They wrote the songs that changed music. In this informative and informal 90-minute Zoom workshop, Bill LaFleur examines the harmony-melody strategies and styles of John Lennon in "Strawberry Fields" and of Paul McCartney in "Penny Lane." He gives a glimpse of the riches he'll impart in his 6-week online class The Beatles for Guitar.
Watch the video and download the handout as our guest--Bill's own notes about the songs, a theory lesson, and his transcriptions. Included is a guitar arrangement for "Penny Lane" (a song written for piano).
THE BEATLES FOR GUITAR - (will open in a new window)
Audio referenced in our workshop:
In the 6-week class The Beatles for Guitar, you will learn not only how to play the great songs on guitar--you will learn the harmony-melody concepts of those songs and how to make use of them in your own songs. This is a deep dive into songcraft, chord progressions, rhythm, and so much more.
More about class format and your instructor, below.
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Class format:
Want more Bill LaFleur and More Beatles?
Bill's amazing class The Beatles Code is offered entirely on-demand online and will feature quarterly "masterclass" Zoom sessions where students can ask questions, present songs using the Code, and connect with fellow songwriters.
About Your Instructor
Teacher Bill LaFleur is uniquely qualified to teach this class. Not only is he a patient, enthusiastic teacher who has previously headed our Beatles for Guitar and Guitar for Songwriters classes. He has transcribed Magical Mystery Tour for Hal Leonard Publishing and has been charged with the task of CORRECTING their previously "complete" scores of The Beatles. Thus the class will make use of his own painstaking analysis and presentation of Beatles classics.
For the last many years he has been lead transcriber and arranger for NBC's The Voice and continues to create and edit scores and transcriptions for Hal Leonard Publishing.
The handouts for this class alone are remarkable materials that will give you years of compositional material to build on. Some Music Theory knowledge strongly suggested. Students should have completed Music Theory for Songwriters, Level 1 or the equivalent. Some Level 2 knowledge encouraged though not required.