How the Beatles played with time signatures

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Tom

Tom

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This young guy does a good job of explaining how the Beatles used changes in time signatures and changes in tempo (in the same song) to create some interesting music. Watch to the end to hear how drummer Ringo Starr accompanied a song in "7 1/2 time".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzsKR7vNzAA&fbclid

In a prior interview, Ringo discussed a song in "15 1/2 time" introduced by George Harrison. When asked how he played that, Ringo explained "I had to learn to count to 15 1/2".
 
You would have never heard of the Beatles is they had kept Pete Best in 1962 instead of replacing him with Ringo. Pete could only do one straight four beat to everything. He had no idea how to progress or improve. I knew he would be using John's songs for demonstration. John shifted time signatures in almost every song. He was the master.
 
[quote author=SeilerBird]You would have never heard of the Beatles is they had kept Pete Best in 1962 instead of replacing him with Ringo.[/quote]
No disagreement Tom.

John shifted time signatures in almost every song.
Click to expand...

So did other members of the group.
 
I hadn't seen that one before, very cool.

Here is a similar take but on John Bonham.  I'm a big Zeppelin fan but gained a new view after seeing this.

The parts I liked....

Bonham worked off the lead instead of the bass.
Mixed times like in Kashmir, the drum at 4/4, everyone else in 3/4.
He mastered being just " a little off" time with the rest to make it funky.
Changing time multiple times in a song.

Of course he didn't invent anything, he just mastered and did new things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvOm2oZRQIk
 
Thanks for posting that. It really gave me a different appreciation of John Bonham and how well the Led Zeppelin band played together.
 
This video on the top 10 rock drummers rates John Bonham as #1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiMgjKYyVW8
 
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