Learn How To Play "Between The Bars" by Elliot Smith On Guitar!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Between The Bars by Elliott Smith on the acoustic guitar. A great tune to learn on acoustic from a fantastic songwriter!

We'll be looking at the different chord progressions, strumming, and the basics to get you playing this whole song. We'll explore each section to get you playing this piece and some alternate fingering that might make things easier on your fingers.

This song is one favorite from Elliott, my favorite writer after Neil Young... and this is one of his finest. Of course, there are some tricky bits, as is often the case with him, but it's worth it.

💡 You'll find this song in my acoustic songbook, which features 50 song including 3 Elliott Smith. A great book choice if you're an acoustic lover, and to build your song repertoire!

What Guitar Tuning To Use?

Elliott Smith tunes down a whole tone and takes a bit of mucking around to play along with the original recording.

The easiest way is to put your capo on the second fret and use your regular guitar tuner to tune up to standard. Then remove the capo, and you'll have the correct tuning.

Intro & First Chord Progression

The intro strumming is a bit different from the rest of the tune. It's 6:8, and we're playing the base with some back-to-back upstrums. Practice that on its own if you're struggling with it.

After the intro, the chord sequence for the first verses follows A min 7, F add9, to C, then to C with a B base. Then, we repeat that, but we're playing an E and a full F chord after the C. To help you memorize the chords, you can write them down - it'll help you memorize the progressions!

Throughout the song, choose which fingering feels most comfortable for you, even if it differs from the tutorial or what Elliott's originals play. You want to make these tricky chords as straightforward as possible!

The best way to learn a song like this one is to transcribe it and use your ear training. That is especially true if you sound just like the original.