Was John Lennon a Good Guitarist?! | Friday Fretworks

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  • Опубликовано: 24 дек 2024

Комментарии • 6 тыс.

  • @brushstroke3733
    @brushstroke3733 3 года назад +931

    John Lennon wasn't a "guitar player" - he was a musician. He didn't set out to master guitar - he used the guitar as one of several tools to make music. Hint: if your goal is to enjoy playing a sport, don't spend all your time lifting weights in the gym. Remember to spend some time actually playing the sport itself!

    • @bumpyroad3251
      @bumpyroad3251 3 года назад +6

      Being part of one of the most important bands in history and great songwriter still doesn't make you a guitar player and even less a good one.

    • @Win7ermu7e
      @Win7ermu7e 3 года назад +8

      what if your sport is weight-lifting?

    • @brushstroke3733
      @brushstroke3733 3 года назад +5

      @@Win7ermu7e Then you have a semantics problem. Sport is a form of competition, but not all competition is sport.

    • @Win7ermu7e
      @Win7ermu7e 3 года назад +1

      @@brushstroke3733 Olympic weight-lifting is a sport. Just admit I destroyed your analogy and move on.

    • @brushstroke3733
      @brushstroke3733 3 года назад +5

      @@Win7ermu7e Semantics, friend, semantics. I admit that words mean different things to different people.
      Weight lifting doesn't look like sport to me, it looks like a competition of strength. There is no game, no strategy, no agility. OK, that's not really fair to weight lifting - there is a bit of agility involved in power moves, and some strategy in training, but I still don't define it as sport.
      You destroyed nothing, but if pinning me to some imaginary verbal dispute mat makes you feel better about yourself, please continue in your delusion.

  • @nickv4073
    @nickv4073 4 года назад +2089

    My favorite Lennon quote: "I'm an artist. Give me a tuba and I'll find a way to get something out of it."

    • @michaelszczys8316
      @michaelszczys8316 4 года назад +36

      Mine too, I heard that from radio station interview. “ I’m an artist, give me a tuba and I’ll make something of it.

    • @entityofmusic6842
      @entityofmusic6842 4 года назад +63

      Michael Szczys As an ex tuba player, that makes me happy to hear

    • @chuchoceja
      @chuchoceja 4 года назад +15

      And I think, withour a guitar or with a tuba, he will composed the more beautiful songs.

    • @TobyHonest420
      @TobyHonest420 4 года назад +22

      He stole that quote from John Coltrane

    • @kindnessfirst9670
      @kindnessfirst9670 4 года назад +10

      He probably got that from Yoko. People who make art usually refer to themselves by what they actually do (painter, guitar player, photographer, etc.) rather than as "artists".

  • @NxDoyle
    @NxDoyle 3 года назад +730

    The shortest answer I can give to any question about a Beatle's ability is, "He was in The Beatles."

    • @petertorrey4080
      @petertorrey4080 3 года назад +10

      Lol..true!

    • @TrekBeatTK
      @TrekBeatTK 3 года назад +7

      So was Pete Best...

    • @rafizi_ilhan
      @rafizi_ilhan 3 года назад +23

      @@TrekBeatTK for the guy.... He's fired. If he's good, he'd stay

    • @jamesdunn2214
      @jamesdunn2214 3 года назад +12

      @@TrekBeatTK But he was a " lousy drummer" according to John. Pete didn't fit in, musically or otherwise. So, he got the sack.

    • @NxDoyle
      @NxDoyle 3 года назад +7

      @@TrekBeatTK Maybe I should have said _The_ Beatles.

  • @mirrlamp
    @mirrlamp 2 года назад +199

    John is one of the best rhythm guitar players ever. The fact he was a wonderful songwriter in the greatest band that will ever exist means his playing is often taken for granted or overlooked. He wasn't a gear head and rarely mentioned his playing in interviews but just listen and you will hear how great he was.

    • @lynettescott1627
      @lynettescott1627 Год назад +9

      John was a fantastic rhythm guitarist, he drove the Beatles along, not mention the drive in his voice.❤

    • @sharkmanyt4431
      @sharkmanyt4431 11 месяцев назад +2

      He really wasn’t. Playing chords alone doesn’t make you a great rhythm guitarist. Look at people like James Hetfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan. THEY are great rhythm guitarists.

    • @cmg1819
      @cmg1819 10 месяцев назад +4

      Where either of them rhythm guitarist in the greatest band of all time though? Lennon was so he mustn't of been half bad.

    • @damonmoon436
      @damonmoon436 8 месяцев назад

      Because John didn't just play the chords he provided the fucking rhythm because he was A FUCKING RHYTHM GUITARIST!! Or didn't you see the examples in the video? It literally drove the song, asshole​@@sharkmanyt4431

    • @stephenosullivan9016
      @stephenosullivan9016 6 месяцев назад +2

      @@sharkmanyt4431The fact that there are some players better then John doesn’t mean he was great! There’s plenty of great rhythm guitarist and John one of the best. Ringo, in an interview, TWICE declared John the greatest rhythm player. He said “Paul is a fine bass player, George is a fine lead guitarist, John…John is the greatest rhythm guitarist ever!” Ringo has played with everybody. So I’ll take his opinion over anyone’s.

  • @tonybrooks476
    @tonybrooks476 4 года назад +2950

    People don’t appreciate rhythm guitar enough.

    • @MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy
      @MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy 4 года назад +84

      I prefer playing rhythm doesn't require you to do so much but it is still a pivotal role in my opinion

    • @garymccoy6564
      @garymccoy6564 4 года назад +154

      @@MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy Actually, Miguel, if you do it correctly, it does require you to do a great deal. Grooving is most definitely a skill; it is just not a particularly obvious one.

    • @Rolotrealanis
      @Rolotrealanis 4 года назад +86

      Ill take cory wong's playing over any shredder any day of the week. Rhythm is for sure more than just strumming simple open chords.

    • @flammaferus2998
      @flammaferus2998 4 года назад +109

      ​@@MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy Song can exist without a guitar solo or bass, but definitely cannot exists without a rhythm line. Music is all about rhythm, so playing rhythm guitar is essential.

    • @queenhenryviii
      @queenhenryviii 4 года назад +10

      @@flammaferus2998 Exactly!

  • @durwoodball4062
    @durwoodball4062 4 года назад +823

    The Beatles, including John Lennon, were experts on their instruments. They logged thousands and thousands of hours playing in the clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg and later in the recording studios. But to understand how they played their instruments, you have to understand that the Beatles were an instrumental vocal-harmony group. They were not unlike Smokey Robinson and Miracles, except that the Beatles played their own instruments to support their singing. John, Paul, George, and Ringo were brilliant ensemble players, not grandiose soloists such as Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix. Clapton was a prodigious guitar player; the Beatles were a prodigious band. Today, our conception of great musicianship is distorted by virtuosos on all sorts of instruments; they are a dime a dozen anymore. and frankly, their extended solos are generally boring. We tend to overlook or underestimate great ensemble musicians, such as John Lennon. Lennon is simply the greatest rhythm guitarist in rock history and he achieved this status in the greatest rock band of all time. Now, that's musicianship!

    • @ToddCiehomski
      @ToddCiehomski 3 года назад +34

      Excellent points. I agree with everything except the "Lennon is simply the best rhythm, guitarist bit." I think Keith Richards gets that nod.

    • @Scottygthreethousand
      @Scottygthreethousand 3 года назад +7

      Very well put. Music is after all about harmonic relationships.

    • @MartinJHenebury
      @MartinJHenebury 3 года назад +14

      Yeah Keith Richards I would definitely put above him
      Of course John is the better songwriter and vocalist

    • @stealthbastard8837
      @stealthbastard8837 3 года назад +14

      @@ToddCiehomski Close, but i choose Lennon.

    • @arewestilldoingphrasing6490
      @arewestilldoingphrasing6490 3 года назад +13

      idk best rhythm guitarist in my book is Malcolm Young

  • @tecnica-de-voz
    @tecnica-de-voz 3 года назад +1356

    The man spent his music career writing amazing songs, not practicing scales.

    • @duffgordon9005
      @duffgordon9005 3 года назад +45

      By saying that, you diss the greatest rock guitarists that Did practice their scales until it was is hardwired in their brains. They were so successful at a young age, that the guys that sacrifice years to approach a, say, Nils Lofgren either start at 7 (glen Campbell) who knew the guitar so well that he did not need to read music. Also, about hard wiring the brain, Glen Campell in late dementia could still play, "from a deep memory" now THAT's WHAT I ASM TALKING ABOUT.

    • @tecnica-de-voz
      @tecnica-de-voz 3 года назад +146

      @@duffgordon9005 as a musician you can practice all the scales you want, and if that is your choice I think is great, but I'm not saying anything that isn't true here. Lennon was not that musician. He's super power was writing songs.

    • @sombra1111
      @sombra1111 3 года назад +33

      @@duffgordon9005 "...who knew the guitar so well that he did not need to read music."
      Yes, like almost all of the great guitar players in the world, ever. Nobody necessarily needs to read music to be a great rock guitar player or musician and most of the best didn't.

    • @mobsiesixsixsix9785
      @mobsiesixsixsix9785 3 года назад +13

      @@sombra1111 "Most of the best didn't"
      Well that's Hendrix, Gilmour, Fripp, Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Blackmoor and Page out.
      Love to hear what you rate if they're not the best. The only person who can't read music that I can think of that's considered one of the best is Clapton.

    • @sombra1111
      @sombra1111 3 года назад +12

      @@mobsiesixsixsix9785 You just proved my point, because the only people who could read out of all that you mentioned is Zappa and Fripp. Blackmore, when asked about it by The Guardian said this:
      Did you read music?
      “Yeah, but not well. It was more like chord sheets. Pagey [Jimmy Page] was in all those sessions. Sometimes you’d get complete rock’n’rollers who could play but wouldn’t be able to read, and others who could read but wouldn’t be able to improvise. Sometimes they’d want rock’n’roll sessions and that’s what we’d do.”

  • @TheGumbyRules
    @TheGumbyRules Год назад +69

    John Lennon: Great rhythm player, great singer, one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived.

  • @chrisgilliver1
    @chrisgilliver1 4 года назад +667

    Regardless of his guitar playing, he was an absolute master of chord progression.

    • @georgescarlett2320
      @georgescarlett2320 4 года назад +30

      "Walrus" is proof of that. I can't stand the song, but ya gotta love the imagination of the intro's chord progression!!

    • @danielkokal8819
      @danielkokal8819 4 года назад +27

      agreed..... a very difficult thing to master as well. Him and Paul, by the time they
      were kids they were writing like grownups and by the time they were grownups
      they were writing like the Masters. always at least 2 years ahead of everyone else.

    • @chrisgilliver1
      @chrisgilliver1 4 года назад +16

      Why don't you like Walrus? I absolutely love it, but I know plenty don't like the nonsense lyrics. Its outro is absolutely outstanding, although I think credit goes to George Martin for that one.

    • @chrisgilliver1
      @chrisgilliver1 4 года назад +5

      @@danielkokal8819 Right, they wrote songs in a way that no one else did. Even now their song writing is incredibly distinctive.

    • @fiftypeehead
      @fiftypeehead 4 года назад +19

      Every Beatles song I've ever tried to learn has at least one chord I cant get near

  • @Matt-1d
    @Matt-1d 4 года назад +168

    So refreshing to hear a guitar you tuber celebrate quality rhythm playing.

  • @Kman1960
    @Kman1960 4 года назад +597

    First and foremost Lennon was an artist. He was even quoted as saying: “I'm an artist. You give me a f***ing tuba, I'll get you something out of it."

    • @ketzal.tierra
      @ketzal.tierra 4 года назад +41

      Spot on. Lennon was not only an artist, he was a genius.

    • @TheAxxeman
      @TheAxxeman 4 года назад +6

      Awesome response...

    • @OakLawnSpeedShop
      @OakLawnSpeedShop 4 года назад +6

      Frank Costello said that. ;-)

    • @philm.6113
      @philm.6113 4 года назад +5

      I'll bring you something out of it.

    • @kennethlauer4735
      @kennethlauer4735 4 года назад +9

      "DONT LAUGH' THIS AINT REALITY TV!"

  • @lynnb8600
    @lynnb8600 3 года назад +227

    He played in one of the greatest bands in the history of humanity. I'd say he played good enough

    • @johnmeeks6113
      @johnmeeks6113 2 года назад +4

      Yes indeed .

    • @niggato23
      @niggato23 2 года назад +5

      And he basically created it which is the cherry on top

    • @gboard17
      @gboard17 Год назад

      He was good. I don't think I'm good but I never quit learning.

    • @garymorris1856
      @garymorris1856 Год назад +9

      No, not "one of the greatest," they were the greatest.

    • @chuckyoneill9029
      @chuckyoneill9029 Год назад

      Lynn the greatest not 2 but numero uno

  • @notmyrealhandle
    @notmyrealhandle 4 года назад +2589

    I've always found beatles' songs to be more difficult to play than they sound.

    • @jameschristiansson3137
      @jameschristiansson3137 4 года назад +165

      Here Comes the Sun is deceptively "simple".

    • @pauljohnson9260
      @pauljohnson9260 4 года назад +33

      notmyrealname yes Exactly so.

    • @bonitoludi
      @bonitoludi 4 года назад +40

      The same happens with Supertramp

    • @obbor4
      @obbor4 4 года назад +162

      Truly. I remember first learning to play songs by both The Beatles and The Stones only to find that most Stones songs (and those of any number of other bands) contained about three chords, in pretty basic shapes, while Lennon's chords had a wide variety, and the the shapes and rhythms were infinitely more complex. Not to mention trying to sing while of that stuff was going on!

    • @rickbangkok
      @rickbangkok 4 года назад +31

      Two of Us... subtle difficulties

  • @callum2463
    @callum2463 4 года назад +863

    Having technical skill doesn’t make you a good guitarist, it makes you a good performer. What makes you a good guitarist is your ability to make music that people can connect with

    • @q4991
      @q4991 3 года назад +8

      Good 'Technical skills' ...Equals a *Good Performer*? Nah, No, Nay! Apples and Grapefruits, yeah? Good 'Tech' Might equal a *Good Studio player*, yeah?

    • @jacko9179
      @jacko9179 3 года назад +2

      Spot on, took the words out of my mouth/keyboard 😉

    • @callum2463
      @callum2463 3 года назад

      @@q4991 well technical skills make for an interesting performance, so that makes them a good performer

    • @SalvatoriusMyspace
      @SalvatoriusMyspace 3 года назад +7

      in fact Ennio Morricone cannot play all instruments he composed for, there are pluri instrumentalists that never have composed anything

    • @seekingjustice2079
      @seekingjustice2079 3 года назад +8

      A good guitarist is one who plays the well. You're confusing the terms "guitarist" and "composer".

  • @macie7089
    @macie7089 4 года назад +1021

    The fact that this is even a question disturbs me.

    • @Voxac100b
      @Voxac100b 4 года назад +36

      I agree John was a great guitarist his rhythm style playing drove the band live on stage.

    • @lindadote
      @lindadote 4 года назад +23

      The Queatles .......yes, I thought it was an odd thing to ask. There’s good reason The Beatles were/are known as “the best” and John’s abilities as a guitarist were evident on every track he played on.

    • @bettertoolatethannever
      @bettertoolatethannever 4 года назад +11

      Precisely, attention seeking, clearly

    • @macie7089
      @macie7089 4 года назад

      @@bettertoolatethannever Could be. I'd like to hope not, though.

    • @Voxac100b
      @Voxac100b 4 года назад +8

      The kids a great guitarist too..but has he watched the Melbourne 64 concert?? Esp the part John gets his hand shook by a fan..you then hear Long Tall Sally played without John who was driving the music....

  • @chipper2462
    @chipper2462 2 года назад +27

    Never have I seen a musician do such a great job of replicating the tone and feel of this old music...Great work.

  • @LorriSanga
    @LorriSanga 4 года назад +724

    I believe anyone who says he's terrible guitar player has a strange grasp on music.

    • @LeeHutchingsdrumsUK
      @LeeHutchingsdrumsUK 4 года назад +42

      Agreed. Also, 'Dear Prudence' is another wonderful example of John's complex writing/playing. He was a master of playing difficult parts with ease, and just goes to show how much of a great guitar player he was. Very underrated in my book.

    • @charlescauldron
      @charlescauldron 4 года назад +45

      FWIW, I assumed the debate was over his virtuosity, not songwriting. Kurt Cobain is a relatively poor guitar player (listen to his solo on Man Who Sold the World), but is an inarguably talented songwriter. Yngwie Malmsteen, meanwhile, could rip you off a mixolydian scale solo, but couldn't write a catchy chorus hook to save his life. Even Eric Clapton, a guitar player I adore, wasn't a great song-for-song writer. Being a "good guitarist" and a "good songwriter" are just different skills. So I'd argue while the debate over John Lennon as a good songwriter is non-existent, the debate over his guitar virtuosity is pretty interesting. I'd always assumed he was a mediocre guitar player -- this video made a pretty convincing case to the contrary.

    • @LorriSanga
      @LorriSanga 4 года назад +7

      Music is a subjective artform, isn't it. You have Malmseen's virtuosity with an argument of no songs to back it up. Then there's the state of popular music that is largely void of originality. To my ears anyway.
      I'll hold early VH albums up as an example of covering the bases.

    • @nigel3inch969
      @nigel3inch969 4 года назад +8

      Jay Pinkerton that guitar solo on man who sold the world was written by David Bowie

    • @pappyodanial
      @pappyodanial 4 года назад

      Yeah I mean they were hit writers... No like technical noodlers. Different approach the guitar than most, sadly.

  • @Dunlooser
    @Dunlooser 4 года назад +135

    Add the fact that John was not only playing these incredible chord progressions keeping the rhythm section bounding along. He did so whilst singing and always looking at the audience. Not the fret board. Brilliant entertainer.

    • @nic1922
      @nic1922 4 года назад +5

      john smith lol fair enough

    • @osamabinladen824
      @osamabinladen824 4 года назад

      Ummm.. It's not that hard.

    • @paulburns1333
      @paulburns1333 4 года назад +7

      @@osamabinladen824 Where's your stuff then?

  • @Wingman52
    @Wingman52 4 года назад +228

    I Feel Fine, Strawberry Fields, Julia, You Can't Do That, The End... just off the top of my head. One of the best rhythm players in rock. His rhythm tracks in the early Beatles defined the band, they were the driving force behind the energy those early songs had. He was extremely good and quite uniquely artistic. They all were! There was nothing like him, nothing like them, and never will be.

    • @nervo6321
      @nervo6321 4 года назад +5

      Absolutely..couldnt agree more...

    • @cacti4926
      @cacti4926 4 года назад +6

      How bout all my loving? Lennon said that he really liked his part in that song because he knew it made the song a little more memorable

    • @thanks58
      @thanks58 4 года назад +2

      All my loving, cry baby cry,

    • @gidosteinert8931
      @gidosteinert8931 4 года назад +1

      All my loving and The End are Paul Songs

    • @aaronjohnson3463
      @aaronjohnson3463 4 года назад +4

      @@gidosteinert8931 talking about guitar and not who wrote or sang it

  • @threethymes
    @threethymes 3 года назад +89

    This is a fantastic video showing your love and skill. Considering John was also singing often complex harmonies at the same time as playing the guitar he really was an amazing musician. They were all so brilliant.

  • @PhiI93
    @PhiI93 4 года назад +269

    Any musician or guitarists who understands the art knows his talent. It's so much more than being technically proficient. People who knock Lennons playing are just ignorant.

    • @Irv123
      @Irv123 4 года назад +3

      Thank you!

    • @waynej2608
      @waynej2608 4 года назад +3

      Absolutely!

    • @Progarges
      @Progarges 4 года назад +3

      Finally... the correct anwser.
      A good technique its the way yo canalize your talent... but talent its part of the esence of a Human being... everyone could learn to play Imagine but anyone could teach you how to became John Lennon

    • @sounder9393
      @sounder9393 4 года назад +1

      He was also quite technically proficient, just in an understated way.

    • @jcavazos7559
      @jcavazos7559 4 года назад +2

      You are right sir. What would the Beatles be without John Lennon.

  • @mlhesler68
    @mlhesler68 4 года назад +1946

    Only those who never played guitar would say Lennon was a terrible guitarist.

    • @alanholcomb3822
      @alanholcomb3822 4 года назад +32

      Michael Hesler and I run into them all the time !

    • @montydaniels1054
      @montydaniels1054 4 года назад +38

      @EJ D Yes, George brought Eric Clapton into EMI with him & after Lennon heard Clapton playing the Lead Guitar tracks, both John & Paul agreed that the song needed to be on the white album. On ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps'' George played his 6 string acoustic guitar. Clapton was never credited for his playing on the white album but that's just how he was. George played with Clapton on his album without being credited for the work he did.He & Eric were just great friends....

    • @marksc1929
      @marksc1929 4 года назад +5

      ..well said..

    • @gabrielrolon7609
      @gabrielrolon7609 4 года назад +11

      @EJ D also that song wouldn't exist if george hadnt wrote it in the first place so I feel that is a bad example for why you feel lennon wasnt a great guitar player

    • @patl9404
      @patl9404 4 года назад +8

      This is just a punk kid, who has no bussiness judging any one, i watched for 3 minutes and said what s fucking idiot,enough said

  • @UliJonHendrix
    @UliJonHendrix 4 года назад +166

    John Lennon wrote ‘I Want you, She’s so heavy’ Easily one of the greatest riffs ever created. It’s a drop D tuning which gives it the grunge/stoner rock feel. Lightyears ahead of their time.

    • @scottmatheson2390
      @scottmatheson2390 4 года назад +4

      that's a great point. I can even imagine John McLaughlin coming up with something similar.

    • @JohannDaart
      @JohannDaart 4 года назад +3

      I love "I Want You", but it was actually a parody of bands that played monotone riffs. Because of that, the song itself is monotone to death.

    • @andyisdead
      @andyisdead 4 года назад +4

      @@JohannDaart could you cite those bands?

    • @MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy
      @MiguelGonzalez-ck9xy 4 года назад +5

      That song always sucks me into another place the heavy riff is just amazing John was way ahead of his time

    • @tdoggo7614
      @tdoggo7614 4 года назад +3

      Kurt Cobain worshipped him.

  • @deepsix1827
    @deepsix1827 3 года назад +51

    John Lennon was a GREAT guitarist! He wrote some of the greatest acoustic riffs of all time.

    • @sharkmanyt4431
      @sharkmanyt4431 11 месяцев назад

      Doesn’t make him a good player…

    • @tonycsmith5655
      @tonycsmith5655 11 месяцев назад +2

      @@sharkmanyt4431 Agree he wasn't good, he was Great.

    • @sharkmanyt4431
      @sharkmanyt4431 11 месяцев назад

      @@tonycsmith5655 he really wasn’t, being a good writer doesn’t make you a good player

  • @edt.5118
    @edt.5118 4 года назад +147

    It took me awhile to realize John Lennon’s rhythm guitar was one of the many identifiable sounds of the Beatles. Each member was an integral part of the Beatles’ sound.

    • @crayzeyezyoshi
      @crayzeyezyoshi 4 года назад +10

      So true. I dont think many people realise that. Each part they brought were amazing when woven into one. Lennon just had that knack of putting the perfect rhythm at the right time and way more than most understand.

    • @kuyajeff6552
      @kuyajeff6552 3 года назад +6

      John’s rhythm playing fit in perfectly with George’s lead, since George switched from lead to rhythm in a lot of songs. John wasn’t a guitar hero, but he is certainly under rated and I love his playing. The Beatles just meshed like well oiled gears and changed the world.

    • @senseichess8688
      @senseichess8688 3 года назад +1

      Well said

    • @senseichess8688
      @senseichess8688 3 года назад +1

      @@kuyajeff6552 yes sir

    • @blablablanananna7079
      @blablablanananna7079 3 года назад

      @@crayzeyezyoshi is

  • @z-man4765
    @z-man4765 4 года назад +182

    It’s like asking... was Hemingway a good speller.

    • @lunarods5466
      @lunarods5466 4 года назад +5

      Brilliant analogy! No more questions, Y.H.

    • @ManCrew
      @ManCrew 3 года назад +3

      Exactly this.......well said.....to dissenters....go look up who has the most #1 songs all time.(Lennon & McCartney). Putting the right chords to the right words is daunting. Most artists might have a handful of #1's. 32 - #1s is beyond genius level.

    • @bloozedaddy
      @bloozedaddy 3 года назад

      He could play acoustic but was pretty horrific on electric. Paul was probably the best guitarist. Compare Blackbird to Julia or Norwegian Wood which are probably John's high points.

    • @welsh_Witch
      @welsh_Witch 3 года назад

      Hemingway did a lot of bat shit crazy stuff not limited to hinting U-boats with hand grenades being chased by the CIA for being involved with the KGB and being in charge of a militia outside Paris

    • @Knowbody42
      @Knowbody42 3 года назад +1

      Was Einstein good at maths?

  • @vyger6336
    @vyger6336 4 года назад +106

    I saw the Beatles at Shea when I was 15 and then went out and bought a crappy guitar and have been playing ever since...I have learned many , many Beatle songs and anyone who says that Lennon wasn't a good guitar player is totally ignorant concerning arrangement of music. It's great to see someone as young as yourself appreciate the complexity of the Beatles musical abilities...

    • @nolanr7679
      @nolanr7679 4 года назад +3

      Goodness gracious what I would give to have been at that concert, or to even be alive for their reign for that matter

    • @frederickfarias9570
      @frederickfarias9570 4 года назад +1

      Nolan R you wouldn’t believe the excitement they created for people. We all had Transistor radios in the playground. You couldn’t understand why girls would scream or swoon. At a very young age...race to the radio tv if a new Beatle song came out.

    • @sandycohen9862
      @sandycohen9862 4 года назад

      I saw the Beatles at Atlantic City Convention Hall the same year, couldn't hear them much over the screaming

    • @danielkokal8819
      @danielkokal8819 4 года назад +3

      I saw them in person arrive at the Pittsburgh airport in 64. I was 6. such a mob
      scene. I saw them carry a girl away on a stretcher. fainted cold. girls were
      climbing fences and phone poles. unbridled mayhem, and they werent even
      singing ! Beatles put electricity in the air. every album was an event. talked
      about for weeks. That year all top 5 positions of the Top Ten chart were
      'all Beatle songs. They reigned as boy giants. and no one of their kind has
      come along since.

    • @andrewbell2712
      @andrewbell2712 4 года назад +1

      So who won the game, the Mets or the Beatles? Did the Beatles get any "hits" against Tom Seaver, who
      had filthy stuff, or was it a hard day's night for them? All Ringo has left from that concert is a photograph. Any rain delays during the game? Those New Yorkers might as well be dead
      when the rain comes. Tomorrow never knows, I guess.

  • @bobbyshiflett8596
    @bobbyshiflett8596 3 года назад +165

    Before The Beatles were ever known to the world, John had spent untold hours playing gigs in Hamburg and Liverpool. From August 1960 through December 1962, the Beatles played over 250 nights for up to four or five hours a night. These gigs included such unglamorous jobs as backing strippers and playing to drunk sailors. So yeah, John was a practiced and very good guitarist.
    I recall reading an interview in Guitar Player magazine, with Nancy Wilson of Heart, who called John one of the best rhythm guitarists in the history of rock and roll. She considered him to be a major influence on her and taught her the importance of solid rhythm playing, which too few "great" guitarists have seemed to master. It's impossible to calculate the influence John's guitar playing and songwriting have had on music.

    • @gerrodmendham461
      @gerrodmendham461 3 года назад +3

      Who are these 'The Beatles' you refer to? I've just watched the comedy film 'Yesterday'..............??

    • @fortunatejeremy
      @fortunatejeremy 3 года назад +8

      I agree that a huge reason why the Beatles were so good was because of their time in Germany. Playing up to 8 hours a day for 2 years would help anyone get really good.

    • @howie9751
      @howie9751 3 года назад +3

      Who were the other great rhythm guitarists? Nobody ever mentions any other ones. Discussion on rhythm guitarist appears to begin and end with John. Seems to me every Beatle has to be "great" in people's eyes, even if they have to make up a category.

    • @Morrow45105
      @Morrow45105 2 года назад +6

      @@howie9751 this is the first time you’ve heard of rhythm Guitar? Lmao

    • @garyhoffman503
      @garyhoffman503 2 года назад

      Great synopsis!

  • @kato64
    @kato64 4 года назад +349

    I’ve been playing for 40 years. I wish I was as “terrible” of a guitarist as John Lennon was. I’d have written some of the greatest songs of the last 55 years or so.

    • @ralex3697
      @ralex3697 4 года назад +4

      Agree

    • @brushstroke3733
      @brushstroke3733 3 года назад +3

      You'd also have to be a "terrible" lyricist like John to write songs of such caliber.

    • @kato64
      @kato64 3 года назад +12

      @@brushstroke3733 - Agreed. Total crap as a lyricst. I mean what the hell is “a hard day’s night”? Obviously should been called “a relaxing evening at home with the wife, after a tough day at work”. Duh! “Musical genius” my foot! 😏

    • @brushstroke3733
      @brushstroke3733 3 года назад +6

      @@kato64 And what's with him being so coy with that "please please me" lyric? He could have just sung "baby please give me head" instead. Why beat around the bush about it? 😉

    • @kato64
      @kato64 3 года назад +3

      @A Antonson - Not two completely different things when you’re writing and playing the music. We’re not talking a Tin Pan Alley songwriter, handing his tune over to Englebert Humperdinck. We’re talking John F***ing Lennon.

  • @terenceteebken8860
    @terenceteebken8860 4 года назад +826

    John himself said: “I’m not a technically good guitar player but, I can make it sing.”

    • @tomrider1976able
      @tomrider1976able 4 года назад +93

      actually i think he says he can make it fucking howl.

    • @wildbill2122
      @wildbill2122 4 года назад +20

      @@tomrider1976able You are correct Sir ! "HOWL" is what he said.

    • @patrick-sprachenmusikstudi5351
      @patrick-sprachenmusikstudi5351 4 года назад +13

      @Badass Frank Henry I don't think he is overrated as there are videos explaining why he is a great guitarist and not why he isn't.

    • @BenZeebar
      @BenZeebar 4 года назад +32

      John said the following in a Rolling Stone interview, 21 Jan, 1971: “Q: How do you rate yourself as a guitarist? A: Well, it depends on what kind? I’m OK, I’m not technically good, but I can make it fucking howl and move. I was rhythm guitarist. It’s an important job. I can make a band drive.”

    • @slothfromthegoonies8201
      @slothfromthegoonies8201 4 года назад +8

      @Badass Frank Henry, overrated how? Few consider him a guitar god, he was a great singer and songwriter.

  • @thanehtike
    @thanehtike 4 года назад +113

    Now that I'm old with lots of gray in my beard, I've come to a realization. A good guitar player is one who can get reactions out of people and impact their lives in some way. Guitar proficiency has little to do with whether or not a player can evoke emotions from the masses. There are plenty of amateurish players who have influenced people and some even changed the world of guitar and beyond.
    John Lennon was and still is great at being John Lennon!

    • @pauljohnson9260
      @pauljohnson9260 4 года назад +4

      TIM HTIKE so true even an amateur playing a song with all their heart and soul can stir something inside . They say every person has a beautiful song to sing in them

    • @tdoggo7614
      @tdoggo7614 4 года назад +1

      I agree. 1980’s were loaded with guitar players that could play good solos but felt like just showing off. The 1990’s with grunge was more about chords and some solid rock music just like the bands they most admired (like the Beatles)

    • @alastairmackay4861
      @alastairmackay4861 4 года назад +1

      Very well said

    • @AllbeeHivezChristianAllbee
      @AllbeeHivezChristianAllbee 4 года назад +1

      Which is why people like John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Joe Strummer, Johnny Ramone and others are highly admired.

    • @josephfernandez1738
      @josephfernandez1738 4 года назад

      Spot on!

  • @deepeddyrecords5933
    @deepeddyrecords5933 3 года назад +31

    Re: Get Back, you are indeed correct. It's more important to play for the song than to show off how many notes you can play. Those lines elevated the song to a new level, so they were perfect. Not too much and not too little.

    • @hankrogacki8356
      @hankrogacki8356 2 года назад

      The Van Halen revamp of hammer on pull off was in itself a great accomplishment.
      The problem arises after tom dick and harry decided to do the same over and over until they beat the soul out of the music.

  • @justinguitarcia
    @justinguitarcia 4 года назад +100

    John played with so much attitude and urgency, love his playing

    • @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv
      @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv 4 года назад +5

      Very well said!

    • @williepard
      @williepard 4 года назад +1

      Same story with Keith Richards when he played rhythm. Rhythm guitar is always under appreciated, but Lennon seems to get dissed more than others.

    • @tristantaravella854
      @tristantaravella854 4 года назад

      This is the real point. I'm actually amazed by his wild touch in plastic ono band álbum & cold turkey

  • @The_Walrus_Was_Paul_1984
    @The_Walrus_Was_Paul_1984 4 года назад +91

    One of the best rhythm guitarist ever, really percussive, early Beatles stuff is great.

    • @joesheppards1
      @joesheppards1 4 года назад +7

      His rhythm guitar is very difficult to play. Like All My Loving and I’m Happy To Just Dance With You. Honestly very difficult to get down.

    • @rman52
      @rman52 4 года назад +6

      Agree %100. Oh darling, revolution, she's so heavy, get back, and so many other rhythm classics.

    • @johnnymoondogs1816
      @johnnymoondogs1816 4 года назад +2

      He's the greatest rhythm guitar player to ever lived hands down

    • @richardalexander4300
      @richardalexander4300 4 года назад

      All the Beatles stuff is Great !!! Always will be !!!

    • @osamabinladen824
      @osamabinladen824 4 года назад

      @@johnnymoondogs1816 Hey you

  • @alexhudson3574
    @alexhudson3574 4 года назад +193

    lennon was a genius without question , I have never heard the guitar isolated from these tracks before and you played awesome

    • @jessicacosiguitar
      @jessicacosiguitar 4 года назад +3

      I agree, John is a genius!

    • @gregorynjr11
      @gregorynjr11 4 года назад +2

      Fabulous job! True enough.rhythm guitar is highly underappreciated...as good as mick taylor was, it was keith's playing that drove the Stones into greatness. Nice playing

    • @RetroEternal
      @RetroEternal 3 года назад

      Melodic genius both vocally and rhythm guitar

  • @TTM9691
    @TTM9691 3 года назад +58

    I love his guitar solos in Honey Pie, Get Back, Going Down On Love and his very funky sound in "The End." He was a rhythm guitarist, not a lead guitarist - and his rhythm playing is fantastic. Most of all, what he may not have in chops, he has in one major element that most guitar players lack: feel. I wouldn't change a note on any Beatle record, ESPECIALLY the guitars.

    • @johnmeeks6113
      @johnmeeks6113 2 года назад +2

      Amen well put !

    • @TTM9691
      @TTM9691 2 года назад

      @@johnmeeks6113 Thanks! An old comment that I forgot about. Looking at it now....I'm quite happy with it!!!! Thanks John! (and thank YOU, John.....where ever you are.....:( Always in our ears. )

    • @TTM9691
      @TTM9691 2 года назад +1

      The only thing I missed in this comment: all the IMMORTAL RIFFS the guy came up with. Day Tripper? I Feel Fine? You Can't Do That? He plays fantastic driving rhythm on "You Can't Do That", "I Call Your Name", driving triplets all through "All My Loving"....I believe he plays the guitar break on "You Can't Do That" as well, which is fantastic.....gaaaaaaa f**k this video.....lol

  • @davidchavers1820
    @davidchavers1820 4 года назад +306

    It’s so funny most of the people who want to play guitar don’t know a thing about playing rhythm And John Lennon was a genius at it

    • @denest3435
      @denest3435 4 года назад +9

      Totally agree well said

    • @WharfRat4
      @WharfRat4 4 года назад +24

      I've also come to realise that one thing holding back my lead playing is my weakness as a rythmn player, in particular my knowledge of which chords I can substitute where, plus triads around the neck.
      If you listen to players like Josh Smith, Robben Ford and Matt Schofield a lot of their lead lines are based on chordal ideas.

    • @brankostanojevic7421
      @brankostanojevic7421 4 года назад +2

      Like Izzy Stradlin ...on awesomeness on rhythm 🎸.

    • @jmad627
      @jmad627 4 года назад +7

      Maybe because they think playing really fast means that they’re a great player.

    • @dannymoulton4829
      @dannymoulton4829 4 года назад +9

      It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing.

  • @williamarendell5328
    @williamarendell5328 3 года назад +91

    What makes John Lennon a great guitar player is, the amount of amazing guitars players who play guitar because they were inspired by John Lennon! There are lots of ways to be great!

    • @johnmeeks6113
      @johnmeeks6113 2 года назад +5

      Im.one .... The Beatles got me started on music as a guitar player.... I'm 71 and still axing away !!

  • @pedromarques7457
    @pedromarques7457 4 года назад +103

    There are and always have been thousands of good guitarists in the world. None of them can hold a candle to John Lennon in songwriting skills.

    • @sanjaysharma-yy7tv
      @sanjaysharma-yy7tv 4 года назад +5

      May be millions

    • @sebfreshnckf3504
      @sebfreshnckf3504 4 года назад +1

      Richie Blackmore 😁

    • @garymccoy6564
      @garymccoy6564 4 года назад +5

      Many thousands; and NONE of them accomplished on guitar what John Lennon did.

    • @johnnymoondogs1816
      @johnnymoondogs1816 4 года назад +8

      Facts John Lennon songwriting skills is untouchable he is arguably the greatest songwriter ever.

    • @Allan-et5ig
      @Allan-et5ig 4 года назад +2

      Not really the point of the video. There are HUNDREDS of thousands or more, excellent guitarists in the world. Few have ANYTHING to say. John did. (George too.)

  • @vinb1221
    @vinb1221 3 года назад +21

    Lennon is one of the greatest rhythm guitarists in rock. Listen to All My Loving, I'm So Happy When You Dance With Me, etc. The other Beatles called him Johnny Rhythm early in their career.

  • @Engineer_Who
    @Engineer_Who 4 года назад +118

    I don't recall who said it, but I remember someone who played with John once said that he was the most solid rhythm guitar players in rock. It was along the lines of "When John's playing, you lock into his tempo because it's always perfect."
    Kinda like how some drummers say that metronomes use Ringo to keep in time.

    • @gregdahlen4375
      @gregdahlen4375 3 года назад +4

      they were on the beat hence "beatles"

    • @johnnyrocker7495
      @johnnyrocker7495 3 года назад

      BS.

    • @michaelvaladez6570
      @michaelvaladez6570 3 года назад

      When asking Double Fantasy his last album , a studio musician a guitarist as well has said he was nervous about playing along side Lennon made a remark that not only was a great rhythm player he played loud and hard, paraphrasing here.

    • @michaelvaladez6570
      @michaelvaladez6570 3 года назад +2

      The studio musician said he was...he was there...John was always modest.

    • @michaelvaladez6570
      @michaelvaladez6570 3 года назад +1

      @@johnnyrocker7495 Have you read his last interview, the Playboy by David Sheff, he is modest a few times Yoko was in attendance. AND yes he was acerbic, he did not suffer fools gladly.This is the 2nd time reading it and it is most revealing interview ...before his life was taken.So upon reading this you can see how he really was toward the end of the Beatles, all of them happy and showing up for work. They knew the band was near its finale 🤧.

  • @stealthbastard8837
    @stealthbastard8837 3 года назад +45

    That's one of the things i love about John, he wasn't technical when playing guitar but it was pure , raw, imaginative and authentic.

  • @mikek5958
    @mikek5958 4 года назад +139

    One of the great solo's is in "The End" where Paul, George and John all take turns and trade licks. It was improvised on the spot in the studio and after a brief rehearsal they layed it down live in one take:
    "The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’ - well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first. But he saw how excited John and Paul were so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding. Yoko was about to go into the studio with John - this was commonplace by now - and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys - who knows? The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together and we recorded their parts on one track. You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. More than anything, they reminded me of gunslingers, with their guitars strapped on, looks of steely-eyed resolve, determined to outdo one another. Yet there was no animosity, no tension at all - you could tell they were simply having fun. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling." - Geoff Emerick

    • @ericmansmith6423
      @ericmansmith6423 4 года назад +6

      That is my all time favorite piece with the small guitar war. Great comment.

    • @michaelszczys8316
      @michaelszczys8316 4 года назад +4

      I always liked the recordings from the Star Club in Hamburg where you could hear how John and George shared everything, I guess they had to playing all night.
      According to a magazine interview with Ringo, the tune Yer Blues was John Lennon as he said they were waiting for George who wasn’t going to show so John kicked back and started jamming blues. The result was Yer Blues. Ringo said it was his favorite session ever.
      My personal favorite is the New Music Express show of 1964 where they play You Can’t Do That and Twist and Shout with the broken microphone stand and having to switch sides with Paul.

    • @steveb2343
      @steveb2343 4 года назад +10

      And, John's parts in that showdown are the most difficult to replicate. Just balls to the wall rock n roll...

    • @benh2807
      @benh2807 4 года назад +5

      @@steveb2343 Exactly. Technically the simplest, the best of all three of them by miles though 'cos of the feel.

    • @jj9749
      @jj9749 4 года назад +3

      Yoko ruined everything

  • @davidrowe7967
    @davidrowe7967 3 года назад +127

    Always felt John was an underrated guitarist. His often abrasive rhythm guitar playing was very effective. I certainly liked the few solos he performed within the Beatles. Afterall John did mention that he could make the guitar talk!

    • @liamr194
      @liamr194 3 года назад +10

      Good point. I think that abrasive playing came from the "skiffle" playing style he grew up with!

    • @johnmeeks6113
      @johnmeeks6113 2 года назад +1

      The Beatles complimented each other perfectly. The Beatles will never be topped !

  • @leiscwf
    @leiscwf 4 года назад +165

    People need to realise technical ability and actually being good are 2 different things

    • @carlitobrigante330
      @carlitobrigante330 4 года назад +2

      Well said.

    • @kenteel2944
      @kenteel2944 4 года назад +4

      Yes, having technical ability and being tasteful are two different things. Who hasn't heard a jazz saxophone player, or a guitar shredder, who has played a thousand notes, and was technically proficient, but bored the crap out of you. John was limited, but he danged sure worked well within the parameters of this limitation.

    • @zaidanp7258
      @zaidanp7258 4 года назад

      @@kenteel2944 Okay toan

    • @kenteel2944
      @kenteel2944 4 года назад +1

      @@zaidanp7258 I don't speak acronym.

    • @peterdelgiudice5559
      @peterdelgiudice5559 4 года назад +1

      seems because of star search and such people today are always expecting technical perfection id rather here a good song than a guitar wizard

  • @lamar1423
    @lamar1423 4 года назад +328

    He only had to be good enough to be John Lennon and make history. He's been dead 40 years and still relevant enough to discuss.

    • @JBDazen
      @JBDazen 4 года назад +18

      Damn, this year he'll be longer dead than he lived...

    • @jannipper66
      @jannipper66 4 года назад +9

      That's kind of heartbreaking but his music will always be with us.

    • @stevefarrington5618
      @stevefarrington5618 4 года назад +4

      Yoko survived over 40 years off one dead Beatle

    • @MichaelHarvill98
      @MichaelHarvill98 4 года назад +6

      @@stevefarrington5618 Um, she was from a wealthy family and already had a successful artistic career.

    • @returnofcouldbe9798
      @returnofcouldbe9798 4 года назад

      Not dead. www.mileswmathis.com/lennon.pdf

  • @leehale5828
    @leehale5828 4 года назад +107

    Just listen to "You can't do that," its all John including the solo, its simply brilliant and was so ahead of its time.

    • @denisbrouillard5443
      @denisbrouillard5443 4 года назад +7

      John's lead part on the end ,off of abbey road is pretty darn good.

    • @leehale5828
      @leehale5828 4 года назад +12

      @@denisbrouillard5443 I thought that generally Abbey Road showed the excellent musicianship of all four Beatles. Just really great performances including the one mentioned.

    • @chrisst8922
      @chrisst8922 4 года назад +8

      You Can't Do That is possibly my favourite Beatles song and it's got Lennon written all over it.

    • @paulca9237
      @paulca9237 4 года назад +1

      I totally agree but PM has good things to say about George's 12 string rhythm as do I. Something odd about John:
      on this performance and a few others, he would tell the cameraman/director/whomever to avoid him with the camera. I have no idea why he did that but I really wish he hadn't done that. He was a great performer.

    • @chrisst8922
      @chrisst8922 4 года назад +4

      @@paulca9237 I've read about John not wanting his solos filmed so many times. Unquestionably the solos are missed by the camera nearly every time irrespective of the song, country etc.
      But I'm not sure I believe the story. First of all it appears to have been standard practice in the sixties. The director hadn't a clue about the duties of guitarists nor that the audience respected their abilities or that we'd want to watch the musicianship. If you'd told them that The Beatles were art people would have laughed. The girls hadn't that on their minds.
      Secondly I can't see Lennon having the necessary relationship with the cameraman or director or the time. Would Neil Aspinall or Brian Epstein have had time, or Mal Evans?
      It might be true but maybe it's just one of those old wives tales.

  • @mixville2
    @mixville2 Год назад +9

    John's rhythm playing was absolutely rock solid, and, much like Ringo's drumming, was always unusual, innovative, and became an integral part of the songs. His rhythm parts, even when not drawing attention to itself, often literally drove the songs - Hard Day's Night, We Can Work it Out, of course All My Loving- etc. He did not grow up in the period where the goal of a rock guitarist was to be a virtuoso. That era really came into the mainstream 1967 and after. Like Ringo and George, his guitar playing had a unique musical personality that was absolutely vital to the sound. (Paul not mentioned because Paul really is a virtuoso, though not of the "guitar hero" type). It was the blend of those unique musical personalities was the magic. Replace any one of them with someone else, maybe especially a "virtuoso" guitarist type, and I don't think the magic survives.

  • @davidriggs8196
    @davidriggs8196 4 года назад +114

    Like all the Beatles he played to and for the song. Which is what made the Beatles great.

    • @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv
      @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv 4 года назад +1

      That’s it

    • @michaeljkelly1
      @michaeljkelly1 4 года назад +1

      Great insight

    • @stevenmotchan2048
      @stevenmotchan2048 4 года назад +2

      He played it like the best hired studio musician would.

    • @goransinadinovic865
      @goransinadinovic865 4 года назад

      Amen brother, Amen. The simple truth of r'n'r.

    • @sue08401
      @sue08401 4 года назад

      @@stevenmotchan2048 Bingo - I learned from a great studio player Jimmy Capps (part of the area 615 group) Hot shots come and go but great rhythm players that can create great rhythm parts stay forever -- BTW he's now 81 and still gets a lot of calls here in Nashville - he's the guy with the crew cut - ruclips.net/video/ZT3ZInKueo4/видео.html

  • @phatbackbeat6553
    @phatbackbeat6553 4 года назад +451

    Was he a “shredder?” No. Did he play like Hendrix or Clapton ? No. Was he a “Great Guitarist?”
    ... ABSOLUTELY !
    .., respectfully, it’s quite a stupid a question.

    • @JoeGator23
      @JoeGator23 4 года назад +3

      Don't forget, Jimi was a great melodic guitarist and also experimented with jazz... after he died, SRV expanded it into the example Jimi left for him.

    • @GG-ju5mi
      @GG-ju5mi 4 года назад +17

      Dam rights Lennon was a good guitarist not to mention the Best songwriter.

    • @philipreedwallace
      @philipreedwallace 4 года назад

      Phatback Beat agree 100%

    • @pablo9364
      @pablo9364 4 года назад +2

      Click bait

    • @philipmeredith7996
      @philipmeredith7996 4 года назад +1

      I heard many outtakes and John was always out of rhythm.

  • @andrewklafter5983
    @andrewklafter5983 4 года назад +252

    The Beatles' music was much more sophisticated and complex than people are aware. Their chords, chord changes, chord voicings, layers of instrument, textures of different sounds, modal changes, and vocal harmonies were much more intricate and at a higher level of difficulty than the vast majority of other pop music. This is true not only for 1960-1970 but since then as well. Combined with their voluminous output of songwriting and recording, and their evolution of different music styles with constant hit songs and hit albums, makes them (in my opinion at least) the greatest band in the history of pop music. John's guitar chops definitely hold up and are underrated, probably because he was largely a rhythm player. I think musicians have a greater appreciation of the level if difficulty if their music than music fans who don't play instruments. This was a really excellent video. Great playing and spot on analysis with great examples.

    • @jstnxprsn
      @jstnxprsn 4 года назад +6

      Very well said.

    • @iconoclastKM
      @iconoclastKM 4 года назад +1

      @Speakeasy
      Oh... I would bet it did..!

    • @grahamfolkerd2071
      @grahamfolkerd2071 4 года назад +1

      an excellent, very thoughtful overview of an amazing group and of john's guitaring.

    • @lindadote
      @lindadote 4 года назад +2

      Speakeasy ......George Martin’s musical knowledge was invaluable to them but it’s said GM only ever acted on advice from the lads. From the inclusion of a Piccolo in “Penny Lane” to the cacophonous orchestration of “A Day In The Life”, John and Paul had the “ideas”, Martin the “knowledge”. It’s interesting to note that on the second Beatles album, all of the piano was played by GM.

    • @anneteller3128
      @anneteller3128 4 года назад

      @@lindadote Has anyone seen the video by Mike Williams, the Sage of Quay researching if the Beatles wrote all their own music? (See link below) He plays, records and repairs guitars. He and some other long-time Beatles fans looked at every minute of time the Beatles spent touring, making movies, doing interviews, traveling, and in the studio recording and the time it took to get the records made, tracks laid down, overdubs, placed on vinyl, in record sleeves and cover, to market, every detail, and determined there was not enough time for them to have done it all by themselves, while writing hundreds of hit songs in different sounding styles that were unique and complex, while growing in technique by leaps and bounds every year. George Martin had been in the music field a long time and knew the best of the best session musicians. He was also known to be a perfectionist when it came to recorded sound.
      George and most of these song writers and session players were classically trained, which is why it is so weird that these mostly men (in their 30s and 40s at the time) were writing and playing pop rock music on the records. This means they were born in the 1920s and 1930s. So much for pop rock being a young people's invention. People who understand classical music can hear the influence in the composition of some of the songs. One man trained in classical music was interviewing George Martin (a clip on Mike's video) and ask him why so many Beatles tunes have musical chords from old Church hymns. George Martin's face turned to panic on the video and he couldn't answer the question. I would have said the whole culture has been influenced by hymn music whether they were taken to Church or not, Paul was noted by one of his childhood friends to sing in Church. But, George couldn't think fast enough to make up that excuse. He put his finger over his lips making the Shhh sign to the interviewer.
      Mike's research group thinks George Martin, their producer, got everything taken care of, writing, recording and all the rest and the Beatles came off tour and movies and recorded the vocals to the songs. The same thing was happening the the US at the same time. See the video called the Wrecking Crew. The main difference is they have all the session musicians figured out that were part of the Wrecking Crew. The Americans never kept it as hush, hush after the first few years -- that basically the same set of US session musicians were playing on the records of all the great US bands in the 1960s.
      In the 1960s, it looks like the US and the UK were having a bit of a competition of sorts of who could develop bands the quickest with the best recorded sounds, so just like people in sports and with race horses, they cheated a bit, only it wasn't with steroids and Epogen, it was by using the creme' dela creme' song writers and session musicians to write and record the songs on their albums, most who were never credited. I am happy the US Wrecking Crew is finally getting recognized. I hope the British version of the "Wrecking Crew" will also become recognized as well. They deserve it. A group of song writers wrote and the session players played the best pop rock music ever written and played in my opinion.
      However, the original Beatles were still a great band. They were part of the British success formula and in my opinion why the British beat the US for the 1960s best pop band sound and performance. They still had to learn to play those complicated songs. They sang all the vocals, had great harmonies, played the music themselves on tour and on stage most of the time, until they added full orchestras on St. Pepper's and afterwards and could not duplicate the sound on stage. They were also smart, funny, cute and approachable. After George Martin left, sometime after St. Peppers, Mike and his group of researchers think we do hear more of the Beatles own writing and playing, especially on the White Album.
      There's even way more to the story than this, but this is certainly enough for now. See Mike's video for more of the exacting details. ruclips.net/video/ccEhmQ0M4FY/видео.html

  • @michelottaviani8541
    @michelottaviani8541 Год назад +15

    To me, John is the greatest pop singer and songwriter of all time and a very good guitarist.

  • @Jesse615
    @Jesse615 4 года назад +40

    I've been playing for more than 40 years. What I've found is that who most non-players or more novice players consider "great" are guitarists who, honestly, really over-play; too many notes, too flashy. Playing just the right note or chord, in just the right voice, at just the right time is much harder. And Lennon was a fantastic rhythm player. And I never knew Lennon played the solo in Get Back… I've always love it! A prime example of tasty playing.

    • @newspapertaxis1
      @newspapertaxis1 4 года назад +3

      Yes he did..Check out the "Let it be" Movie...It's all there!!!

    • @artiefount
      @artiefount 4 года назад +1

      "Too many notes!" Ha ha like the line in Amadeus

  • @patrickmchale3455
    @patrickmchale3455 4 года назад +28

    I've been playing for nearly forty years and I've never been able to do what John did in "All My Loving". Just perfect rhythm guitar playing, perfect.

  • @dougrogers956
    @dougrogers956 4 года назад +106

    When John met Paul in 1957, John only knew banjo chords. Paul basically taught John the Guitar chords and he was a quick learner. Giving consideration to the short amount of time between 1957 and 62 when The Beatles began their celebrity status in the UK, it was quite an accomplishment. For John to come along with his Guitar playing in the way he did in such a short time is amazing. Not only that but turn The Beatles into the biggest band in the world. An amazing task in the history of music.

    • @charlie-obrien
      @charlie-obrien 4 года назад +15

      You had to dig down and really want to learn it back then. They didn't have great guitar books, the internet or lots of people willing to share knowledge.
      John, Paul and George once had to get on a bus and go across town, because they heard that someone could show them a B7 chord.
      That's dedication (and BTW, they used the B7 extensively after that) Lol

    • @surroundedbyjaggoffs
      @surroundedbyjaggoffs 3 года назад +3

      George Martin had slot to do with their success!

    • @sean6992
      @sean6992 3 года назад +4

      John and george are actually a worse guitarist than paul, paul had more accuracy and he was very precise but I think george had more iconic riffs

    • @dorkle9085
      @dorkle9085 3 года назад +9

      @@sean6992 What are you smoking?

    • @sean6992
      @sean6992 3 года назад +3

      @@dorkle9085 I'm a kid

  • @jamesl9371
    @jamesl9371 3 года назад +47

    John Lennon = brilliant guitar 🎸 player. Brilliant composer . Fantastic singer. Great performer. Creator and leader of the Beatles. The greatest group ever

  • @Weird_Old_Uncle_Kenny
    @Weird_Old_Uncle_Kenny 4 года назад +136

    John Lennon was no shredder. He was the grit to complement Paul McCartney's polish. His rhythm parts carried melodic messages that laid the groundwork for the rest of the band to shine thru. Space. Power. Taste. Chemistry. Humor. Voice. Peace. Anger. Genius...

    • @paulnottherealmccartney8558
      @paulnottherealmccartney8558 4 года назад +1

      @Marco Deo dude rhythm is essential in music if you couldn't perform rhythm properly the song wouldn't be as good as it is. Sometimes people overlook rhythm because our ears sometimes forget about the rhythm and we focus on the melody and harmony instead but actively listening to their music will reveal that john is a great rhythm player. He is a great rhythm guitar player and he is a great songwriter.

    • @jacobhendrickson9718
      @jacobhendrickson9718 4 года назад

      "Peace, Anger"

    • @zbogrot
      @zbogrot 4 года назад

      u gotta be kidding...wasn't macartney the base guitarist... creating the rhythm....???

    • @paulnottherealmccartney8558
      @paulnottherealmccartney8558 4 года назад

      @@zbogrot he compliments the rhythm. Both john and paul works to keep the rhythm going. They are what you can call the rhythm section along with the drums

    • @Brooklyn_Powers
      @Brooklyn_Powers 4 года назад

      Badass Frank Henry You’re funny...

  • @davidbanta7303
    @davidbanta7303 4 года назад +108

    John was an incredible rhythm player,,,the part on 'all my lovin' is a killer

  • @bobhewitt5047
    @bobhewitt5047 4 года назад +16

    The Beatles were groundbreaking - and importantly, their music is as fresh today as it was back in the 60’s.
    Musically and lyrically, The Beatles laid the foundation for all who followed.
    John Lennon was a great guitarist and vocalist - really wish he was still here making wonderful music. Thank you Chris - for paying respect to him with your own fabulous playing.

  • @RMT192
    @RMT192 3 года назад +37

    I have to say that his solo in "I want you" is the best example of his ability to play. A stunning exquisite solo.

    • @David-iv6je
      @David-iv6je 3 года назад +1

      Adam Gopnik said that John had limited talent but infinite soul. I'd rather have the soul than the talent.

    • @johnnyrocker7495
      @johnnyrocker7495 3 года назад +1

      .Nothing special about it at all.

    • @Monkforilla
      @Monkforilla 3 года назад +4

      @@johnnyrocker7495 you have a long ways to go my friend

    • @johnnyrocker7495
      @johnnyrocker7495 3 года назад +4

      @@Monkforilla Not at all. John was an OK player, but describing the solo in I Want You as a "stunning exquisite solo" is ridiculous. It's typical of the overstatement that is regularly applied to anything involving The Beatles.

    • @valentino0343
      @valentino0343 3 года назад

      @@johnnyrocker7495 and thats why ur a nobody guitarist , gtfo

  • @olafbigandglad
    @olafbigandglad 4 года назад +89

    Yes, he was a good guitarist. And Ringo was and is a fabulous drummer.

    • @carloscasamayor7861
      @carloscasamayor7861 4 года назад +4

      I don´t think so. John was a good composer but mediocre guitar player and worst pianist. Ringo was not a fabulous drummer, was a normal drummer. Ginger Baker, for ex. was a fabulous drummer.

    • @sooch7316
      @sooch7316 4 года назад +2

      @@carloscasamayor7861 Totally agree with you. Ginger used to battle the best Jazz drummers on the side during Cream's heyday......imo, the best rock drummer ever.....sorry John Bonham and Neil Peart fans, but he was the best.

    • @robertlongwill8856
      @robertlongwill8856 4 года назад

      @@sooch7316 you would also have to include Carl Palmer in that as well

    • @Sig721Tau
      @Sig721Tau 4 года назад +3

      @@carloscasamayor7861
      Let's see a video of you playing all of these instruments better than John and Ringo.

    • @jamesmeade384
      @jamesmeade384 4 года назад +1

      @@sooch7316 you got to look at the styles first off the style has got is different to what ringo has and all i got add on that is he must've done something right unless he wouldn't be as popular as once was and still is now

  • @carlosmonzo4102
    @carlosmonzo4102 4 года назад +54

    John was a great composer, and an awesome rock and roll singer. His voice is amazing..... He was a perfect rhythmic guitarist for the Beatles. What does his technical level matter? HE'S A LEGEND !!!!

    • @bwana-ma-coo-bah425
      @bwana-ma-coo-bah425 4 года назад

      A composer is someone who writes music and gives it to musicians to play.
      John Lennon was not a composer.
      He was a lyricist who knew how to play the guitar.
      When doing the music for songs, he would get the other musicians to play along side him.
      Remember, there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over.

    • @carlosmonzo4102
      @carlosmonzo4102 4 года назад +1

      @@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 I know perfectly the dfference between a composer and a singer- songwriter. Thank you, but you have not discovered me anything new.... We all know that John didn't know how to write music. It's not a surprise. Even so, he was able to "compose" his songs. You don't need to know music theory to be a musician. You're right, John wasn't a composer in the strictest sense of the word, but at HIS LEVEL he acted like one. And remember (following your language lessons), there is a big difference between being asleep and sleeping.

    • @bwana-ma-coo-bah425
      @bwana-ma-coo-bah425 4 года назад

      @@carlosmonzo4102 you were the one that wrote he a was a great composer not me. Perhaps you should have made yourself clearer. Actually you do need to know some music theory to play an instrument. Maybe not the guitar as Lennon has shown. If he acted as a composer then he did a great job on you and everyone else who thought he was great.
      Nothing personal just a reply.

    • @carlosmonzo4102
      @carlosmonzo4102 4 года назад +1

      @@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 I assure you that I am very clear about what I am saying. I guess I said he was a "great" composer because I'm a huge Beatles fan. Maybe I should have said "a great songwriter". Anyway, I know there are hundreds of thousands of people thinking like me (in that matter). And no, you don't need to know any musical knowledge to play an instrument. There are many people who learn to play by themselves. No conservatories, no private classes. Just practicing and practicing.... I have nothing personal against you at all. All this is nothing more than opinions (and of course all respectables). Cheers.

    • @MartinJHenebury
      @MartinJHenebury 3 года назад

      @@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 you realize the Beatles identified chords and musical terms right? So yes he was a composer he wasn't able to write sheet music but they had their own annotation system

  • @SerenityTeaArt
    @SerenityTeaArt 4 года назад +143

    His acoustic playing on the song "Julia" alone proves he was amazing.

    • @TheMaineSurveyor
      @TheMaineSurveyor 4 года назад +5

      Donovan taught John the picking pattern he eventually used on Julia while they were in India in early '68. John worked to improve his playing through The Beatles years.

    •  4 года назад +1

      @@TheMaineSurveyor Exactly! But apparently that's the kind of laughable comment we are doomed to read when it comes to The Beatles. We have a guitarist who - although he's been a professional for the last 10 years or so, at that time - didn't even know about travis picking (something every under average amateur guitarist should know) until Donovan taught it to him and, even after that, he's always been capable of playing only a very basic and simplified version of said picking. And people think he was "amazing"... and woe to you if don't say it yourself! How dare you not believing that beatles invented music!?

    • @leavewe
      @leavewe 4 года назад +1

      @ They did a lot more than many players who were technically superior. What is it worth to be a professional guitarist?

    • @chuckbaker8413
      @chuckbaker8413 4 года назад +1

      Listen to John standing shoulder to shoulder with Eric and Keith (on tasty base) during Rolling Stones Circus and singing and playing his Casino for “Yer Blues”.... killer band..!!

    • @FAngus-ly8lk
      @FAngus-ly8lk 4 года назад +3

      I was going to post the exact same thing. Julia is a brilliant song, based on a melodic riff that is just beautiful and overflowing with deep feeling. John's playing on this song, which he wrote (FFS), defeats any suggestion that he wasn't a good guitarist.

  • @milestrotter6844
    @milestrotter6844 2 года назад +21

    John was an an exceptional guitarist. And I just find it funny how some of his greatest rhythm parts are on songs were he isn't singing.

  • @zlonxman
    @zlonxman 4 года назад +165

    I love John's sloppy, scrappy style. He was so cool, he didn't give a damn; he had that Rock n Roll attitude that's so missing in too many more technically proficient guitarists. For more great Lennon lead work, check out his solo on "You Can't Do That." Also, John plays really cool lead on the end of "You Never Give Me Your Money." He also created some iconic riffs like "Day Tripper" and "I Feel Fine." Anybody who knocks John's guitar work can go hang.

    • @mtp4430
      @mtp4430 4 года назад +19

      Anybody who knocks John's guitar playing is an Idiot. John was rock and roll personified. Raw and scrappy, with that I don't give a shit rock and roll attitude, That attitude is sorely missed with many of today's 'technically proficient" players LOFL. Rock and Roll is about attitude swagger and earnestly playing your balls off, and he certainly did that. Anybody who doesn't appreciate that because he wasn't great technically, doesn't truly appreciate or understand Rock and Roll

    • @dickslinger7979
      @dickslinger7979 4 года назад +16

      Feel over technique any day

    • @williamvonschenk2273
      @williamvonschenk2273 4 года назад +6

      Don't forget his slide o. For You Blue

    • @mtp4430
      @mtp4430 4 года назад

      @@dickslinger7979 Exactly

    • @JBDazen
      @JBDazen 4 года назад +1

      Wouldn't call it sloppy, it was pretty tight, as shown in this video

  • @jamesmichael3607
    @jamesmichael3607 4 года назад +16

    Thank you for the well deserved appreciation and respect for John Lennon’s rhythm guitar talents. The haters are gonna hate and probably can’t really play. If anyone has a true ear for sound. For music. Separating the dynamic of the individual instruments in one’s head while the music is playing, then you can absolutely understand the unique Beatle sound, the background guitar is a driving force. These are the crunchy dirty seventh chords, the hybrid banjo chords, the years playing taverns and clubs and workhorse like strumming. Song composer not just guitarist, Dear Prudence, Happiness is Warm Gun, Julia, I Call her Name, Christ -Day Tripper and I Feel Fine riffs alone give him rock royalty status.

  • @reinaldoreyes5631
    @reinaldoreyes5631 4 года назад +14

    Anyone who questions John’s talent as a rhythm guitarist has not tried to replicate his playing, as you so clearly demonstrate. Great video.

    • @JimHabash
      @JimHabash 4 года назад +1

      Wasn't Strawberry Fields and I am the Walrus really difficult guitar compositions? Not using the regular chords/keys, etc? Anyone? Those were fantastic out of your established comfort zone compositions.

    • @alansmyth2204
      @alansmyth2204 4 года назад +1

      All my loving

  • @securitydvision8762
    @securitydvision8762 4 месяца назад +1

    Very underrated! I mean his playing on I'm Happy Just To Dance With You and All My Loving is exceptional and very crucial to the sound of them.

  • @joepalooka2145
    @joepalooka2145 4 года назад +30

    John Lennon was an excellent guitarist. He had a fabulous talent in his ability to play guitar and compose extraordinarily beautiful songs, and then sing his songs with his extraordinary voice that sounded like nobody else. He was one of a kind. He is sorely missed today.

    • @tommyd688
      @tommyd688 3 года назад +4

      Lennon was a fantastic singer among all his other talents.

  • @thecentralscrutinizerr
    @thecentralscrutinizerr 4 года назад +9

    As a Rhythm guitar player (for years) myself, I can't tell you how much you have to humble yourself as you support the lead guitarist. The lead guitarists soaks up all the glory and you're just standing in the background making the band sound as good as possible. But a _good_ rhythm guitarist understands (RIP Malcolm) that's _exactly_ what he's supposed to be doing. Rhythm guitarists _can easily be_ the most under appreciated musicians simply because they're _not_ trying to be in the spotlight. I made a standing rule when I had my own band, everybody gets their solo. Drums, bass, guitars, keys, whatever. Everyone deserves a chance to be in the spotlight to highlight their talent if they wanted it. Some players did, some didn't. No shame either way. Needless to say, good rhythm guitarists are a major asset and a good lead guitarist understands this (Angus).

  • @jgdforesthills1
    @jgdforesthills1 4 года назад +16

    Chris Buck you made a great documentary video. You demonstrated John Lennon's guitar playing abilities so well. John was a gifted guitar player as well as a great song writer.

  • @tedtimmis8135
    @tedtimmis8135 3 года назад +8

    Really interesting analysis of John’s guitar skills. Obviously, he was brilliant and, as others have said, he was a song writer, poet and artist.

  • @TheRealZookness
    @TheRealZookness 4 года назад +49

    I'll bet my life savings and all of my guitars that anyone criticizing John Lennon's guitar playing in the RUclips comments section, was in fact NOT a member of, (love them or hate them), indisputably one of the most iconic rock bands of all time who changed the very landscape of popular music forever.

    • @jcoats1203
      @jcoats1203 4 года назад +3

      Shane Gochenouer Well said, Shane. I was 13 when I first heard them. I’m still trying to get my head around their sound. Nothing like it, before or since.

    • @dickheadjohnnybraindamage9751
      @dickheadjohnnybraindamage9751 4 года назад +1

      You don’t have to be a participant or a master of something to critique it i.e i don’t need to be a chef to say a dish doesn’t taste good. Not saying that I think Lennon’s a bad guitarist, quite the opposite, As horrible a person he was he’s one of my favourite musicians of all time his solo demo/acoustic tapes are gold. I just hate this argument that you have to be a god at something to critique others about it.

    • @TheRealZookness
      @TheRealZookness 4 года назад +2

      @@dickheadjohnnybraindamage9751 anyone can be a critic, people are free to have whatever opinion tickles their fancy. My point was that action speaks louder than words, so if you haven't done anything of note in a given field, you should really consider shutting up before criticizing legends in that field. If you want to let armchair quarterbacks bend your ear, if you want to give merit to unqualified opinions, be my guest, I will not.

    • @MrBuffalo2
      @MrBuffalo2 4 года назад

      @@dickheadjohnnybraindamage9751 so you KNOW? he was a horrible person..

    • @marktoken6052
      @marktoken6052 4 года назад

      @@MrBuffalo2 He left Cynthia and Julian for a freaking hag and was allegedly abusive towards Cyn so there's that.

  • @alexhatfield2987
    @alexhatfield2987 4 года назад +87

    Your brilliant guitar playing deconstructs the argument that “Lennon couldn’t play”, and demonstrates that actually he could. What was moving and poignant was hearing John’s honest admission that he didn’t feel he was good enough to jam with contemporaries because of a lack of confidence. Such a vulnerable genius. So human.

    • @chuckkirkpatrick6712
      @chuckkirkpatrick6712 4 года назад +1

      Lennon was actually a better guitar player than George. George's gift was developing his own unmistakeable sound and style.

    • @tomh.1479
      @tomh.1479 4 года назад +5

      Lennon was great guitarist, rythum and a little lead. Harrison also a great guitarist, some of his lead riffs are unmatched! But believe it or not, McCartney was the best lead guitarist in the Beatles! And great bassist, great pianist, great drummer! Definitely the best all around musician in the Beatles!

    • @nmcg2587
      @nmcg2587 4 года назад +2

      @@tomh.1479 I don't dispute McCartney is multi-talented, I don't agree he is great at everything.

    • @boba2783
      @boba2783 4 года назад

      @@nmcg2587 Rock solid competence

  • @dumisa7
    @dumisa7 4 года назад +401

    “I can’t play guitar, but I can sure make it howl.” - John Lennon

    • @joesheppards1
      @joesheppards1 4 года назад +41

      Yea I remember the interview where he said that. He said technically he wasn’t that good but he’s an artist and if you gave him a tuba he’d get you something out of it. A lot of John Lennon’s playing is VERY difficult to imitate.

    • @rickbangkok
      @rickbangkok 4 года назад +12

      He was the best guitarist in his art school.....

    • @dumisa7
      @dumisa7 4 года назад +25

      @@joesheppards1 "... a good song is a good song, you know, and you can jazz it up or do it with whatever rhythm you like, but if the song is there it stands." - Dr. Winston O'Boogie

    • @guitarworks2546
      @guitarworks2546 4 года назад +25

      anyone who has no musical training and plays...especially those that are hugely creative and artistic will create their own method of making the instrument work for them. consequently there will be a LOT of unorthodox chord shapes, applications etc but they will be the "right" way of playing those songs. Playing "by ear" means "making it up outside of established rules" without actually knowing what the rules are. this gives birth to some of the most interesting and innovative musicians.

    • @jackwilliam5341
      @jackwilliam5341 4 года назад +2

      Not the quote...he said he’s not technically great.

  • @bertanelson8062
    @bertanelson8062 3 года назад +4

    Much appreciated! Listening to this while a teenager, I was aware, even then, that I was listening to magnificent guitar playing. Hearing it again 50 some years later with your masterful re-enactment, I have the same feeling. Thank you for your obvious love that drives you to learn to play like this! The music of the 60's and 70's was amazing, as thousands have noted. For you to spend countless hours to show us just a small snippet of how great it was, is a blessing.

  • @garystackhouse5787
    @garystackhouse5787 4 года назад +48

    The intro and main riff to "I Feel Fine" was also John, and maybe the toughest one to play and sing at the same time (in my experience, at least!)

    • @johnfranklin5700
      @johnfranklin5700 4 года назад +8

      Yes..what he did on that song was amazing and he made it look easy ..to play those parts and sing at the same time..

    • @thomaspappalardo7589
      @thomaspappalardo7589 4 года назад +2

      John didn’t play the riff while he was singing - if you watch live performances, he played chords during the verses.

    • @garymccoy6564
      @garymccoy6564 4 года назад +1

      @@thomaspappalardo7589 ...and on the record. the chording is obvious on the recording.

    • @garystackhouse5787
      @garystackhouse5787 4 года назад +3

      @@thomaspappalardo7589 George played the chords. The riff doesn't stay exactly the same through the verse, but it's there and overlaps, and if you listen, the guitar that plays the intro riff (panned hard right on the stereo mixes) is the same one that continues playing a variation of it during the verse while George plays the chords. I've played and sung this song for years.

    • @TheAerovons
      @TheAerovons 4 года назад +1

      Hey Gary! Yeah, John's J160e starts the song, and once the band kicks in is joined by George playing the riff on his Tennessean along with John. You can hear that George played a rhythm part as well but it's back. The doubling of John's lead was done when George overdubbed his solo.

  • @SceneComparisons
    @SceneComparisons 4 года назад +273

    6:00 ironically, he went to a David Bowie session, created Fame (along Bowie and Carlos Alomar) and gave Bowie his first US no 1 single

    • @ewetoo
      @ewetoo 4 года назад +25

      Even more ironically he did the same thing with Elton John and made a bet that he'd play it live with him if it went to no 1 and of course it did.

    • @andrewbell2712
      @andrewbell2712 4 года назад +14

      He might have inspired Bowie's song "Fame", but Bowie wrote the words, and Alomar used a riff from work he had done with James Brown. All the funny stuff with the vocoder was Bowie's idea, as well.
      Lennon and Bowie might have been having a conversation about
      fame, but Lennon's contribution
      was the line, "It's a rain check on the pain." That is a way cool line though. I'm sure he had fun contributing to the session. But
      Bowie never needed anyone's help
      writing the lyrics or the music for his songs.

    • @johnnyrocker7495
      @johnnyrocker7495 4 года назад +8

      According to Bowie, Lennon did F-A on Fame aside from a few backing vox. "Created Fame" your auld arse.

    • @ukebox00oftheworld63
      @ukebox00oftheworld63 4 года назад +1

      Nooo!! 😂

    • @rael6168
      @rael6168 3 года назад +3

      @@andrewbell2712 because Bowie covered "Across the universe" in that album, with Lennon doing the backing vocals!

  • @billybronco4223
    @billybronco4223 3 года назад +60

    John was an artist. He could have been a poet a writer or a sculptor. He just happened to find a way to express himself through pop and rock music.
    The genius of his music and songwriting is in its simplicity.

  • @garykeck7072
    @garykeck7072 11 месяцев назад +1

    I`m quite impressed with Chris Bucks` stellar playing of the Lennon riffs. John Lennon was a great rhythm guitar player, songwriter and vocalist, most definitely one of kind..

  • @johnulrich5572
    @johnulrich5572 4 года назад +14

    The Get Back guitar work is one of the cleanest, concise, and nuanced of any guitar player around at the time. Lennon's work has a very workmanship quality to it, not too little and not too much. It fits the song perfectly. It's one of my favorite Beatle songs for that reason. Paul does a great vocal and bass work, Billy Preston's keyboard playing is right on the money, George and Ringo add their excellent talents. Thanks for the video.

  • @hypersmudge1
    @hypersmudge1 4 года назад +13

    Really great recreations of John’s playing! Not only was he a visionary, but he was a visionary guitar player. Seemed to be able to play what he heard in his head. Very cool! Thanks, from this life-long Beatles fan!

  • @123yeahyeahno
    @123yeahyeahno 3 года назад +160

    Lennon was one of 4 people on a stage, producing the most electrifying music in the history of the planet. The other 3 were playing bass, drums, and lead guitar. Oh, and he also wrote at least half the music. Yeah, I'd say he was pretty good on the guitar.

  • @davidhallam8858
    @davidhallam8858 3 года назад +3

    How have I missed your RUclips stuff? Finally, a young guitarist who understands SONGS!!!

  • @dondrury9957
    @dondrury9957 4 года назад +23

    John Lennon was way under-rated as a guitarist. I have never been a giant Beatles fan but there are several songs I just love from them. Most, if not all of them are because of the cool rhythms played by John. He was truly one of the greats!

  • @jacquescousteau217
    @jacquescousteau217 4 года назад +43

    I have never heard anyone nails Lennon’s feel for the guitar while in the Beatles like this guy. Not only does it play the right inversions of the chords ,but his right hand has that balls out feel like Lennon. Then the two guitars he’s using ! I don’t know if they are both custom shops, and have no idea what he’s using for amps, or if he’s playing direct into Pro Tools or whatever. The point being his tonality is perfect SPOT ON. I’ve never heard anyone replicate Lennon’s sound like this. By the bye. I was in the original cast of Beatlemania on Broadway in 1977 for a very,and I mean very short time. Long story.
    It takes an incredible ear to hear all the nuances in Lennon’s rhythm playing, as well as his leads ,and fills .
    Don’t know how Chris Evans came up on my radar ,but glad I listened .
    The Aug 7 on I’m happy just to dance with you that he’s using is unique . Most play it on fifth fret (root ) . It sounds like he’s playing the same inversion, only using the root A on possibly the 12th fret.
    For any of you watching other videos on “ How to play like -fill in your Beatle - “ just stick with guy. He’s nailed the left hand, right hand, and his tonality was astounding. Rick,and Casino sound is hard to catch . Lennon used,or the engineers used a lot of compression when they recorded Lennon’s rhythm guitar.
    IMPRESSED !

    • @Ohm51
      @Ohm51 4 года назад +6

      Super perceptive commentary. I'm NOT a guitarist, but a drummer, that has played with innumerable guitarists throughout the years ... many of whom I would categorize as being exceptional to extremely competent ... and of those, NONE were the shredder types (fact is those guys were mostly annoying) ... but more so dudes that had really BIG EARS and knew exactly what to play to move the song along.
      Dudes like that were always a joy to play with.
      Anyways, I know it when I hear it ... and this dude's got it ... in Spades!
      Really great playing!

    • @1957burb
      @1957burb 4 года назад +2

      Came here to say this. The first time in my life I could have closed my eyes and imagined it was really Lennon himself performing, and that is damned impressive. I subscribed just to hear more.

    • @davehummel1990
      @davehummel1990 4 года назад +3

      @@Ohm51 That's the truth. What you don't play is just as important as what you do play. And the way you play the notes is just as important as the notes you play, phrasing & dynamics & such. I ain't a drummer but it's the same with the drums. I've played with drummers who had impeccable timing but just bashed away relentlessly through the whole song, never letting up, even during the vocals. It's really frustrating playing with people like that. Same with some guitarists, bashing away power chords relentlessly. It's amazing how they don't realize how bad they make the band sound.

    • @jtn191
      @jtn191 4 года назад +2

      Yeah he's a great player and really seems to research these video topics

    • @waynej2608
      @waynej2608 4 года назад +1

      Great insights. Hey, I saw Beatlemania on Broadway in 77, at the Winter Garden. Great show. Which Beatle were you? I believe Jeff Percaro was John, Mitch Weisman was Paul, Leslie Fradkin was George, and Justin McNeil was Ringo. I may be slightly off on those names. I'm going totally off the top of my head, from pure memory. Cool.

  • @BunyanaRed1958
    @BunyanaRed1958 4 года назад +68

    Like great Drummers, great Guitarist's play what the song requires.

  • @mackvismusic8622
    @mackvismusic8622 3 года назад +4

    Watching you strum that beauty makes pick up mine and keep it going on. Thanks for another excellent show!

  • @ShaunPanzer
    @ShaunPanzer 4 года назад +92

    Lennon was great ! I don’t care what anybody says . He rocked .

    • @lennoQ4546
      @lennoQ4546 4 года назад +2

      thank you.

    • @Syfoll
      @Syfoll 4 года назад +2

      He was ok, nothing special as a guitarist. As a musician, he's fantastic

    • @error-dc2ox
      @error-dc2ox 4 года назад +1

      Syfoll ok

    • @brgreg8725
      @brgreg8725 4 года назад

      Could not agree more!!

    • @andreaskragh9464
      @andreaskragh9464 4 года назад

      @@Syfoll Would Come Toghether have been "better" if Lennon had played a trillion notes like Steve Vai? No, it would have been terrible, like Steve Vai's music. A musician needs the technique necessary to communicate his ideas, not to be an acrobat.

  • @TheSanityInspector
    @TheSanityInspector 4 года назад +49

    He was a rhythm guitarist. Also, he came up before the era of Guitar Gods--the fretwankers played guitar, he played music.

  • @BDHO73
    @BDHO73 4 года назад +6

    You’ve nailed it - John was great and his playing had an aggression and urgency which often made the songs extra great.

  • @jimmy5634
    @jimmy5634 3 года назад +15

    John wrote many riffs and fills.
    The opening riff to “I Feel Fine” is a prime example of one. most people don’t realize a lot of other riffs he played that were attributed to Harrison.

    • @tomobedlam297
      @tomobedlam297 2 года назад +3

      Except he didn't. He stole the "I Feel Fine" riff off Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step" and freely admitted it.

    • @jimmy5634
      @jimmy5634 2 года назад +2

      @@tomobedlam297 didn’t know that…thanks for sharing!
      In any case he played it well.😃

  • @fullfatdeano
    @fullfatdeano 4 года назад +12

    I love your very accurate and respectful reflection of Johns playing - I have spent a lifetime defending his guitar playing ability, you completely nailed it for me - thank you so much. I will be using this youtube example as a gentle reminder to the many naysayers out there. The chordwork alone is absolutely outstanding - I am so impressed that someone (with respect) so young totally gets it :-) Thank you

  • @youssefkasim7556
    @youssefkasim7556 4 года назад +93

    Do one about George Harrison’s guitar playing.

    • @elephantsmemory3142
      @elephantsmemory3142 4 года назад +2

      @@bonkeydollocks1879 I bet Lennons name would come up

    • @MrAnderswt
      @MrAnderswt 4 года назад

      You kind of miss the point?

    • @JimHabash
      @JimHabash 4 года назад

      Some say George's "Something" is one of the greatest love songs (ballads) ever written- from the lead guitarist no less.

    • @stevenmotchan2048
      @stevenmotchan2048 4 года назад

      @@JimHabash I can hear why someone might say that.

    • @billace90
      @billace90 4 года назад

      Nah....they’ll probably question his guitar playing techniques...blah, blah

  • @rossi6113
    @rossi6113 4 года назад +137

    John was part of the greatest pop group the world has ever - or WILL ever see. Who gives a sh#t what insignificant people think about his guitar playing.

    • @LeeRenthlei
      @LeeRenthlei 4 года назад +12

      The Beatles were far more than just a pop group.

    • @gillan5
      @gillan5 4 года назад +1

      @@LeeRenthlei They were not a rock band, no Blues band, they were just the best pop band ever. The most complicated Beatles song is not as close as complex as is the most uncomplex piece of classical music - just to put things in a perspective.

    • @LeeRenthlei
      @LeeRenthlei 4 года назад +6

      The Beatles were rock band!

    • @rossi6113
      @rossi6113 4 года назад +2

      @@LeeRenthlei Bore off sonny.

    • @glenbellefonte9620
      @glenbellefonte9620 4 года назад +6

      @@gillan5 wtf do you know, junior. Your just bumping your gums.

  • @TheCjbowman
    @TheCjbowman 3 года назад +29

    Yeah, he was a good guitarist, but he was really a phenomenal songwriter, brilliant lyricist, fantastic musician, and artist.

  • @kendixon4303
    @kendixon4303 4 года назад +49

    Let's see anyone come up with the creation of a Strawberry fields on guitar..or Across The Universe or Julia or dozens more

    • @MartinJHenebury
      @MartinJHenebury 3 года назад

      Julie really isn't that great
      Nothing experimental and extremely monotone. Dear Prudence is similar sound but much more punchy and dynamic

  • @mayanleap3366
    @mayanleap3366 4 года назад +33

    He was not a boring "good" guitarist, but a genius using the guitar to express originality, breaking all rules and molds... Isolated he could sound weird, but together with the other instruments, they did the magic Beatle sound. No band can compare to them; There are the Beatles and then the "beatles wanna be"

    • @yummyyum36719
      @yummyyum36719 4 года назад

      The best statement I have seen so far. Comparing any guitarists from the 1960s to the technically flashy playing we have today leaves out the more important point: Lennon composed on primarily two instruments, the guitar and the piano. He isn't a technical genius at either instrument. Put a Beethoven sonata or a Villa Lobos etude in front of him and would not be able to read or even play either...as he would honestly admit. But he could"nick" a Beethoven work and come up with something like "Because". The great guitarists of that era also invented the language we know as rock. Their inventive gifts are often more important than their technical skills.

  • @konniray9366
    @konniray9366 4 года назад +13

    The geniality of John Lennon is demonstrated in his simplicity. Each and every tone is on the right place! Thank you John 😎