Moondance Piano Solo

[beaelvsin]

Does anyone have the transcription to the piano solo in Moondance?

[Doc Tonewheel]

I've used this site a few times when I didn;t have time to transcribe things myself.

 

https://www.manymidi.com/sheetmusic.htm

 

Van Morrison - Moondance - Piano Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).pdf

 

"Moondance", the title song on Van Morrison's 1970 album, is the most frequently-played song by Morrison in concert, the only song he's performed over a thousand times. The piano solo, played by Jeff Labes, combines elements of jazz and rock, and is one of the most important piano solos ever recorded because of its successful fusion of those elements.

 

The piano solo is 16 bars long, and is followed by a sax solo. This is a note-for-note transcription of the entire piano solo, plus the first four bars of the piano part behind the subsequent sax solo - both hands. The piano solo incorporates two-handed arpeggios, sixths, thirds, pentatonic and modal runs, broken octaves - lots of wonderful pianistic techniques, in just 16 measures.

 

If you've ever wanted to learn Van Morrison's "Moondance" piano solo exactly as it was recorded, here is your opportunity.

[MathOfInsects]

Without taking anything away from Jeff Labes' talent or career, and without having anything even remotely approaching it myself, and acknowledging that this solo has been heard and loved by billions of ears...I've always thought there were a few moments in it that he wouldn't mind getting back.

[Bobadohshe]

I'm not a big fan of it.

[Jwave]

One of my bands has covered "And It Stoned Me" from the same album, where Jeff Labes played a shorter but perfectly architected piano solo. I've always loved the dramatic descending finish.

[Adan]

At the risk of sounding didactic, you'll get much more out of the experience if you learn it by ear. Most likely, no one will care if you get a few notes wrong.

 

Putting aside his broader reputation, Jeff Labes is a local legend here in Marin County north of San Francisco. Playing with the cats I do, I often get compared to him. But not favorably. More like, "hey, that was a nice solo, but just imagine what Labes would have done with it."

 

It even reaches into my personal life. Some musicians upon hearing that I married a much younger woman and had my first child at age 50 will say "well, Jeff Labes married an even younger woman and had a kid at age 60." Seems I just can't get out of this guy's shadow.

[Mr. Nightime]

I play and sing that song all the time.

 

I've never taken the time to learn the solo from the song, always improvising

 

No one even notices

[MathOfInsects]

At the risk of sounding didactic, you'll get much more out of the experience if you learn it by ear. Most likely, no one will care if you get a few notes wrong.

 

Putting aside his broader reputation, Jeff Labes is a local legend here in Marin County north of San Francisco. Playing with the cats I do, I often get compared to him. But not favorably. More like, "hey, that was a nice solo, but just imagine what Labes would have done with it."

 

It even reaches into my personal life. Some musicians upon hearing that I married a much younger woman and had my first child at age 50 will say "well, Jeff Labes married an even younger woman and had a kid at age 60." Seems I just can't get out of this guy's shadow.

This is a good post but I feel Jeff Labes would have done a slightly better job.

[Dockeys]

At the risk of sounding didactic, you'll get much more out of the experience if you learn it by ear. Most likely, no one will care if you get a few notes wrong.

 

Putting aside his broader reputation, Jeff Labes is a local legend here in Marin County north of San Francisco. Playing with the cats I do, I often get compared to him. But not favorably. More like, "hey, that was a nice solo, but just imagine what Labes would have done with it."

 

It even reaches into my personal life. Some musicians upon hearing that I married a much younger woman and had my first child at age 50 will say "well, Jeff Labes married an even younger woman and had a kid at age 60." Seems I just can't get out of this guy's shadow.

This is a good post but I feel Jeff Labes would have done a slightly better job.

ðððð

[CEB]

I always just do my own thing bouncing between Dorian shit and Aeolian shit. Or ..... A natural minor with some F# accidentals spewed through there.

[area51recording]

At the risk of sounding didactic, you'll get much more out of the experience if you learn it by ear. Most likely, no one will care if you get a few notes wrong.

 

Putting aside his broader reputation, Jeff Labes is a local legend here in Marin County north of San Francisco. Playing with the cats I do, I often get compared to him. But not favorably. More like, "hey, that was a nice solo, but just imagine what Labes would have done with it."

 

It even reaches into my personal life. Some musicians upon hearing that I married a much younger woman and had my first child at age 50 will say "well, Jeff Labes married an even younger woman and had a kid at age 60." Seems I just can't get out of this guy's shadow.

 

I bet Jeff Labes' reply to this thread would have been more......you know, just.......more...... :-)

[area51recording]

I've played Moondance for maybe 45 or so years now, and it never occurred to me to cop the piano solo......but that says more about me, I guess......

[Threadslayer]

I played MD as an opening song for the "dinner set" in a club band for years and totally forgot that it had a piano solo in it at all. One day the drummer asked how come I didn't play it, so I listened to the original. Ooops! So at the next gig I just chucked it in, and the flute licks too. It came so naturally that I wouldn't have even considered learning it note for note from a transcript. In short, I agree with several above that the best advice for the OP is to capture the feel and just go with it. You'll probably end up with a more natural sounding and satisfying result. It still won't hold a candle to Jeff Labes though

[Baldwin Funster]

I'd have more fun playing the sax solo with a sax patch. The piano solo seems massively overly busy.

[ElmerJFudd]

Oooo - I see a debate forming on the melodic vs. riff based vs. virtuosic solo. I like solos that use just the right balance of all three. A solo you can hum, but doesn"t bore. A little spicy overall but a brief moment of real heat.

 

 

Back on OP"s hunt - I know amazing slow downer is popular here, and of course there are other apps that use similar tech to maintain pitch, reduce speed and even provide chord analysis. But has anyone used Melodyne to help speed up the transcription process?

[Docbop]

I've played Moondance for maybe 45 or so years now, and it never occurred to me to cop the piano solo......but that says more about me, I guess......

 

I didn't even remember there was a piano solo till this thread and I listened to it again. In guitar world where I came from there are tunes with "trademark" solos you just have to learn them and play them like the recording. Most tunes don't have a trademark part so go for whatever fits the genre. The audience doesn't care they just hear a beat, the hook, some lyrics, and more concern about drinking and/or dancing.

[Reezekeys]

When I used to do weddings the song would occasionally get called and it was always a sax or guitar player that grabbed a solo. I never thought about it since while I dig Van, I'm not that familiar with his oeuvre. The few times I did solo I never heard anyone express the opinion that I should play the original note-for-note. In my "career" I've only done that with one song: Felix's organ solo on Good Lovin'. It's as indelible as the hook. Not so much the Moondance piano solo.

[Pianoman JC]

I play the song a lot too and always improvise the solo. Also do it in a duo with a flute player (my daughter) and she also improvises the solo.

No one ever noticed.

 

 

 

JC

[jazzpiano88]

I"m reminded of the behind the music scene of Becker and Fagen playing the out-takes of the guitar solo on Peg from Aja.

They played one particular out-take, looked at each other, and Fagen says, 'I think that speaks for itself'.

 

In that vein, I think the Moondance solo speaks for itself.

[Marzzz]

I am reminded of my younger brother's first wedding back in the early 90's; they had a professional video tape made of the proceedings, the production of which included dubbing in this song as background. I LOL every time I hear it...

[allan_evett]

I play and sing that song all the time.

 

I've never taken the time to learn the solo from the song, always improvising

 

No one even notices

 

 

Yep, I've always improv'd it. Tyically I'll dial-in a few A Dorian patterns that pay homage to the recording, but basically make the verse solo my own. The times I'm asked to solo over the chorus changes I'll add in some minor blues scale stuff as well.

[MathOfInsects]

To be fair, if someone is going to search out this forum and make their first (and so far only; why do they never come back and say thank you?) post specifically asking for a transcription of this solo, all our "Just play what you want" and "Just use your ears" suggestions are probably more for each other than that poster. Either the poster needed it ASAP, or just couldn't hear what was happening, even if it seems obvious and undercooked to us.

 

There have definitely been times where I've had to learn a line and it just keeps slipping past me somehow, like trying to grab that little piece of shell in a bowl of eggs. Then I pull up a tutorial and I'm like..."Let's never speak of this again, ok, tutorial video? Because that was pretty obvious."

 

Anyway, hopefully that site Doc Tonewheel suggested satisfied the OP's needs.

[beaelvsin]

To be fair, if someone is going to search out this forum and make their first (and so far only; why do they never come back and say thank you?) post specifically asking for a transcription of this solo, all our "Just play what you want" and "Just use your ears" suggestions are probably more for each other than that poster. Either the poster needed it ASAP, or just couldn't hear what was happening, even if it seems obvious and undercooked to us.

 

There have definitely been times where I've had to learn a line and it just keeps slipping past me somehow, like trying to grab that little piece of shell in a bowl of eggs. Then I pull up a tutorial and I'm like..."Let's never speak of this again, ok, tutorial video? Because that was pretty obvious."

 

Anyway, hopefully that site Doc Tonewheel suggested satisfied the OP's needs.

MathOflnsects, you hit the nail right on the head. I ended up on this forum because I couldn't find the solo anywhere. I'm an "intermediate" level accordion player who now plays keyboard in a band, so I'm still getting up to speed with my left hand skills on the keyboard. My music education when I was kid in the 60's never included improvisation nor learning Dorian, Aeolian or any other modes. This last year had been a challenge in making the transition. However, I've come a long way in that year. My approach to learning keyboard parts for the band is to look for transcriptions on complicated parts of a song to save time. I even cover horn parts with my Roland VR-09 (Vehicle, 25 or 6 to 4, Beginnings). So, I look for every opportunity to get where I need to be.

[jazzpiano88]

.

[Adan]

I would not change my advise. GIven the OP's level of skill, I'd be concerned that playing the original solo note for note will sound stilted. These are very simple chord changes, so coming up with your own solo should not be difficult. Rather than trying to play like someone else, play like yourself, but take the opportunity to push your boundaries a bit. Steal some ideas from the original solo if you can, then string them together with your own ideas. I'm having a hard time imagining a situation where that would get anyone in trouble.

 

I don't see any disrespect or condescension in the replies. Apparently no one knows of a transcription. But we've done the next best thing, which is to help the OP feel comfortable forging ahead without it. Actually, I don't think that's the "next best thing." It's the best thing.

[MathOfInsects]

I don"t disagree. But everyone"s got a different 'way in' to things they don"t understand. Some poke around and try stuff until the scraps eventually add up to something (bottom up), and some need direct guidance in order even to know what the ingredients would be for making something themselves (top down). I just realized last night that if someone is going to scour the internet for a transcription of this solo (of all things), they might be asking for more top-down guidance than we were giving, no matter how correct the advice here inherently is.

 

The first response was a note-by-note transcription, so hopefully that closed the loop.

[Baldwin Funster]

If improvising a solo is too hard then skip the solo. Either the guitar player will happily take it or play the song sans solo. The audience just wants to dance and dont care how the song is arranged.

This goes for any song in your set.

[jazzpiano88]

I would riff on the melody of the Kinks" 'You Really Got Me' and probably get a more favorable response.

[Al Quinn]

It sounds like the OP doesn"t have experience improvising. If that"s the case, copying the solo off the recording may be the only satisfactory approach. I can"t see how someone can quickly learn to improvise at a level that"s band-worthy.

 

Sorry, I don"t have the transcription.

[El Lobo]

Play along to the recording. I think that's what most of us did.