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John Lennon's musical instruments were both diverse and many, and his worldwide fame resulted in his personal choices having a strong impact on cultural preferences.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2009) |
John Lennon's musical instruments were both diverse and many, and his worldwide fame resulted in his personal choices having a strong impact on cultural preferences.
John Lennon played various guitars with the Beatles and during his solo career, most notably the Rickenbacker (four variants thereof) and Epiphone Casino, along with various Gibson and Fender guitars.
His other instrument of choice was the piano, on which he also composed many songs. For instance, Lennon's jamming on a piano together with Paul McCartney led to creation of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1963.
We wrote a lot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball. Like in 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' I remember when we got the chord that made the song. We were in Jane Asher's house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time. And we had, 'Oh you-u-u/ got that something...' And Paul hits this chord [B minor] and I turn to him and say, 'That's it!' I said, 'Do that again!' In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that—both playing into each other's noses. [1]
Lennon's musicianship went beyond guitar and piano, when he showed his proficiency on the harmonica in early Beatles records. His mother, Julia Lennon first showed him how to play the banjo and encouraged him to learn to play guitar, when they would practice together, "sitting there with endless patience until I managed to work out all the chords". [2] According to Lennon, it was Julia who introduced him to rock 'n' roll and actively encouraged him to pursue his musical ambitions. [2] After Julia's death in 1958 the instrument was never seen again and its whereabouts remain a mystery. [3]
Lennon also played keyboards besides piano (electric piano, Hammond organ, Lowrey organ, harmonium, Mellotron, harpsichord, clavioline), saxophone, harmonica, six-string bass guitar (either he or George Harrison, when McCartney was playing piano or guitar), and some percussion (in the studio).
Rickenbacker makes several "Lennon" model electric guitars, Gibson makes a limited-edition replica of his J-160E [4] and an "inspired by" John Lennon Les Paul replicating the modified Junior. Epiphone also makes two "Lennon" edition guitars; the EJ-160e and the Inspired by John Lennon Casino. [5]
Lennon composed his biggest solo hit "Imagine" on a Steinway upright piano. [6] [7] In 2000, this piano was bought by George Michael at an auction for £1.45 million. [8] Later, the piano was on charity tour called the Imagine Piano Peace Project. [9]
Lennon used a variety of sound sources for his songs, such as radios, sound effect records, resonators, and even his own heartbeat. He recorded his, Ono's and their baby's heartbeat, for sounds on the Wedding Album and Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions .
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The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length. The bass guitar most commonly has four strings, though five- and six-stringed models are also relatively popular, and bass guitars with even more strings or courses have been built. Since the mid-1950s, the bass guitar has largely come to replace the double bass in popular music due to its lighter weight, the inclusion of frets in most models, and, most importantly, its design for electric amplification. This is also due to the fact that the double bass is acoustically compromised for its range in that it's scaled down from the optimal size that would be appropriate for those low notes.
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During 1965, the Beatles toured Europe.
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The Beatles' first English tour lasted from 2 February 1963 until 3 March 1963. The Beatles were fourth on an eleven-act bill headed by 16-year-old Londoner, Helen Shapiro. Other acts on the tour were the Red Price Band, The Kestrels, The Honeys (UK), Dave Allen, Kenny Lynch and Danny Williams. They were also joined briefly by Billie Davis during the latter part of the tour.
The Roy Orbison/The Beatles Tour was a 1963 concert tour of the United Kingdom by Roy Orbison and the Beatles. Other acts on the tour included Gerry and the Pacemakers, David MacBeth, Louise Cordet, Tony Marsh, Terry Young Six, Erkey Grant, and Ian Crawford. It was Orbison's first, and the Beatles' third nationwide tour of the UK. Although Orbison was originally intended to be the headlining act, the reaction to the Beatles on the tour caused them to be promoted to co-headliners, with the Beatles closing the set in the traditional headlining spot.
Andy Babiuk is an American musician, author, consultant, and owner of Andy Babiuk's Fab Gear in Fairport, New York. He is a founding member and bassist of the supergroup The Empty Hearts and is also a longtime member and current frontman of The Chesterfield Kings. Babiuk is the author of Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio (2001), The Story of Paul Bigsby (2009), Rolling Stones Gear (2014) and Beatles Gear – The Ultimate Edition (2015). He is a staff consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as to auction houses in New York, London and Los Angeles. Andy also owns and operates the guitar shop Andy Babiuk's Fab Gear which is located in Rochester New York.
