One of the most legendary chords of all time has been disassembled. It’s the opening chord of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ by The Beatles, and it took a mathematics professor to tear it apart.
It’s one of the most recognizable and famous chords ever, the chang that opens ‘A Hard Days Night’. George Harrison is playing his 12 string Rickenbacker, but actually four instruments make up the chord.
Professor Jason I. Brown from the Dalhousie University in Canada has dissected the chord using computer software. This way he could analyze the sound frequencies bit by bit.
He found that the chord was pieced together with Harrison’s 12 string Rickenbacker, John Lennon’s 6 string guitar, Paul McCartney’s bass and an instrument which wasn’t features elsewhere in the song.
Brown discovered that the fourth instrument is a piano played by the fifth Beatle, producer George Martin.
In his article Mathematics, Physics and A Hard Day’s Night, Brown explains the notes of the famous chord:
George Harrison was playing the notes, a3, d3, d4, g3, g4, c4 and one more c4. Paul McCartney was playing the d3 note on his bass. John Lennon played a c5 note, and George Martin was playing d3, f3, d5, g5 and e6 on his piano.
Noise Addicts has more to the story. Meanwhile, give a listen to the legendary chord and the rest of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.
