วีดีโอ

He is "Banjo Chicken Picking" with 3 fingers: thumb, index and middle fingers, and maybe with a slight strum, much more lazy than I was Travis Picking. Good Find.

you're miles off - should be using left handed !

The second chord you're playing is incorrect. You're playing it 4-4-3-0 which is minor. It's actually a major chord, played 4-2-3-0.

Exactly - he IS strumming. Most players have that wrong.

Man you're a pro

I saw Paul Mc Cartney outside our family house when I was about 8 when he and the Beatles were filming Help. There was Twickenham Studios round the corner and they used the road outside where we lived. I remeber getting in toit he limo which Ringo was in and have a photo of him in it.....only a handful of fans were about...

Did you ever think that his playing has evolved since the white album? He might play it different now than he did then. Players tend to do that. So the tabs could be correct for 1968 but not now. Classic example is stairway to heaven. Page played it differently way back then. Now its different fingering

He doesn’t pick he flicks his pointing finger

What about "take their broken wings and learn to fly" that part too is played wrong often

I think you're over thinking this. Yes, you've discovered what he does these days, on stage "Live", but that is not what's on the original Studio Recording. He may have evolved over time, playing it as you say, but what he's doing "Live" in those videos, is NOT how it was originally recorded. Trust your ears............and when in doubt, use Roni's Amazing Slow Downer, to verify.........it's an amazing tool.

Thank you for a very nice breakdown, one thing that may cloud the issue is, over the years Paul would have almost definitely changed how he plays it numerous times, the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter which way you play it as long as you enjoy playing it and get the feeling across because other than the odd nerd you may come across who'll find fault no matter what you do, most folk will just enjoy hearing the song live. Have fun n feel plucky.

"Wrong." So what. Do you enjoy it? Does it sound good? Do others enjoy hearing it? Do what you want. Pro tip: we're not the Beatles. ;)

You're still not playing it correctly. It took a long time to find a tab that delivered what I believed I was hearing on the original recording. It can be played fingerstyle without the strumming, but the strumming works too.

I like the way Paul did it during the Wings 1976 tour. Blackbird and Yesterday back to back were great together!👐

all the tab sites ALL copy from 1 version

This is nit picking😂😂

I always felt it was (best) double-tracked. Two guitars doing two different things ('harmony' hand similar but plucking hand VERY different - (adjust accordingly since Paul was a leftie player and I'm righty player,) which would make it impossible for one guitarist to recreate. In the "James Paul McCartney Show," his band mate played one of the acoustic guitar parts (visible on camera) and Paul hid behind the piano where the cameramen were forbidden to film him (and especially his right hand which we never once saw,) so he kept his 'recipe' closely guarded. But he did a solo guitar version of it now and then as well. The finger strum was the missing ingredient (if you will, as it were) so: SIX PLUCKED-HAND EVENTS: Pluck, (i, DOWN-up,) thumb, (i up-DOWN!) and that's it! The "Pluck" is (5) + (2) together, as in your tab, then the 'i' or index finger strums both strings (3) and (2) accent DOWN-up) then Thumb on (5) then 'i' up DOWN again on strings (3) and (2). That is 6 events only and it happens on each longer-held harmony. The index strumming gives the rhythm a beautiful ease and effortless upbeat accent onto the downbeats. SO COOL! oh, and the other guitar does exactly what you see in the tab... no strumming.. all plucking.

For those chromatic runs in the verse he’s playing a couple of notes from the C#dim7 (C# and G) to sit between the non diatonic notes of the G major scale. He also plays a D#dim7 too on the verse lead up.

How Does Paul McCartney Actually Play Blackbird? With his left hand.

With his fingers?

Who cares ? Not a great piece of guitar in the first place. Especially if McCartney plays guitar.

Nice work...I like how you integrated the live footage with the tableture.

I saw him play it in 75 . You’re playing it wrong. He plucks and then strums with his index and ring fingers. Or he changed his technique.

I always heard the strumming and ignored it because I could not reproduce it

i call it brushing

When Paul said you are playing it wrong, it might not be the notes but the finger picking. Just a thought.

Paul has a really unusual technique when he plays, it sounds like Paul, i think he's actually a really great underrated guitarist, John too, when you start looking into stuff they played.

we need more videos and people like u

man much more difficult, i learned how to fingerpick songs by using certain fingers on each string repeatedly now i have to reconsider everything

I think when Donovan taught John and Paul Travis picking (or is it clawhammer?) in India, it seems Paul either couldn't be arsed learning it, or just preferred the sound of flicking it with his finger. As far as I know though, Paul invented this technique and I'm not aware of anyone else using it.

I'm using a Rock School version of this from their syllabus and it definitely includes the strums. It says "strum with back of nail" on the text.

Very solid lesson. He put in the work for us on this one

th-cam.com/video/qD8f9w_NYJk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hoj3bDOMScyMDYJU That's the only one I have ever found that's really correct. The guy is a freak music genius fan of The Beatles, McCartney in particular. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling to figure out how to play or vocally harmonize any of their weird stuff👍👍👍

Bless you sir...

It’s all about the rhythm of the strumming hand. To really understand how Paul himself sees the issue, it helps to listen to him do the song in the 70s with wings. There are quite a few variations on the pattern, where he extends the ,strumming‘ of the index finger. And, of course, it has to be much faster.

How is it so many people missed the casual YT guitar teacher James James/Privetricker who demonstrated this like a decade ago..? (not mention, at least to my ears, it's obvious what McCartney's doing--it's how he plays just about everything on the acoustic). I've never been able to sight-read music (except drums) but I've always hated tabs, with the possible exception of when I'm trying to pick out one or two notes in a solo that I just can't get by ear. I get much more out of using my ear and/or watching the original artist play it.

Nikola Gugoski uses the "index Strum" you're referring to.

you're a legend!!! its my first day playing and this was my fave song in 2021, I learnt so much watching and practicing for 30 mins! can barely piece things together but when it works it sounds half decent, thank you so much!

I learned this one from Andy on his Shut Up and Play channel: th-cam.com/video/hYgVZ6fMuYU/w-d-xo.html. The tab is inexpensive (not free), but the video of the lesson is.

If it sounds good, it is good.

and for those of us in the rest of the world - "The Pointer" is the Index finger

Why didn’t you pay attention to how he played it at the concert?

Thank you!!

You play it wrong too : you should hold your guitar the other side to play it like he does 😁 arf arf Seriously, there might be a difference between the version recorded on the white album and the way he plays it live nowadays. No wonder about that. Personnally i only trust my ears, not the TABS on the internet

You are still playing it wrong. Doesn't sound anything like Paul's playing.. go watch justin sandercoe's tutorial

I'm pretty sure Taylor couldn't play this part if her life depended on it. That's Aaron Dessner's piece.

PM never was a good guitar player..

Kellen I weezys

nunca pensé que fuera una canción sin rasgueo, ayer que me animé a aprendermela la sentía extraño y justo hoy con este video puedo confirmar el porque, muchas gracias bro, un abrazo

yeah..because Macca didnt know the posh correct way..he just did what was easier...................... end of..lesson over