“Something” by The Beatles


Difficulty: Intermediate

Composer – George Harrison

Where to find this song – Abbey Road track #2

Release Date – September 1969

The Band:

John Lennon – guitar, vocals

Paul McCartney – bass, vocals

George Harrison – guitar, vocals

Ringo Starr – drums

The Bio:

There has been so much that has been said and written about The Beatles. Their story is so mythic in its sweep that it’s difficult to summarize their career without duplicating things that have already been dictated by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century. Moreover, they were among the few artists of any discipline that were simultaneously the best at what they did.

Intro/Verse



Intro

Lead Guitar

This lead part is actually pretty easy. Notice that you will be bending
1/2 of a step on the twelfth fret on the “B” string. Also,
you will be performing a little vibrato two times in this part. A vibrato
is when you rapidly shake the string to allow the note to ring a little
harsher. Try to use your 1st finger on the tenth fret, followed by
your 3rd finger on the bend, and then your 4th finger on the thirteenth fret at the end of the second measure.

Also, just for instructional purposes, by bending 1/2 of a step,
you should make the bend sound like the thirteenth fret on the same
string when in its normal noted position.

Verse

Rhythm Guitar

The rhythm to this song looks more difficult than it really is. All
you have to do is mainly play barre chords. A barre chord is formed
by using your 1st finger to barre all frets from their origin. In this
example, you will be barring the eighth frets on all strings, even
if you don’t play them all. You will use your 3rd and 4th fingers on
the strings that show the same numbers on the frets. You will use your 2nd finger for the other notes being played. There are also a few slides in the riff as well. Remember to try to use the same fingers that you used in their origin when sliding to avoid missing the slide alltogether.

Bass

Riff Resources

Complete Transcription To “Something” (PDF)

Complete Transcription To “Something” (Power Tab)