The Beatles – Hey Bulldog (rough demo)

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So lately I’ve been rediscovering the music of the Beatles, which needless to say, is my absolute favorite group of musicians ever recorded. It’s so easy to simply keep coming back to year after year, again and again.

And the more I listen to it, the more I realize just how good it is, musically (not simply that it is enjoyable). The chord changes, the harmonies, the instrumentations are simply brilliant. It’s almost unbelievable to consider that these songs were written by humans!

And yet, one of the most amazing discoveries that I’ve found recently has been a series of demo tracks and rehearsal recordings of Beatles ‘songs before they were released. And what’s astounding is not how “good” these tracks are. On the contrary, they’re terrible. Absolutely terrible! And yet, somewhere in the mess, in the middle, in the confusion, 5 or six randomly jumbled chords and perhaps a guitar lick transformed and metamorphosed into the brilliant gems they became on the final recordings!

In the background is a track of what is apparently John Lennon trying (albeit with great difficulty) to teach his fellow band-mates the chords to this new riff he’s come up with, a progression that eventually became the classic Hey Bulldog, found here:

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What isn’t so surprising (and seems to be the theme of the past 6 months of my life) is that greatness can be achieved, but not without hours, days, and weeks of concerted effort, effort, and effort! I’ve heard greatness happen in music here. I’ve seen greatness happen in other middle schools. I’ve seen greatness happen in people’s lives and it’s so easy to simply assume that it automatically just “came”, but the further I dig down, the more I realize that it depended on a sense of motivation that fueled an undying ethic and desire for something truly amazing!

So I guess it makes sense that the Beatles likewise inspire me both as a musician and as a teacher!

Rock on!