The year 1964 represented a major shift in popular music with the arrival of what historians refer to as the ‘British Invasion.’ Ushered in with the arrival of The Beatles on February 7th, they were soon followed by The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks, The Who, The Dave Clark Five and many others including The Zombies, who are the subjects of this irocku piano lesson, “She’s Not There”.
Written by pianist Rod Argent and released in 1964, the song became one of the 60’s most recognizable hits for several reasons. Moving away from the familiar major-key progressions of the popular music of the time, “She’s Not There” is played in a minor-key. When combined with Argent’s fusion of rock, jazz, and classical piano (in this case a 61 key Hohner Pianet with a very distinctive sound), and the unique vocals of Colin Blunstone you have what is quite simply, a rock masterpiece. To be a masterpiece it is essential that the song has a hook; a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to “catch the ear of the listener.” In this case we have two; the first being the opening bassline riff with it’s syncopated drumbeat and piano accompaniment, and the second being the vocal refrain delivered by Blunstone in a hauntingly dark style that evokes the frailty heard perhaps only in the voice of the great Roy Orbison. The song reached number 2 on the U.S. charts and was released on the Zombies’ debut UK album, Begin Here in December of 1964 and the U.S. version titled, Zombies in 1965.
Ironically, “She’s Not There” did little to wet the appetite of popular radio listeners for future Zombies songs. Their follow-up hit, “Tell Her No” climbed to number 6 on the U.S. charts in 1965, with only one more song, “Time of the Season” from 1967 appearing in the top 100. But by then it was too late, following recording sessions in the fall of 1967, The Zombies broke up, leaving us only two studio albums (the second, Odyssey and Oracle, released in 1968, is now considered a rival to the Beatles and Beach Boys recordings of the same period). Perhaps they were just ahead of their time, but in 1964 they pointed to the future and helped to lay the groundwork for the visionary music of the late 1960’s that included; Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pet Sounds, both considered masterpieces. “She’s Not There” however left its indelible thumbprint on rock music. Rolling Stone Magazine places it number 297 on its list of the top 500 rock songs of all-time. The song, according to Rod Argent, was inspired by John Lee Hooker’s, “No One Told Me”, and covers a familiar refrain on lost love and the anguish that comes with it, even using Hooker’s song title as the opening verse. But delivered here by Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, it has endured as a timeless rock classic still being performed today by Carlos Santana who recorded it in 1977 on his Moonflower album. Argent and Blunstone reunited in 1999 and continue to play live shows off and on to adoring audiences. The Zombies were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 cementing their place as one of the iconic bands in rock history.
Of all the lessons in irocku’s catalogue, “She’s Not There” is perhaps the most representative of unadulterated rock piano. As Argent explains, he approached this musical composition beginning with the bass line; inspired by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys who often expanded a song around the bass line. The bass line in the introduction and verse is a driving straight eighth-note pattern that covers the chord changes and provides a solid foundation for the syncopated melody line which is harmonized using thirds, sixths, and octaves. In the chorus, the bass line shifts to a syncopated pattern played under an equally syncopated melody line making it the holy grail of rock piano performance. The song is written in A minor with some Dorian touches and seamlessly dances between the two minor modes. The dorian mode was explored extensively in the late 1960s by bands such as The Beatles( “Eleanor Rigby”), Jimi Hendrix(“Purple Haze”), Van Morrison (“Moondance”), The Doors(“Light My Fire”), and Santana (“Oye Como Va”). The piano solo uses the A blues scale, one of the most common scales to use when improvising in rock.
Written by Rod Argent
Administered by Warner/Chappell
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission
Learn how to play rock and blues piano from one of rock’s greatest. Chuck Leavell, legendary keyboardist for The Rolling Stones, The Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and more.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic scale and learn the A minor chord. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic scale and learn the A minor, D major, and F major chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic scale and learn the A minor, D major, F major, E major and E minor7 chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic scale and learn the A minor, D major, F major, E major and E minor7 chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic and the A blues scales. Learn the Am, D, F, E, A7 and Em7 chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic and the A blues scales. Learn the Am, D, F, E, A7 and Em7 chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Practice the A minor pentatonic and the A blues scales. Learn the Am, D, F, E, A7 and Em7 chords. Visit our Piano Resource page for the videos and PDFs.First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson. Playing the melody using two note or three note chords can be very difficult so first practice playing the melody using single notes and then add the chords as you progress.
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Master the left hand groove before improvising with your right hand. The Am pentatonic or A blues scales work well for this song. Start with a simple quarter note improvisation and then work your way up to eighth-notes, sixteenths, and syncopated right hand patterns.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
For “She’s Not There” how do I get the music to the bridge?all my music shows is a Dorian. What am I to do with that? Thanks
Jay-Thanks for the question. You would improvise over the left hand groove of the “A” section of the song. For the improv we provided, we use the A blues scale for the improvisation, but D dorian works fine also(same notes as A minor scale) and so does A dorian because of the F# in the left hand groove. Start by learning the improvisation we provided and then play around with the A and D dorian scales to see how they work. You can use the same melodic pattern as our improvisation but using the A or D dorian scales instead of the A blues. Try them all and see what sounds best to your ear. Keep rockin!