In the eyes of many fans, YEM is the quintessential Phish song. It encapsulates so many of the things we love about the band, from the intricate arpeggios, beautiful chord movements, shifting time signatures, to the explosive funk throwdown that leads into a masterful bass/drum battle between Gordo and Fish.

This arrangement attempts to capture the whole experience, minus the vocal jam.

Because it's not spacey and unique when only one person the vocal jam.

It's just sad. I've tried.

“What I really liked about that song — and this sounds weird, considering what kind of song it is — is that it had a lot of soul”

-Trey Anastasio on YEM
Rolling Stone, May '08

Performance Tips

The sheet music you see here is exactly what I used to learn to play this tune.

Beginners should take their time and find comfortable fingerings for all of the chord voicings.

Intermediate and advanced players can throw in their own fingerpicking patterns anywhere they see fit.

The bottom line is take your time and make this song your own!

phish-yem-ukulele-tab-amarguitar

PDF Download Link

Gear


For this video, I used a Cordoba 15CM Concert Ukulele

Absolutely every guitarist should own one of these! Check out the 30 second review below.

Looks

The Cordoba 15CM is visually striking.  The neck is smooth, and the fit and finish of the Mahogany top, back, and sides are just plain beautiful.

Build Quality

This uke's laminate construction means that this sucker is DURABLE.

During Magnaball, I left mine in a steaming hot car for 24 hours and the wood did not warp even a little.

I also let my 2 year old niece and 4 year old nephew play (read: beat the ever-loving shit out of) my Cordoba 15CM every time they visit, and the uke still plays and looks like it's brand new.

Sound & Playability

The Cordoba 15CM has a beautiful, full, and rich sound.  It is extremely easy to play for beginners and pros alike.

Absolutely every guitarist should own one of these, because it makes a great travel instrument, and because it's a great introduction to the Ukulele universe!

Head on over to Amazon and take a look at the reviews for yourself