Paul McCartney's complex rhythm/drum patterns
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The instrumental section of "Live & Let Die" is STILL difficult for me to learn, as are songs like "Growing Up, Falling Down." "Another Day" is another good example of this highly technical rhythm-pattern that McCartney can write and perform effortlessly. The break just before the choruses of "Only Mama Knows" meets this standard, too.
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I've always wondered if he is able to play bass in a band like Yes, progressive rock bands, they are quite technical. McCartney is quite modest as a musician. I remember the MAF interview where he talks about 'overplaying bass' on "See You Sunshine", that this is something he rarely do but did it on purpose on this song. I can't play, so I enjoy the music of McCartney in the same way that I can enjoy the starry sky. I don't know what it means but it fascinates and I think it's great.
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Some of those early YES songs leave me cross-eyed.
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Prog rock as a genre has been widely criticized for being pretentious but I'm still quite fond of a lot of the music. It might not be the most radio friendly or having the best songs but I think it's fun to listen to over the top musicianship occasionallly. Yes covered "Every Little Thing" on their debut album. It's Lennon/McCartney but mainly written by the Paul if I remember it correctly. I think he's a little bit prog on "Heather" and "Rinse the Raindrops" on "Driving Rain". I could have wished me a jam band McCartney album.
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I believe Lovers That Never Were or Mistress and Maid has a 3/4 on top of a 4/4 beat.
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I think "Mr Bellamy" sounds quite advanced.
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Are you certain about that? Playing it in my head, I think the song maintains a 4/4 beat throughout. What you might be hearing is that Paul's vocal in the verses is half-time, just after the first beat of each measure.
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RMartinez:
I believe Lovers That Never Were or Mistress and Maid has a 3/4 on top of a 4/4 beat.
Yes! I remember reading an interview on how he had to challenge Blair Cunningham to maintain that 3/4 beat. But Paul's instincts were correct -- it makes the track.
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And "Vintage Clothes". There are several songs on MAF that sound strange to me. in a good way.
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Somewhere on YouTube is an outtake to the recent Scorsese doc on George Harrison that shows his son Dhani and George Martin listening to alternate tracks for "Here Comes The Son." What was very fascinating for me was that Dhani observed the Indian rhythm-pattern which Harrison had incorporated into the song's instrumental break ("...Sun, sun, sun -- here it comes").. The count was something along the lines of: 1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2-1.
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Indian rhythm-pattern. Will it be like the American Indians or music from India? It confuses me sometimes. I reckon that it is Hindustani Indian Music since Harrison had a particular interest in it. Ravi Shankar... But 'sun sun sun' I also associate with tipi Indians on the prairie. Trance-like. I have a couple of records with Buffy Sainte-Marie by the way.
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audi:
Somewhere on YouTube is an outtake to the recent Scorsese doc on George Harrison that shows his son Dhani and George Martin listening to alternate tracks for "Here Comes The Son." What was very fascinating for me was that Dhani observed the Indian rhythm-pattern which Harrison had incorporated into the song's instrumental break ("...Sun, sun, sun -- here it comes").. The count was something along the lines of: 1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2-1.
Begin 2:20
THANK YOU, (((((PAUL)))))!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!
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Well, I guess you can find some nice detals here and there, if one listen with sharp ears, but I still wonder if I just as often choose to listen to other music if I want to hear lots of drumming and weird instrumental stuff. He has a good drummer in Abe Laboriel Jr. but just as often choose to play drums himself on studio albums, meant to accompany more than play maybe. Is it time for McCartney to make his "Trout Mask Replica"?
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I've always preferred Paul's drumming with the Beatles/Wings over Ringo's style. Much of the drumming on McCartney & Band on the Run was very complex. Keith Moon gave high praise to the drumming on BOTR, not knowing it was Paul. Even the more innovative drumming on Beatle songs, like Ticket to Ride and Every Little Thing, was Paul directed. John once said Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles, and I'd have to agree.
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JoeySmith:
I've always preferred Paul's drumming with the Beatles/Wings over Ringo's style. Much of the drumming on McCartney & Band on the Run was very complex. Even the more innovative drumming on Beatle songs, like Ticket to Ride and Every Little Thing, was Paul directed. John said Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles, and I'd have to agree.
WRONG. John never said that. It's from some stand up comedian's routine in the 1980s. Firstly, the drumming on "McCartney" and "Band on the Run" isn't too terribly complex. And that's OK! A drum part doesn't have to be complex in order for it to be considered good. Secondly, I think people make a bigger deal out of the fact Paul or John told Ringo how to play on particular songs. So what? That happens a lot in bands. If someone writes a song, they're going to have a particular idea or notion on how certain musical parts should sound like. That's their right. It doesn't make the drummer a lesser person for not coming up with the part on their own. And Ringo has plenty of songs where he shines as a drummer: "I Feel Fine," many of the tracks on "Abbey Road," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Happiness is A Warm Gun"... I can go on! Lastly, I think the reason why folks look down upon Ringo as a drummer is that he isn't "flashy"; meaning that he didn't do a lot of soloing or playing super fast. A drummer's job primarily is to keep time and rhythm; Ringo did exactly that, and he did it beautifully. He's truly a drummer's "drummer".
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I never understood the Paul vs. Ringo competition. McCartney can drum on (some of) his own songs because he understands what they need. He wrote it and he is like a multi-instrumentalist. But Ringo is the drummer in the band.
Another thing. That the Beatles stopped touring in 1966 may also have had its say. Late 60s was a period when rock musicians began to become more technical and played much live. But like Ringo said; he learned to play chess while recording "Sgt. Pepper". -
The Beatles did a lot of weird things with time signatures. I think it was mostly because they didn't read music. If they had, they probably would have done things differently. Writing intuitively, they just did what sounded good. Had they actually written the music down, they might have worried about all the odd bars here and there. Here Comes the Sun is 4/4, except in the bridge where it shifts to a repeating 3/8, 5/8, 4/4, 2/4 pattern. I've heard people say it's sloppy, but it's really pretty simple when you look at it. Right after "it's all right" in 4/4: | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 4/4 | 4/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 2/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 2/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 2/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 2/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 2/4 | | 3/8 | 3/8 | 3/8 | 5/8 | 4/4 | 4/4 |
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They followed their inventiveness and intuition, they did not. They were not so concerned with the music teacher's formal correct or wrong, only that it sounded cool to their ears. Beside everything else, I think also it's part of the reason for their lasting appeal. Their music is based on free ideas, and you can hear it. It's uplifting and euphoric, no beast of burden to keep it down.
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Writing instrumental arrangements for some of the wackier songs must have driven George Martin crazy.
