All Right Now by Free

warnergt · #1 01-04-2010, 06:18 PM

Anybody know where to find a demo video or have some insight for
playing the "All Right Now" riff? I'm finding it to be challenging.

It goes something like this (no guarantee of accuracy):

73jbass · #2 01-04-2010, 06:26 PM

That's pretty much it.Lots of folks leave out the open A's in the last section,which is perfectly fine.

warnergt · #3 01-04-2010, 06:44 PM

Hmm, I suspected that those open A's on the high part were being
omitted. I'm in a three-piece band so I don't get to leave too many
parts out. I guess I can try it and see how it sounds.

I did find one video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_EUcgIU1r4
You can see the bassist working it starting around 3:34.
I think he not only omits the open A's but he omits the opening A 16th
note. You can see he takes his good ol' time getting down the neck for
the low part.

retardedpossum · #4 01-04-2010, 06:50 PM

that's exactly the way I've played it.

warnergt · #5 01-04-2010, 07:22 PM

I found another video. I think this sheds a lot of light on it.
You can see he catches that first A on the 7th fret as he slides down the neck.
Watch at 2:00.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny7vW6dgnUY

It looks to me that he is doing this:

Let me know if you agree.

73jbass · #6 01-04-2010, 07:31 PM

The first tab is whats played on the original record. I've been playing that since the early 80's without the open A's in the last half of the riff.With or without,it doesn't matter.

PhatBasstard · #7 01-04-2010, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73jbass

The first tab is whats played on the original record. I've been playing that since the early 80's without the open A's in the last half of the riff.With or without,it doesn't matter.

I disagree. The open A's are there for a reason: so the bottom doesn't drop out.

I've played this in trios on up and it does make a difference.

When I first learned the song (many moons ago

) I didn't realize about the open A's and I could tell something was up.

Put 'em in. It's tricky, but not brain surgery.
Your band (especially a trio) will thank you.

PS. I'll have to go back and re-examine the first 4 notes. I'm not sure I'm playing it that way (it's been a while

).

Munjibunga · #8 01-04-2010, 09:56 PM

All Right Now ~ Free

Dunno. Here's Free doing it, and I'm hearing quarter notes in that section.

kiwlm · #9 01-04-2010, 10:49 PM

hmm, I din realize the first note was an octave up, I always play the first 3 notes on the same octave.

Though from the studio version that I have, the whole first part of the riff sounded an octave up to me. Not sure if that's just my ears.

PhatBasstard · #10 01-05-2010, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

All Right Now ~ Free

Dunno. Here's Free doing it, and I'm hearing quarter notes in that section.

First it's a "live" studio track they're miming to (Note the rhythm guitar under the solo, the slight backup vocals sung by...nobody, and the altered, jazz bass licks towards the end that are heard, but clearly not fingered.).

Second, the studio track is played up an octave on the first choruses with him dropping down to low A on the last note of each. He's not playing it that way here.

Third, in both versions I clearly here him pedaling the low A under the high notes.

Fourth,....uh....I've been playing the notes in the first half of measure one (bass middle part) wrong for YEARS!

Oops.

Craig_S · #11 01-05-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73jbass

That's pretty much it.Lots of folks leave out the open A's in the last section,which is perfectly fine.

really... NO.

It's a pretty simple riff.

warnergt · #12 01-05-2010, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73jbass

The first tab is whats played on the original record.

Perhaps he is playing it like this:

warnergt · #13 01-05-2010, 12:56 PM

By the way, Andy Fraser was using a Gibson EB-3 there (the predecessor
to the current Gibson SG bass). That's a 30.5" scale bass so frets 2 and
5 are closer together than on a more conventional 34" scale bass.

That bass was stolen when a temporary roadie in Australia disappeared
with Free's equipment. If I remember correctly, I think Andy ultimately
replaced it after going through some other basses but don't quote me
on that part.

warnergt · #14 01-05-2010, 01:13 PM

I emailed Andy Fraser's website with three different versions of the
score/tab (all seen in this thread) hoping for clarification. About a half
an hour ago, the administrator Edwin Coolidge (a.k.a. Ed Cool) replied
"Andy says this looks pretty good..." referring to this one.

INTP · #15 01-05-2010, 04:41 PM

That's awesome. Good follow through.

PhatBasstard · #16 01-05-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warnergt

I emailed Andy Fraser's website with three different versions of the
score/tab (all seen in this thread) hoping for clarification. About a half
an hour ago, the administrator Edwin Coolidge (a.k.a. Ed Cool) replied
"Andy says this looks pretty good..." referring to this one.

Although it turns out I've been playing the first two beats slightly different than this for years, after a re-listen this sounds absolutely correct to me.

mcm · #17 01-05-2010, 06:58 PM

andy fraser, maybe the most underated bassist of all time. check out all of the free catalog. they were kids when they did those songs!! 15-18 yrs old!

Joe Nerve · #18 01-05-2010, 07:25 PM

That's one of my all time favorite riffs. Real hard to play when you're new to it, fun and easy after you've done it 1000 Xs.

That high A is a bit questionable. Especially on the G string (much easier on the D), which seems next to impossible to pull off smoothly. I always did that note as either an open A or the A string harmonic in passing. Even sounds like more of a ghost note at times on the recording.

I believe the open As are really important and make it more fun to play, even though most seem to not do it.

The trick to pulling it off smoothly has a lot to do with how ya mute the strings, which just sort of came naturally to me after doing it countless times. And for me, hitting the 17th fret with my middle finger and using my pinky on the G is real important. Slowing the riff down when you're learning it w mediaplayer (or other mp3 slower downerer

) helps a lot when learning it. PLaying it standing up helps a lot to, fer when you have to do it like that with a band.

CDweller · #19 01-05-2010, 07:29 PM

This lick is one of my favorites for helping me to learn to play without looking at the bass, as well as effective sting muting. You have to leap from the second fret (the f#) all the way up to the seventeenth- the high g for the ostinato-ish part. After much effort, I'm prolly nailing it 75% of the time with eyes not on the fretboard. Challenging, a lovely riff, and one that I learned cold after messing it up on stage in front of about 5,000 people once- don't ask.

dave_bass5 · #20 01-07-2010, 08:49 AM

since i found out about the A note in the other thread ive been playing it as posted in #14 other than starting an octave up.
I was struggling for ages until i switched to my 4 string Jazz bass and now im very fluent with it. I still look down occasionally though.
Badly mimed at 3min 7 secs though. He is playing the wrong bass part in the videos posted in the other thread lol.