As - Stevie Wonder

[paul, the]

This is a long shot but:


Calling out to anyone with good ears - Trying to play along to "As" by Stevie and I'd like to know if anyone knows what happens after the first chorus? I can't work out the note when the backing singers sing "dream" and then what happens after that before it returns to the normal chord structure.


I can't work out whether its a key change or whether "dream" is just a funny note that plays psychological tricks and throws you off.

Sorry if what I have asked is unclear. I would greatly appreciate any help.

It starts in a major patter in B - going from B to E with the odd A chord.

The pre-chorus takes a minor pattern - is box shaped - like VI-VII-III-II (Ab, Bb, Eb, C#)

And the chorus minor pattern from the 6th chromatic in B major - VI-VII-I-II (Ab, Bb, B, C#)


Cheers,

Paul.

[Kiwi]

There's an Eb half tone which comes in on the lyric 'dream' and leads back into the E¦B pattern. Is that the bit you're after? Its a passing note too, so don't get too hung up on how it fits into the key.

[paul, the]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='10714' date='Jun 1 2007, 07:09 PM']There's an Eb half note which comes in on the lyric 'dream' and leads back into the E¦B pattern. Is that the bit you're after? Its a passing note too, so don't get too hung up on how it fits into the key.[/quote]

Thank you!

That really trips me up. I'll give it a try in a minute.

[paul, the]

I had a quick play with an acoustic guitar and t sounds a little funny after "dream."

Are you sure it doesn't move up a fourth/ a string?


I'll spend some time on it Monday and figure it out properly.

[Kiwi]

I'm not altogether sure what you mean by 'a 4th' since you've not actually stated what chord you're hearing. But assuming we're talking about the same place, it definitely sounds to me like there's a semitone shift on the last two beats just before it goes back into the verse.

On my second listen it actually sounds more like the bass shifts down from an F to an E. But you could play an Eb and it wouldn't hurt the song much. I can't hear an A at all and such a simple harmony would dull the colour in the rest of the harmonies somewhat. How he manages to write such rich harmonies and then gets lost in the groove I don't know. The guy's a incredible musician.

When I played this track in my own band, I had more trouble with the passage at the end of the first verse. Neither the Musical Director nor I could pin that one down and I ended up having to wing it. (Although the girls ended up hating the song and we dropped it before performing it live). Now I've got a decent set of studio monitors to listen to the tracks through, its a lot easier to pick the changes and I know now that the bass was actually a lot simpler harmonically than the MD wanted me to play! (No wonder I kept stuffing it up eh? Bloody keyboardists. )

[Lenny B]

I'd love to see some accurate transcriptions of some of Stevie's basslines - I used to poorly approximate his line on Boogie On Reggae Woman, but i'd really like to know what he (or others) actually played.

If i wasn't so tired i'd think of my Top 5 Stevie Lines, but I know off hand that Golden Lady's on there.

[paul, the]

Okay, it's late, I don't want to wake anyone up so I'm sat here quietly plucking away at a classical acoustic whilst listening to the song through headphones on a laptop that either plays quiet bass or distorted bass. But that doesn't matter as it's the chords I'm looking for.


When I said it changes to A in the verses I think it's actually C# - which obviously makes more sense but I'm used to Stevie's surprises. - [b]EDIT[/b] - I've gone back to A and D.

Lyrics from: [url="http://artists.letssingit.com/stevie-wonder-lyrics-as-7c7n6x2"]http://artists.letssingit.com/stevie-wonde...rics-as-7c7n6x2[/url]

On the first verse it's after "And the rosebuds know to bloom in early may" it there's a chord change to C# (I think) instead of the regular E. It then does this after second line in each verse. Although the C# still doesn't sound low enough to me.


What I'm trying to say (I'm doing a terrible job I know) after "dream" (third verse) with the Eb - I think it all moves up five semitones on to the E. But instead of being I-IV it's now I-V, from the E to the original B. Then like the C# I'm proposing exists at the end of the second line in the first and second verses - on the third verse it's now Gb (after: "Her acceptance is the way we pay")

And then the pre-chorus part at the end of the third (screwy) verse "To last through forever and another day" performs a turnaround to the original chord pattern B-E (I-IV). But I'm just working that out now, I think it starts on the C# (01:20).

Right I think through "To last through forever and another" C# is played and then it moves to Eb on the day and then Ab before the 4th verse. But I really need to learn the specific notes.

[b]Intro[/b]
|B---|E---|B---|E---|

[b]1st Verse:[/b]

B--------------------------------------------------------E-------------------------------------------------------|
As around the sun the earth knows she's revolving

B--------------------------------------------------------A-------------------------------------------------------|
And the rosebuds know to bloom in early may

B--------------------------------------------------------E-------------------------------------------------------|
Just as hate knows love's the cure | You can rest your mind assure

------Ab----Bb------------------Eb---------C# (although bass plays differently, possibly: Ab, Bb, Ab, Gb)
That I'll be loving you always


[b]2nd Verse:[/b]

B--------------------------------------------------------E--------------------------------------------------------|
As now can't reveal the mystery of tomorrow

B--------------------------------------------------------A--------------------------------------------------------|
But in passing will grow older every day

B--------------------------------------------------------E--------------------------------------------------------|
Just as all that's born is new | You know what I say is true

------Ab----Bb----------Eb Ab
That I'll be loving you always


[b]Chorus:[/b]

Ab--------Bb-------------------B-----------------C# -----------------|
(Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky)

Ab--------Bb-------------------B-----------------C# -----------------|
(Until the ocean covers every mountain high)

Ab--------Bb-------------------B--------------C# --------------------|
(Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea)

Ab--------Bb-------------------B--------------F9----------------------|
(Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream)



[b]3rd (screwy) Verse:[/b]


E--------------------------------------------B--------------------------------------------|
Did you know that true love asks for nothing

E-------------------------------------D---------------------------------------------------|
Her acceptance is the way we pay

E--------------------------------------------B--------------------------------------------|
Did you know that life has given love a guarantee

-----C#-------------------------------------Eb----Ab (Gb)?
To last through forever and another day


Then 4th and 5th verses and repeated chorus+bridge, outro chorus.

----


I'll try playing this tomorrow on an instrument that's in tune. I know a lot of it will be wrong as I'm almost tone deaf. Please tell me what changes to make and if I agree, I'll edit.

(It didn't take as long as it looks )

Cheers,

Paul.

Edited June 2, 2007 by paul, the

[Kiwi]

I think the notes you've shown shift from bass part to chords and back to bass part in places. I've copied some chords from [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/stevie_wonder/as_crd.htm"]http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/stev...nder/as_crd.htm[/url]

I think you'll notice that in the section we've been discussing, they suggest its an F9 the first time around which introduces a much richer tension than using the Eb.


Chorus 1:

G#m______D#7/A#________B___________C#
(Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky)
Always

G#m______D#7/A#________B___________C#
(Until the ocean covers every mountain high)
Always

G#m______D#7/A#_________B__________C#
(Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea)

G#m______D#7/A#______B__________[1: F9; to bridge][others: C#]
Always
(Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream)

[paul, the]

It didn't cross my mind to look on the internet. They don't normally have songs like this on there.

Anyway the following site has basically the same thing I came up with originally (with the A and D major chords). It also agrees with the 3rd screwy verse I-V idea - which makes me very pleased indeed - As I was worried I was completely wrong.


[url="http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.guitaretab.com/w/wonder-stevie/21046.html"]http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.guit...evie/21046.html[/url]


---

I'll try out your last post CK. I'm going to keep playing this until I get it right.

Edited June 2, 2007 by paul, the

[Kiwi]

'K, have fun!

[paul, the]

I agree with the F9 fo' sho'.

It's great to have the last line of the verses and bridge laid out for me like that. I was basically playing them, except I was playing the 6th in G#m6 and the flattened 7 in D#7 (both B ).


I've got it down now, thanks CK!


paul.

Edited June 2, 2007 by paul, the

[Kiwi]

you're welcome - a happy ending is what counts

[therealting]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='11002' date='Jun 2 2007, 12:56 PM']you're welcome - a happy ending is what counts [/quote]

For the curious - the F9 is a tritone substitution for a B dominant (which is a nice dominant to use when going to the next chord, which is an E major 7 type chord).