I’m having a bit of difficulty with the phrasing of of the main riff to Run To You (Bryan Adam’s). It’s a 4 beat bar.
The riff is 3 notes followed by 5 notes on a repeat cycle.
However if played 1 note per beat it sounds a bit monotonous even with note 1 emphasised. This would obviously fit, with note 1 of the second part landing on beat 4 of the first bar and note 1 of the fourth part falling on beat 4 of the third bar.
I read that Mike Oldfield changed the timing of Tubular Bells to avoid the monotony of the phrase.
Alternatively, is it played 3 notes over the first 4 beat bar (no note on beat 4), then 5 notes over the second 4 beat bar?
While it shouldn’t really matter as long as everything fits to the 4 beat structure, the drummer gets awfully worked up if everything doesn’t hit each beat.
No particular knowledge, but I just listened to the song and here are my thoughts.
I would consider the main riff 1 bar of 4:4. The eight notes in the riff are played as eighth notes. Just straight 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. However, I’m hearing a distinctive accent on beat 1 and the “& of 2”. So, in strumming pattern notation:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
> >
D U D U D U D U
(The > symbols represent accents.) By the way, I would follow the alternating up/down pattern while picking out these notes. This will help with the timing.
Thanks John, sounds logical. Was hoping to make the riff less metronomic but perhaps sometimes our drummer colleagues are right (did I really just say that!)
Are you talking about the guitar in the main chorus (about 45s in)?
If so, I hear that more as 16th note strumming (or two bars of 8th notes) with accenting on some of the upstrums (but that’s just food for thought. Even I don’t rely on me )
I have marked D or U for Down or Up. This choice is economy picking and entirely optional. Pick it however best works for you.
I too think beats 1 and & after 2 are accented - when the bass note is made prominent.
That is the same accent pattern as the power chord hits in Summer Of '69 btw.
)
