Opening Chord..Hard Day's Night

[8mileshigher]

I think its F-add9 in the pictures....

While that previously referenced scientific article concludes is that the frequencies (Hz) of the notes :


a segment of approximately one second was selected in
the middle of the chord. The sound was saved as a
file, and using some Mathematica subroutines from
[2, chapter 14] a Fourier Transform was run on the
list of data. There were 29,375 frequencies present,
which included not only the notes being struck, but
also harmonics, as well as any other frequencies that
might have arisen during the recording.

What George Harrison played on his 12 string
was nothing like any of the transcriptions: he played
A2 A3 D3 D4 G3 G4 C4 C4, most likely on string
sets 2 through 5 – eight strings with six open strings
in total; (for a great chiming effect).

[jps]

-I know how to play a lot of different chords that I really don't knowe the names of, and that's before I get to the ones I make up myself; I I usually just call the chord a "___ something."

You sound like me! I "create" all kinds of chords, usually with open strings and only two or three held down strings, all over the fingerboard.

[Scastles]

-I know how to play a lot of different chords that I really don't knowe the names of, and that's before I get to the ones I make up myself; I I usually just call the chord a "___ something."

You sound like me! I "create" all kinds of chords, usually with open strings and only two or three held down strings, all over the fingerboard.

Nice to know I'm not the only person under this category. I get asked all the time, What chord is that? My general response is, I dunno.

[BuddyDog]

I have been using this...

e 1
B 3
G 0
D 0
A 2
E 3

a G7 with sus(?) and the same chord arpeggiated at the ending.

[BuddyDog]

I have been using this...

e 1
B 3
G 0
D 0
A 2
E 3

a G7 with sus(?) and the same chord arpeggiated at the ending.

Sheesh! the ending is Fadd9 and F arpeggiated.

[paologregorio]

-I know how to play a lot of different chords that I really don't knowe the names of, and that's before I get to the ones I make up myself; I I usually just call the chord a "___ something."

You sound like me! I "create" all kinds of chords, usually with open strings and only two or three held down strings, all over the fingerboard.

Nice to know I'm not the only person under this category. I get asked all the time, What chord is that? My general response is, I dunno.

Yep. If I'm not making up my own variations of chords, I'm playing chaords I've long since forgotten the name of, if I ever bothered to learn what it was beyond the root note; at jams or rehearsals, Vito or Rich will call out the name of a chord, and I'll ask, "what chord is that?" When they show me, my response is usually, "Oh, so that's what that chord's called."

[Peacefrog35]

I do that too. I play by ear and later find out after months of playing something what the chords are actually called.

[kieran campbell]

I use this one,

[vynesmusic]

"Where's that can o' worms picture when we need it?

Anyway, AFAIK, nobody knows the answer definitively. My favorite way to play it is like this:

12-string:
E ---3---
B ---1----
G ---0---
D ---0---
A -------
E -------".....from sloop_john_b

Aye....'tis the question of the AGES......the answer to the riddle of LIFE!.....I like your chord formation, sloop...I shall try it

[FretlessOnly]

I don't have a 12-stringer, but just playing it on my six, it sounds to my ear like Kieran is hitting close. Really close - a C/G7.

[8mileshigher]

Well, I'm guessing that neither a six nor a twelve stringer is going to capture all 29,375 frequencies per-single-second that the University study transcribed..... http://www.mscs.dal.ca/~brown/n-oct04-harddayjib.pdf


But maybe... if we get enough 6 and 12 string Ric guitars and enough 4, 5 and 8 string Ric basses together at the Mini Con and if we all play the several "correct" and different versions of the chord, and if we use enough Chorus pedals and Jangleboxes and Enhancers and Equalizers and other effects, that with all that ringing out that maybe we can come up with several thousand of those sound frequencies ..... or, at least have a good time trying and recording the attempt, to post on You Tube.

[libratune]

Watch both John and George during the "this next number" chatter just before the beginning chord at Shea Stadium '65.
There are quick flashes of their left hands, poised for The Big Chord.

Fadd9:


Fadd9:


This is not Proof that this is what they both played in the studio, but they sure are not playing a barred G7sus4.
It is interesting to note that they are playing the same chord shape...
(You can't see John's pinky in the frame I was able to capture, but it's there on the G note.)

Okay, I have experimented around with all the variations shown above, and jere's the one that works best for me on a Rick 12. The fingering is consistent with the photos of John and George above - especially George. In particular, using the thumb for the low "F" is a pretty common "booster" technique for a non-barred "F" chord. My variation is that the ring finger clamps down on both the A and D strings at the 3rd position. (if your ring finger isn't fat enough, then just lean it up against the A pair to mute them. For more on this, see the RM dvd on how to play a 12-string.)

Give it a try --on a Rick 12-er:

E..3
B..1
G..2
D..3
A..3
E..1

It's a bit of a clamp job, but it works for me.

[morgan]

I believe in the captured frames both George and John have their thumbs at E 2, raising the question of whether they were muting the E and (though not necessarily) the A strings, or just resting the thumb in a nearby position until they played a somewhat awkward chord using the thumb at E 1. Can anyone think of a good reason why they would play a different chord (or chords) in concert from the one (or ones) they played recording the song?

[FretlessOnly]

One reason might be that they recorded the song at a different tempo and/or pitch and had it slowed down or up to the final pitch heard on the recording. Live, they would have played it in whatever key actually corresponded to the final pitch.

That said, I don't think that they were doing this in early '64 - one of the earliest examples of the speed change I know of was the keyboard solo Martin played on "In My Life," and that was mid-'65. I don't think this technique was really used in '64, but I could be wrong.

But, it would be one reason.

[servant]

That said, I don't think that they were doing this in early '64 - one of the earliest examples of the speed change I know of was the keyboard solo Martin played on "In My Life," and that was mid-'65. I don't think this technique was really used in '64, but I could be wrong.

Georges Martin and Harrison played the unison piano/guitar solo AT HALF SPEED, an octave lower than heard. What we hear today is double the speed of what was recorded.