Omg...when I saw the title of this video I was totally thinking of the exact same chord since it is my favorite chord too. Ever since I heard Rush's Hemispheres and figured it out on guitar all those years ago I have always been hooked on that awesome opening chord. I am a HUGE Rush fan and that was really the band that first inspired me to play guitar. :-D
By the look of the number of comments, Alex Lifeson is STILL an underrated guitarist. But that's okay, we who appreciate Lerxt, have loved his tone and techniques for decades :).
Lerxt is beyond underrated. Even high profile guitarists say his stuff to play is hard as hell. It takes 2 guitarists to replicated his sound AT MINIMUM
Love how Petrucci was very stoic, bordering on unemotional, until he mentioned the Alex Lifeson Chord. He came to life! (no pun intended) If you are not personally touched by the Alex Lifeson Chord, you're not paying attention.
You know something, I knew exactly what the fuck he was talking about as soon as he said that. That chord is 100% Rush and I think he used it at the beginning of Far Cry too. When Snakes and Arrows was being promoted (has it already been a decade?) they released the beginning of that song as a sample and the speculation immediately began to build about a possible Hemispheres redux or a return to proggy greatness, which they did somewhat but wasn't fully realized until Clockwork Angels probably. I'll admit I got really excited when I heard it and it was all based on that super chord. A fine choice for a desert island chord. Very iconic.
good ear. I cannot believe they didn't play that on R40. that was really disappointing. that's one of their best tracks since the 80's...at least I don't think they played it.
@@mineheadX1 When I saw them in Toronto on the R40 tour they played both, "Far Cry" and "Hemispheres (Prelude)." The latter was tuned one tone down so that signature opening chord was E major suspended 4th with b7.
For those of you who would like to hear this chord played by john petrucci: One last time (metropolis pt2) 1:47 into the song, just before a guitar solo Surrender to reason, very first chord of the song. He probably uses it a couple of more times in other songs, but these are the ones that come to mind right now
anonymous fine but the interviewer was asking staged questions and apparently did not even comprehend, and since he';s the person interviewing a guitar player of Petrucci's caliber he shouldn't be having the conversation unless he had even an inkling of a clue, no?
or, to really simplify: Do an F# bar chord at the 2nd fret. Then lift your index off so it'sonly fretting the low F# on the low E string. Voilà. Alex Lifeson chord (per Petrucci, anyway).
mine too,, it's a lovely chord... Through the void To be destroyed Or is there something more? Atomized, at the core Or through the astral door To soar
Growing up we used to call them "chime chords" Or Lifeson chords, Lifeson to Peter Buck down the line to Jerry Cantrell. I believe Lifeson is the original.
F#7add4 (F#11 in my head) always reminds me of "Rooster" by AIC. I wanna hear more people play Petrucci's open string C#m7 chord: low to high E:X A:4: D:6 G:6 B:0 E:0. I try to utilize it whenever I need to grab a C#m7 and it always sounds fresh.
That's actually another 'Alex Lifeson' chord, you can perfectly hear it being arpeggiated with a crystal-clear clean chorus tone on "Prime Mover" from Hold Your Fire.
I think Lifeson builds the solo off that chord in The Garden in Clockwork Angels. Or maybe not. Either way it's beautiful work. Lifeson called it one of his favorite solos ever. Very melodic. Rush is the greatest ever, especially live. No one comes close.
it's kind of funny because Petrucci is right in the sense that Lifeson made widespread use of that chord once he discovered it - in Hemispheres and variations on that theme on other songs and on subsequent albums (eg, that opening arpeggio section of La Villa Strangiato, after the classical guitar, is just a regular old G chord played at the 8th fret. But to me, having grown up on Rush and having spent my teens and twenties figuring it out by ear, the ULTIMATE Lifeson chord, not so much for stand-alone sound but just the basic building block of a song: the regular ol' D-chord. That was his favourite chord for a very long time.
I love that Strangiato chord, but it won't sound right if you don't throw in that fourth finger. It's got to be fingered 8 7 0 0 8 8 or else you'll hurt your ears. (It's a Cadd2 for anyone that's interested.) I remember reading something by George Harrison back in the late seventies about D being his favorite chord, because there's just so much you can do with it. Who's going to argue with Alex and George? Not me!
@40horsejohnson Absolutely agree that the Strangiato opening chord has to be 8-7-0-0-8-8 for it to work. It's funny, it took me a few seconds to understand what you meant, because I've always played my open G chords that way - 3-2-0-0-3-3. But I remember now that some players play it 3-2-0-0-0-3, with the open B. Was that what you meant?
Yep, that's exactly what I was saying. I play the open G the same way you do; it just sounds so much sweeter that way than with an open B string. Anyway, I wasn't trying to correct you so much as I was looking out for any newbies that may have an interest in trying out that Strangiato arpeggio. Maybe they'd have gotten it on their own, but every little bit helps. ;)
estuve en un clinicc de John Petrucci en madrid españa, y mi intuicion como fa de Rush me decia que le gustaba mucho el acorde de Hemispheres de Rush...porque lo mostro ..
time for a new RUSH album. I think they'll make another album even if they don't tour it...some day. Lifeson is the most underrated guitarist in rock. every player knows what Lifeson has meant to music. the punters and shit-twisters don't f'n get it.
Watch more Rockstars In Cars featuring John Petrucci: th-cam.com/play/PLT4Cj9GeXCexEMc92b3yN-LqZjHKzQtou.html Transcripts from Rockstars In Cars featuring John Petrucci: bit.ly/rockstarsincarsjohnpetrucci
No, Lifeson didn't invent that chord . As an example Gary Numan used it in "Crime of Passion" in late '77 or early '78, before Hemispheres was released.
Interesting, I've always enjoyed this chord quite a bit myself. I never really thought of it as an Alex Lifeson thing though. I'd be willing to bet guitarists have been using it before he did. As another commenter mentioned guitarists all the way from Lifeson to Peter Buck to Jerry Cantrell have used this. Seattle musician Mark Lanegan's first solo album uses this chord and similar ones extensively.
Listen to "The Fountain of Salmacis" by Genesis. Steve Hackett plays an arpeggiated version of that chord, about 6 or 7 years before Lifeson played it.
Indeed. That 4th is up above the octave, so you can also call it an 11. F# (1) A# (3) C#(5) E(b7) B(11), but it's voiced 1,5,1,3,11,b7. And remember, no matter how weird we get in this era, Debussy and Bill Evans got weirder first. :) What makes Alex different is that he's using these chords for an entirely different purpose. Other composers were perhaps more interested in voice leading. Alex is trying to fill up as much information as he can because he's in a 3-piece. These chords really didn't get put "in your face" before Alex Lifeson. He's got balls...
Petrucci is burdened with that poisened chalice of too much technique, laugh i know, but a players wrestling with his instrument shows through for me as having more soul. For me Alex has that and Petrucci doesn't. Whereas Alex has to work tightly within a band framework,all for one and one for all Petrucci i'd imagine has a string of session/mercenary players to form his various ensembles. Just my two cents worth.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
For Alex Lifeson please go to 3:30
Thank you. You're doing god's work.
Now you tell me...
Omg...when I saw the title of this video I was totally thinking of the exact same chord since it is my favorite chord too. Ever since I heard Rush's Hemispheres and figured it out on guitar all those years ago I have always been hooked on that awesome opening chord. I am a HUGE Rush fan and that was really the band that first inspired me to play guitar. :-D
He loved it so much he used it as the opening chord to the Dream Theater song "Surrender to Reason" on the album Dream Theater
Also hear it several times on Metropolis just before the bass solo.
Lerxt also uses a variation of his chord on the end progression of Overture on 2112.
By the look of the number of comments, Alex Lifeson is STILL an underrated guitarist. But that's okay, we who appreciate Lerxt, have loved his tone and techniques for decades :).
mvunit3 du de he is my favorite guitar player and hemispheres is my favorite album of all time
Damn right. Lifeson RULES.
CoS takes it for me but Hemispheres is a close second
Lerxt is beyond underrated. Even high profile guitarists say his stuff to play is hard as hell. It takes 2 guitarists to replicated his sound AT MINIMUM
LERXST is a guitar god!
Love how Petrucci was very stoic, bordering on unemotional, until he mentioned the Alex Lifeson Chord. He came to life! (no pun intended)
If you are not personally touched by the Alex Lifeson Chord, you're not paying attention.
You know something, I knew exactly what the fuck he was talking about as soon as he said that. That chord is 100% Rush and I think he used it at the beginning of Far Cry too. When Snakes and Arrows was being promoted (has it already been a decade?) they released the beginning of that song as a sample and the speculation immediately began to build about a possible Hemispheres redux or a return to proggy greatness, which they did somewhat but wasn't fully realized until Clockwork Angels probably. I'll admit I got really excited when I heard it and it was all based on that super chord. A fine choice for a desert island chord. Very iconic.
good ear. I cannot believe they didn't play that on R40. that was really disappointing. that's one of their best tracks since the 80's...at least I don't think they played it.
They played the opening of Hemispheres on the R40 tour. (Far Cry is no bueno, Amigo)
@@mineheadX1 When I saw them in Toronto on the R40 tour they played both, "Far Cry" and "Hemispheres (Prelude)." The latter was tuned one tone down so that signature opening chord was E major suspended 4th with b7.
For those of you who would like to hear this chord played by john petrucci:
One last time (metropolis pt2) 1:47 into the song, just before a guitar solo
Surrender to reason, very first chord of the song.
He probably uses it a couple of more times in other songs, but these are the ones that come to mind right now
He also plays it in 'Carpe Diem' in 'A Change of Seasons'
Used it overture 1928 as well
Take the Time, verse 2 (before the first chorus) - "To be something that is real" Metropolis Pt 1, after drum solo
It's one of the all time great chords. Grabs me every time I hear or play it on my own guitar.
James Corden looks different somehow
loooooopolllp
Two of my favorite guitarists collide worlds. Incredible.
How do guys even drive that Cosmomobile with the giant website screen changing every few seconds?
As if they understood what he was saying technically about the opening chord of Hemispheres LMFAO
anonymous fine but the interviewer was asking staged questions and apparently did not even comprehend, and since he';s the person interviewing a guitar player of Petrucci's caliber he shouldn't be having the conversation unless he had even an inkling of a clue, no?
anonymous it's not really that complex
It's not hard to understand at all.
He just said it was a major triad with an added 11 and minor 7th. 1 3 5 4 b7. Not that hard to understand.
or, to really simplify: Do an F# bar chord at the 2nd fret. Then lift your index off so it'sonly fretting the low F# on the low E string. Voilà. Alex Lifeson chord (per Petrucci, anyway).
mine too,, it's a lovely chord...
Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized, at the core
Or through the astral door
To soar
I set a course just east of Lyra
Northwest of pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the milky way
alex brought the chord back on the far cry song which btw is an excellent track.
yes he plays the chord after playing E5 power chord several times with staccato rhythm to open song. great song. not sure what staccato means.
MrGoodknight2010 stacatto is basically when you play a chord or note and then stop it instead of letting it ring.
Growing up we used to call them "chime chords" Or Lifeson chords, Lifeson to Peter Buck down the line to Jerry Cantrell. I believe Lifeson is the original.
@ 3:26 the Lifeson cord
@Justin Hoard Clueless much?
F#7add4 (F#11 in my head) always reminds me of "Rooster" by AIC. I wanna hear more people play Petrucci's open string C#m7 chord: low to high E:X A:4: D:6 G:6 B:0 E:0. I try to utilize it whenever I need to grab a C#m7 and it always sounds fresh.
That's actually another 'Alex Lifeson' chord, you can perfectly hear it being arpeggiated with a crystal-clear clean chorus tone on "Prime Mover" from Hold Your Fire.
Alex loves to golf, which makes him even cooler in my book. Funny guy too. He's the peoples' virtuoso.
I think Lifeson builds the solo off that chord in The Garden in Clockwork Angels. Or maybe not. Either way it's beautiful work. Lifeson called it one of his favorite solos ever. Very melodic. Rush is the greatest ever, especially live. No one comes close.
He does and he uses it again in Far Cry on Snakes and Arrows
it's kind of funny because Petrucci is right in the sense that Lifeson made widespread use of that chord once he discovered it - in Hemispheres and variations on that theme on other songs and on subsequent albums (eg, that opening arpeggio section of La Villa Strangiato, after the classical guitar, is just a regular old G chord played at the 8th fret.
But to me, having grown up on Rush and having spent my teens and twenties figuring it out by ear, the ULTIMATE Lifeson chord, not so much for stand-alone sound but just the basic building block of a song: the regular ol' D-chord. That was his favourite chord for a very long time.
I love that Strangiato chord, but it won't sound right if you don't throw in that fourth finger. It's got to be fingered 8 7 0 0 8 8 or else you'll hurt your ears. (It's a Cadd2 for anyone that's interested.)
I remember reading something by George Harrison back in the late seventies about D being his favorite chord, because there's just so much you can do with it. Who's going to argue with Alex and George? Not me!
@40horsejohnson Absolutely agree that the Strangiato opening chord has to be 8-7-0-0-8-8 for it to work. It's funny, it took me a few seconds to understand what you meant, because I've always played my open G chords that way - 3-2-0-0-3-3. But I remember now that some players play it 3-2-0-0-0-3, with the open B. Was that what you meant?
Yep, that's exactly what I was saying. I play the open G the same way you do; it just sounds so much sweeter that way than with an open B string. Anyway, I wasn't trying to correct you so much as I was looking out for any newbies that may have an interest in trying out that Strangiato arpeggio. Maybe they'd have gotten it on their own, but every little bit helps. ;)
I bought my Lakland Skyline 44-AJ from Cosmo, great store, great employees.
There's the Hendrix chord,the Allan holdsworth chord and the Alex lifeson chord.
For half a second I thought this was a Carpool Karaoke with Dream Theatre and I got excited
estuve en un clinicc de John Petrucci en madrid españa, y mi intuicion como fa de Rush me decia que le gustaba mucho el acorde de Hemispheres de Rush...porque lo mostro ..
I wasted 3:30 for that? :(
Tbh thats my favorite chord too
Sensei Petrucci. The Wise One
No audio on my video. Strange.
That flatted 7th is what sets that chord apart. Try it without that accidental and you are on a different planet, a more normal one.
check out the crumb catcher on Petrucc
time for a new RUSH album. I think they'll make another album even if they don't tour it...some day. Lifeson is the most underrated guitarist in rock. every player knows what Lifeson has meant to music. the punters and shit-twisters don't f'n get it.
Watch more Rockstars In Cars featuring John Petrucci:
th-cam.com/play/PLT4Cj9GeXCexEMc92b3yN-LqZjHKzQtou.html
Transcripts from Rockstars In Cars featuring John Petrucci:
bit.ly/rockstarsincarsjohnpetrucci
How big is that cars screen ....bigger than an iPad?
its an F# major chord just let the high e and b string ring open to get the e (flat 7) and b the fourth, respectively
its very nice over the E lydian scale
How did the driver keep from falling asleep?
when he puts his foot on the moniter...its usually a difficult passage....
Think Larry Coryell played that chord many years before. Listen to Low Lee Tah.
3:25 Chord talk.
Love the model X
I learned that chord by ear lol
No, Lifeson didn't invent that chord . As an example Gary Numan used it in "Crime of Passion" in late '77 or early '78, before Hemispheres was released.
Petrucci is slowly turning into Rick Rubin.
This episode of Comedians in Cars did very little for me.
I thought he was going to say the first court of hard Day's night
So basically like an F# Mixolydian with an added fourth
Interesting, I've always enjoyed this chord quite a bit myself. I never really thought of it as an Alex Lifeson thing though. I'd be willing to bet guitarists have been using it before he did. As another commenter mentioned guitarists all the way from Lifeson to Peter Buck to Jerry Cantrell have used this. Seattle musician Mark Lanegan's first solo album uses this chord and similar ones extensively.
um... where is the chord?
3:25
Looking very Rick Rubin...
beard patrol mr. beard control and beard patrol
Freewill rush
Lee Lifesonn Harrison...
Listen to "The Fountain of Salmacis" by Genesis. Steve Hackett plays an arpeggiated version of that chord, about 6 or 7 years before Lifeson played it.
@Justin Hoard I could believe that, sounds like a flamenco chord
I wish Portnoy drummed on The Astonishing :(
Aw boo hoo
You can tell the guy to the left doesn't have a clue about anything ROFL
no face just hair
only one thing worse than this and that's Careoke. 3 guys in a car and no one understands this genius
a few hipsters in a $150,000 tesla.. no way they get what John has done in his career.. posers!
Why are they laughing? I hope its not because they think its a joke
They have no idea what he’s talking about
Lol 4 dudes in a tesla :)
You know the beer and pizza farts were thick.
Sounds like a SUS chord?
Not merely a SUS chord: It contains the 3rd *AND* the 4th...
Indeed. That 4th is up above the octave, so you can also call it an 11. F# (1) A# (3) C#(5) E(b7) B(11), but it's voiced 1,5,1,3,11,b7. And remember, no matter how weird we get in this era, Debussy and Bill Evans got weirder first. :) What makes Alex different is that he's using these chords for an entirely different purpose. Other composers were perhaps more interested in voice leading. Alex is trying to fill up as much information as he can because he's in a 3-piece. These chords really didn't get put "in your face" before Alex Lifeson. He's got balls...
What a dumb idea to have a interview in the car... Next time they can talk while riding the bike, showel the doorways...
alex . didnt invent that chord
carlos montoya did
No I did
no me
You don't invent chords.
no but you can apply bullshit to them all over. on top, on the sides, on the bottom. add more bullshit. and anyone that is ignorant will lick it up.
Oh BTW I invented the number 5
Petrucci is burdened with that poisened chalice of too much technique, laugh i know, but a players wrestling with his instrument shows through for me as having more soul. For me Alex has that and Petrucci doesn't. Whereas Alex has to work tightly within a band framework,all for one and one for all Petrucci i'd imagine has a string of session/mercenary players to form his various ensembles. Just my two cents worth.
Bertram LeFarge dream theatre..a ba d of musical God's who can't write a decent song.