How This Simple, Powerful Solo Unlocks Pro Moves for You

I absolutely adore the Beatles and George, as every single member of the foursome, always played for the song. His playing is inventive, playful, full of life, always on the money.

But to say he was one of the most influential guitar players of all time? Come on, man. Not even close. (Well, I'm sure he's in the 1st million...). There's no sound, style, technique or any other guitar-playing-related things I can think of that originated or were in some substantial way advanced by George Harrison.

There are more than enough reasons to cherish The Beatles' legacy and/or George's in particular - his song writing, his unique touch, his singing, his overall musicianship, his contribution to the culture, etc. It's enough, no need to make up more.

Hoi Mark (or anyone else who is able to answer my question)! What model of guitar are you using in this short? Would love to know!
Thanks in advance✌️

Please learn the actual solo. You missed some notes and your version doesn't do George's work justice.

Glad you have on screen tab now! And I like the double canera angles, too!

YES, George Harrison was hugely INFLUENTIAL to guitarists around the world. He produced great riffs that WORKED. Look at the people who came AFTER him and drew upon him. Many "modern" musicians feel it's trendy to put down the work of the Beatles, but George and Co. made music that the WORLD bopped to.

Yes - George really knew the fretboard; plus he wasn't afraid to experiment!

Excellent and Superb!

Harrison recorded almost all of his electric guitar parts during the Let It Be and Abbey Road sessions playing a solid Rosewood Telecaster. On Let It Be, The guitar was put through a Leslie Speaker and amplifier.
The Telecaster was later gifted to 'Delaney' Bramlett to auction so as to realise enough cash to help him through a difficult period.
George Harrison advised Bramlett to,
"Sell the damned thing as fast as possible, or they will kill you for it..."
Mr. Bramlett did, and they didn't. But, George Harrison was right. 'They' would have killed him for the guitar.
As later proved, when Harrison was attacked and brutally stabbed in his home, being a Beatle is a deadly enterprise. Harrison never fully recovered from the attack.
I pray that Sir Paul and Sir Richard have a security staff superior to The King's.

The solo is both impressive, in that it is hard to play and is outside George's wheelhouse, but it doesn't entirely land for me.

Thanks! I’ve been hearing this solo for many years, and your break-down of the progression was very informative.
Rock On!

Stumbled across this today, and I have to say you are an incredible instructor! One question, do you know if did George do this recording on his famous rosewood Telecaster?

i really can't understand why some people like i want you such a long monotone repetitive endless pointless irritating song boring as hell it really is so heavy to stand it good title that's it, octopus gatden is lightyears better

Interesting...George Harrison and George Lynch are two of my favs for tasteful guitar work within the song - GO GEORGES !!!!

👍👍

Les Paul? Carl Perkins, Chet Atkinson, Curtis Mayfield, Chuck Berry? Yes George is great and influential as he built upon that which came before.

I believe the most influential guitarist is Django. From Willie Nelson to BB King and Les Paul to Tony Iomi Django was a Major inspiration to them. I think the 2nd most influential guitarist is BB.

George really added to his playing after spending time with those Tulsa boys.

Georges are gorgeous !
(Got three in my family)

Georges are gorgeous 👍
(Got three of them in my family)

George's playing sounds simple until you play it. He added so much and it almost goes unnoticed until you imagine the songs without his parts.

Wow good Lesson

Did George read music? Did any of the lads? I was once told by a college music teacher that they used emanuenses to write the musical notation for their original songs.

George Harrison is my all-time favorite guitarist. Which is why I was pretty shocked when he said, a few years (maybe less) before he died that he hadn’t picked up a guitar in years.

gr8 lesson Mark

from the “ other kram”

It's hard to fathom that George Harrison did all his work without the benefit of Internet. From a small city in Britain and only 20 years old. Incredible.

Great analysis....love it

The solo on Taxman

This isn't a knock/ but when you're young and you trip over little melodies/ it's exciting and fun/ later some jazz guy says/ oh you're just playing major pentatonic over a 1 4 5 with the relative minor. 😅 hey it's still fun/ but I do wish I knew this younger/ ps a good ear helps. But that wasn't me!!

I have yet to hear anyone play the intro as fluid as George did

​ I always thought the solo sounded a little country.. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he played it with his Telecaster..

I 'VE READ THAT PAUL PLAYED THIS SOLO [?]

Did he write the solo for ‘something’ , I doubt it. Heavily helped by George Martin no doubt.

Solos like this made me pick up the guitar Thanks for the breakdown

His plying was mature and restrained, always demonstrating that less is more.

George Harrison is one of best picks. He was shoved to the support because his band couldn't use him in the fast pop writing mill. But it ended with the most memorable songs being his and both Paul and John would rave his work after their breakup.. Harrison has always been a source of renewal. I still learn so much about Harrison it's hard to believe he died around the same time the Twin Towers fell.

Come on dude,this is one of the two songs (Something being the other)that Eric Clapton sat in on 😂😂😂

Ringo loved country and western music. I always supposed George was paying tribute to the country style of Carl Perkins.

Its amazing and sad, how you can see how great some people are, after they are gone.

George was totally an ensemble player. His parts were always crafted to serve the song and not to demonstrate his shredding abilities. I always admired that about him.

' I haven't got a clue what your talking about ?'

do you really just use your index and middle finger to solo or is that just for demonstration?

The soloing in thatsong always amazed me. Totally overlooked

I heard George say he didn't practice, but he knew how to play stuff that fit and sounded good. I think that playing all day and night in Hamburg for 2 years was practice enough. In the Get Back doc years later, they play for hours and, boom, licks everywhere. It sounded like they were goofing off half the time, but they cranked out the goods.

The interesting thing about George is he came up with those incredible guitar licks and then appeared to have no interest in them later on. He was an artist who seemed not to appreciate his own genius.

I like how you used only first and second fingers to navigate the scale.

What a great overview!, thanks for that. I grew up with the Fabs, decided I wanted to be a Beatle when I was 7, 1963! Over the years I have come to appreciate Goeoge's playing more and more - a total class act and my favourite 'pop' guitarist. I loved that segment in the Peter Jackson Get Back pic when Ringo plays George his intro and George immediately jumps in with ideas and (my guess) is that he champions the song with the others. His solo sounds so effortless - brilliant! Cheers

You might have tried getting closer to the intro tone - front pickup on a Les Paul, with smoother articulation, and a bit of distortion. It would have been nice of you to have touched on John's lovely clawhammer guitar underpinning, a tool he got from Donovan at the Ashram. But yeah, George is indispensable.

The most underrated guitar solo of all time.

I think George had a big part in helping write this song (music) with Ringo not just the guitar solos. I can be seen in the Get Back film.

Lovely! Octopus Garden is along with Here comes the Sun and The End not only my favourite Song on Abbey Road but also in my Top 15 Beatles Songs since 1969