Hey there everybody, I wanted to share another tune with you. Bob Marley is one of my favorite songwriters. My partner Susan describes Reggae as protest songs for everyone, and there's part of me that agrees. They're so catchy and light hearted sounding considering the intentions behind the lyrics. The songs are accessible to everyone! Especially the early stuff. This is an early reggae tune called African Herbsman. You can listen to it here. You might even be more accurate to call it Rocksteady (a subgenera of Reggae).
There are a number of things that are charming about this song. There are only four chords. It's in Bb major and it uses the 1, 6, 4 and 5 chords. The right hand plays mostly quarter notes on 2 and 4 (the skank sound the guitar usually is responsible for) while the guitar plays a riff based on arpeggios. The movement between the chords uses inversions very clearly. You never have to shift far from Bb to get to any of the chords. (Note that the Bb chord is in the second inversion to start with.)
The left hand I've transcribed to double the bass line. The left hand is probably what will demand more of your time. It spans an octave and moves across arpeggios as well. The timing between the two hands is pretty intuitive. Note that the Verses change after the 1st verse to a simplified form. Follow the repeat signs!
There's an error in the recording I wish the producer and band would have capitalized on. If you listen to the first chorus the bassist uses a Bb major line for two measures in a row. Afterwards the piano backs off to wait and see how to respond to the mistake. (This is a good lesson in itself. If you don't know what to play, wait! It works in most circumstances). Had they kept the simplified chord progression, it would have marked the beginning of the chorus very nicely. While so much of the song is just moving back and fourth between Bb major and G minor a subtle shift at the top of a new section would have been really clever in my opinion.
I hope you enjoy the tune. It's a great song.
Enjoy the process and keep playing.
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