River Deep Mountain High (2025)

Does anyone have experience playing this song? I'm having a serious brain cramp trying to count through the instrumental breaks (same as the intro), and I'm playing this song this weekend. HELP!

Dave

What version are you woring from?

H

aitch_2 said:

See Also

Mountain - Theme for an Imaginary Western LyricsSYMBOLISM OF EYES IN SONGS INSPIRED BY MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES AND CLIMATE

What version are you woring from?

H

Click to expand...

I've got what I assume is the original studio version - sounds like Hal Blaine is playing the drums down the hall. I can come up with the drum part, I just can't find my way back in to the verse. I did find a live version on You Tube - I'll try to copy it in here.

The "turn" i.e. the ensemble riff between the chorus and verse (at about 1:15) has a bar of 2/4 followed by a bar of 3/4 before it goes back to 4/4. There's a 5th bar of 4 before the band comes back in if you count it out.

It'd be a good idea to be memorize this so as to be able to count through the solo vocal. On the second verse you hear the drummer playing a fill behind the vocal to bring everyone in on the downbeat.

The last two beats of the ensemble riff are on beats 1 and 2.

The solo vocal ("When you were a young boy") are straight quarter notes landing on beats 3 4 1 2 3 4

and everyone is in on the downbeat of the next bar!

At the break on "baby" at 1:15 - the cymbal hit is on the + of count 2 of a 4/4 measure. Then the very next snare hit is on what count - 2? And is that the 2/4 measure so that the second snare hit is count 1? Then there are 3 measures of 4/4 with a final snare hit on count 1 - is that final snare hit the 2/4 measure that should be followed by a 3/4 measure?

Man - I apologize for being so thick. I can memorize the part - but I'd just feel a lot better if I can figure out how to count through it.

i've really learned to appreciate this song over the years. for some reason a LONG time ago i didn't get it, but after numerous listening by various artists i realize how great this song is.

and, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, the version by Celine Dion (????) totally knocks me out with it's power. and i'm the LAST person to be a fan of most of her stuff.

and another BELIEVE IT OR NOT, i also love the power behind her version of Lennon's "Happy Christmas". once again, powerful!!

go figure.

b/o 402 said:

The "turn" i.e. the ensemble riff between the chorus and verse (at about 1:15) has a bar of 2/4 followed by a bar of 3/4 before it goes back to 4/4. There's a 5th bar of 4 before the band comes back in if you count it out.

It'd be a good idea to be memorize this so as to be able to count through the solo vocal. On the second verse you hear the drummer playing a fill behind the vocal to bring everyone in on the downbeat.

Click to expand...

OK - I think I'm see where you are putting the 2/4 measure followed by the 3/4. At the 1:15 point - the break on "baby" is the + of 2 of the 2/4 measure, followed by the 3/4 measure. If I count it that way, I DO end up back on 1 at the correct spot. It's just not feeling right. I keep hearing the first snare hit after the break on baby as count 4 (like a pick-up to the actual instrumental turn). But I think you are saying that is actually count 1 after the 3/4 measure.

I appreciate you taking pity on me with this!!

Until I looked at their discographies, I thought it was either Earl Palmer or Hal Blaine. Instead, both Earl Palmer and Hal Blaine are credited for River Deep Mountain High.

A couple of pairs of big boots to fill.

cheers,

Patrick

Dave - maybe I'm confused by what others have said in text, but I think you're right about that SD after Baby in the YouTube clip being beat 4 (or at least a lead in note to a downbeat.) IMO the 3/4 isn't in the hold, but in the instrumental figure itself. And for me, seeing it in notation always makes it a lot clearer. So here's what I hear -

In case my scribbling is unreadable (as most say it is) - the x note in the second bar is from the YouTube vid, where the drummer does a snare lead-in prior to playing along with the instrumental figure. Which, of course, doesn't happen on the original, where the drums lay out during that section.

The note at the bottom refers to the x not on beat of the 6th bar - and is just clarifying that on the Youtube the whole bands plays a big puch/stop on beat 2, yet on the record is it just solo bass drum.

As placement of bar line can often be subjective - an alternative for the first two bars would as two 3/4 bars or as a 2/4 followed by a 4/4. Now that I'm thinking about it - I'm kind of liking the 2/4 + 4/4 as this would allow for a nice count-in for the instrumental figure... like this...

Hope that helps - always loved that record.

David

David - awesome. Thank you so much! You've gone way beyond the call here. I think I like your second idea as well - that seems easier to count. We're rehearsing tonight, so your timing (ha, pun) couldn't be better. It's an established group of extremely talented folks so I'm just trying to not fall on my face. Dropping a beat would stick out like a comb-over in the wind.

I'm more than a little ashamed to admit this is my first exposure to this song. But, wow. The emotion just blows me away.

Thanks again!