One of the 3 Rooftop Concert songs released on Let It Be, "Dig a Pony" combines classic John Lennon rhythm guitar and beautifully crafted lead lines by George Harrison! Both guitars begin the song with the main riff, following the chord progression G, D, to A. Notice that George plays this riff slightly differently than John. During the "A" chord, George hammers on from fret 3 D string to fret 4 while John does the hammer on from fret 2 D string to fret 4 (0:03, 0:09, etc). This nuance goes by so quickly, yet plays an important part by creating sonic richness. George starts the first verse with a muted smack of the strings as John plays an A chord, alternating between an A and D chord. John's rhythm figure is similar to his playing in another Rooftop classic, "I've Got a Feeling". Due to Phil Spector's removal of the "All I want is..." transition between the opening riff and first verse, George's smack may seem out of place and would probably not have been played had The Beatles recorded the song as Phil Spector produced it.
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George combines both hybrid picking and finger picking during the verses throughout the song. The locations where he uses his fingers instead of pick/fingers can be determined through the Rooftop Concert video and the twangier sound that the fingers give when compared to the pick. As shown in the concert video, George used his fingers at 0:22, 1:17, and 1:23. Through listening to the tone of the guitar, I have determined that George also used his fingers at 2:33.
The guitar riff during the chorus is played differently by George than at the beginning and ending of the song. Instead of picking every note, he uses hammer-ons to create a legato feeling (0:54, 1:51). Another variation on the riff is played during the third chorus where George picks the fret 2 D string twice (3:07). Likewise, he hammer-ons the fret 3 A string to fret 4 during the first time through the riff at the song's conclusion (3:21).
Interestingly, George plays "Dig a Pony" with the rarely utilized middle position of his Rosewood Telecaster, switching to the bridge pickup only briefly at 3:00. This position engages both pickups, allowing for a striking tone that sounds full while still retaining the famous Telecaster snap. George further varies his tone by plucking the strings at different positions on the guitar. For example, playing near the neck provides the woody sound for the lick at 1:54. Throughout the song, George adjusts his volume and tone knobs frequently.
John's rhythm part perfectly compliments George's lead guitar by providing a soft strumming accompaniment. The A and F#m chords have more space in the strumming than the Bm, G7, and E chords, where John strums with an "up-down" pattern. To conclude the choruses, John does not play the A chord as expected. He instead mutes the strings and strikes them once, letting George's A fill the sound.
George's solo is one that excellently represents his unconventional style as a lead player with quirky bends and note choice. He does not simply "play the scale" and rely on fretboard geometry, but feels every note. As John does not have to sing during the solo, he spices up his rhythm playing by adding a light fill at 2:09 and individually plucking notes on the Bm and G7 chord. The pattern for the first Bm (2:12) chord in terms of the string is: A, D, B. For the first G7 (2:13): E, A, G, e, B, D. For the second Bm (2:16): A, G, B, and for the second G7 (2:18): E, A, strum chord. It must be mentioned that George slightly goofs the first fill after the solo (2:26), playing a somewhat out of tune bend. Being a live performance without any extra correction, this is perfectly forgivable and gives the song character that could never be found in an edited modern recording.
"Dig a Pony" ends with John trilling on an A chord and George plucking out the notes of a fifth fret A chord.
Both guitars for my cover were recorded through a 1995 Fender Custom Vibrolux amp, which sounds strikingly similar to the 1968 Fender Silverface Twin Reverbs The Beatles recorded with. The volume was set on about 4 with John's guitar tone being darker than George's due to the amp's EQ controls.
Instruments Used:
George Harrison Lead Guitar: 2016 Fender American Standard Telecaster Surf Green w/ Rosewood Neck
John Lennon Rhythm Guitar: 2001 Epiphone Casino (Peerless)
Amp: 1995 Fender Custom Vibrolux with Eminence GA10 SC64 George Alessandro Signature speakers
8 сен 2024
