The ULTIMATE Yellow Ledbetter Guitar Lesson (Pearl Jam)

Behold…

A powerful song with guitar parts under the influence of legends like Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, and Cornell Dupree. 

You only need a couple of chords to be able to start jamming it along with the iconic recording. 

This song has moved the world, and was even placed in a famous TV show in a seaons finale scene for “Friends”. 

So grab your guitar and let’s dive into this “Yellow Ledbetter” guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Yellow Ledbetter?

"Yellow Ledbetter" was written by Eddie Vedder (vocals), Mike McCready (guitar), and Jeff Ament (bass). Three members of the American rock band Pearl Jam.  

The music was composed by Mike McCready, and the lyrics were written by Eddie Vedder. The song has a loose, jam-like structure and features guitar work from McCready that is straight out of the Hendrix school of rhythm guitar.

While the exact meaning of “Yellow Ledbetter” is ambiguous due to Vedder's mumbled and often improvised lyrics. Vedder has said that the song's lyrics are about a friend receiving a letter about a brother who died in the Gulf War. The title of the song is a reference to a friend of Vedder's, whose name was Tim Ledbetter.

The song was recorded during the sessions for Pearl Jam's debut album, "Ten," but it didn't make it onto the album. It was later released as a B-side to the single "Jeremy" in 1992

The song features Eddie Vedder on vocals, Mike McCready on guitar, Jeff Ament on bass, Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, and Dave Abbruzzese on drums. While "Yellow Ledbetter" was never released as a single or included on a studio album, it has become one of Pearl Jam's most iconic songs. It has received significant radio play and is often used as a concert closer by the band. 

"Yellow Ledbetter" is known for its variations in live performances. Eddie Vedder often changes the lyrics during concerts, making each performance unique. The song has been used in various films, TV shows, and commercials, further etching its status as a fan favorite. It was notably featured in the final scene of the TV show "Friends." 

Mike McCready has cited Jimi Hendrix as a major influence on his guitar playing for "Yellow Ledbetter." When you study Hendrix’s rhythm style, and the many other similar greats like Curtis Mayfield, Cornell Dupree, and Steve Cropper. You may hear this connection as well. 

Yellow Ledbetter Guitar Chords

If you want to play “Yellow Ledbetter” on guitar you’ll need to know 5 main chords E, B, A, and D#5. Now, these chords can be played in many ways. But if you want to stay true to the recording and Hendrix style, a couple of these chords should be played as thumb chords. 

If you want to sound like the record. A thumb chord is a technique where a player uses their thumb to fret a note on the lower strings (usually the sixth string, sometimes the fifth and even 4th) while playing a chord. This technique can be used to play bass notes or to create unique chord voicings that might be difficult or impossible to achieve using traditional fingering. (i.e. a bar chord)

However, this is tough. So if you’re not used to that. It is also completely fine to play them as bar chords and open chords alternatively as well. 

E is played as a bar chord in the 7th position. Here I strum all the strings except for the 1st string like this:

B shifts to a thumb chord. Here my fretting hand thumb plays the 6th string, and then I mute the 5th string like this:

For A, I just shift the B chord down two frets or 1 whole step like this:

This is the beauty of closed-positioned chords. A closed-position chord means there are no open strings. All the strings in the chord are fretted. This in turn makes the chord "movable" up and down the neck. Since they don’t rely on open strings, closed-position chords can be transposed to different keys by simply shifting the chord shape to different frets like what we see here. They also provide consistency in tone. Moving from one chord to the next and staying in what I call the same type of chord “family”. 

This gives you a consistent tonal quality.

Then later in the song, there is an appearance of the D#5 chord. This is played as a 3-note power chord in the 6th position like this:

There are just a few parts to the  

Is Yellow Ledbetter hard to play on guitar?

Yes. Sure, you can simplify it. If you want to strum an easier version of the song, then “Yellow Ledbetter” will only require an intermediate level of skill to play. You only need to know a small handful of chords, and the progression does not move super fast. So in that respect, it’s easier. However, if you want to nail the guitar parts like Mike McCready, that is going to take a lot more advanced skills. 

You will need to be comfortable with bar chords, thumb chords, Jimi Hendrix-style rhythm, double-stops, and have many other fundamental guitar techniques in place, like what I teach in my Essential Beginner Guitar System.

What is the strumming pattern for the Yellow Ledbetter?

The main underlying groove for “Yellow Ledbetter” is a light 16th-note feel. Strumming 16th notes on guitar means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into 4 equal parts. 

To properly strum 16th notes, you need to understand how to count them within each measure. In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats. When subdividing each beat into 16th notes, each beat is divided into four equal parts. This gives us a total of sixteen 16th notes per measure. 

To count 16th notes, you typically use the following syllables:

1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a

Here’s how it breaks down: 

• 1: The downbeat (first 16th note)
• e: The second 16th note
• &: The third 16th note (also known as the "and")
• a: The fourth 16th note
  

When counting out loud, it sounds like:

“One ee and uh, Two ee and uh, Three ee and uh, Four ee and uh” 

When strumming 16th notes, your hand should move in a consistent up-and-down motion. Here’s a basic pattern to get you started: 

• Downstroke on the count of “1”
• Upstroke on the count of “e”
• Downstroke on the count of “&”
• Upstroke on the count of “a”

This continuous motion helps keep the timing steady and even. 

This is the basic feel. But in “Yellow Ledbetter” you don’t want to strum all the 16-notes. That would be overkill. So the idea is to keep a steady quarter-note pace, but then “pepper in” some 16-notes like this: 

What key is Yellow Ledbetter in?

“Yellow Ledbetter” as recorded by Pearl Jam is in the key of E major. All of the chords fit into the diatonic scale of E major except for the D#5. The E major scale uses the notes: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, and D#. Let's explore how each chord relates to this scale and key: 

Chords E, B, A, and D#5 in the Key of E Major

In the key of E major, these chords have specific roles based on their position within the scale. The E major scale consists of the notes E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, and D#.

E Major (I)

Notes: E, G#, B

Role: The tonic or root chord, which establishes the key of E major. It's the home base of the key and gives a sense of resolution.

B Major (V)

Notes: B, D#, F#

Role: The dominant chord. It creates tension that typically resolves back to the tonic (E major). The B major chord has a strong pull towards the E major chord due to the leading tone (D#) resolving up to E.

A Major (IV)

Notes: A, C#, E

Role: The subdominant chord. It provides a sense of movement away from the tonic and can lead to either the dominant (B major) or back to the tonic (E major).

D#5 (VII)

Notes: D#, A#

Role: This is the one chord in the song that doesn’t fit naturally into the E major scale. In E major, D# is the seventh note, making it the leading tone, but the perfect fifth (A#) is not diatonic to the key of E major. This chord can add tension or a different flavor when used. You see, the majority of the song follows the same progression over and over. Until this is introduced towards the end of the song. 

Conclusion 

Bottom line, "Yellow Ledbetter" is a song that embodies the spirit of improvisation and expressive guitar playing. It draws inspiration from the old-school legends. The combination of a simple chord progression and a soulful, jam-like structure makes it both accessible and challenging for guitarists. 

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide here right now:  

Jon MacLennan