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Ian911299 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:39 am

Okay, me and my friend have been arguing about The Beatles for the longest time now. I think they're awesome and I think they're the greatest band ever!

However, he thinks differently...

My friend wrote:

The Beatles couldn't even play their guitars... and you cannot argue with that. The fact is, the Beatles's guitars were out of tune, and so was their singing. THAT is not arguable.

So we've been at this for a while, and then he came up with this point...

My friend wrote:

How can you tell the Beatles' guitars were in tune??

Are you in a band?? I play a trombone. I think I can tell when an instrument is in tune. They can't sing very well either. Trust me, I have heard some great singers, and the Beatles CERTAINLY are not that skilled.

So according to his beliefs, since I don't play an instrument, my opinion on The Beatles doesn't count. I, of course, disagree with this, but I'd like to hear the opinions of other musicians anyway.

So if you play an instrument, what is it and what is your view on The Beatles?

Mr.KISS · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:42 am

First off, tell your friend that he's wrong. Your opinion counts no matter what.

And Secondly, they can go off tune (in singing) occasionly, but I think it may have something to do with the accents. Their playing is usually in tune though (or atleast it's tuned a way that suits the song).

Oh, and I play Guitar and Drums and Recorder.

DeathlyPallor · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:46 am

I play 8 instruments... And I love the Beatles. Sure, their older works were rough, but that goes for most great bands.

The way you can tell an instrument is out of tune (during play) is the sound of each particular string in it's relation and contribution to the played chord. It can range to being flat to being completely off... you just have to listen to it.

Encountering Gremlins · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 5:35 am

I can't say I understand his side of the argument at all. I play guitar and keyboards quite a bit, and have never noticed anything out-of-tune about their playing or singing. Maybe their early stuff was slightly primitive and sloppy, but so were most new bands in 1963, I'm sure. I don't know how you could say the same about most of their stuff from say, Revolver onwards.

Cybernetic Teenybopper · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:23 am

I believe this topic merits this. Ahem. *clears throat*

Quote:

If you're listening late at night
You may think the chords are
Not quite right...
But they are,
We just played it like that.

The Beatles are one of the few bands I know of whose accents don't disappear during singer. (I don't know how or why it happens, but very few people sing with an accent. Ever notice that?) So yes, some of it could be attributed to an accent. DeathlyPallor is right about tuning. I played violin for 5 years, and when your instrument is out of tune, you know instantly if your ears are good. The relationship of the tones of the strings sounds wrong almost immediately.[/quote]

Helmut · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:39 am

Your friend sounds like a Beatles basher. I've not listened to many Beatles tunes, but from the little I've heard their instruments sound in tune. Perhaps your friend tried to play along to a Beatles tune and found that his guitar was out of tune from the song. Even if that's the case, the Beatles were still in tune among themselves.

I don't think the Beatles are/were extraordinary, but I enjoy what I've heard. I don't get the whole Paul McCartney thing. I don't think they did anything musically extraordinary; however, they knew how to get and keep a crowd's attention.

As for instruments I have 11 years on guirat and 4 in percussion. Yay me.

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:30 am

i think there has been at least two topics about if you play an instrument.

As for the beatles, i aggree with your friend, although Helter Skelter is the only song from them i like....and yellow submarine.......but there O.K., but not the best.

Occasional JD · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:43 am

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest wrote:

i think there has been at least two topics about if you play an instrument.

As for the beatles, i aggree with your friend, although Helter Skelter is the only song from them i like....and yellow submarine.......but there O.K., but not the best.

This topic is not about whether or not you play an instrument. He is asking people who are musicaly skilled to voice their opinion on wheather or not The Beatles were out of tune.

Funkstar · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:59 pm

I am play guitar and recorder and keyboard.

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:20 pm

well, i play Guitar, 12 string guitar, Quatro, Bass Guitar, Drums, Organ, Church Organ, Keyboard, That big Mariachi Bass, Clasical Guitar, DJ Sound System, and ive been working with a Blue Man Group Enthusiast(sic) whos been teaching me some stuff on that backpack tube thing. dang.... if i were to split myself up in several parts, i culd form a band on my own.

Eragon · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:24 pm

I play guitar and Drums too!

Ju Ju Master · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:01 am **Posts:** 6245

I play guitar and I've been told by two of my three guitar teachers that I might have perfect pitch, and though I don't lsiten to the Beatles that much, I don't rememebr they're instruments being out of tune. They're voices sometimes went a bit off, but soemtimes it was on purpose it seems, and soemtimes they just made a mistake, or just couldn't hit that one note right.

Kittie Rose · **Joined:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:24 pm **Posts:** 544

Does your friend by any chance run a snooty independant music store?

Clan rHrN · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:17 pm

Alto saxophone is the instrument I play.

Señor · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:54 pm

Clan, did you even read the topic? Seriously. READ BEFORE YOU POST!

I'm going to bust out my tuner and settle this once and for all.

They're mostly on the flat side, but does that really change the awesomeness of their music?

Jonn-E · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 5:41 pm

Am I the only clarinet player here?
I can play well but my teacher is very strict

And recorder + choir.

Speckeldorf · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:12 pm

I play clarinet! And saxophone!

About the Beatles, I've never noticed anything wrong in their songs.

J-Man · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:35 pm

I don't know much about Beatles, but you don't have to play anything in order to hear when something is in or out of tune. I've played keyboards for about six years mainly by ear. I probably know only the very basics of music theory, I've taken only two piano lessons during my life and sheets are all Greek to me.
However, I've been composing for about more than seven years and I know I can tell when something is not in tune. There are a lot of good composers/musicians who don't play any instrument and barely know anything about music theory, sheets etc. and can tell when something is out of tune.

EDIT: Oops, should've finished that last sentence in the first place.

Funkstar · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:16 pm

OH! I didn't read the first post. The beatles are in tune, you can tell. Every note is correct, but some of it sounds out of tunes because of the style of the piece, but I assure you: those pieces are like that on purpose.

Ian911299 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:37 pm

Kittie Rose wrote:

Does your friend by any chance run a snooty independant music store?

No, he doesn't actually, but he acts that way.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:38 pm

The only time The Beatles were out of tune was during their live shows with the thousands of girls screaming, which drowned out most of the music. That's why it was such a smart move for them to stop playing live in 1966.

That being said, I play guitar.

breadtangle o' pizza · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:12 pm

Well...if you only play trombone, how can you tell if a guitar is out of tune? Example: I play alto sax in school. I can tell when one's out of tune and can generally come up with a reason why (not enough air being primary, then position on mouthpiece, etc), but if my friend's guitar (which he also plays for the school band) is out of tune, I would have no clue as I don't play it. Your friend's argument is totally unfounded unless he also plays guitar.

Kittie Rose · **Joined:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:24 pm **Posts:** 544

Even if they were out of tune(or rather, more out of tune than other bands may have been, as you can never be perfectly in tune) it's obviously not to the extent that it notices or bothers anyone but your friend, the Trombone player.

Einoo T. Spork · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:18 am

That's just plain stupid. And even if the Beatles were out of tune, their songs still rocked. But they are a bit overrated. I'll take They Might Be Giants over them any...... well, most of the time.

And I play piano.

Mr.KISS · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:45 am

Kittie Rose wrote:

the Trombone player.

He's a Tromboner.

Ummm...Anyways...Some of you guys should read the first post, it's about the Beatles tune as well.

Ian911299 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:27 pm

Cybernetic Teenybopper wrote:

I believe this topic merits this. Ahem. *clears throat*

Quote:

If you're listening late at night
You may think the chords are
Not quite right...
But they are,
We just played it like that.

The Beatles are one of the few bands I know of whose accents don't disappear during singer. (I don't know how or why it happens, but very few people sing with an accent. Ever notice that?) So yes, some of it could be attributed to an accent. DeathlyPallor is right about tuning. I played violin for 5 years, and when your instrument is out of tune, you know instantly if your ears are good. The relationship of the tones of the strings sounds wrong almost immediately.

That is from The Beatles' song Only A Northern Song. If anyone wants to argue The Beatles "out-of-tuneness" using that song, then they don't have a good argument. Only A Northern Song is meant to sound out-of-tune.

The lyrics to Only A Northern Song:

Quote:

If you're listening to this song
You may think the chords are going wrong
But they're not
He just wrote it like that

When you're listening late at night
You may think the bands are not quite right
But they are
They just play it like that

It doesn't really matter what chords I play
What words I say or time of day it is
As it's only a Northern Song

It doesn't really matter what clothes I wear
or how I fare or if my hair is brown
When it's only a Northern Song

If you think the harmony
Is a lttle dark and out of key
You're correct
There's nobody there
And I told you there's no one there

Northern Songs is the music company that published most of the Beatles' songs. Basically, what George Harrison (the writer of that song) is saying is that he doesn't have to put any effort into the songs he writes because "it's only a Northern Song." He demonstrates this by making the chords and stuff all weird and off-key. George felt that he'd been given a bad deal with Northern Songs, and he wrote this knowing that John Lennon & Paul McCartney (the main songwriters for The Beatles) would make more money off that song than George would, even though John & Paul didn't write the song.

I think The Beatles are perfectly in-tune, and when they're not, they're supposed to sound that way. Aside from Only A Northern Song and Revolution 9, I think The Beatles knew how to keep their guitars and voices in-tune.

I know I don't play an instrument, but as Mr.KISS said to me:

Mr.KISS wrote:

...tell your friend that he's wrong. Your opinion counts no matter what.

Thanks man!

dark guy977 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:32 am **Posts:** 36

hi i plat the clarinet :sb:

Ian911299 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:34 am

Okay, good.

Now what's your opinion on The Beatles?

soce,the elemental wizard · **Posted:** Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:06 pm

I play violin, guitar, piano, drums, bass, singing, trombone and oh so much more.

They've always sounded great and in tune to me, and I like them a lot. Your friend sounds like a hater. I am a lover.

J-Man · **Posted:** Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:35 pm

Actually, no offense Ian911299, but your friend sounds a bit like a know-it-all snob.

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