BEATLES EXPERIMENT: What Happens When You Beatle-ify A Simple Song? (Feat Abbey Road Studios)

[@fromchomleystreet]

In 2024, a song with six chords in it no longer counts as a “simple song”. It’s sophisticated, avant-gard math-rock jazz fusion art pop.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Hahahahahahahahaha You're not wrong

[@paulembleton1733]

⁠@dave.F0X That sounds a bit to generous to me.

[@thomassummerhill6357]

That’s 3 chords too many !

[@patricksmith4424]

I was playing along to a headliner at Glastonbury, and many of the songs just had 2 chords in them...mmm

[@rockpaizis4088]

That's really funny. And sadly, true.

[@observer87]

Fascinating analysis. I would say that a McCartney bass line is an essential component of a Beatles song with lots of 2nd inversions, descending scales and high obligatory bass fills. Even more backing vocals and a less overdriven lead guitar. I am currently preparing a Beatles showcase with Abbey Road style session orchestra and so am completely immersed in the sound world. Spot on with all the modulations and time changes. You are right about George Martin. Keep ‘em coming - great project.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Cheers - yeah if I was going for more than 4 tracks would definitely get some McCartney bass in there👍👍 Good luck with your showcase

[@brucedavis191]

@@JamesHargreavesGuitaractually paul and john would play together as one track. play back over another and tipple up a track thing they invented out of necessity are just a day in the office now.

[@hawaiirealmedia5610]

@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Yes! I would remove the electric guitar and add bass/drums on track 4.

[@michaelg6972]

Here's my take on the genre. I conceived this as 66 Beatles kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqvKg5eugtSaeZI

[@charlavenant3857]

Wow! This is such a masterclass in song development and production. The end result is stunning. Brilliant.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Thanks so much :) Glad you like

[@jods1]

I loved this precious lesson, and the song did change from a cute caterpillar into a gorgeous butterfly, but I'm missing other things that made Beatles songs, like George's guitars and Ringo's drums.

[@ballhawk387]

Great points there. Ringo seemed simple, for the most part, but played things in very *different* way then typical drummers, with distinctive syncopations and such. "In My Life", for example.

[@WillStephensArt]

Bloke has cracked the code

[@criticalthinkersrule]

Great stuff. I was recently explaining to my son (born 1986) how even early Beatles songs were much more complex than most of the stuff coming out these days. Now I'm sending your video to him to illustrate my point. Thanks James!

[@Marksikt_Sweden]

I have learned from your lesson, I, an eternal and inept beginner. But just as important is to say how moved I am by your kindness and generosity, as through your effort in these lessons, you are helping people you don't even know. This shows a great and generous spirit!

[@cliffhughes6010]

Thanks for this, James. Your own creativity is very impressive. Also, thanks for giving Martha My Dear the recognition it deserves.

[@NONFamers]

I discovered while watching this that I use several of these techniques myself in my own compositions without putting much thought into it - it just comes naturally to me. I am happy to see your analysis and application on how to make a good song even better (Beatle pun unintended). Thanks for sharing!

[@michman2]

The most Beatles-y non-Beatles's song ever: That Thing You Do.

[@michaelg6972]

Absolute genius from the late, great, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, who also wrote "Stacy's Mom" among others.

[@Panglos]

Even more so, _I Need You (That Thing You Do)._ The vocals and instrumentation are great, and the driving, leading bass is incredible. A perfect way to end a movie that has so many perfect moments.

[@alexanderwood3465]

​@@michaelg6972 ironically, also the best new-wave song that didn't come from the new wave era

[@ronmckee9019]

I saw a documentary once by some famous Classical Conductor. I forget his name. But he broke down all the Beatles Songs and explained why every song was written so amazingly and how all the chords, chord progressions, harmonies etc. Were all super advanced and nothing like 99% of other song writers. They literally were a group of 4 guys all massively talented on another level & I'm sure Producers & the occasional musican friends who we all know helped too, but they had to all be that good themselves in the 1st place. What an amazing, lucky situation the Beatles were / are. Like a Super Group but were just a group of kids from the same area like millions of bands before or since & even with the knowledge of their abilities & other greats it's still so hard to make 1 hit song, let alone probably 100s of them by the Beatles & their Post Projects.

[@georgeryan3796]

You're likely remembering Howard Goodall.

[@BeatlesCentricUniverse]

​@@georgeryan3796Or Leonard Bernstein

[@TheGerkuman]

Bernstein loved The Beatles and featured their music in one of his famous music lectures for children/students

[@GaryBook]

George Martin deserves credit as well. He had advanced musical skills and training that impacted them.

[@paulmckenna5224]

This is something that can be analyzed, studied, written about, and even imitated. But sometimes, it just has to be in your DNA. I know this, because it's not in mine!

[@user-nf8jj7pz6c]

Nice breakdown on where and how to possibly drop in these beatley ideas 👍 No need to namedrop, but a studio musician friend once said that when music was in trouble, they'd turn to the Beatles. 60 years later and still relevant in so many ways.

[@robertoriggio117]

I learned a lot from your video. The only area that I would say was lacking was the melodic invention that the Beatles had. This is very hard to imitate.

[@justrelax129]

I’m not sure I fully heard the simpler version but I do really love this end product. I love the key changes which honestly weren’t super noticeable which is exactly what you were going to. This video did inspire me and I did learn something key about music.

[@MarshalMcKitrick]

Well done, James! That is a very thorough mini-class in specific songwriting techniques. And, you didn't too caught up in a lot of music theory! I appreciate being reminded that The Beatles learned from earlier music "masters." Music seems to be a lot like science where new tunes or compositions are based on what came before in a new musical expression. Cheers, mate!

[@443stephen]

Love it. Great job explaining the chord changes and the application to your song. I guess your already aware of the step and half up change in , "Your gonna lose that girl" and the pivot chord being F then back down to E. I wanted to mention also the one in "Shes's a woman jumping up two steps from A to C# in the chorus and D to E getting back the Key of A. I do really love the way the beatles used those changes. This was so much fun to see this come to life!

[@justice100forwin2]

Can you recommend a good book that is simple and explains chord theory. Also I can only read Tab , but I've been playing for years and only now am I starting to learn the all the positions of the major and minor pentatonic across the whole neck....I was stuck in a box before.

[@BillMcGirr]

Cool video. Lots of good thoughts and ideas here. Brilliant.💪👍🥃🎸

[@LeonBerrange]

This was so cool. I really enjoyed this. And it sounded great in the end. I actually burst out with applause. Well done James.

[@thetubedude2011]

Nice video. I'm not sure though Paul McCartney ever thought too deeply about that he was changing keys multiple times. It's was probably "hey that's sounds good". This creative use of chords and the bass note under it and the note you actually sing is the skill of a great song writer.

[@xjesusxchristx]

He's actually spoken about the early days where anytime he learned a new chord, he would try to find any way he knew how to try to work every chord he knew that would work, into a song. Likewise when he learned about keys and key changes, he would find any way he could to use it in his songs. What he lacked in technical knowledge, he would seek from people who knew.

[@seanwade8188]

@@Dehazer2112 this video will be of use to a lot of people, irrespective of how you feel about his singing

[@paulembleton1733]

Luckily finding a good sound would take to long I think, considering the number and variety of songs he wrote. He has to know beforehand how it might sound. The formal terms and notation are just a convention for communicating that understanding to others, and not particularly important in the case of a small band.

[@paulembleton1733]

@@Dehazer2112 Can’t disagree and it’s no hit lyric either. But, as a way to illustrate the tricks used at a time when very good song writers seem scarce, it’s fun and thought provoking.

[@cyeamaculture8486]

Agreed..he was an instinctive writer..but I'm enjoying this exercise and learning something too

[@michaelkimsal788]

Simply amazing. Throwing all the techniques in towards the end made it sound a little overwhelming, and the Beatles usually had a bit more restraint, but... from a demonstration standpoint, it definitely showed how these all 'work'. Those key changes in the solo section felt straight out of Squeeze :)

[@TomGoymour]

Excellent project to take on. You explained it so well. I know enough about the Beatles to appreciate just how well that has been 'Beatlified'. Spot on and, your video should also convince anyone who has any doubts about their uniqueness just how musically good they were.

[@luthienmerilin6802]

Oh, did we ever need this! 💐re. your comment about the Beatles having picked up these composition techniques from others before them makes a lot of sense. I’ve become intrigued by the "flip-side" of the 1960’s counterculture, meaning that despite the avalanche of exciting and fun new music there was also something lost. Perhaps the Beatles were one of the few who preserved some of the harmonic language of past music in their songs while many others were content with the simpler basic 3- or 4-chord songs. I’m of course oversimplifying things, but there is such a harmonic richness and depth in some of the music that got washed away in the excitement of the moment. I’m glad that people like you take up the challenge to bring back what we lost.

[@conraddiehl5963]

Thank you, James. I want to incorporate these concepts into my songs. You do a super job explaining the 2, 5 turnaround into key changes. You've done an amazing job with your writing and performance. Your teaching ability is extraordinary. You have inspired me. 😊

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@barbury-loves-islands]

Who in their right mind doesn't love the Beatles (along with ALL of music), and so your technique was a great idea, and resulted in a wonderful sounding song. Quite lovely and unique.

[@RingoMonsanto]

Really awesome sounding song, Incredible way to apply Beatles techniques to improve an already decent sounding tune into a great song.

[@andybarker8787]

This is better than 99% of songs that have charted in the last 20 years

[@MrSandalwood]

It's shockingly bad.. come on

[@blakemcnamara9105]

​@@MrSandalwoodYeah honestly, I looked at this video to help me with writer's block and hearing this awful song just made me more discouraged. You need natural-born talent to write; seriously. This may have been the worst song I've ever heard.

[@Lu-em5wx]

I hate to be rude but this is unfortunately a wretched song

[@ВладимирНетленский]

@@Lu-em5wxyes, too pretentious and too overconstructed with a lot of unnesessery details and a lack of melodie to remember! Very far from the beatle style! No catchy tunes!😢

[@Lu-em5wx]

@@ВладимирНетленский most importantly it lacks a melodic hook

[@ChrisIgnimbrite]

Thanks

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Hi Chris, thank you for your support 👍👍

[@Jeff-m5x3j]

In 1993, master guitarist Phil Keaggy released “Everywhere I Look.” Being an avid Beatles fan, he delivered a very “Beatlesque” tribute to the style of the Fab Four. Give it a listen.

[@james3v17]

Love him, such a great guitarist and Christ follower!

[@barefootnblues]

And I liked what you did with your song. Sparked some creativity and ideas that have been totally stagnant. Thank you

[@johnwickenden5643]

Brilliant liked the finished version best. Thank you for this I learned a lot.

[@rolfhogfeldt7645]

Love it. The "sound" just kept growing and growing without being overpowering. Maybe "sound" isn't the right word and it should be "tone". It got "fuller and fuller" but was easy on the ears and pleasant. You really nailed the concept and proved it. BRAVO 👏 👏 👏 👏

[@davidbriggs9675]

Thanks so much for you incredibly informative videos James. The one about harmony vocals and this one. I've learnt so much by watching only two of your videos.

[@pilotusaero9383]

Thanks now I am gonna be hearing that song in my head for the next week non stop. It was brilliant!

[@brianpowell957]

What a process. And what a finished work! Thanks.☺️

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@BylandSpiritualArtCenter]

Absolutely STUNNING! I am in awe. Thank you for sharing this!!! Fabulous 👍🏼 Do another one!!!

[@lar57jsy]

Fascinating and educational! I'll need to study what you've done here. Thank you! 🙂

[@GeneJenkins]

Love this!! Well done and keep it completely "Beatle-fied" it's perfect!

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Thanks so much!

[@greenatom]

My inner Lennon is saying: "You need the word "and" added so that the line is "and though I don't believe in destiny". It will signal that it's a new thought and make it more clear. I loved the lesson. It demonstrates that it's not all magic, but knowing how to use the musical rules to get something you want, something interesting.

[@Neil-Aspinall]

Great James. Thanks for teaching us about these things.

[@dorrianstone7264]

Well done!! Thanks for explaining what you were doing too, youre quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. Tastefully artistic songwriting seems like its disappearing. It had a bit of an Oasis vibe as well (obviously, they were massive beatles fans). Any band would be lucky to have u.

[@9re91]

Well done! One of the many reasons why I began to rip on the jazz standards and the 'American Song Book' All those 'techniques' were the rule of the day. Thanks for this.

[@kevinegan3372]

Magnificent. Love your work.

[@matcoffidis1135]

Wow! That was amazing. You made it come to life! Your guitar playing is just perfection!

[@GaryBook]

For your viewers, “Yesterday” is in the Key of F. Paul tuned down a whole step so you could use G form chords. So the G is really an F. You have great vocals, perfectly in tune. You are blessed with that unique talent.

[@fernandoperdomomusic]

I absolutely love this song James... Its got everything I love about songwriting and melody .. and some real Marshall Crenshaw/XTC vibes .. and being a fellow Baritone singer I love what you did with your voice! Oh and your use of open chord voicings remind me of another guy I worked with .. Emitt Rhodes

[@scottmccollum9979]

I love what you did to the Beatles-like version. I know you didn't want to add keyboard into it, but I think it would have been cool to have some keyboard replicating a string section or just a good organ sound. Not trying to be critical in the least. I've watched 2 of your videos and have learned so much! Besides this one, I watched your video on the secret scale that the greats like Clapton and Page used to approach their lead theory. It simply never occurred to me that when playing lead in a chord progression to deviate from playing pentatonic scales that work for whatever key the chord progression is in that you could play the scales of the key over each chord change of the song. Thanks so much! You're a brilliant and cool guy 😎

[@rfpowerdude]

Awesome lesson in various songwriting techniques with the Beatles as a perfect example of interesting progressions with how melody note selection ties it all together. Subbed. And now I'm motivated to finally put something together of my own!🥰

[@stephaniefitzpatrick-corki3463]

The distinct Britishness of the Beatles in the early 1960's was like the times- optimism building a better britain, negativity coming from the war time experience. Hence major /minor switches. They took rock and roll back to basics and made it different, more thoughtful and deliberately pushed the boundaries to be relatable. In my opinion.

[@rbfour5]

The final mix is awesome- fantastic!

[@ericleiter6179]

This whole process was a lot of fun to watch...and you simply can't go wrong by studying and applying the methods of The Beatles if you're a songwriter or composer...so interesting, yet accessible, and they never repeated themselves! I think the second version of your song is the best (and you could and should make a video about how you played lead over those changes), but I do think adding some drums at some point would take it to another level (Ringo's clever drum patterns could be yet another useful tool to talk about as well)...keep up the good work!!!

[@michelfournier2683]

Goosebumps...So Inspiring :)

[@host_theghost507]

Awesome and illuminating demonstration.

[@Leogunner2]

Lots of great ideas here. Some particularly sweet moments. Thanks.

[@Tomsuth]

Super interesting video. Thank you so much for creating this! I learned loads!

[@buddyneher9359]

Interesting experiment. Sounds more 70's than 60's to me.... minor quibble. Thanks! and... Beatles 4ever 🎶

[@MikeS29]

Bravo, thanks for the great ideas in creating interest. Much appreciated!

[@hakonberg8003]

Beautiful song, very cool chords!

[@derf8812]

Very thoughtful, practical and a great illustration of the power of creativity in music. 😃

[@dunki-dunki-dawg]

When it comes to the beatles I wouldn't regard musical devices as 'tricks'. Whenever they used these devices they always served the song and took us on some very interesting changes with 'unexpected' chord too. Their music is gorgeous and exciting.

[@garybacica5709]

Definitely an improvement. Sounds like some happy Steely Dan with special guests the beach boys gleaming some good ole Beatles vibes.

[@owenmartin3307]

Good effort but proves once again that great music is not about music theory it's about magic, the interaction of the words and music, bringing something into being that connects with people.

[@whssy]

Very interesting. I was classically trained as a kid and I remember being taught about this stuff, often using Beatles songs I didn't actually know as examples (for some reason my teacher (my mum) assumed I did - even though she only ever played classical music and a bit of Abba (because it was a bit Mozarty in places) on the hifi - and my dad only had a reel to reel copy of Sgt Pepper that got played about three times in my childhood because of the hassle of playing reel to reel tapes). The stuff presented in this video isn't pop music theory or even Beatles per se. It presents the universal building blocks to all advanced music composition (at least composition that is based on a 12 semitone chromatic - I don't know enough about Eastern scales etc...) And kudos to you for presenting it in a way that makes sense to those who didn't have the privilege of having a piano teacher for a mum (sorry mum - you were right when you said "you'll thank me one day).

[@PiotrFourteen]

Wonderful masterclass, James!!!

[@anneteller3128]

Very nice! Building on the well-constructed classics makes a well-constructed song enjoyable to the ear.

[@raindogred]

What I love is that it doesn't sound like it was done by another rabid beatles fan, you used the techniques but still got your own modern sound,,,,not that theres anything wrong with rabid Beatles fans...i've just heard so much, could be the AI fakers in udio....i joined a group on facebook with 32k members called "post your original song here"...i think you might attract some more subs over there, Well done...and I'm putting these tips into my songs haha

[@jalbertob288]

Loved the track. Interesting video. Will have to try this.

[@justice100forwin2]

Love the tune and I'm really impressed with how you evolved it into a much more interesting listen.

[@Andrew-cu9lf]

I can't even begin to tell you how awesome this video is. Wait, I think I just did.

[@jkrause365]

OK...I'm impressed. Well done.

[@CasparThomasMagic]

Brilliant video. So interesting (as a non-musician) to learn about these songwriting tricks. Also great to be shown the logic behind why songs "feel" the way they do - e.g. by the use of key changes.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Thanks! You're right about the connection between the key changes and the feelings they evoke. There's a famous quote by Charles-Henri Blainville that without the key changes there is 'little music' because the true feelings come via the key changes. Pop Music today has none of these... is it any surprise then that it just doesn't move people as it once did?

[@CasparThomasMagic]

@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Great quote. I'm also amazed by how the sound/feel of a chord can change so much just by changing one note in that chord!

[@miguelapplic9119]

Loved this video James! You made it look so easy even if it's not. Really cool song aswell, already saved it on Spotify. More videos like this one please!

[@TheOriginalCoda]

Cathartic! Subscribed.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

This was an amazing watch, and the end result is an incredible song. I liked the first version anyway but the way you developed it was really interesting to see. Great guitar solo aswell.

[@oneirdaathnaram1376]

That borrowed ii - V turnaround at 08:40 definitely had the impact on me that I thought I'd hear a Beatles' song. By the way: The music of J.S. Bach is full of enharmonic changes in that style. So, thank you so much for helping to bring back structural variety into pop music. We need it today!

[@gioknows]

Wow that was really cool. You really captured why the Beatles sound was so much different and better than other bands. The Beatleification of that song takes it to another level. Amazing...I just had to subscribe to your channel. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada🍁

[@LoopLearner-zc4cg]

Thnx Interesting view and good examples showing the techniques.

[@dessiplaer]

That was excellent! Lot's of great techniques to which one could apply to the songwriting process.

[@uberTof]

Thanks for this practical example! You're helping us develop very important skills to bring great art into the world.

[@leepshin]

The advice in this video is pure gold to me as I have a number of songs I wrote back in the late 80's that could do with this treatment. Thanks for the enlightenment. Oh and your song sounds more Sumner/Marr than Beatles.

[@happy2oblige]

Loved your "explanations" of Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour too BTW.

[@BrucePruiksma]

Excellent portrait of Beatles writing and techniques that helped to set the blueprint for the pop of the years beyond 1970. You can hear also Oasis in the 90’s!

[@musicallystoned7489]

So this is how the Lemon Twigs ascended.

[@NewGoldStandard]

It's great to see these ideas put into practice. This is a really inspiring video! Many thanks, as always, Ryan

[@beatxt]

Great James. And fully loaded with XTC vibes! You need to interview Andy Partridge.

[@NateJamesAcoustic]

I really dig what you’re doing here, digging deep into what made that Beatles sound. Your song sounds great, both ways, but more interesting to the ears after the Beatle-fication. I wish I could hear it with the faster time signature in the middle, then switching back, I think that would really pop.

[@LP-dt4sq]

Definitely an improvement. All great ideas. Pretty rad concept

[@rewind2play]

Intresting video... I like your lead guitar bits...

[@estarling8766]

Lovely channel, James. Your mission into music is like exposing the Summerian cuneiform texts to the masses.

[@goptus7498]

I love your beatlified version! Great song!

[@13druber]

Awesome, nice break down. Cool song too.

[@jamesdeagle]

Brilliant idea and presentation! James

[@ChadDippyDora]

Brilliant lesson. I’m never sure if Macca thinks too deeply about his harmony. I think he probably does, but not in music theory. Same with John.

[@rumtumbugger]

It's fairly well documented that (certainly in the studio years) that George martin would ply extended chords and they would sing the piano lines he played. Was definitely lightning in a bottle...though I think Paul was 75% of their success - his post Beatles stuff certainly measures up at times - e.g. Pipes of Peace / Soily / Band On The Run / Wanderlust - all exceptional songs. Pretty sure George Martin was involved in those too.

[@wickamahn1852]

Really Cool James, nice one!

[@MarshalMcKitrick]

Hey, James. I am curious about what fee you paid to Abbey Road Studios for the mixing, if that is a question you're able to answer. Thank you.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Hey Marshall, it was £360, as I just had 4 tracks It costs more on a sliding scale the more tracks you send in Price list is on their site for online mixing 👍👍

[@MarshalMcKitrick]

@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Thank you for providing that information, James. Keep up the interesting music sharing and commentary. You're on a roll.

[@TommyLane]

Excellent changes. Wow. Thanks for this from a huge lifelong Beatles fan.

[@tomwright7418]

I will be applying the ii V turnaround. Top tip, thanks 👍

[@AlexRamirez-fj4dj]

The result is great and improves the song much. At looking at chords for beatles songs they did make some interesting chords changes that make the songs more exciting.

[@AldousHuxleysCat]

I'm not a musician, however I did enjoy this as an exercise in learning how to listen to music and think about how they went about creating the songs I hear. I will say the first version in the second version were very different and it was fascinating to see how you got from point A to point b

[@tubeamp2872]

I love your channel just found it today been watching all day. Those scales video are dead on. My teacher said dont change positions play them all in same place by knowing your fretboard..

[@consultingengineer5593]

Very fine. I learned a whole lot. Kudos to you.