Stills has ever done. It's that killer tuning that delivers it
First tutorial where you introduce your guitar of choice and explain the song. Great tutorial. Class of 78 and Deja Vu was my favorite. I learned by ear.
Rick- I, too, learned by ear. What didn't connect with my ear was the sound of Stills guitar playing- especially Carry On and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. I thought WHAT ON EARTH is he doing? I was class of '74 and back then as you well know- there was little out there but a few fake books and some Kicking Mule fingerpicking tab books. I'm SOOO glad for social media and CZcams and the endless offerings of what is out there and what used to be out there and how those mysteries from those great artists get unlocked. It really is the "Golden Age" of acoustic guitar . . .
Nice tutorial….great voice! Thanks for sharing!!
You're welcome, Ed! 😎
Excellent one of my favorites too
thanks! Fun to play and basic fingerpicking, too.
I just went through all the instructional videos for 4 + 20 that I could find on CZcams. Yours was the last on the list. I'm glad I waded through all of them to get to yours, because you sound the most like Stephen! Thanks for the video and for the lesson!
Thx drozdych! My favorite album in high school was CSNY Deja Vu- and I turned 65 last year and I still listen to it on occasion. I started on guitar in '73 and when I got to Stills music with this tuning I was stumped. Wracked my brains on it- until I learned years later what the tuning actually is. He tunes it all over the place, too: "Carry On" is in Eb. If you tune a 12 string to CCCCGC you'll be right where you need to be for "Love The One You're With." Check this tutorial out: czcams.com/video/8HfDaaiutqs/video.html
Good luck with the tuning and Stills' music. And thx for the kind words :^)
OMG, you brought back so many memories of my own journey at learning guitar! I got my first guitar at 15 in 1975. I remember Sheet music usually was written for piano and even had the wrong chords for guitar on the top lol. Trying to learn early Led Zeppelin pieces that were in open tunings i ended up creating new songs sometimes. Anyway, I loved the Deja Vu album also and enjoy your playing and singing. I think we are kindred spirits. MT
Thank you! I got my first guitar in '73 when I was 16. Found Neil Young very quickly- my first guitar hero. Then I heard CSNY and was completely floored by Stills. This tune might be the easiest piece to play of anything he's written IMHO. Just an amazingly cool tuning.
I love 4+20 and your presentation of it is so enjoyable , thanks .
Glad you enjoyed it . . .
Was just starting to work on this today. You have filled in a lot of blanks for me. Thank you, and I subscribed!
Mike- you're welcome :^)
Beautiful cover! Thank you 😊
Thank you! It might be the easier picker Stills has ever done IMHO and it's that tuning that makes it so haunting . . .
Pretty darn cool man! You're the whole package. I'm just delving into Suite Judy Blue Eyes. The E tuning sound is like nothing else with my K&K loaded D18 thru a Loudbox amp. I remember buying this LP in 1970? You are the boss!
Hey, WCS . . . I'm a cancer survivor as well . . . hang in there and God Bless . . . !
Sir, I cannot thank you enough! I'm 39 years old and just started playing six months ago! I was always told by my old guitar player that this song was impossible with impossible tunings. You absolutely
Absolutely performed an amazing demonstration
Well, Sean . . . the tune is not only possible- it's actually dead-easy to play and fingerpicking 101. MIght be the easiest tune to play Stills has ever done IMHO. The tuning is the mystery- and once the secret is out . . .
Beautiful! Such talent.
thx sir!
That was beautifully played!! thank you😊
thank you. and it's fun and easy to play, too.
My previous comment saying wonderful, just listened again, thanks once again you really have nailed it thanks Jim🤗
Garry- thank you for the kind words. I really tried to get the fingerings correct (the tuning goes without saying) but then, I recently watched a CZcams video of the Dick Cavett show the day after Woodstock which features Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, and Joni Mitchell (who absolutely blew everyone else off the stage IMHO . . .) Anyway, for Still's part in the show he played 4&20 and his fingerings are even simpler than what I have here. Like, who knew . . . ? 😎
@@jimearp1095 Hi Jim I recently watched that clip, and that's when I became aware of the song, I regularly play in dadgad and like the look of this tuning, which I'm going to try out tomorrow, thanks again, all the best, Garry🎸
Great and solid, rock on!
thanks!
And thank you!
Thanks I totally agree with you on the tuning. You and I are about the same age and I learned everything by ear so you can imagine me struggling to figure out the tuning to many of their songs. Although I did fairly well the hours and hours struggling trying to pick out notes drove me mad and now you tube has saved me days. There really is some talented young musicians I've learned from. Although I find my struggles have actually given me some insights I'd have never acquired that I'm still grateful for. I find each of us have many unique talents to share with others and we shouldn't downgrade others for not playing something perfectly. As long as it sounds good to us and it helps us pass time in something worthwhile and beautiful to each other, it's all good. I've always been my own worst critic which unfortunately has made me a bit shy and reluctant to share, I'm finally realizing others still appreciate my self-taught talents more than I've allowed myself too.
Hey, Robert! You know, we didn't have CZcams when we were learning. There were a few Kicking Mule books with this thing called "tablature" and the rest of the time we spent trying to graciously steal from anyone and everyone that was further along than us! I'm just happy that I finally found Still's tuning on the internet decades ago and, yeah, watching CZcams videos has saved me days. I believe everyone who takes any serious time with the instrument eventually finds their own "voice" amid their host of influences and what comes out of their heart. If we can play a single style with honesty- the authority will come in time and others will resonate with what we do. If we love guitar before anyone ever listened to us- you can bet they will see our love for guitar when they finally do listen to us . . . Bless ya, man- and thanks for writing . . . :^)
You can do "Singin' Call" and "Word Game" off Stills' second solo album with this tuning also.
Didn't know that! I know that on his 1976 live album he does a medley of a few pieces in the tuning- blistering guitar work . . .
Great job Jim! That was one of my all time favorites. “74” grad too… what a wild time those days were. Difficult times as well… fresh out of the threats of Vietnam and Nixon. No wonder such amazing music was created. Ahh…. Those camp fires, acoustic guitars, peace and young love, and lots of other good stuff! Vinyl, (Album sleeves were works of art) turntables, first apartments… no cell phones! I played, or tried to play, the only thing worse than my playing was my singing. That didn’t stop me, no sir! I took a big step (improving my playing) when I saw the Eagles (original band), it was so incredibly special… like an awakening.
Over the next 3-4 years the explosion of great bands, was unbelievable. The rock and roll bands and hits were unending…
After college, I worked at building a career, quit playing, listening to music only on my truck radio, occasionally catching a music awards program. Probably listened to more Country music in the 80s. I didn’t dig “Punk Rock” much, but I missed out on some great music like “Grunge”.
You tube has provided wonderful access to all sorts of music. I have spent hours exploring 80s & 90s music.
Conclusion… I still love the 60s / 70s music revolution, but I am very fond of the great music spawned by the Blues greats and the Artist of every genre since.
Thanks again for sharing your passion!
Best
Hey, Mr Oba. Thanks for the comments. Yeah, some great acoustic music in the 70's and 80's for sure. I was always more of a Neil Young fan than even Stills, tho. Had the chance to play some great NY Tribute shows over the years including one where I opened for a band that Mike Keneally on guitar (Satriani/Vai) and Kobi Baker (Cream drummer Ginger Baker's son) on drums for a Cream tribute. Lots of fun. I'm retired from performing now- only playing acoustic at churches and for Christian ministries these days. Before I stepped away from it all in late 2020- I did do one other CZcams tutorial which is NY's "Tell Me Why" from After The Gold Rush. Here it is: . czcams.com/video/ZIIMYx1nRM8/video.html
Funny, just been listening to "Are the good times really over" and both Nixon and Vietnam get a full mention there!
Love how you play it
thx. It's a fun tune and dead-simple, too . . .
Thanx a LOT for this Lesson! - I’ve tried to play this many times/ thought the tuning was daddad, the thing with the index finger i did not Know 😉- thanx to you I will give the song a go again 😉
Hey, Carl . . . truth is, you could play this tune in DADDAD tuning if you wanted to because the low A string is never sounded. You couldn't pull of the opening licks to Carry On or any of the other Stills tunes I referenced where he strums full chords, tho. Fun stuff . . .
Thanks a lot. What a great tuning to mess around with. Great tune!
It's really a bizarre tuning. When you listen to Carry On for instance, you'll note that the bass guitar makes the chord changes more distinct in the tune while Stills' drone tuning does small voicing changes. It's like the tuning underpins so many of CSNY's songs- featured probably on Suite: Judy Blue Eyes more than any other tune of theirs.
Thank you for sharing jim love it you rock
thx my friend! Do try the tuning, it's fun . . . !
I remember trying to work out how to play “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin when I first bought that LP in the mid 70’s as a 15 yr old, not having a *clue* that alternate tunings even existed! Never mind what DADGAD was!
I’ve often told young pals about sitting with the record, going back over the same parts over and over and over again…wearing them out in an often futile attempt to “get that chord”!
What amazes me is how often I managed to actually work out a song, given the almost insurmountable challenges they presented.
But what it did was tune your brain to recognise intervals, which occasionally led to working out a tuning just by trial and error.
The internet is a fantastic resource for young musicians. I wish I had it back in the 70’s…well, almost…
Terry- the internet is a fantastic resource for us older musicians, too! 😎 The internet changed the music world forever and has given players like me in this day and age an audience that my predecessors only dreamed about. Case in point: as an instrumental acoustic guitarist in San Diego- a town which is overrun with fine singer-songwriters- I've managed to fly fairly below the local music radar for decades and I've learned to accept that degree of anonymity which comes with the territory. And yet, I can walk through the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Kansas and run into folks who say hello and who are listening to my stuff. That's the real power of the internet for us musicians IMHO. No matter what we do- there's an audience out there for us . . .
Nice job Jim - kinda hard to go wrong in choices doing a Stills song, thanks
I agree. Stills was THE acoustic guitarist in the 70's IMHO . . . loved JT and Paul Simon and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull- but Stills just set the bar for cool . . .
Yes back in 1974 a different world, but you had to be a super musician to figure all that stuff out.When I heard it, the song was pure magic. A great version by the way. The youtube alogorithim is pure crap.I would never have found this unless I had been doing a check on Bensusan. Thank you!!
Johnny- Pierre is my favorite guitarist and, in fact, my favorite tuning on earth is DADGAD tuning. In 2000, I was fortunate enough to have an original track included in a DADGAD songbook hosted by Pierre. Here's a link to the songbook which is being sold on eBay. Look to the immediate right of Pierre and there's this long-haired guy who is still pinching himself that he's in there: www.ebay.com/itm/126555825858?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818143230%26meid%3D17842c7818b84ac9ab92dca8e2296167%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D186498810620%26itm%3D126555825858%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWebV9BertRefreshRankerWithCassiniEmbRecall&_trksid=p2332490.c101224.m-1
brilliant amigo and a great rendition.
thank you 😎
Thanks Jim. Wayne Riker showed me this tuning some time ago. The Carry On part was really helpful. Blessings to you.
Hey, Tim! Long time no hear! Yeah, the EEEEBE tuning us fun to know . . . I didn't hit on it until reading up on it a few decades ago. When the recordings came out- nobody knew what Stills was doing but it sounded FANTASTIC. Catch you soon, bro. Blessings on ya- j
Awesome thanks for sharing your talents keep safe 👍
Thx Kevin! 😎
Love it
Grazie Mr Grazal . . . 😎
Beautiful Brutha!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!!!!
Thank you my friend! 😎
Nicely done!
thx sir! Always have liked Stills for his writing especially.
Wonderful
thank you!
The beard alone makes this a great video. Beautiful job.
Is my beard in tune, tho? 😎
Yes because it is tuned modally. Deja Vu is a masterpiece. I rank it with other masterpieces around that period: Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Beatles Abbey Road, White Album, Rolling Stones Sticky Finger & Exile on Main Street, Lou Reed Transformer, Faces A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse, Led Zeppelin IV, Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks, Humble Pie Smoking, Deep Purple Machine Head, Carole King Tapesty, The Who Quadrophenia & Who’s Next, etc.
Very nice, thank you. We're both from the class of '74. Where did the year's go. Let me know, if you find out. You honor this song with your rendition. That's cause we're old school and un-corruptible........... right? You don't have to answer that........of course we're, right. Take care.
Thanks, great job on this and you really have the right feel of the guitar part
Thx Steve! It's such a strange tuning and I only use it for 4&20 and I can go a years without playing it live. Just doesn't get any use for me beyond what Stills did with it. Personally, I find open-D and especially DADGAD tuning to be infinitely more usable and easier to work with when writing.
@@jimearp1095 unusual tunings can create a unique sound which grabs the ear in a different way!! Here is one I did using DADADE which makes no sense but allows different voicings and pull offs and hammer ons that can’t be done otherwise
czcams.com/video/FOiOaj1SoHU/video.html
Miss ya buddy! Hope you and Cathy are doing well
Very Nicely done! I too admire Deja Vu! So, the many colored beast is the TV? hmmm …
Thanks for the comment. And yeah- I was thinking about the lyrics of the song and what they meant and it hit me that he was singing about trying to doze off to the TV. Gotta love Stills. His best songs are about lost love, unrequited love, and longing to find love. Seems like women in in his songs just leave him restless. Helps to have a TV maybe? 😎
Wow! I play it in dropped D, but that was awesome!
Bonzo- I'd wager that we all tried this tune at dropped-D at some point- I certainly did. Learning that tuning by way of the internet opened up a great deal when it comes to Stills. He uses it on Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, the main guitar on Carry On, and detuned on 12st on Love The One You're With and I've been told there are a few other tunes he uses it on as well. Gotta love the internet 😎
Sweet,
thx. lots of fun, too!
Sweet
thanks!
Great video! I'd love to see you do a tutorial on a couple of the easier tunes of yours from Smiles or Rosewood...
Did I record those two CDs? Oh, I guess I did . . . man, that was over 20yrs ago!
@@jimearp1095 Your music is timeless, Jim... ;^)
My take on " the many colored beast" that Steven embraces was LSD. Did they have color TV in those days?
Apart from that, great vid and many thanks. I am a big Dee-tuner, and slide player, among other guitar disciplines.
Great set of nails you've got going there.
Thanks! And about those nails . . . when the nail shops shut down during COVID I opted to go with just the fingertips on the right hand. LONG learning curve, I tell you! One thing I've learned watching vids by Tommy Emmanuel and Joe Robinson who both play with just the fingertips is that they both go with medium gauge 13s on their guitars (??!!) Anyway, yeah- those nails are gone the way of the dinosaur for me. Glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks again . . .
Let's not forget your very good vocal. Also, couldn't you just have emailed Stephen for the tuning ? 😂
I KNOW . . . I could have emailed him! That's the nice part about today's social media- everything is there and there are no mysteries left as to how players do what they do. Then again, when I watched Ozzy Osborn picking up dog poop on his own TV show I realized that maybe too much social media takes away a bit of that mystery and maybe isn't always a good thing . . .
I worked with your brother marshal I'm class of 83
Awesome, Jeff! Mark has remained my biggest fan- except for his daughter Bella who has taken that title now . So do you play as well?
@@jimearp1095 no but my friend has been playing for years your invited to come on the 4th he'll be plaguing asst my neighbor's house my track goes off on the 4th maybe you've met him he's still working at avis his band its called concrete outlaw
Nice
thx! It's such a simple but fun tune. It's that tuning that makes it . . .
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing! What kind of tuner is that you're using?
Chris- wow . . . forgot to answer you- sorry! Uh- that's a Planet Waves NS Microtuner . . .
Junebug made this one a little more distinct. 😄
Yes, she did. Sadly, tho . . .Junebug passed away two years ago from cancer- she was only seven. She was always very distinct . . .
@@jimearp1095 ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Like how you start the bass again after the pause on the chord high on the neck. What do you do there, takes me back into the song immediately. Thanks
Thanks, Jasper. I borrowed from two versions of the song. The first is from the original from Deja Vu and the second is from Still's fabulous live album from, I believe, 1976. He expands on the tune on the live record. The acoustic side of that Stills Live disc is absolutely phenomenal and a must hear if you haven't heard it before. Just jaw dropping guitar work- OH my . . .
Related to Wyatt? Thanks for the lesson.
Still don't know! My family comes from NC where there are over a THOUSAND Earps registered in the state. The Wyatt Earp clan was birthed in KY which is down the street so- could be. I never really checked it out . . .
Great rendition ....what was the tuning again ??
The basic reference is DDDDAD. Stills tunes the D up to Eb for Carry On and down to C for Love The One You're With. And, fact is- you could play 4&20 in DADDAD if you wanted to because the low A isn't sounded at all in this tune.
My strings dont wanna do this tuning at all haha.. guess i need a fresh set first.
Nah- you prolly don't need new strings. Depending on how your guitar is set up, you might have to loosen the truss rod a bit to keep from buzzing out. Figure that Stills also plays vintage Martins with non-adjustable truss rods and so many of those older Martins aren't as easy to play as newer ones. No surprise that Stills uses extra-lights on his acoustics and this tuning works fairly well with a higher action . . .
Your voice sounds like Stills
I always loved Stills voice and Neil's as well. My first guitar hero was Neil Young and loved his quirky vocal delivery. Stills just has a wonderful vocal style to me. When I was in the Navy, I met up with a couple of guys who also liked CSN but, because I was a high tenor, I always ended up with Graham Nash's parts . . .
Joni Mitchell…she used to do my head in trying to work out how to play her songs! She’s another one like Stills who uses weird tunings to great effect.
DADDAD is POSSIBLE?
Yes, for sure. Since one doesn't actually sound the low A string at all in this piece, there would be no reason to retune it for this particular Stills tune. I wanted to pass along the actual tuning Stills uses because he employs it on a host of his compositions.