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Other music forums => Musician's Corner => Topic started by: Lennon on July 09, 2004, 05:02:47 PM

Title: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Lennon on July 09, 2004, 05:02:47 PM
Just want to see what you guys and gals think is the hardest and most compicated song of the Beatles. :D
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: tkitna on July 09, 2004, 05:08:49 PM
If you were in a cover band? "Strawberry Fields" would be real hard. Everything is dubbed and double tracked on that one I believe, and even with todays keyboard technology it would be rough.

If were talking about just a certain instrument, i'd pick "A Day In The Life" being a drummer.

I'll have to think about this one for awhile.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 09, 2004, 05:32:26 PM
Revolution #9 would be pretty hard to recreate in concert.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Bruno on July 09, 2004, 05:45:47 PM
Tomorrow Never Knows ;)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 09, 2004, 06:03:13 PM
Ooh....that could be even harder......"What A Shame Mary Jane" would be hard as well, because the audience would boo you off stage within a minute.  ;)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: on July 10, 2004, 12:39:55 AM
All I know is at a Beatlefest they had the Beatle soundalike contest (rigged, of course) and at the very end they broke out the ringers from LA...a man and a woman, a set of keyboards and I think she may have played guitar.

That was IT.

The two of them beautifully recreated I Am A Walrus, down to the entire fadeout with everything where it should be.

I plotzed.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Herecomesyoursun on July 10, 2004, 12:46:46 AM
A Day in the Life would be very hard to do in concert.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 10, 2004, 01:04:38 AM
[quote by=misterchaz link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=5 date=1089419995]

The two of them beautifully recreated I Am A Walrus, down to the entire fadeout with everything where it should be.

I plotzed.[/quote]

Not very hard....just record the entire song on your keyboard. Then press play.
 ;)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: on July 10, 2004, 01:35:06 AM
[quote by=Rowdy link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=7 date=1089421478]

Not very hard....just record the entire song on your keyboard. Then press play.
 ;)[/quote]

No, no!

He did have a synth, and obviously the parts had to be recorded to a degree for just him and her to replicate, but it was his playing that was recorded, not the CD.

And all the voices and noises and such were made live by them (mainly him).

It was really something one had to see.

Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 10, 2004, 01:49:32 AM
Where did this Beatlefest occur? I live a ways away from everything, but I'm wondering if there's some sort of tour that goes around.....like a convention, and if so, does it hit San Francisco?
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: number14 on July 10, 2004, 04:44:40 AM
[quote by=Rowdy link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=2 date=1089394346]Revolution #9 would be pretty hard to recreate in concert.[/quote]

haha, good one.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: number14 on July 10, 2004, 04:46:05 AM
a day in the life would be hard to pull of in a concert. Hello goodbye would be tough one  too.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 10, 2004, 05:01:46 AM
Not getting what would make "Hello Goodbye" hard.......Paul does it in his concerts even...
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: on July 10, 2004, 05:29:45 AM
[quote by=Rowdy link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=9 date=1089424172]Where did this Beatlefest occur? I live a ways away from everything, but I'm wondering if there's some sort of tour that goes around.....like a convention, and if so, does it hit San Francisco?[/quote]


It was about 4, 5 years ago, the usual Mark Lapidos thingie.  Except it had never been in Northern California in 20 years (it's always in LA).

It was in Burlingame by the airport...the Hyatt I think.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 10, 2004, 06:10:35 AM
I wish there were more conventions and nearby.........seems like Trek ones are in Sacramento every other month......I like Trek though.....maybe I should go......
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Hannah on July 10, 2004, 07:47:20 AM
you're in my little book ;-)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on July 11, 2004, 08:25:31 PM
[quote by=tkitna link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=1 date=1089392929]If you were in a cover band? "Strawberry Fields" would be real hard. Everything is dubbed and double tracked on that one I believe, and even with todays keyboard technology it would be rough.

If were talking about just a certain instrument, i'd pick "A Day In The Life" being a drummer.

I'll have to think about this one for awhile.[/quote]

Not too mention the pitch change when the strings come in at 1 minute.  (Sorry to be anal)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: number14 on July 11, 2004, 08:29:53 PM
What about the hardest song concerning with the guitar or base?
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 11, 2004, 08:57:55 PM
I imagine that the solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" would be a hard one......and the backwards one in "I'm Only Sleeping" could be a bit weird.....not sure what the hardest base parts are...
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on July 11, 2004, 09:16:51 PM
Try singing and playing macca's bass line in the third verse of taxman. ('If you get too close I'll.....")etc.

Got there in the end. Not the easiest.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: number14 on July 12, 2004, 02:39:30 AM
[quote by=Rowdy link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=18 date=1089579475]I imagine that the solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" would be a hard one......and the backwards one in "I'm Only Sleeping" could be a bit weird.....not sure what the hardest base parts are...[/quote]

what album is im only sleeping found. And yeah i agree while my guitar gently weeps is a cool/hard guitar song.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Lennon on July 12, 2004, 02:50:10 AM
Another one would be Norwegian wood and revolution.  Norwegian wood would be a hard guitar song because lots of chords change really fast.  And revolution is just plain hard.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Lennon on July 12, 2004, 02:51:56 AM
and Helter Skelter is has fast electic guitar.  that song would probabaly be pretty hard to play.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Rowdy on July 12, 2004, 04:01:48 AM
[quote by=number14 link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=20 date=1089599970]

what album is im only sleeping found.
[/quote]

Revolver.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on July 12, 2004, 10:00:03 AM
How about The Abbey Rd. Medley? Especially when the "And In the end" section is a semi-tone down from the rest of the track (Spliced on Edit). Thus giving guitarists a very hard time learning those final historic licks!

Love, Love, Love for all the string arrangements and lack of guitar. That's tough.
You'd need to be a bloody barber shop septet at least to recreate "Because" off Abbey Rd.

I could bore on and on about different songs with effects. Depends on how faithful you were learning the songs.

In terms of just plain buskers guitar, you'll be surprised at how hard some of the earlier ones really are! Thanks to George Martins diminished sixths and sevenths they all can be a handful to the learning guitarist.

Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: The End on July 13, 2004, 01:27:20 PM
Try playing Revolution #9 then!!!! ;D
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Billy Shears on August 11, 2004, 01:30:47 AM
they don't get enough credit for some of there early stuff....they made it sound easy, but some of even the earliest tunes were very elaborate pieces......they just made it look so easy......
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Strawberryfields67 on August 11, 2004, 02:15:21 AM
Penny Lane...I just really struggle with that one.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: tkitna on August 11, 2004, 02:32:18 AM
[quote by=Strawberryfields67 link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=27 date=1092190521]Penny Lane...I just really struggle with that one.[/quote]

Penny Lane would be tough. Norwegian Wood is done by every cover band that i've ever seen. Put the capo on the guitar and go. The guitar solo on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' doesnt sound hard at all, but i'm not a guitar player and I have heard the song played out before.

Within You, Without You would be tough.

Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: number14 on August 11, 2004, 04:05:47 AM
[quote by=Rowdy link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1089392567,s=23 date=1089604908]

Revolver.[/quote]

Sorry i bet you think im stupid i dont realy listen to revolver that much
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Indica on August 11, 2004, 11:00:36 PM
Taxman would be hard, thinking about harmonies (Heath/Wilson)

Any Enjoyable and easy bass line is: I want to Hold Your Hand..Lovely little run.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Frightwolf on August 11, 2004, 11:06:53 PM
I don't know much about guitar, but And Your Bird Can Sing seems like it would be fairly difficult.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: SieLiebtDich on November 21, 2004, 10:27:55 PM
i think tomorroe neveknows also...casue even in the studio i heard they had a hard time making it
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on October 29, 2008, 03:16:02 PM
Bump. :)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Kirkwood on December 20, 2008, 04:17:59 AM
I know for us, its a tie between Walrus and Strawberry Fields.  We never really nailed them but got pretty close.  Of course, we have a much stronger string section now then we did for the MMT album so maybe one day we'll get to take a crack at them again.

I exclude Revolution 9 because I don't consider it a song but instead more a soundscape.  Therefore, for our White Album performance I put together a short version of my own using a similar piano intro and the same chant ending but the middle is everything from the Tardis materializing to roosters.

I saw that someone mentioned Tomorrow Never Knows and that song is the only one where we break form and just turn it into a jam and let it go wherever it takes us.  I play my trombone on that one and improve around using some different effects and just have a good time.  You can't always play everything note for note.

Its kind of funny though where our mistakes pop up.  We'll typically get all the hard stuff but then someone will mess up a change in While My Guitar Gently Weeps since its fairly easy just monotonous.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on December 21, 2008, 03:07:01 PM
Happiness is A Warm Gun, Hey Bulldog, You Know My Name. All the feel changes in 'I Want You You (She's So Heavy)'
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Kirkwood on December 22, 2008, 07:10:44 AM
Happiness is fun, we have that on the Youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbvUOVVQe3o
Definitely a tricky rhythm, one day I'll nail the tambourine part in the middle but the tuba swap kind of distracts me, heh.

I know what you mean about the "feel changes", we really enjoyed doing I Want You(Heavy) for some previous shows and get to work it up again since we're doing Abbey Road next year.

Tonight we participated in the local Christmas charity concert that is "The 12 Bands of Christmas".  Nothing difficult but our short 20 minute set was Sgt. Peppers Intro into With a Little Help from my Friends, Birthday (well, we're celebrating JC's aren't we?) Guitar Weeps, Christmas Time is Here Again and My Sweet Lord complete with southern black church choir singing in the aisles for the Hallelujah.  It got a full standing house, totally unexpected.

Did I mention that I'm not even a fan of the Beatles?  I'm a metal and heavy rock guy. However, being that I'm friends with all these guys and had done Darkside of the Moon with them that when they asked I didn't hesitate?  That probably makes me an oddity.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: BlueMeanie on December 22, 2008, 09:38:25 AM
I'm told by a drummer friend of mine that the time changes in Yer Blues are very tough on tub thumpers. And Rain can't be easy either.

Quote from: 1780
Did I mention that I'm not even a fan of the Beatles?  I'm a metal and heavy rock guy. However, being that I'm friends with all these guys and had done Darkside of the Moon with them that when they asked I didn't hesitate?  That probably makes me an oddity.

I think you forgot that little point! Beatallica for you then. :)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on December 22, 2008, 12:00:05 PM
Hey Kirkwood. I loved the Glass Onion that you did. We just started to play that recently and had some fun figuring out that final cello outro. You guys nail it well. :)

Our little party piece we just done for a friends wedding was the Abbey Rd Mr. Mustard right through to the end but I want to take it back even further and do Because.

Dark Side of the moon must be a real pleasure to do aswell. HAve you heard 'Easy Dub Allstars' version of the album? Magic!

Lemme know if your ever short of a Macca stand in. ;) heheh
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Kirkwood on December 22, 2008, 10:09:40 PM
BlueMeanie, I'll post our Yer Blues soon to see what you think.  We have Rain worked up in our rotation and Tim has a Hofner reissue "Beatle Bass" that sounds great. I'll have to dig through my recordings and see if I have it somewhere.  (Well, as long as he doesn't play too hard. The electronics in it are far from stellar and easily fart out)  And yes, I dig Beatallica. Brilliant.

Apple, much thanks on the compliment.  While I'm not a Beatles fan, I do really dig Glass Onion along with the stranger or darker stuff like Helter Skelter, I Want You, and Walrus.  Savoy Truffle takes me back to high school jazz band with the standard walking bass line.  The Pink Floyd gig was incredible PLUS we did it in full quadraphonic sound.  The look on people's faces when sounds came out from behind them was priceless.  I have heard of the Dub Side of the Moon but haven't listened to it yet.  I'll add that to my list.  Too bad you're across the pond, would love to have you stand in sometime.  
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 23, 2008, 03:56:30 AM
Very, VERY nice work, Kirkwood!  I've bookmarked Ed Turner and Number Nine.
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on December 23, 2008, 05:06:16 PM
Quote from: 483
I'm told by a drummer friend of mine that the time changes in Yer Blues are very tough on tub thumpers.
Deffo! Well  brought up.

Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: fendertele on December 23, 2008, 06:08:15 PM
From a guitar point of view Beatles songs arent very tough if you are just playing what they are playing - the toughest guitar part i played of them is the intro to Octopus's Garden it is probably the most difficult part George wrote ive tried playing.

Tommy Emmanuelle, Laurence Juber.... these guys have reworked a lot of Beatles songs and they are Difficult to play, but i think the fact that The Beatles songs are so simple is one of the things about them that make them fun to play along too ( less time thinking and more time having fun)
Title: Re: What is the most/difficult beatles song to play?
Post by: Kirkwood on December 24, 2008, 05:09:55 AM
Thanks for the praise Hello Goodbye!

Since a couple people mentioned Yer Blues and A Day in the Life I just posted ours
Yer Blues - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDxGwwBJfU

Please forgive any roughness, this was song #53 in a 55 song night, heh.
A Day in the Life - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVzuhd_z2eg

We'll start tackling Octopus after the new year.