Beatles - Part 1: How to play "A Day In The Life"

[grenouille71372]

1:42 makes me smile!

[WalrusMuffins10797]

surprisingly easy(-ish)! thanks john!

[pianojohn113]

@WalrusMuffins10797 You're welcome, my friend!

[kazekafun]

i learned this song eveyday.so i can play it.oh,john!

[corydonald1]

i cheaped out on this one and just played the chords with a sugarplum fairy beat

lol

[pianojohn113]

@corydonald1 That's the best, and original, way to do it!

[corydonald1]

@pianojohn113 So... I played it... better... than PianoJohn himself? *passout*

[corydonald1]

What would probably be your hardest song?

[pianojohn113]

@corydonald1 I think the hardest one I've uploaded so far is the "Lovely Rita" solo, although "You Never Give Me Your Money" is probably a close second.

[corydonald1]

@pianojohn113 I almost had a seizure trying to play Lady Madonna.

[platoping1]

Hey John..really enjoy your lessons..I was wondering if you could recommend an electric piano that has a grand sound..Right now, i play on a 1863 Fisher square grand..I would like to get a newer grand, but i have no room for the two of them and I am not getting rid of the square grand...got way too much blood & sweat in it

[pianojohn113]

@platoping1 Wow, a Fisher Square, nice piano! I'm not very high on the digital pianos myself, but the three brands that seem to duplicate acoustic the best are Yamaha, Kurzweil, and Roland. They can be pricey, but they're cheaper now than they used to be. Even the Casios have gotten better, if you're looking for lower-priced models. I have a Roland I bought in 2004 that has several nice grand piano options. Play them first before you buy, though!

[DrMac94]

incredible......

[SuperSjcproductions]

and also the part where lennon sings 'i'd love to turn you on' do you just play that constant b to c part with the bass line going up?

[pianojohn113]

@SuperSjcproductions Yes, play those two notes up to the point where the crescendo begins. Then the rising notes take over the "melody" there.

[SuperSjcproductions]

bloody hell that crescendo's so bloody difficult to play what would be an easier version to play?

[pianojohn113]

@SuperSjcproductions Since there's really no exact way to play it, you can just hold the pedal down and play random notes, alternating left and right hands. Just be sure to work your way upward to the high E.

[SuperSjcproductions]

@pianojohn113 thanks!

[peterowka]

basically i like your tutorials at youtube. but maybe you could split the stereo channel in a left and a right monochannel with music on the one side, and speach on the other side. after a while it becomes a little bit hard to follow the playing and your talk.

[pianojohn113]

@peterowka The older videos were all recorded in mono, before You Tube went stereo. The newer ones have audio in both channels.

[peterowka]

@pianojohn113 well, maybe i couldnt say correctly what i ment, because my english isnt the best. for me it would be easier to have the music on one monochannel (left or right), without speach on the other monochannel. so i could only listen to the music and see what youre doing..... ? best regards

[pianojohn113]

@peterowka OK, I see what you mean. I don't have the capability to do that yet, but it would be a great way to do a tutorial!

[BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

There is no sense in anybody else giving a tutorial for this because you do it great. Could you do the Moog Synthesizers in "Because" and possibly the guitar part too?

[BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Wow. Dude, sign up for a partnership. Also, you give the best tutorials on Beatles songs. 'Come Together' was the only one I did by ear and when I came to you, yours was much better.

[pianojohn113]

@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep Glad you like them, thanks. I am in the partnership program, but not really interested in activating it.

[MyGuitarman93]

Piano John is the best piano teacher i have ever had. He has taught me about all the songs know. he should be getting paid for these videos.

[Gerardo781]

What kind of piano do you have? Sorry if this has been asked before..

[pianojohn113]

@Gerardo781 No problem. It's a Boston GP-163.

[Gerardo781]

@pianojohn113 Thanks

[MARKGPL]

John I left a comment on your "I Am The Walrus" tutorial re your online lessons, but thank you so much for this and so many of your other (Beatles) videos. I was anticipating alot of very tough "slogging" trying to learn keyboards for the first time and I'm simply amazed that I'm actually able to play - after only a few weeks..! Thank you. Mark

[numanuma20]

What piano are you using.

[vaneinvisiblegirl]

I was wandering if you'll continue with this Beatles covers, I would love if you could make one of "Something"

[dahlkecharles]

hey pianojohn113, i am a huge beatles fan and love all your tutorials. Me and my friends are in a beatles cover band called Revolution. in the band i am Paul Mccartney because i play piano and bass and even have the hofner violin bass, but anyways my point is if you could please make a piano tutorial for the song Revolution. Thanks that would be great if your willing to do it.

[smilingemovlogs]

i vow to kill anyone who disliked this thumbs down if you agree

[BeatlesFanCharsh]

Awesome!! I am now learning this song!!! :D SO excited to have it done!!! It won't take me long because I do alot of songs by ear as well, and also that I've been playing the piano since I was 7 :D I went to Paul McCartney concert on Monday!!!! :D

[pianojohn113]

@BeatlesFanCharsh Cool! Paul is great in concert, isn't he?

[BeatlesFanCharsh]

@pianojohn113 YES!! He is amazing!! I cried 3 times :'3

[dorgaorfa]

@BeatlesFanCharsh OMG YOU WHERE AT THE AIR CANADAN CENTRE ASWELL! IT WAS AWSOME WASNT IT?!?!

[BeatlesFanCharsh]

@dorgaorfa YES!!! AAH!! I cried!! AAH!!! You were their too? AWESOME!!! I hear that Michael Buble was there too XD

[dorgaorfa]

@BeatlesFanCharsh Omg, i loved it, when he played A day in the life, then went into give peace a chance i freaked!

[BeatlesFanCharsh]

@dorgaorfa OMG! I did too! Haha now I knwo I'm not the only one that absolutely almost died at that part. It was such an amazing transition!!! :D

[smilingemovlogs]

@BeatlesFanCharsh lucky bastard

[BeatlesFanCharsh]

@smilingemovlogs Aww it's okay!! He's going on another tour next year, so you might be able to catch him!! ^_^

[smilingemovlogs]

@BeatlesFanCharsh yeah provided mark chapman doesnt show up and shoot him too

[buddys2244]

@BeatlesFanCharsh omg lucky WHERE DO U LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!! u dont hav to answer that if u dont wanna i just luv Paul McCartney sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooooooooooooooo much and wanna go to a concert so bad!!!!!!!!!

[lSgtPeppers]

u rock!!! i have learned many song from you!! ( lady madoona, martha my dear, sexy sady, a day in the life :D, come together)

thanks very much! !!!!

[pianojohn113]

@lSgtPeppers Glad the videos helped!

[surferriness]

hah from 9:20 i think its funny to see your hands moving wirh this sound ;

very creepy ;D

[HUEROSD13]

best f*cking tutorial EVER!!

thank you for all you posts

[pianojohn113]

@HUEROSD13 Glad you like them, thanks!

[bpoulos60]

John, I have learned many songs from you. You are an excellent teacher for a self taught learner who knows a bit of theory but not a lot. I want to thank you for sharing your skills.

Brad

[pianojohn113]

@bpoulos60 I appreciate the comment, Brad, thanks very much!

[flyernima]

Thanks alot for making these tutorials, they are really easy to learn with your instructions.

[pianojohn113]

@flyernima You're very welcome! Glad they're helpful to you.

[escapethefear1]

i have a question can you message me back :p

[pianojohn113]

@escapethefear1 Yes, just send me a message and I'll respond.

[ale0kiss]

I love your videos man ª thx for doing them ª you play great :D im trying to learn some of the beatles/mccartney songs ª bye bye

[pianojohn113]

@ale0kiss Have fun!

[dirosaga]

thanks alot john . . . .lennon?? lol

Im just transcribing this to guitar, easy as hell thanks to such a clear and concise format of your instruction. thank you. :)

[pianojohn113]

@dirosaga Thanks! Good to know the video translates well to guitar. Fun song to play, isn't it? :-)

[DinoRoarProductions]

hey at the part of the song where john sings "made the grade", how do you play the A minor? thanks for your hard work and dedication to these videos! :D

[pianojohn113]

@DinoRoarProductions The chord there is an A minor: A octave bass in the left hand, and A-C-E in the right (you can also add the B in the RH if you want).

[MrMaximusFilm]

your videos are very good. thanks!

[pianojohn113]

@MrMaximusFilm  Glad you like them!

[adalinesunshine]

definitely subscribed!

I cannot thank you enough!

Excellent videos :)

And grrreeeeat taste in music as far as I can tell.

[pianojohn113]

@adalineshunshine Thanks very much for subscribing, glad you like the videos!

[pukarla]

Thanks, Thanks, Thank you very much John!!!

[pianojohn113]

You're very welcome, pukarla!

[BDJP1702]

I Can't hear a thing in this video!

[juan29zapata]

Oh man, thank you very much! The book that I have only played the lyrics (a way to say it). This is how I want to play it!

I'm suscribing! And if you ever do a sheet book, please tell us all!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much! I will let you know if a sheet book becomes available.

[cratedigga3000]

where did you get your source for this "true" piano version of the song? Or did you just learn how to play it by ear cause your that damn good? reason i ask, is because i have the Beatles Complete book, with a ton of thier songs with the grand staff and lyrics notes. but my version in the book is this gay, mixed up chords with the lyrics version, and not the authentic one the beatles themselves actually played like you. can you please tell me where you got the authentic notes? or send me a sheet

[pianojohn113]

I actually started working the chords on this song way back in college. From there it took a few years of listening and experimenting until it sounded right. I don't have any sheets of this song, though, sorry! Interesting, I thought the Beatles Complete book was supposed to be quite good, unless I'm thinking of a different one. Do you have the "Beatles Complete," or the "Beatles Complete Scores?" Or is that the same book?

[cratedigga3000]

its just "beatles complete" with the title in goldleaf on a black covered, paper back book. it belongs to my dad and is an older issue. i'm guessing released in the 80's, i don't have it right now to look at. it is rathere nice, but like i said, it's not the true compositions the beatles jammed. it's mixed with the lyrics. it's depressing how hard it is to find og scores. keep playin man;)

[pianojohn113]

I'd suggest looking into the Beatles Complete Scores, published by Hal Leonard. From what I saw, it was amazingly accurate, and every part of every song was in there. I can't vouch for all of it, but the songs I did see were excellent.

[cratedigga3000]

I found a REALLY great book with 25 ACTUAL piano scores of The Beatles. It's called something like, "Beatles Keyboard" and I think it's by Hal Leonard. I bought it 5 days ago and it DOES have the original scores. Check it out... Thanks for your advice.

[aznminr123]

i have a book with all the sheets of their music in an organ registration kinda way. it's great for pianists who know chords. i can send you this sheet if you'd like

[masonhi]

they say this song is wen paul "died" in the car accident

[kirbyandthemuffin]

pauls not dead

[12340star]

@kirbyandthemuffin so right

[JackassKing95]

is the office themesong in the key of G?

[baserunner295]

@JackassKing95  Yes

[Alessio9888]

im pretty sure they meant to do those extra notes haha. i mean c'mon theyre the Beatles.

[pianojohn113]

You got it!

[0onirvanao0]

WTF. only in the left earphone!!

But, Whatever. you are great DUDE.!..

[pianojohn113]

Sorry, old monophonic recording system back then. When Youtube went stereo it messed up the audio.

Glad you liked it, though!

[mrzeva]

Any chance u could do a tutorial on "riders on the storm" by doors? It's a great piano song

Jeff

[lucasferrety]

this are instructions to play it alone? is the same for playing in a band? (I ask it for the bass part)

thanks, you`re God :D

[Kike022]

Gracias, Mil gracias.. Excelente!

[pianojohn113]

Me alegro de que te gustaba! :-)

[elrais2]

does anyone else only hear his videos sound with their left earphone??

and yes my right earphone works on other vids...

[pianojohn113]

Some of the older vids were recorded on an older system with momo audio.. sorry about that.

[elrais2]

ah. well thanks for the vid anyhow

[strawberEfieldz4ever]

Am i thought it was a Asus2???

[pianojohn113]

Which part are you referring to?

[Gnomitolindo]

it's not d after the e minor, it's em7

[beatles2musician]

the part after john says turn me on gives me the chills every time

[animepwn3r]

@beatles2musician he says "i want to turn you on" just correcting a minor mistake;)

[pageyzoso]

@animepwn3r well just to correct you , its "i'd love to turn you on"....

[animepwn3r]

@pageyzoso oh haha sorry, i wasnt paying attention,

[SoulBunkerStudios]

awesome job john. hate to be one of those guys, but any chance of ever getting Something up here?

again, great job and you are every piano-playing beatles fan's favorite

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! And yes, I should have Something up here eventually.. I probably should have included it with Here Comes the Sun, but didn't think of it. :-)

[ruskybalboa]

Hey John, great job on this haunting song, and thanks for putting this up. One of their greatest. Thanks!

[TheTinafication]

thankyou, i learned it :D

yet another beatles song thanks to you

[kladden2]

Hi. I think what you play at 00.03 - 00.04 is cool :) I'm a beginner, and i tried to gifure it out by ear, but it was a bit difficult. If you have the time please list the notes? I can see it some sort of G-scale, or am I wrong?

And I just bought piano and I'm having lots of fun, so thank you for lesson.

[BrucePetty]

It was just a G major chord: g g b d g d b g (in the order he played them)

[pianojohn113]

Yes, BrucePetty has that right.. just a G chord broken up, played up and down.

[guarani527]

dude.... you are awesome great videos 5 billion stars

[OSCARBRAVO1]

Hey John can you do Door's Music? can you put it up? Thanks

[wheatwillrockyou]

:) i learned this on guitar with this video. kudos, sir...

[newbern47]

I find this video confusing

:(

which keys do you hit first

I know the notes, I just can't figure out what order they go in, thus it's been hard learning this song

[holybajeesus]

listen to the song a few times

[dzdiesel]

Thanks again PJ,I have the verses down,,,so far,it has been fun..I get caught up with trying to learn more than one piece at a time..You will be blessed taking the time to teach for free,not so many are as giving,,DZ

[allyouneedislove349]

whats wrong with the sound?

[DaZMan911]

sound on this one doesnt work either... something is up with these videos... sorry to say that man... but i seriously want to learn theese, and i cant without the sound.... thanks a bunch in advance!!!

[BeatleLane927]

Do you think you could like post a list of songs that you are planning on posting on your channel or somethin, is C Moon on there? anyway, great tutorial, sgt pepper classic

[pianojohn113]

C Moon is on there.. Just hoping that I have time for new ones SOON! :-)

[JJmusicstation]

Man John, best videos on youtube to learn piano. Your speed and style of teaching are exceptional. Not for total novices and not for expects...perfect for me! Thanks many times over. Could you possibly do a tutorial for Patrick Watson's "Luscious Life"? It looks easy, but still...fingers crossed

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! I haven't played that Patrick Watson song before, but I'll take a look at it..

[dgwilym]

I came across your video lessons at a time in my life where I've been finding things really difficult, might sound a bit silly to you, but you've helped me start to enjoy things again, well I wont go to deep but thanks for taking time out to compile these videos.

[pianojohn113]

Hey, that's great to know.. I'm glad the vids have been helpful to you, both musically and otherwise!

[vulcanicspice]

Thanks to you I now know how to play various different Beatles song such as this one so, thanks! I would like to request a tutorial on a song that I can't find anywhere on the internet and it's driving me crazy...! It's called Coffee & Cigarettes by Michelle Featherstone. Maybe not in your usual style but it would really help me out a lot. I hope you'll have the time to take this into consideration, anyway thanks a lot for the awesome tutorials, you make it so much easier to learn :)!

[hugitoperez]

this is nicee, it really helped me, u should make a tutorial of bohemian rhapsody

[mimimu28]

john you're great, but I would find it better if you always write the Notes above..Because I'm german and I don't understand you all the time xD you're the best :)

[olavaaaaaa]

Marry Christmas...........Happy new year!!!!!

[davidzimbalist]

John, these tutorials are fantastic. Thank you.

[sizzlepuss7]

John U are a youtube hero! This is the best way to learn I have found. Thanks!

[albertoisetan]

pianojohn you're the best! thanks for all your videos!can you do "how" & "isolation" by john lennon? pls?

[namedontmatter]

Great job, John. I am again surprised how easy the songs are with your detailed videos. Looking forward to the middle solo from Let It Be, When I'm 64, Across the Universe (it may sound awesome on the piano), Norweigan Wood and, of course, Yesterday!

Let's hope that the financial sector will perform better next year - all the best to you.

[Jellluuuz]

one of the best tuts i've found so far on youtube. thanks!

[denniscarmelina]

in my life piano tutorial plz.....ur a great help.

[mandaly909]

one of my favorite Beatles songs.i really like the way you play it.i hope that one day you would do "in my life" tutorial. its my favorite beatles song.

[minatek]

gracias my friend.. por compartir tu talento..

[Knoxvillelives]

Patricksharp...why post these comments?

It's people like you who ruin the internet.

Apart from the fraudsters and paedophiles obviously.

Just stop being so aggressive. No one cares what you think

[marioraf]

Wonderful pianojohn113. I've learned so much with your tutorials. They are simply GREAT...!!!

[Davidpatt123]

Can you do 'I am the Walrus' PLZ =D!!! Funnest song to sing ever and I wanna piano with it...plz plz plz.

[AntoineDCoolette]

Is it just me or did the Rutles take part of it and turn it into "Cheese and Onions"?

[pianojohn113]

Yes, "Cheese and Onions," "I Am the Waitress," and "Get Up and Go" are my favorites.. They created a legacy that will last a lunchtime...

[ScullyboyDX]

haha dont forget "scrambled eggs" lol

[XtopherMonge]

thank you so much for posting this. so many people ask me to write out how i played it, and i don't even know how to read music, let alone have the time to do so :-x haha. kudos

[pianojohn113]

Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful!

[MikesMusic123]

just stumbled on your site ,,great keep it going

[pianojohn113]

Thanks!  Welcome.

[PatrickSharp10]

All of The Band fans would love for you to pull out some Rag Mama Rag, theres no music for this great band as opposed to The Beatles who have every instruments sheet music to every song they ever recorded.

[pianojohn113]

Well, the Beatles sheet music that's out there is mostly incorrect which is why I put these up here. The Band is good, but it may be a while before I can get to those songs.

[Kakarot21591]

Actually, neither Paul or John could read sheet music, so I doubt they really "wrote" anything. They certainly made up the melodies, but they couldn't read sheets.

[PatrickSharp10]

No they can read sheet music, just not in the sense of a classical pianist.

[thestuvy]

no patricksharp. NEVER do the band just because this guy is so anoying. come on i even wrote you a message just to explain that there was no hard feeling from our last argument, but apparently you just wont stop.

pianojohn:

[thestuvy]

yo man GIVE PEACE A CHANCE! ha.. this has been fun!! Great work pianojohn, hope to see more videos coming out soon. i just completed vienna and can now play the entire song. Thanks a lot, your work is appreciated.

[pianojohn113]

More videos coming, as soon as I can get them edited! I need more hours in the day....

[PatrickSharp10]

Could you buy any chance do some of The Band

[melloncollie33]

that would be cool if you posted how to play " golden slumbers " i think that would be a good one

[borstie0511]

i second this. golden slumbers, carry that weight, the end is one you must do.

[borstie0511]

i third this you must do this tutorial

[LennonLoves69]

i fourth it!!!

[borstie0511]

i fifth it. come on lets keep this going!!!

[squidwombat]

sixth

[PatrickSharp10]

No, if any of you are decent you can learn Golden Slumbers in 15 minutes, and The End is just a simple B chord then to A. Therefore you should do some on The Band as that one genius suggested. and preferably something other than The Weight.

[thestuvy]

no NOT the band. ok big shot if you think piano is so easy, why not just learn the band's songs in maybe 15 min. its just a simple d to an a bla bla bla bla!!!!!!!!!!!

GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT/THE END!!!

[PatrickSharp10]

Your a dumbass, its B to A and if you need him to waste a damn video on this you clearly shouldn't attempt to play the piano. Richard Manuel is well out of the league of John and Paul in playing the piano and there are no songbooks for The Band, and thousands for The Beatles.

[pianojohn113]

Actually, The End starts on a D into an A, then a B to an E. Most of the song is from A to D in the bass.

[melloncollie33]

hey pianojohn, thanks for posting this, i didnt meen to nag at you to do it, but i really appreciate it, once again, your ways of teaching are most excellent ! =]

[PatrickSharp10]

Are you talking to me? Cause either way I know I beat it to The Band everyday of my life.

[melloncollie33]

haha , thanks guys for agreeing with me ! lets keep this going !! , pianojohn is such a great teacher !!

[pianojohn113]

Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/Then End are done and posted. Finally! :-)

[KnowGuitar]

seventh

[thestuvy]

eighth

[PatrickSharp10]

Please do some of The Band

[pacificspade]

very good! you have the BEST lesson of any teacher, online or not!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much! I'm really glad you liked it. Enjoy!

[robertov7]

Thanks very much.

[pianojohn113]

You're very welcome!

[emizaelfrancisco]

You are really amazing piano Player!

Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much! Glad you liked it.

[razorman916]

Did you notice that Billy Joel's She's got a way is very similar and the chords are practically the same as this?

[pianojohn113]

I hadn't noticed that, but now that you mention it, they are similar. Both have a descending bass line, and they're both in the same key of G. Similar chord progressions too.

[aprilnorcross]

you are amazing thank you so so  much

You'