The following post is an idea that came to me yesterday. It was one of those moments where you've got a song stuck in your head (one that you like), and as you go through each lyric, you can't help but almost have chills because of the way that particular song moves you. For me, that is the music of Bruce Hornsby. For those of you who have ever taken the music major course "Analysis", this post is intended to follow that pattern. For those of you who are musicians and love to explain why you like a song so much, this post is specifically for you!
Let's start with Bruce's (probably) most popular radio tune, "The Way It Is". The song begins with one of Bruce's oh-so-loved piano intros. This is the first strength of Bruce's music. He many times will begin with a solo piano intro to help give the listener an "appetizer", if you will. Most times these intros will have hint of what's to come, a mere foreshadowing of the melody and other harmonies in the song.
Next we have the intrance of the drums. This is the second strength of Bruce's music. Much like Sting or Phil Collins, Bruce utilizes the "drum loop" in this song (No machines - his drummer plays it all). It's nothing complex, just a even mix of high hat, snare, high hat, snare, etc. etc. The high hat is done in 16th-note patterns, with the snare coming in on beats 2 and 4. It never changes throughout the song. No cymbal crashes, no toms. Just a simple, easy drive. I have heard this particular song referred to as "good driving music" before, and that's probably the reason why: the drum beat is a steady loop. It stays right in the front, as is the case (I believe) with many good "driving" songs.
Once the drums come enter, they set the pace for the rest of the song. Here is where I believe Bruce uses one of his greatest strengths - syncopation. This is not a new concept by any means. Right before the band comes in, the piano toys with the drums for 3 measures, syncopating off the drums' even rhythm. What a great way to take a simple beat and draw the listener in! Songs like Mandolin Rain, Every Little Kiss, The Valley Road and The End of the Innocence are all rich in syncopation.
Now the band enters and the song is off. Bruce has hooked you in now and there's no turning back. You
have to listen now. Let's now address the chord progressions. In this song, there are only two. First the verse:
Am Em D C
G D C
*When I spell out chords, the will read from left to right on the piano.
You may say, "What's so great about those chords? It's not like no one's used them before." Bruce doesn't just play root-positioned Am, Em, etc. Bruce is very wise when it comes to voicing, or the combination of notes he uses to make a chord. I have adopted his methods into my playing, and it really makes alot of difference. Two things that I believe make Bruce's chord voicing so strong are his use of the Major 2nd, the 4th, and the Major/minor 7th. Let's take Am. An easy way to play Am would be A, E (left hand), A, C, E (right hand). When Bruce plays Am, he usually uses 4th and the minor 7th, reading like this : A, G (left hand), C, D, G (right hand). D is the 4th and G is the minor 7th. If you were charting this, you could say Am7 or C/A. Either would apply. If you're a pianist, try this! It's so lush.
Let's now look at the C chord. In many of Bruce's hits, the C chord tends to be the 4-chord (with G being the root). Here is where I believe Bruce has a signature move (he has many, but this is one). Alot of times if Bruce has a 4-chord, or in this instance C, he will use the Major 2nd and the Major 7th, reading like so: C, G, E (left hand), D, G, B, (right hand). D is the Major 2nd, B is the Major 7th. However, Bruce's signature comes a half beat before this chord, when leading into it, he will throw on an Am (in the 2nd inversion) to lead into the C chord: E, A, C (right hand) to the C chord above. It will send chills down your spine!
The second chord progression in this song is the following:
G F C
Of course, Bruce colors it a little. This comes during the chorus, where Bruce says, "That's just the way it is...some things will never change, etc." He plays the chord progression first as kind of a question, then answers it by saying, "That's just the way it is". It's really quite clever.
When you listen to other songs of Bruce's like "Mandolin Rain" or the "Valley Road", these patterns can be heard. A guest jazz artist that came to Montevallo once told me that the way to improve your improvsation is to develop a music vocabulary, and that's what I hear in Bruce's music. He has a music vocabulary that
he created, not the music industry. That's the final reason I love Bruce Hornsby so much. He has found a way to break out of the G D Em C jail and form a new combination of chords and voicings that ultimately set him apart from every other artist out there.
