About Highway Star

MadModBassist · #1 06-24-2010, 03:05 PM

OK, a little backstory. Highway Star became one of my favorite songs in my Freshman year of high school. Because I liked it so much, my friend told me I should do a bass cover of it for him, so I agreed.

Here's the problem. Ah, um... WHAT THE HECK DOES ROGER GLOVER PLAY FOR THE INTRO!!!?

Rock Band told me it was really complex; videos of professional musicians and covers on YouTube show a much simpler version of the crazy triplets and then run-down.

My original hypothesis was that Glover was indeed playing crazy-fast 16th notes, but I soon dropped that in favor of a new theory: Jon Lord, organ extraordinaire, was the culprit behind the crazy run-down and Glover mimicked a simpler run.

What do you bass masters out there think? It's been 3 years since I promised my friend I would play it for him and I still cannot soundly do a cover without knowing how it WAS/SHOULD be played. I want to do a near-note-for-note cover, and I need to cover that intro perfectly! What do you guys think: is it crazy or simpler?

Here, for the sake of knowledge, are some study materials:

Rock Band chart & amplified bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PHEvyhAmaY

Professional cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ZxlxTvjI8

No one ever seems to play it the same way, and that bothers me :/

Deathblade Eric · #2 06-24-2010, 06:28 PM

Roger Glover doesn't play it the same way either!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRt3PIDER94

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgZSnAkQc4c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFPpw_CABLg

& on the triple disc "Live in Japan" set... Osaka 15th & 16th August 1972 and Tokyo on the 17th - no fiddly runs at all in the intro! (the 16th is the one on Made In Japan btw).

Seems to be unique to the studio cut.

Pete.

Jim Campbell · #3 06-24-2010, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadModBassist

OK, a little backstory. Highway Star became one of my favorite songs in my Freshman year of high school. Because I liked it so much, my friend told me I should do a bass cover of it for him, so I agreed.

Here's the problem. Ah, um... WHAT THE HECK DOES ROGER GLOVER PLAY FOR THE INTRO!!!?

Rock Band told me it was really complex; videos of professional musicians and covers on YouTube show a much simpler version of the crazy triplets and then run-down.

My original hypothesis was that Glover was indeed playing crazy-fast 16th notes, but I soon dropped that in favor of a new theory: Jon Lord, organ extraordinaire, was the culprit behind the crazy run-down and Glover mimicked a simpler run.

What do you bass masters out there think? It's been 3 years since I promised my friend I would play it for him and I still cannot soundly do a cover without knowing how it WAS/SHOULD be played. I want to do a near-note-for-note cover, and I need to cover that intro perfectly! What do you guys think: is it crazy or simpler?

Here, for the sake of knowledge, are some study materials:

Rock Band chart & amplified bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PHEvyhAmaY

Professional cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ZxlxTvjI8

No one ever seems to play it the same way, and that bothers me :/

good thing i indexed my dot collection....according to the machine head transcript,there are no rests for an organ intro,and the bass starts with 2 bars of G figures of one 1/8 and two 1/16,then 2 bars of eighths with the last note a G C double stop that slides up to 3 bars of G's like the first 2 bars but at the 12 fret,and the run down is G F D D C C# (D C) Bb G G F (D).....the bracketed notes being 1/8.....or just pm me a snail mail and i'll send you the dots