A question relating to the "Tie Your Mother Down" Chorus

This has been bugging me for years now and I'm sure the answer to my question is very trivial.

So anyways, during the chorus of TYMD, Brian is striking a D major with his little finger hitting off/on another note which I cannot make out i.e. a note which makes sense with the chord and Freddie's vocal. I think it would make sense for this note to be a G but that seems too far a stretch to maintain the D shape on the second fret.

My point is, why doesn't Brian play the chorus i.e.

"Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down..."

in the shape of

2---> 3
3---> 3
2---> 2
0---> 0
x---> x
x---> x

which is the same chords used in "Crazy Little Thing called Love"? It seems to match Freddie's vocal quite well this way although I think Brian preferred to play this an octave or two below what Freddie was singing in so it wouldn't sound messy.

This is quite a convoluted post as I really cannot describe what I mean unless I'm showing someone with a guitar in hand!

Thanks
Vin

He's starting out playing a palm muted D5 chord on the 5th fret Vinny (5th fret on the A string), and hammering onto the B (7th fret on the D string), a la Chuck Berry. So it's like this:

x---> x
x---> x
x---> x
7---> 9
5---> x
x---> x

Ok I see. It's a sort of Bm fragment when that B is held down then. This is noticeable when playing it on the 2nd fret i.e. at Montreal in '81:

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l60/vinny2256/tymd.jpg

I've just listened to it closely and it sounds/looks like a B alright.

Freddie's vocals are definitely

G___G___G ___ F#
Tie your mother down
G___G___G ___ F#
Tie your mother down

Any reason why Brian didn't play the sus4 chord on the 2nd fret like in crazy little thing called love?

thanks
vin

That's out of my league of knowledge, maybe Sebastian or Sir GH could help you out, my guitar skills are primitive and my musical theory is theory-less.

In the studio it is a D power chord on the 5th string and he hits the 9th frets on the 5th string at intervals.

----- ----
----- ----
----7 --9-
----7 --9-
----5 --5-
----- ----

Live ive noticed he plays a proper D major chord though, though he doesnt do this at wembley.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]vinny2256_ wrote: [/QUOTENAME]

Any reason why Brian didn't play the sus4 chord on the 2nd fret like in crazy little thing called love?

thanks
vin [/QUOTE]

I suspect its because you have more control over what strings are "allowed" to play using the method that BTR explained. This would stop any unnecessary feedback that you can get if you have any open strings ringing, ie, the D string using your method.

Incase you havent heard it, Brian explains feedback on the Rockmaster files that I sent to Maki's site a while back.

http://brian-mayniacs.com/mp3.html

Hope that helps.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<font color=red><b>Mr Mercury</b> wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]vinny2256_ wrote: [/QUOTENAME]

Any reason why Brian didn't play the sus4 chord on the 2nd fret like in crazy little thing called love?

thanks
vin [/QUOTE]

I suspect its because you have more control over what strings are "allowed" to play using the method that BTR explained. This would stop any unnecessary feedback that you can get if you have any open strings ringing, ie, the D string using your method.

Incase you havent heard it, Brian explains feedback on the Rockmaster files that I sent to Maki's site a while back.

http://brian-mayniacs.com/mp3.html

Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]

Yes, that would make sense actually. I also now think he avoids this sus4 due to the pitching relative to Freddie's voice. Striking that sus4 with the distortion would not sound very controlled and would munch all of Freddie's vocals up.

Thanks for the mp3 links. They are excellent.

Vin

It's indeed the D5th powerchord with the pinky taking a 2-fret upper.
Has nothing to do with feedback though. It's about dynamics. This is just the classic way in which 'rock n roll' is played. Status Quo has been doing not much else for years and years.

A D5 just sounds a lot different to a 'regular' D chord. Imagine Tony Iommi playing all his classic riffs in a 'normal' E chord... Black Sabbath would not even sounded half as heavy as they do.

As far I know, Brian plays D5/D6/D5, but instead of playing it on the 5th fret, he plays with the regular shape of D.
I mean, instead of:
E--------
B--------
G--------
D-7--9--7
A-5--5--5
E--------
He plays

E-x--x--x--
B-3--3--3--
G-2--4--2--
D-0--0--0--
A----------
E----------

I think this give the chord more bright and it makes it less heavier.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Nacho_itu wrote: [/QUOTENAME]As far I know, Brian plays D5/D6/D5, but instead of playing it on the 5th fret, he plays with the regular shape of D.
I mean, instead of:
E--------
B--------
G--------
D-7--9--7
A-5--5--5
E--------
He plays

E-x--x--x--
B-3--3--3--
G-2--4--2--
D-0--0--0--
A----------
E----------

I think this give the chord more bright and it makes it less heavier. [/QUOTE]

You just saved me the work to do it ; )

You´re right, even thogh most people play this riff in the fifth position, Brian plays it in the D position. He has stated several times that he likes the sound in that area of the guitar (nut?- i don´t know the english name). That´s the reason he plays "Now i´m here" in that region too, except for the obvious parts.

Take care

Nothing I can add. Great explanations, guys!

Hey. Cool topic. I have always enjoyed playing this song and more since I read in a magazine the actual way that Brian plays the intro riff, that looping effect that is almost hypnotic.

What about the "lock your daddy out of doors" part? Does he play the an A5-A6 sequence and then G and D or what? I've never seen a tab for this part.

Also, the verse for Now I'm Here is a similar picking-strumming pattern but I just can't play it exactly the same, hehe :).

Wiley

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Wiley wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Hey. Cool topic. I have always enjoyed playing this song and more since I read in a magazine the actual way that Brian plays the intro riff, that looping effect that is almost hypnotic.

What about the "lock your daddy out of doors" part? Does he play the an A5-A6 sequence and then G and D or what? I've never seen a tab for this part.

Also, the verse for Now I'm Here is a similar picking-strumming pattern but I just can't play it exactly the same, hehe :).

Wiley[/QUOTE]

He plays an up stroke on the A5 followed by a muted down stroke on the A6 followed by a down stroke on the G and then a down stroke on the D chord followed by a quick muted down stroke on the A5 followed by an open A5 followed by a muted A5 and then an open A5 again.
Hope that makes sense.I'll check out "Now I'm Here" for you.Ok bud!!!

Thanks a lot, man. I wish I could go and play it like that right now but I'm at work, hehe :).

Brian is not regarded very highly as a rythm guitarist but there is certainly more to it than mere down strumming and picking.

I like the way he plays the intro to Brighton Rock on Live Killers. Well, actually, pretty much all of Brighton Rock is a great showcase of Brian's style.

The studio version, I mean. I think he crossed the line at live shows!

Wiley

bloody hell! and i thought i was sad spotting the vocal overdubs on the Live at Wembley DVD! you guys are studying what strings brian's finger is on at any given moment during a song!? woh! each to their own i guess!