Free Bird on Native American Style Flutes & Piano

First I'd like to mention that I hadn't planned on publishing Free Bird on Easter Day, but, it just happened to work out that way! :) So,.......HAPPY EASTER everyone!

Now, I'd like to mention the remembrance, during the opening of the song. It's for the six lives that were lost tragically in a plane crash on October 20, 1977. It claimed the lives of three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, their road manager, and, the pilot & co-pilot. Lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant, was among the three band members that died. He was co-writer of many of the bands songs, including Free Bird.

Free Bird started out as an Idea a few months ago. It started small, and kept getting bigger & bigger & bigger! I originally planned to do it on one flute with no accompanying music. I was going to do a simple intro, then the slide guitar line that Gary Rossington originally played, & then go into the main melody. I knew I would end it at the end of the ballad (vocals), but I had to figure out how I wanted to end it. After playing it a few times, I decided that it needed something to hold it all together, like an acoustic guitar or piano backing track. I searched YouTube, but I couldn't find anything that wasn't the original karaoke track, or an acoustic track without the vocals. Out of frustration, I decided that if I was going to do my own arrangement, that I would have to learn a simple piano version to hold the song together. As for the slide guitar line, I kept hearing a harmony with it in my head, and decided to come up with one. I know Gary played solo slide guitar in the song, but, I couldn't help but add a harmony to it! I just recently learned how to do split screen videos, which I used to show the harmonies. To sum it up, I had to reach way down in my "bag of tricks" to do this one! :) I hope you like my arrangement!

NOTE: For those of you that were expecting a blazing four & a half minute flute solo at the end of the song..............I apologize for the disappointment! :)

Being from central North Carolina I was an instant Lynyrd Skynyrd fan like most of my friends. Free Bird was always a favorite, and I used to play it with The Frankie Auman Band, along with Gimme Three Steps & The Needle & the Spoon. Back then, I was the drummer. Again, I hope you enjoy my flute & piano version! The lyrics are down below.

I performed the guitar line & harmony on two Wolf Claw flutes: The slide guitar line on A minor, made of juniper & redwood, and the harmony line on E minor, in cherry & birdseye maple. https://wolf-claw-flutes.myshopify.com/

The main melody I performed on a High Spirits Condor Bass, in D minor, made of walnut. https://highspirits.com/

The piano I played is a Casio WK-245 electronic keyboard, which I believe has been discontinued.

The hawk videos are from https://www.pexels.com/

Free Bird

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on now
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see

But if I stay here with you, girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird you cannot change
Oh, oh, oh, oh
And the bird you cannot change
And this bird, you cannot change
Lord knows, I can't change

Bye-bye, baby, it's been sweet love, yeah, yeah
Though this feelin' I can't change
Please don't take it so badly
'Cause Lord knows, I'm to blame

If I stay here with you, girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird you cannot change
Oh, oh, oh, oh
And the bird you cannot change
And this bird, you cannot change

Lord knows, I can't change
Lord help me, I can't change
Lord, I can't change
Won't you fly high, free bird, yeah

Songwriters: Allen Collins / Ronnie Van Zant

Видео Free Bird on Native American Style Flutes & Piano канала FluteTastic