Help ! I'm On A Highway To Hell

Hollywood Jim

Hollywood Jim

Platinum Member
I need to learn "Highway To Hell". I have the intro down. No problem. My problem is after the chorus HTH and then the break. When the drums come back in they are off tempo for one beat then they are ok. Sounds to me like a mistake or a splice in the recording. I'm thinking about coming in after two bars right on the one. It would keep the song on tempo. But I know it's not correct. Even our guitar player is confused. Someone please get me off of this highway to hell !!!!


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After hitting the 4+ that starts the break, I just give it a full 4-beat measure before the band & I come back in on 1 (then 2+, 4). Another measure break then back in on the 1 again (then 2+, 4, 1+, 3, 4).
 
hahaha we were just talking about that exact song and spot in another thread about simple songs that are hard to play. Its tricky for such an easy break.
 
Thank you all for the counting help. It helps me. Just gotta practice it about a hundred times. Darn it !!!!

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Neal Pert said:
Well, since I couldn't include that video in my counting, I pulled out my guitar and counted it for you.

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Yes, you have it correct. That helped clarify it for me. But in the recording the drummner hits the bass drum a split second too early and the snare drum a split second too late. And it makes it sound off tempo. Go ahead try following it with a click track. You will see what I mean.

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Hollywood Jim said:
Yes, you have it correct. That helped clarify it for me. But in the recording the drummner hits the bass drum a split second too early and the snare drum a split second too late. And it makes it sound off tempo. Go ahead try following it with a click track. You will see what I mean.

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Well, if you mean consistently, it's because Phil Rudd's playing 1-2-3-4- and the guitar is playing +4+. When you hear it at first it's easy to hear the guitar as 1+2. But it's never that.
 
Neal Pert said:
Well, if you mean consistently, it's because Phil Rudd's playing 1-2-3-4- and the guitar is playing +4+. When you hear it at first it's easy to hear the guitar as 1+2. But it's never that.
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Then how come when I count it or track it with a metronome the drums are not hitting on 1234 right after the break? They eventually come back to the tempo but for the first two or three counts of the bar right after the break they don't follow 1234 tempo.

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The drums come in on +4+ after the break with the guitar. It takes a second for it to feel like it's locked in, but it is right away. +4+ and then [EDIT] silent on 1 but in time.
 
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Neal Pert said:
The drums come in on +4+ after the break with the guitar. It takes a second for it to feel like it's locked in, but it is right away. +4+ and then 1 on the bass drum-- four notes in a row.
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Thank you. I'll have to listen to it more carefully!

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Hollywood Jim said:
Thank you. I'll have to listen to it more carefully!

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I'd bet there were no clicks involved in the making of that album!

I'm pretty sure I've heard a live version with Chris Slade on drums in which he keeps the quarter note going on the hats. Makes it much easier to figure out.
 
Stroman said:
I'd bet there were no clicks involved in the making of that album!

I'm pretty sure I've heard a live version with Chris Slade on drums in which he keeps the quarter note going on the hats. Makes it much easier to figure out.
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If you turn it way up the original (in the video above) has the hi hat as well.
 
Stroman said:
I'd bet there were no clicks involved in the making of that album!

I'm pretty sure I've heard a live version with Chris Slade on drums in which he keeps the quarter note going on the hats. Makes it much easier to figure out.
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I just listened to two different live versions by ACDC and the snare drum hit right after that first break is much more on tempo. So I say screw that original recorded version !

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Neal Pert said:
If you turn it way up the original (in the video above) has the hi hat as well.
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Gotcha. My phone didn't reproduce that clearly. I just gave a quick listen to make sure I remembered it right. I hadn't played that song for 30 years, probably! 😁
 
Stroman said:
Gotcha. My phone didn't reproduce that clearly. I just gave a quick listen to make sure I remembered it right. I hadn't played that song for 30 years, probably! 😁
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I didn't notice it until I played it again to confirm what the drummer played!
 
Just to be clear, you mean when the drums come back in after the first chorus, right (at about 1:09 in the video you embedded)? I agree with previous posters that the drums (and the guitar) start back up on the + of 3 and hits three 8th notes in a row (+4+), then the beat resumes on the very next 1. The entire chorus is nine full measures. The "Highway to Hells" are on the 1s of the odd numbered measures and the last note before the break is on 4+ of the 7th measure. They break for the 8th measure and the drums and guitar start back with the lead-in +4+ 8th notes at the end of the 9th measure. If you turn up the volume you can hear Phil tapping the quarter notes on the high hat during the break. The only bass (or tom) that I hear in the re-entry notes are either one of the 8th notes or combined with another drum on one of the 8th notes. I personally do not hear any notes out of tempo. It's fun to analyze these songs, but I don't think I can do songs more sophisticated than this (assuming I am even right here).
 
Hollywood Jim said:
say screw that original recorded version !
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I’ve been asked to teach this song and I know it very well although I don’t particularly like it. This version is perfectly fine though.
There’s a crash on the and of 4, which acts as an anticipation of 1 in the next measure. Then nothing is played on 1 and everybody comes back on 2.
This a common musical effect that can help educate your ear.

There’s a very powerful part on displaced accents in my Time Initiation drum book.

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Hollywood Jim said:
So I say screw that original recorded version !
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Indeed. I play the time in a bar cover band. The other musicians are looking at me for how to navigate that break. Why make it more complicated than necessary when virtually no one in the audience will know the difference?
 
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