"A Hard Day's Night" Mystery Chord.
OK, girls and boys, more Mop Tops (a toughie this morning!): As an aspiring guitarist in the early 60s, one of the greatest mysteries was the opening chord to "A Hard Day's Night". My friends and I would pull our hair (yes, I DID have plenty of hair in those days!) trying to figure it out. Name the chord.
Answer: When the song was broken down into its original separate studio tracks, it was revealed that each band member, as well as producer Sir George Martin, had played their own part. Whether this was a brilliant screw-up or intended will forever remain a mystery. The chord was a complex layering of several instruments.
George: Played a Fadd9 chord on his Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string electric.
John: Played a Dsus4 chord on his Gibson J-160E 6-string acoustic.
Paul: Played a low D on his Höfner violin bass.
Sir George Martin added the piano by playing a Dsus4 chord (D-G-C) in the middle register.
Ringo: Hit the snare drum and cymbal simultaneously.
George considered the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night" to be G7sus4, defining it as a Fadd9 with the top G on top.
So, there you have it - no wonder I don't have any hair left!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2TFk0vh1I&list=RDzx2TFk0vh1I&start_radio=1
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