Very interesting article about the opening chord of the Beatles' song "A Hard Day's Night".  Apparently for years no one has known how George Harrison played the opening chord of the song.  It took a mathematician running a Fourier transform on the recording to figure out how George did it.

Scientific Blogging

After hearing both sound of the two different recordings of the Beatles' song A Hard Day's Night, the start now to me does sound more like the strings on an opened piano being hit.

After hearing both sound of the two different recordings of the Beatles' song A Hard Day's Night, the start now to me does sound more like the strings on an opened piano being hit.
it's somewhat similar to the ending of A Day In The Life , the final chord of that song which definitely sounds like a sustained piano

it's somewhat similar to the ending of A Day In The Life , the final chord of that song which definitely sounds like a sustained piano
...with the sound of an alarm clock and the air conditioning.

...with the sound of an alarm clock and the air conditioning.
when it starts to fade it reminds me of a telephone's dial tone

when it starts to fade it reminds me of a telephone's dial tone
When I am back on the main computer I give a rejudgement on when I re-heard it.

Though the style is kinda similar in style and that it may be difficult to deciipher.

To me the chord at the end of "A Day In The Life" sounds like a morphed drawn-out piano chord.  In fact to me, it sounds like one of those old-fashioned pianos that the play in the Old-West Cowboy movies.

Though the style is kinda similar in style and that it may be difficult to deciipher.

To me the chord at the end of "A Day In The Life" sounds like a morphed drawn-out piano chord.  In fact to me, it sounds like one of those old-fashioned pianos that the play in the Old-West Cowboy movies.  Or like the piano in Obla-Di-Obla Da.

Though the style is kinda similar in style and that it may be difficult to deciipher.

To me the chord at the end of "A Day In The Life" sounds like a morphed drawn-out piano chord.  In fact to me, it sounds like one of those old-fashioned pianos that the play in the Old-West Cowboy movies.

An old honky-tonk upright piano.

If you listen very carefully to this song, you can hear a very early performance of the Cowbell guy from Blue Oyster Cult. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8EiKpjgz98  :D

To me the chord at the end of "A Day In The Life" sounds like a morphed drawn-out piano chord.  In fact to me, it sounds like one of those old-fashioned pianos that the play in the Old-West Cowboy movies.


I gather the chord was hit on several pianos simultaneously...

Originally, the plan was for The Beatles to 'hum' the chord, but that proved unworkable...

I gather the chord was hit on several pianos simultaneously...
...from the idea previously used by Spkie in the Goons?

...from the idea previously used by Spkie in the Goons?


Although George Martin didn't work with The Goons as a whole, he did work with Sellers & Milligan (The Beatles were also big Goons fans), so I'd imagine some influences were doubtless traded...

Although George Martin didn't work with The Goons as a whole, he did work with Sellers & Milligan (The Beatles were also big Goons fans), so I'd imagine some influences were doubtless traded...
The piano was one of Spkie Milligan's favourite sounds if put in a unusual situation.