Post by wooperman on May 25, 2011 4:46:35 GMT
I'd love to get some banter on this.
So I have a Hal Leonard book that is all the Beatles songs for guitar. It lists the lyrics with the respective chords above each lyrical phrase. At the top of each song, it shows the little fret-board diagram for each chord. Great book - has improved my chord vocabulary immensely.
So we have the Beatles, arguably the greatest song writing team in music history, give or take. I know they were both great players too. Paul probably a bit more technical, John more of a feel guy. Still, I have some things I cannot get my head around with regards to chord selection.
The Hal Leonard books are probably giving chords that represent the overall feel of the song, taking into account that a bass line may be harmonizing with the guitar. So the chords listed for each song are probably not exactly what John/Paul wrote when writing a song (in every case). I will give an example:
I'll be back -
Am G6 Fmaj7
You know... if you break my heart I'll go....etc.
I realize that this in not the best example, but I was hoping to find something with crazy slash chords that are not even close to a normal root position on the neck.
I'll get to my question: In the case of John Lennon, how often was he actually writing complex chords to go along with his awesome melodies - as opposed to just playing a "G" and letting either Paul, George, or George M., fill in the emptiness. Because if the consensus is that he and Paul were writing G /Eb7minorAug where they felt it, then I need to quit. Because I can't hear the need for such things until Hal Leonard books point it out - and then I am like "Brilliant!". So do these fake books give the illusion that certain song writers have a higher musical acumen, or were John and Paul so good that Hal Leonard is just picking out what was written the whole time?
Another issue I have with Beatles and other groups, is that when you see them in videos - they are NEVER playing anything that looks like a normal chord. It's like I know I am an amateur based on the fact that I still play my G chord on the 3rd fret with 3 fingers.
(I suspect a lot of people will reply that Paul was probably that good, so I guess I am focusing a little more on John, who was rumored to be a bit lazy in the song finishing department, which is where I am in my writing skills. I guess I am just looking for hope, redemption - or a good song writing partner. )
So I have a Hal Leonard book that is all the Beatles songs for guitar. It lists the lyrics with the respective chords above each lyrical phrase. At the top of each song, it shows the little fret-board diagram for each chord. Great book - has improved my chord vocabulary immensely.
So we have the Beatles, arguably the greatest song writing team in music history, give or take. I know they were both great players too. Paul probably a bit more technical, John more of a feel guy. Still, I have some things I cannot get my head around with regards to chord selection.
The Hal Leonard books are probably giving chords that represent the overall feel of the song, taking into account that a bass line may be harmonizing with the guitar. So the chords listed for each song are probably not exactly what John/Paul wrote when writing a song (in every case). I will give an example:
I'll be back -
Am G6 Fmaj7
You know... if you break my heart I'll go....etc.
I realize that this in not the best example, but I was hoping to find something with crazy slash chords that are not even close to a normal root position on the neck.
I'll get to my question: In the case of John Lennon, how often was he actually writing complex chords to go along with his awesome melodies - as opposed to just playing a "G" and letting either Paul, George, or George M., fill in the emptiness. Because if the consensus is that he and Paul were writing G /Eb7minorAug where they felt it, then I need to quit. Because I can't hear the need for such things until Hal Leonard books point it out - and then I am like "Brilliant!". So do these fake books give the illusion that certain song writers have a higher musical acumen, or were John and Paul so good that Hal Leonard is just picking out what was written the whole time?
Another issue I have with Beatles and other groups, is that when you see them in videos - they are NEVER playing anything that looks like a normal chord. It's like I know I am an amateur based on the fact that I still play my G chord on the 3rd fret with 3 fingers.
(I suspect a lot of people will reply that Paul was probably that good, so I guess I am focusing a little more on John, who was rumored to be a bit lazy in the song finishing department, which is where I am in my writing skills. I guess I am just looking for hope, redemption - or a good song writing partner. )