I watched a few Simon and Garfunkle documentaries a few years ago, and was floored to see a clip of them backstage with Larry Knechtel, working out the arrangement of "Bridge Over..." before a concert. Thanks for your incisive video about this wonderful, powerful song!
Hey Joe, whadda you know? A lot, evidently! This tune hit the radio -- 77 WABC in New York -- in 1971, as another example of the great Pop music that became so important in our lives from tbis period of time. It is a song that many of my generation can remember where we were at the time when we first heard it. My girlfriend was driving me home from Newark Airport in her father's 1966 Volvo 122 S. Just the two of us on a rainy afternoon in spring. When the song came on the radio, that Gospel piano intro got my attention immediately, and I turned up the car radio. She pulled off at the first hiway exit (US Route 22 of Jean Sheppard fame,) found a diner parking lot, stopped the car and parked. Even on the tinny 4 inch speaker, and within the 20k bandwidth allocated to an AM radio signal, the sound was rich. I never knew that Art Garfinkle had such a beautiful soprano voice. With the pure sound of Artie's gentle falsetto singing "I will lay me down" to wind down the second verse came the first lump in my throat. We both were so moved by the big, Phil Spector finale that we stopped again, in the rain, at a small record store in town to buy the album. Yes, it was there on Columbia -- Bridge Over Troubled Water, titled after song -- and we bought an album copy along with a book of sheet music from the album. I still have that book, with our markings in it, tea cup rings and a small brown cigarette burn on it, from 1971. Sorry that I carry on telling stories (who reads them, anyway?). Thank you for bringing back the memories. Hey, if you remember this song, whadda you got there -- a time machine or a fountain of youth?
In 1971, I got a father who didn’t see me get my Magna Cum Laude college graduation diploma, because he was drinking beer back at the car, and who bragged for over an hour driving home on my friend who graduated Valedictorian. He did see her graduate, but his beer was more important than I was. I was the first ever college grad in our lineage….. He couldn’t do without his beer for the span of not more than 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Drunks have a great desire to be cruel, & they ALWAYS know when they’re doing things to wound you…..sober or sozzled. He was showing me that I was NOTHING to him. So I scrunched into the back seat and oh so quietly sung to myself “Bridge over Troubled Water” all the ride home. 1971. I was very immature; song may have saved my sanity.
@@JoshWalshMusic Thank you. It was a glorious time to be 20 years old, with my entire adult life before me. The music was filled with love and hope. You are welcome to take the music into your heart and soul, Joe, although I mourn for the state of music and the young people who have little choice but to claim it, today. I wonder if you had a parent like me who played his record collection for your family of origin as you grew up, along with a "curated" selection of the Classical repertoire, and the history of American popular music, R&B, the Blues, Jazz and Swing?
@@kwgm8578 there is good and bad music in all decades. The top of the Spotify charts rarely reflects what is musically interesting to me, rather just what’s popular by stream count. There have always been a lot of people who like lousy music, it’s just more promoted today than ever before. I like a lot of modern players as much as I do 60s and 70s. My name is Josh btw 😉 if I was Joe Walsh I’d be on guitar…
@@mousiebrown1747 I'm sorry that you had to live in that abusive environment. My wife also grew up in with alcoholism and we still work with it on occasion, even at our ages. Thank you for your story. You release a quantum of healing energy everytime you tell it. 😉🙏🏻
This was my comfort song at one of the saddest times in my life. I’m so grateful for Paul writing it and Art singing it. I needed all that song said, and promised, very badly. 😢. I took my emotions and stuffed them, hid them, expressed them to the world - in the music and lyrics of that precious song.
Interesante sonido profesor.....gracias por compartir.....😊 Dios le recompense por ese conocimiento compartido......de el 🎹 🎹 🎹 Desde Guatemala Centro América Paz
Another excellent breakdown and back story on a classic song. I grew up in L.A. and like most of my age group most want to be studio musicians more than rock stars. What I find interest about the Wrecking Crew vs The Funk Brothers, the crews without a nickname from NYC and Muscle Shoals is the Wrecking Crew was pretty much anyone who did record sessions in L.A. back then. The there's the early 60's Wrecking Crew that basically musician who understood rock and could read music so they worked all the time on the avalanche of rock coming out. Then the second Wrecking Crew was more musicians who were rock and R&B musician and read music, but were groove players. Then the early Wrecking Crew started moving over to do TV and film recording and the new Wrecking crew was doing the record dates. After that the term just kind of faded away things were more about great individual session players. It was crazy just how much recording was going on in L.A. from the early 60's thru the mid 80's quite a time. Today the union three hour session approach is gone and everything is a project and being hired by the project. Also not as much done in the traditional recording studio. Today many time you get called for a session your going to someone home studio to record. A brave new world.
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in those studios. What a time it would have been to be alive! I only do a little bit of studio work, but I also much prefer that to being out front :) Thanks for another great comment. (you changed your username!?)
Hi Josh, loved your harmonic analysis and interesting background and roots to the song. Another excellent post. One of my favourite piano intros too. Btw What's Your Favourite album? 😁🎹
Hi Josh, do you happen to have the sheet music for the arrangement you are playing? It seems almost approachable for me at my level. Or do you know a good place to get this arrangement, similar to what you wrote out in the video? Thanks a lot for the video!
Hey. I’m playing by ear off the record. It should be pretty close to the original. With as popular as this song is, I’m sure you can find very accurate sheet music available :-) And it’s not terribly difficult. I’m sure you can handle it!
I wanted to add some notes on Paul Simone's choice of key here. I see a color-shapre for each note, and it seems to be spectral. C is a rich, heavy Red (square), D is a happy orange (D-minor is sad). E is yellow: Triangle (consciousness, mind). Bridge Over Troubled water is between orange and yellow: E-flat;(an orange-yellow color. Sort of golden. (Shape of a megaphone. Maybe like a trumpet from Book of Revelations? Hmm . . . ). While I see the yellow key of E-natural as illuminating (The Light of Christ), I see Bridge Over Troubled Water's E-flat as sort of awakening. If E-major is the light bulb above your head, then E-flat is the lightbulb in the act of being turned on. I believe that E-flat and E have intrinsic spiritual qualities; because of their luminesence). Just compare them to neighboring notes long enough, and you can hear the difference). So, I just wanted to share my notes on the choice of key here. It's almost like Paul Simon is sweeping in and saying "Stop your worring. You will be ok." The sweeping-in effect is literally the nature of E-flat itself. // For anyone interested, my charts, notes, and Theory of Pitch Psychology and my note-to-color music theory can be found here on my own channel. It's very "colorful." - Be well, and God Bless! - _The Acoustic Rabbit Hole_
It's just how I hear it I guess. You could call it Ddim as a triad, but Ddim 7 (with the B) sounds wrong. I'd have to listen more closely, but I think the C may be there as the progression repeats later on.
![BRASIL vs. PERÚ [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tbyOJKXfQnI/mqdefault.jpg)
I watched a few Simon and Garfunkle documentaries a few years ago, and was floored to see a clip of them backstage with Larry Knechtel, working out the arrangement of "Bridge Over..." before a concert. Thanks for your incisive video about this wonderful, powerful song!
Do you know the name of that documentary? I’d love to see it!
Appreciate your comment.
Hey Joe, whadda you know? A lot, evidently!
This tune hit the radio -- 77 WABC in New York -- in 1971, as another example of the great Pop music that became so important in our lives from tbis period of time. It is a song that many of my generation can remember where we were at the time when we first heard it.
My girlfriend was driving me home from Newark Airport in her father's 1966 Volvo 122 S. Just the two of us on a rainy afternoon in spring. When the song came on the radio, that Gospel piano intro got my attention immediately, and I turned up the car radio. She pulled off at the first hiway exit (US Route 22 of Jean Sheppard fame,) found a diner parking lot, stopped the car and parked.
Even on the tinny 4 inch speaker, and within the 20k bandwidth allocated to an AM radio signal, the sound was rich. I never knew that Art Garfinkle had such a beautiful soprano voice. With the pure sound of Artie's gentle falsetto singing "I will lay me down" to wind down the second verse came the first lump in my throat.
We both were so moved by the big, Phil Spector finale that we stopped again, in the rain, at a small record store in town to buy the album. Yes, it was there on Columbia -- Bridge Over Troubled Water, titled after song -- and we bought an album copy along with a book of sheet music from the album. I still have that book, with our markings in it, tea cup rings and a small brown cigarette burn on it, from 1971.
Sorry that I carry on telling stories (who reads them, anyway?). Thank you for bringing back the memories.
Hey, if you remember this song, whadda you got there -- a time machine or a fountain of youth?
I read the whole story! Thanks for sharing. 1971 is a bit before my time, I was born in ‘83. But I still claim this as my music. 😉
In 1971, I got a father who didn’t see me get my Magna Cum Laude college graduation diploma, because he was drinking beer back at the car, and who bragged for over an hour driving home on my friend who graduated Valedictorian. He did see her graduate, but his beer was more important than I was. I was the first ever college grad in our lineage….. He couldn’t do without his beer for the span of not more than 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Drunks have a great desire to be cruel, & they ALWAYS know when they’re doing things to wound you…..sober or sozzled. He was showing me that I was NOTHING to him. So I scrunched into the back seat and oh so quietly sung to myself “Bridge over Troubled Water” all the ride home. 1971. I was very immature; song may have saved my sanity.
@@JoshWalshMusic Thank you. It was a glorious time to be 20 years old, with my entire adult life before me. The music was filled with love and hope. You are welcome to take the music into your heart and soul, Joe, although I mourn for the state of music and the young people who have little choice but to claim it, today.
I wonder if you had a parent like me who played his record collection for your family of origin as you grew up, along with a "curated" selection of the Classical repertoire, and the history of American popular music, R&B, the Blues, Jazz and Swing?
@@kwgm8578 there is good and bad music in all decades. The top of the Spotify charts rarely reflects what is musically interesting to me, rather just what’s popular by stream count. There have always been a lot of people who like lousy music, it’s just more promoted today than ever before.
I like a lot of modern players as much as I do 60s and 70s.
My name is Josh btw 😉 if I was Joe Walsh I’d be on guitar…
@@mousiebrown1747 I'm sorry that you had to live in that abusive environment. My wife also grew up in with alcoholism and we still work with it on occasion, even at our ages. Thank you for your story. You release a quantum of healing energy everytime you tell it. 😉🙏🏻
This was my comfort song at one of the saddest times in my life. I’m so grateful for Paul writing it and Art singing it. I needed all that song said, and promised, very badly. 😢. I took my emotions and stuffed them, hid them, expressed them to the world - in the music and lyrics of that precious song.
Same! ❤️
Interesante sonido profesor.....gracias por compartir.....😊 Dios le recompense por ese conocimiento compartido......de el 🎹 🎹 🎹 Desde Guatemala Centro América Paz
Another excellent breakdown and back story on a classic song. I grew up in L.A. and like most of my age group most want to be studio musicians more than rock stars. What I find interest about the Wrecking Crew vs The Funk Brothers, the crews without a nickname from NYC and Muscle Shoals is the Wrecking Crew was pretty much anyone who did record sessions in L.A. back then. The there's the early 60's Wrecking Crew that basically musician who understood rock and could read music so they worked all the time on the avalanche of rock coming out. Then the second Wrecking Crew was more musicians who were rock and R&B musician and read music, but were groove players. Then the early Wrecking Crew started moving over to do TV and film recording and the new Wrecking crew was doing the record dates. After that the term just kind of faded away things were more about great individual session players. It was crazy just how much recording was going on in L.A. from the early 60's thru the mid 80's quite a time. Today the union three hour session approach is gone and everything is a project and being hired by the project. Also not as much done in the traditional recording studio. Today many time you get called for a session your going to someone home studio to record. A brave new world.
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in those studios. What a time it would have been to be alive! I only do a little bit of studio work, but I also much prefer that to being out front :) Thanks for another great comment. (you changed your username!?)
@@JoshWalshMusic I have two YT accounts and try to only use one,
@@DojoOfCoollike and subscribe on both 🤣
Hi Josh, loved your harmonic analysis and interesting background and roots to the song. Another excellent post. One of my favourite piano intros too. Btw What's Your Favourite album? 😁🎹
My fav album of all time? That's easy, Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder.
Hi Josh, do you happen to have the sheet music for the arrangement you are playing? It seems almost approachable for me at my level. Or do you know a good place to get this arrangement, similar to what you wrote out in the video? Thanks a lot for the video!
Hey. I’m playing by ear off the record. It should be pretty close to the original. With as popular as this song is, I’m sure you can find very accurate sheet music available :-)
And it’s not terribly difficult. I’m sure you can handle it!
I wanted to add some notes on Paul Simone's choice of key here. I see a color-shapre for each note, and it seems to be spectral. C is a rich, heavy Red (square), D is a happy orange (D-minor is sad). E is yellow: Triangle (consciousness, mind). Bridge Over Troubled water is between orange and yellow: E-flat;(an orange-yellow color. Sort of golden. (Shape of a megaphone. Maybe like a trumpet from Book of Revelations? Hmm . . . ). While I see the yellow key of E-natural as illuminating (The Light of Christ), I see Bridge Over Troubled Water's E-flat as sort of awakening. If E-major is the light bulb above your head, then E-flat is the lightbulb in the act of being turned on. I believe that E-flat and E have intrinsic spiritual qualities; because of their luminesence). Just compare them to neighboring notes long enough, and you can hear the difference). So, I just wanted to share my notes on the choice of key here. It's almost like Paul Simon is sweeping in and saying "Stop your worring. You will be ok." The sweeping-in effect is literally the nature of E-flat itself. // For anyone interested, my charts, notes, and Theory of Pitch Psychology and my note-to-color music theory can be found here on my own channel. It's very "colorful." - Be well, and God Bless! - _The Acoustic Rabbit Hole_
At 0:16, why is it the D half diminished and not just diminished, there's no C right?
It's just how I hear it I guess. You could call it Ddim as a triad, but Ddim 7 (with the B) sounds wrong. I'd have to listen more closely, but I think the C may be there as the progression repeats later on.
@@JoshWalshMusic Got it, yes I meant the triad, thanks!
with the analysis the so called half dimished is really just a b flat inersion then to the a diminished
yo dawg great chatting the other day....