"All My Loving"
John Lennon’s rhythm guitar on “All My Loving” establishes the song’s essential rhythmic framework with a steady, triplet-driven pattern that is central to its groove. This style closely echoes the rhythmic approach of the Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron,” a hallmark of the early 1960s girl group sound that deeply influenced the Beatles’ evolving style. Meanwhile, George Harrison’s lead guitar provides more melodic and textural content, weaving fills and solos that complement the rhythmic foundation. Since his contributions focus on melodic development rather than rhythmic structure, they will not be analyzed in detail here. Instead, this discussion centers on John’s rhythm guitar role, which is pivotal in defining the song’s characteristic groove and feel.
A triplet is a way of dividing a single beat into three equal parts, instead of the more common division into two or four parts. To count eighth-note triplets, you can think of fitting three evenly spaced notes into the space usually occupied by two. One common counting method is to say “tri-ple-let” where each syllable represents one note of the triplet.
However, the rhythm isn’t played with perfectly equal spacing. It’s performed with a swing feel, which means the timing of the triplet notes is altered so that the first note is held longer, and the remaining notes are shortened and slightly delayed. To feel this, you might imagine the triplet as a “long–short” pattern, often counted as “DAH-da, DAH-da, DAH-da, DAH-da,” where the capitalized “DAH” is the longer note and “da” is shorter. This uneven spacing creates a groove that feels relaxed and natural rather than mechanical or stiff.
Swing rhythm is common in jazz, blues, and early rock and roll, and it helps to give “All My Loving” its buoyant and elastic character. The combination of steady triplets with this subtle rhythmic lilt allows the music to breathe and move dynamically, providing a driving pulse that feels both tight and loose at the same time.
Throughout the song’s verses, Lennon’s guitar consistently plays these swung eighth-note triplets, strumming the chords in a manner that anchors the rhythm section and propels the song forward. During the chorus or C section, the guitar switches to sharp, percussive stab chords placed emphatically on beats 2 and 4. These stabs reinforce the backbeat, aligning with the snare drum hits and accentuating the song’s structural and dynamic shift.
*The key to strumming these triplets is to keep your wrist and the grip on your pick very loose. If you tighten up, there will be too much pick to strung resistance to get the correct “galloping” sound.