# Famous Single Chords in Rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107 "2019-06-26T17:05:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/21 "2019-06-27T01:08:03Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > This is great. I always thought I heard a piano in there somewhere, but I guess not Don’t take that as being definitive, though. There’s a number of videos I’ve seen that try to break it down, and I’m fairly certain that it has been ascertained by either the musicians or engineers involved during the recording session that a piano _was_ used for the opening chord. [Here’s the Beatles Bible article on it](https://www.beatlesbible.com/features/hard-days-night-chord/). > [@](#): > > George Martin played a Steinway grand piano on A Hard Day’s Night, and contributed to the opening chord. Computer analysis has suggested that Martin played five notes: D2, G2, D3, G3 and C4 (middle C is C4). Furthermore, the sustain pedal was held down, allowing further harmonics to emerge. > > […] > > In 2011 Randy Bachman, formerly of Bachman Turner Overdrive, revealed that Giles Martin had played him the song’s individual multitracks at Abbey Road Studios, and was able to demonstrate the guitar and bass parts. > > […] > > Bachman claimed that the chord was G7sus4, although he mistakenly identified Lennon’s chord as a Dsus4. Crucially, he also failed to take into account the piano, which altered the nature of the chord. Adding a G on the bottom string is the easiest way to reproduce the sound without a piano, although it is not what The Beatles actually played. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/22 "2019-06-27T01:11:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Don’t take that as being definitive, though. There’s a number of videos I’ve seen that try to break it down, and I’m fairly certain that it has been ascertained by either the musicians or engineers involved during the recording session that a piano _was_ used for the opening chord. Interesting. But if these guys heard the original master tapes at Abbey Road, I think they would’ve mentioned a piano. Besides, what they played sounded exactly like the original chord. But who knows? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/23 "2019-06-27T01:16:00Z")
And [another analysis](https://sites.google.com/site/ahdnchord/). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/24 "2019-06-27T01:24:10Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Interesting. But if these guys heard the original master tapes at Abbey Road, I think they would’ve mentioned a piano. Besides, what they played sounded exactly like the original chord. But who knows? It’s also not very obviously a piano. [Here’s another breakdown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=130&v=2wbNaEXmyrw) with audio examples. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/25 "2019-06-27T02:53:02Z")
[“Pinball Wizard”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKbUm8GrbM) by The Who (at 24, 28, and 31 seconds) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/26 "2019-06-27T03:37:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [“Pinball Wizard”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKbUm8GrbM) by The Who (at 24, 28, and 31 seconds) Um, that’s not a chord. Might be an octave (which isn’t a chord), hard to tell, but might be a single note as well. And it’s a slide/glissando/hammer-on/ whatever, which also isn’t a chord. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/27 "2019-06-27T03:39:39Z")
The chord that David played that the Lord found so pleasing. I can’t provide a link because it’s a secret chord. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/28 "2019-06-27T04:45:33Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Interesting. But if these guys heard the original master tapes at Abbey Road, I think they would’ve mentioned a piano. Besides, what they played sounded exactly like the original chord. But who knows? This is very interesting. I never knew nobody knew exactly how the chord was made. The article below says - …when A Hard Day’s Night was recorded, the drums, bass and two guitars were all recorded onto the same track. The process of separating the instruments was done through software… Long article but the gist is, there was a piano. > **[How mathematics revealed a Beatles secret](https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-11-05/a-hard-days-night-how-mathematics-revealed-beatles-secret/9093348)** > > It's probably the most famous chord in popular music — but for decades, no-one could figure out exactly how to play the opening chord of A Hard Day's Night. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/29 "2019-06-27T06:00:32Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The chord that David played that the Lord found so pleasing. I can’t provide a link because it’s a secret chord. But it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift. [SPOILER]So probably just a dominant seventh chord (which has a minor third falling down from the fourth, and a major third going up for the fifth. So, in C, it would be FGDB.) Or just describing the chord progression of the song, which also works.[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/30 "2019-06-27T08:13:06Z")
The opening chord of “Fly on a Windshield” by Genesis. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/31 "2019-06-27T10:21:56Z")
Icehouse, [Great Southern Land.](https://youtu.be/3mkidP2OUCk) The opening single synthesiser note is held for 12 seconds. When first composed Iva Davies wanted it to be nearer to 30 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/32 "2019-06-27T13:18:19Z")
The opening chord to, “Her Majesty,” on _Abbey Road_. which is nothing like the rest of the song (because it’s actually the last chord of, “Mean Mr. Mustard,” from earlier in the album–splicing trick.). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/33 "2019-06-27T13:57:55Z")
How about the opening to _Here Comes Your Man_? It sounds like a grungier version of the chord from _A Hard Day’s Night_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/34 "2019-06-27T14:05:13Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > How about the opening to _Here Comes Your Man_? It sounds like a grungier version of the chord from _A Hard Day’s Night_. Post #11 agrees with you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/35 "2019-06-27T14:20:13Z")
The classic [“Pink Floyd” chord](https://youtu.be/4QA30qkRYy8?t=1010) – the one that “Dogs” from _Animals_ ends on. ("…dragged down by a stone… –\> ) Don’t know the guitar-nomenclature name for it, but play an octave on the root (let’s say we’re in E minor for the heck of it, so make them octave E’s) then superimpose a Bm triad (b, d, and f#) with a g added to it in the treble. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/36 "2019-06-27T14:37:43Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > The classic [“Pink Floyd” chord](https://youtu.be/4QA30qkRYy8?t=1010) – the one that “Dogs” from _Animals_ ends on. ("…dragged down by a stone… –\> ) > > Don’t know the guitar-nomenclature name for it, but play an octave on the root (let’s say we’re in E minor for the heck of it, so make them octave E’s) then superimpose a Bm triad (b, d, and f#) with a g added to it in the treble. That would spell an Em9, if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/37 "2019-06-27T14:49:03Z")
The opening power chord of Won’t Get Fooled Again should be on this list. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/38 "2019-06-27T15:19:42Z")
Andy Partridge of XTC is known for using certain pet chords, and one I think of in particular is the “XTC E.” Rather than a typical open E (E B E G# B E), he plays Ab B E B (top two strings not played). You can hear this all over his stuff, particularly in “I’d Like That.” > [@pulykamell](#): > > That would spell an Em9, if you’re interested. Transposed down a full step in this instance. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/39 "2019-06-27T15:26:10Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Andy Partridge of XTC is known for using certain pet chords, and one I think of in particular is the “XTC E.” Rather than a typical open E (E B E G# B E), he plays Ab B E B (top two strings not played). You can hear this all over his stuff, particularly in “I’d Like That.” Is there a reason you spelled it as “Ab”? In an E chord, that’d be called a G#. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/40 "2019-06-27T15:29:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That would spell an Em9, if you’re interested. 🆒 thanks! useful to know! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107.md?page=3)