Songs with a easily recognizable first note or chord

[Bob Womack]

Bob

[jseth]

That is GREAT Womack! I've heard so many f9lks trying to figure this out, saying it's this or it's that...

Nice to finally hear the REAL DEAL!


Funny, an awful lot of these replies involve a whole lot more than "one note or one chord"... I was hard pressed to think of very many songs that I could identify from the first note or chord - ESPECIALLY if you take it out context and remove all the various signal processing from the recording... (and I'm REALLY good at this, folks!)

I dare say that none of you would get "Paperback Writer" with just the opening E note and not the lick... same goes for "Oh, Pretty Woman"...

But "Hard Day's Night"? Oh yeah... there's no mistaking that one, not in a million years!

Thanks for the link, Bob! Lots of fun...

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Bob

Unfortunately, that's not quite true. He mentions the 4-track tape, but makes no mention of the piano. George Martin added piano in order to fill out the mid-low register, which was probably mixed on to George Harrison's guitar track (remember the solo is 12-string doubled with piano, at double-speed) - which is why Bachman misheard it.
So Bachman suggests George H's chord is 3-3-3-2-1-3 - highly unlikely!
Much more likely is 1-0-3-2-1-3. (GH himself claimed he played Fadd9, but didn't specify the exact voicing. If he'd played it with a G and C in the bass, I feel sure he would have been proud enough to have elaborated. Also you see him play 1-0-3-2-1-3 - or something very like it - in live films.)

The other low G and C would be from the piano chord (which probably also doubled up one or two other notes).

So Bachman's re-engineered version sounds totally accurate - but because he's playing the two Georges' parts together!

[MikeL]

I'd add 'California Dreaming" to the list.

[alnico5]

The first "B" in The Thrill is Gone.

[RayCJ]

A-String, 12th fret harmonic on "Angie", Rolling Stones.

[Cypress Knee]

This is actually an interesting topic since there are so few songs that have a defining opening note or chord. In so many of the responses, the posters have noted the opening riff or chord progression.

For me,
A) A Hard Day's Night
B) Take It Easy
C) Hotel California
D) Green River (just the bass E note dunnnnt)
E) E harmonic in Roundabout
F) A harmonic in Angie
G) E power chord on acoustic for Michael Murphey's Wildfire

CK

[JimmyJeff1]

If you are from the era, Desire by U2

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Bob

Thanks, Bob, for posting this. Fun to hear it broken out like that.

Best,
Jayne

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by Playguitar

Folsom Prison Blues- The second fret A string =B

Of course, tuned up about a half step to C.



I like the 7sus chord at the beginning "California Dreamin'"

And the feedback on "I feel fine"

[ALCO]

'Whisky In The Jar' Thin Lizzy. C at the 8th fret????