BEATLES Secret Chord: Playing A 24 Note Chord On 1 Guitar?

[@richo8767]

Beatles guitar master Mike Pachelli came up with that same exact method of playing the F add 9 with the E and A strings tuned down to achieve the notes in the opening chord with one guitar.

[@jamesmilton8765]

Some of Mike's own songs have a distinct Beatles flavour.

[@lennon1252]

Zapdunga did it before Mike Pachelli kzbin.info__quJ3WU2GA?feature=shared

[@kenbash2951]

The best article was in Guitar Player Magazine in the 90's. The guy used a spectrum analyzer to define every note played. He had John playing lone C note on the high E string at the 8th fret. Can't remember the other bits but he was spot on- nailed it using spectrum analyzer for each note played. George says it was an F chord with a G on top E string.

[@catchall673]

Since the tracks that were analyzed have all kinds of effects (EQ, compression, limiting, etc) you can't rely on the results of a spectrum analyzer. Even with pristine tracks harmonics will make interpreting the results challenging at best.

[@kenbash2951]

@@catchall673 Agree to disagree.

[@ramoncranert8177]

This video alone suffices as proof for why Sir George Martin must be considered "The Fifth Beatle." I think there's been numerous contenders for that title. 😜🎸🎹

[@amyh9512]

I'd argue Martin was the fourth Beatle. Ringo hanging onto 5th spot Don't get me wrong., I love that ringo is their drummer. He's a good fifth Beatle

[@vanguard9067]

And the real genius behind the sound of the Beatles. Without him they would not have sounded so revolutionary.

[@ramoncranert8177]

@@amyh9512 Duly noted.

[@potterwalker4823]

@@amyh9512that’s ridiculous

[@fromchomleystreet]

I don’t for a moment diminish the enormous contribution made by Martin, and I think he is more than deserving of the epithet “the fifth Beatle” - certainly more so than any other contender. But I don’t think the fact that he played four simultaneous notes on a piano is a great example. There is nothing particularly transformative about the notes he’s playing here. Despite what James implies here, Martin isn’t contributing any notes that aren’t already present in what the guitars and bass are playing. A Gsus4 chord is already present in the combination of Harrison/Lennon’s Fadd9 chord and MacCartney’s D note.

[@owendowler7631]

Very off topic but I love your channel man, you got me really into Oasis when I needed it, I already loved a few songs like Live Forever and Don’t Look Back In Anger, but your deep dive videos really pushed me to listen to their albums in full, so thank you for that, cheers from Canada!

[@matcoffidis1135]

That is the deepest dive I've ever seen. You even credited those who came b4 you. Well done! I love how jarring it is that opening chord. It grabs your attention. Also love George's solo and Paul's solo part thar he sang. They were pioneers. And George Martin was their secret sauce...✌️

[@kennethschweighardt4920]

I believe this was resolved properly by one of the guitarists in Bachman Turner Overdrive. One guitar played an F9 off the first fret, pinky on the 'G' note on the 'E' string. The second guitar played a D sus4 normal position, and the Bass played a 'D' note.

[@karlshuler1011]

I'm just learning to play, starting to figure out chords and the names of them. I have lung cancer so I needed something to do sitting at home. But just noodling around I have played that chord loved the sound of it but had no clue until now what it is. Thanks for this.

[@bungditdin8019]

What a legend, I’ll be using that chord you’ve worked out over the Christmas period 👌

[@robertcowart1]

Randy Bachman of BTO and the Guess Who stopped a concert to tell the story of how Giles Martin gave him a tour of Abbey Road studios. At the tape machine Giles asked him "what would you like to hear?" Randy said "the opening chord to AHDN". Randy took note of what he heard and later gave his band members each chord to play on their instrument. And it was "the chord!"

[@pauldenniss5230]

Should we just ask Paul McCartney?

[@davidtyler2012]

Yes...i stumbled on a video a long time ago where Bachman talked about it. It was where i came up with my method of getting THE chord. I've done it that way ever since.

[@brawdygordii]

​@@pauldenniss5230 I can hear Macca's Liverpudlian answer in my head already..." I don't know what the others played...I just played a D"

[@rlpd5218]

Just saw Randy and BTO couple weeks ago Randy is one of the kings of music, 1 of the best guitarists ever

[@rlpd5218]

What about The Moody Blues album "In Search of the Lost Chord? Could that be what they were talking about? who knows... Never mind, I just Google it, it's not about The Beatles song

[@skywardpictures]

This is a great video, and it's also because you are a distinctive presenter with a nice delivery....! Nice job, I never watch these videos all the way through but stayed with it..😊

[@vituvbracha6009]

Nice one, James. Two honorable mentions using a variation of this chord as an opening - Made in England by Elton John and One I Love by Coldplay.

[@kimchi_b]

I knew Coldplay had used it and was thinking of Don't Panic, but One I Love is a great spot!

[@5400bowen]

Yeah, you got that sound so close, nice work! I’ve been struggling with it for 40 years. An F add 4/add 9 is as close as you can get unless you have another guitarist or two guitars and drop the first one immediately and pick up another in standard tune to play the rest of the song.

[@andyskinnermusic917]

excellent stuff. i love the deep dives into such specific things. keep it up sir!

[@comicsrcool5483]

What a genius you are! That was the best example of deconstruction of that chord I have ever seen in my life. The bigger question is this though. Once you do that retune of the top two strings....can you play the rest of the song in that tuning?!?! Its either that or a LOT of Beatles cover bands are going to hire a third guitar player just to play that note.... ;) The one other secret sauce with this is of course the fact that John and George played this on electric guitars. The shimmery nature of the Rickennbacker 12 and Johns Rickenbacker 325 takes a LOT of the darkness out of it also.

[@Lukronius]

Did you watch the entire video? James clearly shows how the entire song can be played with the entire guitar tuned down a whole step, not just the lowest two strings.

[@Al-kc2vm]

Like i mention above you don't have to de-tune all six strings if you just resolve to play exactly what James proposes ... just that this version will be in a two note higher key - A

[@davidtyler2012]

i just do an F add9 and, since i have a Hipshot Drop D Tuner, i drop my E down to D (ignoring the low G) and then kick it back up after the opening chord. If i tuned the A down to G, then I'd have to waste time tuning back up before i go on to my next song. i Greatly appreciate what you're showing here and i think your one guitar version is perfect.

[@larrymiller4]

It only took sixty years to unravel the mystery of rock's most significant chord. Brilliant in it's simplicity. Well done.

[@Mr.H0LLYW00D]

It's been known for years. I learned thid info from being in Beatles chats and forums in the 90s

[@gerrysfaves7071]

Great vid, thx posting! You have a lot of comments, so maybe someone said this already: how about, don’t detune the guitar but play it thru a Digitech or other pedal. Use the pedal to lower the pitch a whole step for the opening chord while playing the John and George chord up 2 frets. Then bring the pitch back to normal with the pedal and play the rest of the song normally. What do you think?

[@DancingCurrently]

BEAUTIFUL!!!! Absolutely brilliant!! Thank you for your utter obsession with music. You are using your super powers for good by making these videos.

[@TorqueTime]

In standard tuning, I feel this sounds quite close: E - 3rd fret A - Open D - Open G - Open B - 1st fret e - 3rd fret (some may disagree)

[@scatteredfrog]

BTW, to throw another bit of complicatedness to it...Rickenbacker 12-strings are strung in reversed pairs. Most 12-strings have the higher octave string first, then the main string. When you strum down, the higher notes will resound first. But on a Rick, the main string happens first, then the octave string, emphasizing the main strings. Doesn't really have any effect I don't think on the overall notes, but still...it affects the sound in the end.

[@CraigABuchanan]

Top video mate! Your breakdowns are on point! Can’t wait to get your vinyl… not sure where it is yet

[@beatxt]

I trust all the current Beatles activity (with Now & Then and Red/Blue) is bringing some good additional viewing figures to your excellent recent series of Beatles-related videos. I settled on G7sus4/A (553533 standard tuning) as my preferred one guitar opening chord years ago after seeing the various options in print, followed by a 'Beatles G' (320033), Cadd9 (032033), F etc... Oh and see also Mike Pachelli for his work on Hard Day's Night and other songs too.

[@KeithChesterton]

My solo solution too - sounds especially good on a 12 string.

[@froloffanton]

For me the mystery of the chord is in it’s function. Is it a mixolydian v (basically a fancy Dm7), or a mixolydian subtonic Fadd9 or a G7sus4 all waiting to resolve into G? I think it’s actually a mixolydian polychord with all three ways to hear it trying to resolve into G.

[@johnnyfilippone]

This is a great comment, you answer the question no one is asking - Why did they play this chord?

[@LazyCat010]

​@@johnnyfilipponeI think the obvious answer is "by ear."

[@allancerf9038]

James Hargreaves Guitar - appreciate this superlative effort and the importance of relative volume dynamics. That said, George Martin says that a grand, memorable opening chord was needed for the opening song to the first film. He says that John strummed one chord after another, comically saying 'no,' 'no,' 'no,' 'no,' and then strummed the right one, that was the essential 'magic.' This implies to me that an incomplete form of the chord was a work in progress with Lennon's chord (whatever in fact that really was) was the transformational part. ** If you listen to AHDN opening chord on the Beatles live, Paris, France performance from 1965 on youtube, the chord is quite recognizable to the ear. True, concert goers would have been conditioned by the film and song to expect to hear the right chord - but it sounds convincing to my ears, LOL. Whatever George Martin did in post was important. Relying on Mr. Martin's own words, I'd give the essential credit for the sound of the chord to John.

[@liangabrielantipalavillegas]

Thanks James for the vid as always! You’ve inspired me to finally started a youtube channel (known as Music Dude). recreating a hard day’s night is definitely gonna be a fun video to make

[@rickstillsent]

Yes this is a spot on analysis! You’ve really gone to a lot of trouble to explain this, and I don’t disagree with your reasoning. Personally though, having known this opening chord from when it was first released ( when I was barely a teenager, and already had a sound knowledge of music theory), I always heard it as a D based chord…. My interpretation of its name would be a D minor 11th, since working from low to high, it’s D (=root), G (=sus 4… I will come back to that in a minute), F (=minor 3rd), A(= 5th), C (= minor 7th), G . As there’s a sus 4 AND a minor 7th, I believe that constitutes an “11th”. So, as I said, I call it Dm11. That’s my opinion, but I accept that others have a different view. Two further points…if I heard you correctly, you mentioned the F note as the dominant 7th of G. Surely, the dominant 7th note would be F#? An F natural would be the minor 7th. One more reason for me to think the chord is a D orientated one, is that D is the Dominant 5th note of the key of G, which the song is in, so the initial D chord followed by the opening chord of G in the verse forms a perfect cadence.

[@jaywinters5506]

There’s a great exploration of this in Dominic Pedler’s book “The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles” the relevant chapter is Chapter 13 “The ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ Chord - Rock’s Holy Grail” he gets a slightly different chord than you for one guitar but there are so many ways to play it due to it needing a full band to get the ‘correct’ chord.

[@BeatlesGirlKaren]

This chord is my text alert sound - Great information, James!

[@leokimvideo]

That was DEEP

[@brennanphillips6543]

I see you almost everywhere?

[@SquiddySquid-z9m]

Incredible! Mystery solved! What a fab jam that was! Well done!

[@jasperak7076]

Wow, that was a brilliant analysis and reconstruction.

[@MankyFrilla]

I recently bought a CD mixed by George & Giles Martin, they basically let you hear all the bits and bobs, vocal chops, backwards jargon and as you say 'so the component parts.. Its blinding.. And it saved me from splitting the stems. I think you would love these mixes..

[@jaydenwhitlen1489]

What is this cd

[@johnburbank9125]

Brilliant my friend !!!! Fascinating breakdown and explanation…. Keep the good work coming (;

[@Larrymh07]

I'm slow! Watching this excellent video made me realize that The Beatles were experimenting in the studio long before Revolver & Sgt. Pepper.

[@jerrylev59]

I might just cheat and play a G7sus4/D at the 10th fret, because I'm lazy and don't care as much, sorry. But thanks for the thorough breakdown and thoughtful solution, James. I assume you'll be performing this at your upcoming gig, have a great show!

[@johncostigan6160]

Clear theory and careful execution. Good job!

[@c-57d55]

Great work! Wonderful video analysis!! Thanks you!

[@vincerusso5619]

This was most informative and entertaining video I have watched in a very long time. I am now a subscriber 👍🏻

[@GraemeSPa]

Melodyne has a feature where you can examine every note of a chord in detail. I play a facsimile of this chord in my band by playing it one octave up and using a Digitech Drop pedal to create original plus one octave down. It is not perfect, but Joe Public is not sitting there with a laptop and analysis software. If you have a Variax you can use Workbench to retune the strings on the 12 string Rickie setting just for the opening chord, then flip back to straight 12 string for the song.

[@BirdMode]

I play (low e to high e) 1-0-0-0-1-3 It gives all the right notes, keeps the high G, and gives a nice resolution from the F Bass note to the G when you move to the verse, which my ear picks out as being quite important in the real thing.

[@LightningDogg]

By George I think he's got it! Possibly the deepest dive into one chord on the inter web. Well done.

[@philipbrackpool-bk1bm]

George played it live in the Beatles at the beeb and he said that’s exactly what he was playing.

[@mogmason6920]

Rick’s version is the most popular version, that’s how I’ve always played it. I learned AHDN from a tab in an issue of Total Guitar Magazine back in the day and that was how it was written in that.

[@ifyousaiditisPT109]

James I think you just earned yourself an honorary masters degree in Beatles Studies from Liverpool University! Brilliant! ✌😉

[@tiemanspace7679]

24 tones of temperament and Ringo's drum tones. A beautiful sound.

[@mitchellfuentes03]

Brilliant James super cool! You have my favorite KZbin channel ever!!! Thank you for that!

[@topologyrob]

The most persuasive transcription is by maths professor Dr Jason Brown. Brown, J.I. 2005, A Hard Day's Mystery, Guitar Player (January 2005), 34. Future Publishing Ltd, New York. Basically a fourth stack with some octave doublings/transpositions.

[@mikaelschulin4315]

Awesome dissection! The outro arpeggio chord is almost as impressive.

[@Rscanlon322]

Brilliant video James! Very reminiscent of the Don’t look back in anger mystery chord video

[@supermecis]

As long as I know (and heard myself) there is an interview with George Harrison explaining it for guitar, and another by George Martin explaining even the piano and bass note.

[@tombillotto6335]

Excellent work and explanation, James.

[@charleswilliams4059]

Absolutely spot on analysis.Superb

[@MrXyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

If you're happy to modulate the whole song one tone higher there is no need to detune the guitar, just play what is played here in standard tuning.

[@eastontanner6919]

It is very close, but as a bassist, I, along with others that I've seen, actually play Paul's D note an octave up, so a D3, I don't know if that's what Paul played on the original recording, but that's what I play and it gets it to sound pretty close

[@drbassface]

Randy Bachman figured it out well at Abbey Road with Giles Martin. I like the tuning down of the A and E String. Playing the entire song down a whole step works, but not the same as a G chord with the B string playing the 3rd fret D… and maintaining the constant E string G for all three chords…G/C/ and F chords.

[@lastgreathand-drawnproduct3843]

This came up automatically after another video and I immediately blurted out "NICE, the guy from the Oasis videos!"

[@bearkt]

Dm7add11 or G9sus4 could be more correct in theory, as the B is missing. But in practice, as you normally wouldn't play the 3rd of a major11 chord (as it clashes with the 11 ), normal practise would be to call it a G11. For me it would be a D chord though. I tend to think slash chords are practical simplifications of writing a lot of numbers in your chord notations (except if the bass note is already in the chord, giving it a function in arranging a sequence of chords where the bass is a part of a coherent line, wich is not the case here). Here, though, we clearly have a Dm7, even with a D in the bass, just with one added note, the 11, creating a stacked 4th harmony that sounds great (D-G-C notes). That's my take anyway!

[@fromchomleystreet]

Technically, this chord considered in isolation is a Dm7add11, a G9sus4, or an F6add9. But I think it clearly functions here as some sort of D chord, because it functions as the dominant - it sets up a tension that will be resolved by the arrival of the tonic on the word “Hard”. It basically stands in for what, if written by a less imaginative writer, would have been a D7. I think this is why McCarney chooses the D for the bass. So I think we perceive it not as a kind of G chord, nor as a D minor chord, but as a particularly bluesy D7sus4 - with an implied but absent Major third (which would have been an F#), and the minor third that is present (the F natural) acting as a “minor against major” blue note.

[@allanmcdonald4952]

The octave strings on Rickenbacker 12's are reverse sequenced from other 12 strings with the high octave below the low octave on Ricks as opposed to the opposite / more traditional way of the high octave above.

[@BeatlesCentricUniverse]

17:37 Sounds EXACTLY right to my ears!

[@adrianuhr6715]

Respect! Deep and clear! Thanks a lot!

[@itsjustmeMike527]

1(3rd fret), 2(1st fret), 3(open), 4(open), 5(open), 6(1st fret), in standard tuning. Sounds best on a 12 string, passable on a 6.

[@pasi8800]

That was insanely interesting! Thank you.

[@stealthracer]

If tuning down a full tone, I would play the intro chord as you demonstrated, then quickly put a capo on the second fret for the rest of the song.

[@giovanniraffaeli3109]

Great job James!

[@scottbrower9052]

Most excellent. Now do the closing chord on "A Day In The Life."

[@dreammachine2013]

Excellent presentation🎉

[@vayabroder729]

There is a video done by Randy Bachman from The Guess Who and BTO that explains it beautifully in real time.

[@REPS-kb7up]

Thanks, will give that a try.

[@fromchomleystreet]

It can’t be a G11, because that would imply the presence of the major third, which in this case would be a B natural, which nobody is playing. You mean G9sus4. In context, it makes less sense to think of this chord as a type of G chord, F chord, or even D minor chord - each of which it technically is, taken in isolation - than to think of it in terms of the function it’s playing, which is dominant function.This is, I think, why we don’t perceive as minor a chord entirely comprised of the D minor pentatonic scale with D as the root, as would seem more intuitive - because the function calls for a “majorish” one. We perceive it not as a D MINOR but as a particularly bluesy D7sus4 (with the minor third - the F - functioning as a blue note which provides a minor-against-major bluesy dissonance against the absent but implied major third)

[@codetech5598]

It is a kind of Dm7 because it resolves to G major.

[@fromchomleystreet]

@@codetech5598 It’s technically a Dm7(add 11), analysed in isolation. My point is that I don’t perceive it to have a minor tonality in context, and I think it’s because the context in which I hear it (because I’m familiar with the song) is as the set-up to the subsequent tonic G Chord that I am already anticipating. That gives the chord dominant function, which classically calls for a major third in that chord (an F#) to resolve up to the tonic G note. In other words, it’s standing in for a D major, not a D minor. I think that expectation makes us perceive it more as D7sus4 (with an implication of that major third, as the note that the suspended 4 would resolve down to if we hypothetically stayed on that chord long enough) while the F natural, rather than acting as the minor third of a minor triad, acts as a blue note - a minor third adding dissonant “rub” against the (absent in this case, but implied by context) major third of a major chord.

[@ceriasophis405]

Good for you..I wonder what note Ringo was playing on his drum strike..we often don't even think about notes associated with drumming.

[@patrickderp1044]

first beatles song i learned was because of that chord

[@royswan]

Brilliant! Did George & John use this whole step down tuning? Thanks for sharing this.

[@leonardhevia5452]

No--John and George did not detune a whole step down. They played their guitars in standard concert pitch.

[@marklowther3228]

Brilliant! You, sir, rock!

[@martynanstis1620]

Interesting analysis, thanks!

[@golivaguitar]

This was amazing!

[@7snap]

I always thought this might be a happy accident that occurred when one of the guitars got bumped out of tune, and they thought it sounded better that way. Didn't the Kinks once mimic the chord intro on a recording? Thanks for the great videos.

[@canalchinto1625]

Lovely Work man❤️‍🔥

[@alexneill8338]

Great analysis, the importance of dynamics and mixing is something most other people ignore. Many other KZbinrs just hone in on what notes are played, conclusively give the chord a name and then call it a day. Thank you for taking it to the next level!

[@glennsvoboda6602]

Now you know why we played the stones, Hendrix! Beatles for the most part was complex in many ways

[@moogdome2562]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@paullemon6542]

That was totally awesome

[@angelthman1659]

Listened to Chris Buck's recreation and the original on stereo speakers. There's a mid-range F in Buck's version that I don't hear in the original.

[@bradleyfox970]

Brilliant video

[@embreesmith7613]

Fantastic !! 🙂

[@sunking2001]

WOW!! The technical science involved! Very interesting...only the Beatles could be involved here. Of course, if you had a double neck guitar like the Gibson Jimmy Page plays you would be able to easily solve the problem instead of de-tuning all six strings on one guitar. Have the 12 string neck tuned one way and the other neck tuned another.

[@philipmcandrew]

bravo! great job and very informative and interesting video

[@MLFranklin]

While sitting in an intermediate guitar class, the teacher gave us a chord to play. I had a Strat clone and no amp. I just dug in hard and strummed it. To our limited ears, the notes and timbre seemed perfect. Our eyes all got big and we all looked at each other. "That's it!", we said. I was never going to forget how we did that. But, of course, I forgot. Thanks for unpacking another great alternative.

[@justcallmesando]

Loved it. Subscribed.

[@hectorrobinson7330]

Hey James I’m trying to find the video you did on registering for the uk charts - can’t seem to find it - would you be able to help please 👍

[@larrycom]

Just mind bending

[@mikeregan3265]

Excellent work!

[@east5871]

Fascinating!!!

[@Gary.S]

Well done ✅

[@VPicksGuitarPicks]

I much prefer doing G7sus4 played on the 3rd fret. I find this much more user friendly playing live. Both Phil Keaggy and I do it this way and many more folks, I am sure. D F C D G. I know it is not perfect and exact but we have not had 1 complaint yet. It rings out tonally very pleasing and listeners never fail to recognize it. If you have 2 guitarists, the 2nd guy can do Marty's version and VOILA, you have the A note then. I agree that Chris Buck's version is correct. However, even the Beatles did not do that live.

[@highwayroadrunner206]

Brilliant..!!

[@TheMerryPup]

I know f**k all about theory but that was fascinating!

[@johngerson7335]

Open strings- A D G Fingered notes- F C G The strings aren't represented, but: F on first fret with thumb, A open D open G open C on first fret with index G on third fret with pinky Try it. Especially on a 12 string. No tune down necessary. You're welcome.

[@steveandrews5307]

When I play this song on my own on acoustic guitar I simply play an open bar in G, bar on 3rd fret. That gives me G C F Bb D G. And I often think when John wrote it this is what he might have played at first, it was then enhanced in the studio to what is played on the recording maybe? Just an opinion.

[@johnemerson2876]

Just Great

[@thomgump]

I've had my guitar in D standard for a while now so no issues here lol