Hey there everyone,
I want to share this transcription and arrangement I did for some students. I've experienced some synchronicity from my clients in the past, but this one was a bit more profound than normal. I had two of my students ask to learn Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel within a week of one another.
One is playing piano and the other is playing guitar. I had taken the time to learn the frame of the song on keys before I was asked to study the guitar part. Both the guitar and keyboard charts I'll be referring to will be linked below. That said, the keyboard part is more of an arrangement. It's purpose is to capture the ideas with enough clarity that people recognize the song for what it is. The transcription of the guitar part is intended to be as thorough and genuine as possible. Two very different approaches to notating recorded music.
As I intentionally listened for the first time I recognized the song from everyday life. I know I had heard it, but hadn't sought it out or knew it by name. It stands out as catchy and clear. What I didn't notice until I started writing out the parts on staff paper is that it wasn't in common time (4/4). If we count the phrase it ends up totaling 7 beats.
This is really odd. I can't make even a short list of tunes in 7/4 that were nearly this popular. There is some delightful trickery here that makes this relatable.
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There are two sections of this song. The first we'll call the A. It is a short instrumental passage. When you sing through the melody in your mind, try to break it up into two phrases. It has a natural crease after the third beat.
This is a really useful trick to get accustomed to as an option. Nearly all odd metered music can be broken down into smaller bricks of beats. In this case, we can count the 7/4 as a bar of 3/4 and a bar of 4/4. It's easier to keep track of and helps us phrase more consistently. Below we can see break the phrase into a mixed meter.
With the piano it is easy to represent two independent parts, one in each hand. The left hand is grounding the listeners with the pulse. The guitar could pull off the same stunt as shown below. Beware, it's a dexterity buster.
That said, this isn't what the guitar plays in the recording. It actually harmonizes the melody to create chords over the droning B of the bass. Additionally, it's a fingerpicking pattern that demands some technique. Start with the block chords. It will help you understand the destinations in the fingerpicking pattern.
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The second section of the song is the Verse. It is also in 7/4, with the exception of the last phrase. The difference is that the way we break down the meter is different. When you look for the rhythmic seam you'll find it after beat 4. Now we can count it as a measure of 4/4 and a measure of 3/4. The final phrase is slightly extended by making the last measure 4/4. It's super subtle. We've become so entranced by the quarter note and acclimated to the additive meters of 4 and 3 that most don't notice the return from oddity to common time.
Part of the reason why this piece is successful is because there are elements that are intriguing and others that serve as foundational framing. The rhythm has a loping quality in it. A pattern of long shorts on large and small scales. This has quite a bit of stimulation in it. The harmony of the verse progression serves as mild momentum allowing the lyrical story to get attention. I think had the chord progression been more dissonant it would have overstimulated a great deal of listeners.
The tricks in regards to chords is movement by thirds. When chords move by thirds we get the opportunity to carry common tones. This creates a shifting affect rather than a stepping sensation that comes from other types of movement.
B G#m E G#m
5th F# D# B D#
3rd D# B G# B
root B G# E G#
We can reorganize the notes to get a sense of how stationary the harmony really is
B G#m E G#m
B B B B
D# D# E D#
F# G# G# G#
The last measure manipulates a pretty common progression. The 1 6 2 5 is a very strong progression that spans many genres. Here we see it shuffled into 2 1 6 5.
As simple as this looks here, the execution of these ideas is incredibly intricate and challenging. As you learn the Verse patterns sequentially, they will be much easier by the end. Getting started will be hard. Go slow and learn each piece thoroughly. That will ensure your success as you move forward.
You can download the piano sheet music here.
You can download the guitar sheet music here.
As always,
take your time, enjoy the process, and keep playing.
Christopher
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