 Bernadette
Performed by Bumblefoot
Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Herbert Dozier, Eddie Holland, Jr.
©1967 Published by Stone Agate Music (BMI)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY |
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BERNADETTE "PLAYER
PACK" |
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$4.99 ADD TO CART
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Includes a
transcription of the entire lead guitar track - 12 pages
(PDF file) of musical notation, TAB, fingers, picking, and
helpful hints. Includes a 'Backing Track' mix with
everything except the lead/solo guitar parts, so you can
play along. There's also a 'Lead Guitar' mix, with the
lead guitar boosted as an audio guide for the transcription.
All audio files are included in both WAV (44.1kHz/16-bit) &
MP3 (320kps) format. .
SAMPLE PDF ●
Lead guitar transcription (PDF file)
SAMPLE WAV ●
Bernadette (Backing Track mix - no lead guitar)
WAV (16-bit / 44.1kHz)
SAMPLE MP3 ●
Bernadette (Backing Track mix - no lead guitar) MP3 (320kps)
SAMPLE WAV ●
Bernadette (Lead Guitar Boosted)
WAV (16-bit / 44.1kHz)
SAMPLE MP3 ●Bernadette (Lead Guitar Boosted) MP3 (320kps) |
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BERNADETTE
"PRODUCER PACK" |
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$4.99 ADD TO CART
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Bernadette mixed 'stems' - six files included (drums, bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals,
backing vocals) that you can load into your multi-track software and
play with levels, make your own mixes, or just see what the song is made of.
Each
file is a 24-bit / 44.1kHz Stereo WAV.
SAMPLE
WAV |
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Bernadette
Performed by Bumblefoot
Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Herbert Dozier, Eddie Holland, Jr.
©1967 Published by Stone Agate Music (BMI)
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE STORE |
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It was the end of 2005 and
I had just finished a month of touring Russia & Europe for the
Bumblefoot 'Normal' album. I've always loved old Motown music and lounge
music, and was itching to put out some cover songs. While playing local
shows around NYC in early 2006 and preparing to tour Russia and Europe
again in May & June, I was compiling a list in my head of songs I'd like
to cover, the first being "Bernadette" from the Four Tops.
We started recording April 27th,
Dennis Leeflang (Bumblefoot
drummer) laid drum tracks and we started on music tracks. And isn't it
funny how plans can change - I planned on recording and releasing these
songs soon after, instead I got a call from
Guns N' Roses to join the band and start
rehearsing the next week for a comeback tour starting the week after.
I had my first rehearsal with Guns on May 3rd, our first show was 9 days
later. The Bumblefoot tour had to be put aside, and GNR hit the road
touring Europe, finishing July 29th in London with a show at Wembley, a
surprise acoustic club show at 4am, another show at Wembley the next
night, and flying home the 31st.
The following week I laid the vocals to Bernadette. A friend was in the
mixing room and hit record for me, watching me through the studio window
- I did one take of vocals. I remember holding a sheet of printed lyrics
in my left hand, my right hand switching between grabbing the back of
the mic and holding the top of my head to keep the headphones from
flying off, I was singing so hard. They commented how much my hand
holding the lyrics was shaking and shuddering the whole time I was
singing, from adrenaline. A quick punch-in or two, a double on the
bridge, done.
I then laid the end solo with the 'Flying Foot' guitar, poor thing all
battered and bruised from the tour. I used my
Line6 VettaII 2x12" combo
amp, the one I used for the Bumblefoot 'Normal' album - it's the same
one I brought to rehearsals and used for the first GNR shows in NYC,
four shows at the Hammerstein. I remember after the last of the shows,
getting my Hyundai out of the lot and pulling up behind the venue on
35th St., carrying my amp out and putting it in the trunk while chatting
it up with fans waiting outside the back door of the venue. That's what
ya do after a gig, ya put your gear in your car, right?
Touring resumed, US & Canada September 'til December, recording Chinese
Democracy on breaks, prepping in LA in early 2007 for Spring/Summer
touring, toured, then took a break end of the year. At that point I
started working on the 'Abnormal' album, and was going to include
Bernadette on it. I re-recorded the rhythm guitar track through a Splawn
head & Marshall cabinet, and mixed/mastered the song along with the rest
of the songs for the album, finished in June 2008. But I decided not to
put Bernadette on the album, wanted to keep 'Abnormal' all-original, no
covers.
In 2009 & 2010 the focus was GNR, rehearsing, touring, meanwhile
technology was evolving making it easier to release single songs
digitally. So now seems like the right time to release the song, and
others, this way. 'bout time.
I'm releasing the song in MP3 (320kps), AAC, and higher-quality formats
FLAC, MP3 HD, Apple Lossless and WAV ('Source Audio') which
come bundled with an MP3. Instrumental
mixes are available in both formats as well.
For guitarists, I made a "Player Pack" that has a transcription of the
entire lead guitar track as a PDF file - musical notation, TAB, fingers,
picking, and helpful hints. To accompany the transcription, there's a
'Backing Track' mix with everything except the lead/solo guitar parts,
in WAV (44.1kHz/16-bit) & MP3 (320kps) format, so you can play along.
And for the studio savvy, a "Producer Pack" of 44.1kHz/24-bit Stereo WAV
files of the mix 'stems' - there's a file of drums, bass, rhythm guitar,
lead guitar, vocals and backing vocals that you can load into your
multi-track software and play with levels, making your own mixes.
I hope you enjoy the song, in all its forms - thanks for checking it
out. And big thanks to songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland for all the
great music they've made over the years, and the Four Tops for
performing it so well and inspiring this cover.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE STORE |
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