Topic: Paul on the ivories (Read 6560 times)

starofwonder · « **on:** February 04, 2011, 11:09:11 PM »

Wonder how good Paul is on the piano ?
I dare say he is n't in the Elton John league, but I would nt
mind betting he did a lot of songwriting using the piano ...( just guessing )

got to say he looks pretty good on the ivories here


Paul McCartney - Lady Madonna (live at jools holland)

( wonder who was the best pianist between Paul and John ? )
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nyfan(41) · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2011, 07:42:38 AM »

i would definitely say paul over john on piano -

with standouts includiing martha my dear, for no one, maybe im amazed, you never give me your money and long and winding road
he's also playing awesome piano on a day in the life. totally makes the song
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tried to think of some great john piano songs . . (besides the obvious imagine) . . all i could come up with was sexy sadie...... then i checked and that's paul on keys as well
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paul also does some good piano work alongside george martin in 'you like me too much'

starofwonder · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2011, 10:10:31 AM »

from mem theres some great piano on Martha My Dear..
if he was that good back then, makes you wonder how he got that good,
did he take lessons ?
Tradition says he learned the trumpet as a boy
(must have been a piano in the front room too !)

nyfan(41) · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2011, 10:47:40 AM »

hands down paul is good at the piano and music because of his dad jim (played trumpet and piano and guitar)... who got it from HIS dad aka paul's grandfather joe(played tuba plus who knows what else)

the mccartneys had an upright piano in the home that paul wrote alot of songs on. young paul also wrote on his dad's guitar
jim mccartney was all about music - live bands ;a huge record collection ;had a ragtime band ;got his kids into it ;etcetc

by all accounts jim mccartney was a fine musician and incredibly cool guy who was extremely proud of his son and his son's success
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supposedly he did get paul to take lessons - but skiffle hit and paul was off on the play by ear thing . . .
kind of parellell to how young jim mccartney got into ragtiime and his classical music father thought it was folly
.
this is a song paul's dad wrote when paul was young that paul recorded with wings . .
paul's dad !

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Wings - Walking In The Park With Eloise (1976)

starofwonder · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2011, 03:23:14 PM »

Yes, just goes to show, the talent just did nt come from thin air,
Jim was of course a band leader and must have been music mad all his life,
John's grandfather actually toured america with a rag time type band ( if memory serves ! )
so Paul and John were just chips off the old block !

Paul must have been at work on that upright piano from the age of 5 or so !

The Bee Gees,,, so full of talent, more or less contemporary with John and Paul
their father was a band leader too !

Mr Mustard · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2011, 07:12:23 PM »

Quote from: starofwonder on February 04, 2011, 11:09:11 PM

( wonder who was the best pianist between Paul and John ? )
.

both underrated pianists from what I have seen, heard and read. A lot of John's solo stuff features some fine piano playing by the man himself.

Interesting how so many Beatles numbers requiring keyboards - or more precisely organ, rather than piano - see that duty fall to John (We Can Work It Out, The Night Before, I'm Down etc). Was John the better organ player, or did these tracks require Paul's superiority on the bass?

glass onion · « **Reply #6 on:** February 08, 2011, 10:58:45 PM »

i would say paul was the best piano player in the beatles by quite a margin.while the others could play piano paul really tried hard to become a better pianist and it does show,in the tracks already mentioned such as martha my dear(especially that track)and some nice piano stuff on abbey road and let it be.
a good story about 'walking in the park with eloise'.......when paul told old jim he was releasing ''that track that you wrote,dad''apparantly jim replied....."oh,i didn't write it,son,i just made it up".

tkitna · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2011, 06:52:56 AM »

John played Obladi Oblada though. I realize this has no point, but just saying.

starofwonder · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2011, 10:15:32 AM »

Nice to think that Jim lived long enough to see Paul's incredible success
I think he saw Sgt Pepper come out if memory serves.
He must have been amazed by his sons incredible songwriting talent.

starofwonder · « **Reply #9 on:** March 03, 2011, 08:52:15 PM »

No Mr Mustard.... the piano must feature far more in Beatles music than
the organ.
Wasn't even George Martin providing piano for some songs in the early days ?
like... Not a second time for eg .

It would be great if they set up a show ... say in some posh theatre in London
( not too big.. say a 500 seater ) and had a kind of piano competition between
Paul.... Jimmy Webb.... Brian Wilson.... Elton John... maybe one or two others who
can tickle the ivories.......maybe set up as a charity concert and of course filmed for
future TV broadcasts.

Coming on one after the other during the evening to do a 30 minute spot, we should get
an idea just who is tops on the keyboard.

Singing and playing accompanyment on piano is quite an art and in that intimate
theatre setting it will sort out the men from the boys !

My money is on Elton... look at the way he handled the Diana funeral... playing and singing
live in front of a world audience... wot a talent !

Maybe the reason so many top performers love the piano and so often compose with it
is because it is basically a pecussive instrument.... keys banging away on tight piano wire.
The electric organ just does nt deliver the percussion and the vibes in the same way.

Jimmy Webb is no mug on the old ivories either .........
go here
Jimmy Webb - The Highwayman (The video's owner prevents external embedding)

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peterbell1 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 03, 2011, 11:09:16 PM »

Quote from: starofwonder on February 05, 2011, 03:23:14 PM

Yes, just goes to show, the talent just did nt come from thin air,
Jim was of course a band leader and must have been music mad all his life,
John's grandfather actually toured america with a rag time type band ( if memory serves ! )
so Paul and John were just chips off the old block !

Paul must have been at work on that upright piano from the age of 5 or so !

The Bee Gees,,, so full of talent, more or less contemporary with John and Paul
their father was a band leader too !

Pete Townshend's dad was saxophonist and clarinetist in a big band called The Squadronaires, and his mother sang with big bands too.
And Elvis Costello's dad played in the Joe Loss Orchestra.
Doesn't exactly prove much of a point, but thought I'd mention it!!

starofwonder · « **Reply #11 on:** March 04, 2011, 01:06:55 AM »

Correct me if Im wrong, but in every stage performance
Paul has made, he is inevitably behind some musical instrument or other
a piano... or else strapped to a guitar and amp.
Hes a great singer, he loves singing, so why does nt he just get a mike and
sing to the audience.... and use the whole stage to perform......
... a bit like this


Simply Red - Night Nurse

Ive often thought the same about Elton John... why does nt he do something
like this too ?

glass onion · « **Reply #12 on:** March 04, 2011, 11:20:27 AM »

Quote from: starofwonder on February 10, 2011, 10:15:32 AM

Nice to think that Jim lived long enough to see Paul's incredible success
I think he saw Sgt Pepper come out if memory serves.
He must have been amazed by his sons incredible songwriting talent.

jim mccartney passed away in 1976,i think.paul never attended his funeral,although that wasn't due to a falling out,it's just pauls' way of dealing with grief,i hear.
although a very competent player,i'm not sure paul is in elton johns' league of playing.that is just my opinion;open to debate,but i reckon elton gets the nod on the old joanna.

7 of 13 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 04, 2011, 05:11:03 PM »

Sir Paul is an incredible performer, saw/heard him in san francisco (read : i was outside the venue the whole show) just an incredible show. don't think he can play piano well you're wrong, listen to the ragtime piano at the beginning of lady madonna. yes the truth is both John and Paul could provide adequate crunch on the piano. ob la di ob la da is yet another fine example of totally sufficient piano work.

tkitna · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2011, 01:55:55 AM »

Quote from: glass onion on March 04, 2011, 11:20:27 AM

although a very competent player,i'm not sure paul is in elton johns' league of playing.

I am sure Paul is not in Eltons league. This is not up to debate.

nyfan(41) · « **Reply #15 on:** March 05, 2011, 02:45:59 AM »

i think paul improved on piano from the time george martin played the solo on 'in my life' ... to paul himself playing something equally complex on 'martha my dear'
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anyway....
one of paul's best moments on keys is the opening of strawberry fields forever
simple yet unforgettable - and elevates the material to a whole next level !

nyfan(41) · « **Reply #16 on:** March 05, 2011, 02:53:47 AM »

update....
just googled paul mccartney piano to find what people consider his best moments.....
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turns out there's a site called "PaulMcCartneyCantPlayPiano" . . .

http://paulcantplaypiano.blogspot.com/2008/06/welcome-please-read-this-first.html

starofwonder · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2011, 03:43:23 AM »

I read that Jim bought their piano from the Epstein music store ...!

tkitna · « **Reply #18 on:** March 05, 2011, 06:49:29 AM »

Quote from: nyfan(41) on March 05, 2011, 02:53:47 AM

update....
just googled paul mccartney piano to find what people consider his best moments.....
-
-
turns out there's a site called "PaulMcCartneyCantPlayPiano" . . .

http://paulcantplaypiano.blogspot.com/2008/06/welcome-please-read-this-first.html

glass onion · « **Reply #19 on:** March 05, 2011, 01:43:20 PM »

Quote from: 7 of 13 on March 04, 2011, 05:11:03 PM

Sir Paul is an incredible performer, saw/heard him in san francisco (read : i was outside the venue the whole show) just an incredible show. don't think he can play piano well you're wrong, listen to the ragtime piano at the beginning of lady madonna. yes the truth is both John and Paul could provide adequate crunch on the piano. ob la di ob la da is yet another fine example of totally sufficient piano work.

paul can play the piano,no question at all there.i think 'martha my dear' was an exercise on the piano (or something like that),paul said that it surprised the others that he could play like that.the ragtime bit at the start of lady madonna...very nice,not difficult.but,as you say,sufficient.......just not in elton johns' ballpark.

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Author Topic: Paul on the ivories (Read 6560 times)