First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'

Subject: Chord Req: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: evansakes
Date: 15 Dec 11 - 02:30 AM

The riddle that's puzzled guitarists the world over for nearly half a century explained by Randy Bachman in less than two minutes.

It brought a smile to my face anyway...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DV5D9o6NSw

alt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfH9oAiPH0

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 15 Dec 11 - 06:53 AM

And mine!

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 15 Dec 11 - 08:12 AM

Thought it was an E7sus4.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,zaser
Date: 15 Dec 11 - 11:12 AM

splendido

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: mayomick
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 05:43 AM

I wonder if there's any way that those who insist upon a lone guitarist "playing it like it's played on the record" could be forced to listen to this .

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Woodsie
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:17 AM

I can't understand all the fuss - it's just a discordant noise played to emphasis the beginning of a pop record - so what!

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:25 AM

yes.. but what a joyful powerful and evocative discordant noise !!!


-.

anyone followed the instructions for the 12 string chord and managed to get their fingers
around it without messing up adjacent strings ?

Maybe my fingers are just too fat and stubby.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:26 AM

Well, I wouldn't say it's dischordant at all - it's quite an intriguing chord, with promise of something good to follow it.

At the time, when the Beatles were young and influential, the beginning chord to "A Hard Day's Night" was unusual in pop music and has become a classic opening. Nothing wrong in that and, with lots of theories over the years as to how it really was played, it's fun to hear it broken down into its constituent parts. We're never too old to learn.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 16 Dec 11 - 10:31 AM

Okay

1. It's not the first chord of the SONG, it's an introductory sound played by itself before the song begins. Thus:

BLONG!
rest
"It's been a hard day's night..."

2. The notes are F,G,C and D. To put it simply, somebody's playing an F chord while somebody else is playing a G chord, but they are using the common technique of leaving out the third. They are playing open fifths.

3. They are playing all the above at a low pitch, because high is simply too irritating.

Interesting and effective.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: Ron Davies
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 08:43 AM

This is one of the best things about Mudcat:   so many of us have a lively curiosity--sometimes a burning interest--in so many different types of music.    I think it's just great the Beatles were able to create such excitement with just one simple chord, made up of two open 5ths. For some of us, at least some of us in the US who were not aware of their earlier work, this one chord announced the arrival of talent which would shake up a pop music "business" desperately in need of the shot in the arm the Beatles and other British groups gave it.

At least that's how I see it now.    It's remotely possible that my only sentiment at the time was jealousy at how they were stealing the attention of all the girls.   Nah, that couldn't possibly be so.   Of course not.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: BobKnight
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 09:08 AM

I remember a certain puzzlement at the time, but most guitarists had it cracked pretty quickly, and passed on the info to others who hadn't.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Cafe Nerd
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 09:54 AM

It's all in the voicings though. The high D played on the bass means we're hearing the chord as a sub-dominant (the key of the song is G). Take the 12 string out of the equation and it's a straightforward Dsus4 chord. Without Harrison's guitar it wouldn't have mattered if Lennon's chord included the third (F#). Crucially it doesn't because the 12 string includes the octaved F natural.
I'd call it a combination of Gsus4 and Dsus4 both chords minus the thirds.

As regards how Harrison fingers it my guess is he fingers a normal four fingered F+9 but loops his thumb over to play the G and C on the bottom strings. Not impossible on the thin neck of a Rickenbacker 12

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Cafe Nerd
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 10:30 AM

Actually to accomodate the F natural you'd have to call it Csus4 not Gsus4.

Between the three of them they're playing five notes C, D, F, G and A

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: The Sandman
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:04 PM

whose idea?not Lennon, probably harrison or mac, or george martin

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:26 PM

Or a happy accident? I just recreated this with my two sons on second gtr and bass, and although we didnt have a 12-string (pretty crucial to the overall effect the Beatles achieved), it was really fun to hear it.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Cafe Nerd
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:29 PM

Rumour has it with all the musical complexities involved that it had to have been the work of Ringo.

Subject: RE: First chord of 'A Hard Day's Night'
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 05 Nov 17 - 12:28 AM

Math prof Jason Brown thinks he has it all figured out at http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-11-05/a-hard-days-night-how-mathematics-revealed-beatles-secret/9093348

Math prof Kevin Houston thinks Brown has it all wrong at http://www.kevinhouston.net/blog/2014/12/the-beatles-magical-mystery-chord-2/

Musician going by the handle Waynus of Uranus writes essay Houston relies on at https://sites.google.com/site/ahdnchord/home

Bottom line: it helps to know some math, or at least to have some software that knows the math, but it also helps to know something about what the engineers do to the music between the time the instruments get played and the time the record gets pressed.