Interview for Beat Instrumental

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“I don’t know a thing about the guitar.”

THAT was just about the last statement I ever expected to hear from the world’s best known bass guitarist. AND, he said it seriously. But, how could Paul McCartney, who is recognised by other instrumentalists as a complete master of his instrument, say a thing like that?

I believe Paul feels that his knowledge of theory is not as complete as it could be, and that’s the reason he doesn’t consider himself a complete bass guitarist yet. But it doesn’t matter a hoot because he’s one of those very fortunate people who have a fantastic “feel” for pop music. It is something which comes naturally to him, like eating and sleeping. Let’s ask Paul to tell us how it began.

“As many people already know, the very first musical instrument I played was a trumpet, a rather battered old thing which was given to me when I was 14 years old. My father says he gave it to me because I’d always seemed interested in music from the time I was a ‘tiddler,’ and he thought it would be a suitable instrument for me to learn to play. ‘Course, I immediately fancied myself as Louis Armstrong, but I only got as far as learning ‘The Saints (When The Saints Go Marching In)’ before I got fed up with it. It used to hurt my lip and I didn’t fancy the thought of walking around like a beat-up boxer, so I decided to buy myself a guitar.

It’s funny, but every one remembers his first string-box! Mine was a Zenith. I’d no idea where it was all going to lead at the time – the main reason I chose to play a guitar was because it wouldn’t hurt my lip.

I started bashing away and pretty soon I had the basic chords well and truly learnt. Then I got a bit more ambitious and bought a solid Rosetti. It only had two strings and when I played it, it didn’t produce a very melodic sound. But, I kept the volume right down and it seemed OK to me.

Actually, I had that old Rosetti a long time. I used it all through the early days in the Cavern and only changed it when we went to Hamburg for the first time.

I didn’t want to get rid of it, but I had to, because it got smashed when I dropped it one day. It wasn’t a complete write-off, but I didn’t think it was worth repairing so all of us – George, Stu, Pete and John (especially John) – had a great time smashing it to bits by jumping up and down on it! Bit mad, I suppose, but we had to get rid of our pent-up energy sometimes and it seemed the obvious thing to do at the time!

I couldn’t afford to buy a new gutter, so I became the official Beatles’ piano player! No, I didn’t know how to play, but I knew a few chords, and the rest of the boys decided that they needed a pianist in the group, so for a few weeks I ruined the Top Ten Club piano in Hamburg!

Our bass guitarist then, of course, was Smart Sutcliffe and when he said he was leaving I decided to take up his instrument. Don’t ask me why I decided on the bass but, at the time, it sounded a good idea! I had a big problem, though. I’m left-handed and it was very difficult finding a suitable model. Then, one day, I discovered that Höfner made a ‘violin-shaped’ bass that could be used either by a left-handed or a right-handed person.

I got used to it pretty quickly. All my earlier guitar playing made it quite easy to learn. In fact, I ordered another Höfner bass pretty soon afterwards because it was the only left-handed bass available and I thought I’d better have a spare. I’ve still got the same two guitars. In fact, the one I am using on stage now is the very first one I bought, which makes it about two years old. Sound City did a great job of re-varnishing and re-wiring it, so that most people think it’s a brand new model.

Most of the figures that I have used on our records are not new. I am certain that I have picked up many of them from listening to American R’n’B discs, but I do agree that basically I always try and work with Ringo during a recording session. We are the rhythm section and it’s up to us to give the beat and punch to a disc.

I believe that playing an ordinary guitar first and then transferring to bass has made me a belter bass Player because it loosened up my fingers, NOT that I’m suggesting that EVERY bass player should learn on ordinary guitar. Stuart Sutcliffe certainly didn’t, and he was a great bass man.

One thing I would like to say about learning an instrument and that is you SHOULD STEAL various bits and pieces from other guitarists and bassists. OK, so you know they belong to other people – so what! Does it really matter? I think this is a much better way of learning than with a tutor. I never had one myself and I think you can ‘feel’ music much more without one. With a tutor, you are told what to play and therefore get into a rut.

Here’s one example of a bit I pinched from someone: I used the bass riff from “I’m Talking About You” by Chuck Berry in “I Saw Her Standing There”. I played exactly the same notes as he did and it fitted our number perfectly. Even now, when I tell people, I find few of them believe me; therefore, I maintain that a bass riff hasn’t got to be original.

And now I’ve got to go and play with those other three blokes on stage, or the Beatles may become a trio!

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