Ralph McTell – Streets of London
Learn how to play Ralph McTell – Streets of London note-for-note on guitar.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate.Not too tricky if you already travis pick well.
Barre Chords: No
Thumb Over Chords: Yes
Playing Style: Fingerpicked (Travis picked)
Tuning: Standard
This video contains the first 9 minutes of the lesson for the song Streets of London, taught as Ralph McTell plays it on the original studio recording.
The full lesson contains this video in full, a performance play thru video, full tabs and a chords and lyrics sheet. You’ll receive a link to download a zip file of 325 Mb containing all the lesson content.
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You’ll receive at least two videos per song, one lesson and one performance-standard play-through. You’ll receive the chords/lyrics and guitar tabs as PDF files.
The videos are mp4 format and should play on PC’s, Macs and most mobile devices.
They will download as Zip files. If you don’t have a Zip program on your PC you’ll need to install one to open the file. I use Zipeg which you can get free, here.
If you want to download to an iPad or iPhone you’ll need an app to do so, please read here to know more about it.
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Bert Wijts says
Hi Jerry,
At the age of 20 (31 years ago), i bought a Yamaha steelstring guitar. One of the reasons was, that i wanted to learn playing songs like ‘Streets of London’. I had some lessons but gave up after a few months.
About 7 years later i tried to pick it up, bought a classical Esteve but again i gave up after a few months, despite the fact that i had a great teacher.
2,5 years ago, one of my sons, on Christmastday, had a guitar with him and said: “Dad, this is not really a Christmast present, i bought it very cheap, but maybe……
I started playing again. and still am. Practising 2-10 hours every week. Playing guitar is such a pleasure, once you master the first beginnings.
And it is just great that there are people out there like you, who are so talented in playing and teaching and share all this at such a minimal fee or even for free.
After a few days of practise, i can play the intro now at about 70% speed. The last G bar there, is, as you mentioned, indeed a little bit tricky at full speed but it really sounds lovely. It is just great that you are so detailed and show alternatives in some tricky parts, that all sound good.
Without exaggerating: your tutorials belong absolutely to the very best, on or outside the internet.
Thank you for all your efforts, for doing what you do!
Best wishes to you and yours, from the Netherlands,
Bert
gordon laird says
streets of London tab chords lyics
Jerry says
Hi Rob,
Mike’s version is great of course. What I’ve done with this one is teach it note-for-note exactly the way Ralph McTell does. It’s no biggie. Horses for courses.
Travis picking is a style of guitar picking in which the thumb marks out the bass and the rhythm by aternating bass notes in a regular pattern. It’s named after Merle Travis who one of the most outstanding proponants of the style. It’s also often called clawhammer. And yes Don’t Think Twice uses it too.
Rob says
I already learnt this song from Mike Herberts tutorial. Your picking seems to be slightly different. But it’s also a nice version. Travis picking? – is Mike’s version also called Travis picking. I keep bumping in to this term now and I’m still trying to work out exactly what it means. Is Bob Dylan’s “Don’t think twice”, which I learnt from you (I just love playing that song), also Travis picking?
Regards
Rob
Dave B says
I was just about to ask the same question as Rob, glad to find you have already answered it. I’m going to buy your version as well as Mike’s that I already have.