Angel from Montgomery Bass transcription
John Prine’s song “Angel from Montgomery” from his self-titled album is a good example of simple but effective approaches to bass lines.
The song opens with a simple 1 - 4 progression. It is simple, but interesting because of the way the instruments are introduced. The song starts with a piano followed by an organ. Then the electric guitar. A few beats later the kick drum enters. Then, the acoustic guitar enters. The bass does not start playing until the second measure of the first verse. Not only is this unexpected, it give more emphasis to the lyrics at that point in the song.
The bass line during the first few measures of the verse are as simple as it gets - play the root on the first beat. During the next part of the verse, the bass plays the root and the 5th on the 1 and 4 beats respectively. After the chorus, the bass line for the verse changes again. The bass plays the root and the 5th on the first and third beats respectively. These little changes in the arrangement add depth to this song.
Be sure not to miss the change in the timing throughout out the song. Every 8 bars, the time changes from 4/4 to 3/4 for one measure. It is unexpected which is what makes this song interesting.
The song opens with a simple 1 - 4 progression. It is simple, but interesting because of the way the instruments are introduced. The song starts with a piano followed by an organ. Then the electric guitar. A few beats later the kick drum enters. Then, the acoustic guitar enters. The bass does not start playing until the second measure of the first verse. Not only is this unexpected, it give more emphasis to the lyrics at that point in the song.
The bass line during the first few measures of the verse are as simple as it gets - play the root on the first beat. During the next part of the verse, the bass plays the root and the 5th on the 1 and 4 beats respectively. After the chorus, the bass line for the verse changes again. The bass plays the root and the 5th on the first and third beats respectively. These little changes in the arrangement add depth to this song.
Be sure not to miss the change in the timing throughout out the song. Every 8 bars, the time changes from 4/4 to 3/4 for one measure. It is unexpected which is what makes this song interesting.
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