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Gibson country western (1960's), he probably has talked about his guitar in some of his room tour videos (where he shows all his instruments and stuff)@@albietzaesthetics1064
I've loved the Beatles for 20 years but every time I see a theory video about their songwriting techniques or chord changes or anything like that, I gain even more respect and appreciation for their genius. There are so many amazing bands out there but almost without a doubt The Beatles are the most pivotal and impactful on modern music and really took things to new heights that no other band will ever be able to achieve. They hit the peak of songwriting from the first album and basically stayed there for their entire music career.
I've, like you been a Beatles fan since I was a kid, I'm now 70 and Rick has shown me just how brilliant they were. Familiarity does breed contempt and indeed it does.
Rick, this is the ultimate channel for musicians. Your content is going to outlive you by, who knows, maybe centuries. You're a model for how to be a music educator. Thank you so much for all the hard work you've put into the channel.
Man. What with all these amazing interviews it’s easy to forget what a fabulous musician Rick is. Your perfect pitch and musical knowledge just blows my mind! That sudden switch into the bossa nova track was awesome!
This song captivated me when I bought home the album Something New; listened to it over and over trying to hit each vocal note and always missing; it's still one of my fave Beatles tunes; it is an awesome display of John and Paul's vocal harmony. Congrats, Rick; we love you!
Rick - When Paul's voice "cracks" on that high harmony vocal... it's one of my favorite Beatles moments. I love it... and I think they left it in because it sounds so great. I just has a ton of character.
It was a mistake that was fixed on the mono mix by double tracking Paul's vocal. When they went to mix the stereo, which was an afterthought at that point, they neglected to include the double track and the unwanted error is exposed. The Beatles had also decided that John's voice on the intro should not be double tracked to make it more intimate. That's how it is on the mono mix. Again, they weren't as diligent on the stereo and the double tracked intro was left in, which is not what they wanted. The mono is the definitive version. The voice crack is a mistake that was supposed to have been fixed but, due to carelessness in stereo mixing, wasn't.
Thank you. This really shows the harmonic genius and masterful songwriting of the Beatles. It's cool how the bass line descends to go along with the lyrics "if I fell...".
What can you say? It's magic. That's the only possible explanation. As far as I know, Lennon never had a lick of music lessons in his life, except maybe the stuff everybody took in school. All those sophisticated concepts discussed in this vid just came naturally to him. That, plus his voice, his looks, his intelligence and wit, on and on. And the same applies to all 4 of them in varying degrees. Now that really is magic.
He was taught banjo chords by his mom, and the occasional chords from random people across town, but no formal training, but he had great ears and listened to a great many songs from Motown, and others.
Wave! So happy to see and hear you playing a short section. I am a Bossa Nova singer in Portuguese, English, and French...so cool! Love If I Fell and each and every Beatles song
I guess when they played their 6 hour gigs in Hamburg they frequently threw in a few Bossa Novas. The dancers have an opportunity to get a little touchy, the band can relax for a moment while playing, and afaik Bossa Nova was pretty popular in the late 50s, early 60s. It would be natural to try writing in that familiar style for a mellow love song then.
As a Brazilian, I feel very honoured and happy to hear Tom Jobim appearing in videos, but coming from you, Rick, it's even more exciting! You definitely need to do a deep dive into Tom Jobim's music with an explained video.
I love when I guess the song before you announce it from the description. What a masterpiece song. Chord changes up the wazzoo, but still flows perfectly. Real genius.
When this video popped up I was hoping this was the song. It's one of the most beautiful melodies I know. Many years ago, when I became a dad, I suddenly discovered that this was the song I hummed our baby to sleep.
Years ago, Paul Gilbert made a list of 10 songs that would help you understand guitar playing and that you should learn. One of them was If I Fell. I believe this song exemplifies how different the Beatles were melodically, how they broadened the spectrum of pop music. Another example, to me is All my Loving. That song has a myriad of chords, quite unusual for the time (we are talking 1963/1964). I believe that simple complexity of The Beatles is what made them unique and at the same time why so many jazz artists have covered the band. Just my opinion.
One of my favorites from The Fab Four; great harmonies and fun Bridge & turnarounds. This one, and "I Will". The 'seesaw' between major & minor = signature Paul.
The chords played arpeggio style, would make a great acoustic guitar tune in its own without vocals. They are beautiful chords. My personal opinion is that the Beatles wrote this stuff simply because it sounded cool. Not so much that John or Paul "knew" all this stuff. It just sounded right.
Yes, Quincy Jones did make critical comments about the Beatles' musicianship in an interview with Vulture in 2018. He referred to them as "the worst musicians in the world" and shared an anecdote about how a session drummer had to be brought in because Ringo Starr couldn't get the beat right. However, Jones later apologized for his remarks, acknowledging that his comments were inappropriate and a result of his advancing age and the candid nature of the interview.
@@darrylmendonsa8922We can also say that the Beatles were genius song writers and amazing harmonizers, changed the world musically and even politically ….but were less good at interpreting, especially live. Just gotta love them though.
@@bsharporbflat8378 I agree with what you say, but I would just add that the Beatles were excellent at interpretation. Paul said Sargeant Pepper was the band stepping out of themselves and being influencing by what they had done musically.
I think Lennon had that same quirk that Chris Cornell did. To make an alien chord progression sound familiar,or the other way around. One song off of Beatles ‘65 that I found harmonically interesting is “I’ll Follow The Sun”
One of my all-time favorite songs. John was in another world back then. He wrote the majority of the songs on 'A Hard Day's Night' (I think 10 of them), there wasn't really a whole lot of true collboration on that album. They were under pressure to deliver 13 songs, and to see what they produced under pressure, while making a movie and touring and amid the insanity of Beatlemania, is just unreal. One of my favorite Beatles albums, and their most underrated in my opinion. As with so many Beatles songs, the intro is a little song in itself, and once they get into the verses and choruses those harmonies are incredible. No need for RIngo to do anything fancy, just the perfect beat with that quick little snare thing in there, and George on that Rickenbacker 12 string with the perfect complement to John's acoustic strumming. A perfect song.
This was a great video. "If I Fell" was my dad's favorite Beatles song, and a top ten one for me too. Similar to your dad, he had a lot of jazz guitar albums. I think Barney Kessel was his favorite, but also Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, and others, and he had albums by Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz as well. People don't realize that the early 60's had a wide variety of music, and rock n' roll and improv jazz were co-mingling a little bit, rock bands would play some jazzy numbers to show they were competent musicians, or if you had to play a club versus a dive bar. I think he recognized the improv jazziness of that song, because we would have guitar sing along night with the family sometimes on a Saturday night when we were kids. "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" is one of the songs he'd play and my mom would sing it. He'd want me to play "If I Fell". It's important to have that diminished chord in there. It's a good lesson of how to do a minimum of finger movement while changing chords and finding the right frets on a guitar to play that song. When you were doing the arpeggiated chords, it really dawned on me that this would have been a great song for a Joe Pass or Barney Kessel to mess around with on a record, perhaps it wasn't quite popular enough? There is a video on YT of Henry Mancini playing it in 1965 at a celebration of Beatles music. It can clearly work as "Casablanca" type lounge jazz.
Thank you so much Rick ! I’ve been performing both “ If I Fell” and “Corcovado” I’m my vocal groups for over 30 years ( always with a pro band) … but am just now ( since Covid lockdowns that is) learning to play these tunes on my own guitar . I too love this “chord science” and the great breakdowns you do ! Cheers !
I always had the idea that Lennon's "uncoventional" chord progressions were very much the result of his friendly "competition" with McCartney. I think McCartney had more of a "natural" ear for music, so his chord progressions, even for his more complicated songs, were more "traditional" than Lennon's. When McCartney wrote a complicated song, Lennon often felt "obliged" to come up with a similarly complicated song of his own. I think maybe the best example of that process are the songs Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, both written about the same time, with a similar theme, the Liverpool they remembered from their younger days. Paul's song is quite traditional, both as a composiiton and in its arrangement and instrumentation, with the "Bach trumpet". Whereas John's is very unconventionally written, arrenged and produced, as one the most "psychedelic" songs ever. I would love to see Rick do a comparative analysis of these songs.
It's an increasingly huge pet peeve of mine when people impulsively credit George Martin with ANY sophistication heard in a Beatles song. He talked quite openly about what his contributions were, and I can't recall him ever mentioning reharrning their songs to be more sophisticated. If anything, the opposite, like when they stood their ground to end She Loves You on a major 6th chord, which Martin found "corny." They were right, and he was wrong.
The Brazilian singer/guitarist Nando Lauria does an absolutely gorgeous cover version of the song discussed here on his 'Points Of View' album. It features Lyle Mays on piano. Highly recommended.
I was stunned and mesmerized by "If I Fell" when I was 13 years old, in 1964 and it has lost none of its allure in frickin' 60 years. Cool to see this academic confirmation of its magic.... probably the Beatles best-ever melody, and that's saying a lot.
I'm excited that you picked this song 'If I Fell' to illustrate the point. It is one of my Top Beatles songs, and have always felt it was the most sophisticated 2 minutes of song writing ever. After that amazing intro - as if the song wasn't deep enough, it is sung in harmony.
This is exactly what I need. After teaching myself to play guitar for 45 years, this is exactly what I need. Jeez, I wish we had these videos decades ago. Or maybe I don't. There's much to be said about learning the "hard way". But damn, I could have saved a lot of time.
Even for someone who doesn't know music theory at all like me, it's still interesting to hear about all the details that go into a song, and this video in particular makes me appreciate the Beatles even more. I grew up listening to them so I just kinda took their music for granted, so explanations like this make me realize just how different they truly are.
I too grew up with their music. I played bass in HS and college and we played many of their songs. I played by ear and couldn’t read music. Now I have an understanding of theory and I just marvel at their creativity. At 74 and tremors have limited my guitar playing, so I’m learning keyboard and reading music. I’ll never give up my love of music.
Loving your analysis of this beautiful song. Thank you Rick for your passion and explanations. I've known the song and its chord progressions for years from memorization and chord shapes. Still, your theoretical explanations, and descriptions of the chord changes has really opened my ears and mind to the genius of The Beatles' songwriting prowess and the application of their vocal harmonies on top of the chord progressions. I love your realization of bringing up the bossa nova reference and its importance in some of the progressions in this song. Jobim? Yes, another genius. Absolutely love that Latin bossa nova vibe you talk about! 'Hard Day's Night' album by the way.
Right when i heard you say pivot chords i knew it was gonna be "You've got to hide your love away" i was wrong lol also. You can tell by how youre singing it Rick that you have for sure heard Lennons old demo of this with his Falsetto accompaniment.. absolutely Gorgeous. I recommend anybody look for it on RUclips if you haven't heard it.. its completely different sounding .
When you played that Wave song it immediately took me back in time when I was young! I haven't heard that in song long and didn't know it was still in my memories. Thank you!
Frank, Jay and I used to do this song, and "This Boy," as our Beatles' Ballads in our old "Mellow" band in the 70's. Frank and I revisited it at a karaoke bar a few years back and brought the house down.
Great to see a breakdown of this song! I’ve always loved the chord structure and the vocal harmonies in it, and when I sing along, I always take John’s part. In fact, If I Fell flipped my thinking around about The Beatles. I was there for Beatlemania as a teen, and mistakenly thought of Paul’s ‘sweet’ voice as being the predominant attraction in their vocals. As an adult, I recognized that most of the Beatle songs that I really loved had John singing lead.
when I hear the opening, I always think of the Rutles song, "with a girl like you" which obviously, the Beatles frankly ripped off a bit, but that was common back then.
@@zaphodrahjaI heard they did sue them, but they lost that 10 quid in a drunken darts game, called their lawyers "fookin' arseholes" to which their lawyers had the lawsuit reversed and 10 quid was paid back to the Beatles... That's what I heard...
And the most amazing thing is, john would have just writen this song without thinking about modulations and key changes, he just had it man, the best do, even ive come to realise that the best work you do is the stuff you dont analize or think about to much.....
I've always felt this was John doing a "hold my beer" to Paul when Paul started getting all uppity with songs like "And I Love Her". Also, behind all of Rick's fancy breakdown is that John was in love with chromatic progressions. They show up in all of his more wacky compositions like "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". I always picture him moving chromatically up and down the neck of his acoustic, and just playing with the fingering until he heard something he liked. He definitely could not tell you what all these chords are that Rick is writing down -- he just knew he liked how they sounded relative to each other. George Martin might have helped out with some of the changes.
How do you know that he did not know the chords and music theory in general? Of course he did. Do you think they just wrote all these cool songs by accident?
I'm a huge Beatles fan who fell in love with an instrumental version of Wave in the early 80s. The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim is absolutely captivating.
Two Italian guys on beatles vocal harmony go through the vocal parts on this song thel lower tone sounds a bit bland but when the two join together it brings such joy. The Beatles were so phenomenally creative.
The vocals, though! This duet is absolute perfection, and terrific to sing. Alas, not for me any more as my vocal range flew up the chimney some time ago. Well... I could probably manage Lennon's part still.
As a kid, I LOVED this son. This shows the chasm between the Beatles and the flood of bands, at the time. It may very well not even have been intentional. Just intuitive.
Gracias por el vídeo Rick. Lennon ha sido el más brillante compositor de todos los tiempos, esas armonias o segundas voces como decimos en español son geniales y george Martin también les ayudaba
Paul McCartney said he sometimes just pulls songs “out of the ether.” “Let It Be” came to him in a dream. These guys were tapped into some kind of magic. There’s no other explanation for how good they were and how they happened to come together. Paul is still writing incredible music.
People who ought to know better often say that the Beatles didn't know music theory. I believe it's true that none of them could read sheet music, and there's no shortage of direct statements from them to that effect. But as they progressed through those few active years of fame their harmonies and rhythms became more and more sophisticated. John, Paul and George were also among the most innovative composers of their time, if not of all time, this song being an example. Certainly George Martin was a great influence. They could hardly have had a better mentor. George Martin wrote many of their orchestrations, and Sir Paul certainly picked up a great deal from him. Martin would also point out if something they came up with was highly unconventional, though I think did so in challenging non-traditional ideas they'd bring, then nod agreement when they'd shrug off his challenge because they liked the sound. It was almost like he was testing their commitment to a new invention. My point is that in those few intense, whirlwind years, the Beatles picked and internalized more music theory than most casual observers ever give them credit for, despite not being able to sight read the result from a chart. They might not have had the facility of putting their creations down on a grand staff, but they certainly could anc did so on magnetic tape. They knew exactly what they were creating, as well as why it worked, in the process.
It also helped tremendously that they learned by ear and hammered out 100s of cover songs from different genres during their 1100+ hours of stage experience in Hamburg. Putting in that kind of work, I believe they started internalizing things on top of their unbelievable natural talent. Then, even after the fame, they always had their ears open to new and interesting things with endless curiosity. It was such a perfect and unlikely coming together of things as to be unbelievable - if it hadn't actually happened.
Always love it when people give this song its flowers. Still in my top 10 songs by them even with all the innovative stuff they did after... Maybe even Top 3. It's just unreal.
If you can add an edit remark at 23:43, when you display the whiteboard showing the D major and parallel D minor, your ii* chord is listed as C#*, where it should be E*. (*= diminished)...🧐 🖖.. I suppose the carpal tunnel was a distraction.. Great stuff as always Rick!
When those 4 guys were together in the studio, magic happened. Everyone since the Beatles, including the Stones, have used the Beatles success as inspiration. Hell, John and Paul wrote the song for the Stones that put them on the map. Fab 4 forever🌞
Rick, a few thoughts... The Beatles stints in Hamburg were hugely important in their development. They had to play a variety of dance numbers, including cha-cha and other South American styles that were popular, as well as slow songs and rockers. I swear that's where they picked up cool chord progressions and changes that carried into their own songs when they started writing great songs (like "If I Fell"). Second, John definitely played easier-to-play versions of the chords you were using - another great trick a good bar band learns to do. Third, this is one of the few Beatles songs where the main writer of the song sings the harmony lines. If you listen to the demo tape, John was writing and singing the melody in a lower key. When they brought the key up (for marketability, I assume, as it plays faster), John's voice wouldn't reach the melody, so Paul sang melody and John sang the lower harmony (and then unison on lines like "I must be sure," and "Would love me more..."). Just a few years later that incredible collaboration started to fall apart (drug use, Maharishi, drug addiction and Yoko) and though they made great music the incredible bond was gone.
I just don’t think John was thinking of core progressions and modulations as you explain it when he wrote this song as a singer and song of myself he probably just wrote it. It just came from him. That’s the magic has Bob Dylan said he doesn’t know why or how he wrote what he wrote it just happened. It’s the magic.
At eleven years of age, I knew nothing of music, harmony, song structure, etc. When I heard this song while watching the movie "A Hard Days Night", I sensed something very different and didn't know what or why. Ever since, I crave and seek musical knowledge. Nice job Rick!
Lennon was a genius. And great guitar player....very underrated. If I Fell I dont want to spoil the party (intro) All my loving.... You can do one video about the great riffs and harmonies he did
I don't suppose John considered the theory here (he didn't have The Beato Book), but I'm certain he just followed the melody he heard in his head and fitted the chords that sounded good to him.
Part of me wonders if they got a lot of help from George Martin with some of the theory stuff. Maybe they’d come up with a melody and he’d suggest chords and changes.
Rick, Your Great!! This Video reminded me of when I would meet one of my Buddies up at The Texan restaurant coffee bar. This would be around 11:00 pm after I left my Girl friends house and we would talk chords and structure 2-3 hrs. RIP Smoky 🙏🏻
Malcolm Gladwell said, how the Beatles did what they did without any musical training is one of the great artistic mysteries of the twentieth century. I don’t think anyone can disagree, what they accomplished is astounding.
They obviously had Help! they were the first manufactured boy band. Similar to the Beach boys, you had a touring group, and you had someone or a group of people writing the songs. I have a hard time believing they toured as much as they did, and had time to write.
@@firstthessalonian6889 CORRECT: "George Martin was classically trained and although uncredited as a song writer probably helped them fine tune..." INCORRECT: "you had a touring group, and you had someone or a group of people writing the songs..." aha haha haha ha although I do give you credit for trolling - haha.
I was a high school frosh riding my Varsity 10 speed to SMHS when I bought the album. I used to sing If I fell as I rode in the cool morning air, both parts, melody first. I knew no theory at all. I could feel the dissonance, slight melancholy in the beautiful harmony.
The unique genius chord progressions were usually more John than Paul. It’s a John song. John helped Paul also a LOT with his songs like “She’s Leaving Home”, “We can work it out” and so many more
@@hw343434 That's an odd response. The topic here is a particular song, If I Fell, and it is a fact that John's last word on the composition of that - emphatically delivered, I may say - was that Paul "gave me the middle eight". If you can offer a reason to question John's account, then fair enough, let's hear it. But just "It's a John song" is not at all helpful.
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What guitar is this acoustic
What acoustic guitar is rick using here
@@albietzaesthetics1064
19:04
Gibson country western (1960's), he probably has talked about his guitar in some of his room tour videos (where he shows all his instruments and stuff)@@albietzaesthetics1064
Why isn’t the arpeggios course included? I’d like a discount of that.
I've loved the Beatles for 20 years but every time I see a theory video about their songwriting techniques or chord changes or anything like that, I gain even more respect and appreciation for their genius. There are so many amazing bands out there but almost without a doubt The Beatles are the most pivotal and impactful on modern music and really took things to new heights that no other band will ever be able to achieve. They hit the peak of songwriting from the first album and basically stayed there for their entire music career.
Facts
Well said
Especially Mr. Lennnon.
My guitar teacher had a Masters in music and worshipped The Beatles.
I've, like you been a Beatles fan since I was a kid, I'm now 70 and Rick has shown me just how brilliant they were. Familiarity does breed contempt and indeed it does.
Rick, this is the ultimate channel for musicians. Your content is going to outlive you by, who knows, maybe centuries. You're a model for how to be a music educator. Thank you so much for all the hard work you've put into the channel.
Well said!
Nice to see you playing Tom Jobim and happy to know that Wave was your father's favorite song. Greetings from Brazil!
Also "here there and everywhere " is stunning in modulation and tonality changes
Simply put..the Beatles were the best song writers ever.
Man. What with all these amazing interviews it’s easy to forget what a fabulous musician Rick is. Your perfect pitch and musical knowledge just blows my mind! That sudden switch into the bossa nova track was awesome!
Actually one of the most beautiful songs and harmonies ever. Rich in harmony, simple in structure, has stood the test of time.❤
The Beatles playing this song in the film a hard days night was the highlight of the movie for me!😊
THANK GOD someone is finally diving into this wonderful song.
This is why we always had trouble as kids trying to work out Beatles songs. Their songs were pure genius.
Rick, speaking about the Beatles I do hope you get Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for interviews.
Yesssss!
I second the motion.
Ditto you’d do a great job!
Yes, yes....a great idea!!!
It's settled then.
This song captivated me when I bought home the album Something New; listened to it over and over trying to hit each vocal note and always missing; it's still one of my fave Beatles tunes; it is an awesome display of John and Paul's vocal harmony.
Congrats, Rick; we love you!
Rick - When Paul's voice "cracks" on that high harmony vocal... it's one of my favorite Beatles moments.
I love it... and I think they left it in because it sounds so great. I just has a ton of character.
It was a mistake that was fixed on the mono mix by double tracking Paul's vocal. When they went to mix the stereo, which was an afterthought at that point, they neglected to include the double track and the unwanted error is exposed. The Beatles had also decided that John's voice on the intro should not be double tracked to make it more intimate. That's how it is on the mono mix. Again, they weren't as diligent on the stereo and the double tracked intro was left in, which is not what they wanted. The mono is the definitive version. The voice crack is a mistake that was supposed to have been fixed but, due to carelessness in stereo mixing, wasn't.
I remember hearing that as well
Thank you. This really shows the harmonic genius and masterful songwriting of the Beatles. It's cool how the bass line descends to go along with the lyrics "if I fell...".
What can you say? It's magic. That's the only possible explanation. As far as I know, Lennon never had a lick of music lessons in his life, except maybe the stuff everybody took in school. All those sophisticated concepts discussed in this vid just came naturally to him. That, plus his voice, his looks, his intelligence and wit, on and on. And the same applies to all 4 of them in varying degrees. Now that really is magic.
He was taught banjo chords by his mom, and the occasional chords from random people across town, but no formal training, but he had great ears and listened to a great many songs from Motown, and others.
Even as a little kid I was utterly captivated by this, the complexity of its movement through the song floored me.
The Beatles changed everything, music, style, etc.
It's a beautiful song. An underappreciated early Beatles effort. Liked it immediately upon first hearing. I would add And I Love Her to the list.
Wave! So happy to see and hear you playing a short section. I am a Bossa Nova singer in Portuguese, English, and French...so cool! Love If I Fell and each and every Beatles song
A perfect mix of sophistication and viscerality
One of my favorite songs! It seems the early Beatles love songs tend to have that Bosa Nova feel!
I guess when they played their 6 hour gigs in Hamburg they frequently threw in a few Bossa Novas. The dancers have an opportunity to get a little touchy, the band can relax for a moment while playing, and afaik Bossa Nova was pretty popular in the late 50s, early 60s. It would be natural to try writing in that familiar style for a mellow love song then.
It would have been a hip thing to do at the time. I love how Ringo rock-and-roll-ifies it.
As a Brazilian, I feel very honoured and happy to hear Tom Jobim appearing in videos, but coming from you, Rick, it's even more exciting! You definitely need to do a deep dive into Tom Jobim's music with an explained video.
I love when I guess the song before you announce it from the description. What a masterpiece song. Chord changes up the wazzoo, but still flows perfectly. Real genius.
You’re so cool !
When this video popped up I was hoping this was the song. It's one of the most beautiful melodies I know. Many years ago, when I became a dad, I suddenly discovered that this was the song I hummed our baby to sleep.
check out rockabye baby..they made songs into instrumental lullabys and " if I fel"
l is one of them
Years ago, Paul Gilbert made a list of 10 songs that would help you understand guitar playing and that you should learn. One of them was If I Fell. I believe this song exemplifies how different the Beatles were melodically, how they broadened the spectrum of pop music. Another example, to me is All my Loving. That song has a myriad of chords, quite unusual for the time (we are talking 1963/1964). I believe that simple complexity of The Beatles is what made them unique and at the same time why so many jazz artists have covered the band. Just my opinion.
Rick makes Me feel like a Zoo Chimp. It all makes sense; I cannot repeat it thereafter.
A lot of bands used a lot of chords back then. Do you think someone just now invented complex musical harmony? Look at jazz and classical music!
@@michaelcraig9449 Of course, that is why I referred to the pop music realm. And that is why I said many jazz artists covered The Beatles.
As Albert Einstein said, Imagination is a powerful weapon for solving problems, even more important than knowledge.
Now you got me deep diving into this song. Isolated tracks and such. What a magnificent song!
Your joy is contageous
One of my favorites from The Fab Four; great harmonies and fun Bridge & turnarounds. This one, and "I Will". The 'seesaw' between major & minor = signature Paul.
the drums on this song are perfect. as always. the snare roll to bring the beat in is simplicity perfected.
The chords played arpeggio style, would make a great acoustic guitar tune in its own without vocals. They are beautiful chords. My personal opinion is that the Beatles wrote this stuff simply because it sounded cool. Not so much that John or Paul "knew" all this stuff. It just sounded right.
Quincy Jones called the Beatles "the worst musicians". Man, I'd give almost anything to be as bad of a musician as the Beatles.
Yes, Quincy Jones did make critical comments about the Beatles' musicianship in an interview with Vulture in 2018. He referred to them as "the worst musicians in the world" and shared an anecdote about how a session drummer had to be brought in because Ringo Starr couldn't get the beat right. However, Jones later apologized for his remarks, acknowledging that his comments were inappropriate and a result of his advancing age and the candid nature of the interview.
@@darrylmendonsa8922and he was a drunk
@@jasonicnyc
That sounds about right
@@darrylmendonsa8922We can also say that the Beatles were genius song writers and amazing harmonizers, changed the world musically and even politically ….but were less good at interpreting, especially live. Just gotta love them though.
@@bsharporbflat8378 I agree with what you say, but I would just add that the Beatles were excellent at interpretation. Paul said Sargeant Pepper was the band stepping out of themselves and being influencing by what they had done musically.
I think Lennon had that same quirk that Chris Cornell did. To make an alien chord progression sound familiar,or the other way around.
One song off of Beatles ‘65 that I found harmonically interesting is “I’ll Follow The Sun”
I'll follow the sun is so beautiful ❤
The song is basically a Cuban Bolero as in Latin American tríos music. The lyrics are in English though.
@@denverguitarheroPaul wrote this song AT forthlin road when he was 16.
Happy 8 years Rick. We have enjoyed all of them with you
I'm still waiting for the pinnacle interview with Sir Paul! I really hope this happens for us all! Keep up the GREAT work Rick!😎🤙
One of my all-time favorite songs. John was in another world back then. He wrote the majority of the songs on 'A Hard Day's Night' (I think 10 of them), there wasn't really a whole lot of true collboration on that album. They were under pressure to deliver 13 songs, and to see what they produced under pressure, while making a movie and touring and amid the insanity of Beatlemania, is just unreal. One of my favorite Beatles albums, and their most underrated in my opinion. As with so many Beatles songs, the intro is a little song in itself, and once they get into the verses and choruses those harmonies are incredible. No need for RIngo to do anything fancy, just the perfect beat with that quick little snare thing in there, and George on that Rickenbacker 12 string with the perfect complement to John's acoustic strumming. A perfect song.
This was a great video. "If I Fell" was my dad's favorite Beatles song, and a top ten one for me too. Similar to your dad, he had a lot of jazz guitar albums. I think Barney Kessel was his favorite, but also Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, and others, and he had albums by Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz as well. People don't realize that the early 60's had a wide variety of music, and rock n' roll and improv jazz were co-mingling a little bit, rock bands would play some jazzy numbers to show they were competent musicians, or if you had to play a club versus a dive bar.
I think he recognized the improv jazziness of that song, because we would have guitar sing along night with the family sometimes on a Saturday night when we were kids. "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" is one of the songs he'd play and my mom would sing it. He'd want me to play "If I Fell".
It's important to have that diminished chord in there. It's a good lesson of how to do a minimum of finger movement while changing chords and finding the right frets on a guitar to play that song.
When you were doing the arpeggiated chords, it really dawned on me that this would have been a great song for a Joe Pass or Barney Kessel to mess around with on a record, perhaps it wasn't quite popular enough? There is a video on YT of Henry Mancini playing it in 1965 at a celebration of Beatles music. It can clearly work as "Casablanca" type lounge jazz.
Thank you so much Rick ! I’ve been performing both “ If I Fell” and “Corcovado” I’m my vocal groups for over 30 years ( always with a pro band) … but am just now ( since Covid lockdowns that is) learning to play these tunes on my own guitar . I too love this “chord science” and the great breakdowns you do ! Cheers !
I always had the idea that Lennon's "uncoventional" chord progressions were very much the result of his friendly "competition" with McCartney. I think McCartney had more of a "natural" ear for music, so his chord progressions, even for his more complicated songs, were more "traditional" than Lennon's. When McCartney wrote a complicated song, Lennon often felt "obliged" to come up with a similarly complicated song of his own.
I think maybe the best example of that process are the songs Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, both written about the same time, with a similar theme, the Liverpool they remembered from their younger days.
Paul's song is quite traditional, both as a composiiton and in its arrangement and instrumentation, with the "Bach trumpet". Whereas John's is very unconventionally written, arrenged and produced, as one the most "psychedelic" songs ever. I would love to see Rick do a comparative analysis of these songs.
It's an increasingly huge pet peeve of mine when people impulsively credit George Martin with ANY sophistication heard in a Beatles song. He talked quite openly about what his contributions were, and I can't recall him ever mentioning reharrning their songs to be more sophisticated. If anything, the opposite, like when they stood their ground to end She Loves You on a major 6th chord, which Martin found "corny." They were right, and he was wrong.
The Brazilian singer/guitarist Nando Lauria does an absolutely gorgeous cover version of the song discussed here on his 'Points Of View' album. It features Lyle Mays on piano. Highly recommended.
I was stunned and mesmerized by "If I Fell" when I was 13 years old, in 1964 and it has lost none of its allure in frickin' 60 years. Cool to see this academic confirmation of its magic.... probably the Beatles best-ever melody, and that's saying a lot.
Lennon was only 24 in 1964 when he wrote this. These guys were geniuses. Just amazing
He was 23 through most of 64, then 24 from 9 October.
@@chrishyde1216 This is definitely ADVANCED Harmony stuff they were doing, for sure. :)
@@davidjohnson1654 He couldn't sing the melody and gave it to Paul to sing while John came up with the harmonizing vocals.
@@ktcarl - yeah it was too high for him so he graciously handed over NW to Paul to sing it and even his voice cracks on the word “chair” . 🤗
Likely George Martin contributed to the arrangement.
I'm excited that you picked this song 'If I Fell' to illustrate the point. It is one of my Top Beatles songs, and have always felt it was the most sophisticated 2 minutes of song writing ever. After that amazing intro - as if the song wasn't deep enough, it is sung in harmony.
Anything and everything about the Beatles is cool by me!...
Same.
This is exactly what I need. After teaching myself to play guitar for 45 years, this is exactly what I need. Jeez, I wish we had these videos decades ago. Or maybe I don't. There's much to be said about learning the "hard way". But damn, I could have saved a lot of time.
Even for someone who doesn't know music theory at all like me, it's still interesting to hear about all the details that go into a song, and this video in particular makes me appreciate the Beatles even more. I grew up listening to them so I just kinda took their music for granted, so explanations like this make me realize just how different they truly are.
I too grew up with their music. I played bass in HS and college and we played many of their songs. I played by ear and couldn’t read music. Now I have an understanding of theory and I just marvel at their creativity. At 74 and tremors have limited my guitar playing, so I’m learning keyboard and reading music. I’ll never give up my love of music.
Loving your analysis of this beautiful song. Thank you Rick for your passion and explanations.
I've known the song and its chord progressions for years from memorization and chord shapes. Still, your theoretical explanations, and descriptions of the chord changes has really opened my ears and mind to the genius of The Beatles' songwriting prowess and the application of their vocal harmonies on top of the chord progressions.
I love your realization of bringing up the bossa nova reference and its importance in some of the progressions in this song.
Jobim? Yes, another genius. Absolutely love that Latin bossa nova vibe you talk about!
'Hard Day's Night' album by the way.
Right when i heard you say pivot chords i knew it was gonna be "You've got to hide your love away" i was wrong lol also. You can tell by how youre singing it Rick that you have for sure heard Lennons old demo of this with his Falsetto accompaniment.. absolutely Gorgeous. I recommend anybody look for it on RUclips if you haven't heard it.. its completely different sounding .
When you played that Wave song it immediately took me back in time when I was young! I haven't heard that in song long and didn't know it was still in my memories. Thank you!
Great to have you back!
Rick, your offerings nourish my musician's soul -- thank you from the bottom of my heart!
You never leave beatles music behind, always go back to it
Frank, Jay and I used to do this song, and "This Boy," as our Beatles' Ballads in our old "Mellow" band in the 70's. Frank and I revisited it at a karaoke bar a few years back and brought the house down.
The song is on the album HARD DAYS NIGHT, RECORDED IN early1964. They are shown miming to it in the film so it certainly predates 1965.
February 64.
Rick's singing is getting better🎉
Keep it up😊👍
Favorite Beatles harmony song.
A hard day's night is the best film by any band.
The Monkees' Head is pretty damn great too.
Slade in Flame is good.
Better than All You Need Is Cash by The Rutles?
@@stevemawer848 Yes!
Even Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny?
Hey Rick, I love your Beatles stuff ! Been with you since before 1million suns
Great to see a breakdown of this song! I’ve always loved the chord structure and the vocal harmonies in it, and when I sing along, I always take John’s part.
In fact, If I Fell flipped my thinking around about The Beatles. I was there for Beatlemania as a teen, and mistakenly thought of Paul’s ‘sweet’ voice as being the predominant attraction in their vocals.
As an adult, I recognized that most of the Beatle songs that I really loved had John singing lead.
when I hear the opening, I always think of the Rutles song, "with a girl like you" which obviously, the Beatles frankly ripped off a bit, but that was common back then.
They Rutles really should have sued them.
Nasty > Lennon
@@zaphodrahjaI heard they did sue them, but they lost that 10 quid in a drunken darts game, called their lawyers "fookin' arseholes" to which their lawyers had the lawsuit reversed and 10 quid was paid back to the Beatles...
That's what I heard...
And the most amazing thing is, john would have just writen this song without thinking about modulations and key changes, he just had it man, the best do, even ive come to realise that the best work you do is the stuff you dont analize or think about to much.....
I've always felt this was John doing a "hold my beer" to Paul when Paul started getting all uppity with songs like "And I Love Her". Also, behind all of Rick's fancy breakdown is that John was in love with chromatic progressions. They show up in all of his more wacky compositions like "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". I always picture him moving chromatically up and down the neck of his acoustic, and just playing with the fingering until he heard something he liked. He definitely could not tell you what all these chords are that Rick is writing down -- he just knew he liked how they sounded relative to each other. George Martin might have helped out with some of the changes.
How do you know that he did not know the chords and music theory in general? Of course he did. Do you think they just wrote all these cool songs by accident?
I'm a huge Beatles fan who fell in love with an instrumental version of Wave in the early 80s. The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim is absolutely captivating.
The richness of Jobim’s harmonies… Amazing!
Antonio Jobim: Star student of Master Conductor of the Austrian National Symphony Orchestra. Magna Cum Lauder (Máximos Honores)
Two Italian guys on beatles vocal harmony go through the vocal parts on this song thel lower tone sounds a bit bland but when the two join together it brings such joy. The Beatles were so phenomenally creative.
The vocals, though! This duet is absolute perfection, and terrific to sing. Alas, not for me any more as my vocal range flew up the chimney some time ago. Well... I could probably manage Lennon's part still.
As a kid, I LOVED this son. This shows the chasm between the Beatles and the flood of bands, at the time. It may very well not even have been intentional. Just intuitive.
From Beatles to Jobim! Only you, Rick. Bravo!
Gracias por el vídeo Rick. Lennon ha sido el más brillante compositor de todos los tiempos, esas armonias o segundas voces como decimos en español son geniales y george Martin también les ayudaba
Great breakdown of the classic Lennon & McCartney ballad, Rick!
Paul McCartney said he sometimes just pulls songs “out of the ether.” “Let It Be” came to him in a dream. These guys were tapped into some kind of magic. There’s no other explanation for how good they were and how they happened to come together. Paul is still writing incredible music.
Now that I’m in my 30’s I appreciate The Beatles songwriting much more, especially their deeper cuts.
I am so impressed with your knowledge and experience. I do enjoy listening to you.
People who ought to know better often say that the Beatles didn't know music theory. I believe it's true that none of them could read sheet music, and there's no shortage of direct statements from them to that effect. But as they progressed through those few active years of fame their harmonies and rhythms became more and more sophisticated. John, Paul and George were also among the most innovative composers of their time, if not of all time, this song being an example.
Certainly George Martin was a great influence. They could hardly have had a better mentor. George Martin wrote many of their orchestrations, and Sir Paul certainly picked up a great deal from him.
Martin would also point out if something they came up with was highly unconventional, though I think did so in challenging non-traditional ideas they'd bring, then nod agreement when they'd shrug off his challenge because they liked the sound. It was almost like he was testing their commitment to a new invention.
My point is that in those few intense, whirlwind years, the Beatles picked and internalized more music theory than most casual observers ever give them credit for, despite not being able to sight read the result from a chart. They might not have had the facility of putting their creations down on a grand staff, but they certainly could anc did so on magnetic tape. They knew exactly what they were creating, as well as why it worked, in the process.
CORRECTION- Should Have Known Better.....
Got to imagine George Martin hepped them to a lot of practical theory that made their writing more sophisticated.
@@georgeanderson3341 Mostly, on the arranging side.
He had all the practical skills.
He was not going to turn the Dave Clark 5 into the Beatles
The Beatles was a Tavistock Operation which brought us LSD and not much else.
Most of the music was NOT written by any Beatle.
It also helped tremendously that they learned by ear and hammered out 100s of cover songs from different genres during their 1100+ hours of stage experience in Hamburg. Putting in that kind of work, I believe they started internalizing things on top of their unbelievable natural talent. Then, even after the fame, they always had their ears open to new and interesting things with endless curiosity. It was such a perfect and unlikely coming together of things as to be unbelievable - if it hadn't actually happened.
Always love it when people give this song its flowers. Still in my top 10 songs by them even with all the innovative stuff they did after... Maybe even Top 3. It's just unreal.
III minor to b III diminished: Embraceable You; Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Till there was you
Also Mouse Patrol...
What a great song! I remember when it first came out. I really appreciate your breakdown of "If I Fell." Thank you for the video Rick.
If you can add an edit remark at 23:43, when you display the whiteboard showing the D major and parallel D minor, your ii* chord is listed as C#*, where it should be E*. (*= diminished)...🧐 🖖.. I suppose the carpal tunnel was a distraction.. Great stuff as always Rick!
What I scrolled down to say!
When those 4 guys were together in the studio, magic happened. Everyone since the Beatles, including the Stones, have used the Beatles success as inspiration. Hell, John and Paul wrote the song for the Stones that put them on the map. Fab 4 forever🌞
Rick, a few thoughts... The Beatles stints in Hamburg were hugely important in their development. They had to play a variety of dance numbers, including cha-cha and other South American styles that were popular, as well as slow songs and rockers. I swear that's where they picked up cool chord progressions and changes that carried into their own songs when they started writing great songs (like "If I Fell"). Second, John definitely played easier-to-play versions of the chords you were using - another great trick a good bar band learns to do. Third, this is one of the few Beatles songs where the main writer of the song sings the harmony lines. If you listen to the demo tape, John was writing and singing the melody in a lower key. When they brought the key up (for marketability, I assume, as it plays faster), John's voice wouldn't reach the melody, so Paul sang melody and John sang the lower harmony (and then unison on lines like "I must be sure," and "Would love me more..."). Just a few years later that incredible collaboration started to fall apart (drug use, Maharishi, drug addiction and Yoko) and though they made great music the incredible bond was gone.
Grow up and stop blaming Yoko. None of the Beatles blame Yoko, but you do.
The intro to this song has long anamoured me . Ear candy , and the way it resolves it self ..one of the Beatles finest
I see Beato talking Beatles, I click. Simple
Me too lol
Me three ❤
Beato and the Beatles! Love your analyses of these songs. Beautiful!
I just don’t think John was thinking of core progressions and modulations as you explain it when he wrote this song as a singer and song of myself he probably just wrote it. It just came from him. That’s the magic has Bob Dylan said he doesn’t know why or how he wrote what he wrote it just happened. It’s the magic.
At eleven years of age, I knew nothing of music, harmony, song structure, etc. When I heard this song while watching the movie "A Hard Days Night", I sensed something very different and didn't know what or why. Ever since, I crave and seek musical knowledge. Nice job Rick!
When is Ringo or Paul going to be here for an interview with you Rick?
BOTH 🎉
Love your videos.....As a drummer,Steve Gadd was my favorite....I love all this stuff.From Big Band to Beatles,I'm in.
Yo Rick. Loved seeing my old high school friend, Brendan a few weeks ago. Awesome interview.
I LOVE this! First heard this wonderful song when I saw Hard Day's Night. So great! Analysis starts: 4:32
Lennon was a genius. And great guitar player....very underrated.
If I Fell
I dont want to spoil the party (intro)
All my loving....
You can do one video about the great riffs and harmonies he did
IYKYK
They did not sound like any group we had heard before. I have loved them since I first heard them in the early 60s. Thanks for the breakdown, Rick!
I don't suppose John considered the theory here (he didn't have The Beato Book), but I'm certain he just followed the melody he heard in his head and fitted the chords that sounded good to him.
almost certainly!...He wrote Julia FFS he had a very sophisticated ear.
I have always thought John and Paul “heard” the melody and found chords that fit.
I find it funny to say he "just" fitted the chords
@@HabAnagarek It was simple to John, but difficult for everyone else.
Part of me wonders if they got a lot of help from George Martin with some of the theory stuff. Maybe they’d come up with a melody and he’d suggest chords and changes.
Rick, Your Great!! This Video reminded me of when I would meet one of my Buddies up at The Texan restaurant coffee bar. This would be around 11:00 pm after I left my Girl friends house and we would talk chords and structure 2-3 hrs. RIP Smoky 🙏🏻
Malcolm Gladwell said, how the Beatles did what they did without any musical training is one of the great artistic mysteries of the twentieth century. I don’t think anyone can disagree, what they accomplished is astounding.
George Martin was classically trained and although uncredited as a song writer probably helped them fine tune everything with his theory knowledge.
@@zaphodrahjaI don't disagree
Definitely divinely inspired!
They obviously had Help! they were the first manufactured boy band. Similar to the Beach boys, you had a touring group, and you had someone or a group of people writing the songs. I have a hard time believing they toured as much as they did, and had time to write.
@@firstthessalonian6889 CORRECT: "George Martin was classically trained and although uncredited as a song writer probably helped them fine tune..." INCORRECT: "you had a touring group, and you had someone or a group of people writing the songs..." aha haha haha ha although I do give you credit for trolling - haha.
I can't harmonise at all when singing, except on this song. It's a fabulous song.
On the mono version Paul’s voice doesn’t crack on the last note of the bridge.
I was a high school frosh riding my Varsity 10 speed to SMHS when I bought the album. I used to sing If I fell as I rode in the cool morning air, both parts, melody first. I knew no theory at all. I could feel the dissonance, slight melancholy in the beautiful harmony.
I imagine Paul would have helped with the music. Rick should interview him to find out first hand. Fab4forever
John told David Sheff (Playboy interview) that "Paul gave me the middle eight" for If I Fell.
The unique genius chord progressions were usually more John than Paul. It’s a John song. John helped Paul also a LOT with his songs like “She’s Leaving Home”, “We can work it out” and so many more
@@hw343434 yes JL was certainly a unique songwriter but it was usually a collaboration!
@@hw343434 That's an odd response. The topic here is a particular song, If I Fell, and it is a fact that John's last word on the composition of that - emphatically delivered, I may say - was that Paul "gave me the middle eight". If you can offer a reason to question John's account, then fair enough, let's hear it. But just "It's a John song" is not at all helpful.