Revolver songs - a tip

grsnovi · Post by **grsnovi** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 7:59 am

I have always assumed GH was using the SG during this period and that SSSS was the SG?

Funny how you (I) could lump GOT TO GET YOU... into the category of silly love songs yet that riff is very cool now that you mention it. The song is not your stereotypical guitar break tune and that bit just "fits" there (or maybe its having heard it there for all these years that makes it fit?)

G

sneakers · Post by **sneakers** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:05 am

The Beatles used capoes whenever necessary to make their songs easier to play. For example:

1. And Your Bird Can Sing - Capo second fret, drop "D" tuning, and played in the "D" position.

2. Norwegian Wood - Capo second fret with dropped "D" tuning.

3. Strawberry Fields Forever - Capo third fret

4. Fixing A Hole - Capo third fret

5. If I Needed Someone - Capo seventh fret

When figuring out Beatle songs it becomes necessary to try a capo in different positions, always focused on the simple "G" chord or "D" chord progressions. Michelle is another one, and I thing Paul capoed up on the second fret and played "A" progression chords. Don't be fooled by tab authors because like a lot of people, they play it as it sounds on the recordings without capos. I still get a kick out of seeing "Yesterday" played with "F" family chords. Paul's got his Epi Texan tuned down 1/2 step and he's playing it with "G" family chords.

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 12:54 pm

"I'm Looking Through You" is capoed on the first fret; on one of the Anthologies, there is an earlier version that is played in the open position.

I think "Here Comes Tne Sun" is capoed on the seventh fret, but I can't remember off hand (and I don't have a guitar here at work...).

eddier · Post by **eddier** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:12 pm

Gary- You are correct regarding "Here Comes The Sun".

Joe- I have heard conflicting reports of the instrument on "If I Needed Someone". In one interview with George Harrison, he said he used a Vox Mandoguitar. In another he said he "must have capoed the RIC"

Speaking of capos, there is a picture of Sir Paul using a capo on his Hofner from around the time of Rubber Soul sessions.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 3:42 am

Don't forget McCartney's "I Will" capoed at the first fret and played on an acoustic 12 using the E pattern. Very nice fills on this song. The scat bass is interesting as well.

Also "She Said She Said" capoed on the first fret and played in the A pattern.

My philosophy with Beatle songs is that they played it in the simplest way possible. If it sounds too difficult then expect that a capo or different tuning was used.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 1:03 pm

When I was learning guitar I had those old Beatle songbooks and everything was in E flat, B flat, etc. Now I know why!

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 2:08 am

Jerry: Much of the sheet music published was for piano and as such The Beatles' songs were transposed into keys popular for the piano, such as Eb. The publishers seemed to have little concern that their sheet music was not in the same key as the song was performed by the Fab Four. They would add the guitar charts and when you played this music along side of the record it became very clear that the sheet music was way off base.

spencer · Post by **spencer** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 10:42 am

Try tuning up to 440 and playing along with "HELP"
You'll find the title track is O.K. but from then on they are tuned 1/4 step flat. When I brought home my 330 for the first time, I had "help" in my cd player and wanted to play along with "ticket to ride" immediately noticing I was way sharp. So I detuned to the cd and found out that "help" was the only song on the album @ 440. I already knew that "hide your love away" was dropped a half step.
My theory is that George's 360 was in tune with itself and he didn't want to go through another tune up. So he convinced John and Paul to tune to him. I've done that before - so long as there's not a piano or keyboard or something with a "fixed" tuning playing along.

grsnovi · Post by **grsnovi** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 2:46 pm

I think the newer books are much better about mapping their transcriptions to the records. I think the big, thick COMPLETE BEATLES SCORES are pretty good, but I haven't played all the parts to all the songs either...

larrywassgren · Post by **larrywassgren** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 3:27 pm

I went through the same discouraging process back in the 60's. Trying to play Twist And Shout in E-flat on a guitar is not easy. Spencer, I think you're right on with John and Paul tuning to George's 12-string. Sounds like the natural thing to do. People weren't as obsessed with perfect pitch back then as they are today. And people obsess with having their guitars set up perfectly(strobe tuners, etc.). The Beatles played through the Liverpool-Hamburg period and even the first Sullivan show with guitars that had floating bridges. They were awesome on those guitars. Sometimes I think more time is wasted worrying about set-up, pitch, etc., than actually sitting down and playing those things! John, Paul and George weren't bothered with it, they just rocked. Same goes for amps, John and George would put everything on full treble in The Cavern and Pete's atom beat along with Paul's Hofner and Coffin amp mixed perfectly. No, I wasn't there(unfortunately!) but my good friend Alan Stratton from the Kansas City Five was. When John and George would be tuning up that treble was ear piercing but when they started rocking it was perfect together. Man, I wish I could have been there. More ramblings from Larry I'm afraid. Anybody else?

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 4:03 pm

hey, the Stones didn't even bother to tune on their early recordings (or so it seems)!

sneakers · Post by **sneakers** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 3:17 am

Maybe The Beatles played around with the speed of the mix down slightly. These days we can change the speed without changing the pitch and vice versa.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 4:45 am

My suspicions completely. Anthology rehearsal tapes and bootlegs have them playing slower, lower, voices slightly lower.
I take home tapes of sessions I am currently working on. The cassette in my flintstone mobile plays a little fast. Everything sounds tighter sped up a bit. I think when we mix, I'll fanagle the speed a bit!

grsnovi · Post by **grsnovi** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 4:56 am

Larry - not sure what your point is about floating bridges? Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup ALL played floating bridge guitars.

larrywassgren · Post by **larrywassgren** » Thu Jun 19, 2003 11:30 am

That's true Gary. And flat-top guitars nearly all have fixed bridges. So, in my mind none of these guitars are perfectly intonated. You can get near perfect intonation on a guitar with individually adjusted saddles. I guess I shouldn't put The Beatles into my mentality, but I played a Gretsch Tennessean all through the 60's and never had a clue about intonation and where the floating chrome-bar bridge should be on a Tennessean. I changed strings and put the bridge where it looked like it belonged, when really it probably needed to be moved further back or closer to get the intonation as close as possible. I don't know if The Beatles were into intonation back then. Paul played long shiney strings and they would change a string when one busted. I guess my point was they wouldn't be playing perfectly strobe tuned, intonated guitars early in their career and even on the Sullivan show. Jerry, you're correct that the Stones were not in tune all the time either. In fact, it doesn't even seem like they're playing 'together' on Got Live If You Want It. But that's part of the beauty of 60's music, it's not perfect.