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All Things Must Beat. Share Anything Beatles!!

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the Boys are back for another run!
 
I bought a 5 disc Beatles Anthology on DVD years ago and am just getting around to watching it.
On disc 2 which contains Parts 3 and 4, something stood out............
Part 3 covers the Beatles playing in Australia and the Melbourne concert is featured where Paul looks to only have 3 strings on his bass. I froze it walked the screen back and forward to note that he had a steel string for the E and the rest were black nylons.

On the next part in the series, they were playing 8 Days a week in the studio and Paul's bass was more clearly illustrating the 3 Nylon + Steel of E.

Maybe we worry about gear too much and not enough about what we can generate from it?
 
Magical marathon tour

Local musicians perform Beatles’ entire catalog in extended concert

Patrick Cooley Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY NETWORK

Fans of the iconic 1960s rock band the Beatles experienced a rare treat on Saturday, a marathon performance of every song in the group’s considerable music catalog.

Sgt. Peppercorn’s Marathon is in its 11th year and continues to draw local musicians and Beatles enthusiasts by the dozens. The marathon typically begins around noon and ends around midnight.

The title is a mashup of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – widely considered one of the most influential rock albums ever released – and Joe Peppercorn, the annual event’s founder.

The musicians first performed the show in dive bars, but eventually graduated to larger stages. The Athenaeum Theater at the corner of East Gay and North Fourth streets in Downtown Columbus was this year’s venue.

“I had a book of all the songs, and I thought, ‘it would be great to know all of those,” Peppercorn said of his inspiration for the first marathon.

After the death of a dear friend and local DJ who admired the Beatles’ music, Peppercorn decided to put on a special show for Beatles fans.

“They're the best band of all time,” he said. “There’s no one close. The complexity of the music continuously rewards you. And the more we learn the subtleties, the more we love the songs.'

The music tells a personal story to the performers and the audience, Peppercorn added.

The musicians, who regularly perform together in Greater Columbus, said the Beatles are an inspiration to them and modern music in general.

“They took the seeds of the Everly Brothers, and Buddy Holly, and Chuck Barry and combined them into something that was reminiscent, but was very fresh,” said guitarist Jake Remley.

The performers do their best to recreate the feel of a Beatles concert, even mimicking the group’s British accents when they talk between songs. To the audience, the event is virtually unique among rock concerts.

“It’s such an amazing feat,” said Colin Adams, 56, of Italian Village.

Fans shuffle in and out through the day, but some revelers said they try to make it through the entire marathon.

“To hear it all the way through is pretty amazing,” said Amy Gareff Adams, 53, who is Colin Adams’ wife. “A lot of my friends come to the later part of the show, but I love the early stuff just as much as the later stuff.”

For Colin Adams, the yearly concert is a point of pride for Columbus.

“No other city in the world can claim this,” he said.

The musicians said the marathon is taxing but rewarding.

“It’s a steamroller,” Remley said. “You just get into a groove, you don’t feel any aches and pains. If mistakes are made, you immediately forget them and move on.”

Most of the musicians swap in and out throughout the day to give themselves a break, but bass player Chris Bolognese stays on stage for the entire performance. The bassist said he leans on his fellow musicians for support, but energy drinks also help.

“One year after the show, it was such a blur that I told Joe, ‘We forgot Magical Mystery Tour,’ and he said, ‘No we didn’t, you were just in a trance,’” Bolognese said. “There are times when you’re so into it and other times when you’re on autopilot.'

Peppercorn foresees the show continuing well into the future.

“Every year it grows and we get better at the music,” he said. [email protected] @PatrickACooley
 
Magical marathon tour

Local musicians perform Beatles’ entire catalog in extended concert

Patrick Cooley Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY NETWORK

Fans of the iconic 1960s rock band the Beatles experienced a rare treat on Saturday, a marathon performance of every song in the group’s considerable music catalog.

Sgt. Peppercorn’s Marathon is in its 11th year and continues to draw local musicians and Beatles enthusiasts by the dozens. The marathon typically begins around noon and ends around midnight.

The title is a mashup of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – widely considered one of the most influential rock albums ever released – and Joe Peppercorn, the annual event’s founder.

The musicians first performed the show in dive bars, but eventually graduated to larger stages. The Athenaeum Theater at the corner of East Gay and North Fourth streets in Downtown Columbus was this year’s venue.

“I had a book of all the songs, and I thought, ‘it would be great to know all of those,” Peppercorn said of his inspiration for the first marathon.

After the death of a dear friend and local DJ who admired the Beatles’ music, Peppercorn decided to put on a special show for Beatles fans.

“They're the best band of all time,” he said. “There’s no one close. The complexity of the music continuously rewards you. And the more we learn the subtleties, the more we love the songs.'

The music tells a personal story to the performers and the audience, Peppercorn added.

The musicians, who regularly perform together in Greater Columbus, said the Beatles are an inspiration to them and modern music in general.

“They took the seeds of the Everly Brothers, and Buddy Holly, and Chuck Barry and combined them into something that was reminiscent, but was very fresh,” said guitarist Jake Remley.

The performers do their best to recreate the feel of a Beatles concert, even mimicking the group’s British accents when they talk between songs. To the audience, the event is virtually unique among rock concerts.

“It’s such an amazing feat,” said Colin Adams, 56, of Italian Village.

Fans shuffle in and out through the day, but some revelers said they try to make it through the entire marathon.

“To hear it all the way through is pretty amazing,” said Amy Gareff Adams, 53, who is Colin Adams’ wife. “A lot of my friends come to the later part of the show, but I love the early stuff just as much as the later stuff.”

For Colin Adams, the yearly concert is a point of pride for Columbus.

“No other city in the world can claim this,” he said.

The musicians said the marathon is taxing but rewarding.

“It’s a steamroller,” Remley said. “You just get into a groove, you don’t feel any aches and pains. If mistakes are made, you immediately forget them and move on.”

Most of the musicians swap in and out throughout the day to give themselves a break, but bass player Chris Bolognese stays on stage for the entire performance. The bassist said he leans on his fellow musicians for support, but energy drinks also help.

“One year after the show, it was such a blur that I told Joe, ‘We forgot Magical Mystery Tour,’ and he said, ‘No we didn’t, you were just in a trance,’” Bolognese said. “There are times when you’re so into it and other times when you’re on autopilot.'

Peppercorn foresees the show continuing well into the future.

“Every year it grows and we get better at the music,” he said. [email protected] @PatrickACooley
Wow so cool. Hats off to the bassist who does all of the songs! I’m in the middle of learning 125 that I wanted to learn (of the 188 they wrote) and I’m 95 in and it’s hard to remember them all! The more I learn the slower they come because I have to keep going back to make sure I still have them and the more songs on the list the longer that process takes. That’s amazing he can do that!
 
Wow so cool. Hats off to the bassist who does all of the songs! I’m in the middle of learning 125 that I wanted to learn (of the 188 they wrote) and I’m 95 in and it’s hard to remember them all! The more I learn the slower they come because I have to keep going back to make sure I still have them and the more songs on the list the longer that process takes. That’s amazing he can do that!
Can we presume he has charts? …not that they’d capture everything, but it’s an awful lot of memorization otherwise.
 
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Magical marathon tour
Local musicians perform Beatles’ entire catalog in extended concert ... ...
I had a book of all the songs, and I thought, ‘it would be great to know all of those,” Peppercorn said of his inspiration for the first marathon.
... ... “Every year it grows and we get better at the music,” he said. [email protected] @PatrickACooley

Wow so cool. Hats off to the bassist who does all of the songs! I’m in the middle of learning ... and it’s hard to remember them all! The more I learn the slower they come ... and the more songs on the list the longer that process takes. That’s amazing he can do that!


Having played Beatles songs, on guitar or bass, for the past 50+ years, I too find my recollections coming slower and slower all the time! "Oops! Now what was that unusual next chord again?!?" :D:laugh::cool:

Can we presume he has charts? …not that they’d capture everything, but it’s an awful lot of memorization otherwise.


I usually play Beatles songs, and solo John, Paul, George & Ringo songs, at jams where the technicalities of perfection are never observed. It's more fun that way! Getting the right vocal harmonies can be a challenge, but the right mistakes can be hilarious!! One of my favorite local guitarists' middle name is "Just-Like-The-Record" and he can play anything he studies exactamundo just ... like ... the ... record! But he can't jam to save his life. Poor guy. :unsure:

Not as extensively annotated as actual charts, but I've found this book to occasionally be a very helpful memory jogger over the past couple of decades. Although, I do disagree with a few chords, here and there, but not everywhere. ;)

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PS: It does now come in a spiral bound format for easier access. Been thinking of taking mine to Office Depot to be spiral bound!
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Having played Beatles songs, on guitar or bass, for the past 50+ years, I too find my recollections coming slower and slower all the time! "Oops! Now what was that unusual next chord again?!?" :D:laugh::cool:




I usually play Beatles songs, and solo John, Paul, George & Ringo songs, at jams where the technicalities of perfection are never observed. It's more fun that way! Getting the right vocal harmonies can be a challenge, but the right mistakes can be hilarious!! One of my favorite local guitarists' middle name is "Just-Like-The-Record" and he can play anything he studies exactamundo just ... like ... the ... record! But he can't jam to save his life. Poor guy. :unsure:

Not as extensively annotated as actual charts, but I've found this book to occasionally be a very helpful memory jogger over the past couple of decades. Although, I do disagree with a few chords, here and there, but not everywhere. ;)

PS: It does now come in a spiral bound format for easier access. Been thinking of taking mine to Office Depot to be spiral bound!
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I love that book G-Dog. I’ve worn them out so much I’m on my 3rd copy. It does a great job on the songs. And like you said pre-spiral bound now. I always paid the 5 bucks at Office Depot to have that done
 
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I was learning to read when I started playing and found out quickly that most performers back then not only couldn't read, the publishing companies wrote the charts, nearly always on piano, so not only were they irrelevant, they were more commonly in different keys and none of them contained solo's, so were just a money making exercise for student learners back then. That is when I had to learn by ear or those recorded notes were never going to be found.
 
I was learning to read when I started playing and found out quickly that most performers back then not only couldn't read, the publishing companies wrote the charts, nearly always on piano, so not only were they irrelevant, they were more commonly in different keys and none of them contained solo's, so were just a money making exercise for student learners back then. That is when I had to learn by ear or those recorded notes were never going to be found.
And the Beatles managed to show you them notes right! Lol. And others.
None of the Beatles read music either. So there’s that too…
The Beatles wrote 188 original songs and I think it’s 215 songs recorded and released all told. If that bass player had to read 215 charts in one day that would be exhausting I think lol! But hey what do I know. I don’t read charts. But I have memorized 95 or so Beatles tunes so far. I’m not sure if I’m gonna get to my goal of 125 lol. Like G-Dig referenced the memory ain’t what it used to be.
 
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Learning by ear has its advantages, as does reading. But the main disadvantage I found, back in the '60s, was that neither The Beatles, nor anyone else I wanted to learn, consistently tuned to A440, nor any other pitch. So, I couldn’t wait to buy my Sony/Superscope HP-480 record player with a variable speed control that let me tune the records to my guitar! It's still my main player!

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PS: Seems the real unicorn is a reader with a good ear! And by that, I don't mean perfect pitch!! Played with one of those for a couple years, and could they tell pitches and even chords, but could not jam at all!!!
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