Beatles Fool On The Hill

[jackorion]

OK, I suggested to Sara to try and pick up this song. I played it and got a laugh off it. Very cool song for whistle. ? is, is that a Whistle or Recorder taking the melody in the middle. Listening to the album now, there is a bunch of woodwind on it and woodwindish melodies (it's that eastern thang). I guess you can say it's thier wind period album. But my real question: whistle or recorder? I've deducted it's played on an A instrument. Which brings another ? to the table. Are Recorder's and Whistles alike when it comes to Key's?

Whistle Free! Jack Orion

[Dale]

Ah! You've mentioned one of my favorite songs and probably my very favorite Beatles song. There's a famous interview with John Lennon that was published in Playboy. Lennon revealed that, more often than not, the Lennon-McCartney songs were either written entirely by Paul, entirely by John, or principally by one with a very minor contribution by the other. The interviewer went through an enormous list of the songs and asked John to tell "whose" song it was. He was quite willing, of course, to be critical of many of Paul's songs and some of his own. When the interviewer mentioned "Fool on the Hill," Lennon said that it was entirely Paul's song and it was the song of Paul's that he, John, truly wished he had written.

Anyway, I've often wondered about whether the fipple break on that recording is whistle or recorder. SOmehow, I suspect it is a recorder.

Dale

[Goldie]

Great band and song. Paul himself plays the recorder on this track with flutes played by Christopher Taylor, Richard Taylor and Jack Ellory. The story as I remember it, is when Paul lived with the Asher family in London he had lessons from a friend of the family. It is incredible to think it was recorded just over 34 years ago and still sounds fresh to me.
Perhaps Thomas can answer the recorder key question?
Colin

[Whistlepeg]

Recorders are fully chromatic so any one recorder can play in all keys, the fingering pattern of the scale is what changes. I can't fully remember that track but I think it is either an alto or a tenor recorder which both play quite low (the alto is similar in sound to a low G whistle and the tenor is similar in sound to a low D whistle)
Mind you, I'm sure that if Paul had been able to get his hands on one of the great low whistles we now have available, rather than recorder.........(just kiddin'!!)

[Sara]

That's SOOO cool that Paul played the recorder in it. So, if I were to play it on the whistle I would need to either have a low g or low d whistle? But I believe jackorion had told me in my other post that an 'A' whistle would work - I may be wrong. Oh, I'm confused. LOL!
Peace,
Sara

[jackorion]

Thanks for the replies. Great to hear from the undisputed himself on this. Likewise Colin. I gave it a closer look tonight and you'll be able to play the recorder part easly on the D whistle you have, Sara. But to play the flute melody & the recorder bit, I think an A whistle would be the choice.

Every Sunday, there is a Breakfast With The Beatles radio broadcast where I live. They played some of Pauls new material. It was interesting stuff. His longest song to date is on the new album. It's the most impressed I've been in a long time. Could it be that he is still trying to keep up with Dylan? Just a fun rocknroll critic's question with a nod to Bob. I would never ask either that ? personaly though. (just to let you know)

Cheers, Jeff
"Oh the shinanagins of media hurt my head said Jack Orion with weary a shout: over and out"



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jackorion on 2001-11-07 20:59 ]</font>

[Sara]

Jeff,
Oh that's totally wizard! Wizard means cool. One time on the old show "The Munsters" someone was talking to somebody and said, "That's real wizard of you" like, "That's real cool of you". I thought it was wizard sounding - hehe! Anyway, I'm going to buy the Magical Mystery Tour album and try to learn it!

I've only heard a few of Paul's new songs. Is it just me, or does his voice sound different? I was watching that "Concert for New York City" thing that he did a couple of weeks ago and to me, his voice sounded different.

I meant to ask you, how long have you played the whistle? I've only been playing it for about 4 months.

Peace,
Sara
_____________________________________________
"Live the Magic"

[jackorion]

Sara I like the wizard slang. I think there was a celtic folk band called Silly Wizard. Never have heard em though. I'll have to keep an eye out at the next record swapmeet I go to. The last Sunday of every month, there is a swapmeet that deals only with vinyl records, where I pick up tons of music for cheap. I strongly suggest getting a turntable if you don't already have one. depending on whats around you where you live, you can pick up the greatest music that has never been reissued on CD for cheap. There are of course the super rare records that go for crazy amounts of money. I'm always checking the Goodwills (a dollar a record) and the regular swapmeets (usually a dollar a record) + the used record stores I come across. It's a good way to build up a music library for little money. Not to mention the albums that you can't get on CD. Plus it's a healthy hoby thats alot of fun.

As far a whistle playing goes, I'm a novice. I've been playing for about a year now. I've been playing music for almost twenty years. I started out playing bass in a highschool cover rock band. When we graduated the bandmates sort of drifted and I started to play clarinet which threw me off into jazz and clasical for a few years. I started to play bass again in an original band, which got me into songwriting.
The bass isn't the best instrument to sit in your room and write songs on, so I learned to play acoustic guitar. It was all over after that, I started listening to tons of singer/songwriter music, ecspecialy folk from the sixties coming out of Scotland and England. The folk revival scene from that era at that location is my favorite music (at this moment in time). Naturaly it led me to the whistle.

If you start to research the history of music, you'll begin to connect the dots and hear how the old masters influence us today. I could go on forever about the history of music and art, but I think I'll leave it there.

Thanks for asking, I always like to go over where I've been, it helps me see where I'm going.

Keep your ears open, Jeff

[chas]

What a coincidence -- I was just listening to Magical Mystery Tour last night and noticed the recorder for the first time. It's actually on several cuts. Sounds like a soprano to me in Fool on the hill and on another cut, (maybe Your mother should know?). There's an alto or tenor at the end of Strawberry fields forever.

As to the authorship issue -- John and Paul signed an agreement before they cut their first album saying that all their songs would be officially co-written. (AFAIK, Sgt Peppers is the only album that explicitly states who wrote which song.) Even early on, a lot of their songs were clearly identifiable. On Hard Days Night, compare You can't do that (John) with Things we said today (Paul).

Charlie

[jackorion]

Will do. I don't have the record so I'll pick it up next time I see the LP. I love the movie, so I don't know why I haven't picked it up yet. One of those things. The water slips through the cracks...
Jeff

[Sara]

Jeff,
Thanks! My mum thinks wizard is a funny word. I've never heard of Silly Wizard. That's cool about the swapmeat. We have a turntable, but seldom use it. There is a music store where we live called "Forever Young" and we shop there a lot, they have vinyl records, cassette tapes, and C.D's. I buy cassette tapes mostly - I have bought a lot of good music there; John Lennon, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks etc. I'm a big fan of Fleetwood Mac. I love it when I can find music for cheap. Most of the tapes at Forever Young are like $3.98 and $5.98. And for the vinyls it varies because some are rarer than others.

You say your a novice, but to me, a year is a long time! That's so cool that you had your own band in highschool! I'd like to start a band of my own some day. I like jazz music a lot. How many songs have you written? I think it's so wizard that you write songs, I write songs but just the lyrics, not the music. I tried writing the music to a song of mine one time and was unsuccessful. Afterwards I told my parents that I have no idea how song writers do it - I totally don't know where to start, so I admire anyone who can do that! I'd like to learn the acoustic guitar at some point. I like that kind of music too.

Oh I know, I was reading about music history one time and the first people in music influence music today very much. Well, music in the sense of true music like classical, folk, celtic, etc. Not pop now, like Britney Spears or O-town. I don't consider them to be true musicians.

Peace,
Sara

[jackorion]

Sara, yeah you have to devide the buisness from the art. take it with a graun of salt if you know what I mean. Warhol made the series of repetition paintings for a reason. Pop chart music is a tough area. It has so much influence, many issues can come to light in view of it.

I've written over 200 songs. Many unfinished, many forgotten. I use a mead note book that has 150 pages. I'm 1/3 through my second book. I use a micro cassette recorder to capture ideas. I'd like to get a bit more hi tech, but the micro works for now. I also have a four track I use to solidify things a bit more. For me the key is to not censor myself and just go with anything that catches my ear while I'm experimenting on guitar. Some people call it "noodling". I do too sometimes. But the key is to follow your instinct and trust your ear. You hear it when it catches your muse. That is your interest. Sometimes it all sounds rotten and I walk away with bad emotions. But I trust myself to bounce back.
I end up with a lot of ideas to use, and the nice thing about music is, the paint doesn't dry, at least until you release it to the public. Even then it's subject to change, just ask Dylan.
Ever moving motion, Jeff

[mike.r]

I read somewhere the Chieftans recorded once at Abbey(sp?) Rd studio and as Byrone Berlin(bluegrass/country legend)was the uncredited fiddle player on Ringo's `Dont pass me by´I wonder if Paddy Molloney left his signature on Fool on the hill, as it does sound very whistley...his `mother should know´! (sorry);)Mike

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2001-11-10 13:46 ]</font>

[Sara]

Jeff,
Yes, you do have to divide the business from the art. Pop music does have an influence and more often than not, a negative one.

WOW - 200 songs, that's amazing!!!! What is a four track? I've heard my father talk about 8 tracks, but I've never heard of a four track. I think it is so wizard that you can sit down with a guitar and write a song -I wish I had that ability. You're right, instinct is what you have to go by. That's one of the keys to songwriting. I like what you said, "the paint doesn't dry, at least until you release it to the public", I thought that was a really good way to put it. Do you write the lyrics as well as the music? Have you written any songs for the pennywhistle? I wrote one song for the pennywhistle and it actually doesn't sound too bad!
Peace be with you,
Sara

[Cayden]

Ok guys recorder in 60s popmusic, will you be studying the Bonzo's 'I am the urban spaceman' next? or the contribution of Paddy Moloney to Mike Oldfields Ommadawn.
And then there's Tommy McCarthy's contribution on the whistle to 'the Lion sleeps tonight'.That will keep you going'