Foolhardy project to learn all the parts to the Beach Boys' songs
Thursday, March 2, 2017
"Barnyard"
Yester-day I listened to the second disc of The SMiLE Sessions [Deluxe Edition Box Set], and I noticed that in "Barnyard," there's a piano phrase that nearly doubles the vocal melody (I think it leaves out a few notes). It sounded easy, so I figured it out. I also noticed that the bass has double stops, where in my previous recording, I'd played just single notes. While I was correcting that, I discovered that the bass part changes about halfway through the song. First, it's just quarter notes:
But then about halfway through, it changes to a dotted rhythm:
I referenced the version on the 2004 SMiLE, and it doesn't have that dotted section; it maintains the quarter notes throughout the song.
When I recorded my new version, I tried the guitar part on electric twelve-string, which sounds a bit closer to what the original recording has. I referenced The SMiLE Sessions booklet for details about the instrumentation on the track, and it seemed equally confused about whether it's an electric or acoustic guitar.