Open Mic Week 4: I used to eat lunch at the spot Joni Mitchel was writing about in an area called Yorkville in Toronto. I actually had my office window at one point over-looking it. The song itself is not really what it sounds like on the surface - yellow taxi was slang for a police car in Toronto at the time (some genius painted them yellow). I guess it made the song more appealing to call the police cab drivers rather than something more pejorative! Brilliant!
For those out there who care - the guitar im playing is a Taylor circa 2003 (I have 12 guitars total - eek)- I have elixr strings on there and im playing in open D tuning (DADF#AD).
I sometimes tune into open A or D or G because it sounds so rich. I use it mostly for blues (especially with a slide). This song was discovered as I was playing something else - I could hear a bit of the melody so I figured it out (my version).
This is how I play my guitar most often - I can shred like anyone out there - but for me at 35 -its about the story, emotion and the color that music creates. Sometimes a simple arrangement can tell a complex story. This music made me happy today - hopefully im not alone!
Nice! I'm pretty much obsessed with Joni Mitchel tbh :)
Shes interesting to play. She used a lot of "open tunings" because she suffered from polio as a kid - she didnt have the strength.. thats why you'll notice im doing a "bar with my 1 finger quit a bit.. that one finger is actually playing an entire chord.. little bit of trivia ;)
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Hey - thanks.. the rules must have changed.. my bad. Here is a picture of me right this second.. I would have to redo the whole video.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@rgeddes/big-yellow-taxi-instrumental-cover-week-4
It's ok this time. Just read the rules because they may change over time. Thanks for entering. Good luck!
Thanks - Will keep that in mind next time.
liked the cover - your pic's inverted, but the guitar work's great!!