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John’s low note at the end of every verse of “I’m A Loser” is amazing. What a singer! His knowledge and execution of natural low harmonies was splendid.
I'm 42 with a great passion for music since I was a child. I studied music at conservatory, played piano for many years, still playing acoustic guitar and singing. I love almost kinds of music from symphonyc to rock and roll .... And I realize that I keep on coming back to the Beatles, to play them , to be fascinated by their musical genius. Thinking that they created all that things at the age of 20-25, without an academic background (just "hearing" or "feeling" the notes and the music) it's unbelievable. To me, they're absolutely on a different level from any other.
GQ back in the 60s in England The Times newspaper was the authority on everything, the rubberstamp of either approval or dismissal. Now at that time they only critiqued serious Art or classical music, I was only young but it is a very early memory,my parents friend was the chief music critic for the Times,Bill Mann, well he broke with all traditions and rules and wrote amassive article on their music not fashion or pop. He said that their music ,their melodies were incredible, it has since been shown that the Austrian composer Schubert held the record for the most original melodies but the Beatles beat him by a country mile. Practice practice and more practice. They were also always under pressure in the recording studio to get an album done in let's say two days, so they would just DO it. Too much time unfocuses the mind. Anyway ta for your post.
It's amazing, most people I know think John wasn't much of a guitar player. He certainly wasn't a virtuoso on the instrument like a Hendrix or Clapton, but man, he was just about the dirtiest best rock 'n' roll rhythm guitarist that ever played. As well as having the best rock 'n' roll voice ever. And being half of one of the greatest song writing duos ever! Man, he was something else!
No doubt about it. John and Paul both had the best Rock or otherwise voices EVER in the early days. He was an incredible rhythm player. He was my main inspiration growing up in the sixties and early seventies as a guitar player. That was before blues and jazz rock fusion influences. I was listening to the Sirius XM Beatles channel this morning on my commute to work and John's voice came blasting out during the chorus on This Boy . WOW! Unfortunately, chain smoking ciggies took a toll on (especially John and George) their voices. John was amazing! and as you said, he was something else. Guys like them are older souls operating on a whole other level. Beatles forever!!!
From my years of beatles research and indulgence ive come to the hard solid conclusion john lennon is and was the Beatles. He and paul wrote together for a lot of songs until 66. Then john wrote a vast majority. Even the ones credited to paul. Im confident saying this because i have learned a lot of beatles songs on guitar amd some on piano. John undoubtly has a clear distinct style. Its easily noticable by his signature chord progressions. His some writing is just like a painters clear style. Each painter can be identified just lookong at their work. John lennons compositions is just like looking at a painters work. If you know johns style then you can find the truth. Hey jude is a john painting. Compare it to imagine, a day in the life there are plenty more. Then compare it to pauls solo stuff. Undeniable never written by paul. Like i said. The truth is in the music but most dont have the ability to see the creative signature by the soul that cant be replicated . Johns soul can be seen in his songs and can be seen if u know what its paint strokes look like
Lennon totally led The Beatles with his rhythm guitar playing up until late 1966-1967. His rhythm guitar parts make the songs groove. Help! , We can work it out, I'm only sleeping...Listen to his parts. They are masterful. It's not a coincidence that The Beatles are the greatest band ever, and their leader was the rhythm guitarist.
Paul Badoo - Absolutely. John was very forceful in his rhythm playing and added SO much to every song. Compared to the majority of rhythm guitarist of the day (who were relegated to rhythm guitar due to their technical inabilities) Lennon was indeed "masterful!"
I agree with you…he was a very strong, almost dirty and raw rhythm guitarist, which is why Paul spoke out later explaining why he was the bands natural choice to hop on bass. He elaborates saying how George was a very precise, skilled lead guitarist while John had this heaviness to his technique, driving a strong rhythmic wall of sound to the songs. Interestingly, John also wrote some great riff based guitar lines that are some of the most recognizable of all time…examples include “I Feel Fine”, “You Can’t Do That”, “Daytripper”, “I Want You”, etc etc.
Lennon is also the best rock voice ever. No one later from progressive rock, glam rock, punk, hard rock, metal, grunge, inide rock etc didn't have that energy. It's not about screaming, shouting and high tones in singing.. J.L. had best attitude in his voice ever. We are all forgeting that many great and famous guitar players was great singers..thats very important for their careers.
I highly agree here. The only singer I can think of that comes close to John Lennon’s attitude with his voice in my opinion would be Kurt Cobain. Other than that, nobody tops John
John Lennon is the greatest songwriter of all time and was a great vocalist and musician....but best voice ? That would have to be the King of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, who could sing ANY genre of music magnificently. The only artist inducted into 4 music halls of fame: Country, Gospel, Rock and Roll and Rockabilly. "No Elvis=NO rock and roll!" - John Lennon
@@ITILII I love Elvis especially 59 and before but John had a distinctive voice that is so hard to describe , it’s like he walked the line perfectly between testosterone and estrogen , a perfect example is all I’ve got to do off of with the Beatles , as a fully straight man it is one of the most beautiful vocal recordings I’ve ever heard
@@ITILII Yep!! Just SO bad that the US GOVT, thru 'The Army' slowed him down with*Discipline* ...Right Bang on Elvis peak, as a true R n R singer!! The 'Army' Disciplined Elvis to "Never shake yo hips, Boy, yer Makin' OUR Daughters do IT too, and YOU know *what all o that ole 'hip shakin' Really Boils Down To, Boy?* Yeah, well ya Know by NOW. So bad, that 'Elvis' entire career was Then easily 'toned down' into shlock movies with MOR music, Elvis Presley Forced to sing Schlock, M.O.R. musac by *The entire 'Industry'* Post 'Army' Elvis was Fully Controlled, subdued in style, by Management, Record Co.'s & maybe Himself, too? He Could have been So much more, but Us Gov't saw that *Easy way out* of this heah 'White BOY' turning Ma Daughters onto *Race MUSIC*. GOP in power then, They always GET their Man, Get Their Way! Don't matter Who 'won the fen election', GOP rules.
As a teen during the 80's, I loved all the hair metal while learning to play guitar. I thought of the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin as old bands who weren't as "cool", but as I got older, I was drawn to the older stuff. As I progressed and matured, and getting into the classic stuff, I started to see how much better the music was. I never realized how complex the Beatles were until I started learning their songs. I love the Beatles, but if I never learned guitar, I never would've realized how talented they were.
I'm not an 80's kid but this is same for me. When I heard about the Beatles I didn't think much of them I just thought they were good but nothing special like other bands. When I picked up guitar my dad suggested I learn some Beatles songs. So I did and some are complex and I've learned much from their music. I can't go one day without listening to at least one song from them.
I started playing drums in 1965 b/c of the Beatles. Studied piano and accordion too. By the time I was in college as a music major, I knew the Beatles were waaay more than "special" and I have always thought that Lennon was one of the greatest rhythm guitarists ever. So is K Richards. BUT... dont underplay the amount of help, teaching and guidance they all received from George Martin. He took them to the pinnacle.
Always gotta keep in mind that John was doing this stuff in the 60's! Sure he emulated a lot of music (by others) but Lennon's interpretations were GENIUS!
Rolling Stone magazine is utterly disingenuous. Lennon was an adherent of Carl Perkins as was Harrison. Lennon was workingman muscular rhythm player because that's what hillbilly, rockabilly, Jump, Jive, R&B and in Britain the Skiffle were. And he rocked it. The two Beatles who were the real rockers were Lennon and Starr hands down. I will say this is the best analysis of Lennon's playing all throughout his life. I miss this kind of hard nosed rhythm playing.
John wrote that his rhythm guitar work in "All My Loving" was probably his best. John was vastly underrated and under appreciated. John was truly a "musical genius" in as he did what I refer to be the "big three"...composed lyrics, composed music (guitar/keyboards), and was an excellent singer. I loved John.
In the last interview David Sheff did with John he was going through who wrote which songs. Sheff mentioned "All My Loving" and John replied "Well that was Paul I'm sorry to say." Sheff said "Why?" and John said "Because it's a damn good piece of work. I do play a mean guitar behind it though!" Very true.
Yes, the same is true for Day Tripper and Sgt Pepper - and quite a few others so it isn't always easy to hear exactly what John was playing to make the songs sound so good. SO many of them really had a great rhythmic feel, and though Ringo's inimitable beats and style and Paul's great melodic basslines are part of that, so is Lennon's rhythm work - credit where it's due, the man was really very, very good at this!
John had a real instinctive feel for rhythm playing and I think some of his best work is also some of his simplest... on "She's a Woman" for example, he just spears the chords and that drives the whole song. The Beatles as a band had such a way of combining for a great sound on each of their songs.
Yep, that is why we can't here any really better cover version of their songs than original one, bcz This four was incredible top level musicians. They did very complicated things in easy way.
DmitriiTurchenkov - SO true! AND - it's their voices that also make their songs SO outstanding! Whenever I hear a Beatles cover (including my own) I am always disappointed that It's NOT the actual Beatles singing.
It's Beethoven level -- I don't think any of them could read music at the time -- and they make it look easy! That's what's so infuriating. Same with Hendrix. He doesn't even LOOK at his guitar neck! Infuriating to make it look so easy.
John has this unparalleled ability to match everything that he does (singing, playing, harmonizing) into every song that he wrote. Then he adds his soul and emotions to it, and what you get is a masterpiece.
Spot on. I've found that when learning Beatles songs on the guitar, the rhythm guitar part is often more challenging than the lead simply because the chord positions John uses are so unique. You don't realize just how impressive his playing is by just listening to the songs.
"I feel fine" was the first Beatles song I ever heard when I was 9yrs old. My sisters boyfriend pointed me to a reel to reel player in the attic of their house "not far from Liverpool". I remember loading up a random reel of tape and pressing the play button.. right there, right then, my whole young outlook on life changed. Like I was hit by a cargo train filled with beautiful music traveling at a thousand MPH, next stop teen world :)
A few seconds after all my loving has started, Lennon leans over to George and says something that makes George smile! Incredible he Can do that while playing this! And he dare do it on live TV in the USA!
As an original fan, those triplets on "All My Loving" have amazed me since I first heard the song. When I first had the chance to watch the "Let It Be" movie in 1970, it was a revelation to see John playing the lead on "Get Back" In those days, uness we saw it with our own eyes, there was no way to know the inside musical stuff as so little was written about it at the time.
I've also felt the guitar chords on Sgt. Pepper's title track were just absolutely filthy in the best of ways. It's such a raunchy rock and roll song musically and that can be overlooked buried beneath the crowd effects and the horn section. It's such an incredible track!
What a great video, no rubbish, a sense of humour and every example an inspiration. I'd never really considered studying Lennon to any depth...which is naive!
There are so many musicians and bands that can reproduce Beatles music, but the thing is they wrote it, and they were in their teens and twenties. Composition is the real genius. Then add the words, singing, harmonies, and all the orchestration Wow.
dannydoc1969 - Absolutely! And whenever you hear another band try to compose something similar (in any of the genres the Bealtes covered) it comes off as corny and contrived. They were genius composers. AND their voices were/are infectious!!
Mike it's the Jonny Cash thing Lennon was in the moment top notch when he was upfront , both incredible performance and singing I feel it's fun to cover any way . Excellent teacher. I do parody bits please produce me Mister Martin to your trade. Lol I joy iont something natural. I gonna we watch a lesson this guy is motivation. Gives with love "Vegas"in on with the shoe.
You certainly opened up my eyes to John Lennon‘s amazing rhythm guitar talent. That was a great video demonstration and I love the passion that you have for these Beatle songs
Great job Mike. It’s about time someone did a “workshop“ on the brilliance of John Lennon‘s guitar playing. Being a Beatles fan I really enjoyed it!! thanks
Thank you for this explanation. To often the music of The Beatles is just taken for granted, but when the music is analyzed it turns out to be the work of real geniuses. Playing with cords and going where no one was before. Almost every album was a milestone in music.
@David Hargreaves Their teachers wrote Paul and George off academically and put them in the "remove" around age 13. Even as "rejects" they must still have received great teaching in music and art. It was the Liverpool Institute. My Dad and his brother were with them but they became a banker and a Chartered accountant. It was a superb school.
@@philipc5868 Lot of flops from the Institute as well. When you say "banker" bit of embellishment there perhaps. Worked in the office at the back. Chartered accountant.......? Mmmmmm......maybe accountant.? The Institute ended up no better than Quarry Bank in the end. At least that institution still survives.
Every once in a while I relive my past and look to videos such as yours to spark my memory. I must tell you this you are the best I've heard. I was honored years ago to meet John Lennon and I told him how much I enjoyed playing his music(at the time played with a band in the club's of New Jersey) He gave me a piece of advice.." If you're going to play my tunes, make them your own". Well time went on and babies were born and I went off the grid and today wonder..still after all these years can't play a Beatles tune that doesn't sound like a Beatles song..that's how unique the combination of artists they were. They weren't so much fab as they were phenomenal! Yes, I'm old now but when I hear or play the songs I'm taken back and it still feels great! Thanks for paying tribute to them and for sharing your talent and knowledge with us. I always get a good feeling when I see young kids wearing Beatles Tee Shirts they seriously love the music. This band and it's members will live on for years to come. Again thank you for keeping the magic alive👍👍
The Beatles are the only band who's songs overshadow their playing. But if you've written the greatest songs, chances are you're a great musician. But they're underated and will always be cause they're so much better than anyone else. Strange how that works
Evelio Herrera yeah, even with all the accolades, sales and praise I still feel like they’re under appreciated. Their songs are just there... they’re the Beatles, of course they’re brilliant. But when you look at their body of work and the sheer quality it’s pretty staggering how far and away they are from anyone else.
@@wartimemodels I have a descent knowledge of music and theory behind me and I can say just like far more advanced classical musicians, when I break their songs down and follow the melodies over the chordal harmony I am staggered at the complexity and sophistication of the music they produced especially from Revolver. They were ahead of everyone else at the beginning even though they were more basic in composition so by the time Rubber Soul and Revolver came around also SGT peppers they were out there on their own. Still to this day no one has ever come close to their body of work.
George didn't take the spotlight from anyone, in fact he was always overshadowed. Even though he was the lead guitarist, people didn't take him seriously as a guitarist because he was always overshadowed.
"The genius of Mike Pachelli " You really capture the essence or spirit of John`s rhythm playing . That raw and sometimes raunchy style (but with perfection) Thanks for all your great teaching videos ! They help immensely .
Started with John inspiration then back to Chuck back to John took it all with extra punch and sensitivity of sounds. . Thanks Michael. Great work as well.
Thanks for the kudos Scott but I'm no "genius." lol - Just a guy who's capable of critical thinking (perhaps) enough to recognize REAL talent in Lennon!
such a good lesson... I am a musician of many years expierience and I missed these little subtleties that you have high lighted...you have damn good ears
The tricky thing about the intro to "She's a Woman" is that you don't know it's the upbeat when it starts; your mind thinks it's the down beat, and when the band comes in and it's the upbeat, it's jerks you around. Love it.
I always admired how John played flawlessly yet made it look so easy. He was just as much a lyrical genious and.was a master at putting words together almost like musical notes.
@@philfrank9226 probably true since John hated lead. John also played bass on a few songs like "let it be" and "hey Jude". But he also hated the bass guitar too.
I just really had a great half hour on this site. Loved everything! You took me into John's head. I felt that you were talking to just me...I was so pleased by your dedication to John's Legacy and his Genius. In the Dawn of The Beatles during one of their 'drummerless periods,' when asked: "what will you do without a drummer" John answered, "The rhythm's in the Guitars" p.s. my guitar is just like the one in the video, so I was even more pumped to dive into these gems. Thank You So Much
Mike Blanc - It is interesting indeed! And once you know that a particular riff (like in Day Tripper) was John's - you can hear that the riff is actually SO Lennon! That info helps to identify other riffs and chord sequences.
Hey @@MPfrance, thanks for the excellent deconstruction of JL's moves on the strings. Heaps interesting and useful, too. - May i ask: Any chance you can aim the mic a little more directly at your mouth, going forward? It makes it kinda tricky getting a volume balance if listening late at night while doing dishes or something with the windows open and the neighbours downstairs - if i can hear the sweet sounds of the guitar, i can't hear what you're saying 'cos you sound as if you're whispering - if i turn it up loud enough to hear what you're on about, the guitar's too loud to wake up the neighbours... I just want to hear both without having to sit hear and ride the volume dial every few seconds.
Love this!!! I have been a HUGEEEEE Beatles fan ALL my life, thanks to my Dad, who put headphones on my baby ears and pumped in all the great Rock music of the 60s!!!!
It's about time somebody pointed out how great John Lennon was. I like how you prove that point with demonstrations. I have a friend who has been in a very popular band in Boston since the seventies. He is a rhythm guitar player. I've asked him a couple of questions about the Beatles and he admitted to me that he could never quite get the rhythm right and he doesn't know why. I have always been pretty good at playing their rhythm on my guitar and this is why and it is what I told him. When I was a kid I had a simple record player however all the Beatle albums I bought were in Stereo so I was only getting half the tracks and the majority of the time it was the rhythm tracks so I could always hear the rhythm guitar clearly. From watching live film of them I noticed early on that John played many songs with his right hand simply going up and down in a one, two, three, four, pattern. It appeared that at those times the majority of his rhythm was in his left hand and how he would press down or let up on the strings in a certain pattern. Kinda Bo Didley style, if you know what I mean. Plus I told my friend that John learned to play on a banjo so he would have to get that mindset. I noticed when you were playing that little bit that John plays in Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band that it sounds exactly what The Wrecking Crew is playing in The Monkees song Pleasant Valley Sunday. I think it was just in the way you were playing at over and over again that made it sound so much like that song. Made me laugh. I'm sorry for the long ramble here but you really got my juices flowing with this video. Thanks so much.
Really well done, Sir! Great analysis and commentary. One of their most impressive to me was the dual guitar work on "And Your Bird Can Sing." It is so fantastic technically and artistically that it still brings chill bumps.
Very true... it's neat to listen to the remastered version of that song in headphones, where you can hear both George's 12-string Rickenbacker and John's part clearly
Very nice examples. I was watching John on Ed Sullivan and I recognized that he was playing triplets effortlessly all the way through All My Loving and it is just like you said, very very difficult to maintain. The same with I Feel Fine. Another rhythm gem that is almost impossible to play consistently through the song. Plus he sings it too! Amazing guitar player. Never really given his due for his guitar role. John drove the band.
Thanks, Mike. Anything that helps illuminate the great Beatles is appreciated! I played in his position in a garage band while the Beatles were still together. Many great memories as you may well imagine. I had NO idea of this level of inventiveness. It was all I could do at 13 to remember the damn chords. Thanks again!
wow, could you hear any of the music? Everything I hear of Beatles in the US is about the band and audience being annoyed by either PA problems or screaming girls camouflaging the band!
Well, there was a lot of screaming for sure and "PA" Systems back then were basically designed to announcing boxing matches, not for concerts. Everything was different back then, but the Beatles were fantastic, all dressed up in suits and they played every song exactly as they were recorded. They did two shows and admission was $5. yes I said five dollars.
This is so well-informed and insightful. Thank you. An overlooked deep-cut Lennon rhythm guitar gem - I’m Happy Just To Dance with You. No one was doing this stuff with rhythm guitar at the time. Lennon was completely pushing boundaries with this one too. Give us a lesson, Mike.... ;)
Voysov.. Well said.! With Mikes excitement for music, and The Beatles, he brings out More love for The Beatles than ever.! At 63. Mike, TOPS OFF my life with The Beatles with information on them, like who played what guitar solo, etc... Info we could NEVER get in the '60's, eh.!
musically, john inspired me a lot. it was mostly for his vocals and lyrics. seeing this video is great for rounding off this complete music artist. the major skills john had playing guitar. john made it look easy. him and paul, great music artist. thanks mike, truly made my day seeing this.
I came to the same conclusion trying to learn the chords to All my loving, and he did all that while singing at the same time. The Beatles knowledge in chords separates them from many guitar bands of that time, Paul, George and John all knew those great jazz chords and it made their melodies really stand out.
They used (or made up?) chords they didn't even know the name of. There is a video of George (post-Beatles) in a recording studio talking about that. He didn't even know the name of it. I think it was one of the chords they used on "Help."
the basic caratheristic of the Beatles was..that there was Not One leader! McCartney deserve the same level of the John's leadership!!! They were both and in different way the two genius!!!
Honey Fool It was Johns band ,he started it and he broke the band up ,even though Paul was the one to make the news public . Lennon lost interest later on and Paul took over the reigns as it were but make no mistake ,it was Lennon who gave the group the edge they had .
If you go back and look at their studio time and schedule, it is mind-blowing how fast they put these classic songs out. McCartney said in one interview that they literally went in and finished a song in two hours. From start to finished recording. That takes discipline, sobriety, and hard, hard work. I think it was Ringo who said, "When the count went down ... 1, 2, 3, 4 ... we were ALL BUSINESS."
The incredible thing about the All My Loving chord progression is that it was so seamless. No pauses or gaps on the chord changes. It was his natural sense of feel and rhythm which produced this, along with his rather different method of chord fingering and voicings.
Gosh, I've been listening to Lennon's guitar work for over 40 years and hadn't heard what he was actually playing until seeing it demonstrated here. Great video, thanks! Lennon was a genius, life is real, so real!
Chris Harris it's like all the greats. They make things sound simple and effortless but when you listen closely or try to emulate, it's a whole 'nother story.
Fred Pickles Totally. There's only one or two tough chord changes but playing this to speed and hitting the chord clean on the first beat of each chord is truly difficult.
Thank you, Mike! I could listen to you forever! Thanks for pointing out all the little nuances and playfulness of John's playing. I'm no guitar player, but my ear has always been aware of all the things you've mentioned about his style. It's delightful that you could duplicate how he did those riffs for us. One thing about the Beatles. Their music is ALWAYS interesting and unusual, never ever boring. Thanks for giving some well-deserved praise to John. I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson!
I agree with your comments regarding the Beatles and as a guitarist of way over 50 years, I believe all the Beatles were really underrated as far as musicians.
Mike, just found your YT channel today. This is just what I need to learn some Beatles' songs. Thanks. John Lennon was one of the best rhythm guitar players.
Very nice presentation and breakdown of Johns talent. Songs I grew up with in the 60's. I never knew he wrote those riffs for George to play. They both are missed. Thanks for doing this.
I'm no guitar player, and I've often wondered what made the Beatles sound so distinctive and spine tingling, you've explained so well. I remember reading his Mum (Julia) taught him banjo chords and I guess this contributed to the sound. They didn't know the rules, so they always broke them, guess that's why they are so revered. I'm off to watch your George Harrison video now!!
I realize you're not a guitar player, so this isn't to criticize you. I seen several people refer to John's chords as "banjo chords". They aren't "banjo chords". Banjo's aren't even tuned like a guitar, so the chord shapes are not the same. John Lennon like most guitar players, use different chord inversions. Major, minor. diminished and augmented chords are called triads and only have 3 notes, which can be found all over the fretboard. Chords played on 6 strings either repeat notes in different octaves, or are extended chords. 7th, 9th, etc.. Experienced guitar players won't know what you mean by "banjo chord".
@@sbostonva I teach music for a living, and as soon as a stringed instrument student can understand it, i teach them alternate tunings. the banjo is in open G typically, and has Banjo chord shapes that are similar, but not i identical to guitar chords. You can also tune the guitar to "Open G" and use banjo chords, so to speak. I think it comes down to nomenclature and the actual fretting of the instrument. In that regard, the "banjo chord" reference makes perfect sense.
@@sbostonva, what I took from that phrase was not literal banjo tuning, rather his emphasis on simple, staccato treble sounds rather than letting it ring or be dominated by root bass notes (which a banjo can't do). Maybe Mike can elaborate on what "banjo chord" means here?
Mike, I have absolutely no musical talent. That said, I want to express my appreciation for the insight you have provided into how excellent guitarists make their magic. Not only is your explanation most informative and entertaining, your outstanding ability to demonstrate is the icing on the cake. Thank you!
John's rhythm guitar on the entire Meet the Beatles album is incredible playing. Too many people are ignorant about what good guitar is, and think that it's playing a fast guitar solos. John is one of the few rhythm guitarists that deserves to be listened to.
Absolutely love how much passion you have about music.. The way you really enjoy showing us how notes are played etc. PRICELESS! Thank you so much for your uploads Mike.
What an incredible stroke that so much talent came together in one band! You could have sliced and diced all of them - especially John and Paul - and created dozens of other successful bands. In a way, that's kind of what happened. But for sheer scale, scope, breadth and depth, the Beatles are unparalleled. Nice work Mike! Oh, and you illustrate another piece of the Beatles genius: even decades after their music has been heard by literally billions, billions of times, dissected, analyzed to death, venerated, copied, etc., we're STILL discovering new things we didn't hear/notice before! As you say several times: "GENIUS!"
Hey Mike, it's wonderful to see your enthusiasm and recognition of John's unique playing style. Thanks for putting the light on John's brilliant creative guitar playing. I hold the same reverence for Ringo's drumming which I've demonstrated in my drum covers of The Beatles, which unfortunately, last year YT blocked these covers.
Great video! You've opened my eyes. Your enthusiasm is contagious and I love your playing too by the way. Excited to learn the things you've shown! Thanks!
As one who played ( or more appropriately played with) acoustic guitar for ~ 40 years; and a Beatles “freak” for longer, I think your explanations of John’s techniques is enlightening. Youre phrase “...open your ears” to Lennon’s playing has greatly increased my critical listening and appreciation of his genius. Thank you. BillC
I thoroughly enjoy Mike's enthusiasm while teaching. Reminds me of sitting in my friends garage 40+ years ago. His run-through in the beginning is great for intermediates if they don't want to sit through the entire lesson. Good stuff Mike, thanks.
John once said "I play rhythm guitar; it's an important job." Rhythm is the heart of a song.
He also said " I CAN MAKE IT HOWL AND MOVE" after saying he didn't claim to be the greatest guitar player
He also said "I'm John and I too play a Guitar, sometimes I play the fool"................
My God, we were so lucky to have them.
Absolutely!
John’s low note at the end of every verse of “I’m A Loser” is amazing. What a singer! His knowledge and execution of natural low harmonies was splendid.
Yes.
I'm a loser is a fantastic. Work
Not that hard to sing for a baritone
Would love to hear what Roy would've sounded like singing that song
@@eziospaghettiauditore8369it's not about the difficulty but the awareness. He knew to anchor the harmonies because Paul would hit the high notes.
I'm 42 with a great passion for music since I was a child. I studied music at conservatory, played piano for many years, still playing acoustic guitar and singing. I love almost kinds of music from symphonyc to rock and roll .... And I realize that I keep on coming back to the Beatles, to play them , to be fascinated by their musical genius. Thinking that they created all that things at the age of 20-25, without an academic background (just "hearing" or "feeling" the notes and the music) it's unbelievable. To me, they're absolutely on a different level from any other.
Giacomo - I absolutely agree with you. It's mind-blowing what those young lads accomplished. PURE genius!!
GQ back in the 60s in England The Times newspaper was the authority on everything, the rubberstamp of either approval or dismissal. Now at that time they only critiqued serious Art or classical music, I was only young but it is a very early memory,my parents friend was the chief music critic for the Times,Bill Mann, well he broke with all traditions and rules and wrote amassive article on their music not fashion or pop. He said that their music ,their melodies were incredible, it has since been shown that the Austrian composer Schubert held the record for the most original melodies but the Beatles beat him by a country mile. Practice practice and more practice. They were also always under pressure in the recording studio to get an album done in let's say two days, so they would just DO it. Too much time unfocuses the mind. Anyway ta for your post.
It's amazing, most people I know think John wasn't much of a guitar player. He certainly wasn't a virtuoso on the instrument like a Hendrix or Clapton, but man, he was just about the dirtiest best rock 'n' roll rhythm guitarist that ever played. As well as having the best rock 'n' roll voice ever. And being half of one of the greatest song writing duos ever! Man, he was something else!
No doubt about it. John and Paul both had the best Rock or otherwise voices EVER in the early days. He was an incredible rhythm player. He was my main inspiration growing up in the sixties and early seventies as a guitar player. That was before blues and jazz rock fusion influences. I was listening to the Sirius XM Beatles channel this morning on my commute to work and John's voice came blasting out during the chorus on This Boy . WOW! Unfortunately, chain smoking ciggies took a toll on (especially John and George) their voices.
John was amazing! and as you said, he was something else. Guys like them are older souls operating on a whole other level. Beatles forever!!!
He was great at fingerpicking as we. , Dear Prudence, Julia, Beautiful Boy
Yeah, John Lennon had so much going on about him, we often forgot he had a guitar in his hands, and that he played it amazingly well.
you got that right
From my years of beatles research and indulgence ive come to the hard solid conclusion john lennon is and was the Beatles. He and paul wrote together for a lot of songs until 66. Then john wrote a vast majority. Even the ones credited to paul. Im confident saying this because i have learned a lot of beatles songs on guitar amd some on piano. John undoubtly has a clear distinct style. Its easily noticable by his signature chord progressions. His some writing is just like a painters clear style. Each painter can be identified just lookong at their work. John lennons compositions is just like looking at a painters work. If you know johns style then you can find the truth. Hey jude is a john painting. Compare it to imagine, a day in the life there are plenty more. Then compare it to pauls solo stuff. Undeniable never written by paul. Like i said. The truth is in the music but most dont have the ability to see the creative signature by the soul that cant be replicated . Johns soul can be seen in his songs and can be seen if u know what its paint strokes look like
Lennon totally led The Beatles with his rhythm guitar playing up until late 1966-1967. His rhythm guitar parts make the songs groove. Help! , We can work it out, I'm only sleeping...Listen to his parts. They are masterful. It's not a coincidence that The Beatles are the greatest band ever, and their leader was the rhythm guitarist.
Paul Badoo - Absolutely. John was very forceful in his rhythm playing and added SO much to every song. Compared to the majority of rhythm guitarist of the day (who were relegated to rhythm guitar due to their technical inabilities) Lennon was indeed "masterful!"
I agree with you…he was a very strong, almost dirty and raw rhythm guitarist, which is why Paul spoke out later explaining why he was the bands natural choice to hop on bass. He elaborates saying how George was a very precise, skilled lead guitarist while John had this heaviness to his technique, driving a strong rhythmic wall of sound to the songs. Interestingly, John also wrote some great riff based guitar lines that are some of the most recognizable of all time…examples include “I Feel Fine”, “You Can’t Do That”, “Daytripper”, “I Want You”, etc etc.
Didn't think John played guitar on we can work it out
BLS - John played rhythm guitar on "We Can Work It Out." George played tambourine.
@@MPfrance did he play the organ to?? He must only on the video
Lennon is also the best rock voice ever. No one later from progressive rock, glam rock, punk, hard rock, metal, grunge, inide rock etc didn't have that energy.
It's not about screaming, shouting and high tones in singing.. J.L. had best attitude in his voice ever. We are all forgeting that many great and famous guitar players was great singers..thats very important for their careers.
Absolutely! I've never heard another rock singer dig down SO deep into their soul without screaming!!
I highly agree here. The only singer I can think of that comes close to John Lennon’s attitude with his voice in my opinion would be Kurt Cobain. Other than that, nobody tops John
John Lennon is the greatest songwriter of all time and was a great vocalist and musician....but best voice ? That would have to be the King of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, who could sing ANY genre of music magnificently. The only artist inducted into 4 music halls of fame: Country, Gospel, Rock and Roll and Rockabilly. "No Elvis=NO rock and roll!" - John Lennon
@@ITILII I love Elvis especially 59 and before but John had a distinctive voice that is so hard to describe , it’s like he walked the line perfectly between testosterone and estrogen , a perfect example is all I’ve got to do off of with the Beatles , as a fully straight man it is one of the most beautiful vocal recordings I’ve ever heard
@@ITILII Yep!! Just SO bad that the US GOVT, thru 'The Army' slowed him down with*Discipline* ...Right Bang on Elvis peak, as a true R n R singer!! The 'Army' Disciplined Elvis to "Never shake yo hips, Boy, yer Makin' OUR Daughters do IT too, and YOU know *what all o that ole 'hip shakin' Really Boils Down To, Boy?* Yeah, well ya Know by NOW.
So bad, that 'Elvis' entire career was Then easily 'toned down' into shlock movies with MOR music, Elvis Presley Forced to sing Schlock, M.O.R. musac by *The entire 'Industry'* Post 'Army' Elvis was Fully Controlled, subdued in style, by Management, Record Co.'s & maybe Himself, too? He Could have been So much more, but Us Gov't saw that *Easy way out* of this heah 'White BOY' turning Ma Daughters onto *Race MUSIC*. GOP in power then, They always GET their Man, Get Their Way! Don't matter Who 'won the fen election', GOP rules.
As a teen during the 80's, I loved all the hair metal while learning to play guitar. I thought of the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin as old bands who weren't as "cool", but as I got older, I was drawn to the older stuff. As I progressed and matured, and getting into the classic stuff, I started to see how much better the music was. I never realized how complex the Beatles were until I started learning their songs. I love the Beatles, but if I never learned guitar, I never would've realized how talented they were.
I'm not an 80's kid but this is same for me. When I heard about the Beatles I didn't think much of them I just thought they were good but nothing special like other bands. When I picked up guitar my dad suggested I learn some Beatles songs. So I did and some are complex and I've learned much from their music.
I can't go one day without listening to at least one song from them.
mrhyde2484 Better late than never!✌️
I started playing drums in 1965 b/c of the Beatles. Studied piano and accordion too. By the time I was in college as a music major, I knew the Beatles were waaay more than "special" and I have always thought that Lennon was one of the greatest rhythm guitarists ever. So is K Richards. BUT... dont underplay the amount of help, teaching and guidance they all received from George Martin. He took them to the pinnacle.
I am 15 and love the beatles! Glad you enjoy and appreciate the beatles now that you're older and wiser.
LIVE AND LEARN is good advice and.....you did!
"Rhythm Guitar can really drive a band." ~ John Lennon.
Absolutely! ;-)
AC/DC
The Who.
He would say that wouldnt he.
Keith
I've never seen a better critique of John's musicianship.
I wish John could have seen this critique.
And to think...they didn’t read music. They just played.
Lennon's guitar playing is as hauntingly beautiful as his singing.
You have made me cry
And all the while John is singing and doing harmonies, not so easy.
I think George and Paul do the singing on 'All My Loving'.
@@mradyandmimyay9782 he does sing on in during the bridge but his playing changes to a slower rhythm
THAT is professionalism. How many can do that live on stage today?
I always thought John's inclusion on rolling stone's top 100 guitarists was just for the fact that he was John Lennon. Now i get it.
Always gotta keep in mind that John was doing this stuff in the 60's! Sure he emulated a lot of music (by others) but Lennon's interpretations were GENIUS!
Mathew - BING!!! Lennon had such natural instincts it was mind boggling.
Matthew "Feel" bro. Feel. He had it in spades. In fact, he rarely had to think about it. He's a Beatle!
Not enough for me to explain why they put him so high in the top ( better than Rory Gallagher and John Mclaughlin...)
Rolling Stone magazine is utterly disingenuous. Lennon was an adherent of Carl Perkins as was Harrison. Lennon was workingman muscular rhythm player because that's what hillbilly, rockabilly, Jump, Jive, R&B and in Britain the Skiffle were. And he rocked it. The two Beatles who were the real rockers were Lennon and Starr hands down. I will say this is the best analysis of Lennon's playing all throughout his life. I miss this kind of hard nosed rhythm playing.
John wrote that his rhythm guitar work in "All My Loving" was probably his best. John was vastly underrated and under appreciated. John was truly a "musical genius" in as he did what I refer to be the "big three"...composed lyrics, composed music (guitar/keyboards), and was an excellent singer. I loved John.
yes John is a genius thanks for demonstrating that to the world
In the last interview David Sheff did with John he was going through who wrote which songs. Sheff mentioned "All My Loving" and John replied "Well that was Paul I'm sorry to say." Sheff said "Why?" and John said "Because it's a damn good piece of work. I do play a mean guitar behind it though!" Very true.
Yes, the same is true for Day Tripper and Sgt Pepper - and quite a few others so it isn't always easy to hear exactly what John was playing to make the songs sound so good. SO many of them really had a great rhythmic feel, and though Ringo's inimitable beats and style and Paul's great melodic basslines are part of that, so is Lennon's rhythm work - credit where it's due, the man was really very, very good at this!
John had a real instinctive feel for rhythm playing and I think some of his best work is also some of his simplest... on "She's a Woman" for example, he just spears the chords and that drives the whole song. The Beatles as a band had such a way of combining for a great sound on each of their songs.
Another one of his genius rhythm parts is "Happy Just To Dance With You." You can see it well in "Hard Day's Night."
Everything about the Beatles sound so natural and simple, before you start analyzing what the hell they actually did. And then you're stunned!
Yep, that is why we can't here any really better cover version of their songs than original one, bcz This four was incredible top level musicians. They did very complicated things in easy way.
DmitriiTurchenkov - SO true! AND - it's their voices that also make their songs SO outstanding! Whenever I hear a Beatles cover (including my own) I am always disappointed that It's NOT the actual Beatles singing.
It's Beethoven level -- I don't think any of them could read music at the time -- and they make it look easy! That's what's so infuriating. Same with Hendrix. He doesn't even LOOK at his guitar neck! Infuriating to make it look so easy.
John has this unparalleled ability to match everything that he does (singing, playing, harmonizing) into every song that he wrote. Then he adds his soul and emotions to it, and what you get is a masterpiece.
Very well-put!!!
Spot on. I've found that when learning Beatles songs on the guitar, the rhythm guitar part is often more challenging than the lead simply because the chord positions John uses are so unique. You don't realize just how impressive his playing is by just listening to the songs.
"I feel fine" was the first Beatles song I ever heard when I was 9yrs old. My sisters boyfriend pointed me to a reel to reel player in the attic of their house "not far from Liverpool". I remember loading up a random reel of tape and pressing the play button.. right there, right then, my whole young outlook on life changed. Like I was hit by a cargo train filled with beautiful music traveling at a thousand MPH, next stop teen world :)
Didn’t realise John wrote those iconic licks bloody brilliantly muso
Tnx for showing the wonder that was John lennon. He will be missed forever.
His solo career really makes it easy to see how brilliant he was: Imagine, Real Love, Woman... all amazing.
In All My Loving by The Beatles, John plays two strings really fast ( a 1,2,3 feel ) throughout the song and that's not easy to do.
A few seconds after all my loving has started, Lennon leans over to George and says something that makes George smile! Incredible he Can do that while playing this! And he dare do it on live TV in the USA!
Which video :)?
"She's not wearing any.."
Playing like that comes from the heart. All by feel, touch, and love. Well done, you captured his essence.
Thank you for this insight into John Lennon's style of playing. It has given me hours of practice material. Thanks from another UK Beatles fan.
As an original fan, those triplets on "All My Loving" have amazed me since I first heard the song. When I first had the chance to watch the "Let It Be" movie in 1970, it was a revelation to see John playing the lead on "Get Back" In those days, uness we saw it with our own eyes, there was no way to know the inside musical stuff as so little was written about it at the time.
I've heard these songs thousands of times but now I have something new to listen for. Mind blown.
I've also felt the guitar chords on Sgt. Pepper's title track were just absolutely filthy in the best of ways. It's such a raunchy rock and roll song musically and that can be overlooked buried beneath the crowd effects and the horn section. It's such an incredible track!
What a great video, no rubbish, a sense of humour and every example an inspiration. I'd never really considered studying Lennon to any depth...which is naive!
There are so many musicians and bands that can reproduce Beatles music, but the thing is they wrote it, and they were in their teens and twenties. Composition is the real genius. Then add the words, singing, harmonies, and all the orchestration Wow.
dannydoc1969 - Absolutely! And whenever you hear another band try to compose something similar (in any of the genres the Bealtes covered) it comes off as corny and contrived. They were genius composers. AND their voices were/are infectious!!
Mike it's the Jonny Cash thing Lennon was in the moment top notch when he was upfront , both incredible performance and singing I feel it's fun to cover any way . Excellent teacher. I do parody bits please produce me Mister Martin to your trade. Lol I joy iont something natural. I gonna we watch a lesson this guy is motivation. Gives with love "Vegas"in on with the shoe.
You certainly opened up my eyes to John Lennon‘s amazing rhythm guitar talent. That was a great video demonstration and I love the passion that you have for these Beatle songs
Great job Mike. It’s about time someone did a “workshop“ on the brilliance of John Lennon‘s guitar playing. Being a Beatles fan I really enjoyed it!! thanks
Me too.
Like ringo said he was the best rythem guitar player ever.. And in some crazy way he played lead out of it
@@jimle22 Mine too.
Thank you for this explanation. To often the music of The Beatles is just taken for granted, but when the music is analyzed it turns out to be the work of real geniuses. Playing with cords and going where no one was before. Almost every album was a milestone in music.
Those boys from Liverpool sure had something.
Jonah Fuerstenberg Whatever happened to them?
Yeah they have a lot of potential maybe one day they'll make it big!
@David Hargreaves Their teachers wrote Paul and George off academically and put them in the "remove" around age 13.
Even as "rejects" they must still have received great teaching in music and art. It was the Liverpool Institute.
My Dad and his brother were with them but they became a banker and a Chartered accountant. It was a superb school.
German headmaster by the way.
@@philipc5868
Lot of flops from the Institute as well. When you say "banker" bit of embellishment there perhaps. Worked in the office at the back.
Chartered accountant.......? Mmmmmm......maybe accountant.? The Institute ended up no better than Quarry Bank in the end. At least that institution still survives.
Every once in a while I relive my past and look to videos such as yours to spark my memory. I must tell you this you are the best I've heard. I was honored years ago to meet John Lennon and I told him how much I enjoyed playing his music(at the time played with a band in the club's of New Jersey) He gave me a piece of advice.." If you're going to play my tunes, make them your own". Well time went on and babies were born and I went off the grid and today wonder..still after all these years can't play a Beatles tune that doesn't sound like a Beatles song..that's how unique the combination of artists they were. They weren't so much fab as they were phenomenal! Yes, I'm old now but when I hear or play the songs I'm taken back and it still feels great! Thanks for paying tribute to them and for sharing your talent and knowledge with us. I always get a good feeling when I see young kids wearing Beatles Tee Shirts they seriously love the music. This band and it's members will live on for years to come. Again thank you for keeping the magic alive👍👍
Thanks Bill - I'm humbled by your very kind remarks!
The Beatles are the only band who's songs overshadow their playing. But if you've written the greatest songs, chances are you're a great musician. But they're underated and will always be cause they're so much better than anyone else. Strange how that works
Evelio Herrera yeah, even with all the accolades, sales and praise I still feel like they’re under appreciated. Their songs are just there... they’re the Beatles, of course they’re brilliant. But when you look at their body of work and the sheer quality it’s pretty staggering how far and away they are from anyone else.
But that over shadowing was the reason for their success.
Nobody’s going to write songs better than that for 500 years.
@@wartimemodels I have a descent knowledge of music and theory behind me and I can say just like far more advanced classical musicians, when I break their songs down and follow the melodies over the chordal harmony I am staggered at the complexity and sophistication of the music they produced especially from Revolver. They were ahead of everyone else at the beginning even though they were more basic in composition so by the time Rubber Soul and Revolver came around also SGT peppers they were out there on their own. Still to this day no one has ever come close to their body of work.
Not the greatest songs by any stretch. And definitely not underrated.
This was pretty inspiring. Makes me appreciate John's playing even more.
I never appreciated John this much until now. George always takes the spotlight with the guitar. Thank you! You are really great yourself!
George didn't take the spotlight from anyone, in fact he was always overshadowed. Even though he was the lead guitarist, people didn't take him seriously as a guitarist because he was always overshadowed.
George is underated too
@@George-gg4pb True..his guitar playing improved over the years to
"The genius of Mike Pachelli " You really capture the essence or spirit of John`s rhythm playing . That raw and sometimes raunchy style (but with perfection) Thanks for all your great teaching videos ! They help immensely .
Never underestimate the rhythm guitarist!
Especially when he uses his pinky !!
Never put better
When you have a genius playing as John Lennon was, and Mike ur rt up there next to John, Genius!!!
I'm a rhythm guitarist and proud of it.
Started with John inspiration then back to Chuck back to John took it all with extra punch and sensitivity of sounds. . Thanks Michael. Great work as well.
Wicked lesson!
Mike, Thanks for that , I think your a genius for recognizing these things that made John who he was . I too love it. and John was my Beatle
Thanks for the kudos Scott but I'm no "genius." lol - Just a guy who's capable of critical thinking (perhaps) enough to recognize REAL talent in Lennon!
indeed sir !
such a good lesson... I am a musician of many years expierience and I missed these little subtleties that you have high lighted...you have damn good ears
Mike Pachelli that little "may I introduce to you" that you sang was just great vocals man
Sir you are the only one ive seen that knows of Johns artistic , creative and unusual guitar style ..thank you
The tricky thing about the intro to "She's a Woman" is that you don't know it's the upbeat when it starts; your mind thinks it's the down beat, and when the band comes in and it's the upbeat, it's jerks you around. Love it.
Pickups
I always admired how John played flawlessly yet made it look so easy. He was just as much a lyrical genious and.was a master at putting words together almost like musical notes.
Thanks for helping me appreciate the genius of Lennon. You rock with the best of them!
spot on Mike - all 3 Beatles guitarists don't get enough credit for their innovation...
...3?
paul, john and george all played guitar
@Christopher Crepon Paul was a better lead player, than John.
@@philfrank9226 probably true since John hated lead. John also played bass on a few songs like "let it be" and "hey Jude". But he also hated the bass guitar too.
@@philfrank9226 that ,my friend is a matter of opinion/taste
I just really had a great half hour on this site. Loved everything! You took me into John's head. I felt that you were talking to just me...I was so pleased by your dedication
to John's Legacy and his Genius. In the Dawn of The Beatles during one of their 'drummerless periods,' when asked: "what will you do without a drummer" John answered, "The rhythm's in the Guitars" p.s. my guitar is just like the one in the video, so I was even more pumped to dive into these gems. Thank You So Much
Interesting and revealing to know John wrote riffs that George was playing.
Mike Blanc - It is interesting indeed! And once you know that a particular riff (like in Day Tripper) was John's - you can hear that the riff is actually SO Lennon! That info helps to identify other riffs and chord sequences.
Hey @@MPfrance, thanks for the excellent deconstruction of JL's moves on the strings. Heaps interesting and useful, too.
- May i ask:
Any chance you can aim the mic a little more directly at your mouth, going forward? It makes it kinda tricky getting a volume balance if listening late at night while doing dishes or something with the windows open and the neighbours downstairs - if i can hear the sweet sounds of the guitar, i can't hear what you're saying 'cos you sound as if you're whispering - if i turn it up loud enough to hear what you're on about, the guitar's too loud to wake up the neighbours...
I just want to hear both without having to sit hear and ride the volume dial every few seconds.
Thank you Mike for your explanation of the creativity of John Lennon's guitar work. He was a complete artist. You did a terrific job explaining it.
Love this!!! I have been a HUGEEEEE Beatles fan ALL my life, thanks to my Dad, who put headphones on my baby ears and pumped in all the great Rock music of the 60s!!!!
It's about time somebody pointed out how great John Lennon was. I like how you prove that point with demonstrations.
I have a friend who has been in a very popular band in Boston since the seventies. He is a rhythm guitar player. I've asked him a couple of questions about the Beatles and he admitted to me that he could never quite get the rhythm right and he doesn't know why.
I have always been pretty good at playing their rhythm on my guitar and this is why and it is what I told him. When I was a kid I had a simple record player however all the Beatle albums I bought were in Stereo so I was only getting half the tracks and the majority of the time it was the rhythm tracks so I could always hear the rhythm guitar clearly.
From watching live film of them I noticed early on that John played many songs with his right hand simply going up and down in a one, two, three, four, pattern. It appeared that at those times the majority of his rhythm was in his left hand and how he would press down or let up on the strings in a certain pattern. Kinda Bo Didley style, if you know what I mean. Plus I told my friend that John learned to play on a banjo so he would have to get that mindset.
I noticed when you were playing that little bit that John plays in Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band that it sounds exactly what The Wrecking Crew is playing in The Monkees song Pleasant Valley Sunday. I think it was just in the way you were playing at over and over again that made it sound so much like that song. Made me laugh.
I'm sorry for the long ramble here but you really got my juices flowing with this video. Thanks so much.
So THAT's how he did Norwegian Wood. Btw, I never knew that John wrote so many of their signature riffs.
Really well done, Sir! Great analysis and commentary. One of their most impressive to me was the dual guitar work on "And Your Bird Can Sing." It is so fantastic technically and artistically that it still brings chill bumps.
Love this kind of information. Many people don't know that John Lennon played the smoking lead break on You Can't Do That.
Very true... it's neat to listen to the remastered version of that song in headphones, where you can hear both George's 12-string Rickenbacker and John's part clearly
Thanks for this super insight into John's great rhythm playing!
Very nice examples. I was watching John on Ed Sullivan and I recognized that he was playing triplets effortlessly all the way through All My Loving and it is just like you said, very very difficult to maintain. The same with I Feel Fine. Another rhythm gem that is almost impossible to play consistently through the song. Plus he sings it too! Amazing
guitar player. Never really given his due for his guitar role. John drove the band.
Thanks, Mike. Anything that helps illuminate the great Beatles is appreciated! I played in his position in a garage band while the Beatles were still together. Many great memories as you may well imagine. I had NO idea of this level of inventiveness. It was all I could do at 13 to remember the damn chords. Thanks again!
I love your enthusiasm ! :)
I was so lucky to get to see the Beatles on their 1st USA tour.
wow, could you hear any of the music? Everything I hear of Beatles in the US is about the band and audience being annoyed by either PA problems or screaming girls camouflaging the band!
Well, there was a lot of screaming for sure and "PA" Systems back then were basically designed to announcing boxing matches, not for concerts. Everything was different back then, but the Beatles were fantastic, all dressed up in suits and they played every song exactly as they were recorded. They did two shows and admission was $5. yes I said five dollars.
Five dollars? That was a fortune then! :)
Ronnie & Minh That was the equivalent of about $25 in today's purchasing power. I saw Springsteen in'77
Saw the Beatles in Dallas in Sept 1964 and the audience kept the screams to a minimum (which surprised the lads) so they could hear themselves play.
This is so well-informed and insightful. Thank you. An overlooked deep-cut Lennon rhythm guitar gem - I’m Happy Just To Dance with You. No one was doing this stuff with rhythm guitar at the time. Lennon was completely pushing boundaries with this one too. Give us a lesson, Mike.... ;)
Didn't think I could be a bigger Beatles fan, but I am now thanks to this demonstration. So awesome, thanks.
Voysov.. Well said.! With Mikes excitement for music, and The Beatles, he brings out More love for The Beatles than ever.! At 63. Mike, TOPS OFF my life with The Beatles with information on them, like who played what guitar solo, etc... Info we could NEVER get in the '60's, eh.!
musically, john inspired me a lot. it was mostly for his vocals and lyrics. seeing this video is great for rounding off this complete music artist. the major skills john had playing guitar. john made it look easy. him and paul, great music artist. thanks mike, truly made my day seeing this.
Die hard Beatles fans we're a dying breed my friend.
VoysovReason, and I thought I couldn't be a bigger fan of Socrates until I learned that he's a Beatles fan. Cheers from an anti-theist!
That's exactly what I was about to type and then I scrolled down and there it was on the first line. More to listen for.
mike.....loved your vid !! Made me get out my guitar after 10 years of not touching it. Cheers from Darwin, Australia 👍
Thanks Steven - inspiring somebody to play is the best compliment! All the best to you and your music!
What kind of pickups to get that ringing tone?
xpmark1 on the Epiphone casino, like what he's got, it's p90s I believe, unless he put something else in it
Thanks Mike. Always loved Lennon's rhythm. Your video offers great insights into why.
I came to the same conclusion trying to learn the chords to All my loving, and he did all that while singing at the same time. The Beatles knowledge in chords separates them from many guitar bands of that time, Paul, George and John all knew those great jazz chords and it made their melodies really stand out.
They used (or made up?) chords they didn't even know the name of. There is a video of George (post-Beatles) in a recording studio talking about that. He didn't even know the name of it. I think it was one of the chords they used on "Help."
Very cool :) Love how passionate this guy is.
The greatest man and leader of the greatest band ever!!! 🕶
Yes lennon was such a brilliant genious!!!
the basic caratheristic of the Beatles was..that there was Not One leader! McCartney deserve the same level of the John's leadership!!! They were both and in different way the two genius!!!
Yes your right.
At one time I would of agreed with you but there is a certain level of cool that only Paul could bring to the table.
Honey Fool It was Johns band ,he started it and he broke the band up ,even though Paul was the one to make the news public . Lennon lost interest later on and Paul took over the reigns as it were but make no mistake ,it was Lennon who gave the group the edge they had .
If you go back and look at their studio time and schedule, it is mind-blowing how fast they put these classic songs out. McCartney said in one interview that they literally went in and finished a song in two hours. From start to finished recording. That takes discipline, sobriety, and hard, hard work. I think it was Ringo who said, "When the count went down ... 1, 2, 3, 4 ... we were ALL BUSINESS."
The incredible thing about the All My Loving chord progression is that it was so seamless. No pauses or gaps on the chord changes. It was his natural sense of feel and rhythm which produced this, along with his rather different method of chord fingering and voicings.
Gosh, I've been listening to Lennon's guitar work for over 40 years and hadn't heard what he was actually playing until seeing it demonstrated here. Great video, thanks!
Lennon was a genius, life is real, so real!
You can't realize how difficult the rhythm guitar of this song is to play without actually trying to play it. It sounds so damn natural on the record.
Chris Harris it's like all the greats. They make things sound simple and effortless but when you listen closely or try to emulate, it's a whole 'nother story.
Fred Pickles Totally. There's only one or two tough chord changes but playing this to speed and hitting the chord clean on the first beat of each chord is truly difficult.
Chris Harris you are correct sir.
That is why it was George who harmonizes vocally w/ Paul everyrime they sing All My Lovin live.
Thank you, Mike! I could listen to you forever! Thanks for pointing out all the little nuances and playfulness of John's playing. I'm no guitar player, but my ear has always been aware of all the things you've mentioned about his style. It's delightful that you could duplicate how he did those riffs for us. One thing about the Beatles. Their music is ALWAYS interesting and unusual, never ever boring. Thanks for giving some well-deserved praise to John. I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson!
I agree with your comments regarding the Beatles and as a guitarist of way over 50 years, I believe all the Beatles were really underrated as far as musicians.
Rocker Dude theycwere all mega geniuses they all wrote masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece together and individualy.
Thank you great video... you've captured the Lennon vibe...
Mike, just found your YT channel today. This is just what I need to learn some Beatles' songs. Thanks. John Lennon was one of the best rhythm guitar players.
Very nice presentation and breakdown of Johns talent. Songs I grew up with in the 60's. I never knew he wrote those riffs for George to play. They both are missed. Thanks for doing this.
It's only love , I'll be back , you can't do that , Any time at all , it won't be long . and so many more , the man was incredible .
I Should Have Known Better is one of my favorites of the early days, probably the harmonica has something to do with that
I'm no guitar player, and I've often wondered what made the Beatles sound so distinctive and spine tingling, you've explained so well. I remember reading his Mum (Julia) taught him banjo chords and I guess this contributed to the sound. They didn't know the rules, so they always broke them, guess that's why they are so revered. I'm off to watch your George Harrison video now!!
I realize you're not a guitar player, so this isn't to criticize you. I seen several people refer to John's chords as "banjo chords". They aren't "banjo chords". Banjo's aren't even tuned like a guitar, so the chord shapes are not the same. John Lennon like most guitar players, use different chord inversions. Major, minor. diminished and augmented chords are called triads and only have 3 notes, which can be found all over the fretboard. Chords played on 6 strings either repeat notes in different octaves, or are extended chords. 7th, 9th, etc.. Experienced guitar players won't know what you mean by "banjo chord".
@@sbostonva I teach music for a living, and as soon as a stringed instrument student can understand it, i teach them alternate tunings. the banjo is in open G typically, and has Banjo chord shapes that are similar, but not i identical to guitar chords. You can also tune the guitar to "Open G" and use banjo chords, so to speak. I think it comes down to nomenclature and the actual fretting of the instrument. In that regard, the "banjo chord" reference makes perfect sense.
Some banjoes are tuned like a guitar. Not many, but they’re out there.
In the Quarry Men days, John was playing a guitar with banjo tuning.
@@sbostonva, what I took from that phrase was not literal banjo tuning, rather his emphasis on simple, staccato treble sounds rather than letting it ring or be dominated by root bass notes (which a banjo can't do). Maybe Mike can elaborate on what "banjo chord" means here?
The Epiphone sounds incredible 👍👍❤️❤️
'Give me a guitar and I can make it howl ' John Lennon
This was great! Passionate players are always worth watching.
love our enthusiasm Mike. good to hear John being bigged up. He is often left out of the musicality limelight.
Mike, I have absolutely no musical talent. That said, I want to express my appreciation for the insight you have provided into how excellent guitarists make their magic. Not only is your explanation most informative and entertaining, your outstanding ability to demonstrate is the icing on the cake. Thank you!
Great video sir. Thank you for posting it. Just goes to show how important John's guitar work was to the Beatles, as well as his voice.
John's rhythm guitar on the entire Meet the Beatles album is incredible playing. Too many people are ignorant about what good guitar is, and think that it's playing a fast guitar solos. John is one of the few rhythm guitarists that deserves to be listened to.
Maverikk68 listen to Tom Fogerty! Amazing!
I always thought john surpassed George by the end of it all. I'm not sure if he did technically but he played with more enthusiasm for sure!
I was just saying yesterday that John Lennon and Johnny Rivers were two of the greatest rock rhythm players ever.
love your no ego approach Mike.
Love the tone of your guitar . And loved the sound of The Beatles. Thanks.
Absolutely love how much passion you have about music.. The way you really enjoy showing us how notes are played etc. PRICELESS! Thank you so much for your uploads Mike.
Your love for the Beatles and their music is so plain in everything you say and every move you make. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
What an incredible stroke that so much talent came together in one band! You could have sliced and diced all of them - especially John and Paul - and created dozens of other successful bands. In a way, that's kind of what happened. But for sheer scale, scope, breadth and depth, the Beatles are unparalleled. Nice work Mike!
Oh, and you illustrate another piece of the Beatles genius: even decades after their music has been heard by literally billions, billions of times, dissected, analyzed to death, venerated, copied, etc., we're STILL discovering new things we didn't hear/notice before! As you say several times: "GENIUS!"
When i go to a concert i look for the dude thats playing the real cool chords.usually the smartest dude in the band.
John Lennon live forever in our hearts
Awesome video man, I appreciate your talent and passion for the Beatles! Great instruction and perspective.
Love how much fun you're having playing these classics!
You can tell just how much you enjoy this. Comes over really well. Makes me wanna learn the guitar so bad.
Hey Mike, it's wonderful to see your enthusiasm and recognition of John's unique playing style. Thanks for putting the light on John's brilliant creative guitar playing.
I hold the same reverence for Ringo's drumming which I've demonstrated in my drum covers of The Beatles, which unfortunately, last year YT blocked these covers.
Great video! You've opened my eyes. Your enthusiasm is contagious and I love your playing too by the way. Excited to learn the things you've shown!
Thanks!
As one who played ( or more appropriately played with) acoustic guitar for ~ 40 years; and a Beatles “freak” for longer, I think your explanations of John’s techniques is enlightening.
Youre phrase “...open your ears” to Lennon’s playing has greatly increased my critical listening and appreciation of his genius.
Thank you.
BillC
You are welcome WIlliam! And yea - I'm on another Genius of John Lennon 2. There's SO much subject matter!!
I always loved how much John still resisted on looking down on the guitar, like he knows he already mastered the chords and everything he nees to do.
I thoroughly enjoy Mike's enthusiasm while teaching. Reminds me of sitting in my friends garage 40+ years ago. His run-through in the beginning is great for intermediates if they don't want to sit through the entire lesson. Good stuff Mike, thanks.