Hey Improvisers,
Do you want to play some classic rock?
Great! So let’s go to a traditional Italian wedding and dance the tarantella, OK?
No? Why not? Isn’t traditional Italian folk music the kind of classic rock you enjoy listening to?
Well… if you enjoy The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” then you absolutely do enjoy Italian folk music, since the song uses the tarantella rhythm as well as a very traditional chord progression in the famous chorus… “We all live in a Yellow Submarine…!”
“Yellow Submarine” is a great example of how folk music has influenced rock music. The Beatles took a folk dance rhythm, wrote children’s lyrics, and framed it all in the brightly-colored psychedelia of the 1960s. The result is a timeless masterpiece that is enjoyed by young and old alike.
I’ve made a video to demonstrate all this at the piano, and to show you two versions of the song: one traditional, and one with a light jazz-funk beat.
Yellow Submarine: Complete Beatles Piano #21
Enjoy exploring this fun song with me, and then give it a try yourself!
Ron