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In learning "The End" it am finding it difficult to identify the first heavily distorted chord (played repeatedly by Lennon beginning at 1:02 into the track). It occurs just after the initial guitar solos supposedly by Paul and George.

Hey Peter, I was listening to Abbey Road on my way to work, and in particular the guitar solos in The End! I wonder if it's transcribed in the Beatles Scores book. I'd look but I don't have it here with me.

Those solos are great. Paul's is very Paul, but John's is just amazing. I was wondering how he did that myself! By the way, does anyone else think George's solos sound very 'in the style of' Eric Clapton?

Ethan: Thanks for your post. This recording is thought by some, and I am inclined to agree, as a tutorial on the tonality of the Epiphone Casino.

I see your point with regard to the Claptonian style, however, the lead work stemming from chords is stylistically more in keeping with Harrison and not Clapton. The Paul riffs are in the fifth fret region and I feel classic Paul. Lennon makes the best of his parts through great chording. The Complete Beatle scores is not helpful for this chord and I suspect they were faced with the same difficulty anyone has who attempts to transcribe this.

I think that this is more show than go, however, on Lennon's part. The distortion seems to hide the chord being played as it is the most distortion of any of his efforts, I think.

I've tried myself to figure out what they played in that distorted bit and I haven't a clue.
But as a side note, incase you didn't know, George is using his Les Paul. But yeah, Paul and John are both on Casino's.

If you figure something out for that part I'd like to know how you play it.

Ironicly In my opinion So Much ado Is Made about George & John's Guitar Playing & Not To Take anything away for either May They both RIP But for my Money Paul has done a ton of The Most Interesting Guitar Parts in The whole Beatles Catalog The Solos In Taxman & Another Girl, as well as The Opening Guitar Riff In Ticket To ride, Just to Name a few, I Love The fluid Yet Bottomy sound of Paul's solo During The Trade Off solos "The End" I Only Hope someday Paul Will get some of The props John Has Gotten since he died because it seems paul kinda get dumped on By Most Beatles Fans. Paul was the Artsy Bewatle long Before JohnShacked up with Yoko & Most Beatle Heads will Tell You That John had Scoffed Pauls artsy Avantgard Side by stating It was "FRENCH FOR BULL *****" I Know this is kind of off topic but Johnwas always covering up his musical shortcommings with Distortion & The Such. Thats Just My View Thanks for letting Me state the obvious

Agreed: Paul McCartney has added many interesting and inventive guitar riffs that contributed substantially to the Beatles' sound. By the way, he played lead on bass too!

Second the motion. Mac, particularly in the Brit press, gets a lot of flack. His Beatle work was every bit as innovative as John's. I suspect sometimes he was the catalyst for innovation. It's ying and yang. And who knows in what ways they contributed to each other's brilliance? One might listen to a Lennon song and like a part in it that Mac had suggested, or vice versa. In my mind, there never has been a question of who was better, the answer doesn't exist.

Jerry: The Beatles were better, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

Right as always, Peter

Sorry about being late on this thread, but what's the order of solos on The End?

Most will tell you the order is Paul, George and John. I think the part you're looking at John plays a G on the 4th string and a B on the 3rd. I worked on those solos last year, and John's were the oddest- way out in left field for the last pass! Paul has a nice staccatto attack and George's are smooth with some great bends.

Lennon's favourite chord was D7#9, heard in You can't do that, The Word, Taxman.
In this case it looks like A7#9?
But I'm not too sure about...

probably more A 7 9 here?

Wolfgang: I believe you are on the right track but I hear more of a fifth power chord which was also a Lennon favourite. I first decided on the following two chords. Played under heavy distortion, the rhythm alternates between the Am7/G and the hammer on of C and G notes on the 1st and 2nd strings, respectively forming what I believe is technically a C5/G.

Am7/G C5/G
--5----8--
--5----8--
--5----5--
--5----5--
--X----X--
--X----X--

Still not right, I have eventually settled on these for now, sliding back and forth between the two, three beats of the first followed by one beat for the second and then sliding back to the first for the repeat.


1st......2nd
Bb5/F...A5/G

---X-----X--
---X-----X--
--17----15--
--17----15--
--15----13--
--15----13--

I don't know how they were getting distortion on The End, but iirc, the distortion on Revolution 1 is Lennon's Casino into the board. I hear a lot of intermodulation distortion on that. If you do the math on that kind of thing, it gets ugly(dissonant). Questions like major vs. minor can be nearly impossible to unravel once there's more than one note being played. An approximation may be good enough