How much music theory did The Beatles know?
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- čas přidán 1. 05. 2024
- Whether The Beatles did or did not know music theory is a hotly contested topic often found in the comments section of Beatles analysis videos. However, on both sides of the argument, trustworthy sources are rarely cited. That is why I decided to scour through the limited literature and first hand accounts that we have in an attempt to shine some light on The Beatles' true relationship with music theory.
Sources:
Paul’s interview with 60 Minutes (2018) / 1046561164581359616
Paul’s interview with David Leaf (1990): albumlinernotes.com/Paul_McCar...
Beatles overdub session 1965: • Video
Howard Goodall on The Beatles (2004): • The Beatles: a musical...
John Lennon interview with Bob Harris (1975): • John Lennon on George ...
Ringo Starr 'Here Comes The Sun' interview: • Making "Here Comes the...
Barry Miles, Many Years From Now (1997)
The Beatles Anthology (1995 & 2000)
Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (1988)
Dominic Pedler, The Songwriting Secrets Of The Beatles (2003)
Ian MacDonald, Revolution In The Head (1994)
An extra special thanks goes to Glen, Vidad Flowers, Christopher Ryan, Bruce Mount, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano
0:00 Introduction
1:41 Beats and Bars
3:07 Time Signatures
4:51 Chords
8:35 Key changes
11:22 Modes
12:30 Terminology
13:11 George Martin
17:00 Conclusion
I don't know what adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, interjections, or past participles are, but I can still talk pretty goodly.
ツDempseyDaPro what’s the worst thing about music theory?
@Hugh Jones yup.
Exactly. The terminology of grammar is, like music theory, just a way of talking about the language, the art of it.
You, like myself are gifted wordily.
Watching the Rick Beato dissection of In My Life and how going from D to Dm in the key of A was some amazing Mixodoryan accomplishment that surely George Martin must have informed them about.
It's just going from D to Dm. You don't need a music degree to make that chord change.
*George plays Fadd9*
Paul: What's the name of that chord?
George: Arthur.
You win the Fair Day Goose.
Ηence, ''Arthur'' by the Kinks.
theo9952 weird that you mention this, I’ve had that album on repeat the last week. Terrific song and album for sure.
@@antcif Arthur, Village Green, Preservation 1 & 2, I love those 4. Great songs, music and lyrics.
no, Arthur is the name of their arty haircut. Art hu(ai)r
Reminds me of an early interview in which they were charged with having "unresolved leading tones and a false modal frame ending up as a plain diatonic" to which John immediately replied "we're going to see a doctor about that" 😅
which interview was that?
They were always so sharp in interviews, especially John.
What a wit!
Ok but they’re still alive half of hem
@@PeaceWatcher-ek7zl“'You can tell right away it's the Beatles and not anyone else,' is the opinion of a 15‐year‐old specialist on the subject who saw the Beatles on the 'Ed Sullivan Show' last night. The age of 15 (or 16 or 14 or 13) is essential in a Beatles expert.
Taking the above axiom as gospel, this listener made an attempt to find out just what is musically unique about the British visitors.
The Beatles are directly in the mainstream of Western tradition; that much may be immediately ascertained. Their harmony is unmistakeably diatonic. A learned British colleague, writing on his home ground, has described it as pandiationic, but I disagree.
The Beatles have a tendency to build phrases around unresolved leading tones. This precipitates the ear into a false modal frame that temporarily turns the fifth of the scale into the tonic, momentarily suggesting the Mixylydian mode. But everything always ends as plain diatonic all the same.
Mean while, the result is the addition of a very, very slight touch of British countryside nostalgia, with a trace of Vaughan Williams, to the familiar elements of the rock 'n’ roll prototype.' It's just that English rock ‘n’ roll is more sophisticated,' explained the 15‐year‐old authority.
As to instrumentation, three of the four Beatles (George Harrison, Paul. McCartney and John Lennon) play different sizes of electronically amplified pluckedstringed instruments. Ringo Starr (' He's just like a little puppy, he's So cute,' said our specialist) plays the drums. The Beatles's vocal quality can be. described as hoarsely incoherent, with the minimal enunciation necessary to communicate the schematic texts.
Two theories were offered in at least one household to explain the Beatles's popularity. The specialist said: 'We haven't had an idol in a few years. The Beatles are different, and we have to get rid of our excess energy somehow.'
The other theory is that the longer parents object with such high dudgeon, the longer children will squeal so hysterically."
I am a college music theory teacher, and I always remind mu students that "The Sound Came First" and the theory rules were added later. There's something innate in humans to make us think in beats and chords, even when we don't know the names.
This has always been my belief.
That's an excellent way to think about it. I agree. And you can understand music theory inside and out and not be able to write music anyone wants to listen to. The sound is the important thing, not the description of the sound.
@@kpmac1 nicely said
This the important thing so many people miss.
I'm self taught, I can't read sheet music and I understand music theory better than my classically trained jamming buddy. To me it's all just patterns on the fret board that correspond to certain sounds. I literally hear a song and in 10 seconds I'm able to say: "A harmonic minor scale modulating to C major" or whatever
Driving across town to learn B7. Life before the internet.
no going by bus
life before chord books
early like 1960 .. if their first hit song came out 1962 yes you are right it was before the internet
or the 1950s
separates the real from the pretenders.
The Beatles are a great example of how mere developed intuition can lead to the conceptual understanding of music theory even without the formal training to articulate using proper terminology.
Agreed!
It's not a million miles from the way a toddler can learn to speak a language using proper grammar without having a clue what a verb or a noun is.
@@afpwebworks And that's why most guitar players play like a toddler speaks 😂
@@afpwebworks yuppp, great anology. It's the exact same notion :)
Although i agree wholeheartedly, i couldn’t help myself from thinking “those words are certainly fancy!”
My guitar teacher in 1966 when I was 13 years old taught me music theory. He said these are the rules but rules don’t make the music, music makes the rules. “Do it first and we will figure it out later.” Enough said…
You had an extremely wise teacher.
I apply the same logic.
That's right :)
About 15 years ago it came to me that externalized concepts gave voice to what was in the past and no longer relevant. I had to look away every time the video showed a staff line- as Krisnamutri pointed out when you come in contact with a rattlesnake you react immediately. When George asked Billy Preston what certain chords where on the piano(Get Back) I cringed because it was totally besides the point(but Billy sure new what to play when he heard/felt the open space to do it).
@@flyingvguy6833 I'd ask the same if i didnt know music. idk music at all and say how you do it? I think there is a prerequisite to making music and that it doesn't come inherently to me.
One of my favourite quotes from Paul is 'I play the notes that like each other'. As a classically trained musician trying to shake off the shackles of having to play from dots, now in my 60s, I'm going back to the beginning and my natural ability to play by ear. Paul McCartney and his ability to just play without needing to know any of the 'rules' has really helped me with this. Your videos are helping too. Thank you so much.
CZcams is like having one of those really good sleepovers when you're younger. You're like: "aight, well, I'm going to sleep" and then a second later, in the darkness, your friend goes: "dude, I wonder how much music theory the Beatles knew" and you stay up all night discussing random shit
Holy crap your analogy just put the entirety of the internet into perspective for me... your comment might be the funniest and truest thing I've read since Day 1 of the COVID lockdown. I salute you👨✈️✌
That is so good. How did you ever come up with that perfect analogy?
Thank you for putting this trueness into words. I think that's why we can feel connection to each other regardless of the physical separateness of our experiences.
Haha so true 😂
sic!
Internet: The Beatles didn't know music theory, they just did what sounded good.
Music Theory: I just describe what sounds good.
Music the only comment that makes sense in the entire comment section
That's more like it !!!
It doesn't though. It notates it and quite often says "Oh no. You can't do that"
What "sounds good" about Beatles records, or Shostakovich symphonies or birdsong is more than theory can describe
@@PaulMcCaffreyfmac If you come across a music theorist that says "oh no you can't do that" then you may in fact be not dealing with a music theorist.
Music Theory is a descriptive discipline. It does not prescribe oughts and shoulds, only what is. Theory does not attempt to prescribe what sounds good, but instead can be used as justification for arguments as to why a thing sounds good to you or someone else.
For an example of this take a look at Adam Neely's video "The Worst Jazz Solo of All Time". With limited theory knowledge, the reasons for why the solo is bad can be equally applied to other solos that are identified as being good. Only with in-depth analysis can we find a reason why so many people find that solo bad that doesn't apply to other superficially similar solos.
@@jakehr3 I think we are at crossed purposes. I could not disagree with you more. The classical world is full of theorists prepared to say "that's wrong" and "you can't use that note in that context". Music theory at it purest is proscriptive not descriptive and your comment almost reads as if you are putting both sides of the argument at once. I understand Neely's talk of context but this is exactly playing the "theory" card which says it's ok to do it here but not there. Listen to the song I Want To Tell You. At the time The Beatles came up with it no professor from the Royal College of Music nor the Royal Academy of Music would have done so because the theory says "wrong" while the practice says "Wow! That sounds great".
The Beatles knew the basic necessary theory in order to function as a band but their songwriting clearly came from 'across the universe'.
Yes, more specifically from their intuition which connected them to their Higher Selves and thereby to their Creator.
No, not from the universe. From George Martin. He did it all.
@@blackdogHH if it was all about George Martin how come he didn't have dozens of other bands that were as big as the Beatles?
@@johnross2924 Hi John. I don't know. Maybe he was just a one man management and concentrated on that band. He had to do the work and creativity of 4 young men. That was enough. Please do our own research. Warm greetings.
@blackdogHH seems nobody agrees with you, and I can see why.
I'd been playing, improvising and composing for decades before I learned chord theory. I was genuinely afraid when I started that knowing the theory would destroy the magic, but I was completely wrong. Being able to know that a piece of, say, Mozart, was built on such a limited set of chords, and hearing how he was able to take those basic materials and fashion such divine beauty out of them opened up a whole new world and brought my own compositions to life. We all speak music, theory is the meta-language.
So true. I couldn’t believe it when I realized Beethoven’s 9th was mostly 2 chords (i-iv)
I'm starting this journey, learning theory and crossing fingers not to loose the magic. I completely relate to your comment...
I played for 20 years before I learned theory. It's handy to know. Rest assured it won't have any negative effect on your playing. In fact, you have a talent and ability that a lot of "trained" players will never fully develop. Being able to play by ear and improvise isn't really something easy to teach. If you can already do that, once to get to the more advanced stages of theory, you'll fly ahead. All that theory will just be handy stuff to have and you'll still be you but with an extra set of tools you didn't have a name for before you started.
I still play by ear most of the time and occasionally think, hmm, what chords would work here or how can I tweek this or that. It just gives you another way of thinking about things and some versatile tools.
Enjoy it of you can. I found it hard at the start. My teacher said he knew when I had lost my place and was winging it. He said it was because I always played better when it happened. He stopped playing things before I had a go. If I heard it before I read it, I could just play it, so his not playing made me actually learn to read. I think it was odd for him as it was for me. Initially he didn't believe I couldn't read music but eventually he understood and accepted it was real. That was the bit that was work. Once I got past that, I just flew threw it. It took like a year to go from nothing to grade 6 in a year.
You already have all the skills, theory is just a new way to access them. Once you get past the fundamentals, you'll blast through it. But rest assured, you'll still be you 😊
so wheres your music mate. we want to hear your compositions!!
Dogs can analyze trajectories to intercept flying objects, but they're crap at explaining physics.
Emyr Derfel I’m going to use this 😂
Emyr Derfel That’s brilliant!
Actually, they are great at explaining physics. We, humans, just don't understand dog language.
I wish they'd learn to pick up their own poo though!
@Kali Southpaw My dog once said that the cosmological constant was his greatest blunder. I know that's what he said, but it came out as rrr-rrr-ruf snot poosh weef.
As Popeye said, "I may not know physics, but I know what matters!"
Imagine being the “bloke” who taught the Beatles B7.
He probably thought.... yeah.... these green horns ! Then later said: Look they're using the B7 that I showed them !!
@I P Marshall amps go to 11. That's 1 louder than most amps.
@I P I think the narrator in this video is correct.
@I P it is a plausible story IMHO, because they learned and employed a lower toned box chord version of the B7, vice a first or secondary barre chord, in the first two frets of the guitar, with five fingers, with the thumb on the low F# which is actually not well understood. It was prominent in "I should have known better". Back in 2011 I joined a band of accomplished buddies and bandmates, and we were prepping for an upcoming paid All Beatles concert. The band leader who was an exceptional rhythm guitarist was using a secondary barre chord for the B7. I showed him the actual box chord and fingering that the Beatles used for that low tone on the record, and it took him a bit to get it and he said, wow, I had never seen that one before. He had been playing well and a lot of Beatles stuff since the late 1960s. I knew the chord way back when, but somehow he had completely missed it. So, the story seems plausible for me, knowing they were curious to learn everything they could as young aspiring guitarists.
@@marcuscook3852 No, just Nigel's does.
As a trained musician, I recognized their lack of formal training, but by not being limited by rules, they stumbled, but relied on creative lyrics, solid tonal memories and a trusted mentor and clever producers to achieve fame and money to continue their musical education. There are many paths to creativity and one you point out is their curiosity to learn and develop! Nice production and excellent summation...Thanks for your work!
All four of the Beatles' preternatural, instinctive understanding of music theory (if not its semantics) is what made them so brilliant. They truly were the most musical band of all time.
Your accurate, perceptive comment is much appreciated.
I had to google "preternatural", and I learned something, cheers 😊
Imagine being the guy that taught the Beatles how to play a B7
That guy is a legend!
They should at least kick him a few quid...
I hope he has already become success too somewhere in life, imagining that he wants to share something even The Beatles craved for it.
Boss 💪
The guy who designed Facebook's simple logo was promised only 1% of the company's share and is now a millionaire..😆😅
Q: How much music theory did the Beatles know? A: Enough.
Yeah. Their lack of knowledge about the terms didn't seem to hurt them.
as simple and clear as that - and a wonderful musical talent.....
@@hanoc101 Yeah because they had great collaborators like George Martin.
The Beatles learned to play musical instruments by ear and that was truly remarkable,Self taught not everyone can do that. They say that Paul could learn how to play in different styles,whether it was spanish playing or Jazz , in just 20 mins having seen someone else playing that certain style.I believe that was the reason why Paul took control of the Group later on from John being the leader in the beginning,Paul knew more than Lennon musically wise.
john chun I agree with you totally!
They all had one thing in common. Natural feeling for audiance/ear/pitch like most ppl with a musical ear... Notes is something you learn with time... They were natural talents.
They initially heard musical ideas in their heads - and then transposed this to their instruments and voices. They also experimented with trial and error trying out various chords - typically looking for the unusual because they knew that what sounds odd at first, quite often sounds "good" once you get used to it. They loved breaking boundaries, exploring, going off on tangents, breaking new ground, breaking with convention. It seemed to work which gave them confidence to keep on doing that with every new albumn. They weren't afraid. They knew they could rely on inspiration and imagination. They were quick decision makers and exellent judges of what was good and what was not - unhampered by prejudice or adulation for any existing artists or style. They didn't always get on but ironically, one of their greatest strengths was their ability to collaborate. This is unusual with great musicians. It was probably because they were such a tight knit unit. They were so close and had mutual love and respect.
“A musicologist said I was using Aeolian, I don’t even know what that is. It sounds like some kind of exotic bird.” John Lennon
The song was "Not A Second Time" which depended heavily upon I and and vi as the main chord progression. Not one of John's great songs but the critic heard Mahler....must have been an English critic.
Aeolian sounds like a really tasty mayonnaise to me :)
I find it weird that John Lennon, till the day he died, didn't bother to find out what Aeolian meant. If I'd written a song and a music critic used a technical term to describe it I'd be dying to know what it was, if only out of sheer curiosity. George Martin could have told him in 30 seconds.
@@tonybates7870 I know! Guess he couldn't be bothered with anything that sounded like formal music education.
@@tonybates7870 he didn't care why and how it worked- he just cared *that* it worked. I agree though that it's unfortunate that none of them really had much of an interest in music theory. I wonder what sort of music they could've written if they were all music theory experts (but keep in mind that their writing process at a lot of times seems very literal and concrete, so I don't know how that would clash with advanced music theory knowledge).
Tons of comments here, but not enough folks giving you any credit for your time, research, and insight in making this video. Nicely done, and I definitely learned something new about the Beatles today. Cheers!
This☝️
Here, here!
God yeah. All his videos are very good, but this one absolutely belongs on BBC4 for analysis, research, composition, editing, sound mixing and presentation.
Because it's pointless and just conjecture...It came about by experimentation
Jarod, great comment! You are absolutely right! People miss the point. They diverge into the unimportant just not to give it credit where it is due. David did beautiful work here, and been generous to share with everyone. Cheers!
When I was a little kid and had taken formal piano lessons for a year, my parents took me to a classical concert. One of the pieces the symphony played was Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov). When I returned home I started playing it by ear, the main theme. I remember feeling it was weird that I could do that. I also started to improvise and my improvising was technically more advanced than the pieces I played. But I could not control the improvisations. I would modulate in and out of keys and not know how and why. When I later learned theory I knew to hit a secondary dominant to go into another key, etc. 50 years later I still improvise and play by ear. I used this skill to get into a college I did not get into with my Sats and grades. But I did not pursue music - cause I can not sing a lick despite having perfect pitch. A waste to have perfect pitch and be a piano player.
Some of the Beatles knowledge of theory was touched upon in the recent "Get Back" documentry, as it shows the creative process of their song writing. Much insight was revealed of how naturally intuitive every one of the Beatles were musically. This look into their Musical vocabulary only fortifies the depth of the Musical genius the Beatles had as they discovered and created BY EAR some complex musical concepts. I would not be suprised if they all had perfect pitch.
czcams.com/video/7ToaMJ5bmJo/video.html
Probably good relative pitch... not necessarily "perfect" pitch.
Yes, they knew syncopation and others by name by then.
@@melvoid yep, perfect pitch is a rare gift indeed
The 2 Leaders (tho, looking back NOW...George WAS 'different' but Equal) were 'comfortable' playing piano! What's That say? *No theory? 'Chopsticks toon'?*
Watch the 'New' Doc on Disney ...the pure instant 'Creation' while learning a 'New song' from one of the 3 Writers, is akin to watching 'Magic'...Live, amazing pic quality, must be on Film?
They were extremely fortunate to have George Martin around to help them . He definitely was the 5th Beatle! What a great meeting of minds!
So we all where fortunate for that!
Agreed
I'm not disagreeing, but you could also say that George was extremely fortunate to have them. And like Dimas said, we're all very fortunate.
@@cazgerald9471 And not to downplay his role, Martin is EXTREMELY instrumental in their development, and progression, and LEARNING how to properly make an album. But I will add that I think his role is a little overrated at times. McCartney advanced so quickly it's mindblowing. As did the rest of them. He certainly wasn't "needed", and was not even really there the last few albums. Didn't he quit during the white album and Get Back sessions? And although he was politely asked back for Abbey Road, I'm not so sure if he did much more than keep them cordial and serious about making their last album. And not so sure if sonically and music-wise Martin contributed much to Abbey Road. But ya... I find him both hugely influential, and also becoming a bit of a myth of the 5th beatle where they would have been lost their whole career on every album without him... not believing that... which often is the narrative.
@@urwholefamilydied The Beatles would have still been The Beatles without him. Sorry, George Martin :-)
Guitar George, he knows all the chords.
But that was not widely known until 1978
Its strictly rhythm, he doesn't want to make it cry or sing...
Love that song lmao
He can also play the honkey tonk like anything
Sultans of swing?
I really didn't know what to expect when you're video was fed to me on CZcams but I was completely absorbed. Wonderfully put together and so clearly presented. Thank you.
I second that! Well put.
One of the best edited, produced videos online. Thanks for making this!
i feel like music theory is one of those things that you can know without even realizing it but also is something you can have studied for years and still not know what to do with.
If you have the gift of emotional resonance and an ear for what sounds good it goes a long way
That is exactly what it is. I basically got the hang of functional harmony intuitively when I was 7-8 years old. But first in music college (or high school or whatever it translates to in english) did I have any formal training in it, and there I discovered people who knew it theoretically but had no clue what it actually meant in practice. Music theory is exactly like you stated, you can have a very good intuitive understanding on it if you play an instrument, but there is often great disconnect between theory and practice even if you do know it.
Yes. It's a language.
A thousand professors cold NOT write anything as good as Yesterday
@@stoferb876 "Music theory is what the uninspired use to describe the work of genius" - Lord Snarebottom
Dang! Not too many youtubers do their own research to present an original argument.
Thank you!!
You're telling me you don't like videos where the creator just reads off the Wikipedia page the topic is about? Heresy, I say.
@Steven Turner Totally agree with you and Tim McCarthy. David Bennett, you do extremely valuable work. This topic is well worth in depth analysis, and you've done an excellent job presenting this research in a short video and making it accessible.
@TheDowner Did you ever do research on a term paper in school? Come on be kind.
Not to discount the quality of this video, but you clearly have not watched enough video essay channels. There are so many quality channels out there on par with this channel.
Watching this after viewing the Get Back doc, and really appreciating your in depth look into knowledge and feel of theory
Interesting thanks David. The Beatles were the reason I learned to play. I had been hopeless in music lessons in school until aged around 12, I decided to learn to play like the Beatles. I taught myself to read music and quickly gained confidence and knowledge about both playing the guitar and music theory. They kind of came together, not least from buying sheet music of Beatles songs and other bands of the 60s and 70s. Long ago I read an analysis of Beatles tunes by one Wilfred Mellers. All aspects of music theory were initially tantalising puzzles for me. I got a lot of things wrong before getting my head round them. Since then I've had a lot of experience and met some kind and wonderful musicians who all gave me a lot of help. One thing many said and I found myself also is that you often had some of your best ideas before you knew too much, the quirky chord shifts or memorable little phrases that you probably wouldn't write if you were following the conventions too closely. I can write formulaic stuff easily but the best ideas come when you're not trying to do that. Whether or not the Beatles knew what they were about, in my view they were uniquely talented musicians, each in their own way, even self-effacing Ringo. /// For me the Beatles seem like instinctive music theorists who buzzed from each other's creative vibes. Even if they didn't have the vocabulary they absorbed music around them and created their own. For example lots of their earlier hits contain things like 2 5 1s and standard cadences which if they didn't know the theory, they must have just naturally grasped from hearing and synthesising other kinds of music. Later they became much more idiosyncratic and I always love the odd length bars and odd chord progressions they began to use on say Revolver and Sgt Pepper. Obviously they had the input of people like George Martin and no doubt other special people they met when they became famous, people from whom they would have learned a lot. //// But I also think it's significant that first they grew up in Liverpool, a port city with a special mixture of both UK and world heritages in its population. There were sailors bringing records from across the world into Liverpool. before I got into music, I went on a school trip to the port of Liverpool. It impressed me immensely as a 10 year old boy seeing the docks in their heyday, the huge cranes and big ships from far away places. I remember seeing whole tree trunks being unloaded and smelling things like raw sugar on the dockside. I was too just young to ever see the Beatles live, but they inspired me to learn guitar. I've since been privileged to see great players like Segovia, John Williams and Pat Metheny. But it all started with singing along to Hard Days Night! Thanks Beatles!
I think musicians eventually learn music theory on their own throughout their musical journey by experimenting
Yes, The Beatles learned from the music they liked, when they figured out by ear how to play those songs, and then learned more from watching other musicians play, watching their fingers, thinking "what chord is that?" They learned the language enough to communicate to each other (and I'm sure also invented their own language.) They didn't have to learn sheet music because they had George Martin, they just had to learn how to communicate to him. But if they didn't have him, they would have learned it.
Thank you. You are the only one that's right in these comments.
Here´s a living proof. You got it right.
absolutely
Intuitively, perhaps. They are likely never going to have quite the same grasp as someone who has formal training though. Sometimes you can stumble across a great chord change in the writing process, but if you don't know WHY it's a great chord change, you may not be able to replicate that.
That's how you Googled the B7 chord in the early sixties.
*late 50s
And they probably came across less spam along the entire routes, including the bus changes.
Yer Google Was A Big Red Bus lol
Kids these days don't know what it's like to use buses to learn music theories.
and that's far more exciting than just typing on a pc
This guy looks like he is 14 yet has such an incredible way of explaining music theory like an aged old professor. Great video!
Such a brilliant video. Perfectly paced, fantastic editing.
Paul's father was a devoted musician, and he probably learned a lot from him. Not every self-taught pianist uses a phrase like "arpeggio."
Agreed. And from listening to his father's records, which helps explain Paul's broad intuitive awareness of music on a level he couldn't necessarily articulate. But listening to those old songs also influenced his writing in a way that the other Beatles sometimes made fun of for being too sentimental and fluffy or trite.
Jim McCartney actually did not want to teach Paul because he believed he was not a "true" musician. He only believed that the famous and great musicians were the "real" musicians, that is why he wanted Paul to get a real music education with a piano teacher instead of himself teaching him. However Paul didn't really like the piano tutors because most of them were women and he said that this is not what I'm hearing in my head, so he quit and just learned intuitively. I got this from the Paul McCartney Biography.
Oh come on. I’m pretty sure anyone who can play piano knows what an arpeggio is.
@@joshy34 Yeah and he listened to a lot of jazz and music hall music with his Dad. He learned a lot from that intuively. Listen to Honey Pie, holy shit, Paul copied the music hall style so good without any proper musical knowledge, it's unbelievable.
@@spearmintlatios9047 I can tell you every budding classical guitarist does.
Summary:
1. The Beatles consisted of 4 extremely talented artists, who didn’t really understand formal music theory + 1 genius producer who supported them with great musical ideas.
2. Musically speaking, George Martin was truly “the 5th member of The Beatles”.
I completely agree with your saying, and I will add, it was an extraordinary happening , that four lads, living in the same town, got to be friend, and liked music, and were gifted with so much talent, we,ll see see this happen again in a thousand year, we were all blessed to live in the same time period they did, Halleluia, for us all.
@@jelau4851 There were several events leading up to the formation and evolution of The Beatles. Had any one of those events not occurred, although they still would have been a great band, perhaps they'd merely be on par with other great bands of the day, rather than the hugely influential and infinitely creative colossus they eventually became. Brian Epstein was absolutely key in the band's growth. But had the band paid their previous manager (Allan Wilson) his 10% commission for one of their trips to Germany, then Wilson probably would have remained their manager rather than dump them. Had he not dumped them, then Epstein probably would not have become their obsessive manager/promoter. Without Epstein it is anybody's guess what would have become of the band ... I think the trajectory would have been vastly different! George Martin somewhat reluctantly agreed to produce them, mostly due to Epstein's enthusiasm about the band. But even after hearing the band Martin was underwhelmed. The story goes that George Harrison made a joke about Martin's tie, spurring the rest of the band to start teasing Martin. It was this banter that sold Martin on the band. Not their music. Had George not made that flippant joke about Martin's tie ... the Martin/The Beatles partnership might not have ever occurred. It was a long sequence of events, each of which had to fall into place perfectly, for The Beatles to become what they eventually became. Amazing. And, indeed, Halleluia! for us all!
Fiddlesticks.
And I defer to no-one in my respect for Sir George Martin.
Genius producer!
I could not define it better
Perfect explanation
And
Lucky band
Billie is the best beetle, way better than Paul.
Probably one of the most well thought out and presented video's I've ever seen!
Probably works on it like a piece of music.. although I knew where the vid was going halfway through.
This is one of my favorite YT videos of all time . . . a subject which greatly interests me, meticulously researched and brilliantly presented. Have just liked, subscribed and requested notifications!
In simple words: they knew music theory from the heart, not from a book.
From a brain.
@@aleksitjvladica.
From heart and mind
Then music theory isn't theory. It' s an absolute which everybody comes to who plays music.
Even simpler: they learned.
How much academic instruction did most of the greatest artists have? Hendrix? Hemingway? Picasso? You have to have some instruction, for sure. But I think once the fundamentals are learned, the rest is a process of exploration and feel. Because the consumer public doesn’t know much more than what they like and their tastes are generally restricted by that determination. Which is why so much of the music and art produced in America feels so generic and rote. Commercial production companies distilled everything down to a handful of key characteristics they just repeat ad nauseum.
One of my college teachers always said "Theory only explains want your ears already tell you." The Beatles had good ears. If something sounded good, they did it.
your research is incredible, makes for such a richly layered and thoughtful video. absolutely wonderful, thank you!
David, your "documentaries" are unbelievably perceptive. You have a tremendous ability to articulate these interesting "stories" that teach musical lessons.
Lol the question of the video is, “Did they Beatles have a clue what they were playing? Or were they just Vibin’”
Who are you ?
@@georgianwindow last Man films
Neither of those. They were extremely talented intuitive musicians. They knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They didn’t have too much theoretical background but that was exactly the reason they were so good. They explored sounds and styles. When Lennon wrote “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” he told George Martin he wanted it to sound like a circus. Paul composed and arranged the classical part of “She’s leaving home” and he decided to make a doubling effect of the harp part that otherwise had being impossible to play for the harpist.
@@carl_anderson9315 Buddy Holly was a big inspiration. Simple chords that they learned from him helped to bring on the birth of The Beatles!
@@carl_anderson9315 So truth. Actually music theory as a language could help them understand but probably they would lack that freedom and creativity.
WOW this video is amazing. Thank you for the time, effort, and attention to detail.
Music Theory gives us tools to experiment with (modes, I'm looking at you!). Music Theory helps us talk about music in a coherent way!
"Music theory is a way of describing what is there to be used" great line
This story solidifies the fact that George Martin was the 5th Beatle.
@@oinkooink Who pissed in your cereal
@Colin Phibes I was in the beatles and so was my wife.
@Colin Phibes🙋♂️ I've got dibs on 8th.
@@andyp257 I'm Brian Epstein!
How?
John, in the 2019 Abbey Road Deluxe book, about writing Because:
“As for the harmonies,... I just asked George Martin, ‘what’s the alternative to thirds and fifths?’ As they’re the only ones I know, and he would play them on the piano, and we’d say, ‘Oh, we’ll have that one.’”
Ahh yes, a sort of harmonics pick ‘n’ mix
John still wrote a song that had diminished and half diminished chords in it, though. And it's notoriously difficult to make melodies work using those chords. You can't just throw them into a song willy-nilly.
And Because isn't really The Moonlight Sonata played backwards, as many including Lennon himself claimed. There's only a slight similarity. Lennon had actually written a song with almost the same chords and melody as Because a few months earlier. It was considered for one of John & Yoko's early experimental albums, but was eventually left off. It is available online though.
@@saxfreak01 Interesting. What's the name of the song?
@@saxfreak01 I use half-diminished chords all the time. No one taught them to me, I just invented them for myself. "Music theory is what the uninspired use to describe the work of genius" - Lord Snarebottom
@@downtownbillyandthenewjivefive I'm sure you do. I specifically referred to writing songs using diminished chords, not "using" diminished chords. Making melodies work with diminished chords.
Your content is quite good and your delivery is very professional. You write clearly and use your voice well. Great job.
That was wonderfully done! Thank you so much for the intelligent and thorough way that you explored the topic. I have loved music my whole life and I don’t have much understanding of music theory. But there are things I understand about songs just from being immersed in them for so much of my life.
This was interesting, educational and fun! It only deepens my respect and appreciation for the Beatles.
BOTTOM LINE THEN BEATLES WORKING AL NIGHT WRITING RECORDING TRINGO SAID ONE MORNING ITS BEEN A HARD DAYS NIGHT
I BELIEVE PPL ARE BORN EVEN IF NOT READING MUSIC YOU KNOW EMOTION AND ARE GIFTED REALLY MANY PPL READ MUSIC COMPOSITION EVEN HAVE DEGREES BUT CANT CARRY A TUNE IN A BUCKET
I BELIEVE KNOWINHG THEIR INSTRUMENTS VERY YOUNG IN PAULS CASE HIS DAD TAUGHT HIM TUNEDDS AND INTRODUCED CHORDDS ETC ON PIANO PAUL PLAYEFD BSASS GUITAR NATURALLY I BELIEVE PAUL KNEW GEORGE WHO REALLY KNEW GUITATR SELF TAUGHT ALREAFDY VERY YOUNG MORE THAN QUALIFIED FOR THE BEATLES RINGO CSAME FROM ANOTHER BAND JOHN HAD SSAN VERY GOOD SINGING VOICE AND LED MOST OF THE SONGS EVEN IT WAS SPECULATED PAUL EEWROTE MOST OF THE SONGDS THEN COLLABARATED WITH JOHN
PAUL AND GEORGE WENT TO LIVERPOOL ACADEMY WHICH REQUIREFD A HIGH IQ
IM JUST VERY THANKFUL I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO GROW UP AS A TEEN DURING THE SIXTIES WE HAD BEATLES AND TEMPTAYTIONS SMOKEY ROBINSON AND I CAN SAY EQUALLY I KNOW THE BEE GEES DAD WAS PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN IN ENGLAND BUT THE BROTHETRS GIBB HARMONIZED NATURALLY AND BOTH GROUPS LISTENED TO THE RADIO AND PICKED UP INFLUENCES FROM OTHER ARTISTS LIKE THEY SAID THEMSELVES THEY LISTENED TO ELVIS IN THE 50S RADIO AND RECORDS
AND WE KNOW ELVIS LEARNED GUITATR FROM HIS PASTOR AND LISTENED TO GREAT GOSPEL SINGING EVEN WHEN HE COULDNT GET IN UNTIL A MEMBER GAVE HIM PASS BUT AGAIN WHITNEY HOUSTON LEARNED IN CHURCH HER MOTHER CHOIR DIRECTOR WHITNEY SANG SOLOS AND CAME FROM MUSICAL FAMILY DIONE WARWICK HER COUSINS TINA TUTRNER SANG VERY EARLY IN CHURCH THE BLUES HAD A LOT TO DO WITH INFLUENCING ALL THESE ARTISTS
BOTTOM LINE THEY WERE GIVEN THESE VOICES BY GOD AT BIRYTH
I want to watch a dramatisation of the young beatles going on a quest for b7
a great title for an art film!
smh, can't believe this isn't the plot of any of the beatles movies
Perhaps a video game?
I want to produce and direct it
I was reminded of the Moody Blues album: In Search of the Lost Chord
I hate when people say “I don’t need to know music theory, the beatles didn’t need it” except they are totally wrong. The Beatles knew music theory, they just didn’t really learn the terms. (P.S, I know lots of music theory, I write my best stuff when I don’t use it, but it’s still incredibly helpful for after I’ve written a progression or melody and I need to add a progression or melody to it respectively)
And, They don't know their ass from their (musical) elbow
I knew many people like that about reading music. I'm just gonna hammer on this thing, don't need to read music. Some big rock star didn't *sigh*
It's exactly like people wanting to buy expensive gear/instruments thinking it will make them better musicians. Someone once told me he wanted to buy a very expensive DSLR and become a photographer. I explained he better buy a cheap one and learn the basics first. I tried to explain aperture, speed, ISO... but he didnt want to listen because he was afraid it would "corrupt his creativity".
I wished him good luck.
It was 12 years ago, he never took any good pictures
@@LesAventuresDeTigRRe GREAT analogy. As an Artist who spent many years behind SLRs-then DSLRs,
i can relate and have had similar experiences with others. The "machine" does not an Artist make.
Everyone understands basic music theory. I have never taken a lesson for guitar or anything, but have been teaching myself guitar for a year, and I understand basic things like cadences, roots, and harmonies. It’s not hard. No the Beatles didn’t know music theory, but they subconsciously used it because that’s how music works
That was fascinating. I learned so much about songs that were new so long ago when I was new too! Thank you!
Thanks for an incredible video! This is one of the best videos on youtube, seriously.
As a non-musician, I'm finding that becoming aware of music theory makes me a better listener, making listening to music more impactful and fun.
Exactly right.
It's like anything, really. If you know the rules to say, American Football and have a bit of an idea of what it is like to play it, chances are, you'll enjoy watching it even more...
Makes it harder to just feel the music though. Your always thinking about it.
@@chetsenior7253 For me, understanding more, I hear more and the impact is stronger. Sometimes I listen to analyze & listen again and again to feel.
@@chetsenior7253
Not necessarily…
@@chetsenior7253I don't know about all that. If it sounds good to you, it sounds good to you.
"There is no right way" is probably the best advice for life anyone can give.
Seriously. I hate when people go to "music theory" when criticizing stuff. Makes me lose brain cells.
Google big picture project and click the first result. On the site, read "The Present". This book explains the truth about life and death in 4 pgs. It is a must-read
Unlearn everything society teach you since birth. Especially if you are taught in school system.
So true. Also, I was the 69th like.
Dmn so true bro xD
thank you so much!!! I love listening to you!! You are clear and teach us a lot about music we heard and now can understand a bit more. Thank you again, you are great!!!
Thank you so much for these amazing videos. I really liked what you had to say in the end there.
"How much music theory did The Beatles know?"
_waltz time_
Yes, they certainly could read chord charts, and those have timing bars on them.
They knew enough to write an enormous Anthology of great songs.
“If you want to get an idea of what makes your favourite Beatles song sound the way it does, and why your music doesn’t sound like that...” Why, thank you, David, that has to be the kindest description I’ve ever heard of my so-called music.
😂😂
I love the fact that theory and knowledge lets you travel back in time and actually play the ideas that the old boys had. To have the sheet music is fantastic it's as close as possible to their thoughts.
Your commitment to understanding what these artists are trying to 'actually' say when they speak is inspiring
In other words, they knew music theory, they just didn't realize they did.
Or They Did Not Care !
They just heard or felt what would be fitting.
After being a musician for over 60 years, studied music theory in college, getting a degree, the first step I have come to know is an inspiration, the next element in composing music is your inner ear, then your own ear to listen, then creation begins. The math comes later. That is what it is.
Like learning your native tounge as a child.......
I'm glad you did this one. I've always wondered about this, and even more so since I've been following your other music theory video's. I think you've summed it up very accurately, and the whole concept of how they did it somehow pleases me. It seems mind boggling to me that the Beatles lacked so much music theory 'as such'' yet had so much musical genius. I am a fairly old man now, and from the same Beatle era and area in Northern England, and I can personally relate to that bit about travelling for miles on the bus to find a B7th chord (or whatever). Now we can access people like you on the internet and learn anything. It's quite unbelievable. Thanks so much David. I really appreciate your lessons even though I no longer play (okay, well I diddle on my fiddle but,,).
Great 😊😊
This was a beautifully put together video. Thank you David!!
And btw, knowing music theory does not mean someone is a good songwriter. Music theory is just a way to communicate music more easily to someone else.
Thanks 😃
IOW, Just because you know the language doesn't mean you have something to say.
As an Austrian from Vienna, the word "German Waltz" made me fall from the chair and weep for hours.
"I'm trying to watch David Bennett Piano, but this one comment keeps kicking my ass."
Lol
I can't say that I wept for hours, but I had a serious cringe when I heard that.
As someone of Bavarian/Swiss descent living in Wisconsin, I was almost ready to cry with you, but I didn't want to risk watering down my beer. Funny thing is, they probably picked up some of their ideas while playing in Hamburg, so one can understand why they would mistakenly credit Germans for waltzes.
But Austrians are esentially Germans :)
"If it sounds good, it is good"
The problem was, sometimes it didn't! Well not at first. I lived through each album and can remember that feeling (after Revolver) of thinking "Well, that was a bit odd. But good. I think.." I am so sad now to realize I will never have the spine tingling thrill when, after maybe five or six listens, I got it!
David didn't mention another of their tropes BTW , that of dissonance. All in all they did really teach us a new way of listening.
Amen.
If it quacks like a duck, it's a duck.
Or maybe; if it tasted like a duck, it was a duck and a tasty one at that.
basically rock
I know you made this a while ago, but this was so absolutely well thought out and so well said. I can imagine how much time it must have took, well done mate, well done!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great informative video David, & just loved what you said at the end of the video, it should be read out to beginners in music schools everywhere.
They knew it all; they just didn’t know they knew.
Big Facts
Then they say "I don't know Theory".
Which inadvertantly gives us things like this comment thread that use their incorrect statement as proof that Theory somehow makes you a worse musician.
Agreed100%Music is in their vains and all they had to do is to play their instruments
I wonder if Paul didn't know he knew but John knew, wouldn't admit it and knew Paul knew but didn't tell him.
It's common with autodidacts. When you're self-taught, you don't typically know the terminology or the theory, but you understand by teaching yourself how everything fits together. It's the musical equivalent of taking apart an old radio to figure out how it works. Thing connects to thing to cause thing to happen.
They where musicians in previous lives!
I've been a full time musician for 20 years - can't read or write sheet music - but to understand chords (all chords), time signatures and inversions is ESSENTIAL to all musicians - not knowing the correct names of certain scales or being unable to transcribe your own music is not the same as not understanding music theory.
yep, being able to read sheet music competently doesnt necessarily mean any knowledge of theory.... its all about the ears....
I recently watched an interview with Dave Davies of The Kinks and he was talking about The Beatles having "weird" chords that he still to this day doesn't know--such as minor 7ths! I can understand not knowing diminished or augmented chords or whatever, but geez minor 7ths are not that complicated!
@@MattMangels and yet the Kinks still managed to create some of the most timeless classics of all time...
pianoandkeys Yes, it's quite ridiculous to assume they didn't know bars and beats and harmony. Not knowing what an "Aeolian cadence" is didn't stop them from using it!
@@PianoVampire Yes, written by Ray - not Dave - Davies.
I appreciate how you respected the Beatles' music and introduced the fact that their manager filled in the knowledge needed. Excellent thoughts and examples!
Fyi george martin wasn't the Beatles' manager- he was their record producer . Their manager, for the majority of their career until he passed away was Brian Epstein.
Yes, the Beatles were extremely lucky to have the late Sir Geeorge Martin with them in the recording studio because they were self- taught and he had a formal music education.
As someone who has just began to seriously learn music theory at an advanced age, I can't begin to properly express how much it has helped me. There are those who just "Know" about music, without really understanding why. Then, there are the rest of us.
I never appreciated how much George Martin added to The Beatles, how his music knowledge enriched The Beatles songs.
So true in general, but other times I hear some of his piano or strings contributions on records and want to go back in time and yell at him for ruining sections of songs.
and yet he was known as the fifth Beatle? George Martin's input was essential in taming the raw energy of the Fab Four, youthful exuberance meets wise experience...what a heady concoction for exactly the right time and place!
@@brawdygordii Great football teams need great managers and great coaches - anyone seeing a pattern?
How about "A day in a Life"?...or Eleonor Rigby?...
@@mitchellstocker8637 just curious-which songs?
5:23 "I remember once hearing about a bloke who knew B7..."
Imagine getting all the way up to that guy's house just to learn one damn chord and you don't even know if it's right or not. He presses a few strings and calls it B7. You just hope it sounds good.
I feel they should have dug deep into his trunk of knowledge and come away with more than B7 considering the number of bus rides it took to get there. I mean get your money's worth !!!!
@Steve Or, just a music/piano teacher -- yeah, the story sounds a bit contrived
I am a very amateur home organ player and a B7 is a rather common chord. How to use it when composing is another story.
Steve That is a very good point. I got my first guitar in 1959, when I was 12. I bought a book “Play in a Day” by Bert Weedon, who was a pretty famous player back then. It taught me the rudiments of chords. Later I bought “500 chord shapes for guitar” and “500 advanced chord shapes for guitar”. They were both published in 1960, and believe it or not, I’ve still got them!
fewwiggle Paul McCartney once told that he was sent to a piano teacher as a child, but he gave it up. Paul’s dad played in bands, I’m not certain, but I think he may have played banjo.
I love how you described music theory at the end. Great video!
I'm no expert on any sort of musical evaluation, but it's obvious you've put a lot of Good work into this video. Great Job! Thank You!
Rick Beato answer this question by "Maybe they didn't knew, but I do ; and I'll show it to you !"
Anyway thank you that was surprisingly interesting !
Just wanted to write that remark!
TheOrangepeak Rick Beato is a blowhard lol luckily he has a lot of good info ;)
@@driesvanoosten4417 this was what I came to the comments for as well - I figured someone else probably had already done.
"People keep commenting 'so-and-so didn't know what he was doing when he played that!' Maybe he _didn't_ know what he was doing, but _I_ know what he was doing, and now I'm telling _you_ what he was doing!"
Perhaps a better way to say it would be, "He clearly knew _what_ he was doing, he just didn't know how to _describe_ it - and that's where I come in, to describe what he was doing to you."
@@dwc1964 We do know what we're doing. The people who need to know what we're doing are the ones who study theory. "Music theory is what the uninspired use to describe the work of genius." - Lord Snarebottom
Rick is way cooler, but this was kind of interesting.
Just ask Paul McCartney. He's still alive, you know.
Just like me.
@@osamabinladen824 wait a minute...
@@hewhoyeet4953 Why
No he’s not! He died before the band got good!
Okay get an interview with Paul then
I love this! The Beatles' music has been such an inspiration to me on my musical journey. I love analyzing their music and I keep getting blown away by their awesomeness, only to learn that they had no formal music education! It's pretty encouraging to me, since I know some music theory, but not a ton of fancy language to explain what anything means. I *do* plan on taking college classes and stuff (just enough to get me started), but it's just encouraging that some of the greatest influences in modern music were just messing around producing the sounds that they liked.
Great video!
As I played my first songs on the guitar and listened to "All along the watchtower", the last part of "Stairway to heaven" and many others, it reminded me on Spanish songs and Flamencomusic with their chordprogression Am G F E (without the E). So I called this progression "Spanish-Chord-Progession". This made me able to recognize it in other songs and to write songs in that progression. So I think music theory follows music listening and playing in natural way. It is something like confidence in music that helps to understand and creat music. Thank you for your very interesting and good videos.
I remember a clip of McCartney talking about how excited they were when they learned to change the IV chord to minor. I've said for years that if you only learned about music by studying Beatles tunes you would have a pretty solid education. It's all there.
Chet Atkins was asked if he could read music. He said, 'Not enough to damage my playing'
Stan Getz couldn't read music either, yet he was one of the greatest saxophone players ever.
I hear this sentiment a lot from people in regards to music theory, and I really don't understand it. I think a lot of people are intimidated by it, or want to justify their procrastination by making claims that it will somehow get in the way of creativity. But learning how language works doesn't make someone a worse writer. Knowing aerodynamics doesn't make someone a worse pilot.
@@opethfan333 exactly man
@@opethfan333 On the other hand it can encumber a creative musicians natural sensibilities. Understanding music theory is fine but it isn't necessary for creativity. This has been proven countless times. Some of the greatest songwriters had no musical training whatsoever. One of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, Chet Atkins, was once asked if he had musical training. His response was, "not enough to hurt my playing". That speaks volumes.
Even more powerfully I would say, is that nobody who knows how to read wishes they couldn't read, nobody who knows anything substantial about theory would turn back the clock. If you think it's stifled your creativity then your approach to the thing is stifling, not the concept. A builder blaming his hammer and nails. I'm not a great reader, but I do have a degree and a litany of theory understanding and I'd never want to give it up, it's literally learning your craft.
I will not concede that if you actually taught theory to Hendrix for example, that he wouldn't eat it up, love it and make great use of it. You think Jimi or anyone from that time would take the internet for granted if they had it? Cast it away and go back to physically grabbing needles over records to transcribe licks because they prefer it? Absolutely not, they'd slap you upside the head for not taking full advantage of this treasure trove we have access to. Things they had to dig far and wide for are at our fingertips, seconds away at all points in time and they would have been bedroom recluses in 2020 spending the entirety of their time siphoning it up like vacuums. That's why these guy's are the best, it's not what they knew at any given point in time, it's that whatever they could get their hands on they made use of it.
iconic. And very well demonstrated by you, young man. Bravo. It explains the delicate chemistry of fine composing.
Brilliant job, thank you for this great video! As a studied jazz pianist and composer, I do completely agree with your very convincing explanations! And with the fact, that creativity should be free to sometimes even break the rules, like also the grestest classical composers did. To my mind, the Beatles' originality and authenticity make their songs so immortal. It just came from the depth of their hearts. Thanks again!
Impeccable research, logical presentation. This must have taken quite a bit of work but it's nice to find someone willing to make the effort and not just give some off the cuff opinion. Thank You.
Thank you! Every discussion of this I’d seen to date had been unsubstantiated opinion. I’m glad you appreciated my research because it took months! 🙂
David Bennett Piano Hi David, thanks for your effort! In 11'40" the song I'll geht you, isn't that rather a modulation to A-dorian than mixo, from D to Am?
If you want to know everything about the Beatles read their bio by their personal and only person to be given total access to everything the Beatles did in the 60's to their breakup.It was called "THE LOVE YOU MAKE" by Peter Brown,Did you know that Eric Clapton started courting George Harrison's wife Patty Boyd when George wasn't home and she was alone,she told George and George was so mad he broke up with her after 3 years,She didn't want to break up with George since she really loved George Harrison ,so when she went to Eric and told him he had his dream shot, They made love that day and she moved in with Clapton and eventually married him but they divorced a short while later,Clapton was a bad guy too and someone Boyd didn't love the way she loved Harrison.George was so mad about Clapton being attracted to his wife he went to Ringo's wife and they started having an affair behind Ringo's back.If you read this book on the life of the Beatles you will read it day and night without putting it down.
John Lennon was a cruel man in real life,he use to beat up YOKO ONO ,drag her around the house by her long black hair.
@@rexrexrex67 What does any of that have to do with this topic? That's all tabloid fodder. The best book to read on the Beatles as artists is Geoff Emerick's "Here, There, and Everywhere". It tells the unvarnished truth about the Beatles in the recording studio from the man behind the controls. It's a real eye opener.
“I remember once hearing about a bloke who knew B7” 😂
You have taught me so much I can’t thank you enough.
I jam with my dad and his friend. I play bass, mostly, and my dad plays guitar and his friend Tom plays mandolin (or sometimes guitar). Tom's five year old son likes to play with us as well. Usually he just plays percussion, but today he played piano. I asked if Rowan was taking piano lessons, because I was genuinely impressed by what he was playing (remember: he's five). His dad said he didn't, he just plays whatever sounds right. We were playing the song Runaway by Del Shannon, and during the solo part, with the solo played on mandolin, what Rowan was playing worked really well. He was playing repeated melodic lines, and even had a vague mapping out of what the vocal melody in the previous verse was, and played little embellishments off of it. When the mandolin was doing something fancy, Rowan didn't play something fancy, he instead played a more complex counter melody during gaps of mandolin. He could feel the structure, feel that this was the peak of the song, and he had figured out already what keys on the piano sounded good. All just by messing around while his dad jammed with us.
Best way to learn in intuition. I can't wait for Rowan to grow up and see how great of a piano player he'll become.
“And I love her” ends in a Picardy third, unbeknownst to Paul, who just wanted it to end in Major
To start in minor and end in a major chord is to end in a picardy third, doesn't matter what you call it.
@Mika Mäyräkorva What is a gay note? Does it come in major and minor?
@@rhandhom1 Gay as in happy, minor is sad
@Gauldoth3107 - Not that there's anything wrong with it.....
That Captain Picard was quite influential! Lol
The Beatles knew “street theory” which is gathered over time from learning a ton of songs. They only started writing their own songs when they realized that rival bands had similar set lists. Anything you spend time with you’re going to get good at, it’s in our nature.
I have a nephew who is quite talented, but won't learn covers. I musi have known 100's of covers before I wrote what I would say was a pretty good original. I would try to tell him it is the best teaching method a songwriter has. He still may know only 5 covers after 20 years of playing guitar & 3 of them are my songs. Peace, M.A.
@@michaelangelo2739 I agree.. if you have a backlog of really well written cover songs rolling around in you head, you naturally approach your own material with a good sense of song structure and melody. When I was 15 and starting to learn music I was obsessed with learning the songs that I loved, I needed to understand why they were giving me goosebumps. It was the closest I could get to my musical idols.
@@tylerthompson1842 Amen. And to be honest I dig playing my own songs, but I dig playing covers too. So why not do both? Peace bro, M.A.
I thought the same when watching the video... they knew that the A Chord fit better than the Am Chord in that context. The context being playing in the key of D. They knew from others and their own songs that D,G,A chords is one tried and true way to write a song. I started really enjoying music when I figured out that every key has 3 'main chords' and their 'little brothers', haha. No more sheet music for me, the veil has been lifted and I loved writing songs. Good times. By the way, the 3 'little brothers' in D for me are Bm, Em, and F#m. Can you tell that I've no formal training? I've had a blast over the years.
First time i've seen one of your videos - it was so interesting. Great job!
Thanks 😊
This video is incredibly well done and deeply researched.
GEORGE MARTIN knew music theory. And the Beatles knew George Martin.
are you talking about game of thrones creator?
And musical genius needs none of that
wasnt G.Martin there at the beginning
That’s exactly how John Lennon would have answered the question 👍
Yes
There's an old social sciences joke that asks, "Do outfielders (cricket fielders for the Brits) really solve differential equations? No. They just act like they do."
They don't do differential equations, but their brains do. They have nothing to do with it, their brain just takes over and says, "I got this, bro".
@@tomroadrunner87 i wish my brain could do that
@@kushitokujikata3427 you ever catch a ball? swim across a moving river? Jump onto a moving object? Thrown a rock and hit what you indended? Your brain did do "that".
Nice one David, as a fan and grew up on the Beatles whose music played a very important part in my life, this very interesting video has served only more to re-enforce that in terms of popularity, the pure emotive reaction, worldwide reach in terms of so many cultures and just basic enjoyment the Beatles were by far the best ever, even beating Beethoven and Mozart whose music I love as well. Your last very relevant point especially to non musicians like me in regard to how well they knew musical 'theory' in that it is mainly a 'language' for a creator of music to tell a player of music how to play what they have written. Beethoven's V. Carina Burana, Nesa Dorma can bring tears to my eyes as does many Beatles songs not because they are fantastic songs but because they captured in time my youth, my friends and moments of the sixties. I now 69 over the last 3 years have learnt to oil paint and I have watched many CZcams tutorials in regard to how to paint i.e. the language of art which as with understanding sheet music is really the same and as such I have produced to my surprise some very good copies of Vincent van Gogh and other Impressionists who many as the Beatles chose not to go to or were asked to leave art Schools because they chose not to learn the skills of painting. But now their magic, emotive and colourful paintings sell far more than the masters before them. This knowing musical theory is really irrelevant and anybody who uses such a word to judge the Beatles has no idea what music truly is and that is when it goes in our ears and is able to tap our innermost feelings and those four guys were the masters. If we do manage to survive, which unfortunately I don't think we will, for another 10,000 years the Beatles' music will still be known and played.
So interesting, thank you. This sort of video helps you appreciate their talent even more
George Martin once encouraged Paul McCartney to learn music theory and arranging. McCartney gave it a go but quit soon after. The next time McCartney and George Martin saw one another Martin asked McCartney how his studies were coming along. McCartney told Martin he quit. Martin asked why. McCartney simply stated "because we have you for that". Neither Lennon or McCartney were formally trained musically but it made no difference. They both possessed what no formal training can teach: They had superb musical instincts. Music theory is nice to know if you are a classical music composer or an arranger but in the world of rock and roll it certainly isn't essential. Most of the great rock and roll artists never had any formal musical training.
This lack of interest in music theory in rock could be one reason why rock is basically dead
@@skyblazeeterno I really don't think so. But I do think that the over-exaggerated focus of some classical musicians on music theory has resulted in classical music from the 20th and 21th century being dead. Music schools create sometimes stiff music critics but not musicians. The dead of rock has to do with other elements such as the risk-averse money focus of the music industry, and the switch of the focus of younger generations to computers and internet hobbies such as video games, CZcams etc. Also young generations seem to much prefer electronic music and they associate rock music with their parents. For the people interested in more complex music there is always the jazz music. But the jazz popularity has always been a small percentage of the population I think.
Bix Beiderbecke, jazz cornetist of the 20's, went to the 1st Trumpeter of Chicago Symphony for 'lessons' in reading music... The guy told him to go home, 'Dont try to change--compared to you I am a bird in a cage'... Such guys come along a few times in a century. The Beatles arrived in the early 60's.
@@richardbloemenkamp8532 Nailed it, Richard!
@@skyblazeeterno Nah, everything just have it's moment in time.There was jazz, now it's practically gone. There was disco, now it's gone. There was pop metal or hair metal, now it's gone. Heavy metal went mainstream for a short while, then it quickly went back underground. There was grunge, now it's gone. Now there is rap and hiphip, I wish it is gone., etc.