I drove my housemates mad with repeated playings of the Diamond Dust track of Blow by Blow when the album first came out. HAD TO figure it out & LEARN IT! Didn't know at the time who composed it & am happy to be able to tell you now how much pleasure it has given me over 40+ years. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is one of the most interesting & moving tunes of my lifetime. A thousand thanks.
Thank you for your sincere and heartfelt appreciation, Richard. I am happy that my composition has given you so much pleasure - Best Wishes to you from Bernie
@@BernieHollandMusic This song plays in my head without even listening to it. Blow by Blow has meant so much to me and there was nothing, nothing more perfect to end it than this composition. This is eternal. I am so grateful you wrote this and gave us all this gift.
Incredible to hear your original version, sir! Beautiful. The blow by blow version is obviously a masterpiece of interpretation and that record and wired are among the greatest records ever made imho. Your composition is a huge part of bbb.😊
Thanks Robert - without your encouragement I may well not have bothered doing this ! Yes, it involved a lot of work but the responses I have had over all this have been very positive. thanks again Bernie
Probably my favorite song of all time the 1st few times I heard Jeff's version it made me cry I thought it was so beautiful and the title"Diamond Dust "is perfect. Thanks, Bernie for writing such an incredible song that I never get tired of hearing. I wish you would post another with your upgraded studio equipment. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Bernie, I'd like to say thank you to have written one of the most beautiful songs ever, of course I first heard on the "Blow by Blow" by Jeff Beck Back in the late 70's in the 80's I transcribed and I was playing since them. Thank you for your new version and again for have written this wonderful song!
Incredible piece of music. Just got the news that Jeff Beck passed and have been listening to his music when I came across this. Thank you, Mr Holland, for writing one of my favorite songs.
Keep coming back to this one. Love it Bernie..love it. Actually it reminds me alot of a beautiful, very early track by Phil Upchurch from 1967.."Electrik Head" its called.
All time favorite chord progression! I'm a classical pianist/rock guitarist and I've studied Bach, Beethoven, and all the great guitarists and I've personally never heard a more beautiful progression.
Terrific work. It is nice that you added your own original version of this song, it gives us a better interpretation of your intentions for the piece. I wish Jeff Beck would actually play this live because it is my favorite song he has done yet, and it is cool that you wrote it.
This composition of yours has a long history in my heart. I 1st discovered it during the 1976 summer holidays that I spent with my brother in a host family in Seaford (Sussex), I was 14. This melody can instantly take me back to this place. It's a real invitation to travel in your mind. I must have bought a couple of vinyl copies of the album, and later of the CD. I also 1st learned to play the melody, then the chord progression. Thank you so much for this beautiful composition. Philippe DUREL
What's amazing about this composition for me is how it so effortlessly and continuously shifts between the "emotions" of tension and resolution. I've said to friends that this song has the entirety of my life in it, the good and the bad, the joy and the pain, the hope and the dispare,..and everything in between. And in the end it's hard or impossible to capture with words, it simply is what it is. And what a beautiful piece of music you have composed here - I think Jeff Beck (rest his spirit) understood and brought it into full bloom. 🙏
Glad to have found you at last as composer of this Bernie. I'm 67 now and I've treasured this lovely composition since I first heard it at 23. It has inspired me and so many other musicians. Keep at it!
oh my god, this amazing, this is one of the most beautiful things ive ever heard, and the bass is so amazing to, i cannot think of words to describe this
Bernie- thanks for posting. I've been separated from my vinyl for about 13 years, which included the Hummingbird albums. I'm listening to "We can't go on meeting like this" right now. These albums are SO awesome and certainly hold up to the test of time. I'm equaling enjoying your post of your version of Diamond Dust. This tune is sacred to me. I've spent many hours driving in my old 65 Biscayne back in the 70s listening to Blow by Blow. No idea that YOU wrote this. .
just listening to blow by blow, again after all these years, and man, I gotta say this song just totally blew me away! Hope you're still kicking and mak'n music!
An incredible song. The amount of emotional depth it provides is astounding. It is somehow in accordance with my heart and soul and draws to the surface my most pained and beautiful memories/ feelings. The work of a lifetime.
Bernie--Wonderful, jazzy stuff here, and thanks for posting it. I have all 3 Hummingbird albums (plus Blow By Blow and the two Jeff Beck Group Mark II ones), and thought you guys were just outasight, as we'd say back then. You were magic, and I'm glad to hear you still are. Cheers.
this, being the most exquisite progression i've ever heard, late 70's from j.beck's blow by blow, traced back to the original bernie holland. jazz blues hurts my dark heart like no other. THANK YOU dear brother. live on in the ether please. :)
@@BernieHollandMusic I'm spreading the original around as much as I can because people should know. But I'm really glad things turned out the way they did.
Like I said, music identification classes at least used to be required in about the 6th and 7th grade. Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and so forth. If that is still being done, this song should be required in every grade school and junior high music class in the world.
What a beautiful tune, can't think of anything that surpasses it. Always wondered how Jeff Beck got a hold of it, and how long it took him to figure out how to solo to it.
Beautiful piece! First time i listen to that piece was in Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow. Since then it's my favorite piece by far. So glad I found the original version here.
Hi Bernie ! you did an incredible job playing Diamond dust.. I remember hearing this track on the Blow by Blow Album..Jeff Beck.. I remember listening to it back in 75' and when I listen again ...the whole essence of the music is incredible.. Sadly, this generation would not understand the artistry, composition of music, I appreciate music with heart and soul... Thank you Sir!
Wonderfull Bernie! There's some sort of zappaesque quality to it. Can't really put my finger on the where and how but it's there. Love it. Great piece ...Love to hear that one in the morning. Thank you for this piece.
What a great rendition. Excellent arrangement and very different from the Beck version. A jazz feel rather than rock. Organizing the virtual band must ahve been a lot of work. I'm so glad you were able to post it. Robert Mason
Like your tune so much, I have also the instructional video for its chords. I think your piece is one of the prettier sophisticated tunes I´ve ever heard. Congrats from Rio.
Hi Bernie! I am a really good friend of Pebber Brown, and he turned me on to this video. Pebber also has a great version of "Diamond Dust." Thanks to him, I am now a huge admirer of your talent! Thank you so much for sharing, and I look forward to discovering even more of your music!
@bernieholland775 What a pleasure to hear that ;))). I'm a fan since the first hummingbird album.... Long time no see... I hope that we will hear again from you, max and Bob...
Heard version 2 first and I have to say, I really liked both. This one has that 70's fusion vibe, perhaps due to your use of those requisite pentatonic licks akin to solos by Mclaughlin, Coryell, Abercrombie, & Mike Sembello (Stevie Wonder's Contusion) prevalent in those days. Version 2 had a more lyrical & linear quality...solo had a wave like melodic contour. Both are keepers. Thanks for sharing your gifts!
This is quite amazing Bernie! Very nice intro and outro as well. I love your style of lead playing and how you managed to solo very tastefully throughout the piece. Well done
excellent! Diamond Dust was always one of my favorite songs ever recorded by Jeff Beck.....this song and my headphones spent a lot of time together....had no idea you wrote it....by the way, I still have some of the hummingbird albums! KUDOS to a truly amazing song! frank
Hej Bernie ! What an amazing compo & guitar performance......it knocks me out of my feet ! After hearing the JB`s Cover on Blow by Blow for about a thousand time until this day I was looking for the composer "Holland" and bang......I found this! Wow ! Now I know why the Great JB chooses this Masterpiece of Music as a Cover !! Congratulations..........Just one Question 2 U: "Are you maybe influenced by Philip Catherine ( somehow ) ?" Best Regards, Dieter Lösl ( Cologne,Germany )
Amazing piece, Bernie. I first heard Jeff's version of this and it's always been one of my all time favorites. I'm actually currently writing an essay on it for my portfolio to the Recording Arts Program at IU Jacob's. I'm learning so much more about this tune and It's been a fun journey. & you're really kind to be so responsive to everyone's comments. Keep on writing!
+michaelTbruner Michael - thanks for your appreciation of my work - if you want my appreciation of your work, then let me see your essay when its done! wishing you every success - Bernie
+Bernie Holland your reply means a lot! So cool to communicate with the original composer of this tune. Here is the essay: docs.google.com/document/d/1QEPJS9yhzR0VC3UcluEESmW8yIcgzxRq03ggJNubHRg/edit?usp=docslist_api
Message to michaelTbruner _ Thanks for submitting your essay here - It is clear to me that my composition has affected you on a very deep level as a human and spiritual being. That you should have listened so intently to this piece and offered such an exhaustive analysis is an honour which I accept in all humility. You write "I know very little about the universe and the reason for our race's existence". This is a most profound comment which I cannot give an explanation for, other than to say that I believe the essence of our being transcends all space and time - further that as human beings we are in a constant state of striving for a better condition of life, not just for ourselves, but for all our fellow human beings in this great family we call the human race. I agree with your comment that music is an intangible force - we cannot constrain or control it, but it can touch us on many levels and communicate with us beyond the boundaries of nationality or culture. I wish you every success with all your endeavours in the future - Yours Sincerely - Bernie
+michaelTbruner Impressive essay. "Diamond Dust" is also my favourite from Jeff Beck, along with "Sophie" (a 7/8 tune by Narada Walden). I'm glad that it makes people feel such a way. And congrats to Bernie for such an amazing piece.
+Bernie Holland Hi Bernie. I remember a video of you playing the beautiful chord structure of your masterpiece Diamond Dust. It was on RUclips several years ago. I can't seem to find it now. Is it still around?
Just beautiful ... Mr Holland ... just beautiful ... as one of Jeff Becks greatest performances ... I would hope that you have been suitably compensated ... although, I very much doubt it. (I know the full story ... I knew George Martin) ... Respect to you Bernie (sad song)
I am...mesmerised. This is the first time I actually listen to the original and I am lost for words...it's already in my top 10. By the way, can someone tell me the name and author of the picture that is in display on the video? Thanks.
The picture is also my work - it is is a portrait I did of the guitarist Andres Segovia - using chalk, charcoal and pastel - it has been done in the style of Cubism, an experimental art movement that emerged very early in the 20th Century - I am an artist as well as a musician - I am also into photography as well. Thank you for your enquiry - you are the first person to have asked that question !
@@BernieHollandMusic I'm forever grateful for your work and inspiration, both as a musician and as all around artist!!! I wish you great health and well being!! Salute.
Good show Bernie. I first heard Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow version and was absolutely astonished at the beauty of the track. Since then, I've heard yours and countless numbers doing their own take and everyone of them have been equally impressive. Probably my favourite song ever.
The character you're referring to is kanji for the word meaning "strength" and pronounced "kyodo". It refers to my consulting company. My question to is when did you first record Diamond Dust (I'm guessing c. 1973 ??)
I was going to say that "Diamond Dust" has to be one of the most moving pieces of music ever written. It's timeless, like a gift from the gods.....BUT the guy before me already said it. But seriously, it is an amazing piece.
Hi Bernie. This is a beautiful piece. The last time we met was with Billy Connolly in Weymouth many years ago. Before that was with Georgie Fame in Bristol. We First met when I was playing at the Hawthorns hotel in Bristol. You guys invited me up for a drink afterwards. You were with Stomu Yamashta's East Wind. Love to catch up with you some day. I will make it my business to find you and hear you play again Paul McMillan
Your picking and style reminds me exclusively of Larry Coryell, Bernie. Spectacular! I've always heard that but never pointed it out. That would be something for you and Larry to have played this beautiful masterpiece together. I don't know if you play keyboards, but for your rhythm and that sort of 1-2-3-2-4 five note picking motif in this classic, I know Electro-Harmonix has a good synthesizer input, with no lag, but so does Boss SY-1. Regardless, you apparently already have everything which you used to make even a more beautiful introduction to this song which should be archived with every composer in music history.
I almost got to meet Larry - he was supposed to come over the UK a few years ago but he passed away before I got the chance - he was a great player - he was also a Buddhist - like myself
You know what I really like about this song? This may seem like a insult, but it really isn't: that repeated piano figure when the main melody first appears. It just summons up a lot of the professional musical scene in the 1970s for me. It sounds like the missing soundtrack to one of those Universal Studios movie title sequences - a mystery drama. Either I've heard that sort of thing before this song came out or it influenced a bunch of studio musicians, I don't know which. I'm kind of hearing the incidental music to an episode of "Night Gallery" here. But I'm unfamiliar with any other 1970s piece that has this piano figure. It's very evocative of its time and place, if that makes sense. Anyway, masterful. I've always loved this song. It never gets old.
Help! Can someone, anyone, tell me who orchestrated the strings for Diamond Dust on Blow by Blow? Bernie, thank you for an incredible piece! I've always considered the string orchestration to be masterful ever since I used to listen to it in the 70s. Thanks again!
@@BernieHollandMusic I didn't even scratch the surface Bernie. This one-of-a-kind masterpiece, if I was some music teacher at Juliard, or high school, it doesn't matter. This song should be required in music composition history. Thank you for showing the chords to this also on your SG, which I would have never thought of. One of my favorite really smooth transitions you do is starting at 9th fret, beginning with the low E, now being low D bass string in this song, 9-6-8-8-6-6, (holding that with rotating picking of course), and then the graceful transition to 8-9-6-6-6-6 you made, then to 4-4-6-6-4-4, and then 3-3-5-3-4-3. Because of the delicate nature to the main opening of this song, I'll stick with the 1-2-3-2-4 picking motif until later in certain parts, depending, and strike all the strings at once, but not too much. Maybe to get that sort of slight skipping feel too. The reason for that is, even though the beautiful intro to this song is delicate, it builds up to more drama later on in the mix. You can kinda hear an orchestra in your mind segueing into it and getting louder. So, mainly for emphasis on certain parts. That's what is also special about this Bernie Holland masterpiece is that emotional building to it. There is absolutely nothing like this song in music history.
Love this Bernie, although some of the guitar in the right channel early on seems a little dry. Not complaining, glad you did this - just wanted to offer an opinion. The lead later on is dreamy.
awesome. I have read joe henderson did a version. do you know what album that is on. If it actually is? the changes in this song are just so perfect, along with the melody. I would imagine a sax playing it would be really cool. I can't for the life of me understand why there are not handfuls of jazz versions out there. to me it seems like the kind of changes that should be explored as a standard. I can imagine someone blowing some pretty twisting lines on this.
steve Hi Steve - You are right - Joe Henderson did cover my tune - but I don't know what album it was on - It was also covered by a Brazilian guy by the name of Coke Escovado - glad you like the changes
I love Jeff Beck's interpretation but there's no denying the talent that wrote the piece. Exceptional. Edit: I find the programmed drums a bit distracting. You need Vinnie Coliuta or Dave Weckl in the studio.
I understand why you said that - however, I recorded this years ago - the drum samples I now have are far better and would be less "distracting" - however, if Dave or Vinnie wish to come over and replace the drum track, I would welcome either of them.
love this song what is the timeing it sounds like 7 in the intro but then goes else where :) can you tell me the mystery of the diamond dust thanks Bernie
Dear Bernie, this tune is wonderful. Was it ever recorded before Jeff Beck? How did it come about? Did you show this to Jeff Beck and he decided to record it?
Victor Lazzarini Victor - it was originally going to be recorded on an album I was doing with a band called Hummingbird - however, the keyboard player Max Middleton was about to do an album with Jeff and he liked it so much that he recorded it first
Bernie can you please tell me the tuning you used on this song? It's so beautiful but I won't be able to fully enjoy it without your alternate tuning or perhaps a link to your lesson. I viewed your lesson a few years ago but it has disappeared sniff sniff....
+Bernie Holland Bloody hell, if YOUR musicianship can be insulted what hope for the rest of us?Such a shame...Thank you for this one (R.I.P. George Martin)
Diamond Dust has to be one of the most moving pieces of music ever written. It's timeless, like a gift from the Gods.Thankyou Bernie Holland.
Thank you so much for your expression of appreciation !
There is only ONE God. That's Who gave Bernie this unique ability.
@@stratoleft It's just an expression dude chill out.
I drove my housemates mad with repeated playings of the Diamond Dust track of Blow by Blow when the album first came out. HAD TO figure it out & LEARN IT! Didn't know at the time who composed it & am happy to be able to tell you now how much pleasure it has given me over 40+ years. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is one of the most interesting & moving tunes of my lifetime. A thousand thanks.
Thank you for your sincere and heartfelt appreciation, Richard. I am happy that my composition has given you so much pleasure - Best Wishes to you from Bernie
@@BernieHollandMusic This song plays in my head without even listening to it. Blow by Blow has meant so much to me and there was nothing, nothing more perfect to end it than this composition. This is eternal. I am so grateful you wrote this and gave us all this gift.
Incredible to hear your original version, sir! Beautiful. The blow by blow version is obviously a masterpiece of interpretation and that record and wired are among the greatest records ever made imho. Your composition is a huge part of bbb.😊
@@drumsspace9383 "This song plays in my head without evenlistening to it." Ditto, my friend!
@@drumsspace9383 "This song plays in my head without even listening to it." Ditto, my friend!
to write such beauty means not to live life wasted. Thank you, Bernie
MIR !
Thanks Robert - without your encouragement I may well not have bothered doing this !
Yes, it involved a lot of work but the responses I have had over all this have been very positive.
thanks again
Bernie
Probably my favorite song of all time the 1st few times I heard Jeff's version it made me cry I thought it was so beautiful and the title"Diamond Dust "is perfect. Thanks, Bernie for writing such an incredible song that I never get tired of hearing. I wish you would post another with your upgraded studio equipment. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you !
Hi Bernie, I'd like to say thank you to have written one of the most beautiful songs ever, of course I first heard on the "Blow by Blow" by Jeff Beck Back in the late 70's in the 80's I transcribed and I was playing since them. Thank you for your new version and again for have written this wonderful song!
Thank you Marco
Incredible piece of music. Just got the news that Jeff Beck passed and have been listening to his music when I came across this. Thank you, Mr Holland, for writing one of my favorite songs.
Call me Bernie ! and thanks for your kind words Keith !
Holy crap Bernie...... Amazing! My favorite Jeff Beck tune... as done by the writer. Very cool man.
Thanks brother !
Really beautiful version by the composer himself. Can't wait to hear the latest arrangement. Love your soloing too!
Thank you sir for posting this most beautiful tune! 🙏🏻
The exotic 5/4 rhythm. Exotic minor 11 chords , unusual notes. WOW, what a masterpiece!!!
Thank you Brian
Brings me healing tears…
Nick Drake’s River Man does the same thing…haunting….
thank you for your art Mr Holland.
Certainly, one of My favorites tunes of All times. Salute from a brazillian fan.
Thank you !
I'm so glad for know the original version of this wanderful piece. A classic, I think.
Thank you for your appreciation !
Keep coming back to this one.
Love it Bernie..love it.
Actually it reminds me alot of a beautiful, very early track by Phil Upchurch from 1967.."Electrik Head" its called.
Bernie, Just EXCELLENT! Thank you for one of the best instrumental pieces I have ever heard.
All time favorite chord progression! I'm a classical pianist/rock guitarist and I've studied Bach, Beethoven, and all the great guitarists and I've personally never heard a more beautiful progression.
Your kind remarks are appreciated - thank you
Thank you
Thank you for your kind comments Rob. It is clear to me that you have a good understanding of this tune. Thank you again !
Wow this is lovely and I love the guitar playing in this version. Really nice!
honored and touched to write this comment to the author of this awesome and immortal composition!!! thanks from italy!
Thank you so much !
Terrific work. It is nice that you added your own original version of this song, it gives us a better interpretation of your intentions for the piece. I wish Jeff Beck would actually play this live because it is my favorite song he has done yet, and it is cool that you wrote it.
Thank you
This is such an amazing composition, Bernie. Thank you for bringing this to us. Of course, I first heard the tune on Blow by Blow.
Thank you Charles - even if I am a year late replying !
This composition of yours has a long history in my heart.
I 1st discovered it during the 1976 summer holidays that I spent with my brother in a host family in Seaford (Sussex), I was 14.
This melody can instantly take me back to this place.
It's a real invitation to travel in your mind.
I must have bought a couple of vinyl copies of the album, and later of the CD.
I also 1st learned to play the melody, then the chord progression.
Thank you so much for this beautiful composition.
Philippe DUREL
What's amazing about this composition for me is how it so effortlessly and continuously shifts between the "emotions" of tension and resolution. I've said to friends that this song has the entirety of my life in it, the good and the bad, the joy and the pain, the hope and the dispare,..and everything in between. And in the end it's hard or impossible to capture with words, it simply is what it is.
And what a beautiful piece of music you have composed here - I think Jeff Beck (rest his spirit) understood and brought it into full bloom. 🙏
Thank you David - Jeff sure did get this down ! He might already be in another world continuing the magic !
Glad to have found you at last as composer of this Bernie. I'm 67 now and I've treasured this lovely composition since I first heard it at 23. It has inspired me and so many other musicians. Keep at it!
Thank you Richard - mighty kind of you !
oh my god, this amazing, this is one of the most beautiful things ive ever heard, and the bass is so amazing to, i cannot think of words to describe this
Bernie- thanks for posting. I've been separated from my vinyl for about 13 years, which included the Hummingbird albums. I'm listening to "We can't go on meeting like this" right now. These albums are SO awesome and certainly hold up to the test of time. I'm equaling enjoying your post of your version of Diamond Dust. This tune is sacred to me. I've spent many hours driving in my old 65 Biscayne back in the 70s listening to Blow by Blow. No idea that YOU wrote this. .
just listening to blow by blow, again after all these years, and man, I gotta say this song just totally blew me away! Hope you're still kicking and mak'n music!
Yes Robert - just uploaded another track "Detour Ahead"
It's a beautiful tune and all of us thank you for it!
It is the beauty of your being to be able to appreciate my work - thank you
An incredible song. The amount of emotional depth it provides is astounding. It is somehow in accordance with my heart and soul and draws to the surface my most pained and beautiful memories/ feelings. The work of a lifetime.
Thank you so much !
Bernie--Wonderful, jazzy stuff here, and thanks for posting it. I have all 3 Hummingbird albums (plus Blow By Blow and the two Jeff Beck Group Mark II ones), and thought you guys were just outasight, as we'd say back then. You were magic, and I'm glad to hear you still are. Cheers.
Tremendous! I remember hearing for the first time at 14. Still one of my all time favorites at 52. Thanks!!!
Thank you David
@@BernieHollandMusic
My pleasure!
Wow. I love it. The 5/4 time makes it so unique. This song is one of my all time favorite songs.
this, being the most exquisite progression i've ever heard, late 70's from j.beck's blow by blow, traced back to the original bernie holland. jazz blues hurts my dark heart like no other. THANK YOU dear brother. live on in the ether please. :)
+dean b. Thanks Dean !
This has been my all time favorite song since 1976.
Glad you like it Fred - thank you !
@@BernieHollandMusic I'm spreading the original around as much as I can because people should know. But I'm really glad things turned out the way they did.
Like I said, music identification classes at least used to be required in about the 6th and 7th grade. Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and so forth. If that is still being done, this song should be required in every grade school and junior high music class in the world.
I am honoured by your comment - thank you !
@@BernieHollandMusic My pleasure, to say the very least Bernie. This song brings tears to my eyes it's so beautiful.
Bernie,
Thank you sir. This is truly remarkable.
Thank you for your appreciation of my work
What a beautiful tune, can't think of anything that surpasses it. Always wondered how Jeff Beck got a hold of it, and how long it took him to figure out how to solo to it.
Buckwheat It was a challenge for Jeff - on his album the solo was patched together from about half a dozen takes
Still love it in 2021
Thank you !
Hello Bernie. I have never heard your version until now. Very ethereal. Greetings from Chicago. Say hello to Max Middleton and Jeff!
Why don't they write tunes like this nowadays...
Superb version.
Beautiful and very enjoyable. Thanks for uploading and sharing! !
Thank you - I am glad you enjoyed it
Gorgeous piece of music.... 💓
Glad you like it!
Please don't remove this version. It is beautiful...
OK Jim - just for you !
@@BernieHollandMusic Like I said. This song should be required listening in every school in the world.
Beautiful piece! First time i listen to that piece was in Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow. Since then it's my favorite piece by far. So glad I found the original version here.
So glad you liked it - thanks !
A half dozen takes doesn't surprise me. Max Middleton sure enhanced whatever Jeff did!
Always so magical listening to you Bernie X
Just catching up on replying to all the kind comments - take care Jude x
Hi Bernie ! you did an incredible job playing Diamond dust.. I remember hearing this track on the Blow by Blow Album..Jeff Beck.. I remember listening to it back in 75' and when I listen again ...the whole essence of the music is incredible.. Sadly, this generation would not understand the artistry, composition of music, I appreciate music with heart and soul... Thank you Sir!
Thank you Mike - I love the penguins !
Wonderfull Bernie! There's some sort of zappaesque quality to it. Can't really put my finger on the where and how but it's there. Love it. Great piece ...Love to hear that one in the morning. Thank you for this piece.
Thank you Yves !
What a great rendition. Excellent arrangement and very different from the Beck version. A jazz feel rather than rock. Organizing the virtual band must ahve been a lot of work. I'm so glad you were able to post it.
Robert Mason
All the best to you Robert !
Like your tune so much, I have also the instructional video for its chords. I think your piece is one of the prettier sophisticated tunes I´ve ever heard. Congrats from Rio.
Thank you Orlando - I love Brazil and its music too !
Hi Bernie! I am a really good friend of Pebber Brown, and he turned me on to this video. Pebber also has a great version of "Diamond Dust." Thanks to him, I am now a huge admirer of your talent! Thank you so much for sharing, and I look forward to discovering even more of your music!
Adam Steinz Adam - Yes I know Pebber, he is a good guy and a great teacher - thank you for your kind comments - best wishes - Bernie
@bernieholland775 What a pleasure to hear that ;))).
I'm a fan since the first hummingbird album....
Long time no see...
I hope that we will hear again from you, max and Bob...
Great composition. I've always love this tune. Do you have a published chart with the chord voicings?
Thanks for your kind words Matthew - Give me your e-mail address and I will send them to you
Heard version 2 first and I have to say, I really liked both. This one has that 70's fusion vibe, perhaps due to your use of those requisite pentatonic licks akin to solos by Mclaughlin, Coryell, Abercrombie, & Mike Sembello (Stevie Wonder's Contusion) prevalent in those days. Version 2 had a more lyrical & linear quality...solo had a wave like melodic contour. Both are keepers. Thanks for sharing your gifts!
+dino b. santos Thank you Dino !
Bernie Holland No...thank YOU, Bernie!
This is quite amazing Bernie! Very nice intro and outro as well. I love your style of lead playing and how you managed to solo very tastefully throughout the piece. Well done
Thank you (10 years later !)
You're SACKED!! Such an otherworldly composition. Very ethereal and reminds me of how it must feel to have wings.@@BernieHollandMusic
Amazing! What an inspiration for me .
Glad you liked it Ralph !
excellent! Diamond Dust was always one of my favorite songs ever recorded by Jeff Beck.....this song and my headphones spent a lot of time together....had no idea you wrote it....by the way, I still have some of the hummingbird albums! KUDOS to a truly amazing song!
frank
Thank you Frank !
This is really a great version Bernie, I would still love to hear you play it live !
Maybe - one day !
I love this tune , and this is a great version of it , really , nice man , can't wait to hear more !
Excellent work Bernie! Beautiful track! It must have taken hours!! Steve York
Ho you doin' Steve - it's been a while. . .
Hej Bernie ! What an amazing compo & guitar performance......it knocks me out of my feet ! After hearing the JB`s Cover on Blow by Blow for about a thousand time until this day I was looking for the composer "Holland" and bang......I found this! Wow ! Now I know why the Great JB chooses this Masterpiece of Music as a Cover !! Congratulations..........Just one Question 2 U: "Are you maybe influenced by Philip Catherine ( somehow ) ?" Best Regards, Dieter Lösl ( Cologne,Germany )
Love this version thank you...love the Jeff Beck version too.
Thank you Charles !
love this song from 70`s great job !!!!!
Sorry it has taken me four years to reply - but - many thanks Don !
Amazing piece, Bernie. I first heard Jeff's version of this and it's always been one of my all time favorites. I'm actually currently writing an essay on it for my portfolio to the Recording Arts Program at IU Jacob's. I'm learning so much more about this tune and It's been a fun journey. & you're really kind to be so responsive to everyone's comments. Keep on writing!
+michaelTbruner Michael - thanks for your appreciation of my work - if you want my appreciation of your work, then let me see your essay when its done! wishing you every success - Bernie
+Bernie Holland your reply means a lot! So cool to communicate with the original composer of this tune. Here is the essay:
docs.google.com/document/d/1QEPJS9yhzR0VC3UcluEESmW8yIcgzxRq03ggJNubHRg/edit?usp=docslist_api
Message to michaelTbruner _ Thanks for submitting your essay here - It is clear to me that my composition has affected you on a very deep level as a human and spiritual being. That you should have listened so intently to this piece and offered such an exhaustive analysis is an honour which I accept in all humility. You write "I know very little about the universe and the reason for our race's existence". This is a most profound comment which I cannot give an explanation for, other than to say that I believe the essence of our being transcends all space and time - further that as human beings we are in a constant state of striving for a better condition of life, not just for ourselves, but for all our fellow human beings in this great family we call the human race. I agree with your comment that music is an intangible force - we cannot constrain or control it, but it can touch us on many levels and communicate with us beyond the boundaries of nationality or culture. I wish you every success with all your endeavours in the future - Yours Sincerely - Bernie
+michaelTbruner Impressive essay. "Diamond Dust" is also my favourite from Jeff Beck, along with "Sophie" (a 7/8 tune by Narada Walden). I'm glad that it makes people feel such a way. And congrats to Bernie for such an amazing piece.
+Bernie Holland Hi Bernie. I remember a video of you playing the beautiful chord structure of your masterpiece Diamond Dust. It was on RUclips several years ago. I can't seem to find it now. Is it still around?
Que música maravilhosa
Thank you !
Just beautiful ... Mr Holland ... just beautiful ... as one of Jeff Becks greatest performances ... I would hope that you have been suitably compensated ... although, I very much doubt it. (I know the full story ... I knew George Martin) ... Respect to you Bernie (sad song)
Thank you Ralph - it's not too bad for me - I have a great life !
I am...mesmerised. This is the first time I actually listen to the original and I am lost for words...it's already in my top 10. By the way, can someone tell me the name and author of the picture that is in display on the video? Thanks.
The picture is also my work - it is is a portrait I did of the guitarist Andres Segovia - using chalk, charcoal and pastel - it has been done in the style of Cubism, an experimental art movement that emerged very early in the 20th Century - I am an artist as well as a musician - I am also into photography as well. Thank you for your enquiry - you are the first person to have asked that question !
@@BernieHollandMusic I'm forever grateful for your work and inspiration, both as a musician and as all around artist!!! I wish you great health and well being!! Salute.
Always loved the tune , great post .
Good show Bernie. I first heard Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow version and was absolutely astonished at the beauty of the track. Since then, I've heard yours and countless numbers doing their own take and everyone of them have been equally impressive. Probably my favourite song ever.
Thank you for your kind comment - what do those japanese calligraphic characters signify ?
The character you're referring to is kanji for the word meaning "strength" and pronounced "kyodo". It refers to my consulting company. My question to is when did you first record Diamond Dust (I'm guessing c. 1973 ??)
Jeff Beck recorded my composition Diamond Dust in 1973 on the album Blow by Blow
Yes it was 1973 - wishing you success and kyodo with your company - mai ji sa ze nen
Niiiiiice!! Good job Bernie, I really like what you did with your version.
I was going to say that "Diamond Dust" has to be one of the most moving pieces of music ever written. It's timeless, like a gift from the gods.....BUT the guy before me already said it. But seriously, it is an amazing piece.
Thank you so much !
Hi Bernie. This is a beautiful piece. The last time we met was with Billy Connolly in Weymouth many years ago. Before that was with Georgie Fame in Bristol. We First met when I was playing at the Hawthorns hotel in Bristol. You guys invited me up for a drink afterwards. You were with Stomu Yamashta's East Wind. Love to catch up with you some day. I will make it my business to find you and hear you play again
Paul McMillan
Excellent, love that tracked guitar playing the tune.
Your picking and style reminds me exclusively of Larry Coryell, Bernie. Spectacular! I've always heard that but never pointed it out. That would be something for you and Larry to have played this beautiful masterpiece together. I don't know if you play keyboards, but for your rhythm and that sort of 1-2-3-2-4 five note picking motif in this classic, I know Electro-Harmonix has a good synthesizer input, with no lag, but so does Boss SY-1. Regardless, you apparently already have everything which you used to make even a more beautiful introduction to this song which should be archived with every composer in music history.
I almost got to meet Larry - he was supposed to come over the UK a few years ago but he passed away before I got the chance - he was a great player - he was also a Buddhist - like myself
@@BernieHollandMusic Can you tell me what time signature this song is in? What a beautiful peice you made!
You know what I really like about this song? This may seem like a insult, but it really isn't: that repeated piano figure when the main melody first appears. It just summons up a lot of the professional musical scene in the 1970s for me. It sounds like the missing soundtrack to one of those Universal Studios movie title sequences - a mystery drama. Either I've heard that sort of thing before this song came out or it influenced a bunch of studio musicians, I don't know which. I'm kind of hearing the incidental music to an episode of "Night Gallery" here. But I'm unfamiliar with any other 1970s piece that has this piano figure. It's very evocative of its time and place, if that makes sense.
Anyway, masterful. I've always loved this song. It never gets old.
I am not insulted at all dear Wes ! Your comment is very interesting - and I remember Night Gallery - that was way back when. . . . . .
really enjoyed this. Thanks!
Thank you !
Beautiful !!
Help! Can someone, anyone, tell me who orchestrated the strings for Diamond Dust on Blow by Blow? Bernie, thank you for an incredible piece! I've always considered the string orchestration to be masterful ever since I used to listen to it in the 70s. Thanks again!
Hello Hardfelt - the string arrangement was done by George Martin - the same guy that produced the Beatles - thank you for liking my tune !
@paulmcmillanuk
Sorry Bernie It was Graeme Taylor That played with Billy in Weymouth. I worked with Gryphon in the early seventees and I got mixed up.
Even the revised ending of this new Bernie Holland version adds another beautiful touch to this song.
Thank you
@@BernieHollandMusic I didn't even scratch the surface Bernie. This one-of-a-kind masterpiece, if I was some music teacher at Juliard, or high school, it doesn't matter. This song should be required in music composition history. Thank you for showing the chords to this also on your SG, which I would have never thought of. One of my favorite really smooth transitions you do is starting at 9th fret, beginning with the low E, now being low D bass string in this song, 9-6-8-8-6-6, (holding that with rotating picking of course), and then the graceful transition to 8-9-6-6-6-6 you made, then to 4-4-6-6-4-4, and then 3-3-5-3-4-3. Because of the delicate nature to the main opening of this song, I'll stick with the 1-2-3-2-4 picking motif until later in certain parts, depending, and strike all the strings at once, but not too much. Maybe to get that sort of slight skipping feel too. The reason for that is, even though the beautiful intro to this song is delicate, it builds up to more drama later on in the mix. You can kinda hear an orchestra in your mind segueing into it and getting louder. So, mainly for emphasis on certain parts. That's what is also special about this Bernie Holland masterpiece is that emotional building to it. There is absolutely nothing like this song in music history.
Hi Bernie, I love this song.
Thank you !
Love this Bernie, although some of the guitar in the right channel early on seems a little dry. Not complaining, glad you did this - just wanted to offer an opinion. The lead later on is dreamy.
Hi, Just found out that you penned this tune, not Jeff Beck. Fabulous changes! Thank you.
Fred Cory Thank you Fred !
Great job! Anyone else hear some of early frank gamble here? The tones and lines?
all the way down! his 1988 instructional vhs tape... his misterious arpeggios
I was in touch with Frank about 25 years ago - he is now one of the greatest guitar players around !
I've still got the tape - and the booklet that goes with it - Frank sent it to me as a gift many years ago !
All I "hear" is Bernie Holland, and this is one of the most beautiful songs ever composed in music history.
I'd like to compare them both, very beautiful! Brown Dog
Hey Brown Dog ! Are you still in Chicago ?
@@BernieHollandMusic I mile south in a 2 flat Grey-stone I bough in 93! Glad you're still playing!
@@BernieHollandMusic About a mile and a half. Bought 2 story Grey-stone in 93. Still going out for music too. Many highlights!
Gorgeous sound...thank you for the facebook confirmation Bernie.
Peter)
awesome. I have read joe henderson did a version. do you know what album that is on. If it actually is? the changes in this song are just so perfect, along with the melody. I would imagine a sax playing it would be really cool. I can't for the life of me understand why there are not handfuls of jazz versions out there. to me it seems like the kind of changes that should be explored as a standard. I can imagine someone blowing some pretty twisting lines on this.
steve Hi Steve - You are right - Joe Henderson did cover my tune - but I don't know what album it was on - It was also covered by a Brazilian guy by the name of Coke Escovado - glad you like the changes
I love Jeff Beck's interpretation but there's no denying the talent that wrote the piece. Exceptional.
Edit: I find the programmed drums a bit distracting. You need Vinnie Coliuta or Dave Weckl in the studio.
I understand why you said that - however, I recorded this years ago - the drum samples I now have are far better and would be less "distracting" - however, if Dave or Vinnie wish to come over and replace the drum track, I would welcome either of them.
love this song what is the timeing it sounds like 7 in the intro but then goes else where :) can you tell me the mystery of the diamond dust thanks Bernie
Greeting to all in 'Motown' - thank you for just being here ! By the way the time signature is 10/8
very very good
Thank you for liking my tune !
Dear Bernie, this tune is wonderful. Was it ever recorded before Jeff Beck? How did it come about? Did you show this to Jeff Beck and he decided to record it?
Victor Lazzarini Victor - it was originally going to be recorded on an album I was doing with a band called Hummingbird - however, the keyboard player Max Middleton was about to do an album with Jeff and he liked it so much that he recorded it first
oh yeah ..i love good popcorn music
Bernie can you please tell me the tuning you used on this song? It's so beautiful but I won't be able to fully enjoy it without your alternate tuning or perhaps a link to your lesson. I viewed your lesson a few years ago but it has disappeared sniff sniff....
bratman99 Normal tuning but with the 6th string dropped to D - I removed the lesson after having been insulted by some trolls - sorry
+Bernie Holland Bloody hell, if YOUR musicianship can be insulted what hope for the rest of us?Such a shame...Thank you for this one (R.I.P. George Martin)
Mr Holland's Opus!
Ha ! Ha ! That was the film with Richard Dreyfus was it ?
@@BernieHollandMusic Yes sir. Glad you're amused.
@Joe Vogue I was being light hearted. The more famous version was performed by Jeff Beck, but this is the original ........
I actually think this is better
Your opinion is valued - thank you