Customer Reviews

The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook

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If you play guitar this is the one Beatle songbook to own. Every song is really chorded ACCURATELY (with some very small and minor exceptions) from the original recordings. This includes some songs that open with guitar riffs picked out of chords. The text is only lyrics and chord markings (with chord patterns at the top of the page). However, since they follow the recordings you can learn the songs by listening and playing along. I'm surprised somebody did not published such a book twenty years ago. I would have bought it then!!

This isn't the real deal. Looking at the price, in retrospect, I should have realized before I ordered it that, as we've heard before, "If it sounds too good to be true..."

In the book's introduction it says: "...chord shapes have been simplified whenever possible..." "...The Beatles made frequent use of barre chords...easier shapes have sometimes been substituted". This band had three phenomenally talented and creative guitarists, and their voicings have been completely ignored in favor of first-position "cowboy chords".

If that's what you want, go for it. Most of the changes are correct, and a really advanced guitarist with a good ear could figure out the inversions, extensions and voicings pretty well for him/herself. If you know a little bit about Beatle tunes and the guitar, this book might reinforce what you already know, but if you're past that stage, give this book a pass.

I guess this is one place where a visit to a brick and mortar bookstore or music store might have been advisable, to actually look inside the book at the chord charts.

Certainly someone has transcribed the chord voicings more closely to the originals. I'm going to keep looking.