Beatles FAQ

Beatles go 'capo-crazy' on Rubber Soul A capo raises the pitch of stringed instruments including guitars and ukuleles. They are generally used to either make a chord progression easier to play or to match the vocal range of a singer. Famously Cilla Black failed her first audition for Brian Epstein because the The Beatles backed her in a lower key than she could manage. The three Beatle guitarists were familiar with capos from an early stage - Buddy Holly often played with one. It has been speculated that John uses one on 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' on Beatles For Sale to channel Bob Dylan. In an era without YouTube tutorials to encourage accurate copying, the capo offered an alternative route to a distinctive sound. Going Capo crazy on Rubber Soul Rubber Soul marks a departure point for The Beatles, where they experiment with creating a new more musically complex sound. One of the tools they use heavily is the capo - both John and George use it on the 2nd fr...

  Slim Whitman with his Gibson - the sound George aspired to.  George tried to teach himself [the guitar]. But he wasn’t making much headway. ‘I’ll never learn this,’ he used to say. I said, ‘You will, son, you will. Just keep at it.’  Louise Harrison, mother of George

When he was thirteen, George was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be a minor kidney problem. As with Ringo, a spell on the children’s ward was the catalyst for obtaining his first musical instrument.  To cheer up his sick son, Harry Harrison agreed to buy a classmate’s Dutch Egmond flat-top acoustic guitar. Dutch Egmond Acoustic — George Harrison’s first guitar What George would later describe as a ‘cheapo, a horrible little guitar’ had a selling price of £3 ($4). This was a large sum for a poorly paid bus driver, though it would prove an inspired long-term investment.  Technical issues The Egmond. It proved very difficult to master, partly because it was poorly set up (a common problem with cheaper mass-produced guitars).  Progress was also hampered by an ill advised experiment. Curious to see how the guitar was engineered, George unscrewed the head — and was unable to fix it back on.  Abandoned in a cupboard in two pieces, the Ergmond was eventually res...