George Harrison claimed he loved his guitar more than the rest of The Beatles. However, that didn’t make him more musical. Later, George claimed he didn’t practice his instrument enough.
George Harrison said he loved his guitar more than the other Beatles
The lead guitarist interviewed himself in a November 1964 issue of The Beatles Book Monthly (per Beatles Interviews). George asked the questions he thought reporters missed, including if he thought he was the most musical out of The Beatles.
George replied that it depended. He said some people claimed he was because he admitted liking Segovia’s guitar playing, “and they think that’s all very highbrow and musical.”
George believed he loved his guitar more than the others loved theirs. For John Lennon and Paul McCartney, songwriting was essential. Guitar playing was “a means to an end” and only helped them write and play their songs.
George explained, “While they’re making up new tunes I can thoroughly enjoy myself just doodling around with a guitar for a whole evening. I’m fascinated by new sounds I can get from different instruments I try out.”
George wasn’t sure if that made him more musical than his fellow Beatles. “Just call me a guitar fanatic instead, and I’ll be satisfied,” he said.
Later, George confessed that he didn’t practice guitar as much as he should’ve
George confessed many times that he didn’t practice guitar as much as he should’ve.
In 1989, George told Mark Rowland (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters), “I’m not trying to be the best guitar player. I don’t really care about it.”
George wasn’t alone. He claimed Ringo Starr was the same way with his instrument. Ringo played the drums like George played the guitar; they didn’t practice much, but once they needed to play, they got it right every time.
George said that people called him a guitar player, and in a way, he was, but he went years and years without picking up the instrument except to make an album. During a 1987 interview, George said he knew he could be good guitar player if he only practiced more.
Sometimes Paul McCartney forgets to play his guitar too. In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he wrote “Confidante” after realizing he hadn’t played his guitar in a while. He felt “quite guilty in a minor way.”
George stopped playing the instrument in the late 1970s because it became a chore
In the late 1960s, George stopped playing the sitar because he felt it damaged his guitar skills. That’s why he embraced slide. He thought it would give him a fresh feel for the instrument.
Then, by the late 1970s, George stopped playing guitar because it had become a chore. He told Rolling Stone, “All of 1977 I never picked up a guitar, never even thought about it. And I didn’t miss it.” The music business had zapped all the fun out of making music for George so he pursued other things.
George always had a complicated relationship with his guitar. He claimed he couldn’t replicate the things his friend Eric Clapton did on the instrument, but guitarists like Queen’s Brian May claimed he was underrated in the guitar community.
The bottom line is that George used the guitar to connect with God. There was no other reason for playing. George wasn’t going to play the guitar if people demanded him.
