THE BEATLES' Songwriting Secret Lost To Popular Music Today
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the unique songwriting techniques of The Beatles, attributing their global success to more than just hype. It argues that their mastery of chord progressions, including the use of non-diatonic chords and subliminal key changes, set them apart. The script simplifies music theory, illustrating how Lennon and McCartney's focus on intricate song structures, rather than reliance on technology or showmanship, created a timeless appeal that continues to captivate listeners.
Takeaways
- 🎶 The Beatles' success was not solely due to their music, but their songwriting technique set them apart, especially the use of 'subliminal key changes'.
- 👂 The script emphasizes the immediate impact of the Beatles' music on listeners, highlighting the power of their songwriting over other factors like hype or promotion.
- 📈 The Beatles' chord progressions were more complex than today's pop music, which often sticks to basic seven-chord structures.
- 🔑 The script introduces the concept of 'subliminal key changes' as a key technique used by the Beatles to enhance their songwriting, making it more engaging.
- 🎸 John Lennon and Paul McCartney were deeply interested in mastering chords, which was central to their songwriting process.
- 🛤️ The Beatles' early songs, even before meeting George Martin, were more advanced than many current top-charting songs, utilizing extended and non-diatonic chords.
- 🔄 The script explains various techniques of key changes, including abrupt changes, major-minor switches, and the '25 turnaround' method.
- 🎼 The '25 turnaround' is a specific technique where chords two and five from a new key are introduced to subtly shift the song's key without the listener noticing.
- 📚 The importance of learning music theory and being open to studying it is underscored, as it was part of McCartney's early development.
- 🌟 The Beatles' music was raw and simple, focusing on song quality over production techniques, which is a lesson for aspiring musicians to focus on songwriting.
- 🚀 For aspiring musicians, incorporating complex songwriting techniques like those used by the Beatles can help stand out in today's music scene.
Q & A
What was the main argument presented in the video about the Beatles' success?
-The video argues that while the Beatles' music alone was not enough to account for their success, their unique songwriting techniques, especially the use of subliminal key changes, played a significant role in their global appeal.
What does the video claim about the current state of pop music in comparison to the Beatles' era?
-The video claims that pop music has become more simplistic and less innovative over the past 20 years, lacking the complexity and sophistication found in the Beatles' songwriting.
What is the '25 turnaround' technique mentioned in the video?
-The '25 turnaround' is a songwriting technique where chords two and five from the new key are introduced into the song, tricking the listener's ear into subconsciously transitioning to the new key.
How did the Beatles' songwriting evolve from their early days to later albums?
-The Beatles' songwriting evolved from using basic chords and extended chords to incorporating non-diatonic chords, genre swapping, and eventually mastering subliminal key changes.
What is the significance of the song 'Drive My Car' in the video's narrative?
-The song 'Drive My Car' is used as an example of the video creator's initial negative reaction to a Beatles song without knowing who was singing, highlighting the power of their songwriting once the creator recognized the song's brilliance.
What role did George Martin play in the Beatles' songwriting journey?
-George Martin, a producer, provided the Beatles with access to advanced recording techniques and musical knowledge, which helped them further develop and refine their songwriting skills.
What is the 'seamless key change' technique the Beatles were known for?
-The 'seamless key change' technique refers to the Beatles' ability to change keys within a song so smoothly that the average listener might not even notice the transition.
How does the video suggest aspiring songwriters can emulate the Beatles' success?
-The video suggests that aspiring songwriters should become obsessed with chords and melody, learn from everyone they can, and not be too proud to study music theory to incorporate advanced techniques into their songs.
What is the 'major minor switch' technique discussed in the video?
-The 'major minor switch' technique involves abruptly switching between major and minor chords, often used to transition between different sections of a song, such as from verses to choruses.
What examples of Beatles songs demonstrate the use of key changes?
-Songs like 'From Me to You,' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' 'Norwegian Wood,' 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' and 'Fool on the Hill' are examples where the Beatles used key changes to enhance their songwriting.
How does the video describe the Beatles' approach to songwriting compared to modern pop music?
-The video describes the Beatles' approach as more sophisticated and innovative, using a variety of songwriting techniques, compared to modern pop music, which is described as having become more simplistic and formulaic.
Outlines
🎶 The Beatles' Unique Songwriting Appeal 🎶
The video script discusses the Beatles' extraordinary success and challenges the notion that their music alone was responsible. It mentions a previous video where the speaker felt the Beatles' hype and promotion played a significant role. However, many disagreed, citing the power of their music as the key factor. The speaker recounts personal experiences with Beatles songs, like 'Hey Jude' and 'Yesterday,' that had a profound impact despite not knowing the band's identity initially. The script hints at a specific songwriting technique prevalent in the Beatles' music, which contrasts with the simplistic songwriting of today's pop music, and promises to explain this technique in a simplified, jargon-free manner.
🎸 The Evolution of Songwriting Complexity 🎸
This paragraph delves into the basics of songwriting, using the G Major scale as an example, and explains how chords are built from scale notes. It criticizes modern pop music for its lack of complexity, often limited to the basic seven chords of a scale. The script contrasts this with the more intricate chord progressions used by the Beatles and other artists from previous decades, suggesting a regression in the sophistication of popular music. The Beatles' focus on song quality over production or technological advancements is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of strong songwriting as the foundation of their success.
🛤️ The Beatles' Mastery of Songwriting Crafts 🛤️
The script describes how Lennon and McCartney's dedication to learning and mastering chords contributed to their songwriting prowess. It shares anecdotes of their eagerness to learn new chords, which later influenced their songwriting after meeting producer George Martin. The paragraph outlines the progression of their songwriting skills, from basic chords to more advanced techniques like using extended and non-diatonic chords, and 'genre swapping' between major and minor chords. It emphasizes that every original song on their first album, 'Please Please Me,' utilized at least one of these advanced techniques, setting them apart from contemporary music.
🔑 The Art of Subliminal Key Changes 🔑
This section introduces the concept of 'subliminal key changes' as a significant element of the Beatles' songwriting that made their music captivating. It explains that while the Beatles initially used abrupt key changes, they soon developed more sophisticated techniques, such as the '25 turnaround,' which involves inserting chords from the new key into the song seamlessly. The script provides examples of how this technique can be used in practice and encourages aspiring songwriters to learn and incorporate such skills to create music that stands out.
🎵 Mastering Key Changes in Songwriting 🎵
The final paragraph demonstrates the Beatles' advanced use of key changes in their songs, using 'Here, There and Everywhere' as an example to illustrate how multiple key changes can occur within a single line of lyrics. It discusses the '25 turnaround' technique in more detail, showing how it can be used to transition into different keys effortlessly. The script concludes by emphasizing the importance of becoming proficient in chords and melody, suggesting that studying music theory and being open to learning are crucial for songwriters who aim to create impactful music like the Beatles.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Songwriting
💡Chord Progressions
💡Key Changes
💡Major Scale
💡Chords
💡Non-Diatonic Chord
💡Genre Swapping
💡25 Turnaround
💡Seamless Key Change
💡Music Theory
💡Pop Music
Highlights
The Beatles' music was argued not to be solely responsible for their success, but many disagreed, attributing their global success to the quality of their music alone.
The speaker shares personal experiences of being impressed by Beatles songs without knowing the band, highlighting the power of their songwriting.
A specific songwriting technique used by the Beatles is suggested to be a significant factor in their appeal, which has mostly disappeared from today's popular music.
The basics of songwriting are explained, focusing on the importance of the major scale and its corresponding chords.
Modern pop music is criticized for its simplicity and lack of progression beyond the basic seven chords, in contrast to the Beatles' more complex compositions.
The Beatles' early songwriting advanced beyond standard chords, incorporating extended and non-diatonic chords, setting them apart from contemporary music.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney's obsession with learning new chords is highlighted as a key to their songwriting mastery.
The Beatles' songwriting evolved to include genre swapping and key changes, adding complexity and depth to their music.
Subtle key changes, or 'subliminal key changes,' are identified as a unique technique used by the Beatles to enhance their songwriting.
The '25 turnaround' technique is introduced as a method for seamless key changes in songwriting, which was frequently used by the Beatles.
Examples of the Beatles' key changes are demonstrated using simplified chords, showing how they could shift keys without listeners noticing.
The importance of practicing and training one's ear to recognize and create key changes in songwriting is emphasized.
The song 'Here There and Everywhere' is used to illustrate the Beatles' mastery of key changes within a single line of lyrics.
The video concludes with encouragement for aspiring songwriters to study chords and melody deeply, as the Beatles did, to create impactful music.
A call to action for musicians to move beyond basic songwriting techniques and explore more complex structures to stand out in the music industry.
The video provides an educational and inspirational look into the songwriting techniques of the Beatles, offering practical advice for modern musicians.
Transcripts
in a recent video called bigger than the
Beatles I discussed how I felt that
their music Alone was not enough to
account for their stratospheric success
in the comment section however there
were many many comments where people
talked about their experience of hearing
the Beatles for the first time not
knowing who they were and immediately
being hooked by the simple power of the
music loads of people actually disagreed
with me and said that for them the
quality of The Beatles music Alone was
enough to justify their unbelievable
Global success so while that video
focused on the hype and promotion side
of things today I want to ask that exact
same question but focused on the music
what did the Beatles have in their
songwriting that was unique and set them
apart in that previous video I talked
about the first time I heard drive my
car by The Beatles and my incredibly
negative reaction to it before I knew
who was actually singing it but in that
video I didn't actually mention the flip
side of that coin because there were
actually multiple Beatle songs that I
heard for the first time as a young man
with no idea who was singing them and
was absolutely Blown Away by the quality
and power of the songwriting those Tunes
include Hey Jude I'm Only Sleeping if I
fell yesterday Fool on the Hill and many
more each one of those I heard and loved
before I knew anything about the authors
and here's the real really interesting
thing about that as an adult musician I
can look back over that selection of
songs I just mentioned and immediately
notice they all actually have something
in common every single one of those
songs was written using a specific
songwriting technique that has all but
disappeared from popular music today so
in this video I want to explain that
songwriting technique because it was at
least part of what made their music so
magical to so many people worldwide on a
first listen
but I do want to explain it in the most
simplified jargon-free way I can
possibly manage if you're trained in
music theory you'll know all the
technical terms for the various things
I'm about to describe but I'm
intentionally not getting into any
academic language if I can avoid it
because I want this video to make sense
to Young songwriters with no music
theory training but first of all for the
Beatles lost songwriting technique to
make sense I first have to explain the
very basics of songwriting so let's
start right at the beginning if the
guitar has a key it's probably
[Music]
G this is the G Major
[Music]
scale there's seven notes in it 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 and then we're back to one again
and that major scale shape I've just
shown you there is basically the
skeleton around which all the most
simple songwriting is built each of
those seven notes I just showed you g a
b c d e f sharp and then back to G again
each of those has a chord that goes with
it so G it's a regular g a it's a
minor then B minor C
D E
minor and the one that goes with chord
seven is very rarely used it's a
diminished chord and because it's so
rarely used I'm just going to leave it
out of this video to keep things simple
so if we wanted to write a very simple
beginner song in the key of G we would
have those six or seven chords to play
with in pop music today however this is
already the full extent of how pretty
much every song is written it literally
never gets more complicated than what I
just showed you and just a double check
today I actually listened through the UK
Top 10 and not one single song moved
beyond the basic seven chords okay the
songs were in different keys but in
practice all that means is you just use
the same seven chords and just put a
cppo somewhere on the neck and you can
play every single song in the whole of
the UK Top 10 from start to finish I
think it's fair to say that pop music
has become utterly infantile in the past
20 years or so and I also think that's
part of why everyone seems to think that
music today is is just absolutely
but it wasn't always this way compare
that to the cord sequences that the
Beatles And The Kinks were putting
together in the 60s compare it to the
chord sequences that Noel Gallagher and
James Dean Bradfield were making in the
'90s just listen to the chords to
Suicide drive on the seahorse's debut
album and compare it to the charts now
and you can hear how badly and how far
we have regressed the British music
scene has fallen a very very long way no
amount of technological PIR Technics can
make up for the song itself simply not
being good enough and that's the
fascinating thing about listening to The
Beatles they didn't have any of today's
technological Wizardry they didn't even
record using a click for the first half
of their careers their music was
incredibly raw and simple very sparse
arrangements and often many mistakes
just left in the mix and yet they were
still the biggest band that ever lived
that's because they knew what the main
thing was and what just the decoration
was the arrangements and musicianship
are just the icing they are not the cake
the main bulk the important part is the
quality of the song So now let's take a
closer look at John Lennon and Paul
McCartney how they learned their
songwriting craft and what they chose to
focus on and become Masters at when
Lennon and McCartney were young they
weren't obsessed with smartphones the
internet or video games none of those
things existed yet they were obsessed
with their guitars with singing and
songwriting today when someone gets
really into guitar it's quite often
actually because they want to learn
something really flashy and wild like
Cliffs of DOA Crossroads or Highway Star
it's often about lead guitar in the
Beatles teenage years however they seem
to have been much more interested and
kind of fascinated with chords to the
point that they literally traveled all
the way across Liverpool on the bus with
their guitars because they had heard
that a bloke on the other side of the
city knew how to play a cord they didn't
know
B7 in fact you know sometimes we travel
the whole of Liverpool just to go to
someone who knew a cord we didn't know
um remember once hearing about a bloke
who knew
B7 now we knew e and we knew a those
were quite easy but we didn't knew B we
didn't know B7 that was kind of the
missing part of the link the other cord
the L cord so on we got on the bus
trooped across Liverpool changed a
couple of buses found this fell and he
showed
us B7 we learned it off him got back on
the bus went home to our mates and went
Jing got
it after they were signed the scramble
to the top song writing wise continued
and the boys who traveled all the way
across Liverpool to just learn one new
chord now had access to this man George
Martin and you start to see the impact
of that happy meeting on their songr
writing very shortly after they first
met their earliest official songs were
written before meeting George Martin and
those appeared on their first album
Please Please Me On which Lennon and
McCartney wrote eight of the 14 songs
and those eight songs were already far
more advanced than anything in the UK
Top 10 today even in the ultra
simplistic Love Me Do we see something
outside of the boring usual cords they
were using extended chords meaning for
example using an
E7 instead of just a regular
[Music]
e and that is the second rung of the
songwriting ladder incorporating chords
with a number after their name for a
little more color and depth but that's
not all by please please me they were
also doing what I consider the third
rung of the ladder and that is including
chords outside of the usual seven let's
look at I saw standing there as an
example this song is in
E so the seven chords in that key are E
F minor G Shar Minor A B C Shar minor
and that seventh chord that doesn't
really get used but in that song we get
a chord that is none of those seven he's
a very simplified and dropped an octave
version how could I dance with another
that's the non-diatonic chord that's the
C that doesn't belong in this key the
fourth rung of the ladder is something I
call genre swapping and that's where you
take one of the basic seven chords say a
d and you flip it from major to
minor all the other way around and of
course the Beatles were already doing
this by the time of Please Please Me in
the song ask me why which is in the key
of
E they change chord three from a g Shar
minor into a
gsh
major in fact there is not one single
original Lenin McCartney song on please
please me that doesn't utilize at least
one of these cord techniques not a
single one of them is as crap and
simplistic as everything in the charts
today but we still haven't hit on the
most important technique the one this
video is really about and that is the
fifth rung of the ladder and that's
because in my opinion at this time they
hadn't actually mastered it yet on
please please me that being said there
is one tiny little place on that first
album on please pleas me where we get a
kind of hint of what was to come the
next step on the ladder and it's track
11 do you want to know a secret there is
a fairly badly done middle section in
this song around the 1 minute 10 mark it
lasts for just five bars in which Paul
MCC also plays a couple of Duff notes on
the bass it's shoddily written and
poorly executed Ed but this is the first
time on an official release I think that
the Beatles began to break out of
writing songs in the same key and began
to just dip their toes into the next
step on the ladder key changes now
before you roll your eyes and go I know
about key changes hang on when most
people think of key changes post 1980s
they tend to imagine a song like Living
on a Prayer by Bon joy that song is just
in the same key for the whole thing and
then right at the end it's changes up
into a higher key for a kind of
climactic chorus and yes that is a kind
of key change but it's one of the least
subtle and it's not one The Beatles
really used it was just a matter of a
few short years before they were weaving
constant key changes in and out of the
body of their songs often several times
in one single line so I'm going to
change the name of that fifth step it's
not really key changes per se it's
subliminal key changes ones that the
untrained listener doesn't even
recognize are there its key changes
woven into the chords and vocal Melody
with absolute Brilliance and finesse
whilst simultaneously also still using
all of the previous four techniques as
well the next song to be released after
Please Please Me was from me to you and
lenon and McCartney's key changing
ability had improved by this time the
bridge of that song switches into a
completely different key in quite a
smooth way that the average listener
simply doesn't even notice so let me
demonstrate this for you I'm going to
only use those bog standard super simple
chords in G and then when the key change
happens I'm just going to put the cappo
on so you can visually see where that
shifting key
occurs if
there's you
want if there's anything I can
do just C on me and I'll send it along
with love from me to
you I've got arms that long to hold you
and keep you by my side I got lips that
long to kiss you and keep you
[Music]
satisfied so there you can see by that
middle section where the cappo appeared
there was a short period in that song
where the key just completely changed
and a hell of a lot of listeners
musicians included don't even realize
that key change is there now do you
remember that actually incomplete list
of songs that I mentioned towards the
beginning of this video those songs I
heard with no context without knowing
who the band was but got instantly
hooked by the Brilliance of the music
every single one of those Beatles songs
used this technique subtle and often
unnoticeable key changes just woven in
to the fabric of the song and that's
what I want to show you today how to
actually do this in your songwriting do
you want to have people listening to
your music and falling in love with it
before they know anything about the
person who recorded it if you want to
have a chance at repeating what the
Beatles did you at least need to have
this skill in Your Arsenal because it
was part of theirs so how did the beat
actually change key in the middle of a
song they had various techniques
sometimes as with from me to you they
would just abruptly switch keys with no
real announcement or transition tricks
they would just be playing in the first
key for a while and then would just
abruptly switch to the next one I Want
to Hold Your Hand is another great
example of this where they just
unceremoniously just change key in the
middle of the song and once again I'll
just demo that for you now using the
really simple bog standard g- shapes and
the cap so
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
so that's quite a prominent early
technique that the Beatles would use
just abruptly changing key in the middle
of the song and to be honest it works
fine but as time passed they got a
little more sophisticated and another
trick they would use is the major minor
switch meaning for example if they were
in E Major for the verses they might
switch to E minor for the choruses
Norwegian Wood is a really good example
of this and I'll demo that now with very
simplified
chords I once had a girl or should I say
she once had
me she showed me her room isn't it good
Norwegian
would she asked me to stay and she told
me to sit
anywhere so I looked around and I
noticed there wasn't a
[Applause]
[Music]
chair so there you can see we just went
from E major straight into E minor again
just abruptly with no real announcement
or transition While My Guitar Gently
Weeps from The White Album is another
great example of this major minor switch
but this song does it the other way
around round so the verses are in a
minor and then it switches straight over
into a major for the choruses the Paul
McCartney Masterpiece Fool on the Hill
also does this switching from C major in
the verses to C minor in the choruses
and then back again abruptly switching
from one key to the next and using the
major minor switch are actually pretty
straightforward and easy to do the
hardest thing for someone who's new to
this will actually be getting your head
into the right key if you're still here
hearing the original key in your mind it
can be quite hard to get yourself into
the new one but it does get easier and
easier with practice but now we come to
the main seamless key change technique I
want to talk about that the Beatles used
all the time and this is something I'm
calling the 25
turnaround I've already mentioned a few
times in this video that every key has
just seven basic chords in G it's G A
minor B minor C D E minor and F F SHP
diminished the 25 turnaround is
basically taking chords two and five so
a minor and D from the key you want to
go into and just slapping them in the
middle of a song and if you get it right
it tricks the mind and the ear into
subliminally unconsciously transitioning
into the new key so I'm now going to
attempt to imperfectly demonstrate this
with a song everyone knows I'm going to
go into the chorus of wonder by Oasis
from the bridge and at the very last
moment I'm going to put the cappo on and
do the 25 switch I'm going to play A
Minor and D in a different key and let's
see if it works let's see if we can
trick our ears even on a song that
everyone knows and that doesn't contain
any key changes I'm going to play the
bridge of wonder wall without a cappo
and then I'm going to do the 25 switch
with a Capa
five there are many things that I would
like to say to you but I don't know
how because
maybe you're going to be the one that
saves
me Works doesn't it all I needed was my
head in the right key and it just clicks
over like magic now obviously it's not
practical to just whack a cappo on your
guitar mid song so you've just got to
figure out what the cords are called and
another way to play them without the
cappo so now I'll do that wonder wall
key change without the cppo using open
cords there are many things that I would
like to say to you but I don't know
[Applause]
[Music]
how because
maybe you're going to be the one that
saves me
I absolutely love that key change in
wonder wall I think that sounds as good
as the original or
better so there we've used the two5
turnaround to get from the key of G into
the key of C but which other keys does
that work for well this is the really
fun part over the bridge of wonder wall
we're holding a long note over the word
how that note is here on the guitar and
that note is a so we're going to treat
that note as a kind of Pivot Point Point
all we need to do is find which other
major scales use it and then we can
transition into any of them this is the
25 transition from g into the key of A
there are many I would like to say to
you but I don't know
how because
[Music]
mayy you're going to be the one that
saves
works fine in a there is an A in the B
flat major scale so let's see if we can
use the two5 transition into that key
there are many I would like to say to
you but I don't know
[Music]
how because
maybe you're going to be the one that
saves me
not bad perhaps not as smooth as the a
but not bad so I demoed all those
changes there just using a minor and d
and a cappo in reality you need to
figure out what those chords actually
are whether open chords or bar chords
and play those versions but I use the
cappo just to illustrate how simple it
really is if you can just play A Minor
and D you're leading the ear into
whatever new key you want to use and so
to finish I want to show you an Abridged
version of how the Beatles would use
this 25 technique and some of the other
techniques we've talked about in one
very short song multiple times often
within the body of just one line of
lyrics so I'm going to demo for you now
a short version of the song Here There
and Everywhere from
revolver and I'll put the text up on
screen to explain what key changes are
happening and when and just for the sake
of this video I've decided to start the
song in E rather than G here we go
[Music]
[Music]
n
[Music]
and you may have noticed that by the
time of writing this song McCartney was
so good at changing keys he often didn't
actually need the 25 he only needed the
five and the more you train your mind
and your ears to hear different keys and
break out of the confines of the toddler
level of music on the radio soon you too
might be able to do the same and so
that's it a Layman's introduction to the
Lost songwriting techniques of The
Beatles there is of course much more to
it than I've covered today but hopefully
what we've talked about here should
spark some ideas and fuel a little bit
of inspiration in any aspiring rock
stars out there if you can start to
incorporate these things into your songs
in this day and age you really might
actually stand a chance of sticking out
from the crowd and drawing people into
your music simply from the power of the
music alone it's a very very rare thing
in the 2020s but if you have that rock
and roll dream to actually equal or
become bigger than the Beatles you have
to become obsessed with chords and
Melody just as they were you need to
learn from everyone you possibly can and
not be too proud or cocky to study a bit
of music theory just as McCartney did at
his earliest opportunity very best of
luck to you have fun playing around with
those two five Transitions and as always
I'll see you next time
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