New web site focusing on Beatles + guitar techniques | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Thanks for the feedback. A couple of quick replies:

Here Comes The Sun

You are correct in that the first two notes of the riff are performed using a slide-up from the 2nd fret to the 4th fret, at least on the recorded version (and also George’s live “Bangladesh” performance). That is, technically, the right way to do it, and if you have a full band backing you up, that’s how you should do it. However, I’m a solo performer mostly writing for an audience of guitarists that I assume are also wanting to play these songs unaccompanied, so my approach is always going to be “how can we arrange this piece so that one person can squeeze in all of the parts?”

That’s why my arrangement uses a slightly different voicing. It’s easier to play when you’re trying to execute the riff and also keep the chords in shape at the same time.

You Won’t See Me

Same basic answer as above. The voicings you’ve provided are great for a lead guitarist who only needs to provide some “color” on top of a full backing band, and so much the better if you have a pianist to handle those tricky diminished chords. But most of us aren’t in that position, so once again, my arrangement is intended for solo guitar, which means it has to include a way to play the diminished chord and still stay within a relatively consistent fret position.

Lovely Rita

What a cool video clip! I think that might be the first time I’ve seen Paul play a 12-string! My jury is out on what exactly happened to the original recording — whether it got sped up or not — but one thing I’m certain of is that the acoustic guitar part is playing E major voicings with the top B and E strings open. Perhaps they did indeed record the song in D, but with the acoustic guitar tuned down a full step (it wouldn’t be the first time they used that trick) so that it’s voiced in E.

A Hard Day’s Night

I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole. You can hear George’s electric 12-string for sure, but it’s hard to even make out a distinct acoustic guitar part, let alone say with certainty what chord John was playing. I’m only going based on what Randy Bachman reported after being allowed to listen to the original multi-track master. Either way, it’s kind of a moot point, since what I’m after (again, as a solo guitarist playing without the benefit of a band) is how to replicate that opening chord as closely as possible with a single guitar.

Thanks for the additional info — I do remember reading that about “Strawberry Fields,” now that you mention it.

I’ll look into “Beatles to a Tee,” sounds like a good get. As I said, I’m less interested in posting note-for-note tabs for one particular guitar part or another, and more about distilling everything down to solo acoustic guitar, but it’s always good to have reference to something like that video set when questions arise.

Glad you’re enjoying the web site.

Cool picture! Wish I’d had that when I wrote the post originally, it’s always nice to have a little photo evidence. As for the capo thing, I talk about the 5th fret vs 3rd fret, the way Paul plays it in concerts, and my reasons for choosing the 3rd fret anyway, in the second and third paragraphs of the article. 🙂

gettingbetter said
I understand, it’s just that I’m not big into the doing it a different way thing, I like to do stuff the way they actually did it.  

I hear you. For me it really comes down to the sorts of opportunities I have when I’m playing. If I’m jamming with a group of players and they want to do a Beatles song, it’s great to know all the solos and exact chord positions so I can just fill that stuff in while others play the chords.

Unfortunately I don’t usually get to do that because I’m usually the only one playing in a sing-along type of setting. So I’m constantly looking at these songs from different angles and thinking, “ok, how do I slip a bit of the bass line in here, or how can I get close to playing single-note solos while my fingers are wrapped around a B7 chord?”

The song “Girl” is another one of those that’s tough to do “as recorded.” John’s got his capo way up on the 8th fret or some such, which means you lose a ton of bass-y depth. And that really beautiful guitar duet at the end is, I think, played on guitars without capos, but if you’re going to go that route, the chords get a bit nastier to finger. So I end up going for the middle ground and play it with a capo at the 3rd fret. You get the depth, and both parts of the duet can be played there while still hanging on to the rhythm track/chords.

But what’s that old saying? You can’t break the rules until you know the rules? Which is why it really helps to know the precise way they recorded the songs. Once you know some of that, it’s easier to start finding variations that allow freedom to roam while still staying mostly faithful to the original.

Thanks for the notation notes — I go back and forth with myself on stuff like that (“D5” vs “D(no3)”) because I’ve seen it done both ways. I think in that specific case I was leaning towards the thought that “D5” might be more confusing. I don’t know. Six of one …

And I do believe you’re correct about the G chord in Honey Pie being a barred chord. Come to think of it, I usually play it that way myself. Again, probably just leaning more towards “lowest common denominator” and hoping to inspire some beginners to give it a shot. Maybe in the future I should just notate it both ways and point out that one is more accurate, and one’s easier to play (like I recently did with “Rain “).

I’ve been kicking around the idea of talking about guitar models a bit, but I haven’t landed on a topic that makes sense yet. I mean, when you’ve got books and web sites out there like thebeatlesgear.com, what’s left to say that could add to the conversation?

Although, here’s a fun topic, perhaps: how many of The Beatles’ guitars, early on, were poor quality? Paul has talked about how he could never keep his Hofner in tune, and I’ve heard not-great reviews of John’s Framus 12-string, but it seems like they didn’t really get too tripped up on stuff like that. Of course, later, they started getting nicer guitars — Martin acoustics, a Rickenbacker bass, Fender Stratocasters, etc.

Interesting. As one of those songs that no one cares about, I think I’ve probably played this one … rough estimate … three times in thirty years? And you’re correct, every time I’ve played it, it’s been with a capo at the second fret.

As I listen to the recording, and especially to a lot of the early takes where the guitars are much more prominent, I’m wondering if they even played it with a capo. A lot of those voicings sound like fully fretted, barred chords. Not a lot of open-string twang going on there, if any at all. Sounds like a lot of partial chords, too.

The weird thing is that I’m definitely hearing two moving notes in that introductory F# to F#sus4 chord. Something like:

Of course, if that’s the case, I’m sure there’s some thumb-fretting going on with that low string.

Sure would be easier to play it de-tuned a half step, that’s for certain.

Might have to give this a closer listen.

I’m tracking with you 100%, @Dark Overlord — and you’ve basically hit on the central issue(s) that I face as a solo performer, trying to find the balance between doing songs the way The Beatles did them, and being forced to alter things slightly here and there because I’ve only got one guitar to work with.

Most of the time I try to listen to the recordings and the outtakes as much as I can to isolate what’s happening with the guitar(s), because I like to know what chord voicings they were using. The case of “Mr. Moonlight” is a tough one because, as you pointed out, the recorded key is murder on a guitarist. Did they really play this song in F# major? Probably, because no matter how tough that key is, the majority of the instrumentation isn’t being performed on guitars. It’s easier to play in F# on the organ or the bass than it is the guitar.

As a solo performer, I’d rather tune down a half step and play it in G, but then you have to decide whether it’s more of a hassle to stop and re-tune everything than it is to deal with all those nasty F# major chord voicings. This is probably why the majority of people just capo up and play it in E major.

Alternately, if I’m going to hassle with tuning down a half-step (especially if I’m jamming with a bunch of people who just want to sing along), I like to as much bang for my buck as possible — like, “ok, we’re down a half-step now, so it’s time to play all of the songs that fit this mode.” That would include “Lovely Rita ” and “I’m Only Sleeping “, not to mention “Yellow Submarine .” (I think I saw a songbook once that actually suggested playing “Yellow Submarine ” capoed at the second fret in the key of E. Woof.)

Thankfully, nobody usually requests “Mr. Moonlight” when I’m in the middle of a singalong jam. (Unlike, say, “Yesterday ” — super popular tune, but it’s always a matter of “hang on, let me just re-tune everything.”)