How The BEATLES Made Basic Chords Sound MASSIVE!
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2023
- -How The BEATLES Made Basic Chords Sound MASSIVE!
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Thanks!!!
Another thing is that George and John would play two different voicings of the same chord (maybe one barred and one open), which would also make things sound pretty different
Know Your Triads!
In those score books for them on 7th chords I have seen they often only have one guitar play the actual 7th and the other would just be a straight triad.
Oasis would also often do this. They'd have two rhythm guitars, one playing open chords and the other playing barre chords, which contributed to their famous "wall of noise" sound on their first two albums.
@@bourbon2242 Everyone does this
Thank you! Before I knew guitar I noticed that from watching their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I've been playing 39 years and never really knew this. AND I've always wondered why some Beatles guitar parts sound richer and fuller. Thanks for breaking it down so well. Here's to the next 39 years!
weirdly I learned this (not refered to the beatles, but in metal music) as one of my first lessons fom making metal music. how comes someone can miss this out for 39 years of playing?
You need to bounce off other players and you would be doing that automatically
In the 90s I broke my hand and had to hire a couple of players to back me up, and they both said they learned things from having to perform my parts. So I may have missed this one, but I do just fine, thank you. I admitted this was in my blind spot, but I guess Jabronis gonna Jabroni.
Lennon is such an underrated rhythm guitarist.
Yeah too bad MI5 assassinated Paul McCartney, otherwise they could have still played together :(
Can't remember the exact quote, but I once read a Lennon interview where he said his guitar playing wasn't perfect in terms of technique, but he knew how to make a band howl
@@B0K1T0 you've been dismissed son
@@B0K1T0 Never happened.
Lennon was a stunning guitarist and not just his awesome rhythm playing. Go listen to Julia, this is a masterclass in advanced chords and Travis finger picking. I remember when I was 16 thinking if I could play julia as well as John I would be contented with my guitar playing. 43 years later I am still not there, and probably never will be. Oh and he also made all this up before he was 30!
Thanks! Remember John played the Ric 325 Capri. This is a SHORT scale guitar with a NARROW neck. Very natural to play all six strings with each chord.
It’s called the second inversion, if people want to study it more. The song where it’s absolutely necessary for the Lennon sound is Imagine, where you really have to play the C chord as G C E on the piano to get the sound right, and it makes the connecting walk between the two chords (the der der der between the lyric lines) work. Enjoy!
I love the Beatles because they teach me so much daily. The song Get Back is a masterclass in A. Polythene Pam is ACDC before ACDC. Paperback Writer is so amazing from a Chord/picking the chord stand point.
Has nothing to do with ACDC, they suck
@@michaelcraig9449who sucks?
Love Paperback Writer! Ringo's drumming as well. Being a lefty, he went at it differently. See videos about it.
Fantastic. Love that jacket too
I’ve been playing guitar since 1972 and I’ve always played chords that way. Then again the Beatles have always been my favourite band also.
I've often played all those chords that way, especially the C (Let It Bleed), but not always. They just don't fit for many tunes.
I've honestly been fully barring my A-string power chords since I started teaching myself. I thought I was being very original, throwing the thickest string in there to fatten the sound up- then, just the other day, I realized Weezer was doing it, too. Pretty wild coincidence of you to upload this video right after I got done ranting to my friends about the concept!
each and eery metal band I looked at so far uses these chords a lot. Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, Sabbath, they all use these type of chords.
When The Breeders - Last Splash came out, there was a tab for Cannonball in Guitar Magazine, and they use the same trick when they go Bb to Eb by anchoring the index finger on the 6th fret and only moving the ring and pinky. That's when I picked up on the idea of using the lower 5th. It's a super cool trick.
Weezer often credits you in their interviews.
Start telling your friends you tutored Randy Rhodes at the same time.......Just funning you..@@IBoughtItMyself
@@IBoughtItMyself I'm actually Rivers Cuomo and also Matt Sharp
I used to play chords like that all the time, especially when playing an open C. I didn't realise it was a thing. I feel encouraged to pick it up again after a 20yr hiatus, especially after going down a Beatles rabbit hole over the New Year & finally getting around to watching the film "Get Back". Nice one, great little video. 👍
Modal chords with the fifth on the bottom. The bass guitar plays the root. It's voicing the chord across three instruments. It comes from folk music and lute music. In particular Baroque music. It reflects the tuning of the violin, viola, and cello. It's an European musical history that often gets overlooked in the history of rock music, as its history is too focused on the American roots of rock music.
Lovely comment, and very truthful as well!
Same as everything came from Africa and Delta Blues
Haha, I’ve always played in that way (and I bet many have), not because I knew what a 5th was, but because I always thought this is how barre chords are played.
I loved the C/G chord for years, plus barring the extra string on bar chords for the inverted bass (except E in the upper position).
You should seriously look into avant garde guitarists like Cosey Fanni Tutti (throbbing gristle), or even Syd Barrett ala 1966-67. I think it make for an interesting and fun analysis
This! Would love to hear his take on Glenn Branca haha
Paul went the power chord route on bass at least once. When I recorded 'All I Gotta Do', I was surprised by this even after hearing it a million times.
That’s probably why I can listen to that song repeatedly and never get tired of it. 🤷🏻♂️
Paul went power chords on bass many times. Keep in mind that he was a guitarist playing bass. Listen to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and you definitely hear him playing power chords during a later verse and during some of the guitar solos in the outro.
@@davidtyler2012 John was on bass on 'Gently Weeps'! Paul was on piano and came up with that terrific riff that opens the song.
Paul did that many many times... 'All I Gotta Do', 'Don't Bother Me', 'And I Love Her', 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' (the bridge part), a few parts in 'Help', 'I'm Only Sleeping', and a few others I'm sure.
@@billhosono7468 John did the initial track but Paul went back after and redid it. there are places in the song where you definitely hear the bass part John played bleeding through faintly. My guess is that the drum mics picked it up
Great video! Although I'm not a guitarist, but a keyboardist, I find this presentation of the different chords of the Beatles songs extremely exciting. - Very informative and the difference in sound is so easy to hear. - Keep up the good work! 👍
I've covered the low string forever just to be sure it worked well if I hit it with the pick. Now I know why it worked. Thanks!
Great stuff brother. You really hit the nail on the head about playing with a band. At church on Sunday mornings, sometimes the bass player can’t make it. Have to thicken up on them days.
This is perfect for that.
Thanks!!!
Awesome Video, Mike! thanks for highlighting the boys again. it feels like it’s been a while since you did a Beatles dive & I hope we have more to come.
Thanks Mike. I found this naturally for power chords (double 1 and double 5) and always wondered by that way was considered “wrong” and not used more often. I never thought of doing it for full chords though.
Parallel fifths is considered to have a 'flat' sound in chord progressions.
I used to do this, because i taught myself guitar i thought that most chords required all 6 strings. Especially barre chords. It wasnt until i was older that i learned i wasn't supposed to hit every string every chord.
Exactly the same thing with me, at 75, i,ll stick to my crooked habit.
You taught yourself correctly!
Been playing in a power trio for a while now and started doing this after learning Weezer's Hashpipe. This massively helps to fill up the space of a missing guitarist. Been using this in almost every cover we play now!! Thanks!!
Holy crappe, Batman. --[1] I've been playing Beatles songs since1965, when I took up cover-band lead/rhythm guitar, because, at age 15 years, I wanted to be the next Beatles. During these 58 years, it just did not dawn on me to add the 6th string on the Beatles rhythm parts. Thanks, for your most astute heads-up. --[2] Also, as a heads up, on Feb 9, 2024, less than three months from today (11/19/23), will be the 60th anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on Feb 9, 1964. I watched that appearance, along with 73 million other people. In fact, I remember where I was when I viewed that show. I was at my grandmother's home. I can't believe that it has been nearly 60 years. Time flies if you are having fun & are still alive. Thanks, Richard 👍👍👍
Another triumph! I always love seeing new material from one of the kindly, loving people on the planet that I know! ;) Keep it up with these wonderful productions. So beautiful.
I started doing this years ago in a band I played with for the Bob Seger song "Turn The Page." I never knew if the guitar in that song was a baritone guitar or not, but it had that "sound" you describe. It never sounded right with how I played it until I finally figured out that by starting the chord with that low fifth made a huge difference. I have no idea if this was how it was really played or not, but it worked very nicely in our version of it.
I’ve been doing this with my songwriting for awhile now and never knew why it sounded so much better until now. Fascinating vid!
Thanks for your enlightenment.
I myself always played chords so that the sixth string was part of the chord I was playing.
I played so that the sixth string would never be open.
So I’ve always covered the sixth string by playing chords fully.
But I never realized until you presented your video.
Cheers
You also have to remember that John learned Banjo chords from his Aunt and it was part of his early style that incorporated them in his playing.
V interesting. I'm only a very basic player, but I've only ever played the full 6 string versions of barre chords and open C chords. I thought that was the proper way to do it! Being old, the Internet wasn't around to confuse me when I was learning!
It's an "old hat" for a European guitar player who learned barre chords. So you can play 3 typical barre chord shapes very easy in one position. As example fret 5 and 6: A, D and G from top to bottom or B, E and A. You can always leave the barre in one position and play with or without some note if you want.
I think a lot of neat stuff people learn about the Beatles style of playing was just how they did it. It wasn't really a 'lets do it like this for a different sound' its just how they played. Or maybe they did do that on purpose to get a more full sound to the chords because the gear back then wasn't as good so anything to fill gaps. Also after all the scales also go down as well as up so the extra note just works well.
Thank You. Very helpful observation.
John Lennon on Guitar: 1st recorded Feedback, first backwards guitar, ICONIC RIFFS (I want you She’s so Heavy, Day Tripper, I feel Fine, Norwegian Wood, Revolution, etc), Magical Finger picking in The White Album, surreal chromatic descending chord progressions… Lennon truly revolutionized the way Guitar is played. His ending riff on I want you She’s so Heavy is basically the blueprint for Sabbath, Zeppelin, Radiohead, doom metal and countless bands
Excellent dude, you’re a G. Every new guitarist should be taught this, wish I’d thought of it earlier
the pictograms for the
guitar chords
in my Beatles Song Books in the late '70s
in 4th grade
were almost always spot on -
some of the chords were not easy to learn or play and transition smoothly
( correctly ) at first
but over time it became 2nd nature
at that time i was doing the vocals while playing the rhythm and various riffs
am lucky my dad didn't
catch me sneaking his dreadnought doing this
fortunately i got an
acoustic of my own in 1980
there were a few songs that had that 'Bm' chord you explained
also
another chord similar
but it
was at the 3rd fret
instead of G7
it would parentheses the notes where
it would leave the A string
clear like a whole note ⭕ in the pictogram
and the top E string G note circle 🔴 filled in
and sometimes just the top two notes in the pictogram
other times
the 3rd fret bottom E string would be part of the chord along with just the top G note 3rd fret Top E string
fortunately i had a very good dual cassette deck and turntable , i would record the Vinyl LPs
to cassette to learn from - if i needed to i would record my guitar onto cassette and play it on a separate cassette player simultaneously to compare the
riff or passage or vocals to the original material from vinyl or cassette of the artist or band
that was about the only way i became proficient and confident about progress was making when i decided to learn all of the rhythm
guitar parts for The Cars Debut album
considering the time period and VHS 📼 was only okay soundwise ..
also
before tablature & CDs , before digital audio workstations
@5:57 That C/G on an acoustic guitar is a great sound. Also used by Bowie a lot around the Hunky Dory/Ziggy Stardust era. It's also the first chord of the verse on Wish You Were Here. It's almost a challenge to make yourself strum a "normal" C chord once you learn this one!
Agreed. I can't play a standard C chord or G chord in the context of doing a song unless I consciously anticipate them. I seldom ever do, though.
I mean, I seldom did. I don't play anymore.
I have always played C like that, I find it difficult to play it the standard way. The friend who showed it to me when I first started playing called it the "Folk" C and I have used it ever since. Likewise my Barres are all played over the 6 strings. As mentioned, you have to be careful of stepping on other instruments in a band situation too.
All good stuff. Don’t forget the maturity and grace of George playing alternate voicings. Check out “Till There Was You” from Mike Pachelli. Absolute genius at 20 years old.
Keep those videos coming Mike, the more the better!
The Beatles were just musical geniuses. Simple as. Love them 😊🤘🏻🔥 Congrats on 838k Subscribers! 🎉
Love the song recipe videos! 🤘🏻
That Taylor looks and sounds beautiful, do you remember what model it is?
looks like a 214ce
Funny. I do not think, the Beatles were geniusses. But, something between the guys made them work so well and creative together, so that they created massive classics. Fab 4, so 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is 4, right? Not in this case. It is so much more.
@@astroandyborgloh Your comment is SO insightful! I've thought for years that The Beatles had tremendous SYNERGY!! As great as they all are individually, TOGETHER they brought out something from each other even more. They are definitely a prime example of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts! I think Paul was edgier because of John, and Paul helped John to balance his introspection and sometimes darker looks at things with some levity and heartfelt emotion. And they both pushed George to grow, into the great songwriter he was. And Ringo held everything together, a human metronome, and also during their tense later years, he was the one everybody got along with, and seemed to not pick sides and to rise above the fray. He literally helped hold the group together, I think. But again, great comment on your part! ...Peace and love... David : )
Super lesson!! I allways learn a lott from your videos!! Well done!!
Very excellent presentation, thank you !
Bill P.
Well, I suppose it's because I learnt to play guitar with The Beatles, but I've always thought that's how you play these chords. I'm stunned to learn 20 years later that it's not the official form.😮
Thanks. I'll try it. Such a clever group those Fab4. Merci beaucoup !
Playing a Bm chord on the 2nd fret with an F# on the low E string was the way I was taught, as was playing an open C chord with a G on the low E string. I've only recently noticed that most people don't do that and it seems strange to me.
They don't know. There's so much emphasis on achievability when teaching a new guitar student...fewer strings is easier. that's my suspicion. Teach 'em fewer strings, probably. Then few people get next level guitar (if there is such a thing in folk and rock instruction) like this lesson from mike. Great content..
I'm with you on this - I've always played barring all 6 stings and same with the open C
I can definitely use this. Thanks! I’m the only guitar in an acoustic folk band and we don’t have a bass, so I’ve been wanting to find a way to thicken up the sound in some spots.
Maybe open tuning !
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. Greetings from Montreal!
Kevin, that is super great. I will definitely use that. I think ZZ Top also uses the double stop power chord like crazy.
Great lesson, great jacket
I didn’t know you could do that with bar chords - add the 5th on the 6th string! I’ve been adding the bottom 5th for power chords for a while to make them sound bigger and nastier but I never extended that idea to all the bar chords. Thanks Mike.
I thought you had to cover all 6 strings for a barre chord. I never did it any other way.
Thanks for this video, I'm not a guitar player but I learned a lot!
This is fn amazing dude, I do this all the time but never watched Lennon's hand or noticed that he did it! Cool as hell!
I read the news today, oh boy.
It was nice to have a break from it with this little UA-cam video.
On point with them beatles chords my M word 😂
Thank you for this video! It is very insightful and helpful! And where did you buy your jacket (I want one!!) .... David ;)
Really good observation and instruction on your part……Thanks….
There was a time when the instrumental playing of each Beatle was usually called into question. I heard that once Pastorius and another prominent bass player by the name of Pedro Aznar were hanging out with some other guy. At one point Aznar left the room and Jaco said to the other guy: 'as sson as he comes back, ill ask him who's you favourite bass player? And he'd better say it's me! When Aznar came back, his reply was 'Paul McCartney' for a second Jaco looked puzzled and went: 'yes, you're right'. John was a genius guitar player
Woah so cool! 🤯 I had no idea. Thank you!
I have always played a minor bar chord covering all six strings, an open C with the G added on the 6th string and an open G with the D note added on the 2nd string. Interesting that John played bar chords using his straight pointer finger, rather than thumbing over like many guitarists did in the 60's.
This is interesting because it's something I've been doing with certain chords for years. I always play C with the G in the bass and Bm with F#
I never realised John was doing this despite the Beatles being my favourite band. Must have subconsciously picked that up.
Brilliant, thank you!
Love the jacket!!! ❤
I can't say I've ever watched a UA-cam guitar instruction video where my jaw fell to the floor. Until now.
Nice tutorial. Great jacket!
The 5th on the bottom works some of the time (on open C it's great, on open A not great). More low end tends to muddy the chord (like you said at 8:31 while I was typing this). But it can work well further up the fretboard on inverted chords. Great video and food for thought, thanks!
Thank you. Great explanation
Richie Sambora used to do this a lot too!! I remember wondering how It's my life sounded so much bigger and fatter until I saw them play it live and saw him reaching for that lower G note in the C minor of the verses. Pretty neat trick to keep in mind!! 🙌🏻🤘🏻....
The reason it sounds bigger and darker is because a perfect fourth is being created when you use a lowered fifth below the root. the interval from that lowered fifth to the root is a perfect fourth and the perfect fourth interval creates a natural undertone very surprised you didn't cover that in the video
What a great video!! Anyway, I'm self taught and I've been playing like rhat forever. I always wondered why people thought i was some great player. Its those chord patterns. Thanks for clearing this up
It’s interesting but none of the Beatles knew music theory so they did this without knowing they were adding the fifth interval at the bottom. That means they had instincts that weren’t learned.
It was all written for them by mi6
It’s not hard to figure out, u just play the same fret a string lower
This is a fairly intuitive thing to do when you're playing barre chords.Even Johnny Ramone did it
Once you play an instrument for a few years, you really get to know the sounds. I was trying sus chords long before I knew what they were.
I’m not entirely convinced that they didn’t know theory. With their incredible songwriting I don’t think you get to that without being well versed in classical theory. You don’t get to changes you see in songs like Something by accident. The changes are just too brilliant..of course it could have been divine intervention which I would not rule out!
Nice insight, immediately noticeable.
From what I've learned, it seems that Django Reinhardt used to play his Gypsy Jazz chords with the 5th on the bottom too - making the most of the bass player in the band to play the root underneath
Your a good bloke bro. Awesome teaching and interesting look at things. Ok I mean I'm old and it's good hearing views from a young guy. Way to go m8😊 Sorry I meant to say Mike. Thnks...
Love to see the 214, friend,. Just purchased my first Taylor: that very blondie with a koa back. The quality of the instruments they make has always amazed me, the tone is just 😊
I am the walrus, kookoo kachoo
I knew a pornographic priestess once.
This was how I recall learning chords, somewhere, circa 1982...but I was not a real guitar player, and remain such these many decades later.
Great vid! I'm pretty sure I picked this up from the guitar tab for Lola in an issue of Guitar for the Practicing Musician.
Hi Mike do you think you could do another Metallica video soon as I’m trying to learn their solos and I was wondering how you can play fast like Kirk (for beginners/intermediate guitarists) :)
Very interesting
Thanks for this
Thanks so much!
Great video!
thank you!
check out hendrix wind cries mary A shaped chords adding the E string.. same thing ..great video .. its great to watch someone who appreciates the small things about the greats
Both Elliott Smith and Johnny Ramone used to do this, great video, love the Beatles!
Love the jacket Mike
I have always played my bar chords using all six or twelve strings depending on what guitar I have at the time. I started playing in 1964 and to me that was the I was taught and I still play that way today. Your standard B minor was not the way I learned it. It may be the generation I grew up in, because we all learned it playing all six strings on all bar chords. I do enjoy your bringing this up though.
Known that for years . I always play the root Dmaj with my thumb holding F sharp on the 5th string for added bulk
My goodness, what a jacket.
But of course! It's in the inversions. Thanks for this!
I sort of discovered these voicings, although it took me like 15 years. and it's great to know Lennon used them as well! They just have that extra 'something'. Although they shouldn't be overused, so I play normal voicings like 70% of the time and throw in these richer versions to drive the message home.
And... George and John usually played different voicings, which gave the chord more notes. George played a Barre C a lot.
I just called that the British way growing up in the 70’s, and I’ve been playing those chords that way since I figured it out or someone showed me who knew.
Same things is happening in the Bm for 'Now and Then' - they add the F#.
And I think they are adding a G bass note (3rd. fret) when playing the Em chord.
For 'A Day In The Life', I always thought John was omitting the C note (i.e., taking his first finger off the B string) when playing the Am chord - that makes it sound so much more like the record.
It might've had something to do with the fact that he(Lennon)first learned how to play on a banjo?
That maybe had something to attribute to why he did his bar-chords the way he did? Solid playing
no doubt indeed. And just like you said in the video, he did have two other great players to add to
their sound as well? Of course Ringo laid down that strong beat, to bring it all together? And there
it is... ✌
I was thinking this. Paul taught him how to do guitar chords, and I wonder ifJohn when he went from four strings to six overgeneralized and started playing BOTH of the lower strings where most guitarists would only play the A string and leave the E string unstrummed.
One of the first things I recognised when trying to play songs of the Beatles is that in the recordings, strumming is practically inaudible or at least very much reduced in volume. Thus massive sounding chords are a rarety with them!
I had been doing this the Beatles way just as part of how I play. I do it for the same reason...size. Very cool :)
when I was playing death metal I did techniques like that on power chords (another is to keep the octave too and it sounds massive with distortion--you can even do both octaves)
I heard a fellow player say the bass is the most important player in the band. He hs control of what the harmonic feel will be for each chord and/or change. He`s the secret weapon in the band.
When I was learning guitar back in the mid 60s, that's how we played bar chords (the open C as well)... I suspect John did the same.
I guess I have done it that way since my first guitar in "67" and I am 71years young now. Beatles Rock with out A.I.
Your tip was great for any
one that doesn't know it. I still play it that way I just mute the low E string.
A lot of resources on power chords mention the Wheezer Chord A-Shape w/5th on bottom, and I then figured out that it works for barre chords, too. It's great for playing a basic mix of I/II/IV/V w/minimal movement. Works for power chords, too, as you can play all four bottom strings by switching from the Wheezer Chord to the Cobain Chord.
Kurt used those in 'FRANCES FARMER WILL HAVE HER REVENGE ON SEATTLE ' and it does sound great.
What’s a wheezer chord
Great tip. I know John plays an open A when playing Norwegian Wood. John only really knew banjo chords so Paul taught John most of whan he knew. Those crazy C7 shapes that pop up on a lot of Beatles songs is a prime example.
John came up with a lot more innovative chord progressions and riffs on guitar than Paul ever did
That jacket is worth the price of admission alone, kudos