How to Play "Such Great Heights" on a Guitar

Hey there kids your guitar stage here. Today we’re going to learn how to play, “Such Great Heights” by the Postal Service. And I'm looking at my chart here on the screen. We’re going to talk about the chords, we’re going to talk about the rhythm and that sort of things. So usually you’re used to hearing this tune of course with keyboards and that sort of thing unless you listen to Ben Fold’s version, which is with piano, which is an awesome version, and awesome cover of this as well. So anyhow, we’re going to talk about this today. Any of the techniques that I'm talking about here if you don’t understand, and check out yourguitarstage.com, and also you can find that how to get chart of this tune. So the same chart that I'm looking at here which I’ve done in the number system, so instead of C, some Fs, some Gs some A minors I'm looking at ones and fours and fives and sixths minors. Okay, so that maybe very grit to you, but it’s a great way of learning your chords. So if you don’t know about the national number system also just called the number system, but it’s used pretty intensively here at national by studio players, then check it out. This is great way of learning. So here we go, we’re going to start into it, and I'm going to play starting at the first songs in four, so four beats per measure, keep going at the fifth fret. Get a capo if you don’t have one. If you don’t what it is check out my video on capos, so without further adieu here we go. It’s going to go something like this. I’ve taken it from the verse it’s going to go. [Demonstration] Okay, that’s the verse. So I played that verse twice. We’re talking about the chords and we’ll talk about those strumming rhythm and all that stuff in a second. The chorus is going to go like this. [Demonstration] Okay, since this song is basically broken up into verse and chorus. There is one little section which is the bridge which is the break down if you hear the ….or something like that, I know there's some little keyboard part there. For the bridge, I’ll talk about that that’s in the middle of the song. It’s played four times and there’s a fade out of bit, but it’s basically going to go like this. It’s going to go like this. [Demonstration] Repeat. [Demonstration] Okay, so basically it just repeats that part over, which basically we’re looking at the beginning of the verse. But then after that D minor it starts over again. So it’s a little bit of a like a hiccup in the music it’s pretty cool. Alright, so let’s talk about chords here. First it’s going to go C, again with capo on the fifth fret we got C , E minor, D minor, F, G, then it repeats, but the very last chord is different, so you do that whole thing again, but instead of a —I’ll just repeat it again here and change it, so C for two measures, E minor for two measures, D minor for two measures, a measure of F, a measure of E minor. I'm talking about the construction of these chords here in just a minute with the left hand. Chorus is going to go two measures of C, two measures of G, two measures of F, two measures of E minor. Okay and then that just repeat twice. And by the way, the verse I did there one section, and then another section that whole enchilada there goes twice for –at least the first verse. The second verse we only go through at one time. By the way, if this making sense -- you know how the song goes. You just listen to it and with the chords and we’re having a sound of that. Again, if you want a chart just check yourguitarstage.com., you can get to hold this chart. Let’s talk about the strumming method for this. Let’s talk about chords here first, so C you know your basic C hang your thumb over onto the sixth string so that when you’re strumming [Demonstration], you do that nice happy little strum there. These guys muted, instead of [Demonstration] let them sing out. [Demonstration] You know that’s not what we want for this, alright, and then when I go to my E minor, that’s fine, just straight up E minor, D minor I'm breaking my thumb around here again, muting that note. [Demonstration] I play enough like this. [Demonstration] You can play it like this [Demonstration], that’s fine. I like this sound of this one better and a G. [Demonstration] I play my G like this, some people will play like this [Demonstration], it's cool when it's like this [Demonstration]. But for the most part [Demonstration] that’s what you want right there. I like that one, I like the sound of it and then back to the E minor. Okay, that takes care of all the chords and the progression. Let’s talk about rhythm here for a second. You’ve heard in a lot of my videos, I'm checking on my time here. You’ve heard in a lot of my videos we do this strum. The strum is [Demonstration]. So to slow this down we’re going [Demonstration]. Okay, if that strum doesn’t come really natural for you. Look at my hand and watch what I'm doing. It’s really important if you’re not playing it like this. [Demonstration] It's important that your hand is moving [Demonstration]. That is really about it on this tune other than the construction which we've talked about. So great tune, hopefully you guys have learned something here today. I'm putting up videos everyday, so if you have them already hit subscribe and check out yourguitarstage.com, I’ve got an eBook out there along with some supportive videos that you find on my Youtube channel that will support that eBook, so alright kids keep practicing. Get out of here, go!