Vid quality: 144 Advice Quality: 1080p 4K

wild how he can just play a random bunch of chords off the top of his head and it’s just instantly recognizable as him

Tips to be an awesome songwriter: 1. Be Elliott Smith 2. Write music

"i don't really know what it's called, but I like it"

Very underrated acoustic guitar player. You can play scales and shred all day, but some of those chord changes and shapes are truly hard to play.

I like how he talks to you as like he knew you, gives it a super personal touch to the vid

How to write a song: "JUST RELAX - and quit THINKING about what you think other people wanna hear, you know?" :Elliot Smith

Best 144p video in youtube.

His speaking voice has a Mr. Rogers quality to it. So gentle and unassuming. Draws you in and disarms any instinct to deflect or misunderstand. I don’t get any bit of arrogance or posturing one might expect from a brilliant and successful musician.

This video is absolutely amazing. I didn't know you could do that with legos

"There must be some something good about it because you liked it, right?"

He had the best thing going for writing I reckon. He maybe learned a load of theory as a kid, then forgot most of it cognitively, but played enough so his fingers still knew the theory, then could just relax and turn his brain off while he doodled till the good stuff happened. Pure instinct at that point - loose and playful without having to worry. The words and soul of it can’t be taught or practiced though, he was just that guy. Holy shit he wrote some beautiful beautiful songs. Hard to accept that he’s not here, his music’s been a constant friend in my life.

His answer to that last question is legitimately fantastic advice

That one pixel can really sing

Damn, I did not realize how intricate "A Question Mark" was till I saw this

I wish more people had asked about his songwriting process.

I think the lesson to be learned from this video is that Elliott Smith never really knew why he was so unbelievably amazing at writing songs theres just.. uhh.. some.. stuff and chords he likes and.. uhh.. he is imaginative.. and uh.. he likes music. haha. theres no explaining his genius.

“ I think it’s easy if you just relax and stop thinking about what people want to hear.” This one hit me hard. I find myself thinking about people listening to my music as I write it and because of that I take way less risks and Probably makes it less emotional

Elliot was so humble, such a gifted musician. His technique and body of work is absolutely genius.

"If you like it there must be sth good about it because you like it. There are some records that sells millions of copies, and it's really unclear if anybody liked it ."

yeah, 2006 sounds about right for an upload date. ahh old youtube. elliott's a treasure though

Which pixel is Elliot Smith

...plays epic example of a song and ends with: "but, its an electric guitar song" as if to somehow be meek about it. I love him and I miss him. I wish he was still around to continue making such beautifully orchestrated music. RIP, Elliott. Im sure they've got a guitar or two up there for you. I cant wait to get there and see what you've come up with.

"If you like it... there must be something good about it because you liked it, right?" 🖤🌿

I wish this clip would have been at least one hour of length.

After watching this video, I opened my project in Fruityloops that's been sitting there for weeks and weeks unfinished and causing me stress everytime I've tried to complete it. I just let everything I had flow out of my head, and within an hour it was done. It's a song I made for my girlfriend's birthday and she loves it. Thanks Elliott :)

the van gogh of song

I never realize how important his"attack" on the guitar was. He has been utterly unique strumming approach and feel. As much as the chordal imagination, I've got that from the video.

Just watching him mess around on the fretboard for a second to demonstrate what chord changes are shows what an accomplished guitarist he was.

I love him... "This is kindof like a d7 but it has an e in it, i dont really know what it is, but i like it!" Hes such a natural, and so humble.we all miss you elliot

It's 2021 and that is still a nice hat

Video quality is poor, but the genius is evident...

Some people feel that being a "great" guitarist involves amazing technical skill, and it can mean that. I personally think it involves doing what's best for the song and coming up with a great part, whether that is simple or complicated. Elliot was great because he knew how to use the guitar to serve the song and not for its own sake.

"Although most of those are normal chords, this one is like some sort of like, some sort of D7 or something. But it has an E in it. I dont know what it's actually called. But I like it." Hahaha that part made me laugh for some reason. Oh Elliott. Totally sick what he does with the inherent melodies within chords though. Makes even the full band songs sound really good on an acoustic.

"IMAGINATION is the DIVINE FORCE" ... thank you Elliot Bless you ...

He is brutally honest about everything. Elliott's music touches my soul everytime. dear ambitious guitarist, this is for your emotional part of writing music. forget the skills and techniques sometimes. the sense matters more.

I really like that he can't explain to a tee what is so natural and so surreal to us. I love ya dude.

This was filmed on my grandma's rotary phone, but I still love it.

if i had a dollar for every pixel in this video, i’d have 75 cents ..

Elliot explaining a chord he just played by saying, "I don't know what it's really called. But I like it." This sums up why he was such a great musician. A true artist. He didn't get bogged down by the formality or über-professionalism of it all. He just played what he thought sounded good. Most musicians are missing that today. Too many rely on whole teams of people to produce a "product," to or build a brand. That isn't art; at least not in any true sense of the word. Aesthetics mean something.

god, elliott was so cute. i wish he could know how many people love him.

This is legitimately the most useful video i've seen on how to make music. Thanks Elliott

To us ES fans using KZfaq back in '05 and '06, it was a gift to watch these videos no matter the quality!

itd be a drag to do battle with conventions... you can be imaginitive with it... best fucking advice i ever had as a song writer

"If you like it, there must be something good about it"

this is the most down to earth and honest i have ever seen him....good find!

Sweet man he was. Darling, poetic, intuitive, brilliant. Unique. Miss him.

If you don't find this informative or educational you're not paying close enough attention.

Take notes kids. This boy is arguably the best songwriter of all time

3:37 sounds so good acoustic brings a tear to my eye

Had to watch this for inspiration by a very talented musician. RIP Elliott.

Seeing him struggle breaks my heart. I love you, Elliott.

He describes his secret sauce if you listen carefully: he talks about how he thinks of shapes when writing songs, and then says that it's interesting but hard to talk about. To me, what he reveals is that there is something totally unique and different and indescribable going on in his head, as all of us already know, he is a songwriting savant with a true gift and a mind that works in a peculiar way to produce something sublime

His music is filled with Depth.

I think it's just amazing how easily music came to him...he is truly a legend R.I.P. Elliott, you are dearly missed.

such a beautiful and gifted soul, I wish I could have just a crumb of his talent

I had the good fortune to meet Elliott a few times and he was a kind, gentle soul, as well as one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. It's so wild to hear how incredibly fantastic and unique the tone and technique of his acoustic guitar sounds with seemingly no effort.

There are a lot of singer-songwriters out there... Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, there was Nick Drake and a lot more. What makes Elliott stand out of that crowd is his true originality. Maybe he was not a highly educated musician, but he had the outstanding talent to turn his sentiments directly into bare naked music like no one else. That's something you can never learn at music school... and it's nothing that the dollar can buy. He was and is an artist - someone who created art!

The only times I had heard Elliott Smith talk were in interviews or in live show recordings. So, it is fun to hear him talk more than a few words.

I love watching Elliott Smith interviews. He seems like such a down to earth guy.

Wow, this is SO inspiring .. I was feeling down and this has cheered me up no end; made my day .. thanks a million zillion Elliott .. and thank you SO MUCH NICKYtheCROW for sharing .. tears of bittersweet joy streaming down my face (rest in peace my friend) ...

This is the most uplifting thing I've heard in the past year. I've been struggling with song writing and he gave me the most genuine advice I've been needing to hear.

'It would be a drag to have to do battle with conventions the whole time'... Elliot even speaks in poetry. Peace be Upon Him. Thank you Elliot Smith...

Wow, I finally see him using a pick!

This video would have been a lot better if whoever edited the thing didn't slap solo's over Elliott speaking.

Other guitarists breaking down Elliott's music in a technical fashion: "Key signature X, Scale Y, Minor third, Drop D..." Elliott breaking down his own song: "I play a lot of things where you don't want all the strings to sound, where it's... see, this string isn't moving because my finger's on it. and that one's not moving because my fingers on that too, so these are really just the notes that I'm /playing/... with this hand... everything else is blocked off. It's really just three strings, like a 'half-chord'. Me, a music theory idiot: 'Ohhhhhhhh cool okay'

he gave some of the best songwriting advice I've ever heard

17 years ago!!! Jeez!! And video quality is as expected lol

Apart from his awesome song-writing and singing abilities, Elliott has also got this amazingly nice voice ...

Keeping it "simple" yet very intricate and unique. He was a true genius that's for sure. I could listen to him all day if I could.

Hahaha his bucket hat is awesome

He was an intuitive creator. He didn't have the technical terms to express some of the things he was talking about, but he "knew." I think the most important part was where he talked about being 'relaxed' and to not think about what other people would like, and instead, write what you like. Oh, and just letting your hands and mind 'wander' while u play things is, for me, a sure fire way to get the fire started.

That song was called 'A Question Mark'... but, it's an electric guitar song..

Could someone please refine this precious video

What a comedian in addition to being so observant and poignant. Love it

A complete departed genius ! We all miss him definitely ! He was that kind of top composer musician such as Sufjan Stevens these days ! So long!

This is awesome. I'm so glad he took the time to do this. Great advice for any aspiring songwriter.

He is very open to let us into his process, which is very artful and honest. Fascinating stuff from one of the best songwriters ever.

i love you, elliott

this is literally how i play and write and ive been having a hard time coming to terms with productions but this is really inspiring me to be true to my creative vision relaxing

Pixelliott smith

I don't know what this video is from, who filmed it or why it exists at all, but Elliott Smith is an amazing, sincere and kind person.💐

"do what you personally like, not what people want to hear"

he's so admirable. I don't know what i was expecting, but this is just so lovely.

i hope the dislikes are just bc of the quality

This guy is a fucking musical genius and I miss him

Thank you for posting this! I miss him!!!!

Such an incredible loss. 😭

TLDW: Have fun be yourself!

Saw him live 4 times...fragile and amazing...top singer songwriter....poor Elliott

Elliott, I love you!!

Amazing, all these years later and I'm still finding new music by Elliott. Shazamed the intro to this video and discovered Junk Bond Trader.

3:40 it's really incredible how it feels the rock with just a guitar... That's elliott Smith!! :')

Junk Bond Trader, then at 0:14 is Son Of Sam both are on his album 'Figure 8'

Is and still is my fav/most inspirational musician ever for me and I play alt-country/americana. Never knew what he meant about shapes when I was young but totally makes sense now.

The advice at the end is really simple but I needed to hear it. I’ve been getting better at guitar and making my own little tunes, but recently I’ve been comparing myself to other guitarists/songwriters I see online and being unhappy since I can’t do what they do. I really want to write songs but right now the lyrics just aren’t coming naturally and it all feels very forced. I just need to keep doing what I enjoy doing and eventually the songwriting will come naturally. I am still so early in my guitar journey relatively

Some really inspiring words from a legendary musician. Too soon, Elliott.

As a songwriter myself I found this to be a very inspiring video. Partialy cause Elliott is my hero. Nothing I didn't know but it's nice to be reminded, especialy from someone you have alot of respect for.

We need a reupload for this

Holy crap, thanks for this, Mr. Uploader! Gives a lot of insight into how he wrote his songs.