Hey Jude, Let's take the Long and Winding Road to Penny Lane where You Can Leave Your Hat On – it will be a Magical Mystery Tour Extraordinaire!
WHAT?
This weeks article takes us on a little retro, Day-Trip
So FOLLOW ME (see that little thing you can click over there on the right side of the page? Be daring, Be a darling - go for it!)
We are going to journey with everybody’s Favorite Fab 5 (that includes George Martin), The Beatles!
This trip to “Penny Lane” is towards a whole new destination of Music Theory for Rock Stars – This is all about applying the fun stuff that I prattle about as we listen to songs that we know and love.
So, C’mon,”Leave Your Hat On,” and let’s do a little “Day-Tripping” ( If you join me? I promise not to use any more song titles as sentences….)
Last we left off talking about the fancy names for music notes & what they mean. If you want to review click below
Explaining note values
Different Time Signatures
What does 4/4 mean?
Here is a quick review
We are looking at 4 types of notes –
Quarter notes, Half notes, Whole notes and Eighth notes
These terms refer to note values – the value of a note is the length of time it is played
A Whole note has 4 beats & we count it as One, Two, Three, Four
A Half note has 2 beats and we count it as One, Two
A Quarter note has One beat and we count it as One or One And
When counting an Eighth note it sounds for half the length of a Quarter note so it's the ONE or the AND - we hear this in relation to the length of the quarter note
I have taken these examples from the recordings on the Beatles album, "One"
QUARTER NOTES
“Penny Lane”
This song is in 4/4 so we will be counting 1,2,3,4
After the word, “Penny”
Listen to the Piano that enters on the word, “Lane”
The Piano is playing Quarter Notes
Count it as 1,2,3,4 Ta-Da! Quarter Notes!
"Hey Jude"
This song is also in 4/4 so once again count 1,2,3,4
After the first "Hey"
Listen to the piano that enters on the word, “Jude”
The piano is playing quarter notes
Count along 1,2,3,4 -1,2,3,4 - etc.... Ta-Da! Quarter Notes!
(this works until he sings the word, ‘remember’)
there’s a lot more examples of this in the Beatles so grab your Ipod and don’t be shy – find ‘em
A note about Pick-Up Notes…
A Pick Up Note is a Beat heard before we count one of the first measure.
Examples
*The word, “Penny” in “Penny Lane”
(we begin counting 1 on the word Lane)
*Same goes for the word, “Hey” in, “Hey Jude”
It is beat 4 of the prior imaginary measure that we do not actually hear.
HALF NOTES
“The Long and Winding Road”
It’s easier to count this in 2/4 as 1,2 – 1,2
After the intro line, “The Long and Winding Road” you hear strings enter on the lyrics LEADS to your door”
Count them - 1,2 – 1,2 Ta-Da! Half Notes!
Note: Listen to the higher pitched strings. After a few measures you will hear some other strings enter. These are moving more quickly. Listen to the sustained strings.
Also Listen to vocal oohs & aahs that move with the strings in the second verse, these are also half notes!
"Hey Jude"
Listen to the B section ("and any time you feel the pain...")
Those background oohs and aahs - count them - 1,2 - 1,2 -etc
those are serious half notes!
WHOLE NOTES
“The Magical Mystery Tour”
The opening lyric is, “Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour”
Listen to the first Roll UP – the word UP is held for 4 beats
So, while you're at it, take a listen to "Strawberry Fields Forever"
Listen to the underneath sounds, start with the trippy woodwind sound - count it! What do you hear?
The Beatles music is wonderful for hearing this stuff because of the masterful arranging. Note very often a lot of the brilliance does not begin on beat 1 …. But see if you can count it anyway!! Lots to be learned here for phrasing and production.
Now, let’s roll forward a few decades…
EIGHTH NOTES
Listen to the first bars of Dolly Parton's, "9-5"
This song is also in 4/4
Count it 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 Ta-Da! 8th notes
Ah, Let's make this more fun than working 9-5
Check out Joe Cockers "You Can Leave Your Hat On"
This song is in 4/4
Listen to when that piano comes in
You Can count along 1,2,3,4 - 1,2,3,4 - 1,2,3,4 -etc....
Count it 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and Ta-Da! 8th notes!
SIXTEENTH NOTES in the very same song…
Listen After he "turns out all the lights" that little riff?
Count them 1 E and A, 2 E and A, 3 E and A
Now we have day-tripped to Penny Lane and back. Suspicious minds are talking. Let’s turn out all the lights for this week. Til Next Time!
Love and Music, Meredith
