That tune is (IMHO) a very cool exception to Bootsy's rule of funkiness: always play the 1. And there are reggae tunes with basslines off the 1, also.
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Wheres 1 ??? Jackie Wilson Higher and Higher
- Thread starter mike buzzetti
- Start date
This rendering, which doesn't seem to come through when I quote this post, is correct.
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Generally good advice for finding one in a funky groove.
I have had to play this song in different keys, and have always demanded that I would be the one to start it ( as on the Wilson recording ). One of my favorite recordings of all time, its ingrained in my brain forever.
Yep we do Tell Me Something Good also!! love that groove, listen to Nik West cover of it , that helped the most. I play a combo slap finger style just for fun. another FUN song Virtual Insanity !!
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On the best known recorded version of the Jackie Wilson tune, the very first note you hear is on the second beat of the bar.
The opening four quick fire eighth notes are “2&3&”.
TBer BrotherMister nailed it in post #19 with a correct transcription.
The opening four quick fire eighth notes are “2&3&”.
TBer BrotherMister nailed it in post #19 with a correct transcription.
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That's where my amateur ability to read standard notation comes in handy.
Let's take a look at that grove/riff notation (from the Internet).
That riff becomes "complex" due to a different than expected rhythm guitar pattern.
I would start with "internalizing" the first two beats of that riff.
Then, I would add the "tail" (Beat 3 and Beat4) of the riff.
Don't get me wrong but I've "licked" (stolen) that rhythmic device for some of my amateur arrangements when only the bass participates (no drums) in Intro. And you start the bass riff on Beat2 or Beat3, so on...
The rhythm guitar clearly announces Beat 1, Beat 2, etc...
That guitar rhythm pattern (kind of swing-ish and unexpected) creates some "confusion" for bass players.
But the bass plays on Beat1.
It's more about the bass player's ear that tries to understand the rhythmic ACCENTS of that, kind of, simple bass pattern.
The first part of the riff sounds more like some "orchestral tutti" than a flowing bass riff.
That accented note on "2 AND" is not a regular bass rhythm pattern.
Plus the strangely-syncopated note "within" Beat 4 goes against the rhythm and creates (some) FALSE perception of the Root note on Beat 1.
P.S. The percussion drums playing along with the bass line do not help us either. LOL.
Here is that bass riff just slower in order to hear the dynamics of the grove.
https://www.talkbass.com/attachment...1/?temp_hash=77e2d41bf6109e6b5b3e53352de94f48
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Well, that’s one way or writing it! Written that way, the snare is hitting four times a bar (on all the off beats) and the tempo is 97 bpm, instead of 194. Not “wrong”, but different to how it would normally be counted.
(WUTP, your time's up. No more editing of your previous comment, you ...)
Some interesting info from the Internet about that song.
"The song has an interesting history. The backing instrumentals were recorded first and produced by Carl Davis in the Chicago studios of Columbia Records. Davis used four of the storied Funk Brothers from Motown – James Jamerson on bass, Robert White on guitar, Johnny Griffith on keyboards, and “Pistol” Allen on drums.
The musicians were paid double scale and in cash (I believe this was to cover up the fact that they were still under contract to Motown). Jackie Wilson then added the vocals later, in a single take in a New York studio. Jackie was backed up by two Motown session singers from the girl group The Andantes."
Higher and Higher: Jackie Wilson; Bobby Darin; Rita Coolidge
Some interesting info from the Internet about that song.
"The song has an interesting history. The backing instrumentals were recorded first and produced by Carl Davis in the Chicago studios of Columbia Records. Davis used four of the storied Funk Brothers from Motown – James Jamerson on bass, Robert White on guitar, Johnny Griffith on keyboards, and “Pistol” Allen on drums.
The musicians were paid double scale and in cash (I believe this was to cover up the fact that they were still under contract to Motown). Jackie Wilson then added the vocals later, in a single take in a New York studio. Jackie was backed up by two Motown session singers from the girl group The Andantes."
Higher and Higher: Jackie Wilson; Bobby Darin; Rita Coolidge
Looks like this guy has it confused, as well. The dots themselves are okay, but written like this the temp mark is only about half the value it should be!
Jackie Wilson "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" Bass Tab in D Major - Download & Print
Jackie Wilson "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" Bass Tab in D Major - Download & Print
No problem.
Let's grab another bass transcription from the Internet.
And we have the following content:
It's a two-bar/measure bass pattern.
Measure 1.
Beat 1 - just a regular root note in the bass.
Beat 3 - attention(!). It's a short staccato note followed by a heavily-syncopated Beat 4.
Measure 2.
Heavily-displaced Beat 1 (by a quarter note).
Beat 3 without the root or chord note in the bass.
Wow. That is just totally wrong all over! Not just the tempo, either. It hasn’t even got four beats in each bar! Where did that come from?
Is it any wonder so many learners really struggle when there’s so much bad info out there?
Is it any wonder so many learners really struggle when there’s so much bad info out there?
Hmmm. Curiouser and curiouser. The “kick drum pattern” - actually a bass part itself - is marked as 98 quarter notes a minute, but that would mean the following phrase is played half the actual speed of the song. The bar underneath is written with each note exactly half the value of the bars above.
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Here’s one that actually looks correct - including the tempo. From top-dots.com…
We used to get some help from the knowledgeable DB forum ( Don Kasper), but those were different days.
Hence 3& , 1&2&3&4& , I am counting from a click intro 1&2&3 start the lick on the 3& like was said earlier the LOVE is 1 , you can count it as an 8/8 12345678 or 1& etc. changes the tempo 4/4
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