Interview Chords by Jack Bruce
Tempo:
110 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
Abm
G
E
Gb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
We asked Bruce what formal music training he had and if [Ab] it has been of any use.
I did music at school and then I went to college in Scotland.
But I really, I got thrown out of it.
But really it's taken me up until about two years ago to unlearn what I had learned.
Really I wasn't making it until I really managed to unlearn the things that they taught me.
I really feel strongly that they just teach the wrong things.
They teach everyone the same things regardless of what their own individual capacities and so on are.
They don't seem to take the trouble to find out people's individual characteristics.
And improvisation, things like that, is regarded as really bad.
They had great hopes for me as a cellist.
They kept telling me that I couldn't write things.
This was one particular teacher that I had.
I used to write when I was 14.
I wrote a string quartet and I proudly took it to her.
She instantly wrote all over it and pointed out all the mistakes.
It took me about a year at least to get over that.
She used to tell me that I just couldn't write.
I didn't have any talent for it.
And I should make myself a good cellist, which I had talent for.
I think she thought maybe I could be good enough to [E] become a fourth desk in the Scottish National Orchestra or something.
Though you despised the classical training you got at school, did it have no influence on you at all?
The first thing that really gathered [Abm] me up was Bach I suppose.
I got really involved in that because, believe it or not, he is really the ultimate in bass players.
He really was the governor of all time.
His bass lines are just incredible.
I think any bass player can learn just about everything in conventional harmony that there is to know from that.
[Ab] How did the Queen come together as a pop group?
[Gb] All of us were working in [Ab] separate groups.
I don't think any of us was very happy with what was happening at the time.
I had played with Ginger for a long time and we had fallen out actually.
I hadn't seen him for about a year.
He suddenly appeared at my place one night with this idea of forming a [Bb] group with Eric.
It just seemed such a good idea that we decided to have a play together just to see if it would work.
We all [G] went to Ginger's house and we just set up our instruments in his living room.
We [Abm] just played this number which lasted for about two [Ab] hours or something without stopping.
It was just so obvious from the word go that it was going to be a nice experience.
And that was it.
The songs that we play are really unimportant.
They are just like jumping off points for improvisation.
The only things that are set are the beginnings and the endings of most of our things.
In between which can go on forever is just improvised.
We never know who is going to take the lead and what's going to happen next.
It just happens depending on the atmosphere and the way we feel.
We never plan any particular song for any particular purpose.
We wouldn't dream of sitting down and saying let's write a hit single for instance.
[G] Let's make it two minutes and thirty five seconds [Ab] long.
Let's make the [N] words sympathetic to an eleven year old girl in Seattle or something.
We just don't do that.
I suppose groups must.
In fact I was in a group once that did actually consider every song that they did from this point of view.
But we just [Ab] don't.
The fact that it was successful is I suppose an accident.
[Gm]
As Bruce says, their music is improvised.
After a basic harmonic and rhythmic pattern is established, the melody is one of free improvisation.
It often goes on for twenty or thirty minutes [N] but is held together by Bruce's flowing spontaneous bass line.
Bruce is also an expert on Indian music and considers the influence of Indian music,
its melodic freedom, its drones, its rhythmic complexity to be rock's most substantial contribution to Western music.
Just as in Indian music, the tabla player or drummer will talk to the sitar player with recognisable sound patterns,
so rock music, like the Creams, has developed similar patterns.
For Jack Bruce, his harmonica, his voice and his pounding guitar speak with one voice of unmistakable clarity
I did music at school and then I went to college in Scotland.
But I really, I got thrown out of it.
But really it's taken me up until about two years ago to unlearn what I had learned.
Really I wasn't making it until I really managed to unlearn the things that they taught me.
I really feel strongly that they just teach the wrong things.
They teach everyone the same things regardless of what their own individual capacities and so on are.
They don't seem to take the trouble to find out people's individual characteristics.
And improvisation, things like that, is regarded as really bad.
They had great hopes for me as a cellist.
They kept telling me that I couldn't write things.
This was one particular teacher that I had.
I used to write when I was 14.
I wrote a string quartet and I proudly took it to her.
She instantly wrote all over it and pointed out all the mistakes.
It took me about a year at least to get over that.
She used to tell me that I just couldn't write.
I didn't have any talent for it.
And I should make myself a good cellist, which I had talent for.
I think she thought maybe I could be good enough to [E] become a fourth desk in the Scottish National Orchestra or something.
Though you despised the classical training you got at school, did it have no influence on you at all?
The first thing that really gathered [Abm] me up was Bach I suppose.
I got really involved in that because, believe it or not, he is really the ultimate in bass players.
He really was the governor of all time.
His bass lines are just incredible.
I think any bass player can learn just about everything in conventional harmony that there is to know from that.
[Ab] How did the Queen come together as a pop group?
[Gb] All of us were working in [Ab] separate groups.
I don't think any of us was very happy with what was happening at the time.
I had played with Ginger for a long time and we had fallen out actually.
I hadn't seen him for about a year.
He suddenly appeared at my place one night with this idea of forming a [Bb] group with Eric.
It just seemed such a good idea that we decided to have a play together just to see if it would work.
We all [G] went to Ginger's house and we just set up our instruments in his living room.
We [Abm] just played this number which lasted for about two [Ab] hours or something without stopping.
It was just so obvious from the word go that it was going to be a nice experience.
And that was it.
The songs that we play are really unimportant.
They are just like jumping off points for improvisation.
The only things that are set are the beginnings and the endings of most of our things.
In between which can go on forever is just improvised.
We never know who is going to take the lead and what's going to happen next.
It just happens depending on the atmosphere and the way we feel.
We never plan any particular song for any particular purpose.
We wouldn't dream of sitting down and saying let's write a hit single for instance.
[G] Let's make it two minutes and thirty five seconds [Ab] long.
Let's make the [N] words sympathetic to an eleven year old girl in Seattle or something.
We just don't do that.
I suppose groups must.
In fact I was in a group once that did actually consider every song that they did from this point of view.
But we just [Ab] don't.
The fact that it was successful is I suppose an accident.
[Gm]
As Bruce says, their music is improvised.
After a basic harmonic and rhythmic pattern is established, the melody is one of free improvisation.
It often goes on for twenty or thirty minutes [N] but is held together by Bruce's flowing spontaneous bass line.
Bruce is also an expert on Indian music and considers the influence of Indian music,
its melodic freedom, its drones, its rhythmic complexity to be rock's most substantial contribution to Western music.
Just as in Indian music, the tabla player or drummer will talk to the sitar player with recognisable sound patterns,
so rock music, like the Creams, has developed similar patterns.
For Jack Bruce, his harmonica, his voice and his pounding guitar speak with one voice of unmistakable clarity
Key:
Ab
Abm
G
E
Gb
Ab
Abm
G
We asked Bruce what formal music training he had and if [Ab] it has been of any use.
I did music at school and then I went to college in Scotland.
But I really, I got thrown out of it.
But really it's taken me up until about two years ago to unlearn what I had learned.
_ _ Really I wasn't making it until I really managed to unlearn the things that they taught me.
I really feel strongly that they just teach the wrong things.
_ They teach everyone the same things regardless of what their own individual capacities and so on are.
They don't seem to take the trouble to find out people's individual characteristics.
_ _ And improvisation, things like that, is regarded as really bad.
They had great hopes for me as a cellist.
_ They _ kept telling me that I couldn't write things.
This was one particular teacher that I had.
I used to write when I was 14.
I wrote a string quartet and I proudly took it to her.
She instantly wrote all over it and pointed out all the mistakes.
_ It took me about a year at least to get over that.
She used to tell me that I just couldn't write.
I didn't have any talent for it.
And I should make myself a good cellist, which I had talent for.
I think she thought maybe I could be good enough to [E] become a fourth desk in the Scottish National Orchestra or something.
_ Though you despised the classical training you got at school, did it have no influence on you at all?
The first thing that really gathered [Abm] me up was Bach I suppose.
I got really involved in that because, believe it or not, he is really the ultimate in bass players.
He really was the governor of all time.
His bass lines are just incredible.
I think any bass player can learn just about everything in conventional harmony that there is to know from that.
[Ab] How did the Queen come together as a pop group?
[Gb] All of us were working in [Ab] separate _ _ groups.
I don't think any of us was very happy with what was happening at the time. _ _ _
_ I had played with Ginger for a long time and we had fallen out actually.
I hadn't seen him for about a year. _ _ _
He suddenly appeared at my place one night with this idea of forming a [Bb] group with Eric.
It just seemed such a good idea that we decided to have a play together just to see if it would work.
We all [G] went to Ginger's house and we just set up our instruments in his living room.
We [Abm] just played this _ number which lasted for about two [Ab] hours or something without stopping.
It was just so obvious from the word go that it was going to be a nice experience.
And that was it.
The songs that we play are really unimportant.
_ _ They are just like _ jumping off points for improvisation. _ _
The only things that are set are the beginnings and the endings of most of our things.
_ In between which can go on forever is just improvised.
We never know who is going to take the lead and what's going to happen next.
It just _ happens depending on the atmosphere and the way we feel.
We never plan any particular song for any particular purpose.
_ We wouldn't dream of sitting down and saying let's write a hit single for instance.
[G] Let's make it two minutes and thirty five seconds [Ab] long.
Let's make the [N] words _ _ _ sympathetic to an eleven year old girl in Seattle or something.
_ We just don't do that.
I suppose groups must.
In fact I was in a group once that did _ actually consider every song that they did from this point of view.
But we just [Ab] don't.
The fact that it was successful is I suppose an accident.
[Gm]
As Bruce says, their music is improvised.
After a basic harmonic and rhythmic pattern is established, the melody is one of free improvisation.
It often goes on for twenty or thirty minutes [N] but is held together by Bruce's flowing spontaneous bass line.
Bruce is also an expert on Indian music and considers the influence of Indian music,
its melodic freedom, its drones, its rhythmic complexity to be rock's most substantial contribution to Western music.
_ Just as in Indian music, the tabla player or drummer will talk to the sitar player with recognisable sound patterns,
so rock music, like the Creams, has developed similar patterns.
For Jack Bruce, his harmonica, his voice and his pounding guitar speak with one voice of unmistakable clarity
I did music at school and then I went to college in Scotland.
But I really, I got thrown out of it.
But really it's taken me up until about two years ago to unlearn what I had learned.
_ _ Really I wasn't making it until I really managed to unlearn the things that they taught me.
I really feel strongly that they just teach the wrong things.
_ They teach everyone the same things regardless of what their own individual capacities and so on are.
They don't seem to take the trouble to find out people's individual characteristics.
_ _ And improvisation, things like that, is regarded as really bad.
They had great hopes for me as a cellist.
_ They _ kept telling me that I couldn't write things.
This was one particular teacher that I had.
I used to write when I was 14.
I wrote a string quartet and I proudly took it to her.
She instantly wrote all over it and pointed out all the mistakes.
_ It took me about a year at least to get over that.
She used to tell me that I just couldn't write.
I didn't have any talent for it.
And I should make myself a good cellist, which I had talent for.
I think she thought maybe I could be good enough to [E] become a fourth desk in the Scottish National Orchestra or something.
_ Though you despised the classical training you got at school, did it have no influence on you at all?
The first thing that really gathered [Abm] me up was Bach I suppose.
I got really involved in that because, believe it or not, he is really the ultimate in bass players.
He really was the governor of all time.
His bass lines are just incredible.
I think any bass player can learn just about everything in conventional harmony that there is to know from that.
[Ab] How did the Queen come together as a pop group?
[Gb] All of us were working in [Ab] separate _ _ groups.
I don't think any of us was very happy with what was happening at the time. _ _ _
_ I had played with Ginger for a long time and we had fallen out actually.
I hadn't seen him for about a year. _ _ _
He suddenly appeared at my place one night with this idea of forming a [Bb] group with Eric.
It just seemed such a good idea that we decided to have a play together just to see if it would work.
We all [G] went to Ginger's house and we just set up our instruments in his living room.
We [Abm] just played this _ number which lasted for about two [Ab] hours or something without stopping.
It was just so obvious from the word go that it was going to be a nice experience.
And that was it.
The songs that we play are really unimportant.
_ _ They are just like _ jumping off points for improvisation. _ _
The only things that are set are the beginnings and the endings of most of our things.
_ In between which can go on forever is just improvised.
We never know who is going to take the lead and what's going to happen next.
It just _ happens depending on the atmosphere and the way we feel.
We never plan any particular song for any particular purpose.
_ We wouldn't dream of sitting down and saying let's write a hit single for instance.
[G] Let's make it two minutes and thirty five seconds [Ab] long.
Let's make the [N] words _ _ _ sympathetic to an eleven year old girl in Seattle or something.
_ We just don't do that.
I suppose groups must.
In fact I was in a group once that did _ actually consider every song that they did from this point of view.
But we just [Ab] don't.
The fact that it was successful is I suppose an accident.
[Gm]
As Bruce says, their music is improvised.
After a basic harmonic and rhythmic pattern is established, the melody is one of free improvisation.
It often goes on for twenty or thirty minutes [N] but is held together by Bruce's flowing spontaneous bass line.
Bruce is also an expert on Indian music and considers the influence of Indian music,
its melodic freedom, its drones, its rhythmic complexity to be rock's most substantial contribution to Western music.
_ Just as in Indian music, the tabla player or drummer will talk to the sitar player with recognisable sound patterns,
so rock music, like the Creams, has developed similar patterns.
For Jack Bruce, his harmonica, his voice and his pounding guitar speak with one voice of unmistakable clarity