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The Beatles are, without question, one of the most important groups of songwriters of all time. At the forefront of their writing were Paul McCartney and John Lennon, the minds behind the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership.
Together, they wrote countless top-ten tracks, including A Day In The Life, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Yesterday, and many, many more.
But, looking back on his work, McCartney confessed that things were almost entirely different for the Fab Four’s music over the years.
It all started when his father – a musician in his own right – refused to teach him how to play the piano.
McCartney recalled: “Dad was a pretty good self-taught pianist, but because he hadn’t had training himself, he always refused to teach me. I would say: ‘Teach us a bit,’ and he would reply: ‘If you want to learn, you’ve got to learn properly.’” (Via Cheat Sheet)
Refusing to be deterred, McCartney agreed to get a piano teacher – but things did not work out how he wanted them to.
READ MORE: The Beatles hated recording one McCartney song – ‘Worst f****ng track’
McCartney said: “In the end, I learnt to play by ear, just like him [his father], making it all up.
“I did then take lessons, but I always had a problem; mainly that I didn’t know my tutor, and I wasn’t very good at going into an old lady’s house — it smelt of old people — so I was uncomfortable. I was just a kid. I quite liked what she was showing me, but then she started setting homework: ‘By next week I want you to have learnt this.’ I thought it was bad enough coming for lessons, but homework!”
He added: “That was sheer torture. I stuck it for four or five weeks, and then the homework really got difficult so I gave up.”
McCartney went on to learn how to play the piano his own way – by ear, by experimentation, and through absolute creativity.
He later confirmed, however, that he was thankful he didn’t learn piano the “real” way, as it would have messed up his songwriting abilities.
“To this day, I never learnt to read or write music,” he explained. “I have a vague suspicion now that it would change how I’d do things.”
Considering McCartney went on to write the absolutely legendary Hey Jude on the piano by himself, it seems like he had the last laugh.
Lennon even later praised McCartney for how good his musicianship was over the years.
He told Playboy: “I think Paul and Ringo stand up with any of the rock musicians. Not technically great — none of us are technical musicians. None of us could read music. None of us can write it – but as pure musicians, as inspired humans to make the noise, they are as good as anybody.”
