LinkNotes: A Hard Days Math

Clipped from: YouTube - A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night

Clipped from: Beatles "A Hard Day's Night" Chord Mystery Solved Using Fourier Transform

"It’s been a hard day’s night
And I’ve been working like a dog"

The opening chord to "A Hard Day’s Night" is also famous because, for 40 years, no one quite knew exactly what chord Harrison was playing.

Clipped from: The "A Hard Day's Night" Chord - Rock's Holy Grail@Everything2.com

"The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles") summarises 21 different interpretations of the famous chord - just a mere selection of the interpretations he found in his research. Here are a few candidates suggested over the years:

A dominant 9th of F in the key of C
G-C-F-Bb-D-G
C-Bb-D-F-G-C in the key of C
A polytriad ii7/V in Ab major
G7sus4 (open position)
D7sus4 (open position)
G7 with added 9th and suspended 4th
A superimposition of Dm, F, and G
Gsus4/D
G11sus4
G7sus7/A
Dm11 with no 9th
Gm7add11
G9sus4/D

Clipped from: Beatles Unknown "A Hard Day's Night" Chord Mystery Solved Using Fourier Transform

Beatles Unknown "A Hard Day's Night" Chord Mystery Solved Using Fourier Transform

There were theories aplenty and musicians, scholars and amateur guitar players all gave it a try, but it took a Dalhousie mathematician to figure out the exact formula.

Four years ago, inspired by reading news coverage about the song’s 40th anniversary, Jason Brown of Dalhousie’s Department of Mathematics decided to try and see if he could apply a mathematical calculation known as Fourier transform to solve the Beatles’ riddle. The process allowed him to decompose the sound into its original frequencies using computer software and parse out which notes were on the record.

Clipped from: A Hard Day's Night (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to Brown, the Rickenbacker guitar wasn't the only instrument used. "It wasn't just George Harrison playing it and it wasn't just the Beatles playing on it... There was a piano in the mix." Specifically, he claims that Harrison was playing the following notes on his 12 string guitar: a2, a3, d3, d4, g3, g4, c4, and another c4; McCartney played a d3 on his bass; producer George Martin was playing d3, f3, d5, g5, and e6 on the piano, while Lennon played a loud c5 on his six-string guitar.[25]

Clipped from: Professor Uses Mathematics to Decode Beatles Tunes - WSJ.com

Math Professor Figures Formula for Beatles Success

Jason Brown listens to the Beatles with a uniquely analytical ear. The mathematics professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, says he's figured out the math behind the best of the Fab Four. Now, using "mathematical tricks" he's picked up from the band, he's written a very Beatles-esque song of his own. WSJ's Christina Jeng reports.

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2009-02-26

A Hard Days Math

A Hard Day's Night