A Hard Days Night

325_fan · Post by **325_fan** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:45 am

This month's Guitar Player magazine has a little article on how George Harrison and George Martin played the song's solo at 1/2 speed and an octave lower, then mixed it at 2x speed to master. Interesting. I always thought that it was just the 360/12 in the lead, but now as I listen to it more closely I can hear a piano. The writer became suspicious because part of the lead is being played incredibly fast. I've seen George playing the song on stage in videos with his left hand positioned high up the neck. The recorded solo sounds more down the neck.

jt10824 · Post by **jt10824** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:43 am

Geoff Emerick describes this session (including the two Georges doing their solo together) in great detail in his new book.

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:18 am

I just listened to this on the way to work this morning. I always thought it sounded like a guitar and piano together. Never thought about the half speed though.

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:17 am

I had read it too that it was played guitar and piano together at half speed....anyway a good musician shouldn't have any difficulty to play it on guitar/piano, even at the record speed

jt10824 · Post by **jt10824** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:43 am

According to their engineer it was done half speed because George Harrison was unusually nervous that day and couldn't get it right when played at normal speed.

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:08 am

Yep, our keyboard player always doubles the 12-string on that solo.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:17 am

yes, I'd heard the guitar was played half speed years ago.

fatcat · Post by **fatcat** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:46 pm

On the BBC live recording, you can tell that they stitched it in from the album recording, so maybe George fluffed it on that show as well.

lennonon · Post by **lennonon** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:58 pm

He seems to play it great on Hollywood Bowl, Live in Philly, Indianapolis, Shea, etc....

If he needed to record it half speed that day he obviously mastered it pretty quickly. ah that GH...

philhowes · Post by **philhowes** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:45 am

I agree on the BBC record it definitely sounds like they spliced from the solo to the ending from the record.

But what I really am curious about is - if it was recorded at half speed then exactly where or how on the guitar did George play the solo?
Was it tuned down an octave? That wouldn't work would it?

wolfgang · Post by **wolfgang** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:17 am

hello Phil,
I slowed the solo down to half speed on my pc.

I think the solo was played with the guitar tuned in normal pitch, beginning with g on the third fret , 6th string up on the 5th and 4th string. The louder notes are from the octave strings, the normal strings are buried in the piano part.

kog · Post by **kog** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:39 pm

On the BBC recording, I believe the "liner notes" mentioned that they did splice in the middle break, because George Martin couldn't get across town to the radio studio to do the piano part. Or something like that. Anyway, it was pointed out in the CD insert.

philhowes · Post by **philhowes** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:59 am

There's a discussion going on over at the BGC forum on this very topic just the noo....

http://www.beatgearcavern.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13743