Dave Hyndman's Tumblog

Guitar lessons from The National’s Aaron Dessner

A while back I posted video from The National’s appearance on CBC’s Q. But I missed this gem: Aaron Dessner giving a couple little guitar tips for how to play Fake Empire and Slow Show.

One thing that always strikes my about The National’s music is the rhythm. Many of their songs seem off just a little bit, but in a beautiful, perfect kinda way. Aaron shows how he plays Fake Empire using two rhythms simultaneously (one with the thumb, one with the index finger). Maybe this is standard stuff for a half-decent guitar player. I’m poor-to-mediocre and I simply don’t have the coordination to handle this.

Found over at Heather’s blog.