Without doubt one of the foremost singer-songwriter-guitarists of all time, James Taylor's languid vocals, easy delivery and surprisingly sophisticated finger-picking style have spawned dozens of classic songs. Perhaps his most appealing is Sweet Baby James (actually about his newborn nephew rather than a personal name check).
With simple but deliciously musical chord sequences it's a joy to play, being part strummmed and part finger-style. No self-respecting acoustic minstrel should be without this delightful 'song of the range' in their repertoire.
Richard Barrett has done a superb job transcribing the song for this month's Guitar Techniques, with a brilliant on-CD performance and a note-perfect backing track for you to practise over.
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“I can’t play jigs or reels or any of that traditional Irish stuff, but I have got a good ear for blues, the tonality of it”: 3 ways to supercharge your lead guitar playing like Rory Gallagher
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song
