Too Many Angels – Jackson Browne

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Tuning: Modified Eb tuning (Eb Ab Eb Gb Bb Eb, low to high) — every string tuned down a half step from standard, EXCEPT the 4th string which is tuned UP a half step to Eb (instead of the Db it would be in full Eb tuning). This raised 4th string alters voicings throughout; standard E and A-shape fingerings still produce major chords but with added color tones. Confirmed for the Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (Live) version. Studio version (Hold Out, 1980) uses E A E G B E — a separate open tuning variant.

6 (low)Eb

5Ab

4Eb

3Gb

2Bb

1 (high)Eb

🎸 Chord Shapes — Modified Eb Tuning · Eb Ab Eb Gb Bb Eb · standard shapes shifted to Eb

I · E shape open · home

IV · A shape open

V · A-string barre 2 · Bb6

vi · C#m shape at 4

Standard E-shape open fingering sounds Eb major in this tuning. A-shape open sounds Ab. C#m-position barre at fret 4 sounds Cm. Bb uses an A-string barre at fret 2 and produces a Bb6 voicing — the raised 4th string adds a G note, giving it warmth rather than a plain barre tone. This is Browne's tuning and these color voicings are part of the sound. Don't fight them.

🖐 Fingerpicking Pattern · Per Bar (4/4)

	1	&	2	&	3	&	4	&
Eb(hi) · ring (r)			r			r		r
Bb · mid (m)		m		m			m
Gb · index (i)	i				i
Eb/Ab · thumb (T)	T		T		T		T

T = Thumb (root → 5th) i = Index · G string m = Middle · B string r = Ring · e string

Travis picking — thumb alternates bass strings (low Eb and Ab) in a steady quarter-note pulse while fingers walk treble strings in between. The thumb never stops. Lock the alternating bass before adding the fingers, and don't rush: the pattern at 96 BPM has more space than you think.

Intro / Outro feel

The raised 4th string (Eb instead of Db) means some thumb-bass positions ring unexpectedly resonant intervals under chord shapes. These are not mistakes — they're what makes this tuning distinctive. Let them sustain. The open 4th string (Eb) rings particularly well under the Ab and Cm shapes.

🎻 Warm-Up: Chord Tone Arpeggios

Ascending & descending 4-note arpeggios — one chord per bar. Play slowly with even tone before each practice session.

Eb · G · Bb

Ab · C · Eb

Bb · D · F

C · Eb · G

🗺 Song Map

Intro

(Travis figure, sets the feel — learn this first)

Verse

EbAbEbBb

I was trying to tell you something…

Chorus

AbEbCmBb

Too many angels…

Guitar Break

EbAbEbBb

(Travis picking instrumental)

Bridge

CmAbEbBb

(variation on verse, shifts emotional weight)

Outro

(Travis figure, let ring and resolve)

Full Structure

Intro → V1 → V2 → Chorus → V3 → Guitar Break → Bridge → Guitar Break → Outro

Other Versions

Original studio recording on Hold Out (1980) with David Lindley on lap steel — uses a different open tuning (E A E G B E). This sheet targets the Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (Live) version, which uses the modified Eb tuning above and replaces Lindley's floating lap steel lines with single-guitar Travis picking. Two fundamentally different arrangements — standard-tuning tabs miss the Solo Acoustic version entirely.

📄 Lyrics

♫ Lyrics & Song — Apple Music Web Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (Live)

Apple Music shows synced lyrics as the song plays. Paste the full lyrics below for offline reference while practicing — saved automatically across sessions.

Speed 1.0×

There's an angel on a ribbon
Hanging from the armoire door
There's a Cupid with his feet crossed
On the bird cage by the door
There's a baby angel drummer
His eyes are open wide
And two more tiny cherubs
On the mantle side by side
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
There are photographs of children
All in their silver frames
On the window sills and tabletops
Lit by candle flames
And upon their angel faces
Life's expectations climb
Where the moment has preserved them
From the ravages of time
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to step out in the morning sun
Through the flood of tears
I want this darkness gone
Your sweet face appears
These apparitions coming one by one
But there's no end in sight
Only the dead of night
And too many angels
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
Too many angels
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to step out in the morning sun
Through the flood of tears
I want to greet the dawn
Cast away these fears
Forget about the things we could have done
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to watch the children as they run
Through the broken years
I want this darkness gone
Your sweet face appears
These apparitions coming one by one
But there's no end in sight
Only the dead of night
And too many angels

Personal lyric notes — phrasing, breath marks, delivery:

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📖 Story Behind It

From Hold Out (1980), Jackson Browne's most commercially successful album — it reached number one on the Billboard chart, something none of his earlier records had done despite a decade of beloved work. 'Too Many Angels' sits at the album's contemplative center: a song about spiritual saturation, about being surrounded by so many voices and signals and guides that you can no longer hear yourself. The title is gently ironic. Angels are supposed to help. Too many is its own kind of noise.

The original studio recording features David Lindley on lap steel, giving the song a floating, almost weightless quality — the melody seems carried on warm air. Lindley and Browne had been playing together since the early 1970s, and their musical shorthand is audible throughout Hold Out. On 'Too Many Angels,' the lap steel hovers exactly where the lyric pauses, filling the space without crowding it.

The Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 version removes Lindley entirely and puts the full weight on Browne's acoustic guitar in this unusual modified Eb tuning. The result is more direct and harder to play — the Travis picking carries both the melodic movement and the harmonic foundation that the studio arrangement spread across multiple instruments. It is a quieter version and a more demanding one, and that contrast is exactly what makes it worth learning.

Your notes — personal connection to this song:

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🎯 Performance Notes

→Tune carefully and in order: start with full Eb tuning (every string down a half step from standard), then raise the 4th string (normally D, now at Db) up one more half step to Eb. Use a chromatic tuner on each string individually. One string off will clash noticeably with the open resonances this tuning depends on.

→This is a Travis picking song. If the alternating-bass thumb pattern isn't in your muscle memory yet, learn it on a simple open Eb chord first — just thumb alternating 6th and 4th strings, steady quarter notes — until it runs without thinking. Only then add the finger pattern on top.

→The intro figure is the foundation of the entire song. Practice it until it's automatic before attempting chord changes. The transitions need to happen inside the Travis pulse, not in between it — the thumb cannot stop.

→The Bb chord at fret 2 (A-string root) has a Bb6 quality due to the raised 4th string. Don't try to fix this by muting strings — the G note that 4th string adds is part of the warmth that distinguishes Browne's arrangement. Accept the voicing.

→The Cm → Bb → Eb resolution is the harmonic spine of every chorus. Practice that three-chord sequence as a unit until the transitions are smooth under a continuous Travis pulse. That's where the song lives.

→Listen to the Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 version before you touch the guitar. The Travis pattern, the way Browne handles the melody notes on the treble strings while the bass walks — that's the lesson. No chord chart fully conveys it. The recording is the teacher.

Practice log:

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🎛️ Looping Notes

L1L1 — Travis-pick loop: Record 4 bars of Eb→Ab→Bb→Cm in Modified Eb tuning (Eb Ab Eb Gb Bb Eb). Thumb alternates between the two low strings in steady quarternotes — the alternating bass must be clearly audible in the loop; it is the backbone of this arrangement.

L2L2 — Vocal melody: Loop one verse phrase. Browne's voice in Eb is warm and intimate — the loop should sit below the vocal, not compete with it.

L3L3 — Arpeggiated treble or open-string drone: Let the modified Eb tuning work for you — open strings ring in unusual ways in this tuning. A slow arpeggio or touched harmonic above the chord loop adds depth without clutter.

L4Performance: Sing over loops. Stay intimate throughout — this is not a big-room song. The modified tuning creates a lush overtone bed that rewards quiet playing.

L5HeadRush — sync note: At ≈96bpm, 4 bars ≈ 2.5s. Standard 4/4 sync. The Travis-pick pattern is metronomically steady — record with precision.

Looper session notes:

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📁 Practice & Performance Book · Michael Carlucci Added May 2026