@@rattown99great job, the guitar parts really stand out, and I am hoping to put together a cover with my duo. A lot of work for me though as I am not the most skilled guitarist!
No matter if I come back to this rendition a thousand more times, it still makes me smile because I like the way you finger pick it. It is so awesome with finger arrangements. So fast but such perfect timing and steadily with the rythem
Congrats! This guitar lesson has been selected by our curators and listed on our website as the Best Guitar Tutorial for this song. Thank you for your hard work and expertise.
tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/jim-croce/operator-tabs-210561 This is the tab I started with when I learned the song. You will find that I have changed a few things in the video to capture what the song sounds like to me and some of the things I am playing emulate the piano parts. This is a great tab and I believe it is exactly what Maury was playing so if you want to learn his part, follow the tab.
Best version I have found (and have been looking for some time). Perfect intonation to the original, which has a lot to do with the guitar played of course, but also the playing style... nice. Thanks for sharing!
This is the funniest thing I've been learning this song and I saw your video from 5 years ago and then this one all of a sudden pops up. What a coincidence. Awesome vid
Amazing, I’ve watched both your videos on this particular song. I’ve played a crude or novice version of this for several years but I’ve never been able to find good tablature for it, I’m sure it’s out there just haven’t found it yet. The tutorial is amazing, thank you kindly from all of us who really enjoy this kind of guitar/singer-songwriter from the 60s and 70s. Artist like those from that era are hard to find and for some of us who might be as unskilled as others good teaching and tablature is priceless
Thanks William, I have added a like to the tab I used in the comments along with an explanation of why I am not playing identical to the tab. Hope it helps!
Gotta say, this is one of the absolute best how-to-play guitar posts I've ever seen on TH-cam. Great playing, really accurate, video setup lays it right out in front of you, that PRS acoustic sounds wonderful... Super idea to play along with the recording, right off the bat. Thanks so much. A superior tune, really well-played. Wish I'da been able to get comfortable with hybrid right hand picking style... I'm a lefty fingerstylist who plays righty, and it just never came easy to me. Great to see it done well.
That was pretty darn awesome. I have been playing this song since I was a young man but could never get even close with the into, so now I can kick it up a notch or three. Thanks so much, was worth a subscribe from me.
Dude that is so fun to pick around on, and work out with a great player showing how to translate the basic theme chords . . . Thank you so much for posting this!
Damn bud, I've been playing for 20 plus years and you played that so damn well. I understand alot of its repetition but you played it so well. Good job and keep the music alive!!!
Thanks for posting....saved a lot of time for everyone wanting to figure out all parts of this classic song (first song I can remember hearing when I was like 5 or 6).. knew it had a capo but had no real idea of the musical synchrony behind the lead guitar and Jim's part...even makes me admire this song more now! Thanks to you as well for helping to understand it better!!
Man that sounds awesome. Your guitar has crystal clear clarity. How long have you been playing guitar? I sure wish I could play like that. My head wouldn't be able to get through the front door . I would be overwhelmed with confidence if I could play like you.
Thanks Steve, I’ve been playing around 50 yrs. and I’ve never considered myself a great musician. If you want to get better find a good teacher but the most important thing for me was to challenge myself to learn something new every week and love what your doing. With TH-cam you can learn just about anything you want.
Geez how do you remember all that, I'll never be able to play it, not in this system of things lol, man you really did a fantastic job !!! All my best to you !!!
You can learn it! It is basically repeating the same thing for every verse. Give it 30 minutes a day and you will have it down in no time! Thanks for the comment!
Why wouldn't you want to do it like this? Maury used a capo on the 5th fret to play the song originally as he used a capo on many songs . Look at Jim and Maury's recorded videos. Many people try to do it the hard way.
I stumble through the 'regular' chords while singing it. Sometimes, I think no one still plays or sings this type of song. I am happy to see (and hear) that's not the case. By the way, is the lead portion guitar in standard tuning? Thanks.
I was surfing TH-cam to see if anyone put up a video showing Maury’s 2nd guitar on Croce’s songs. To me, what made Jim’s songs extra special, other than the lyrics, were Maury’s parts. He would be proud. Any chance of doing Maury’s part on “Lover’s Cross”?
Gorgeous! I would make only one minor comment. That PRS sounds a bit brighter than Maury Muehleisen's Martin D-18. Is that Rosewood? The D-18 is built with mahogany, which gives a warmer tone than Rosewood and many other tone woods. It was, to my knowledge, Maury's favorite guitar & virtually every time I saw them play together, that's what he used. I tend to stick to mahogany in my acoustic guitars (I have several customs & a 1948 D-18). I've known Maury's arrangement for 49 years, but maybe you would take the time to tab this out for some of the commenters. -- An old (very old, now) friend of Jim Croce's...I still miss both of them immensely.
I usually play Martin but at the time I recorded this it was having neck work. I have a John Mayer signature 00018 and love it. The prs is the best $600 guitar I ever played. Look in the comments for a link to the tab I started with but better yet, check out the "shut up and play" channel for a perfect video on how to play this song. My video has parts added in the chorus to emulate the piano part but his video is everything that Maury played. In my opinion, one of the greatest songs of all time.
Really great work, I have been wanting to learn the lead work in this song for many years. I was to lazy to pick it out on my own, anyway, I thank you.
Hi Larry, thanks for the comment. In my opinion they were both great musicians but Croce’s fingerstyle prowess was incredible with complex bass lines throughout. I also believe that Croce is among the best storytelling writers of all time. Denver was also one of my favorites but Croce made me the musician that I am today.
I was just about to post that Maury's lead guitar part is not child's play. I made a comment to that effect on the older post and people got upset with me. I'm sorry, but its simply not realistic to pick up a guitar for the first time and learn this piece. I understand and applaud the DESIRE to - completely understandable. I've played for 40 years and definitely appreciate this video!
Mike Conner I would not say that it is impossible to start here but with the picking technique and the speed of the song it would definitely be a challenge. Go for it!
@rattown99, thanks for sharing this. You play beautifully. What's your opinion on the difference between the Angelus SE and that D-35 you played in version 1? BTW, I can't wait to learn this (already got the rhythm part, so this will be fun).
Michael Rooney Thanks for the comment, the guitar in the first video was a John Mayer model and it is awesome but it never leaves my house. For the money, I think the PRS is the best $800.00 guitar you can buy. I have 4 Taylors and it plays as well as any of them. If you put light strings on it, it plays like an electric.. Really great guitar.
This is one of my favourites, I have one question if anyone can answer that would be great, and that is how is the lead part written, is there some theory or structure and approach to writing it that makes it so great?
Yes, there is music theory involved. Most of the leads are based around chord formations up on the neck, and runs that connect chords. Writing such brilliant musical phrases takes a lot more than theory, but the musical knowledge is evident.
Anthony Esporlas, By chance I saw this message thar you're interested in the guitar tab of "Operator Jim Croce". Recently I just recorded this song and also wrote the double guitar's tabs on the video that's not very professional. Maybe you can check out to my channel and hope you will like it. All the best :).
![[UNCUT]"ทนายตั้ม" แฉยับ! ความลับสวรรค์ ใครคือ "บิ๊กเทวดา" ของบอสพอล l คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ l 15 ต.ค. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ru9fpSaUwdA/mqdefault.jpg)
Geezus. I've been playing 40 years but you absolutely crushed this. Well done, indeed, sir!
Nora Snatch Thank You!
The musicianship in this, the talent it took to think it up, to write these chords and picking...
Such talent is sorely missing today..
Maury was a genius and Jim was one of the greatest song writers to ever walk the earth. I am so thankful that I got to witness it.
@@rattown99great job, the guitar parts really stand out, and I am hoping to put together a cover with my duo. A lot of work for me though as I am not the most skilled guitarist!
@@Jalleur14325 you can do it! Once you learn it you will look back and say, that was easy!
No matter if I come back to this rendition a thousand more times, it still makes me smile because I like the way you finger pick it. It is so awesome with finger arrangements. So fast but such perfect timing and steadily with the rythem
Thanks Steven, with a little practice it’s not that hard to play.
To the three people who gave it the thumbs down. Screw you. Great work!
Maybe they have a better version? share it then...
WOW. Excellent. Maury would be proud
Congrats! This guitar lesson has been selected by our curators and listed on our website as the Best Guitar Tutorial for this song. Thank you for your hard work and expertise.
tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/jim-croce/operator-tabs-210561
This is the tab I started with when I learned the song. You will find that I have changed a few things in the video to capture what the song sounds like to me and some of the things I am playing emulate the piano parts. This is a great tab and I believe it is exactly what Maury was playing so if you want to learn his part, follow the tab.
I'm certain you've earned your angel wings for this video alone.
absolutely amazing. Thanks for uploading, I'm off to try and learn it!
Go for it!
Thank you for keeping the beauty of their music alive.
I love it. I love Jim Croce. He is my idol. I made more than 10 Jim Croce Music covers on my channel. He is amazing.
Best version I have found (and have been looking for some time). Perfect intonation to the original, which has a lot to do with the guitar played of course, but also the playing style... nice. Thanks for sharing!
Chad Kyle Thanks Chad!
god bless jim and maury ...rest in peace
This is the funniest thing
I've been learning this song and I saw your video from 5 years ago and then this one all of a sudden pops up. What a coincidence. Awesome vid
James Channell Thanks! It's much easier this way.
Thanks for this Im a regular player and this is the best example of this instructional playing I have seen
Awesome playing!!
I’ve been wanting to learn Maury’s guitar parts for decades - thank you!!! 👍
Thanks Rattown99, you did a great job and bring my 40 years dream come true that I can learn how to play the Mauriel's lead part.
Thank you for posting I really enjoyed watching you play the lead to this song. Inspiring!
Wow nice guitar and very talented
Thank you!
Nice job! Shrouded in mystery till now. Thanks for turning on the light!
hey man I'm back for a refresher - lol it was so great last time and you were dead on .... you're doing the Lord's guitar work my friend!!
Thanks for the kind words Tim.
incredible! Thank you, sir.
simply amazing guitar playing...thankyou !!
this is one of a kind .. thank you for sharing your God gift talent
Thanks for the TAB link man. That made it a bunch easier to follow.
Thank you, its so nice to hear.🙏🎶🎼
Dang! That is a complex run of notes. You do an amazing job! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for showing Maury's part. I think it really makes the song.
It totally does. It takes it to a different level. My duo is going to have a go at learning it.
this is the one ive been searching for!
Excellent lesson! Thanks for sharing.
Beautifully played and taught. Thank you for your art! You have an amazing tone coming from those fingers!
What a song
Amazing, I’ve watched both your videos on this particular song. I’ve played a crude or novice version of this for several years but I’ve never been able to find good tablature for it, I’m sure it’s out there just haven’t found it yet. The tutorial is amazing, thank you kindly from all of us who really enjoy this kind of guitar/singer-songwriter from the 60s and 70s. Artist like those from that era are hard to find and for some of us who might be as unskilled as others good teaching and tablature is priceless
Thanks William, I have added a like to the tab I used in the comments along with an explanation of why I am not playing identical to the tab. Hope it helps!
Most excellent...and I'm writing this only half way through...:) Nailed it!
Gotta say, this is one of the absolute best how-to-play guitar posts I've ever seen on TH-cam. Great playing, really accurate, video setup lays it right out in front of you, that PRS acoustic sounds wonderful... Super idea to play along with the recording, right off the bat. Thanks so much. A superior tune, really well-played. Wish I'da been able to get comfortable with hybrid right hand picking style... I'm a lefty fingerstylist who plays righty, and it just never came easy to me. Great to see it done well.
James Mercik Thanks for the kind comment! Im also a lefty that play righty, keep practicing, you can do it!
This is incredible
Thanks Matt!
Absolutely incredible. Bravo!
Thanks Chris!
Thank you for your video. This will help me figure it out correctly...nice job.
Thank you!
you re fantastic man👍
Thanks from Ireland 🇮🇪 I appreciate ur work cheers Brian !!
Thank you!
That was pretty darn awesome. I have been playing this song since I was a young man but could never get even close with the into, so now I can kick it up a notch or three. Thanks so much, was worth a subscribe from me.
You learning something from my video made it worth it for me! Thanks
Fantastic playing and timing!!!
Dude that is so fun to pick around on, and work out with a great player showing how to translate the basic theme chords . . . Thank you so much for posting this!
Thanks Tim!
I’ll get you to 999 👍🏻. Next one will put you over the top. Thanks so much for that video. Beautiful job.
Thanks Matthew!
Damn bud, I've been playing for 20 plus years and you played that so damn well. I understand alot of its repetition but you played it so well. Good job and keep the music alive!!!
Thanks Reuben!
Thanks for posting....saved a lot of time for everyone wanting to figure out all parts of this classic song (first song I can remember hearing when I was like 5 or 6).. knew it had a capo but had no real idea of the musical synchrony behind the lead guitar and Jim's part...even makes me admire this song more now! Thanks to you as well for helping to understand it better!!
Man that sounds awesome. Your guitar has crystal clear clarity. How long have you been playing guitar? I sure wish I could play like that. My head wouldn't be able to get through the front door . I would be overwhelmed with confidence if I could play like you.
Thanks Steve, I’ve been playing around 50 yrs. and I’ve never considered myself a great musician. If you want to get better find a good teacher but the most important thing for me was to challenge myself to learn something new every week and love what your doing. With TH-cam you can learn just about anything you want.
@@rattown99 Wow. Great, that means I only have to practice for another 49 years to be able to do what you do on the guitar.
@@rattown99you are a great musician
So very nice!
beautiful...love it!
Excellent !
By any chance would you have the tabs for this, excellent demo.
Sorry but I don’t.
There is another dude called shut up and play who tabbed it and sells it on his website.
Geez how do you remember all that, I'll never be able to play it, not in this system of things lol, man you really did a fantastic job !!! All my best to you !!!
You can learn it! It is basically repeating the same thing for every verse. Give it 30 minutes a day and you will have it down in no time! Thanks for the comment!
Why wouldn't you want to do it like this? Maury used a capo on the 5th fret to play the song originally as he used a capo on many songs . Look at Jim and Maury's recorded videos. Many people try to do it the hard way.
That was awesome! Thanks for putting this video together!
Barry Fence Thank You!
I stumble through the 'regular' chords while singing it. Sometimes, I think no one still plays or sings this type of song. I am happy to see (and hear) that's not the case. By the way, is the lead portion guitar in standard tuning?
Thanks.
Sir will you please make a tutorial video for the second guitar, i mean a solo part. Thanks sir.
Effing brilliant!
Great job on part 2!
BRAVO!!!!!!
Very nice. Yeah I figure I may figure it out after about 1000 times myself. Thanks for posting this.
You sir, are a master.
Thanks Kevin!
Great job. Thanks.
I was surfing TH-cam to see if anyone put up a video showing Maury’s 2nd guitar on Croce’s songs. To me, what made Jim’s songs extra special, other than the lyrics, were Maury’s parts. He would be proud. Any chance of doing Maury’s part on “Lover’s Cross”?
It is on my channel, Rattown99.
Thank you for sharing!
Brilliant!!
You deserve a thumbs up !
Gorgeous! I would make only one minor comment. That PRS sounds a bit brighter than Maury Muehleisen's Martin D-18. Is that Rosewood? The D-18 is built with mahogany, which gives a warmer tone than Rosewood and many other tone woods. It was, to my knowledge, Maury's favorite guitar & virtually every time I saw them play together, that's what he used. I tend to stick to mahogany in my acoustic guitars (I have several customs & a 1948 D-18).
I've known Maury's arrangement for 49 years, but maybe you would take the time to tab this out for some of the commenters.
-- An old (very old, now) friend of Jim Croce's...I still miss both of them immensely.
I usually play Martin but at the time I recorded this it was having neck work. I have a John Mayer signature 00018 and love it. The prs is the best $600 guitar I ever played. Look in the comments for a link to the tab I started with but better yet, check out the "shut up and play" channel for a perfect video on how to play this song. My video has parts added in the chorus to emulate the piano part but his video is everything that Maury played. In my opinion, one of the greatest songs of all time.
That's how I do it too. Thanks so much!
Really great work, I have been wanting to learn the lead work in this song for many years. I was to lazy to pick it out on my own, anyway, I thank you.
Thank you!
Amazing!
Congratulations...👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Kicking Bird Thanks KB!
Nice job
Great job, Rattown99.... Your opinion, please? Who was the more technically sound guitarist (had a debate with my bro)... Jim Croce or John Denver?
Hi Larry, thanks for the comment. In my opinion they were both great musicians but Croce’s fingerstyle prowess was incredible with complex bass lines throughout. I also believe that Croce is among the best storytelling writers of all time. Denver was also one of my favorites but Croce made me the musician that I am today.
@@rattown99 Exactly! Understood and Agreed 😊👍😊
Best
took me 5 years to redo this but I hope this helps you learn it.
do you have tabs?
YES, make tabs if you can bro. excellent work
your effort, thank you. excellent
Thank you, sir, for taking that time to share with us. You're very talented. And that's from a 40 year player.
Very nice!!! Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic demo, it gives me something to aim for.
I was just about to post that Maury's lead guitar part is not child's play. I made a comment to that effect on the older post and people got upset with me. I'm sorry, but its simply not realistic to pick up a guitar for the first time and learn this piece. I understand and applaud the DESIRE to - completely understandable. I've played for 40 years and definitely appreciate this video!
I have never played, never picked up a guitar. is this really hard for beginner?
Inspires me to want to play that song.
Mike Conner I would not say that it is impossible to start here but with the picking technique and the speed of the song it would definitely be a challenge. Go for it!
excellent !!!!
I used your version to learn some of the licks. Fantastic job on the transcription.
you cipra the lead portion of the song Bro. dyo have a slow tutorial on rhis?
Superb ❤😊
@rattown99, thanks for sharing this. You play beautifully. What's your opinion on the difference between the Angelus SE and that D-35 you played in version 1? BTW, I can't wait to learn this (already got the rhythm part, so this will be fun).
Michael Rooney Thanks for the comment, the guitar in the first video was a John Mayer model and it is awesome but it never leaves my house. For the money, I think the PRS is the best $800.00 guitar you can buy. I have 4 Taylors and it plays as well as any of them. If you put light strings on it, it plays like an electric.. Really great guitar.
Thanks man. Great job. What make/model guitar is that?
This is one of my favourites, I have one question if anyone can answer that would be great, and that is how is the lead part written, is there some theory or structure and approach to writing it that makes it so great?
Yes, there is music theory involved. Most of the leads are based around chord formations up on the neck, and runs that connect chords. Writing such brilliant musical phrases takes a lot more than theory, but the musical knowledge is evident.
Where can I find the backtracking for the song?
Wow...nicely done!
Awesome!
Wow
Thats bad ass awesome
U slow
So we learn from you, but where did you learn it from?
Ultimate guitar
That my friend, is insane!
Thank You!
Well done.
VERY NICE SIR,,GOOD PERFORMANCE,,,
Thank You!
fantastic!
Excelente
grandissimo!!!!!
Great job...
1ST CLASS THANKS!
I can fake Jim's part sounds decent thanks to you maybe I can fake Maury's thanks for sharing!
Nice!!!
Hi Can i have a Tab for that song Operator? The one your playing now?
Anthony Esporlas, By chance I saw this message thar you're interested in the guitar tab of "Operator Jim Croce". Recently I just recorded this song and also wrote the double guitar's tabs on the video that's not very professional. Maybe you can check out to my channel and hope you will like it. All the best :).
TAB. !
Do you have the tab for this?
The link is in the comments