One, Two, Three, Four ...

Learning McCartney's bass lines
User avatar
ozover50
RRF Consultant
Posts: 10492
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:07 pm
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by ozover50 »

Great stuff, Francesco.... love it!! :mrgreen:
"Never eat more than you can lift." - Mr. Moon
User avatar
godber
Advanced Member
Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:07 am

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by godber »

Image
User avatar
ilan
RRF Consultant
Posts: 2902
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2002 7:00 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by ilan »

Fab indeed. Looking forward.
"A Noble Instrument Must Be Nobly Regarded"
User avatar
rickendelic
Member
Posts: 278
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:13 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by rickendelic »

I'm really looking forward to these threads, thanks for posting 'em!
longboard_ric
Intermediate Member
Posts: 634
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:15 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by longboard_ric »

Thanks Francesco, this is great stuff.

Looking forward to more !!!
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
User avatar
rickinroma
RRF Consultant
Posts: 1090
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:27 pm
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by rickinroma »

so...

Which song would have been more appropriate to start with?

As opening track of the 1st published album...the energy provided by the counting, gives an additional strength to the song as the pumping basslines played by Paul with his Hofner Cavern bass do

It was said that Paul "borrowed" the basslines from another known song...however, I Saw Her Standing There has surely become the song which highlighted and gave the deserved fame to those lines.

The riff is quite simple and in order to make it easier and fluid along the whole movement, it should be played starting from the 7th fret of the A string, up/down with the picking
During the verse, your left hand will be then placed alternatively at the 7th fret and at the 5th (when the song goes to A chords ...and you know, what I mean)
Same positions when my heart went....

Anyway, it is quite easy to figure it out watching the video. For any info and req feel free to ask

The video was filmed with a microcassette panasonic videocamera, basic model....the whole audio, consisting of both the Beatles track and the performance, is captured by the videocamera incorporated microphone.

I am using my late 1965 Hofner 500/1 bass, through an Ashdown ABM C-115 combo in flat eq.

I use Fender heavy or extra heavy picks
ricmic
Member
Posts: 405
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:43 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by ricmic »

Francesco, thank you so much. I am an avid Beatles and Paul McCartney fan. I am really going to enjoy this. Thanks again, Mark
User avatar
mgauction
Advanced Member
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2004 5:00 am
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by mgauction »

Thanks Francesco! That was fun!
Leprosy is rare & scarce but nobody wants that!
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15029
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2000 5:00 am
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by admin »

I particularly like the effortless style that you use in keeping this song moving Francesco. It allows you to keep rocking without wearing out before the end of this fast tempo song. In learning it, were there any surprises in it for you? I hear you play a cord midway through and another one at the end. These were surprises in that I had not noticed them before.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm

Please join the Official RickResource Forum Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/379271585440277
User avatar
DavyR
Member
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:42 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by DavyR »

Nice job Francesco! Good to hear the bassline played correctly for a change since so many bassists never quite get it right. Also impressive that you caught those little inconsistancies that McCartney plays throughout the song. The song from which they say McCartney got the idea for the bassline from was from the guitar riff in "A Shot Of Rhythm and Blues" from what I remember. Sweet clean 1965 Hofner too! Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6L02Aymv6g
User avatar
rickinroma
RRF Consultant
Posts: 1090
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:27 pm
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by rickinroma »

Thank you, David
that was the song that surely "inspired" Paul when he wrote I Saw Her Standing There

about inconsistencies... after having played Beatles songs for nearly 30 years it's quite clear that paul had/has a certain amount of instinctivity when playing bass. In other words, there are very few songs of his where he plays exactly the same lines verse by verse within the track, showing that he developed a certain freedom of expression around a well defined bassline decided for a given song. Maybe he was/is just a wee bit lazy to decide what to do, learn/write it down and perform it when recording the track

That's why it is sometimes hard to replicate his performance 100% note per note unless you learn it VERY accurately

Peter, Paul still amazes and surprises me, even in songs that I have learned for decades :D
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15029
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2000 5:00 am
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by admin »

Francesco, do you have any idea how many of Paul's Beatle performances had him playing chords on the bass. This is one small but unique aspect of this song, at least to me.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm

Please join the Official RickResource Forum Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/379271585440277
User avatar
rickinroma
RRF Consultant
Posts: 1090
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:27 pm
Contact:

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by rickinroma »

I can't say exactly how many so quickly
However a few that come up in mind:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps, All I've Got To Do, for example....
User avatar
sloop_john_b
Rick-a-holic
Posts: 13835
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:00 am

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by sloop_john_b »

"I'm Only Sleeping" as well.
User avatar
soundmasterg
RRF Consultant
Posts: 1921
Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2002 1:06 pm

Re: One, Two, Three, Four ...

Post by soundmasterg »

This is a welcome and awesome addition to this forum. I've always loved to see your Beatles bass videos Francisco...keep 'em coming! I wish I had that Hofner bass that you have! I've got a 1963 Harmony H22 that gets a similar sound and is fun and easy to play. Looking forward to more videos.....


greg
Post Reply

Return to “Paul McCartney's Bass Style: by Francesco Fai”