Green Eyes on Guitar

[Jin256]

How to Play Green Eyes

 

So I've been playing most of Kapone's Tabs recently, and they're all damn good. But the only one I'm having trouble playing is Green Eyes. Does anyone have an accurate video to show me how to get these chords right?

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

@Jin - I wish I could make a video but I suck at that kind of thing so I'll just tell you what I know about the acoustic part, which is what I'm guessing you're looking for. :embarrassed:

 

When Coldplay plays Green Eyes live, they actually play it a whole step down (so an A becomes a G, a D becomes a C and so forth) and it's nothing like some of the more difficult tabs that show up in this thread an on the net. However, to get it to sound like the album version, you can put a capo on 2nd fret and it's the same.

 

The following might have already showed up in the thread but now it's all in one place, and I know it's definitely correct from watching live videos (just look up Green Eyes live on youtube).

 

Verse:

G (1 bar) - D/F# (1 bar) - Am (2 bars), hammer the Am to and from Amsus2 (x02200)

Prechorus:

Am (2 bars) - C (2 bars) - G (2 bars) - D (2 bars), hammer the D to and from Dsus4 (xx0233)

Chorus:

Am (2 bars) - C (2 bars) - G (1 bar) - Fmaj7 (1 bar)(133210) - C (1.5 bars)- C/B (x20010)(1/2 bar)

The "Green eyes, ohoho green eyes" is just an Am the 1st time and Am-G the 2nd time; the number of times you do this depends on version and personal taste.

 

For strum pattern and rhythm, I suggest listening to the song a whole load more. But you can get it to sound 90% correct if you just strum it like this the whole way:

 

1.......2......|......3.......4.....|.....

Down, down-up, Down, down-up

[Jin256]

Moses you are the greatest man! One other question, I've also been messing around with tunings, would it be a bad idea to tune the B string up to a C? I've been wanting to try out "A Message", but since it's a new guitar, I don't want to mess it up so soon

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

Cheers. BUT. I just realized I made a mistake with the timing in the chorus; it's Am - 2 bars, C - 2 bars, G - 1 bar, F - 1 bar, C - 1 bar...will update my post. >_>

 

For A Message, that's..actually exactly right. The highest I've taken the B string is to a C# for Violet Hill and Life in Technicolor, so don't worry about your guitar exploding or anything. :) I believe Chris tunes the little e string to C as well, but the song actually sounds alright in EADGCe in my opinion.

 

Random guitar tip: you can lubricate the nut with a pencil - next time you change your strings, draw in the little indents on the slot between the tuners and the neck with a pencil to deposit a little bit of the graphite. Then, you can tune smoother and it doesn't make that horrid creaky noise (which actually is usually not a bad thing...besides it scaring the wits out of me). :)

[jisu]

This is how I play it (mind the voice, I have a bit of a flu):

 

http://vimeo.com/18165893

[Black Dog]

dear mr octakon,

 

I realize you are some sort of "guitar playing extraordinare" but some are not. SOME people cannot play bm....so if someone says, "I can't play bm, I cant get there fast enough," your response should not be "Bm isn't that hard really" Thank you for listening...and have a wonderful day

 

Yours Truly,

Britt! :smug:

this made my day :lol: so funny!

[Jin256]

Hey Bach, when you say a full step down for Green Eyes, do you mean a full step down from Capo 2, or from Standard Tuning?

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

I mean a full step down from capo 2 or the album version. So don't detune your guitar. Sorry if my phrasing was confusing.

 

The way I have it in my post:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xRkwQ61s1A]YouTube - coldplay-green eyes-live-[HD]-live@ Sydney 2009[/ame]

 

Then, to get it sound like the album version, put a capo on 2.

 

That said, I'm pretty sure the album version is played differently, like some of the earlier posts or the version in Kapone's thread; as in, A - E - Bm...if you're interested, I have my own version of that more difficult version which I can post (well I have to make it first).