The Beatles - Across The Universe - Guitar Cover

John’s wistful acoustic ballad in its purest form! “Across The Universe” underwent many changes during its recording and mixing, with John Lennon later reminiscing that he had “never done a good version of (it) myself”. The version I present to you in my video is accurate to the version released on the Let It Be album, which features the acoustic guitar part from Take 7 and portions of an overdubbed wah pedal electric guitar overdub performed by John. However, I performed the song at the original speed and tuning so viewers can more conveniently follow along without retuning their guitars. Support the channel on my BRAND NEW Patreon:   / mattiboo   Feel free to tip if you enjoyed the video: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted... The basic tracks for “Across The Universe” were recorded on February 4, 1968. Take 7 saw John on acoustic guitar and Ringo on tom-toms. John was most likely using his Martin D-28 for this session. A slight change from Take 2 (which featured both John and Paul on acoustic guitars), this stripped down Take 7 was fairly simple and can be heard (with George’s overdubbed tamboura) on the Let It Be… Naked album. Later that day, backwards guitar was added to the track, creating what is now referred to as the “Hums Wild” version. Attention returned to “Across The Universe” on February 8, 1968. John decided to remove the backwards guitar parts recorded earlier and overdubbed a wah pedal guitar part, most likely using his Epiphone Casino. This guitar part added subtle emphasis throughout the song and was recorded onto a track containing piano by Paul and maracas by George. The full wah pedal guitar part can be heard on the mix created on this day, known as the “World Wildlife Fund” version. Over two years later on April 1, 1970, Phil Spector added lavish orchestral arrangements to “Across The Universe”. This orchestral overdub allegedly contained two additional guitar parts played by session musicians, but their presence is not noticeable on the released Let It Be album mix or 2021 remix. The next day, April 2, 1970, stereo mixes of the Let It Be album were created. George’s maracas are present only during the chorus and were tied together on a single track with John’s wah pedal guitar, meaning John’s wah part, which originally was present throughout the song, can only be heard during the three choruses of “Across The Universe”. At some point during the mixing stages, a light ADT effect was added to John’s acoustic guitar. I replicated this using the Waves Reel ADT plugin. John’s acoustic part is fairly simple, containing primarily eighth and sixteenth note strumming parts. He often played open strings during transitions between chords and sometimes had somewhat muted strums. I tried to replicate all of these strum and accent nuances (which can be heard more clearly in the Let It Be… Naked version) in my cover. During the intro, John plays notes using both his pick and middle finger. In the final note before strumming, I believe he only actually hits the F# note, with the B note sounding only as a light hammer-on. This is different from other takes, such as Take 6, which features a strong B and F# note, indicating he hit both in a single stroke. Based on how he played the intro during the Let It Be Twickenham sessions, I believe he intended for the B note to predominate, but alas Take 7 is the released version and is what is covered in my video. At the end of the intro (0:05), John lightly includes the F# note in his A barre chord, making the sound somewhat like an A6. He also strums a bit lighter during the first few beats of the Gm chord at 0:29, adding accents in the latter beats. During the “Nothing’s gonna change my world” sections of the chorus (0:41), he spices up the guitar part by playing high chordal notes, adding a suspended and seventh sound to the A chord. The G chord at 1:00 is the only acoustic G chord in the song that does not include a high D note (B instead). Before the final D strumming fade out of the song, John adds a quick Dsus4 flourish to his strumming (2:57). Thank you to my 'Rooftop' tier Patrons! David Wiggins Instruments Used: John Lennon Acoustic Guitar: Martin 000-28EC John Lennon Electric Guitar: 2001 Epiphone Casino Standard Amplifier: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb (1995) Wah Pedal: Dunlop Cry Baby Standard Wah