Probably my favorite recording of all time. I have a question however. It may be that only Vince or one of the Baebes could answer. There's a hitch in the beat that I just can't get a handle on. I've made some attempts at counting it out but I think I'm failing because I'm not counting the right time signature. Dunno. x number of measures at 4/4 and a 5/8? It's certainly not a pressing issue and I could live the rest of my days happily loving the tune. Now it may be that the answer is, "it's in the Baebes Song Book", which would be fine if someone would promise me. The Baebes have more than their share of my money to date and the £ being 2:1 to the $ plus Royal Post makes some purchases more daunting than others. Apart from the timing of "The Snake" the book'll do me no good as I can't read music, per se, but can follow drum charts and times. I don't kow why I'm so obsessed with understanding it as only the beasts of the forest ever hear me hammering out Baebes tunes on a dumbek atop my glacial boulder in the middle of 36 acres of nothing in the dark. I'm neither able or inclined to justify my quirky behaviors.

I have no idea what you are talking about
What caught my interest is sitting on a boulder in the middle of nature beating a drum. Where are you? Tell me more

No, 'The Snake' is not in 'Songbook Vol 1'. It contains songs of the first two albums.

Is a FFT analysis of the song helpful to you? Is easy to see the high-frequency-parts of the drums and the timing is visible.



Img1: Overview of analyzed parts
Img2: 5 seconds in detail, after acapella part
Img3: 15 seconds, same start-position like Img2
Img4: 5 seconds, later in song, when big drum come in

Whoah
Now you're getting way too technical

Just like my avatar says. Warren, Massachusetts, USA. If your not familiar with the area it has some quirks that make it very special. It's very rural. Odd considering how it's kind of centered in some major urban areas. Roughly the same distance to Boston, Providence, Hartford, Albany and just a little farther to NYC. Unlike many of my fellow americans I'm enjoying the economic downturn. It's virtually halted suburban sprawl for now! Low rolling hills with lots of rocky outcroppings and elevated wetlands. About a century ago it was all farmland. Bad farmland. Now it's all forested back in. The coyote, bear, moose and myriad of other critters have returned along with the eagle and falcon. One feature we have a lot of is glacial erratics. I think they exist in lots of parts of the world but if your not familiar it's when a glacier picks up a house sized boulder somewhere and then sits it down gently and precariously in some obscure place when the ice melts. I've got a couple favorites. It's a good hike and a tricky climb with a drum but when I need to clear my head and heart there's no better therapy. Sometimes I play the recorder. Often I'll just lay there and stare at the stars through the treetops. I leave food on the first day of Yule (new moon before the solstice by my tradition) and 12th night.

I hadn't really thought about "looking" at the music in that way but it's worth a try. I know it's dropping a half beat. I can figure out the measures by hook or by crook. I guess I'd just feel better if I "felt" it rather than technically determined it.

Sounds like an incredible place to live. I agree with your sentiment about feeling the beat. My wife plays music: guitar, recorders, violin - some keyboard and sometimes I pick up a hand drum and just feel where the rhythm takes me. She has a special place on a wooded hill where she goes sometimes with her musical partner to play.