Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Annotations

The tempo starts at 124 bpm, but already within the first verse they settle around 129 bpm.

In the fourth measure of the third verse the piano actually plays Cm/G instead of Ab/G, which makes much more sense harmonically. Maybe this was intended all along, but the dissonance of the Ab/G (or G/F♯ in the earlier verses) works really well at that point.

The strings & horns play every chorus rhythmically the same (like the notation in the last chorus), whereas piano, guitars, and glockenspiel play a distinct and intentionally different rhythm in the third chorus in comparison to the first two, and a different one yet again (finally together with the strings & horns) in the last one. James Jamerson on bass naturally does what he wants, whereas the drummers keep it all together with an unwavering, straight groove.

Much has been said about James Jamerson and his sound and style: plucking with just his index finger (“The Hook”), the Precision Bass with flatwound strings and high action, the foam mute at the bridge, the chromatic runs and frequent use of open strings etc. But rarely have I seen mentioned what is absolutely essential, at least in this tune: due to his right hand playing position with the middle, ring, and little finger resting on the pickup cover, his thumb was floating above the strings, making it very easy for him to mute the lower open strings with it. You’re going to need this in mm. 9, 13, 25, 29 & 49–50 – mute the open G string with the left hand where necessary.

Annotations

The tempo starts at 124 bpm, but already within the first verse they settle around 129 bpm.

In the fourth measure of the third verse the piano actually plays Cm/G instead of Ab/G, which makes much more sense harmonically. Maybe this was intended all along, but the dissonance of the Ab/G (or G/F♯ in the earlier verses) works really well at that point.

The strings & horns play every chorus rhythmically the same (like the notation in the last chorus), whereas piano, guitars, and glockenspiel play a distinct and intentionally different rhythm in the third chorus in comparison to the first two, and a different one yet again (finally together with the strings & horns) in the last one. James Jamerson on bass naturally does what he wants, whereas the drummers keep it all together with an unwavering, straight groove.

Additional resources

• Live on The Tonight Show (1967)

  Rare footage of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell performing together, just a month before Tammi Terrell was diagnosed with brain cancer. The band was stumbling along, playing different parts of the song at the same time until the first chorus.