Nature's Folksong – Donald Brown

Relatively simple compared to some other Donald Brown compositions, Nature's Folksong is a good place to start exploring his music. There is no intricate rhythm section interplay, and the key center is mostly quite clear, with a very lyrical melody. However, Donald's specific subtleties are on display in the form and harmonic structure. The first A section is 14 measures long, followed by a second A section only 12 measures long without the first A's last two measures. There is a 12-measure B section, followed by C, similar to A (though with slightly different changes) but only 10 measures long followed by an eight-measure vamp D section.

Though the key of this song is certainly G, the A and C sections land in F major toward the end, with the D section vamp being on Fmaj7. The bridge starts in E major.

Our audio excerpt starts on the melody. Donald Brown begins the track with a rubato solo intro, setting up the tempo with eight measures of vamp as in the D section.