2.52am

2 September 2012

He didn't ever play piano on a song, did he? I was looking at segment of the Let It Be film (about a minute in) and apparently he was capable. He was helping Ringo with Octopus Garden when it was clearly in an early stage. I found it interesting considering piano isn't usually listed next to his capable instruments; notably Wikipedia.
I'm also not sure if piano was just something every big musician learned consciously or something; he seems capable.. I'm not as surprised that Ringo can because he's played in live concerts, and he played it on the final version of this song, but George has only ever held a guitar in front of a stage.. right? Am I wrong? I could see why he possibly had no interest in playing the instrument because they could just as well, but that seems contradicting.
Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping~.
3.07am

19 September 2010

He never played it live (Partially because he never did concerts). He was never needed to play piano on Beatles songs because Paul was a significantly better pianist. He did write Old Brown Shoe on piano, Joe's page giving us this quote from I Me Mine :
I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don't really play,
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
3.09am

2 September 2012

10.13am

16 February 2011

11.35am

12 April 2012

George played moog synth, hammond organ and harmonium on some beatlessongs so he could play piano (at least a bit) It's Paulon piano on the final version of Octopus's Garden , not ringo
Once there was a way to get back homewards. Once there was a way to get back home; sleep pretty darling do not cry. And I will sing a lullaby
11.47am

26 March 2012

If you think about it, piano-based songs were never really George's thing- the guitar was his baby. I think he generally had more interest in writing music with a "guitar" feel. It's fairly essential for any proficient musician to know the basic notes and chords on a piano, though.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
12.05pm

Reviewers

Moderators
1 May 2011

You can hear George playing piano on the demo of Old Brown Shoe which is on Anthology 3 . He also plays piano on a demo of Something which is different from the one on Anthology (the same original demo but with overdubs).
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.13pm

4 December 2010

mr. Sun king coming together said
He never played it live (Partially because he never did concerts). He was never needed to play piano on Beatles songs because Paul was a significantly better pianist. He did write Old Brown Shoe on piano, Joe's page giving us this quote from I Me Mine :I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don't really play,
Not only was Paul a significantly better pianist, but John and Ringo were too, and George Martin was better than any of them. I think it is quite telling that on all the occasions listed so far, George was practically alone in the studio, except Old Brown Shoe - not sure why he played organ there instead of John or Paul or George Martin.
Might be controversial, but I think George's keyboard playing was generally sloppy, like John's bass playing. On those grounds I think it is safe to say he wasn't particularly capable.
And I neeeeeeeeed her all the time
4.18pm

2 September 2012

GeorgeTSimpson said
It's Paulon piano on the final version of Octopus's Garden , not ringo
I looked at Wikipedia first, which says Ringo did instead of Paul, but this site is probably more reliable so I'll leave it at that.
Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping~.
10.12pm

19 April 2010

Don't forget Blue Jay Way which is almost all keyboard - Hammond Organ, played by George and has no guitar at all - except for bass.
"She looks more like him than I do."
11.58pm

26 July 2011

George also said (in a 1999 interview about the reissue of YELLOW SUBMARINE, published posthumously in 2010 in "Guitar Legends" magazine's special issue on The Beatles) that he played organ on "It's All Too Much " -- he said in that interview that he thought it was Paul who played the guitar feedback which opens that track.
In a separate interview, George says he wrote "Something " on piano, although on the released track, John played it -- and you only hear it briefly just before the guitar solo.
I've got nothing to say, but it's okay..
GOOD MORNING!
GOOD MORNING!!
GOOD MORNING!!!
12.08am

Reviewers

Moderators
1 May 2011

George wrote Within You, Without You on Harmonium and there is Circles which is on the organ.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.46am

23 August 2012

6.39am

14 December 2009

Holsety said
I meant to read that.. Never found it the day I went looking. On a side note, I neglected to mention he's credited for playing the moog synthesizer, which you could probably use if you could use a piano.
Heh, as long as you read the 1000-page instruction manual!
Regular keyboard skills weren't really that much help in playing those old Moogs. Besides being insanely complicated to set up properly, they were exclusively monophonic, meaning they were only capable of playing one note at a time, so the knowledge of and the ability to play chords - ie. the basic keyboard skill - was of absolutely no use.
One day, a tape-op got a tape on backwards, he went to play it, and it was all "Neeeradno-undowarrroom" and it was "Wow! Sounds Indian!"
-- Paul McCartney
3.36am

1 May 2010

2.54am

20 September 2012

It's not like George wasn't able to play piano or anything like that. He definitely wasn't an accomplished pianist, but all the Beatles had at least rudimentary skills on piano, even Ringo as you saw there. If I recall correctly, all the Beatles had pianos at their homes to write/play music on.
George was a great musician...he was able to play chords and such at the least.
3.06am

Reviewers

Moderators
1 May 2011

In an '87 interview George said he could play 3 finger piano and that he was decent but nowhere close to the greats; not sure how serious he was being over the 3 finger thing or it has some other musical meaning but it wasnt a throwaway joke .
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)