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Paul McCartney

#81
I agree that a lot of the lines are harder than they first appear to make them sound right.

What amazes me about him is that he WROTE so many of those great songs, wrote great bass lines for them and could play them and sing them so well at the same time!!! Amazing.

Seeing him play live is a life changing event. The two shows I saw on his '89-'90 tour were the absolute pinnacle of a lifetime of going to live shows. There's no one like him with his song catalog, and such a natural performer with magnetic stage presence and a showman who really loves the audience. A freak of nature, fortunately for all the rest of us who get to enjoy him!
 
#82
As someone who makes a living playing bass in a Beatles trib band I can assure anyone who doubts it, McCartney is a genius! Playing those bass parts can be hard enuff but singing too; it's a bitch sometimes. My fave Beatles tune to play; "Something". Amazingly cool bass part.
My "Beatle" basses:
newbasseggbasses_006-1.jpg
 
#84
I don't carry on much about Paul McCartney because for ages I've considered it a given that he's a great writer and performer, and that his bass lines have so much smarts. It probably didn't hurt any of the Beatles that they had "the Fifth Beatle" George Martin as producer and arranger, and who early on was showing them new chords, changes, and voicings - really helping them up the level of musical sophistication they began to ply.
 
#85
greenboy said:
It probably didn't hurt any of the Beatles that they had "the Fifth Beatle" George Martin as producer and arranger, and who early on was showing them new chords, changes, and voicings - really helping them up the level of musical sophistication they began to ply.
Click to expand...

Of course it didnt hurt them, i understand what George Martin did for The Beatles but just because of him the Beatles dont loose their reputation as a great music institution...
 
#88
Lalo said:
i understand what George Martin did for The Beatles but just because of him the Beatles dont loose their reputation as a great music institution...
Click to expand...

Fair enough. The bolded part's what gave me that impression. A comment: nobody loses their reputation for learning from others, nor are they diminished from working with great people. If anything, it heightens their stature. Those guys knew they were lucky to be traveling in his company and vice versa.
 
#89
Hey, I skipped all the pages in this topic, but agree that Paul McCartney is the man! He knew exactly how much to play and where to play it. I think that his lines can actually be quite difficult at times. Most people think it is simple do to the sound of the songs, but I think that is how experts make it appear. It is like a magic trick. He is so good that he makes YOU (the listener) think it is easy.

This is how I also feel about John Paul Jones' base lines for Zeppelin. Most people seem to say that his stuff is simple and that beginners should start with some zeppelin. His rhythms and use of chromatics make me want to pull my hair out. Very hard stuff to play from where I stand. He makes it sound easy, but sure as hell isn't.
 
#98
I have to agree, I tried learning "A Little Help From My Friends" once and it's not the simplest line. I mean, it's not so much that it's hard to play, but that it's very imaginative that it's hard to predict where he's going while learning it.

His bass playing really adds to the songs, IMO.

(also, it amuses me that this thread has spanned over 8 years!)
 
#100
McCartney is a genius. The way he played bass was simple, yet original, and surprisingly complex. Yes, I know it seems wierd to say it's simple and complex, but it is. He had a knack for interesting and original bass lines, and I think he's one of my biggest influences.

P.S. I think A Day In the Life is one of his best.
 

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