I put off learning this song for quite a few years as I knew it would be an undertaking. I started teaching it to a lesson a few years back but unfortunately he gave up on the it.
I had a request for it again in early April 2007, this time from a number of students so I finally tackled it head on and finished it in a few short weeks. Surprisingly enough it wasn't as difficult as I expected. To make this song easier to learn you have to practice it in smaller sections (phrases), of course it helps if you have already done some finger picking previously.
I thought it would be a good idea to video record a walk through on the song, so here it is! Below "Hand Written Tab" is the original transcript of the song I completed for my lessons. You may want to use this because the video makes reference to it all the time. The "Transcribed TAB" below is a tidied up version (looks pretty but it exactly the same).
I have seen this titled on the Internet as "Eric Clapton - Classical Gas" but I strongly doubt he ever recorded this version and I cannot verify that it is him playing it. It is more than likely that it is the original author playing it (Mason Williams), anyway it is a great version!
This video comes with two choices to download, Hi & Lower quality (depending on your download connection)
Lower Quality
File Size: 180 MB
Video Length: 23:54 Minutes
Video Properties: 624 x 352
Audio Bitrate: 128kbps
Higher Quality
File Size: 329 MB
Video Length: 23:54 Minutes
Video Properties: 720 x 400
Audio Bitrate: 192kbps
Audio Sample
Listed to the audio supplied to hear the solo nylon string arrangement you will be learning in this 24 minute video lesson.
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Included in this download pack:
Classical Gas - Mason Williams (Hand Written TAB) - PDF
Classical Gas - Mason Williams (TAB) - PDF
Audio Demo of TAB files - 128kbps (as played by Danny Poole)
24min Lesson Video
This is a fantastic song to learn for finger picking and for the pure satisfaction of knowing you can master such a difficult piece. This video will take you step by step each section of Classical Gas.
NOTE: this video sample is of a low resolution and not the quality you would download
View High Resolution Video Screen Shot
This screen shot is of the 720 x 400 pixel video. Click to ZOOM!