VIDEO: James Taylor shows you how to play Fire & Rain on guitar

He's seen Fire & Rain, and now you can, too
He's seen Fire & Rain, and now you can, too

If you're like us, you've tried to play James Taylor's classic song Fire & Rain on acoustic guitar. And if you're like us, you sound pretty good, but something's not quite right. Well, now the man himself, James Taylor, schools us all in how to play the song properly... all for the bargain price of free!

In the above video, shot with close, creative camera angles, Taylor demonstrates the chords chords and fingerstyle patterns of the hauntingly beautiful song he wrote in 1968. "It's a simple song," he says, "but it takes some learning." The lesson is even repeated at half-speed.

Unfortunately, Taylor offers no tips on the songwriting and singing skills that went into creating the timeless hit. He's got those talents all to himself.

This is the fourth such video the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer has produced. Other guitar instructional clips include Little Wheel, Country Road and Second Wheel. (There's also a bonus clip on how to prepare your fingernails - a must if you plan to play guitar in the true style of James Taylor.)

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.