Beatles Electric Guitar Lesson Pack

Lessons

• Lesson 1: A Hard Days Night

  A Hard Day's Night is the self titled song from The Beatle's third studio album released in 1964. This song opens with a really cool suspended chord that's almost impossible to play on one guitar. The recording actually uses two guitars, but I'll show you a way to get around it and make it work on one. From there it picks up into the iconic 60's guitar style of playing, with very bouncy open chords with incorporated common notes to make some interesting suspended and add9 chords. The bridge in particular is interesting because it shifts to a minor key which really changes the mood from the uplifting groove from before. The lick that George Harrison plays in the interlude is really cool and uses an ostinato pattern that has interesting phrasing that I'll show you how to get under your fingers.

• Lesson 2: Come Together

  Come Together is the opening song from Beatles 1969 album "Abbey Road" which was very well received in the US and UK, reaching the top of both music charts. This has always been one of my all time favorite Beatles songs. I actually spent a lot of time in college arranging Beatles songs for solo acoustic guitar and come together was one of my favorites. All of the parts are uniquely laid together. The drums are very rolling and tom-oriented and the bass is very fat and round, which leaves the guitar up to play riffs which is unusual for Beatles considering they played chords most of the time. This song also incorporates one of the most standard blues riffs where you jump back and forth between a power chord and a major sixth interval. The solo is a perfect example of how phrasing, bending and the use of few notes placed correctly can create a unique and powerful sound..

• Lesson 3: I Saw Her Standing There

  I Saw Her Standing There is a billboard chart topper released by Beatles on their 1963 album "Please Please Me". This one has a unique timbre because it incorporates sort of a dominant sound in the introduction, using pentatonic licks to fill in the space between chord hits. It's mostly split between two guitar parts. One plays a rhythmic role, holding it down with broken up low notes and chord hits that mimic a bass and piano player. The other guitar part has a repetitive riff that creates movement in the background for the vocal melody to ring out over.

• Lesson 4: I Feel Fine

  I Feel Fine is a popular riff-based song by Beatles which was released as a single in 1964. This one is cool because it makes use of octaves which is pretty unusual for Beatles. The octaves move up and down the neck in different positions for an interesting effect, while the chorus and bridge are very simple with an on beat rhythm. The solo is no different, keeping the similar simplicity as the rest of the song's riff driven quality. It revolves around sliding quarter notes, almost emulating a vocal quality when it fills in the space between the lyrics, allowing the guitar to play the role of the lead voice.

• Lesson 5: Day Tripper

  Day Tripper is a chart topper by Beatles which was released as a double A-side single in 1965. This song has really unique opening guitar riffs that revolve around an E7 chord that gives it a great bluesy feel. The rest of the tune is very simple and basically involves just a few power chords played rhythmically. This is key in most of Beatles songs, which were more about songwriting and playing in the pocket with a solid groove. There's not too much technique to get wrapped up in so this gives you a really good chance to focus on the musicality of your playing.