The Most FAMOUS Chord EVER? | Friday Fretworks

[@ChrisBuckGuitar]

There’s been multiple comments in the same vein so I thought it’d be worth addressing: the master tapes that Giles Martin played Randy Bachman in the early 2000s are the *exact* same recordings you’re hearing in this video, whenever there’s a picture of a Beatle or George Martin on screen. At the time, the master tapes weren’t easily accessible but thanks to ‘Love’ (2006) and Rock Band (2009), they’re now available online. They’re all on KZbin! By listening to the isolated recordings (and more importantly, running them through a frequency analyser) it’s clear that Randy misinterpreted a few things - John’s unequivocally playing an Fadd9 (incidentally, the same chord he played on live versions), *not* a Dsus4 and George’s Fadd9 doesn’t have a G in the bass but an F. The only area with any level of ambiguity is the piano chord (which Randy doesn’t mention) for the reasons I talk about in this video; George Martin using the piano’s sustain pedal results in so many overtones, it’s hard to definitively hear (or see!) what notes were _played_ and what notes are simply ringing in sympathy. Either way, Randy’s interpretation sounds so close because his chords contain so many common notes with the chords that *were* played.

[@jamespollock11]

@@stebeatle4965 lol Cezanne: Claude Monet? -- Why, he is only an eye...but WHAT AN EYE!

[@andrewm1112]

I bet you're right. It sounded to me like some part was missing. Good job! But I'd say Chris did a good job putting this together too. Bit of a daunting task, though it's a just short intro chord with some added bits. Maybe the most famous intro, short of an Elvis heavy yodel...

[@Kermit_T_Frog]

I can't tell any difference, but I expect that the audio we get on KZbin isn't the best. Still, I'm impressed.

[@TheSanityInspector]

Glad you stickied this, was just about to quote Randy! Fun breakdown of the chord, too. I remember seeing them on the Ed Sullivan show, when I was a small child, and this chord really stamped itself into my musical imagination. I appreciate the analysis--but you can't demystify it, not for me!

[@gordonliv7363]

Just to point out... you didn't address what beat of the bar it occurs on. It occurs on beat TWO, not beat one. So there's something else to add in in the mix. Randy Bachman gets this wrong in his video, counting in the band "One, two, three, four" and then they hit the chord. It should be counted in "One, two, three, four, one".

[@jeffthebracketman]

The Beatles have inspired more discussion and mystery in one chord than most bands have in their entire careers...

[@paolomargini7904]

They were always magical and often mysterious.

[@CardinalEgan]

@@paolomargini7904 - ... and they toured!

[@paolomargini7904]

@@CardinalEgan Thats's why they're still taking us away

[@danieljodrey8863]

Roll up!

[@paolomargini7904]

@@danieljodrey8863 Roll up!

[@kylemccloud9197]

My local guitar shop has an acoustic guitar hanging over the door that’s tuned to play this chord when you open the door

[@soofitnsexy]

where is that shop??

[@BobPerrone]

That is very cool

[@kylemccloud9197]

@@soofitnsexy its Brothers Music and Trade in Rural Hall, North Carolina!

[@soofitnsexy]

@@kylemccloud9197 nice...greetings from nyc!!

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Oh snap I dig it

[@R3TR0R4V3]

A whole episode dedicated to one chord. I love it. ✊

[@sophiafakevirus-ro8cc]

Yea and he still didn't get it right

[@patbrennan6572]

These guys were in their own universe, lets just leave it at that.

[@TheSanityInspector]

I'm convinced that this chord is what The Big Bang at the beginning of the universe sounded like!

[@thedude-jb7wx]

Guess im not in that universe/ Theyre decent i like the Stones and Floyd much better.

[@jeffmurdock8321]

@@TheSanityInspector The ending chord of A Day in the Life could be how it all closes out then

[@TheSanityInspector]

@@jeffmurdock8321 Very fitting!

[@tonyleeglenn]

Chris you're one of my favorite guitarists, but your videos (topics, examples, productions, narration & more) simply make you one of my favorite all-around KZbinrs. Masterful job with Friday Fretworks. You are awesome my friend.

[@duncanmckeown1292]

As the great Beatles biographer Ian Macdonald once said, the peak period of The Beatles' career was bracketed by two chords...The opening chord of A Hard Days Night in 1964, and the final chord of A Day in The Life in 1967.

[@freeguy77]

Duncan, I mentioned A Day in the Life as an equally great chord, but you made it better by the 1964-67 bracketing of their peak time in those years! Could be the best years, except for two things: JFKs murder just before 1964, and that damn War in a far-away, unimportant third-world country.

[@cdiana1]

I love it! Bit of a nuisance that Abbey Road is ‘69, but a funny little quip by Ian. Love it!

[@IlaughedIcried]

Before I played this video, I tried to guess which of those two chords it was going to be about! I knew it was one or the other!

[@Rick_Hoppe]

I saw the thumbnail of The Beatles. I read the title and I immediately HEARD that chord in my head. There was no doubt it was from ‘A Hard Days Night’. Amazing. Incidentally, I saw the movie on its first release in 1964. I was 13. It’s probably been decades since I’ve listened to the song... and yet... at that moment, I actually heard it.

[@JohnGreeneMusic]

Good video. On hearing your difficulty playing a left handed bass I was reminded of a similar experience I had. In 1972 I worked on the 'Wings Over Europe' tour and when Paul wanted to hear what his bass sounded like 'in the room' I was recruited to play with the band on his left hander. I am right handed !!!!!!!

[@horstbaur7797]

Very well done. Lot of work. Thank you.

[@tjwalter1780]

Chris: The other youtube's on this topic are not even in the same league as your thorough analysis. The sameness of your sound compared to the Beatles original sound for the chord proves that your analysis is spot on! Thanks for your video.

[@JamesBond-ts3xl]

Chris....you have a bright future in the podcasting world... A simply perfect presentation here....no hesitations, very clear voice, and of course, brilliant research and explanation... Well done, mate!

[@simonnaji]

How delightfully bonkers to devote so much time and effort to a single chord. I guess that level of commitment goes a long way to explaining why your playing is so moving to us mortals. By the way, to my ears, you absolutely nailed it down.

[@andrewbanner7165]

Yours and the original are almost indiscernible. I love these videos Chris.

[@Fuzcapp]

Slight difference in the comparative volume of the piano - slightly more noticeable in the remake. But the notes certainly all seem to be correct.

[@TheHesseJames]

He has one note somewhere in there that has to be taken out. I’ll try to be more specific once I get to my headset. As far as I can tell now his recording has to much “resolve” and the FabFour’s has more tension.

[@honkytonkinson9787]

I was wondering if it would be even closer if mixed down to magnetic tape and played back

[@thomasm279]

Almost. I hear a distinct cadence from a deep G to an F from the first (orig Beatles) to the second (Buck's). Anyone else hear that?

[@silverstrings6906]

@@TheHesseJames I definitely hear this too. After repeated listening, the A3 is much stronger in Chris's.

[@MrPete1x]

Great, well done. Thanks for showing

[@pennylaneaidan7087]

Been listening to the Beatles for 50 years you opened my eyes a little bit more Chris nice.

[@mariowillaert734]

One chord I heard for 40 years and never thought of a piano in the mix ... and acoustic guitar ... Always thought : those 12 string Rickies sound hughe! Great episode, as always on this channel!

[@JohnDoe-tw8es]

Ha, I always figured there was a piano in that chord. Beatles are still my fav.

[@nomchowski8297]

Without having read the description I first thought : bullocks, the most famous chord?! Then it dawned on me : a hard day's night intro chord. Without any hint. That's how powerful the Beatles magic ✨ is...

[@simonfarrell2537]

Same! I knew what chord he meant before he said it lol

[@johnclayton7471]

I thought the most famous was on Sgt Pepper's, but my favourite is the opening chord in I Feel Fine

[@andrewm1112]

@@simonfarrell2537 Interestingly, there's 2 chords in one, one on each guitar, in HARMONY. Confuses the heck out of people. Chris showed us John's guitar playing the Fadd9, and another guitar playing Dsus4. Hope I got those two right, might be slightly off. Very interesting! And the piano was playing another chord, that's 3 different chords, but they'll have some of the same notes, inside each chord. So, when you get studio layering, or a clever good band, live, you can get 3 different chords at once, but they will musically, be in harmony, and have similar notes, either in another octave, or right in the chords themselves. This isn't random, nor chaos, it's knowing where the notes are, so you can create harmony, out of exactly the right different chords, all at once, if you play the right ones. Pretty cool! Pretty exciting to examine, and figure it out. Chris did a very good job of doing that, makes me want to look at this video again, and see those different chords in harmony. The piano chord is another added feature, too.

[@JamesBond-ts3xl]

I was right with you all too....knew it before Chris spilled the beans. The Beatles were....in my opinion....divinely touched.

[@iamhondo]

Never a doubt. There is no 2nd place.

[@sparks2749]

You are so well spoken and a real story teller! I have, like many tried to play a live version at dances and such, only to be left wanting a bit at the sound. (not because we were poor players, you cheeky bastards!!) To be fair we really worked at it (for awhile)... So this is a great for us who play in Pubs. Adding the keyboard next time will put us right there! Thanks!

[@jimringomartin]

Great Job Chris! As a veteran of the Beatle Tribute band world, I can certainly verify your reproduction is as close as humanly possible. We always used the Ricky 12 and the J160. Now, analyze the guitars on And Your Bird Can Sing.

[@Glicksman1]

Oh, AYBCS is simple to do. The guitar parts are just three geniuses (John, George and Paul) playing brilliantly written parts together in perfect synchronicity, John on a Strat, George and Paul in harmony sounding like a single individual (which at first, I thought it was) on Epiphone Casinos, backed by possibly the greatest rhythm section in pop music, Paul on bass and Ringo on drums, sang by the single greatest pop voice of all time, John, with no less than such magnificent singers as Paul and George in harmony with him, all of this produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by a fifth genius, George Martin, and played and recorded with first-class, state of the art, no expense too dear instruments, amps, mics and similar quality sundry recording equipment. That's all.

[@jamesdrynan]

Great analysis, Mr. Buck! Close enough for rock 'n roll, as they say. I hear more treble definition in your chord than the original, but overall, very comparable. My first visceral encounter with this chord was in a dark movie theater on August 14, 1964. My father took me to the opening as a birthday present. That chord with the boys running towards the camera was unforgettable. Due to the witty script, my Dad liked it as much as I did.

[@the_tone7167]

I've waited all my life for someone to break down this chord. Now I can go to my eventual grave in peace.

[@StvMcQueen1]

No you can't. He was wrong!

[@juana1483]

@Howardsend88 which one then?

[@durasaxon5131]

Cute 😉

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Chris, you nailed it mate! That is as close a version as I have heard; great analysis mate.

[@picksalot1]

Well done! Amazingly accurate sounding reconstruction of that iconic chord. Really enjoyed the explanation and demonstration. Thanks

[@paulfelixmusic]

Such a brilliant evaluation Chris. The Chord structure that we all know so well yet very few have mastered. A masterclass in chord structure evaluation, many thanks.....................

[@f5mando]

By George, I think he's got it! Well done, that man! Cheers, Chris.

[@anthonymorales842]

Nice

[@TheBohemianAngels]

Should have housed "mate" instead of "man". It would have been perfect.

[@andrewm1112]

@@TheBohemianAngels "Man", is American hippie slang. Not intended to be sexist, just friendly and enthusiastic. Mate is Brit or Aussie for the same thing. Neither is intended to be rude.

[@TheBohemianAngels]

@@andrewm1112 It sounded like you were saying it in a British way, and so I thought to fit better, mate would have been great, you know with your By George" is old English, and mate would have worked better to keep it in the style, along with Cheerio. That's what I was trying to say.

[@dodojack1045]

Just great Chris. Many thanks.

[@elliothewitt9156]

Amazing work there, Chris!

[@davemclellan4019]

Well that was really fun! Thanks.

[@stevecarrero4120]

Spot on! Great job Chris.

[@GazP23]

Brilliant! Can’t believe how close you got to that iconic sound. Glad you got hold of the 12 string too, I need to pay a visit to A Strings once we’re out of lockdown, looks like a cracking place.

[@kenhoughton2594]

This was such a fantastic, informative and engaging video - thank you so much.

[@NicholasStein]

A brilliant post. I was overjoyed to hear you mention Transcribe. One of my favorite programs of all time; which I have been using off and on since version 1.4. Yes I am that old.

[@KevinMerinoCreations]

I love the details you dig up! I was engaged every step of the way. The history channel better lookout! 😉

[@ausnut]

So well presented. Fantastic.

[@robbysguitars8223]

It's really cool, what you did here, Chris. Keep up the good work 👍

[@brianmartin7710]

wow, brillant analysing work !

[@davidbrown8763]

WELL DONE - GREAT JOB SIR. Your recreation is amazingly spot on accurate to my ears.

[@TheBohemianAngels]

Very well done and great explanation.

[@vincerusso5619]

This segment was a blast! Thanks for all of the hard work involved putting it together 👍🏻

[@davidkeane2399]

World record geekery Mr Buck. Absolutely love it. Christ above, can you imagine how much the desk preamps must've played into the sound, plus what mics where used, etc. The possibility of getting that close these days without even plugging into an amp is the mark of just how far music production has come. But the initial creativity required to put those elements together, recoginise them and utilise them fully is where their bloody skill and genius lay (and George Martin's).

[@selbino]

Nice video 👍🏻 nice surprise to see you mention A strings. I bought my Fender blues amp from them. Great shop

[@baselinesweb]

Really great job on this video. Thank you.

[@johnrobb3275]

Wow, that is SO close! The only difference I hear between the original and yours is that yours sounds SLIGHTLY stronger on the fifth. Great job!!!

[@keithlutz4842]

EXCELLENT video-the harmonics of all the instruments involved are the foundation of that wonderful chord...

[@Matthew-ez4ze]

And THAT, is how you plant a flag at the beginning of a song! Well done as always!

[@j.a.armour2427]

Utterly fascinating! You did a great in depth analysis of that first chord of A Hard Day's Night and you replicated it very , very well. I didn't realize there were so many components to the opening of that song. WOW! Well done!

[@BobPerrone]

This was outstanding, great work

[@patrickrobinson2520]

Overall wow for the time you put into that. Hats off to you. Great video. I've never invested 8 min of my life to a video recreating one blur of instrumentation.

[@rayenbow3281]

I enjoyed watching that, a very interesting video!

[@fredfox3851]

Well I'm convinced. Chris has nailed it. : )

[@We_All_Seek_Truth]

I'm glad you already commented on the Randy Bachman analysis. He only got it just so-so, just kinda close, in my estimation. This is the best analysis and recreation I've ever seen! An excellent and entertaining video of the most famous chord. Thanks Chris!!

[@markhoward7398]

I don't know or understand anything about chords, but what I do understand is the genius behind everything that went into all the work the greatest group in the history of the world ever produced. It will NEVER happen again!!

[@Mancheguache]

I loved this 'mega-chord' the first time I heard it back in 73 and finally proudly played it twelve years ago whilst floundering about in a jazz trio and learning what a suspended four was. So loved this vid and your recording is indistinguishable from the one the Beatles did. Excellent work - subscribed and liked

[@bobjames874]

Great job Chris, detailed, technical, and “to the point”.

[@PIlotrcm]

Really love your channel. Enjoy the theory talk

[@sierrabianca]

Great stuff, the only difference I can hear is a slightly more prominent low F in yours vs the original but it's remarkably close.

[@BourneAccident]

I was looking for just this comment because I heard the same thing.

[@VALLEYRED]

I hear it also. You know it would be interesting to hear it with George's played with a G in the bass...just as he said he did...just for interest's sake.

[@wwc147]

Martin's piano chord sounds an octave lower to my ears. His bottom note is the same as Paul's bass note, low D. This strengthens the chord's "dominant" (V) feeling, leading to "tonic" G of the whole song.

[@davedewsnap288]

Thanks for your hard work on this. What a perfect start to a wonderful piece of Beatles music AND...what a perfect ending too...another chord that took me a wee while to work out as a young Beatles fanatic

[@craigparse1439]

I usually play this as a Gsus7/D. I have now been proven wrong because George said it was a Fadd9/G (with a D on bass, of course). Great job on this video!

[@jensthunbo]

No, you were actually right. In context, it definately sounds some sort of a G chord added some suspense. And the whole song IS in G major. Point is, Harrison answered what HE was playing, not what the band played together! Those were gigging young instrumentalists having fun, just happening to experiment their way to a new chord sound - music theory wasn´t their expertise or even interest. (Remember the story of them taking the bus to the other end of city to meet with a guy who knew how to play a B7?) If you look at the notes they played (and that George Martin imitated on the piano), your chord will be a fine match (missing the A, though). The notes might be interpreted as a Dm7add11, too - but your G7sus4/d would be my choice on the guitar, too :)

[@cristinascandurra4751]

Great job, thank you!

[@AyeCarumba221]

I never gave that chord much thought. But these various analysis videos are super-interesting. Not only for Beatles music, but so many others. Thank you to the folks who are breaking these songs down for us.

[@71goaliemask]

Fun stuff, I like the visual breakdown of everything at once. You get extra points for keeping it mono !!! 😄👍

[@ddigwell]

That was really cool. You thoroughly geeked me out to a single chord. Subscribed!

[@jimmc2990]

This was great. You really nailed the sound of that chord! I always learn so much in your Friday Fretworks series, thank you, Chris! Cheers from the US

[@williambaker2545]

A hard day's work - pretty damn close indeed.

[@tgchism]

Amazing breakdown!

[@davidpepper442]

Leave it to Chris to finally solve this enduring mystery once and for all. Cheers

[@weschilton]

He didnt

[@maurocoimbra9624]

Great work!!!!!

[@michaelaiello9525]

This is amazing that you can do this! To my ear your version has a slightly more emphasized G overtone as opposed to a more prominent D overtone in the original. I can’t specifically identify where that subtle shift comes from. But when I listen to the Beatles and then you, I hear a higher G being hit somewhere in the mix that either needs to be edited out or leveled down. Even still this is brilliant and fascinating!!!

[@lorenmorgan1931]

I think there was one low D note that was missing from the Piano. I didnt notice until the back and forth, but its very similar too the low notes that Rick Rubin used in a lot of the early Danzig recordings as well, and many doom metal bands use this technique as well over the years. Other than that I think this nailed it.

[@maxjammer47]

Nice work. Love it. Keep it up, Dude.

[@chrisfarrugia5397]

Fascinating!!! :) Cool clip

[@waltsutube]

Awesome breakdown and analysis! Thanks

[@michaelbrooks5178]

I was impatient and skipped to the comparison. That's *incredible* 🤯

[@Stewart-ll3lu]

Loved this - thank you. I’ve been playing a regular G sustained chord barred at 3rd fret. Looking forward to trying out the Fadd9

[@nigelsoden1821]

You’ve got good ears Chris, that was spot on ( 99.9% )

[@aaronalter2000]

Great analysis!

[@quantumgrail4242]

Great stuff! This only confirms that George Martin was the fifth Beatle! "You know I feel alright..." Cheers!

[@joebersik9846]

great research!!

[@VPicksGuitarPicks]

When I play it I just use a G7sus4 chord as you have shown GM played on the piano. If you play the 7th, then it is characteristic of the F9 chords. It is close enough for my ears. Especially when just doing it with one chord. But the work you did on this Chris is wonderful. I think you are spot on. BTW, Gsus is God's favorite chord. Get it? Gsus?

[@epipick]

Me too.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Same

[@bigteninch58]

Me too, sounds good and is much easier to play 👌

[@SteveDeHaven]

I think you meant to say that Gsus is God's only begotten chord, no?

[@roelfbackus]

I've 35 years played F9, but since I've got Rikky Rooksby - 'The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook', G7sus4 is definitely better.

[@KenTeel]

Interesting. Good job !

[@parkerfilms1]

One other variable is the tape machine itself: every analog tape machine had idiosyncratic characteristics in both record and playback. Not radically different, but enough to add subtle influences to every recording.

[@tovarisch2788]

Very good. Best approximation I've yet heard.

[@tomryan943]

It's amazing that this one chord is still being discussed and debated over fifty years later!!! I think you have done a great job analyzing it, and the funny thing is that Ringo came up with the title of the movie just before it was released, and John and Paul wrote the song that night!!!! That's why they are the greatest band ever!

[@chrisst8922]

And why the group don't perform the song in the film.

[@andrewm1112]

@@chrisst8922 Yeah but the opening chord is heard in the film!

[@ManicMovesDrowsyDreams]

@@andrewm1112 yeah exactly. That's why they were looking to create a chord that would be instantly recognizable ✌️

[@terrythekittieful]

Ringo also came up with the quip 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. There is a clip out there of an interview they did, I'm guessing 1964 to very early 1965 where Ringo said it. John was blown away by Ringo's quip, immediately filing those three words away in his head for later use.

[@ManicMovesDrowsyDreams]

@@terrythekittieful very true yeah Ringo had a tendency to get turns of phrase slightly wrong and they found it funny. Good one.

[@darinplott5186]

I think you did nail it. Thanks for the in depth Beatles history lesson. You rock Mr Buck!!!

[@jonathanlyerly8501]

I am hearing a definite low "G" bias in the original that disappears in the re-creation.

[@bladeiro]

My thoughts, too. In the original, I hear a mid-range "G", that shifts do "A" in the re-creation. It's a very "affirmative" sound and feels like an harmonic.

[@mycroft414414]

I'm with Jonathan and Bruno on this; there's G-stains all over this.

[@thepaperkings]

I’m with these three - there is a complete difference in the mid section of CB’s chord to the original, the driving mid to high note is missing in the resonance to me. I’m not here to be critical just my opinion and in my mind, this debate is still not conclusive (I’m happy the mystery still continues) On a side note - now there’s four of us, let make a band!😂

[@mycroft414414]

I'm in, your majesty. Just one question; how do you trash a hotel room on Zoom?

[@advick42]

@@mycroft414414 It appears it is a D in the bass note for both but it sounds like in the recreation there is a second C note that resonates with another C note when the original sounds like there is only one C note. I believe it is coming from one of the guitars.

[@nomasnofuss8393]

Nice work Chris...you've nailed it i reckon'...thanks for taking us through it. I remember my mum bringing home beatles 45's from 2nd hand shops for us kids and a hard days night was one of them.... great music.

[@ScrewballMcAdams]

Great analysis, Chris. Using a spectrum analyzer was brilliant.

[@bigvrocks2480]

Pretty cool. Appreciate all the work put into that! ^5!

[@TheStuport]

I always liked the beginning Cord Strike on "I Feel Fine"

[@norryonbass6574]

The feedback?

[@TheCheermeister]

Great feedback!

[@billwalsh388]

I hear it!

[@DanielLeoSimpson]

So great - thank you...

[@joshscus]

Amazing work! I absolutely love the research and the actual correct instruments!! One thing I thought of while listening to the piano part was that in isolation, your piano chord did sound to be exactly the same, BUT the original sounds to be an octave lower than what you played?

[@banacek60chord43]

Fascinating and excellent. I am blessed/cursed with an excellent ear and I'll say yours is even a tad better than 'pretty damned close.

[@howiebradley9486]

The comparison version sounded like it had an extra note at the top end..

[@ECrossy-s4w]

Yes i noticed too

[@californigirl]

One of the notes was wrong

[@JohnSmith-sz4cq]

There definitely sounds like there's an 'extra' note in there.

[@silverstrings6906]

See my comment about the emphasis of the A3 in Chris's. It has to also be in the Beatles version if George and John are playing Fadd9. So I don't think it's an extra note but a matter of balance.

[@howiebradley9486]

@@silverstrings6906 so that notes in the original button mixed down ?

[@benjohnson4810]

Very good Chris. You have proved the proper way to do it. People of course will still play it all kinds of ways, mostly because of the piano part being different than the guitar parts. I love the simplicity of each part and how it creates a complex sound that captures the imagination.

[@neilrichardkelly]

ah! it was the Goerge Martin chord that changed everything about that composite chord. Thanks!

[@gimmeshelter8262]

Great job, Chris ... You are spot on.

[@flouisbailey]

More BuckMagic...Dissection of the sound heard around the world.

[@frankbruno7122]

Really enjoyed this Chris! I'm still learning and self taught thus far. Your videos inspire the crap out of me. I have a Martin sub brand acoustic and a PRS Santana SE.. last night my 13 year old suggested that I turn down the volume.. thanks man! Frank from Boulder, Colorado, US

[@pitsmcgoo]

John plays his Gibson J160E Dsus4 Paul plays D on his Hofner violin bass George plays F chord + G on his Rickenbacker.

[@SteveDeHaven]

Hey! Aren't you supposed to say "Spoiler Alert" first?

[@mikeh5431]

Superb analysis Chris.