Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Bob, after the a capella intro Paul lifted the mood of the song to a friendly major, playing in A (a,d#,f#,c#, a,d#,f#,c# ending with e).

How could he have played the first chord of it? The way Ive seen him do it, he couldnt have formed an E in time.....but maybe in wrong

Well, I haven't looked at all the footage and I certainly don't know what they did in the studio.

But live, the Esus4 is formed by holding the E chord but also using the pinky to fret the A note on the third string. The lead follows nicely from this chord by simply removing the pinky to begin the lead riff with the index finger on the Ab note on the first fret of the third string.

I am not claiming that they did this, but the sound is real close to the recording.

Surgically analyzed and very well-written, Peter!

Thanks Paul, but whether there is any truth to the matter remains to be seen.

Peter,
I tend to hear the easyer E7 then sus4, but sounding best played on the 7th fret (B on the 6th string, 2nd finger, and so on , pinky plays B
on the 3rd string, leaving the 1st and 2nd string open. Then the pinky starts the riff on the 4th string 7th fret.
But this is not the way George played it live on the mentioned DVD!
By the way, it's half of 'Born on the Bayou'

Good points Wolfgang.

I tried your variation and when I played along with the recording it doesn't yet seem quite right to me. I still hear the suspended note in that chord Wolfgang. I will listen to it again trying all variations I can think of.

Just in passing, a variant that you might like to try is playing the first chord (Esus4) on the seventh fret. Fretting on the A D and G strings at the 7th fret with the index, second and ring fingers and strumming through this chord near the bridge pickup letting the B and E strings ring will give you something very close to the recording.

To finish with the riff the run down can be achieved by playing 7th and 6th frets on the D, 7th on the A and then 7th on the low E.

Give this a try and tell me what you think.

Peter, I'm not yet covinced...

is the A note part of the chord or not?
(John and George playing, not me)nowhere
New.mp3 (13.6 k)

Wolfgang: After listening to this chord again, I cannot hear an A in it.

What I do hear is a variant of the E7th chord played in the first position. Predominantly I hear the notes E B and D of the E7th without a clear emphasis on the G# which of course completes the E7th.

The chord position is the one used in I Saw Her Standing There, but of course the G# is most evident on that song.

I consider the chord for Nowhere Man is played by using the D G and B strings fretting on the 2nd, 4th and 3rd frets respectively. Do you hear the G# on the 1st string played at the 4th fret on this chord or only the partial as I am thinking.I do not get the sense after trying the chord on the 7th fret that it is the right one.

Thanks for your continued dialogue in this matter as I think it has made for a more accurate assessment of this introductory chord just before the intro Harrison riff. It is quite easy to move to the intro riff from this chord, although, it may have just been punched in at the studio.

I find this very interesting. I'd love to see your complete tab, Peter. This thread alone has shed some new light for me on playing NM, from top to bottom.

Peter ,
I do not hear a G# on the 1st string and no D on the 2nd string.

Wolfgang: I have tormented myself further and I am now, after this discussion a bit closer.

I think it is what I would call D6/9 and played by barring on the second fret with the index finger and then with the 3rd finger on the G string at the 4th fret and the second finger on the B string at the 3rd fret. Add a significant dose of compression and treble boost and playing straight through the chord in a single beat I think it is close. Easy to slide down to the riff as well from this chord as well.

Please let me know what you think. I think it fits in with the recording.

that beats me!

You know, oatmeal builds strong bodies in 7 ways. Count 'em. It's also good with a little honey. I had mine this morning. Okay, I'm finished. Please continue beating NOWHERE MAN to a bloody pulp.

Steve, here's a smiley for you:
"By virtue of its highly directional preparation of V (ascending in the bass at C from G# through A to B, as the uppervoice decorates the primary tone with its complete upper neighbor, c#2), the bridge corroborates the listener's comprehension that the Nowhere Man is proceeding in a clear, successful direction, but he is the only one unaware of his ability to do so. "
The Beatles as musicians, Walter Everett New York 2001