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3.11pm
5 February 2010
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Always loved this song. Always had a bit of a hard time playing it, though, because it's in F, so playing it “straight” on the guitar means using lots of ham-fisted bar chords throughout. And it never seemed to have that nice, bassy resonance that I heard on the album.
And then the Anthology discs came out, and there was “Yesterday “, but with all the pre-recording banter. Paul says, presumably to George, “It'll be in F … for you.” That's when I realized that he was playing it in G, but with his guitar tuned down an entire step: DGCFAD
The chords usually run like this:
Verse: F – Em7 – A7 – Dm – Bb – C – F – Dm – G7 – Bb – F
Bridge: Em7 – A7 – Dm (descending) – Gm – C – F
In the new, dropped tuning, the chords all go up a full step, the voicings naturally change, and everything fits into place:
Verse: G – F#m7 – B7 – Em – C – D – G – Em – A7 – C – G
Bridge: F#m7 – B7 – Em (descending) – Am – D – G
Not a bit like Cagney.
3.28pm
14 October 2009
Offline PeterWeatherby said:
And then the Anthology discs came out, and there was “Yesterday “, but with all the pre-recording banter. Paul says, presumably to George, “It'll be in F … for you.” That's when I realized that he was playing it in G, but with his guitar tuned down an entire step: DGCFAD
Ah-hah, that's what he meant. Always wondered why it was “F for YOU” 
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
4.20pm
5 February 2010
Offline mjb said:
Ah-hah, that's what he meant. Always wondered why it was “F for YOU”
Yeah, come to think of it, Paul says it flat-out: “It'll be in F, for you … I'm in G.”
Ding! Light-bulb goes on for me, and suddenly the entire song is easier to play (and sounds better, too).
Not a bit like Cagney.
4.24pm
31 March 2008
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Thanks for that! I never knew. I've always tried playing it in F. I presumed the “…for you” comment was due to the string instruments being in a different key, but on reflection I don't think they are.
Do you think he played an open or barred G chord? Barred seems more likely if he then dropped a semitone for the F#m7.
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4.36pm
5 February 2010
Offline Joe said:
Do you think he played an open or barred G chord? Barred seems more likely if he then dropped a semitone for the F#m7.
Open, actually, in more ways than one. “Open” voicing, but it's also an “open 5th” chord, so you don't get to hear the 3rd (the B natural). It's formed like so:
DGCFAD
———–
3×0033
And the following F#m7 sounds like it's voiced this way (with the thumb fretting the bass note):
DGCFAD
———–
2x222x
Everything else sounds pretty standard from there on, except for the closing chords (where he's singing the “mmm” bit), which he only plays on the upper two strings:
xxxx33 —> xxxx23 —> xxxx13 —> xxxx33
The following people thank PeterWeatherby for this post:
BeatlebugNot a bit like Cagney.
5.36pm
31 March 2008
Offline Wow, thanks for that. You're able to hear these things much more clearly than I can. I just bash away at the chords…
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
4.39am
15 February 2010
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I have a Beatles acoustic tab book. This song is definitely tuned down a whole step. You can pick it out pretty clearly just on the first chord, it's an F, but there's much more life to it than just a barre chord.
10.21am
14 October 2009
Offline On line guitar lessons from Peter – I love it!
Be carefull though as you'll end up transcribing every song for us all 
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
2.04pm
5 February 2010
Offline mjb said:
On line guitar lessons from Peter – I love it!
Be carefull though as you'll end up transcribing every song for us all
I can only do the bits I already know. 
Not a bit like Cagney.
11.03pm
14 October 2009
Offline PeterWeatherby said:
mjb said:
On line guitar lessons from Peter – I love it!
Be carefull though as you’ll end up transcribing every song for us all
I can only do the bits I already know.
Surely you’re learning all the time?
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
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