Beatles Bass Lines

There are several songs in the Beatles' catalog for which there is some controversy over who played what instrument. One of those songs is "She Said She Said," recorded in June 1966 for the Revolver album. During the recording session for this song, Paul McCartney had an argument with John Lennon and stormed out of the studio. He claimed he didn't appear on the recording of that song at all. But is his memory accurate? Who played bass on "She Said She Said?"

Here is my transcription of the bass line on the Beatles song "She Said She Said" from the 1966 Revolver album .  This is a song primarily written by Lennon. It was the last song recorded for the album and there is some controversy over who actually played bass on the recording... stay tuned!!! I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

This content is adapted from a presentation I gave in the Beatles area at the Pop Culture Association (PCA) Conference in New Orleans, LA, April 2025. The panel, which also featured Beatles scholars Allison Bumsted and Tom Pace, focused on using the Beatles music as a subject for analysis in a college classroom. 

The bass line on "Yellow Submarine" from Revolver  (1966) is fairly straightforward, but does feature some nice moments.  The passage after the lyric "And the band begins to play" is a little unusual. The backing track of guitar and bass continue with the regular chord progression - Am-C-D7. The brass ensemble, however, comes in playing a different chord (essentially just playing figure suggesting a G major triad). I had never actually noticed this discrepancy until I transcribed the bass line.  I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Here's a quick bass lesson video on how to play Paul McCartney's bass line on "Taxman."  

The "Taxman" bass line is one I often see transcribed incorrectly. While I'm not a fan of most of Giles Martin's remixes, his mix of this song brings out a lot of details in McCartney's bass line. For one thing, when the bass line jumps up an octave on beat 2 of the main groove, most transcriptions just have one D as an 8th note - but it's pretty clear that McCartney plays two 16th note D's. The bridge bass line is also almost always transcribed incorrectly, with a C instead of a B. Slowing down the recording and isolating the bass part, however, makes it clear that McCartney is playing a B. I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by George Harrison

Here's a video bass lesson on how to play Paul McCartney's bass line on "You Won't See Me" from the Rubber Soul  album (1965). Learn a few patterns and choose your own adventure! I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 strung with LaBella flatwounds. Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney Full transcription is below (no tab)

Here is my bass cover of the Beatles song "Here, There and Everywhere" from Revolver  (1966). This is a song primarily written by Paul McCartney. The bass line is fairly simple and straightforward, which is entirely appropriate for this breezy ballad. McCartney primarily plays chord roots with only occasional embellishments.  I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney’s bass playing on the Beatles’ 1965 album Rubber Soul is outstanding and is light years ahead of his playing on the previous album Help , which had been released only 4 months earlier. McCartney’s bass playing on Help and earlier albums was solid and appropriate for the songs they were writing and the musical styles they were playing. But with the recording of Rubber Soul , several things occurred/converged that led to this giant leap forward in his approach to creating bass lines.