# Finding Beatles transcription **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453 "2003-10-03T22:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/1 "2003-10-03T22:38:31Z")
I’ve been all over the net via Google, and I can only find a couple versions of transcriptions of the bass line for the Beatles’ “Rain”. I’m convinced that they are both wrong, and that the person simply played something that worked within the key and structure, but isn’t what Paul McCartney actually played in the studio on that take. Any ideas for getting one, short of hashing it out myself over the course of many hours? I’d actually pay someone for it, seriously. Give me an address, and I’ll send you money. ---
**Author:** ![bigbird120](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@bigbird120](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigbird120)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/2 "2003-10-03T22:43:48Z")
I found this site at [amazon.com](http://amazon.com). Its a book that has scores for every beatles song ever. However, if you don’t feel like paying for the entire beatles catalogue, I’m sure you could find a book with the album you need if you look for it… [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793518326/qid=1065221509/sr=2-1/ref=sr\_2\_1/102-2557078-7776920](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793518326/qid=1065221509/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-2557078-7776920) ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/3 "2003-10-04T01:33:21Z")
Yes, but the reviews of that book are tepid to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/4 "2003-10-04T05:31:33Z")
There are a **LOT** of .mid files floating around of Beatles tunes. If you use something like Cakewalk, you can view the staff, and hope someone got it right, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/5 "2003-10-04T06:22:25Z")
Paul’s playing on that song has a copious amount of improvisation in it. The tab I found seemed to provide some basic structure and that’s about it… if you’d like I _could_ transcribe every bloody note and fill from start to end, but I don’t really see the purpose (how much are you offering?). I don’t own the complete scores but a friend has it and I’ve found nothing terribly wrong with it. It’s certainly a hell of a lot better than anything you’d find online (transcriptions for older songs are rare and usually subpar). Whether you’d want to wager $70 or so on that is your decision. You can probably take a good long look at it in Barnes & Noble or somewhere akin to that and make your decision. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/6 "2003-10-04T06:53:33Z")
One song, takes a real musician (as opposed to someone like me) a half hour (?), what, $20? I did manage to find that there are Beatles bass books. I think none of the ones I found have “Rain”, but they’re now in my sights, especially if I can find them used somehow. As for “every bloody note”, that’s the way it was released, so that’s how the song is played. I’m not trying to make a jazz improvization on a theme here, but to learn through imitation. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/7 "2003-10-04T10:22:33Z")
Well, having found that there are in fact a few different Beatles bass books (although none of them have that particular song), I guess that would be money kind of foolishly spent. My roommate can tease it apart, I reckon. Many others can be shipped to my house at bulk prices. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/8 "2003-10-04T18:04:01Z")
Well I suggest you work from this: [http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchurl.php?filename=/b/beatles/rain.btab](http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchurl.php?filename=/b/beatles/rain.btab) on the slim chance that you haven’t already come across it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-beatles-transcription/205453/9 "2003-10-04T20:02:52Z")
Yeah, thanks, but that’s what I was referring to as simply wrong. I’ll give it another go, but I guess what can you expect for free?