Yellow – Coldplay (Analysis)

Music Lesson: Playing "Yellow" by Coldplay

Okay, let's check out "Yellow" by Coldplay, featuring the great Will Champion on drums. This is another slow tempo tune.

Important Guidelines

• Preempt the Count:
  Feel the eighth note count before you come in.
  Listen to the backing track.
  Listen to the click.
  Practice both with and without the click.
  Get a sense of those continuous eighth notes:
  2 and 3 and 4 , and then you're in with those eighth notes.

Dynamics and Techniques

Now, because we're at a debut level, it's not essential to get that big heavy sound.
It's not necessary to play rim shots or heavy hi-hats the way that Will would play it live or on the record.

I would play this track with:

• Rim shots
• A slightly heavier hi-hat feel than some other debut tracks
• A slight dynamic on the downbeat.

Demonstration

I'm going to play a few bars of the introduction as written, just the parts, and then how I would play the track with a heavier dynamic. It's not essential that you use that heavy dynamic right now; it's just something to consider for the future as you work through the grades.

Practice Tips

• Always listen to the backing track.
• Check out the walkthrough included with your Rock School package.
• Very important: watch the videos and performances to get a good feel for the piece.

Let's just try that out. Now, I'm going to count this in, and I'll play:

• Not so dynamically, but perfectly acceptable.
• Then I'll play slightly more dynamically, as if I were on a gig.

Predominant Feel

Now, that's the predominant feel throughout the piece. You can see variations in the bass drum in the different sections.

Practice Each Section

You can read that and practice each section separately as many times as you need to. Just be aware of this:

• When you listen to the backing track, you'll hear the bass locking in with the bass guitar and the rhythmic movement of the track.
• The bass drum parts change while the hi-hat part remains steady throughout, with snares on 2 and 4.

Sound Variation

Now, I'm going to play those few bars with more of a dynamic that I might use if I were playing with Coldplay in a big stadium gig.

It's the same part, just with a different sound. Remember, it's not essential to use those techniques right now; just something to keep in mind as you progress. If you feel comfortable with those techniques, it's perfectly fine to incorporate them!

Summary

• Good steady time.
• Eighth note feel throughout.

Final Tips

When we reach the very end of the tune, just feel those eighth notes as it transitions back to quarter notes:
Tat tat, tat tat, boom.
Feel those eighth notes as you play those quarter notes in the last three bars.

Have fun with "Yellow". It's a great track!
Think about the dynamics, check out the backing track, and review the walkthrough.

I'll see you next time!