Ringo was just all feel, simple as that. I love his account of George Harrison explaining the timing of Here Comes the Sun, where George was trying to walk him through the part that’s in 7, and Ringo just shrugged it off and played it without counting anything.
The Beatles have such a simple approach to strange timings. Happiness is a warm gun has a weird rhythm part I've recently been trying to nail,never even noticed this one. Great video as usual!
I’m always astonished that even experienced guitar players learn new things! I had always assumed in my mind that you just *learned it all* and knew everything, but no. I guess we’re all learning. Thanks for the great video!
As strange as it sounds, Rubber Soul was recorded at a time when The Beatles were listening to James Brown. Their songs didn't sound like him (they couldn't play like The Famous Flames) but the piano and bass on "You Won't See Me" is a little reminiscent of "I Feel Fine," and although the lyrics to "Drive My Car owe a lot to Chuck Berry's "I Want to be Your Driver," the rhythm sure feels like American R & B. In the U.S., Capitol cut and pasted several songs to make Rubber Soul seem like a folk-rock album, but that isn't what the British version sounds like. As much as I love and admire The Beatles, I still think that James Brown was the single most influential musician of the 60s. Funk, disco, and hip-hop all draw on his music. Marvin Gaye is a strong contender, too. I've never heard the expression "introducing the one" before, but I do know James Brown's "Getting Funky on the One."
Mike, I'm sure you know this already, but the reason so many tab sites have the wrong tab is because they all just copy a tab someone comes up with and posts somewhere. Way back in the day I used to get my tabs from guitar newsgroups (remember those?) that would contain the author's information - name, email, date written, etc. Other people would then take those tabs and repost them to other groups or post them online, complete with author info; making it very easy to tell that it wasn't a new interpretation of a tab, just a repost. Nowadays, they do the same exact thing, except they either remove the author's info or, more commonly, the author didn't provide their info on the tab, which makes it easier to fool people into thinking the tab is theirs.
It's little details like that, and a critical ear, which separates amateurs from pros and really puts across to listeners that skill of musicianship. Pick ups can be tricky sometimes, but having a rough start can occasionally set the tone for the rest of the song. Thanks for sharing!
Great, that trick in the end made it click for me! After that I enjoyed practicing this riff in the loop to cement this intuition of where the beats are My issue was also different, I used to hear it starting on the 4th beat (2 extra eighth notes)
I never noticed this, and I would never be able to explain it as clearly. Switching effortlessly from guitar to bass is impressive, too. Thanks for breaking it down and explaining how to learn to play the lick correctly. It IS like hearing (and playing) it for the first time!
I’m the guy in my band that figures out counting intros. Establishing where the 1 is and knowing what time signature you are in is important to play together as a band.
I had a hard time with Pantera's cowboys from hell, in the beginning part where the main riff is first played before it goes into full distortion. I would headbang to the "repeating drone part" all the way through the main riff and then when it went to full distortion and the riff repeated, I would get so thrown off. I finally trained myself to start counting in 4 when I start to hear that first sixteenth note in that riff. I now hear that beginning part completely different, and right.
our band (Glass Onion) definitely had our own way of kicking this one off. I play the Paul bass parts, but sing Lennon parts, but it works & it always gets the ladies up dancing.
Very superb breakdown of an iconic song. You do a phenomenal job of explaining, but what I might suggest (and what still throws me off after reading the notation you've added) is that you should first play the notes without any ties, especially those across the bar. Play those individual notes by themselves, and add the ties later. :)
I personally first heard it starting on beat 4. In my mind the 5 b7 1 melody puts a lot of emphasis on the first scale degree, making me naturally hear it as a two 8th note upbeat. One thing that really helps me with feeling rhythms the correct way is actually transcribing them on sheet music, and seeing the written rhythms. It's very difficult not to feel it correctly when you see the written rhythms (with correct beam groups). This of course only works if you are used to reading rhythms. Learning to read rhythms is a good way of "visualizing" the feel of the rhythm (how the rhythm relates to the beat). It would also be possible to transcribe the rhythms using "rhythm yardstick"-style notation (explained in this video: th-cam.com/video/8Sw_trDFJw8/w-d-xo.html ) if you aren't that familiar with traditional rhythmic notation. Being able to visualize where each note falls in relation to the beat is pretty important.
I heard drive my car for the first time when I was 10 years old. I never thought the song started on the One. For me it always was: 3/8-3/8-3/8-5/8-2/4 then 4/4 But the first eighth note of the first bar is silent. That means: the first two notes, the A and the C were for me always a pickup. Or could be also 3/8-3/8-3/8-3/8-2/8-2/4 Or 3/8-3/8-3/8-3/8-3/4 But the ONE is always silent. For me, of course.
Mike. I had to listen to this one a few times, then I broke out my "Beatles Bible" or "The White Book" (The Beatles Complete Scores. Hal Leonard.), and they have it written out the original way. You're a better guitarist and musician than I, and I admire your work, but I'm going to push back a bit. Although I know my "White book" has a few anomalies that I've found throughout the past 20 years since I'd bought it, I believe that the intro riff does start at the top of the measure. If your coming in an 8th note early works, then great. But this pushes the intro composition early by an 8th note. The 2nd measure is 9/8, which as you know means that this particular measure has an extra 8th note. So if we're still trying to fit in 4 beats into the 2nd measure, it won't fit by 1/2 a beat. The bass opens with a triplet, then a whole note. The whole note is at the top of measure 2. If you move the composition an 8th note early, that whole note begins on the back end of measure 1. I've played Greek music in a band and the 9/8 time signature can be tough to grasp. It's called the Zeibekiko, or Zeus' dance. (123456789,223456789, etc..) Your ending D chord double-stop (7-7) ties into measure 3. There's a 1/4 note rest and the lyrics begin. I think you're trying to move the 8th note back so that you're getting 5 full beats in the 2nd measure, but the 2nd measure has 4 1/2 beats. If it had 4 then it'd be 4/4, and if had 5 it be 5/4 like in Don't Let Me Down. So the extra 8th note is in measure 2, specifically in the tied D chord double-stop on the 7th fret. I may be wrong, but believe to be right. I'd be Curious to hear your debate and maybe show me on the software where I'm wrong. It's the 1/2 beat in measure 2 that is confusing. Keep up the good work.. Sorry to get you "more involved" with this, I spent an hour this morning working through your video, the Beatles original track, my white book, and typing this post... All the Best.. Sam.
This can easily be solved by watching Paul himself play it live. Check him out playing with George Michael. Once you start on the pickup note everything works in 4/4. Just the bass player has to start the intro fill on 3 which is a bit odd but works.
@@TheArtofGuitar So yes, now that I hear Sir Paul counting it out there's definitely an 1/8th note before the first measure. So you are correct. No Zeimbekiko in this Beatles tune.. Thank you for patience and clarification. I've penciled in the correction to my "white book". Something I only do after due diligence.. peace....
Heh, I'm late to the party, but this is a great tutorial about how to slowly learn a part that is initially difficult. Break it up into slow, manageable chunks and slowly add them all together.
The first example immediately felt weird to me as a bass player... I've never heard that song but I'd have had the same problem if I heard it right before playing it with my band... We often do that to get better at playing songs that most of us don't know...
Creating intros that start on off beats then “straighten out” and fool you when the song starts is an art form. I swear it’s a competition between songwriters to outdo each other lol.
I have had so much trouble explaining "where is 1?" to friends, I'm so glad it's not just me. Another that, even though I know where the 1 is, I still can't hear it on the intro until the beat comes in is Science by System Of A Down.
Very interesting! I'm trying to learn to count while playing, it's difficult for me to play and count at the same time at faster tempos. Then throw in quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes and rests in the bar and my mind warps. Works out if going slow, but at song speed not so good, LOL. I was told don't worry about learning the notes/chords at first, just scratch the timing out on the strings (mute with fretting hand) just to get the timing. Also, do you think these bands knowingly start on a different beat or it just "happens" that way? For some bands I can't even fathom they are thinking about timing!
Another intro that has always seemed “off” and feels/sounds weird is the b3ginning of “Everybody’s got something to hide....” it just sounds kind of weird, like its off beat (the “come on, come on” part) then all of a sudden it’s all in unison. It always throws me off when I hear this intro.
They did that with a lot of there songs. Most of them don’t start on a one it’s always some weird count start. Like they did it on purpose to confuse people as a joke.
Ringo was just all feel, simple as that. I love his account of George Harrison explaining the timing of Here Comes the Sun, where George was trying to walk him through the part that’s in 7, and Ringo just shrugged it off and played it without counting anything.
That’s that’s what I called being a natural musician
The Beatles have such a simple approach to strange timings. Happiness is a warm gun has a weird rhythm part I've recently been trying to nail,never even noticed this one. Great video as usual!
my favorite example, though it's not complicated is Yer Blues
I’m always astonished that even experienced guitar players learn new things! I had always assumed in my mind that you just *learned it all* and knew everything, but no. I guess we’re all learning. Thanks for the great video!
they have the experience to realise that something's off and the tools to find out what it is.
When teaching Funk this is key to understanding the genre. This is called “introducing the one”. Thanks for sharing.
As strange as it sounds, Rubber Soul was recorded at a time when The Beatles were listening to James Brown. Their songs didn't sound like him (they couldn't play like The Famous Flames) but the piano and bass on "You Won't See Me" is a little reminiscent of "I Feel Fine," and although the lyrics to "Drive My Car owe a lot to Chuck Berry's "I Want to be Your Driver," the rhythm sure feels like American R & B. In the U.S., Capitol cut and pasted several songs to make Rubber Soul seem like a folk-rock album, but that isn't what the British version sounds like.
As much as I love and admire The Beatles, I still think that James Brown was the single most influential musician of the 60s. Funk, disco, and hip-hop all draw on his music. Marvin Gaye is a strong contender, too.
I've never heard the expression "introducing the one" before, but I do know James Brown's "Getting Funky on the One."
Mike, I'm sure you know this already, but the reason so many tab sites have the wrong tab is because they all just copy a tab someone comes up with and posts somewhere. Way back in the day I used to get my tabs from guitar newsgroups (remember those?) that would contain the author's information - name, email, date written, etc. Other people would then take those tabs and repost them to other groups or post them online, complete with author info; making it very easy to tell that it wasn't a new interpretation of a tab, just a repost. Nowadays, they do the same exact thing, except they either remove the author's info or, more commonly, the author didn't provide their info on the tab, which makes it easier to fool people into thinking the tab is theirs.
It's little details like that, and a critical ear, which separates amateurs from pros and really puts across to listeners that skill of musicianship. Pick ups can be tricky sometimes, but having a rough start can occasionally set the tone for the rest of the song. Thanks for sharing!
Great, that trick in the end made it click for me! After that I enjoyed practicing this riff in the loop to cement this intuition of where the beats are
My issue was also different, I used to hear it starting on the 4th beat (2 extra eighth notes)
the change in perception of the one beat is quite stark. It completely changes the feel of the intro. Well done for working it out
Always great to see what you have for us. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada 🍁
I never noticed this, and I would never be able to explain it as clearly. Switching effortlessly from guitar to bass is impressive, too. Thanks for breaking it down and explaining how to learn to play the lick correctly. It IS like hearing (and playing) it for the first time!
Thanks, and absolutely brilliant, your tutoring skills are top notch and just go to show what great musicians the Beatles were together in the day!
Dream Theater has been quiet since this dropped…
I've never noticed that and now it seems so obvious, thanks Mike
I’m the guy in my band that figures out counting intros. Establishing where the 1 is and knowing what time signature you are in is important to play together as a band.
Fascinating. So the Fab 4 invented prog now? lol.
Always has been
Sgt Pepper was a concept album
We knew that already.
Man, I was rehearsing this song this week, we always got stuck on that counting! Thanks!
Practicing things in such small chunks and building up skill is such an underrated practice technique for anything. Great lesson!
🎶In myyYYYyyy life, I count you wrong🎶
Nice, I'm gonna listen to Rubber Soul today and really pay attention to the intro.
Fantastic video, you presented it amazingly well, thank you very much :)
I had a hard time with Pantera's cowboys from hell, in the beginning part where the main riff is first played before it goes into full distortion. I would headbang to the "repeating drone part" all the way through the main riff and then when it went to full distortion and the riff repeated, I would get so thrown off. I finally trained myself to start counting in 4 when I start to hear that first sixteenth note in that riff. I now hear that beginning part completely different, and right.
our band (Glass Onion) definitely had our own way of kicking this one off. I play the Paul bass parts, but sing Lennon parts, but it works & it always gets the ladies up dancing.
I recently discovered that this song has two intro Casinos, not one.
I never thought of that. Love that opening lick! Great song to kick off Rubber Soul.
Great video. What TH-cam is meant for. Real research. Well done
Very superb breakdown of an iconic song. You do a phenomenal job of explaining, but what I might suggest (and what still throws me off after reading the notation you've added) is that you should first play the notes without any ties, especially those across the bar. Play those individual notes by themselves, and add the ties later. :)
Paul Davids does a pretty good deep dive on this as well.
I personally first heard it starting on beat 4. In my mind the 5 b7 1 melody puts a lot of emphasis on the first scale degree, making me naturally hear it as a two 8th note upbeat.
One thing that really helps me with feeling rhythms the correct way is actually transcribing them on sheet music, and seeing the written rhythms. It's very difficult not to feel it correctly when you see the written rhythms (with correct beam groups). This of course only works if you are used to reading rhythms. Learning to read rhythms is a good way of "visualizing" the feel of the rhythm (how the rhythm relates to the beat).
It would also be possible to transcribe the rhythms using "rhythm yardstick"-style notation (explained in this video: th-cam.com/video/8Sw_trDFJw8/w-d-xo.html ) if you aren't that familiar with traditional rhythmic notation. Being able to visualize where each note falls in relation to the beat is pretty important.
But you can do something in between! - Baby, it's understood. But I can show you a better time!
i just saw tim pierce do the intro ....sounded awesome - y'all check it out
Thank you for this. I actually saw a drumtablature it was written at 98.
Great breakdown! I’ve heard it the wrong way my whole life. Thanks!
I heard drive my car for the first time when I was 10 years old. I never thought the song started on the One. For me it always was: 3/8-3/8-3/8-5/8-2/4 then 4/4
But the first eighth note of the first bar is silent. That means: the first two notes, the A and the C were for me always a pickup.
Or could be also 3/8-3/8-3/8-3/8-2/8-2/4
Or
3/8-3/8-3/8-3/8-3/4
But the ONE is always silent.
For me, of course.
I love how you do little bits like this I wish you would do some videos on Kansas or journey or heart music breakdowns thanks MG
Mike. I had to listen to this one a few times, then I broke out my "Beatles Bible" or "The White Book" (The Beatles Complete Scores. Hal Leonard.), and they have it written out the original way. You're a better guitarist and musician than I, and I admire your work, but I'm going to push back a bit. Although I know my "White book" has a few anomalies that I've found throughout the past 20 years since I'd bought it, I believe that the intro riff does start at the top of the measure. If your coming in an 8th note early works, then great. But this pushes the intro composition early by an 8th note. The 2nd measure is 9/8, which as you know means that this particular measure has an extra 8th note. So if we're still trying to fit in 4 beats into the 2nd measure, it won't fit by 1/2 a beat. The bass opens with a triplet, then a whole note. The whole note is at the top of measure 2. If you move the composition an 8th note early, that whole note begins on the back end of measure 1. I've played Greek music in a band and the 9/8 time signature can be tough to grasp. It's called the Zeibekiko, or Zeus' dance. (123456789,223456789, etc..) Your ending D chord double-stop (7-7) ties into measure 3. There's a 1/4 note rest and the lyrics begin. I think you're trying to move the 8th note back so that you're getting 5 full beats in the 2nd measure, but the 2nd measure has 4 1/2 beats. If it had 4 then it'd be 4/4, and if had 5 it be 5/4 like in Don't Let Me Down. So the extra 8th note is in measure 2, specifically in the tied D chord double-stop on the 7th fret. I may be wrong, but believe to be right. I'd be Curious to hear your debate and maybe show me on the software where I'm wrong. It's the 1/2 beat in measure 2 that is confusing. Keep up the good work.. Sorry to get you "more involved" with this, I spent an hour this morning working through your video, the Beatles original track, my white book, and typing this post... All the Best.. Sam.
This can easily be solved by watching Paul himself play it live. Check him out playing with George Michael. Once you start on the pickup note everything works in 4/4. Just the bass player has to start the intro fill on 3 which is a bit odd but works.
@@TheArtofGuitar So yes, now that I hear Sir Paul counting it out there's definitely an 1/8th note before the first measure. So you are correct. No Zeimbekiko in this Beatles tune.. Thank you for patience and clarification. I've penciled in the correction to my "white book". Something I only do after due diligence.. peace....
I find the rhythm/timing of "She's a Woman" rather tricky, too - just brilliant.
Think of it as ska.
Heh, I'm late to the party, but this is a great tutorial about how to slowly learn a part that is initially difficult. Break it up into slow, manageable chunks and slowly add them all together.
Just like the intro to Take It Easy
The first example immediately felt weird to me as a bass player... I've never heard that song but I'd have had the same problem if I heard it right before playing it with my band... We often do that to get better at playing songs that most of us don't know...
Creating intros that start on off beats then “straighten out” and fool you when the song starts is an art form. I swear it’s a competition between songwriters to outdo each other lol.
i just remember with this kind of stuff, drummers are like "you play the intro and i just follow"
(no drummer's count before)
Excelente! 🥇
Nice work Mike 🤘
I have had so much trouble explaining "where is 1?" to friends, I'm so glad it's not just me. Another that, even though I know where the 1 is, I still can't hear it on the intro until the beat comes in is Science by System Of A Down.
Super cool. Fab even.
Awesome.🇺🇸💯💥🎯💥💯🇺🇸
I like your guitar with a compensated nut. Where did you find it? Does it make intonation better?
Is it a coincidence that this is uploaded on McCartneys birthday?
i think he knew what he what he was doing
@@ss.fx3626 i'd like to think so too :)
i hate to say it, but this is the correct way to count in the song.
I have a problem with when the singing comes in in the intro of "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
Do you have a drum channel as well? Also, I am loving your guitar reviews but what amps are you using?
Paul played the guitar solo as well.
Thank you for this, I could never figure this one out
Very interesting! I'm trying to learn to count while playing, it's difficult for me to play and count at the same time at faster tempos. Then throw in quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes and rests in the bar and my mind warps. Works out if going slow, but at song speed not so good, LOL. I was told don't worry about learning the notes/chords at first, just scratch the timing out on the strings (mute with fretting hand) just to get the timing. Also, do you think these bands knowingly start on a different beat or it just "happens" that way? For some bands I can't even fathom they are thinking about timing!
Did you do a post on the intro to Rock n Roll?
Another intro that has always seemed “off” and feels/sounds weird is the b3ginning of “Everybody’s got something to hide....” it just sounds kind of weird, like its off beat (the “come on, come on” part) then all of a sudden it’s all in unison. It always throws me off when I hear this intro.
Amazing
I forget that you’re supposed to count, I just play and guess
What did you use to make the tab/ sheet music?
Do you add the extra note on Rock & Roll? Now I’m curious
The incorrect way sounds off to me just listening to it. Very interesting!
Definitely both
Thank you! That has confused me for years
"Then I looked over, and Ringo was doing one of these!"
If I were to guess, Paul played the guitar intro. It's far more his style than George's.
I see it but I can't feel it yet. The held quarter notes at the end of the first full measure mess me up every time.
not as terrible as when i played Pink Floyd's Money on 4/4 (on bass) 😅 😛 what a way to blow an audition. you should have seen the drummer's face: 😐
How is that even possible?
I sort of get it. But don't at all at the same time 🤣
Back in black is played out of the groove a lot too :)
They did that with a lot of there songs. Most of them don’t start on a one it’s always some weird count start. Like they did it on purpose to confuse people as a joke.
I’m gonna comment on every video until I get a clear response. I’d die to see a Chris Poland techniques vid.
Video streak: 2
doesnt help that The Big White Book is wrong too
The worst “WHERE IS 1 ?” intro is ‘This Charming Man’ by The Smiths. I have no idea what the deal is there.
What? The guitar riff literally starts in the first beat of 4/4, what are you talking about?
On Paul McCartney’s birthday too
👍👍👀
Is there a bass player brave enough to take the pick from his hands?
I use a pick on bass.
Paul McCartney uses a pick. You going to tell one of the greatest bass players of all time (and the writer of this exact song) that he’s wrong?
Oh hi
Sometimes even Paul's own guitarist gets it wrong: th-cam.com/users/shortsGAFsiEC6o9I
yes!
Anyone else a bit annoyed by the recent news on The Beatles: Get Back?
Nope.
Anacrusis!
Actually the 9/8 makes a lot more sense than this.
It does? Paul counts it off live like I show in the video.
Never did that stupid counting. Never will. Either you play it right - on time - or you don't.
1 and 2 and 3 and un em what?
What is goin on with the upside down mustache on your chin.
im early
11 minutes ago lol
Damn I'm early!
If it's not on the click it's shit, end of. Discipline mate.