This is what the main guitar parts in the studio Jumpin' Jack Flash seem like to me but it's only a rough guide and is probably not totally right.
There could be more guitar parts then I mention as well.

JJF has definite guitar parts playing different roles and it's great how the guitar parts weave together.


Opening:

Nashville tuning is normal top B and E strings with the bottom four strings tuned up an octave so a B chord played on the 7th fret sounds more treble based than usual.

Guitar 1: Opening Nashville tuning Acoustic guitar B chord played on 7th fret.
This covers the high end and it's the first thing heard.

Guitar 2: Acoustic either in open E (or open D) or standard tuning and joins in on the first E and A chords and it covers the lower end and then the bass guitar joins in after and then Guitar 1 and Guitar 2 and Bass continue up until the start of the verse.

The opening often gets dropped for most live versions for some strange reason.


Verse Main Riff:

The high Nashville tuning guitar drops out.

There seem to be 2 main Acoustic guitars that I can hear in open E or open D or Standard tuning or even a combination of the open and standard tunings.

Guitar 1: Covers the middle based parts.

Guitar 2: Covers the lower based parts.


Chorus:

The high part is an Electric to my ears and it seems to be played in standard tuning (or maybe Nashville but I don't think so) and only the high B and E strings are really used anyway so it doesn't matter about the tuning too much.

The high part is very country based maybe with some jangly Byrds like elements to it and as far as I'm aware it doesn't get played in live versions.
Mick sings Awwwwwwwwwwwwwright now and the live versions often depart for the worst from Micks studio version.

The high part is a huge part of the studio versions sound and uses the open E and B strings as pedal points in between the high parts melody.

Underneath the Chorus high part is probably an Acoustic playing the D, A, E, B barre chords in either open E or D tuning or Standard tuning.

The high part could easily be done by a 2 guitar band but once again it gets dropped for live versions for some strange reason.

Interlude:

This is an interesting bit.

It's played over the intros B, E, A, B chords.

It's like the Chorus high Electric part but played in a lower position on the top B and E strings and has a jangly Byrds like thing about it using the top B string as a pedal point while an Acoustic covers the bottom end with a counterpoint jagged angular riff.

Once again, this interlude parts get dropped for live versions even though it could be covered easily by a 2 guitar band.



Outro:

Once again It's played over the intros B, E, A, B chords.

It's the same top B and E strings with open string pedal points as was used in the Chorus and Interlude but it's a different part and it plays until the end.

An organ swells up and then plays some blues licks underneath it.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are 3 variations on the same intro chords.
The Intro and the Interlude and the Outro and these intro chords are coming back in a different context each time which is a great touch and makes a lot of the song along with the high parts in the Chorus and Interlude and Outro which are all high parts played in different contexts.

Some Mysteries are

Did Brian Jones play any guitar on JJF?
Did Brian Jones help with the arranging and colouring?

Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

Who played the Chorus and Interlude and Outro high parts and why are they dropped in a 2 guitar band for live versions?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 08:51 by howled.

I'd like to talk about Johnny Winters guitar parts also...Am I all alone there?

Chorus: the single high notes is most likely the main guitar form the verses, Keiths, not Brian. The main one playing the chords in the verses. But, Brian has been credited with those before and there are more guitars in this murky mix.

The sustain of the Acoustics doesn't seem to be the sustain on the high parts.

The sustain of the Acoustics drops off as Acoustics tend to do but the high parts have a Country Electric sustain thing to them and so that's why I think they are Electric parts and not Acoustic.

The sustain of the opening Nashville tuned Acoustic drops off pretty quick compared to the Chorus high parts and in the verse main riff the notes don't have to sustain much as the riff has a choppy rhythm and these could be Acoustics.

There is the overloading of the cassette recorder but even with this the sustain of the opening Nashville tuned Acoustic drops off pretty quick but probably not as quick as a normally recorded Acoustic but still pretty quick and still too quick for the high parts IMO.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 08:42 by howled.

Quote
howled
The opening often gets dropped for most live versions for some strange reason.
... Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

the Stones have clarified that it's because it sounds too much like the opening to Street Fighting Man



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 09:34 by with sssoul.

That makes sense.

My opinion would be to drop Street Fighting Man and play the JJF intro.

Quote
howled
That makes sense.
My opinion would be to drop Street Fighting Man and play the JJF intro.

smile: and that's one reason they're the Rolling Stones and you aren't

I was just reading a Mick interview and he was saying Street Fighting Man isn't one of his favorites.

Another thing about the JJF intro is Mick's Wotcha (or that's what I think it is) never getting a go in the live versions.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 10:40 by howled.

No sign of the JJF high parts in the Surrey rehearsals either as far as I remember.

The high parts have a Sitar like open string droning thing to them (open string pedal point).

The high parts don't sound like Keiths usual style to me but he could have played them but then again so could have Brian especially as they have this open string Sitar like thing to them.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 11:46 by howled.

Howled: JJF will get a lot more discussion on this board shortly ... it's the next song in Rene's "Track Talk" series...

Drew

Quote
howled
I was just reading a Mick interview and he was saying Street Fighting Man isn't one of his favorites.

I understand that as a live piece, I never thought it was that special live and went on far too long.

However the studio version is a perfect meshing of sound, a magnificent wall of sound that could probably never be recreated again. One of the greatest pieces of recorded music ever.

I had a 45rpm version on the London label that was the same but better ( a slight remix) with some morrocan instruments more to the fore somehow. It was a long time ago and I lost the record somewhere.

Anyway, it's timeless, it's magical.

Didn't Pete Townsend once say something similar?

Thank you Howled for the info on JJF's guitar parts; that song is my all time favorite my #1. I have heard it hundred times I still get a kick out of it. The original version is the best because like you said there is the chord sequence intro and the sound of .the accoustic guitars is quite unique. That song is an important one especially for Keith because he plays with the tunings, the tones, the chords. Keith is developping his style with the riffs,the tempo, the silence and how he lets that B chord ringing before hitting hard the E-D-C#-B progression(thank Bill). Fantastic song!
Rock and Roll,
Mops

The studio JJF is also my personal number one song ever and also Keith's btw.

There is so much in the studio JJF with the guitars and other things and Mick's lyrics are just great.

The live versions are ok but nowhere near the studio version.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 13:50 by howled.

I have nothing against Street Fighting Man btw which I also think is a great Stones song.

I really doubt there is a Nashville strung acoustic on JJF.

Where's Majesty when you need him?

Mathijs

Why I think it's a Nashville tuned guitar is because Keith said there is a Nashville tuned guitar over the top ie covering the top end and the starting chords of JJF, before anything else joins in, just don't have any bass to them and a Nashville tuned guitar would be like this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 15:38 by howled.

An astute analysis and GREAT questions of JJF ...
Jones is credited, but I wonder if he's buried in
the mix ... or, if there's an error in credit and
he did play the organ.

Quote
with sssoul

Quote
howled
The opening often gets dropped for most live versions for some strange reason.
... Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

the Stones have clarified that it's because it sounds too much like the opening to Street Fighting Man

The studio versions of JJF and SFM intros sound nothing alike other than being in the same key.

All the live versions I have, officially and bootlegs, from Ya-Ya's, Brussels, LYL, 1978, 1981, 1989, 1990 and 1994 do not have the studio intro. I don't know if I'd consider that "most live versions".

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
with sssoul

Quote
howled
The opening often gets dropped for most live versions for some strange reason.
... Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

the Stones have clarified that it's because it sounds too much like the opening to Street Fighting Man

The studio versions of JJF and SFM intros sound nothing alike other than being in the same key.

I beg to differ. Of course, some of it could be purely phychological, since we know they were recorded at the same sessions. But I definitely think they have the same atmosphere, a bit of the same sound and "color". They're both very Beggars Banquet, so to speak. I'm also quite sure JJF has a cassette-recorded acoustic like the ones (more famously) featured on SFM. Then the ringing high notes, the maracas, ...

Edit: Sorry, thought you meant the whole songs, when you actually wrote "intros".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 17:45 by LieB.

Too many contemporary bands play straight guitar chords all the way through, with no little riffs or individual notes played underneath. JUMPIN' JACK FLASH has those extra little notes added in spots (typical Stones, in the best sense). Take a lesson, ye newer bands!

Quote
howled
Why I think it's a Nashville tuned guitar is because Keith said there is a Nashville tuned guitar over the top ie covering the top end and the starting chords of JJF, before anything else joins in, just don't have any bass to them and a Nashville tuned guitar would be like this.

Maybe Keith had a Nashville strung guitar at hand, maybe not.
it doesn't matter as those parts are played on the high e and b string. both have the same gauge wire like any other standard acoustic guitar (as you already noted)

for a good listen I recommend the Isolated Tracks vol 1 - Toothless Bearded Hag
bootleg.

Quote
with sssoul

Quote
howled
The opening often gets dropped for most live versions for some strange reason.
... Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

the Stones have clarified that it's because it sounds too much like the opening to Street Fighting Man

Ya, right!

Quote
open-g

for a good listen I recommend the Isolated Tracks vol 1 - Toothless Bearded Hag
bootleg.

Yes, and it is this isolated track thing which reveals that there's at best one audible acoustic, the philips tape machine/acoustic plays a low, very constant driving rhythm throughout most of the track.

The rest is all electrics, normal 6 strings, Open E for the lot.

The mimed, but raw version they did for one of the promo's gives a good insight in to the electrics of the proper studio/single version. Another thing that gives good insight is how Keith plays when tuned to open E in parts of One Plus One. Barring with first finger and doing little melodic parts with his pinky etc. This way of playing is used a lot in JJF.

This mostly done with acoustics thing is a myth and I just don't buy that there's any audible nashville tuned guitars. Nashville tuning just isn't needed to play the parts heard on the record.

The guitar parts are far more straight forward than some seem to think, but the mixing/blend of the piano, low dirty acoustic and 4 or so electrics etc gives the guitars a strange elusive thing about them...

It's a brilliant and unique production.


All IMO of course.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-30 21:57 by His Majesty.

The above would all make sense were I to play and record the parts inorder to back up what I say, but I'm too lazy to do so.

No, I think it makes a lot of sense; even without audio back-up
I don't realy hear Nashville strung either. But more than that the overloaded tape alone, the great cheap feedback creates it's own new sonic scape.

But hats off to howled - serious work.

These are the high parts or a close approximation to them more or less.

The high parts played in the Chorus D and A chords, Awwwwwwwright.

|-10-10-14----12-0---0--0--0--0--0---0---0---
|-10-10-10-10-10-10--10-10-14----12--10--10--
|---------------------------------------------- etc
|----------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------

The high parts for some of the interlude played over the intro B, E and A chords.


|-2---2-2-2-2-2-4--2-0-2-4--2---
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------0-0---
|-------------------------------- etc
|--------------------------------
|--------------------------------
|--------------------------------


Just the top 2 strings are used and there is the open E string (and 10 fret B string) used as a drone or pedal point in between the melody notes.

They come out sounding like pretty country things with also a Sitar like thing about them as well because of the open E and open B string drones or pedal points.

The high parts are played with an Electric IMO.

These parts never get played live in the live versions that I know of.

Who played them?

It's a mystery to me.

These sort of parts are what Brian Jones was capable of so I don't know if Keith played them or Brian.

Keith never seems to talk about the high parts, he just seems to talk about the Acoustic overloaded cassette player parts.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2011-12-01 06:08 by howled.

Ronnie plays single not double notes live.

Quote
His Majesty

Quote
open-g

for a good listen I recommend the Isolated Tracks vol 1 - Toothless Bearded Hag
bootleg.

Yes, and it is this isolated track thing which reveals that there's at best one audible acoustic, the philips tape machine/acoustic plays a low, very constant driving rhythm throughout most of the track.

The rest is all electrics, normal 6 strings, Open E for the lot.

The mimed, but raw version they did for one of the promo's gives a good insight in to the electrics of the proper studio/single version. Another thing that gives good insight is how Keith plays when tuned to open E in parts of One Plus One. Barring with first finger and doing little melodic parts with his pinky etc. This way of playing is used a lot in JJF.

This mostly done with acoustics thing is a myth and I just don't buy that there's any audible nashville tuned guitars. Nashville tuning just isn't needed to play the parts heard on the record.

The guitar parts are far more straight forward than some seem to think, but the mixing/blend of the piano, low dirty acoustic and 4 or so electrics etc gives the guitars a strange elusive thing about them...

It's a brilliant and unique production.


All IMO of course.

Did Keith say that there were Nashville-tuned guitars on JJF? I can't recall that from (unfortunately, the translated) the copy of LIFE that I've read.

Didn't he learn about the Nashville-tuning about a year later?

About the acoustic guitars thru the Phillips-deck. There might be a possibility that Keith recorded more acoustic takes, and that those were featured in an early mix?

Quote
howled
Some Mysteries are

Did Brian Jones play any guitar on JJF?
Did Brian Jones help with the arranging and colouring?

Why is the intro dropped for most live versions?

Who played the Chorus and Interlude and Outro high parts and why are they dropped in a 2 guitar band for live versions?

Since Brian played guitar with Bill on keys and Charlie on drums on the very first ever played JJF its quite possible Brian did contribute to the "colouring". He was active in the band around this time and he spoke positively about the song and maybe thought people would learn Bill, Brian and Charlie had a groove going. Im sure he would have been happy to hear Mick say something like that in an interview. Brian plays an open E at the NME.

Keith is talking about 2 Acoustics here but the high parts are Electric to my ears because of the longer sustain they have and their tone.

It's obvious (to me anyway) that the opening guitar of JJF is Acoustic because it sounds like an Acoustic and has a short sustain and I think the 2 guitars in the main riff are Acoustic as well.

The opening Acoustic guitar is high strung as Keith puts it or tuned to Nashville tuning because IMO there is no bass to the opening chords.

Nashville tuning has the bottom 4 strings tuned an octave higher and does not have the bass that a normally tuned guitar has.

The Nashville tuned Acoustic is on the intro and the strummed chord bits after the choruses just before returning to the main riff and it gives the ringing top end of the strummed B chord especially.

The Nashville tuned Acoustic does not seem to be on the main riff or the chorus.


Keith Richards: "I used a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic tuned to open D, six string. Open D or open E, which is the same thing - same intervals - but it would be slackened down some for D. Then there was a capo on it, to get that really tight sound. And there was another guitar over the top of that, but tuned to Nashville tuning. I learned that from somebody in George Jones' band in San Antonio in 1964. The high-strung guitar was an acoustic, too. Both acoustics were put through a Phillips cassette recorder. Just jam the mic right in the guitar and play it back through an extension speaker."



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2011-12-01 13:26 by howled.