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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Permalink Calling All Chord Detectives...

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One of my absolute favorite surf tunes is Banzai Pipeline by The Astronauts. The opening riff is easy enough. But for the life in me, I can't figure out the chords after that riff. I tried googling it and came across a site with the chords. But it just didn't sound right to me. I tried a couple of different voicings, but still no go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Last edited: Oct 12, 2016 08:26:55

It's F, E then back to A

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

From the recording I've got the song in Bb. Here's what I came up with:

Bb-Db-C-Bb

Just playing full bar chords at the 6th, 9th and 8th frets.

Good luck!

I've got F#/F/A#(Bb)

Victor's right but a 1/2 step down from the video.

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Last edited: Oct 12, 2016 09:45:58

The original is in a flat key because it's a horn tune but the intervals are the same. I've always played it in A.

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

Play along with the video and listen to the top notes, still think the Db-C works. F#-F sounds good too.

Greg, often the key to finding the correct chords is to listen to the bass. In surf music the bass rarely strays from the root.

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Victor is absolutely correct, play the song in A. If necessary take your recording and change pitch with an audio editor.

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

The Astronauts version is in A# (Bb), so it should be F#, F, Bb.

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

The original Mancini swing version is Uber cool

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

"Greg, often the key to finding the correct chords is to listen to the bass. In surf music the bass rarely strays from the root."

Danny, of course you're right. I'm hearing the high notes match my progression. The high notes there are not important. Maybe that's what the OP was having a problem with. The Astronauts did have three guitars plus bass.

If I played the song I would probably use F#/F/A#(Bb) as well.

Last edited: Oct 12, 2016 10:38:51

psychonaut wrote:

The original Mancini swing version is Uber cool

I have heard Henry Mancini's version too. I think it also gives a nice springboard to branch out and do a third solo. IMHO, slightly more than two minutes does not do this song justice.

Thanks to everyone who responded so far. I'll have to try them out.

I play this song ....(Bb) but I thought it was titled 'Kuk ' ..it is on my Astronauts cd ...Banzai Pipeline being a vocal number 'banzai pipeline ,shootin' the curl ,10 toes over baby ,lost in the swirl'

ArabSpringReverb wrote:

I play this song ....(Bb) but I thought it was titled 'Kuk ' ..it is on my Astronauts cd ...Banzai Pipeline being a vocal number 'banzai pipeline ,shootin' the curl ,10 toes over baby ,lost in the swirl'

You are in good company. Go to Youtube and check out Kuk/Banzai Pipeline and cover bands and folks posting those videos mislabel them. Errors in tracklisting on albums perpetuates this. Mancini has the final word on the subject Cool

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

The chords in the video actually are:

Gb9 - F9 - Bb

Played like so:

(9)
(9)
9
8
9
x
Gb9*

8
8
8
7
8
x
F9

Then to a standard Bb Barre chord at the 6th fret - although there's a riff there.

**Please also note that for the Gb9 (at least at the beginning), not all the notes of the chord are always struck all the time - for example, one of the initial times, the high E string is not struck until past the mid-measure point. But you would typically hold the entire shape down and just pick various sets of strings. You can hopefully figure that out by ear.

Played in A, all of the chords would simply be down one fret, and be F9 to E9, to A.

Steve

Last edited: Oct 14, 2016 16:16:59

shake_n_stomp wrote:

ArabSpringReverb wrote:

I play this song ....(Bb) but I thought it was titled 'Kuk ' ..it is on my Astronauts cd ...Banzai Pipeline being a vocal number 'banzai pipeline ,shootin' the curl ,10 toes over baby ,lost in the swirl'

You are in good company. Go to Youtube and check out Kuk/Banzai Pipeline and cover bands and folks posting those videos mislabel them. Errors in tracklisting on albums perpetuates this. Mancini has the final word on the subject Cool

I wonder what the story was on this (if there is any ) ...when the Astronauts go to LA to record were they told 'here's the songs for the album ' by the producer ? Some of those were Lee Hazelwood numbers ...I wonder if they were given a bunch of songs including two titled Banzai Pipeline ?I have also read that Kuk is the sole group credited composition on 'Surfin' With..' seem to me that they just changed the title of Mancinis tune and called it theirs rather then a mislabeling .Because if thats not Kuk ...what is?

stevel wrote:

The chords in the video actually are:

Gb9 - F9 - Bb

Played like so:

(9)
(9)
9
8
9
x
Gb9*

8
8
8
7
8
x
F9

Then to a standard Bb Barre chord at the 6th fret - although there's a riff there.

**Please also note that for the Gb9 (at least at the beginning), not all the notes of the chord are always struck all the time - for example, one of the initial times, the high E string is not struck until past the mid-measure point. But you would typically hold the entire shape down and just pick various sets of strings. You can hopefully figure that out by ear.

Played in A, all of the chords would simply be down one fret, and be F9 to E9, to A.

Steve

I tried that and it was spot on. Thanks!

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