Help! by David Rowley

Author:David Rowley
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785894824
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2015-11-23T16:00:00+00:00

Advice on solos

Solos for the Beatles were usually a chance to add excitement to a song, as opposed to a musical interlude to give the singer a break before the next chorus or even worse a chance for a virtuoso musician to show off at length. The solos were used sparingly, usually over 4-8 bars and make sense in terms of the constant stream of exciting changes the Beatles sought to deliver on each song.

Here are examples of their approach:

1. An innovation in sound

On ‘In My Life’ a piano solo recorded at half the speed of the music was speeded up, whereupon it sounded like a mutated harpsichord. ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ has the world’s first backwards solo, while from the same album ‘Taxman’ had one of the loudest and most distorted guitar solos of its day. ‘Being for the Benefit of My Kite’ used randomly-spliced together tape snippets of steam organ recordings. While George plays a synthesiser solo on ‘Because’, one of the first ever recorded.

2. Go faster

The guitar solos on ‘Hey Bulldog’, ‘Good Morning, Good Morning’, ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Taxman’ are all played at furious pace; each taking already speedy songs to a new frantic level.

3. Go up a key

‘Day Tripper’ is in the key of E, but the solo is in B. On ‘And I Love Her’ the solo signals the point the arrangement moves up a single note from F# to G.

4. Use an unusual instrument

The Beatles’ two biggest Dylan pastiches avoid Dylan’s trademark harmonica solos by using a double-tracked flute on ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ and a sitar on ‘Norwegian Wood’.

5. Use a star musician

This may be easier said than done, but sometimes the ‘wow’ factor needed is an extra-special musician. Consider the use of piccolo trumpet player, David Mason, on ‘Penny Lane’, Eric Clapton on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and that of Billy Preston playing Hammond organ on ‘Get Back’, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ and ‘Let It Be’.

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