First Chord

[old man down]

I've been working on this song for 3 weeks now, just Saturday mornings, and I've finally gotten just about everything from the studio album worked out for acoustic guitar, doing the lead breaks with acoustic leads rather than slide. They are really sweet and not too difficult to learn.

Anyway, I'm having a lot of trouble with that very first chord. This is the chord at the very start of Track 10, not the BIG C chord when things sound sweet.

I know it is followed by a lot of Fm and then the C chord.

But what is this first chord? I have my suspicions but I want to hear what you guys think. What would be your actual TAB for this chord?

Thanks.

[tigerstrat]

it's a G.

[dleonard]

That's just an F major you're hearing also. Just use the C Major scale for the intro jam.

All the chords are worked out on the Tabs pages.

[dleonard]

For that first G chord though, Mr. G goes into it with this little descending thing

Guitar not in hand, but you'll get the idea...

E|-------------------
B|-------------------
G|-------------------
D|-------------------
A|--2/3--2--0--------
E|--------------3-----

[old man down]

OK, I'll give your suggestions a try when I get home, but I'm not liking them so far.

Please notice that I'm referring to the studio album, the 9th track finishes, you hear some voices talking just for an instant, and then this big chord hits (the one I'm trying to get), then there is some kind of instrument, like some electronic thing, like a picked autoharp or, well, you got me, and then a pedal steel note is hitting, reminds me of a flying saucer, maybe a Mar's Hotel flying saucer, other-worldly, making the song sound like it is hovering on acid, and it matches up with my B string at the 12th fret, the note falls to the 10th fret, and then I clearly can duplicate the next sounds by an 8th fret Fm chord, just repetitively hit over and over and over, and then I use the Cmaj chord, also at the 8th fret.

Then things fall into that BIG C/G chord in the open position.

I'm trying to capture the whole effect on one acoustic guitar.

[Pete B.]

I'll have to give it a spin/listen, but off the top of my head I think it is the same chord as the last chord of Golden Road (studio) and also the first chord of Viola Lee (studio).
Basically the Foxy Lady/Purple Haze chord shape.
This is a just guess (no guit or quinessential recording at hand at ther moment).

[old man down]

Tried the G chord last night, as tigerstrat suggested, and an inversion of it may work. But waiting to see what Pete B. comes up with as I don't know what the Golden Road or Viola Lee chord is.

After the G chord, on Jamman loop listening, there is a single bass note slide up from the 7th fret G chord G note that is held by the pinky on the A string, that slides quickly up to the 15th fret on the A string, that accents the G chord just hit to a Gsus4 sort of, adding some darkness, and then the 12th fret B string comes in, etc.

So, making a little headway.

It's funny, but on the drive home yesterday I was wondering where Garcia may have come up with the 12th fret B string note sounds idea with the pedal steel, and the movie Run Silent, Run Deep came to mind. Clark Gable keeps hearing a Japanese Moris Code sound in his ears as he recovers from some sort of illness, while Burt Lancaster commands the sub. The Morris Code ringing in his ears is almost exactly like that B string B note.

[ronster]

Most of Jerry's music originated from obscure uses of morse code in old spy and war movies. Jerry had denied this theory for fear of having to pay royalties to the Morse estate. But I guess the cats out of the bag.

[Highballin']

Most of Jerry's music originated from obscure uses of morse code in old spy and war movies. Jerry had denied this theory for fear of having to pay royalties to the Morse estate. But I guess the cats out of the bag.

Yes the Cat's out of the bag now, and it is down under the stars.

[tigerstrat]

Tried the G chord last night, as tigerstrat suggested, and an inversion of it may work. But waiting to see what Pete B. comes up with as I don't know what the Golden Road or Viola Lee chord is.

I suggested G, thinking you meant the chord on which the vocals begin. The Viola intro/Golden Road ending chord is a Sharp 9 iirc.

[jeffm725]

Tried the G chord last night, as tigerstrat suggested, and an inversion of it may work. But waiting to see what Pete B. comes up with as I don't know what the Golden Road or Viola Lee chord is.

I suggested G, thinking you meant the chord on which the vocals begin. The Viola intro/Golden Road ending chord is a Sharp 9 iirc.

correct,
the golden road intro/ending (at least as I heard and have always played it, YMMV) is the "Jimi hendrix chord" (dominant 7#9) chord played at the 5th fret (D7#9).
The Viola Lee chord is different and more dissonant form as I hear it and have played it. I need a guitar in my hands to remember (I am at work) but will post when I get home, but I remember a 13th (possibly flatted) and a couple other curves in there as well and for some reason Bb"xxxx" is ringing in my head as the chord name (actually shouldnt even specualte until I can get the axe in hand). In any case, imho it is different than the Golden Road chord, and again YMMV , because the chord is pretty dissonant you can fake a ton of stuff

[mttourpro]

FWIW, the first chord (when the lyrics start) of the Wheel is a G.

The first chord of Viola Lee is a C9...

at least that's what I've always played.

[jeffm725]

I dont believe a striaght C9 is "just exactly perfect" (to borrow a phrase from Mr. Weir) but it would absolutely work, and tells me more than ever (and I am still at work, Doh!) that my remembrance of the Bb somtin,somtin,sometin is probably right...because the 7 and 9 (Bb and D) are the distinguishing tones of the C9 chord and are also obviously the 1 and 3 of the Bb Maj triad.We are really just splitting hairs here.

I just remember painstakingly listening to multiple versions of Viola to pick that sucker out before we started to play it in my band (and there are not a ton of crystal clear "on key recordings of that chord because of time period, I think I ended up copping it not from a Dead show, but from the 4/15/99 Phil and Phriends -Trey/Page/Kimock show where the opened the first night with a 32 minute Viola which is still some of my favorite music by anyone, ever, anywhere...For any Deadheads who think Trey and Page or the boys and Phish "dont get it" I direct you to this Viola, but I seriously digress! ) and then after all that, we dont even play the viola intro like that anyway ! We just land in the groove from wherever we are before that, or if it is a set opener we start in the groove, kind of sounds and feels like a chopped half of Jerrys opening China Cat riff.

[jeffm725]

FWIW, the first chord (when the lyrics start) of the Wheel is a G.

The first chord of Viola Lee is a C9...

at least that's what I've always played.

And actually, since none of my posts so far in this thread have been anywhere near the actual topic of the Wheel , I thiink I can clarify something here.

I think the poster is asking about the JG solo studio version where it comes out of the "odd little place jam" where there is this little repetitive bass riff that then slams into a single fairly dissonant viola/golden road type chord before settling on the C Intro for the little vamp before the vocals start. I hope I got that right, and to make up for my digressions I will figure it out when I get home

[mttourpro]

I think the poster is asking about the JG solo studio version where it comes out of the "odd little place jam" where there is this little repetitive bass riff that then slams into a single fairly dissonant viola/golden road type chord before settling on the C Intro for the little vamp before the vocals start. I hope I got that right, and to make up for my digressions I will figure it out when I get home

I think you're correct. That would likely be very difficult to procure---likely why they didn't do it that way live to my knowledge. Maybe some kind of studio effect, etc.

As for the first chord of Viola, yeah, it's a C9 with a flat 7th. I just play E G Bb D in the right hand and a C and Bb with my left. Perhaps the guitar part is a little different, but that's the basic gist of it.