A look at Ringo Starr’s enduring musical influence. -- When musicians talk about the Beatles’ musical influence, few would argue that the drumming of Ringo Starr was one of the most singular aspects to the band’s music. We’re here to make that argument.
When musicians talk about the Beatles’ musical influence, what dominates the conversation might often be the songwriting genius of Lennon and McCartney, George Harrison’s innovative writing and playing, the group’s ear-worm melodies, and their groundbreaking use of the recording studio.
Few musicians would argue that the drumming of Ringo Starr was one of the most singular aspects to the band’s music.
We’re here to make that argument.
While there are flashier drummers, greater technicians, and more bombastic players from the same era (Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham come to mind), Ringo’s inventive playing demonstrates a keen sense of how to create a drum track that fits perfectly with the intent of every song. His role as time keeper was important, but equally important was his artistry. Ringo’s playing added shape and texture to the band’s iconic recordings while carefully creating patterns and dynamics to create and resolve tension within each song.
Beyond keeping time
A great drum part is much more than a steady kick, snare, and hi hat to which the instruments and vocals play along. Popular recordings often blend a variety of rhythmic patterns that, when combined, create the overall sound, tempo, and texture we come to know as the finished backing track. Once the backing track is judged adequate, lead and harmony vocals, solo parts, and any other instrumental “sweetening” such as percussion, strings, and special effects are added to complete the multi-track master recording. Then, after approving the overall sound, the song is mixed, mastered and released.
Many Beatles songs, especially in the early part of their release history, relied on what can be termed standard rock drum beats. Some of the great Ringo performances contrast from a standard rock drum beat as more of a “composed” part; patterns he created specifically for a song that are anything but a standard rock beat.
Let’s dissect two of Ringo’s creative drum performances. “Ticket To Ride” and “In My Life” demonstrate ideas, patterns, and an approach that may help you when you are considering how to make your next song or recording stand out. We recommend you listen to these songs on a good pair of headphones to better appreciate the nuances of his playing.
Ticket to Ride
In 1964 and ’65, Ringo started composing drum parts to keep up with the ever-increasing sophistication of the songs that John, Paul, and George were composing. With their producer George Martin encouraging them, the band set out to explore just how varied they could make their compositions and recordings using the basic instruments that any rock band might use in those days: guitars, drums, bass, keyboard, and hand percussion instruments. While strings or brass were brought in for a few specific songs (“Eleanor Rigby” and “Got to Get You Into My Life,” being two such examples from 1966’s Revolver), by and large, The Beatles wrote and played all the instrumental parts in their backing tracks.
“Ticket to Ride” was released in 1965 as the first single from the soundtrack album for their second movie, Help. It is one of the first Beatles songs to feature a uniquely “Ringo-esque” drum part.
Ringo flipped the standard rock convention of having the snare drum play primarily on beats two and four, instead hitting his snare on beat two, but then displacing it to an offbeat (the “and” of three) and a flam on the toms hitting on the “and” of beat four.
What happens on the backbeat at four? Cue the tambourine, which Ringo overdubbed, to fill the function of what the snare would normally be doing. The result is a catchy drum part that gives the mid-tempo verses and chorus a chugging, forward motion that helped propel the song to the number one spot on the Billboard chart around the world.
For the bridge section, “I don’t know why she’s riding so high . . .” Ringo switches to a straight rock beat on kick and snare but gives it a double time feel by playing eighth notes on the hi-hat and sixteenths on the tambourine.
For the last verse, he mixes it up, going with the snare now playing on both two and four, while retaining the tom flams on the “and” of beat four. Brilliant! This gives the final verse extra oomph and shows us how to subtly vary a drum pattern within a song to keep it evolving.
As icing on the cake, when the band launches into the outro section, Ringo spices it up by playing the tambourine only on the “and” offbeats, a perfect complement for Paul’s rocking-chair bass line and the straight beat on the drums. “Ticket to Ride” shows how Ringo knew just what can be done to build an interesting drum part that doesn’t get in the way of the song’s top line melody, chords or structure – it just makes the track way more memorable.
In My Life
This Lennon and McCartney gem from Rubber Soul features 16-bar verses comprised of an A and B section with these two contrasting sections each having two equal four bar parts: four bars A + four bars A + four bars B + four bars B = 16 bar verse. Ringo uses a different drum part for the A and B sections.
The guitar tone is warm and the guitar part has a light but definitive rhythm against which the drum part nicely sits. For the first eight bars or A part of each verse, Ringo plays a sparse but well executed part featuring hi-hat only on the “and” of beat three of each measure. The kick drum pattern is on the one, the “and” of two and the “and” of four. He plays the snare on the standard backbeat, two and four.
The B section is first heard at the :30 mark at the lyric “All these places have their moments . . .” Ringo switches to straight quarter notes on a cymbal bell with a cymbal flourish after two bars, followed by two bars of a straight rock beat. He then repeats that pattern switching to a snare flourish at the end of the quarter note cymbal part before going to the straight rock beat for the end of verse.
This simple part is a beautiful rhythmic complement to the band’s lovely three-part harmony and the guitar part. The song’s title is always supported by the regular rock beat when it appears at the end of the verse. With its poignant lyrics double tracked by John’s vocals, the nicely arranged three-part harmonies, and Ringo’s innovative use of accents and straight time that fit the song to a tee, it’s one of the group’s most memorable recordings.
He’s so heavy
The last area we wanted to touch on is Ringo’s ability to play with a powerful, stripped-down style featuring liberal use of toms and very creative fill patterns. As the Beatles experimented more with studio techniques such as compression and tape saturation, many of the more subtle parts of Ringo’s drumming would not be as easy to hear in the mix. He adapted quickly, and during the recording of the aforementioned “Strawberry Fields Forever,” created the memorable “heavy” drum part featured in the last section of the song.
For inspiration on how to drive a song with a steady groove while again playing with urgency that is in perfect sync with the lead vocal, just listen to Ringo’s playing on “I Am the Walrus.” And for a final lesson in mixing up drum patterns and varying dynamics, dial up “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” from Abbey Road and check out Ringo’s contrasting, in the pocket beats played for the first few verses, the switch he makes to a quasi-Latin feel with nice tom patterns under the guitar solo, and then his inventive take throughout the long outro section where he continually changes up his fills and accents while staying locked to the dirge-like riff that the band drives all the way home to the song’s abrupt ending. As much as the earlier genius shown on “Ticket to Ride” and “In My Life,” this heavier, powerful side of Ringo’s playing informs the drumming and sounds of many other great rock bands who followed including Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and the Black Keys.
While many people will remember Ringo Starr as the iconic voice of Beatles’ songs such as “Yellow Submarine” and “With a Little Help From My Friends,” we argue that a reappraisal of his inventive and rhythmically varied parts – always in service of the song’s message – are worth careful study for any up and coming songwriter or producer that wants to create the best possible recordings. Us insiders know, he blazed a trail for musicians to strive to imagine drum parts that breathe in and out with the singer and the song – doing so much more than just keeping time.
[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly credited the excellent drumming on “Dear Prudence” to Ringo Starr, but as tensions were high between the Beatles at the time of the White Album’s recording, Ringo had temporarily left the band. In his stead, Paul played the drums and he and George added the percussions parts (tambourine, cowbell, and handclaps) on “Dear Prudence.”]
Paul’s Bass Playing As A Beatle, never better! -- Paul McCartney’s bass lines are an integral part of the Beatles’ evolution from world-beating pop band to musical pioneers. We identify just what Paul did to make his parts stand out from what other bassists were doing at the time.
In “A look at Ringo Starr’s enduring musical influence,” we analyzed the creative drumming of Ringo Starr in the context of his capacity to come up with simple, memorable drum parts that helped make each song unique. Continuing with this thread, Paul McCartney’s development as a bass player provides a textbook case for today’s songwriters and music producers on how a little creativity can go a long way to help make a recording stand out. Through the Beatles’ evolution, Paul McCartney’s bass lines became an integral part of each song’s texture, sound, and color. Let’s rewind through a number of Beatles’ tracks and identify just what Paul did to make the bass parts stand out from what other bassists of the day were doing.
Traditional bass lines
The normal role of a rock bass player in a song is to accomplish two tasks:
1. Keep time
2. Establish the song’s harmonic base
Usually a bass player will do this by playing a steady, repetitive bass line using mainly the root note of whatever chord is being played (C note on a C chord, G note on a G7, etc.) and occasionally the fifth or even the third of the chord as well. The image below demonstrates these chord tones and their relationship to the chord being played. Unique bass lines can be created around chord progressions by using these chord tones, but more often than not, the role of the bassist in a rock and roll band is to stick to the root note.
In early Beatles albums, where the audience was primarily screaming teenage girls, we hear Paul sticking pretty closely to that role, with a few exceptions. Aside from the fact that early recording and amplification techniques did not treat the sound of the bass very well, the pop music they played in these early years was much simpler than what can be found on the group’s later albums. Listen to his playing on “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “I Feel Fine” – classics from 1964 – and you’ll hear almost nothing but roots and fifths in the bass part. The focus of these songs is on the vocals, so Paul (and Ringo, for that matter) kept things simple, with only slight variations on the powerful live performance techniques they had mastered over the previous three years of non-stop gigging.
A new chapter for the bass --
Released in December 1965, Rubber Soul marked a clearly audible change in direction for the Beatles. They were nearing the end of their touring days, and as the most successful pop band of the day, had the clout to insist that they be afforded significantly more time in the studio working out arrangements and harmonies of greater complexity than could be found on their nine previous US albums. What emerged was an album that featured a strikingly different sound when compared to their earlier hits, with influences ranging from Indian classical music to dense vocal harmonies influenced by contemporaries like the Beach Boys.
It was on this album that each member of the band stepped outside the traditional roles of each instrument and sought out new ways to contribute to various songs.
For example, consider John Lennon’s song, “Nowhere Man.” The bass line Paul played on this song mainly consisted of chordal tones. You can hear that the bass line he created plays the root, third, and fifth of each chord in every measure, but does it in a different way for each chord, creating a memorable bass part that gives the recording a fresh sound.
Paul’s bass line on “Nowhere Man” may have been his most active up to that point. He not only fulfilled the role of the bass by keeping time and providing a harmonic base, but he added greatly to the energy and groove of the track. His bass line, with its constant motion and runs, smoothly leads into the next chord, propelling the record along. If your song needs a boost of energy, emulate Paul’s approach to keep your listeners tapping their foot to the song’s groove.
Bass boundaries expanded
In 1966, when The Beatles stopped touring altogether and became exclusively a studio band, each member’s musical contributions grew tremendously. Each song was viewed as a palette for them to expand their musical creativity. Rightly considered one of the greatest albums of all time, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club’s Band helped to redefine the role each instrument would play in pop music, and Paul’s bass playing epitomized this sea change.
The track “Lovely Rita” presents a bass line similar to “Nowhere Man” in that its constant motion during the verses gives the song a feeling of always moving forward. It is a bit more advanced in that Paul relies on many more passing tones than “Nowhere Man.” At times his lines form a walking bass line getting from one chord to the next, identical to what you would hear a jazz bassist doing on any standard. It helped the track stand apart from the more typical root-fifth bass lines of the day and underpins the song’s whimsical sounding vocal and horn parts perfectly.
In “A Day in the Life,” Paul’s bass line serves as an essential melodic element, nearly as important as the vocal melody.
First off, Paul’s not simply sticking to the root note. The variety of rhythms used (quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, eighth notes, etc.) show a more “composed” bass line, instead of just repeatedly outlining the chord like he did in the “Nowhere Man” example. In some chords he doesn’t even play the root note, adding harmonic complexity to the piece, and in some measures he doesn’t play on the first beat of the measure, adding rhythmic complexity. In short, he’s moved beyond the traditional role of the bassist.
Paul still provides a harmonic base, but he does so by lazily finding his way to the next chord. His diverse choice of rhythms, instead of using one consistent line, plays with the timing as he hesitates and varies the space in between notes, resulting in a lazy, sleepy vibe – very fitting for the “dream” image that the first half of the song portrays. During the subsequent “waking up” section of the song, Paul’s playing is completely the opposite: steadily rhythmic and march-like to represent the character marching through his day. It’s a perfect example of a bass line that matches the mood and intent of the song and really gives it an ideal character, far beyond what the normal bass line might afford.
Throughout the album Paul uses his bass in numerous instances to add tasteful riffs and fills expanding the instrument’s role beyond simply keeping time and mapping the chord changes. Check out his fill in riffs between the vocals on “With a Little Help from my Friends,” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Another inventive bass part can be heard on the bass harmonies he plays to the horn and vocal parts on the song, “Good Morning, Good Morning.” Paul was at the top of his game and these far-from-standard bass touches provide us with a great classroom to learn how to improve our own use of the bass.
Unlike some virtuosos, Paul’s playing became more musical, and better served each song. In some cases, that meant creating very simple parts if the focus clearly needed to be on other aspects of a song. Probably the best example of this was his own tune, “When I’m Sixty-Four,” which focuses primarily on the lyrics and clarinets. This song is an homage to the dance hall music he heard as a boy growing up in Liverpool. Paul’s simple bass line, played with a very light touch, helps give the track a light, playful feel.
As The Beatles matured and neared the end of their time together as a band, we see each member reach their creative peak, displaying fully what each instrumentalist was capable of bringing to a song. Paul’s bass parts on the Abbey Road album are another chapter in his melodic bass textbook. On George’s classic love song, “Something,” the bass spends very little time on the root of each chord, instead opting to explore the upper registers of the bass, thereby creating an ideal countermelody to the verse vocal line. During the chorus, the bass returns to the low register to give the song the necessary weight and depth that only a full bottom end can bring.
The song, “Come Together,” features one of the most well-known of McCartney’s bass lines.
Unlike the two previous descriptions, there are no passing notes, and no leading tones. It’s also very repetitive, and the pattern repeats itself with little variation for each verse. So then what makes it so memorable? To start with, simple repetitive lines are easier for listeners to remember – this bass line becomes a hook in its own right. Secondly, Paul’s slides up and down between the notes and across the bar lines give the bass line a fresh, memorable feel.
Making the part even more memorable is its pairing with one of Ringo’s most iconic drum parts. These two parts, each fairly simple on their own, complement each other and create a steady, unshakable pocket that anchors the entire vibe of the track. The groove is nearly unstoppable and, when it was fi rst released, showed the world once more that the Beatles were a potent rock band capable of upping the bar for all bands that followed them. “Come Together” is probably one of the best examples in the rock canon of just how powerful an intricately woven bass and drum part can be to a song.
Final thoughts
If we can learn anything from Paul’s development as the Beatles’ bassist, it’s that the bass can play a variety of roles in any given song and that taking a “one size fits all” approach to writing bass parts is seldom the best way to go. Of course, the primary function for the bass part in many songs will always be to keep time and provide a harmonic base, but how to go about doing that depends entirely on the nature of the song.
Take a page from Paul’s creative bass book – if it’s a simple pop love ballad, such as “And I Love Her,” a fat, repetitive bass line sticking to the roots of each chord may be the perfect solution. When it’s time for a track you want people to jump up and dance to, a grooving bass line a la “The Word” may get the job done. And if you are hunting for a hypnotic, trance-like, all-consuming bass part to anchor an anthem, take a listen to Paul’s stellar playing on “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” On it, his bass lines provide an unshakable, sinuous foundation for the heavy guitars and vocals that John laid over the top. Definitely a precursor to the harder sound that was soon to emerge from bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Whatever direction your song calls for, be sure to give some extra attention to the bass line and how it can help serve the song’s mood and direction. The next time you sit down to imagine the ideal bass part, take a page out of Paul McCartney’s playbook and see if one of the techniques he employed might best serve your own musical ideas. Going beyond the basics of relying on root notes is a proven recipe to give your song a fresh, original sound.
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