Echosmith - Bright
20150819:
I kept the standard tuning instead of tuning half a step down. Partially because I'm lazy, but also because I figured I often sing in the key of G anyways.
Personally I went through the following steps:
1) Listen to the song 2-3 times and just ghost strum along. That way I can hear how the rhythm guitar strums.
2) As I continued, I learned that feeling/listening to the bass (if you have a decent subwoofer) is also helpful.
3) Just strum along to the song a couple of times.
4) Sing along to the song a couple of times.
5) Strum and sing along to the song many, many times (10-15).
6) Stop playing the song and try playing and singing it myself, in the original style of the song 2-3 times.
7) Still without the song, but now play and sing the song in my own style. Continually modifying what feels right.
8) After about 5-10 repetitions of covering the song, I try to play along with the song again. I found my current cover was too fast.
9) Go back and modify my cover. I try and focus on some of the trouble points.
a) ...[G] should be [Cadd9] You make me sing [Em7] ooohhh...: Eventually I found that if I play four counts of G followed by four counts of Cadd9, that I should start singing "You make me sing" on the fourth count of Cadd9. Where there is plenty of prep due to the third and fourth count of G, as well as the first three counts of Cadd9 being void of singing.
b) ...[Cadd9] love, [D] love [Cadd9] Did you see...: Here I learned that instead of playing four counts, shortening the Cadd9 to two counts, followed by two counts of D, is perfect for transition to the two counts per chord during the chorus.
c) ...[D] get me? I think [Cadd9]you and the...: This one stumped me for a while. At first I knew that "you and the Moon and" should quickly be sung during Cadd9. But sometimes "I think" would fall into Cadd9. So finally I realized that I was holding "me?" for too long and starting "I think" too late. As such, I started focusing on rushing "I think" in at the end of playing the D chord.
Simple Pattern: 1 bass-p, 2 strum
-- This simple pattern helped me get used to the rhythm. However, it's real slow and can actually be hard to keep without a metronome.
Regular Pattern: 1 bass-p, & third string-i, 2 second+first string-m+a, & third string-i.
-- This filled the song a bit more and slightly helped timing in some situations when it came to singing.
Song Patterns:
Each measure is four counts.
0 = G | Cadd9 |
I = G | G/F# | Em7 | Em7 | Cadd9 | D | G | Cadd9 |
II = Em7 | Cadd9 | Em7 | Cadd9 D |
III = Cadd9 G | Em7 D |
III' = Cadd9 G | Em7 |
IV = G G/F# | Em7 Cadd9 |
V = Em7 | A |
Song Breakdown:
Intro: 0 0
Verse 1: I
Verse 2: I
Pre-Chorus: II
Chorus: III III III III IV IV
Verse 3: I
Pre-Chorus: II
Chorus: III III III III IV IV
Bridge: V V
Chorus'/Outro: III III III [ III' III' ]* III IV IV [ IV IV G ]*
*Omitting the bracketed material would result in the normal chorus. Thus, instead of memorizing the outro, one can play the chorus and add the extra material naturally by knowing the lyrics. The repetition of the lyrics is what forces the alteration/repetition of III to III' and IV. The final G is also a natural way to end the song.
Analysis:
Key: G major
progI: I | Imaj7 | vi | vi | IVadd9 | V | I | IVadd9 |
progII: vi | IV | vi | IV V |
-- this progression serves as a connection between progI and progIII. It can be thought of as vi | IV with an altered repeat, where the extra V allows the return to IV without sounding repetitive (i.e., ... | IV | IV I | ...).
progIII: IV I | vi V |
-- when one first heads into this progression, we have IV-V-IV-I. And when it repeats into itself, we have vi-V-IV-I
-- when we leave it, we have vi-V-I-I
progIV: I Imaj7 | vi IV |
progV: vi | V/V |
-- I don't think I've yet learned the art of making a bridge in my own songs
-- In any case, looking at the rest of the song, we can see it is replacing progIV. What then makes vi | V/V a good substitution for I Imaj7 | vi IV? The closest I can think of is viewing it as vi | IV/vi (in E melodic minor: i | IV) and I | IV. Huh, Cadd9 = C E G D is close to Emin7 = E G B D. Taking endprogIV-progV-progV-startprogIII in E melodic minor we'd have ...i-imin7-i-IV-i-IV-imin7..., which is a stretch, but interesting reason to why it works.
-- At this point I do some research, and apparently starting with a minor chord is good, and starting with the vi-chord is common. [Then it hits me, the 6th of the major is the relative minor]
Lyrics:
[G][Cadd9][G][Cadd9]
[G]I think the universe is [G/F#]on my side
[Em7]Heaven and Earth have finally aligned
[Cadd9]Days are good and [D; me: drop pitch of voice]that's they way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
[G]You sprinkle stardust on my [G/F#]pillow case
[Em7]It's like a moonbeam brushed across my face
[G]Nights are good and [D; me: drop pitch of voice]that's the way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
You make me sing [Em7]ooohhh la la [Cadd9]laaa
You make a girl go [Em7]oohhh oohhh [Alternatively "You make a boy think"]
I'm in [Cadd9]love, [D]love
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [G]bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]And I see colors in a [G/F#]different way
[Em7]You make what doesn't matter fade to grey
[G]Life is good and [D]that's the way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
You make me sing [Em7]ooohhh la la [Cadd9]laaa
You make a girl go [Em7]oohhh oohhh [Alternatively "You make a boy think"]
I'm in [Cadd9]love, [D]love
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [[Bridge]][Em7]bright, [Em7]so [A]bright [A]
And I get [Em7]lost (ooohh) [Em7]in your [A]eyes [A]
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right [Em7]
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right [Em7]
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [G]bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
And I get [G]lost (ooohh) [G/F#] in your [Em7]ey[Cadd9]es [G note]tonight
20150820:
Today I worked on playing the song from memory. After all the practice and analysis from yesterday, I was able to get it down pretty well.
Some things I needed to remember is the start of each verse.
1) I think... 2) You sprinkle... 3) And I see colors...
Another thing I came across is that the lyrics are "moonbeam" and the tab I used as a basis wrote "moonshine".
Finally, the hardest part to remember was the bridge.
20160126:
I made some modifications so I could sing the song more comfortably. In particular I changed the D chord after "star tonight?" to G and instead of going up in pitch at the end of the verse, I've experimented with bringing it down. I might also have to adjust the bridge, but I'm not sure how.
I kept the standard tuning instead of tuning half a step down. Partially because I'm lazy, but also because I figured I often sing in the key of G anyways.
Personally I went through the following steps:
1) Listen to the song 2-3 times and just ghost strum along. That way I can hear how the rhythm guitar strums.
2) As I continued, I learned that feeling/listening to the bass (if you have a decent subwoofer) is also helpful.
3) Just strum along to the song a couple of times.
4) Sing along to the song a couple of times.
5) Strum and sing along to the song many, many times (10-15).
6) Stop playing the song and try playing and singing it myself, in the original style of the song 2-3 times.
7) Still without the song, but now play and sing the song in my own style. Continually modifying what feels right.
8) After about 5-10 repetitions of covering the song, I try to play along with the song again. I found my current cover was too fast.
9) Go back and modify my cover. I try and focus on some of the trouble points.
a) ...[G] should be [Cadd9] You make me sing [Em7] ooohhh...: Eventually I found that if I play four counts of G followed by four counts of Cadd9, that I should start singing "You make me sing" on the fourth count of Cadd9. Where there is plenty of prep due to the third and fourth count of G, as well as the first three counts of Cadd9 being void of singing.
b) ...[Cadd9] love, [D] love [Cadd9] Did you see...: Here I learned that instead of playing four counts, shortening the Cadd9 to two counts, followed by two counts of D, is perfect for transition to the two counts per chord during the chorus.
c) ...[D] get me? I think [Cadd9]you and the...: This one stumped me for a while. At first I knew that "you and the Moon and" should quickly be sung during Cadd9. But sometimes "I think" would fall into Cadd9. So finally I realized that I was holding "me?" for too long and starting "I think" too late. As such, I started focusing on rushing "I think" in at the end of playing the D chord.
Simple Pattern: 1 bass-p, 2 strum
-- This simple pattern helped me get used to the rhythm. However, it's real slow and can actually be hard to keep without a metronome.
Regular Pattern: 1 bass-p, & third string-i, 2 second+first string-m+a, & third string-i.
-- This filled the song a bit more and slightly helped timing in some situations when it came to singing.
Song Patterns:
Each measure is four counts.
0 = G | Cadd9 |
I = G | G/F# | Em7 | Em7 | Cadd9 | D | G | Cadd9 |
II = Em7 | Cadd9 | Em7 | Cadd9 D |
III = Cadd9 G | Em7 D |
III' = Cadd9 G | Em7 |
IV = G G/F# | Em7 Cadd9 |
V = Em7 | A |
Song Breakdown:
Intro: 0 0
Verse 1: I
Verse 2: I
Pre-Chorus: II
Chorus: III III III III IV IV
Verse 3: I
Pre-Chorus: II
Chorus: III III III III IV IV
Bridge: V V
Chorus'/Outro: III III III [ III' III' ]* III IV IV [ IV IV G ]*
*Omitting the bracketed material would result in the normal chorus. Thus, instead of memorizing the outro, one can play the chorus and add the extra material naturally by knowing the lyrics. The repetition of the lyrics is what forces the alteration/repetition of III to III' and IV. The final G is also a natural way to end the song.
Analysis:
Key: G major
progI: I | Imaj7 | vi | vi | IVadd9 | V | I | IVadd9 |
progII: vi | IV | vi | IV V |
-- this progression serves as a connection between progI and progIII. It can be thought of as vi | IV with an altered repeat, where the extra V allows the return to IV without sounding repetitive (i.e., ... | IV | IV I | ...).
progIII: IV I | vi V |
-- when one first heads into this progression, we have IV-V-IV-I. And when it repeats into itself, we have vi-V-IV-I
-- when we leave it, we have vi-V-I-I
progIV: I Imaj7 | vi IV |
progV: vi | V/V |
-- I don't think I've yet learned the art of making a bridge in my own songs
-- In any case, looking at the rest of the song, we can see it is replacing progIV. What then makes vi | V/V a good substitution for I Imaj7 | vi IV? The closest I can think of is viewing it as vi | IV/vi (in E melodic minor: i | IV) and I | IV. Huh, Cadd9 = C E G D is close to Emin7 = E G B D. Taking endprogIV-progV-progV-startprogIII in E melodic minor we'd have ...i-imin7-i-IV-i-IV-imin7..., which is a stretch, but interesting reason to why it works.
-- At this point I do some research, and apparently starting with a minor chord is good, and starting with the vi-chord is common. [Then it hits me, the 6th of the major is the relative minor]
Lyrics:
[G][Cadd9][G][Cadd9]
[G]I think the universe is [G/F#]on my side
[Em7]Heaven and Earth have finally aligned
[Cadd9]Days are good and [D; me: drop pitch of voice]that's they way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
[G]You sprinkle stardust on my [G/F#]pillow case
[Em7]It's like a moonbeam brushed across my face
[G]Nights are good and [D; me: drop pitch of voice]that's the way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
You make me sing [Em7]ooohhh la la [Cadd9]laaa
You make a girl go [Em7]oohhh oohhh [Alternatively "You make a boy think"]
I'm in [Cadd9]love, [D]love
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [G]bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]And I see colors in a [G/F#]different way
[Em7]You make what doesn't matter fade to grey
[G]Life is good and [D]that's the way it should [G]be [Cadd9]
You make me sing [Em7]ooohhh la la [Cadd9]laaa
You make a girl go [Em7]oohhh oohhh [Alternatively "You make a boy think"]
I'm in [Cadd9]love, [D]love
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [[Bridge]][Em7]bright, [Em7]so [A]bright [A]
And I get [Em7]lost (ooohh) [Em7]in your [A]eyes [A]
[Cadd9]Did you [G]see that shooting [Em7]star tonight?[D; me: G]
[Cadd9]Were you [G]dazzled by the [Em7]same constel[D]lation?
[Cadd9]Did you and [G]Jupiter con[Em7]spire to get [D]me?
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right [Em7]
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right [Em7]
I think [Cadd9]you and the Moon and [G]Neptune got it [Em7]right
'Cause [D]now I'm shining [G]bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
[G]Bright, [G/F#] so [Em7]bright [Cadd9]
And I get [G]lost (ooohh) [G/F#] in your [Em7]ey[Cadd9]es [G note]tonight
20150820:
Today I worked on playing the song from memory. After all the practice and analysis from yesterday, I was able to get it down pretty well.
Some things I needed to remember is the start of each verse.
1) I think... 2) You sprinkle... 3) And I see colors...
Another thing I came across is that the lyrics are "moonbeam" and the tab I used as a basis wrote "moonshine".
Finally, the hardest part to remember was the bridge.
20160126:
I made some modifications so I could sing the song more comfortably. In particular I changed the D chord after "star tonight?" to G and instead of going up in pitch at the end of the verse, I've experimented with bringing it down. I might also have to adjust the bridge, but I'm not sure how.
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