What I’ve Been Kicking Around - The Tallest Man on Earth

Hi everyone, and welcome to what is, without a doubt, the most challenging tutorial I’ve published so far: What I’ve Been Kicking Around by The Tallest Man on Earth, suggested by one of my subscribers.

I have to admit, learning to play this one was quite a challenge—and I encourage you to give it a try too!

Let’s dive into the details. First of all, we can break the song down into three sections: the initial chords (which are basically the intro of the intro), the main intro along with the verses and bridge, and finally, the chorus.

As you’ll see in the video, I play those first chords entirely with my thumb. In my opinion, this is the best way to really bring out the rising and falling notes in the transition from the C major to the F chord.

So far, so good—but now we’re getting into the tricky part. As for the intro, verses, and bridge, I won’t go too deep into the technical details here on the blog, but I can definitely share a few useful pointers. Start with the bass line played with your thumb, and from there, build the rest of the picking pattern. Don’t let the thirty-second notes scare you—they’re a signature element of the artist’s style. I recommend starting with just the second one (played with your middle finger), and once you’re more confident, you can add the first one using your index finger.

One final tip for this section: play the notes on the first string with your ring finger, and use that same finger on the second string only when it feels comfortable—otherwise, skip it.

Now onto the chorus. This is where personal style really comes into play. For instance, I like to lift and then press down again on the middle finger on the second fret of the fourth string during the arpeggio over the C chord. For the F chord, I keep the thumb and ring finger pressed throughout the pattern. In general, though, the principles stay the same: use your right-hand thumb for the sixth string, index and middle fingers for the second and third strings, and the ring finger for the first string. Be sure to practice everything at a very slow tempo until the mechanics of the song become second nature.

As always, you can find the tabs on my Patreon page. Have fun learning!