The Beatles Complete Scores

[Popeye]

I ran across a book titled, "The Beatles Complete Scores" by Hal Leonard. It is a book of every song written & recorded by the Beatles with a full transcription from the original recordings. While perusing through the contents, there was a page that was "A Guide To The Music". The page states that a great deal of effort had been put into presenting these performances in musical notation that is as faithful as possible to the original recordings. Then I found a paragraph that stated-  

"Note that the male vocal parts, as well as the parts for the guitar and bass, are written an octave higher than the sound on the recordings. On the other hand, the piano parts, as well as as other keyboard instruments, are all written in the same octave as the sound on the recordings."

My question is, why would the Hal Leonard Corporation transcribe everything as close to the original, but change the male vocal, guitar  & bass one octave higher?? Anyone?

Mike

[Blue Dog]

First How are you doing , great to see you here. My guess is they wanted the Guitar part  and the Voice part to stand out above the rest of the parts . to be heard clear then the rest . Or the songs are easier to play in the octave above My guess. Great to hear from you. 

[DianeB]

Mike, I think this is fairly standard procedure for vocal tenor parts. Furthermore, the guitar and bass guitar are transposing instruments in the sense that they transpose on the octave: a written C4 sounds C3. This reduces the need for ledger lines. A vocalist can easily adjust to the transposition, but a keyboardist needs to know in what octave to play.

[Popeye]

11 hours ago, Blue Dog said:

First How are you doing , great to see you here. My guess is they wanted the Guitar part  and the Voice part to stand out above the rest of the parts . to be heard clear then the rest . Or the songs are easier to play in the octave above My guess. Great to hear from you. 

Thanks for the responding Blue Dog.  The Beatles Complete song book is amazing and I am always in awe of how many songs they wrote (especially Joh & Paul) and the composition of music and lyrics. They are very special musicians and artists in my mind.

I have been trying harder to make time and get back into the swing of things with music and my guitars.. Like everyone else here, life goes on and you roll with the punches; loss of loved one, health issues in the family, work and then work. I have been popping in and out of the site at least every other day and reviewing my unread content. Get to watch the live lessons, usually on youtube sometime that week when timing is better. The lack of a consistent schedule and not taking enough time has taken a toll on my guitar progress. Stuck in 14 & 15 LMG. All the songs I have learned along the way, sound the same and all the theory feels like mush in my head. The lack of devoted time, quality guitar practice and fun playing time as well as the  constant conflicts in time management have equaled hitting one of those learning walls that has kicked my butt physically, emotionally and psychologically. So, I have dusted everything off and picked back up and taking it slow to get back to basics and try and smooth out the bumps in the road. Never give up!

Thank you for asking and the best to you and yours.

Mike

[Popeye]

11 hours ago, DianeB said:

Mike, I think this is fairly standard procedure for vocal tenor parts. Furthermore, the guitar and bass guitar are transposing instruments in the sense that they transpose on the octave: a written C4 sounds C3. This reduces the need for ledger lines. A vocalist can easily adjust to the transposition, but a keyboardist needs to know in what octave to play.

Diane- Hello Lady. How are you doing. I have been monitoring your progress and music journey, such a delight to witness the growth and development you are displaying and sharing with our Guitar Gathering Family. Such fun to be part of seeing you (ah hm) several years ago when our heads and hands were not musically communicating as harmoniously as they are now, to the artist and musician you have become. ? I knew I could count on your music talent, superb education and teaching prowess for an accurate and rewarding answer! ? Thank you. Take Care and have fun at the Finger Style Retreat!

Mike

[DianeB]

Thank you, Mike! You made my day, big guy. And you don’t know how much I owe to you. Hope to see you in Nashville next summer! ?‍♀️

Members who are relatively new to the forum might not be aware that it was the initiative of Mike that revived the guitar gatherings in 2015. The gatherings were on hiatus when Mike proposed that we find a hotel in Nashville, get together to play, and maybe Steve would stop by.

The buzz on the board increased that spring until about ten of us expressed serious interest. Then Steve joined in. He scrambled to find a hotel and assemble a program. On arrival, as I tugged my luggage down the hall to my room, I passed a door with a big poster plastered over it — a handwritten welcome to the gathering from Mike — with his cell number in case of questions.

There were only about 20 of us, including spouses. Now we have over 80 attending, thanks largely to the vision of Cap’n Mike, in the back row on the far right.

[Popeye]

Diane- Your words are so kind.........you owe me nothing! Your friendship is all that is important. I hope to make it next year!

Take Care.

Mike

[gotto]

Nice to hear again from you Mike. I hope life is on the upswing for you and allows you to recapture the musical enthusiasm and energy that you have had and shared in the past. I have already registered myself, for next year and hope to finally meet another founder of the current rendition-you-at the event. Best wishes.

Greg

 

[matonanjin]

Mike it seems like you were in absentia for a while.  Great to have you back here posting.  Your contributions here are always welcomed and appreciated.