Transcribing "Axel F" and Arranging it for Live Instruments — Harold Faltermeyer cover

Want to jump right to the song? It starts at 6:49.

Sometimes I get crazy ideas in my head. Like, what if I recorded a cover of Harold Faltermeyer's 1984 hit "Axel F" entirely on live instruments?

Here it is. I talk briefly about my process, analyze the structure of the song, and then (for better or worse) you get to hear me play it on live instruments, including:

Alto sax
Tenor sax
Clarinet
Electric guitar
Electric bass
Keyboards
Hi-hat, snare drum and crash cymbal
Tongue drum
"Eggz" shaker
One-handed triangle (yeah that's a thing)
Cajon
…and… ???

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Opening Stuff
0:17 Introduction (Background on "Axel F")
1:31 My Process (How I Work on a Transcription)
2:52 Breaking Down "Axel F" (The Music Theory Part)
6:42 My Version ("Axel F" Played Entirely on Live Instruments)

Full disclosure for close listeners: Yes, there's some post-processing going on. I'm not a great drummer (I don't even have a full kit, hence the cajon for the bass drum), so the drum parts are quantized. And the snare drum is a mix of the live snare and a sample. But it's a sample taken from this recording. Just to give the snare a more consistent and punchy sound.

There's a bit of quantizing on the bass as well, just to help lock in the groove, as well as on the guitar, because I had a lot of trouble playing those odd rhythms. (The guitar hits on 1, the "e" of 2, and the "a" of 3. Very hard to nail especially since it interlocks with different rhythms in the other instruments.)

There is no quantizing, pitch correction, or other processing (besides compression and reverb) on the saxes, although there are a couple of punch-ins from other takes on notes that didn't speak or were severely out of tune. (It happens.)