Sunday, October 23, 2011

Need Help with Help!

I had every intention of jamming with my dad today and recording the song. Well, I'm stuck on one part of the song, and rather than rush it and screw it up, I'm going to wait until I can properly figure it out and then record. I'm breaking the one week rule, and it's only week three, but forgiveness, please!

That very fast guitar part before the first verse kicks in is quite a doozy, and the tabs I've been using aren't quite right. I have a sneaking suspicion (after watching some live clips) that it's actually a variation on a G chord. George was very big on strumming through one chord several different ways (see Here Comes the Sun for that one). I'll update soon :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Help

For this week's song I've chosen Help. Love Me Do was requested by my dad, but that will come at a later date when I can get a harmonica in the key of C! I'd also like to take a break from the very early stuff for the time being.

Help is the title track off the album of the same name released in 1965. This to me was a major turning point for The Beatles. I just read Cynthia Lennon's book John and her account of the effects fame had on all the guys, especially John. This song was literally a cry for help from John Lennon who was feeling the overwhelming effects of the fame that The Beatles were experiencing at the time. It's definitely more rock and roll than their songs they'd previously released, but in a moody way, not the typical inspired by soul and blues kind of way you'd experience in their early cover tunes. The trademark harmonies are still there, but it's no longer sticky sweet. It definitely carries the jaded feeling.

I want to play this because I need some practice doing fast picking, but I know I couldn't pull of an entire song with it yet (Blackbird, I'm coming for you...) and the little riff before each verse is perfect for that. I'm also going to look into some garage band tutorials so the recording process isn't such a problem. See you in a week!

Baby It's You Mp3

I decided this week to do an mp3 instead of a video so I could add a bit of layering to the song. I feel a little bare bones just doing it all in one go, and it helped me to understand the different parts of the song individually. The only problem with this is I don't know the technology well enough to actually make it sound proper, so please forgive the shittiness of it all- I tried!

I noticed I'm having trouble with the damn start of the song- I'm still learning, so it's hard to have a number of programs and a guitar in your hand and get everything started. I'm sure I'll figure out something for smoothing that out. My timing is still a wee bit off in spots, but a fairly good effort for week two.

I saved this in garage band at my dad's request who's going to fiddle with it. When that happens, I'll re-post our collaboration results! Enjoy this version, and as always, comments and constructive criticism is welcome. Cheers!

Baby It's You cover link.

EDIT: For those of you that are having trouble getting the link to work, try copy/pasting this into your browser:

http://soundcloud.com/megthesmith/baby-its-you

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Baby, It's You

Still stuck on the Please Please Me album this week. I really will get more into the Beatles catalogue as I go along, but to start it's fine for now. I swear, one day I'll be playing Happiness Is A Warm Gun (and now you can hold me to it...) I'm also doing this song at the suggestion of my uncle who thought it'd be a good fit for what I'm doing- hope you're right Paul!

Baby It's You is one of many cover tunes The Beatles recorded on their first few albums. It was originally sung by the Shirelles (written by Burt Bacharach), and later covered by other artists. I'm a little biased, but I like the rhythm of the Beatles' version better. There's something lilting and a little lazy feeling about the Shirelles' version (also, isn't the key a bit different?), but Lennon's voice just sounds so desperate when he sings "don't want nobody, nobody, cause baby, it's you". That's the gusto and feeling you want with that kind of sentiment! Admittedly, I don't have the same desperate urge, but I do love the song, so I'll give it my best. Such a good classic pop tune with sappy lyrics. I'm a sucker for them!

Other things: I'm going to need to find someone to do the sha la la's for me, or i'll have to do a garage band style thing with multiple tracks, because that's half of what I like about the early Beatles stuff. I am such a sucker for a good sha la la or a do wop do wop. It's a shortened week with the trip, the holiday and another wedding coming up this friday, so this is a more simple choice, but a good one nonetheless! As usual, tell me your thoughts, criticisms and feelings on this tune! Video to come on sunday.

Before I go, check out this version with Adele and Burt. The instrumentation is cheesy as shit in spots (what is it about sax solos that just ruin things for me? It just reminds me of smooth jazz...) but her singing is lovely. Still fits in with the original version, but she sings it with more passion. Just a side note!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Please Please Me: Video and Final Thoughts

This week was interesting, hearing some feedback on this project and opinions on Please Please Me. People are reading, and it's funny, the comments are actually happening in person rather than in the comments section, so I'll share some of them here.

My Uncle Paul remarked at how much he loved the "chime like" quality of the song. I don't have a harmonica, so I just plucked the beginning out as octaves, which is actually what George does along with the harmonica. Uncle Paul, grab a harmonica and we'll jam it out! My dad was definitely on board with the project and loves Please Please me as well and suggested that I keep "Here Comes the Sun" in mind for a later date. As my skills progress, I promise I will! I know a couple of other people said the project sounded interesting...if anyone has any more comments, please do take the time to leave a comment so that it's recorded here. The purpose of this is to learn more about music, guitar playing, singing and musical theory, so give 'er!

As for the actual playing, I'm glad I started. I noticed that when I pushed myself to learn things that were tricky for me (instead of finding a work around or another song to play) I eventually learned the song. I'm a lazy asshole sometimes, and this is a good way to force me to try. Keep in mind that prior to this, I couldn't really sing and play my guitar at the same time (shameful, I know). I also couldn't strum/transition terribly fast, nor could I go from fingerpicking to strumming with a pick very fast.

It was fun to learn, although in the future, I'm getting people to join in. It's such a shame to sing a song with such gorgeous harmonies by myself. I'm also going to try to pick up a small amp at least because it does sound a bit silly not plugged in.

I was away for the weekend, so I didn't get a good chance to think about a new song to pick, so I'll be updating that tomorrow. Suggestions are welcome :)

Click here to view the video. My voice cracked in a few spots, I'm still a little hoarse from a wedding in Montreal, but I needed to update. Enjoy!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Please Please Me

Please Please Me was the debut album from the Beatles. The title track was actually their second released single, but it was the single that made them successful overseas in America. It's a little cheesy to begin at the start, but it's not technically my start with the Beatles. I came to appreciate the early stuff much later. I heard it when I was young, but I really liked the stuff from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour.

Please Please Me was originally intended to be a slow, mopey kind of song. When John Lennon wrote it, he had Roy Orbison and Bing Crosby in mind. When they got into the studio, George Martin told them he'd cut it if they didn't speed it up and make it more lively- thank goodness he did! After speeding it up, George Martin remarked that he thought they had their first real big hit, and he was right.

This song contains many of the things that I love about the Beatles. The vocals in this are a perfect example of John and Paul's vocal ability. John carries the main part of the song, and Paul sings the high notes. In particular I love the back in forth during "come on, come on", and the back-up vocals in the bridge are so adorable and perfect it hurts. That's everything that's good about music in the 50's and 60's to me. The chord progressions are simple in the guitar, but it's the strumming that keeps it interesting (and this will be a challenge for me- strumming is not my strong suit). I'm also a sucker for the rising and falling chord progressions, it's just a nice sound to me. Though I don't know much about drumming, I really do love the little transition Ringo does into the bridge.

It's definitely placed in top songs of all time lists, Keith Richards notes it as his favourite Beatles tune and it was rumoured to be the first pop song to ever discuss oral sex, though that was never confirmed (think about it now, think about it...)

Please please (tell) me what you think of the song- I'd love to hear others' opinions. Also, correct me on any incorrect musical terminology- this is a learning experience and I want to know everything, so I've left my ego at the door. Thanks!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

What's all this about, then?

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a ridiculous love for The Beatles. I grew up listening to them, and through some really questionable phases in my musical tastes, The Beatles have always been a constant. The songs I appreciated evolved over time, but I've always been a huge fan.

When I did dabble in the guitar at first in high school, my dad taught me the opening riff to Day Tripper. Although I wouldn't seriously consider the guitar until later, that was my first taste. When I did get serious about playing guitar in University, I decided on an Epiphone Casino. Paul McCartney introduced the Casino into the group during the recording of Help, and it was a staple for George Harrison and John Lennon after that as well. You can see John's gorgeous stripped down Casino here for their final public performance on the rooftop of Apple headquarters.



I also named my Epiphone Casino "George", after my favourite Beatle.

So where is this all going? Since I bought George, I've been a little hit and miss with my practice. I've had no purpose, and life gets busy, and my skills are not where I want them to be. When I thought more about how I could become better, I turned to The Beatles. I know some of their songs on the guitar already, and bits and pieces of others, but what better way to become a better guitar player than to tackle a Beatles song every week, in entirety? In my opinion, I'd be learning from the best in song writing the world has to offer.

So here I go. A Beatles song a week, I'm holding myself accountable. I'll be picking a song, talking about its history, my personal associations with it, opinions of others, and different parts of the song that I enjoy. As I go along, I may be posting videos (and I apologize for this) to keep track of my progress. I should note here that in no way am I trying to infringe upon copyrights or make a profit from this blog, rather, it is a personal learning exercise that friends may comment on.

Happy reading/listening!