How The Beatles use Modes 

"I'm not sure John, Paul, or George knew what modes they were using" Ringo Starr confirmed mode genius

There was a fifth Beatle called George Martin and i'm sure he knew a thing or two...including modes.

‘’Are you a Mode, or a Rocker?’’

I'm a big fan of the note John sings in Girl on the words "about" and "came".

People get hung up on whether or not a song writer knew the music theory behind what they were writing. Clearly, the Beatles didn’t know or care and the results speak for themselves. What many people fail to understand is that music theory is an analysis tool, not a rule book. Music came first and then it was analyzed. We use music theory to understand how and why (Beatles) music is superb.

Whenever a song gets changed to major it sounds like Paul McCartney. Whenever its changed to mixolydian it sounds like Lennon.

I went to school with Mick Solidian. He was interesting.

I wasn't in the mode for this, but I'm glad i watched.

David, as a musician of almost 50 years, I know theory, modes and scales, but the way you break down and dissect familiar tunes is enlightening and wonderful. If you're not doing it already, you could be teaching, and even have your own music school. But in these days of RU-vid, you are probably reaching and educating far more people, and making even better money, from Google, I sincerely hope, bucause you deserve it! Kudos to you, fantastic work, from an older Detroiter, a famous home to great musicians, many thanks to you. Best find on the internet in a long time! Please keep 'em coming!

"Within You Without You," is such a great song, lyrically and philosophically as well. The idea that a Western musician can all of a sudden or by study or whatever, can think in Eastern Scales. If George didn't know what he was doing the song could've sounded like a parody of Indian music. As it is the song is perfect for the style or mode that it's in. It might very well be my favorite song on the album. It's the most serious as it concerns life and death and expresses real truth about it all. The fact that George was such a great listener who could adapt to what he heard is probably a big reason that Ravi Shankar ever took him seriously as a musician in the first place.

This is excellent.Please do more Beatle songs with modulations,thank you.

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about but nice video

12:18 Notice how the placement of that note which introduces the Mixolydian is pretty perfectly matched to the lyric the first time round, at the beginning of the first verse. "[S]he once had me" is the wry aside, the knowing remark which colours the folky, storybook "I once had a girl" opening. As he sings the flattened note, you can almost see Lennon raising his eyebrows and squinting his eyes slightly, after that significant pause at the end of "or should I say". You can hear it in his tone of voice too.

Hopefully, this version of the video doesn't get blocked again.

12:32 I love the phrase "litttle myxolydian moment" . It sounds like something which brightens up anyone's day!

Blue Jay Way would be a good example of Lydian in a Beatles song. The melody actually also uses the minor third, but it's basically just alternating between the tonic chord and a common tone diminished chord (C major and C diminished) and you could see that as a chromatic approach, not as something that defines the mode of the song. The rest of it uses notes in the C Lydian scale and the only chord in the background is Cmaj7.

I'm teaching myself guitar using knowledge of theory and this channel puts so much context behind songwriting. It's super rad.

Wow, what a wonderful piece of musical analysis. I say that as someone who loves music - the Beatles in particular - and as a former teacher. But also as someone whose knowledge of music could be written on the back of his hand! Really looking forward to more!

Within You Without You in Ionian is the grossest thing I've ever heard

Excellent video man. Well done :)

This is an excellent analysis of the Beatles' use of modes. The ONLY exception I would take was that Paul definitely knew he was writing in Dorian mode for Eleanor Rigby. George certainly learned about modes as he was studying Indian music (you can't really get around it), and John had a thorough understanding of sounds, so he kind of just "knew" modes. Thank you for making music theory fun.

Awesome Video! One thing: The opening drone in Within You, Without you is a Tamboura and the "Violin" part is called a Sarangi. Thank you for your great Videos

I love the Leonard Bernstein Easter egg at the end.

0:38 Tomorrow Never Knows 2:44 Within You Without You 5:35 She Said She Said 7:25 Hey Jude 10:44 Eleanor Rigby 12:05 Norwegian Wood

George was actually writing and composing Indian music about a year after learning the Sitar. George knew a lot about Indian scales and music ideas. I can imagine he probably learned a lot of western music theory from George Martin. It never gets mentioned but George released a full Indian album for a movie soundtrack. Within You Without You is a straight Indian song musically so western music theory was probably not on George’s mind when he wrote it.

David your videos are so good. You are very eloquent. I am soaking up this music theory and loving it. So well made videos too. Applying what you are teaching here to my piano and guitar learning.

I finally understand the difference between modes and keys thanks to your clear and excellent explanation. I particularly loved how you demonstrated how each song would sound in the standard major/minor key and illustrated the power of a single note to influence our interpretation of all the others.

I am playing guitar and drums for 40 years and I think I learn more music theory from watching you 10 minutes than everything before rolled up Thank you for a great channel

The Beatles are truly amazing. Thanks for the video loved it

Trying to imagine George Martin telling John "yeah, I like that Mixolydian bit you sang..." Actually, I am a die-hard fan of the boys, but truly think George Martin advised or at least educated them way more than he was given credit for...he was a master of beautiful music. The engineers also were truly amazing. It's as if the Beatles brought all the ingredients to the kitchen and the harmonic and engineering "chefs" said "Bravo, let's make it the best we can." And so it was. Your video was outstanding btw, good work.

David is a great music theory teacher because he "dumbs" down the technical explanations by showing/playing and using visual references. Very easy to watch/listen. And he is consistent on his delivery...Tx again 🎼🎵🎶👍

Great stuff! I'm a harmonica teacher and recently I've been researching about different ways to explain modes to my students. This material is such a valuable resource. Thanks David!

Tomorrow Never Knows and Within You Without You are the first songs I think of when I think of using mixolydian to approximate that Indian classical music feel!!! Those two examples alone have been endlessly influential to me. Great video and great content, keep it up man!

Extremely well done. I have loved the Beatles since I was 10 years old when I first heard "I Want to Hold Your Hand". I'm now 50 yet I never understood why I love their music. Thank you for pointing out the details. I'm subscribing.

OUTSTANDING!!! Clearly descriptions and really well-done musical examples. People -- time to give David a pile of $$$ for a great documentary.

God, I wish I could understand more than 50% of what you're saying. I'm the dolt in the back row who just smiles and nods, while praying the teacher won't call on him. Whew. Seriously though I absolutely love your presentations. I can hear the points you're making even I don't have freaking idea as to the terminology. How could humanity have intuitively made such beauty?

Currently writing music for a video game and your channel is filling me with new inspiration and ideas! thank you so much! really appreciate your work

I would love for you to analyze full songs. Loved the video!

Excellent video. Very well done! The way you re-create these songs by demonstrating how they would have sounded if the Beatles hadn't used modal interchange or borrowed chords is fantastic, and really highlights the genius of the Beatles in opting to use these seemingly minor shifts of adjustments to the song and tonal structure, which end up playing a large part in giving the songs the mood or sonic character that makes them so great.

Awesome. Delighted to find you... Had to go back months into history, Mr. Bennett. Thank you for such wonderful material.

That had to be one of the best discussions about modes I've seen. Thanks!!!

David. You are an excellent teacher. Entertaining as well. Really appreciated your presentation.

8:18. André Previn : "You were playing all the wrong notes" Eric Morecombe " I was playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order!"

Changing the one note was the simplest (thus the best) way I've seen to explain this. You can't argue with what your ears are telling you.

I don't REALLY get it but you explain it very intelligently. You seem to really know your stuff. Right on dude

Thank you for making this super easy to understand. I'm in the beginning of my theory journey so a lot of videos like this go well over my head, but I actually felt I came away with a lot of useful information here. Appreciate your channel!

These videos actually really contextualise and makes understanding modes much easier, for the first time in decades I've been aware of modes. Like how drastically the one note difference changes everything and gives that special character to a thing. You can play all the notes of the scale in order or say "it's major starting from a different note" you want but this makes someone understand what they really do and why, and instantly teaches you how to use them. It gives a musical idea, not mathematical idea.

Thanks for this! Delighted that you led off with my favorite Beatles tune - "Tomorrow Never Knows."

This has become my new favorite channel

great video! loved the way you changed the songs to show the examples, very clear

To quote Vanilla Ice: "it's that itty bitty change!"

Thank you so much for making these videos so accessible for us that don't have a music theory background, really didactic

Excellent analysis, just a cerrection required in the instrument inat 3.29 , It is Sarangi leading with an accompanying Tanpura as a drone.

Great video, I loved it! You're explaining the modes good and easy to understand, which is really good! (: I am a musician, also a huge fan of the band and your video made me think more of the modes in The Beatles' songs. So, I have a few suggestions for songs with Mixolydian mode: 1. First interesting example is A Hard Day's Night - right at the beginning there is F9 chord, where both the harmony and the melody go to F natural, which I think you haven't spoken of, but it's really interesting! 2. I Feel Fine - the vocals sing the mixolydian mode, but the harmony keeps to G, D and C major chords, and the riff of the song is mixolydian itself, 3. Same for the riff goes to Day Tripper - mixolydian riff, harmony stays in natural major, the main, Paul's, vocal also stays natural, but the second, John's, vocal goes to D, so mixolydian 4. We Can Work it Out - D C9 major chords, mixolydian harmony with vocal, which stays in natural major 5. Same for Got to Get You into My Life - G and F9 chords, vocal sings the ninth of the F major chord 6. Paperback Writer - mixolydian riff, mixolydian melody, natural major harmony 7. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - the harmony goes down to mixolydian mode, also with F major (natural), taken from A minor key, and if you take off the harmony, the clear natural major of the melody is heard. 8. Taxman - interesting thing is that the song is in D major and sound as if it's minor, 2 reasons - 1st because of the lots of F natural tones that are used and 2nd - the main melody sing the mixolydian mode, but don't sing the third of the D major chord, which defines if it is major or minor. So we can hear the clear F#, which defines the D major at the lyrics 'If you drive a car' One more interesting thing about the song is that at the solo George plays through 3 modes - starting with minor scale, then goes to natural major, with C# and at the end of the solo he gets to mixolydian mode with C natural Also a few examples with Dorian mode: 1. Eight Days a Week - not the whole song, only the chorus 'Hold me, love me' - Bm, G, Bm, E major - this little touch of dorian mode adds a lot of light in the song, it's not much, but it's changing the whole song(: 2. Wait - F#m, B/F# - it's in the second voice of the melody, but it's every verse that basically lays on F# sustain bass note and chromatic harmony going down, including the dorian mode. 3. She's Leaving Home - we can hear the dorian mode at the very entrance of the violoncello on every verse - the dorian mode, in general, makes the minor scale so bright and not so 'sad', let's say There are also more examples, but to sum up The Beatles loves the 9 chords, mixolydian and dorian modes. In my opinion, they used modes 1st, because they make a lot difference in the natural major and minor scales and sound good, and 2nd, because of their dear friend and mentor, sir George Martin, who helped them a lot to built from 4 really talented young men, to one of the greatest bands in the world! (: Once more - great video, I am happy to watch interesting facts about popular and film music (really nice work with Star Wars' modes video! ) and hope to see more! (: All the best

I love that Bernstein lecture. He was a very interesting dude. And he has some of the most mobile hair I've ever seen.

Terrific explanation! I've been learning modes to improve my guitar playing and I didn't really get modes until this video. Thank you!!

I hope this guy is getting paid for this, because it is brilliant.

you're very good at explaining these kind of things. great work.

so satisfying to see ppl that actually cared enough about music to try to fathom its inner meaning, most ppl are like "yeah i can shred" *plays only using a pentatonic scale*.

The 5th Beatle definitely knew what modes were and was teaching the other 4 Beatles along with the rest of the music theory they used.

Great channel. Thank you for your work.

I doubt John or Paul, or George new much of this, which highlights their genius, rather than their ignorance. That and LSD...

God bless. The best explanation for a Mixolydian mode: "It's just happy to sit anywhere in the scale"

Your study here is Properly presented without a stutter, pause, ahh, uhh or mhh. Your Insertion of interested, involved speaker using eloquent, flowing, unflattering prose; e.g. “nursery rhyme.” is engaging to the listener/viewer. Your voicing throughout this video essay kept my attention glued to what you were about to say and show in motion graphics. Splendid, job well and properly done!

You're a good speaker, even though ive got no idea what you're talking about, it seems interesting.

I deeply hope this video doesn't get blocked. It has both the Beatles and Bernstein.

10:40: What a spooky song. It evokes a horrible feeling of terror without knowing the source of the terror that is more like a state of mind than anything else. I would NEVER want to go to sleep at night with this song in the background.

Hey, I just wanted to say I love your videos so much, they are absolutely brilliant! I've taken music theory classes in high school so I understand the terminology and such but hearing these things in context really help my understanding so much! Also, your videos involving the Beatles are a major reason why I've started getting into them recently, so thank you for that!

The Bee-toes... I love the pronunciation! And the music theory is even better.

Wow this is so well done and informative..

No wonder the Beatles sounded so charmingly different. IF they simply did these by sheer "feel", or, by George Martins understanding of theory, they had created magic. Don't even get me started on how such young men could write such deep, mature lyrics of love, loss, etc., etc. Genius.

This is incredibly useful and well-presented. Good job!

Wow man, really love you analyses. Some of these Beatle tunes are so fascinating harmonically, however simple or complex ya know? Anyway, the Beatles got me when I was a child, I experienced all Beatle songs as a child of up to 10 years oldend 69-71. So, through a child's ears I heard these melodies, and I still listen to em frequently , they're part of my DNA I almost feel, but its cool to hear it from a theory perspective. Never thought of it in terms of theory, cool stuff, I like when you change keys, I sounds cool, nothing like the original, like a dual song, a parallel song, yeah that's really far out when u change keys, yeah it recontexturizes t all, a parallel painting, but different

man just keep doing these vids, please... cheers from brazil!!!

Really great video! I'm glad to find this cause I've been looking for this! This videos about harmony theory with artists are soooo useful

David, you know you’re doing an amaze balls job, when people like me, find what you’re saying, and how you’re explaining it, incredibly interesting... you’re a born music teacher. I love your analyses every time.

You're back!

"We were talking about the space between us all, and the people who hide themselves behind a wall." It's all about Covid-19.

I'm really enjoying your videos, David. Thank you so much. Greetings from Brazil.

Great vid mate and great to see a young person getting into and talking about the beatles. Very good analysis and well displayed as well 👍🏼

Very very interesting!

Great analysis. You explain it very clearly. I hope you keep making more videos like this.

Really great job with this!! I feel like I’ve been searching for a video like this for a while! Cheers!

What an interesting and enlightening piece of analysis. Thank you so much.

I watched this video whilst eating ice cream. “A la Mode”, i suppose you could say.

"She came in through the bathroom window" has an interesting modulation (A D) and (A Dm).

Excellent. Thanks for pointing this out. The Beatles were so good at putting in little unexpected twists and turns.

Excellent! Opened my eyes as to how to actually USE modes to add flavour (fleetingly) to tunes. Thanks!

"How The Beatles Used Mixolydian"

None of the Beatles knew much, if anything, at all about music theory. Didn't seem to be much of an obstacle, just to the contrary. George Martin, of course, knew all about it, but he never wrote a song that I ever heard of. Yes, he added a lot of very technically correct musical bits on piano and orchestrated brilliantly, all requiring great musical knowledge. His close collaboration with the Beatles helped them to create music that was pure genius. That coming together was Kismet of the first order, and was unique. Many musically-educated musicians find it curious and often frustrating that musicians with little or no musical education whatsoever can come up with and play brilliant music. It seems to make all that musical education seem somewhat irrelevant. Maybe, in terms of writing and playing, it is. The reason that the Beatles and other brilliant musicians with little or no musical education can do what they do is that, among other things, they have great ears, great brains, and a huge quantity of native musical sensibility. Over-analysis, i.e., too much thinking and not enough feeling does not make good music, or much of anything else of artistic merit. A novel may be written with perfect grammar and every word spelled correctly, and yet it still may be rubbish.

David, thank you for putting this vid together. Very well presented, interesting and useful information. Especially interesting that you played a familiar melody, then demonstrated how a mode change modifies the emotion.

It's the plagal of the plagal so often used in rock. I love it. Hey Jude, With a little help from my friends, I am the resurrection... all made brilliant by the "4 of the 4" chord or the flat seventh chord. Like a warm homecoming hug

Nice lesson. well done.

I love music, but I really know nothing about its structure. You've Encyclopaedic knowledge, an excellent communication style, and your content is just fascinating. Keep em coming!

Thank you. I have wanted to give a similar lecture for years. Excellent!. Thank you. That's right on. Very educational. A good way to hear how the modes sound in real time.

Lovely explanation both audibly and visually. I can enjoy listening to music more now, and what to listen for. Cheers!!

Going back and forth (erhm, _revolving_ ) between C Maj and Bb Maj almost hints at a full cadence on F which never arrives, which seems in keeping with the lyrical content.

Excellent

Thanks for these profound analysis, they come in handy to understand how music really works. 👌

I always start viewing your analysis videos somewhat with a doubt, but that always ends with a feeling I just learned or understood something new. Very exciting.