The Most Comprehensive Revolution Chords And Guitar Lesson (The Beatles)

Did you know The Beatles used many strange recording techniques when making some of their biggest hits?

In this post, I want to share with you an example of this. This song is rooted in the blues, as many Beatles songs are. But these 4 lads from Liverpool put their own stamp on it. John Lennon also borrowed/stole a very famous riff from the great Chuck Berry.

In fact, He’s even quoted as saying, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'” 

Grab your guitar, and let’s dive into this “Revolution” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Revolution?

“Revolution” was written by John Lennon (with credit to Paul McCartney as well) and performed by The Beatles. It’s one of their most politically charged tracks. Story Behind the Song

The song was tied to the turbulent political climate of the 1960s. Lennon was influenced by the protests and radicalism of the era but wanted to make a statement that encouraged change through less violent means. He famously addressed the need for revolution without advocating for violence, as he believed that violence could lead to more harm than good.

The song was first released as a single, and then later included on the White Album.

The single release Date was August 30, 1968. And the album release date was November 22 that same year. 

The recording took place at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London in mid-1968. George Martin was at the helm as producer, with the Beatles themselves also heavily involved in the production process. The track features a raw, energetic sound with electric guitars and a driving rhythm, which was a departure from some of the band’s more polished work.

The single reached number 12 on the UK charts and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. 

Now, if you’re trying to play this iconic song on guitar you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Revolution?

The tuning for "Revolution'" as recorded by The Beatles is a bit of a puzzling mystery. But here is my theory. You see, back in the day, The Beatles used to speed up the tape machine after they recorded songs. This gave them a brighter and snappier sound. Not a lot, just a little bump. And you can hear this on tunes like “Here Comes The Sun” and many others. 

I think they recorded the song with their guitars tuned up one half step. So they played it in the key of A on their guitars. Then after recording, they sped the tape machine up a smidge – which resulted in a pitch slightly between Bb and B. 

But remember, they were playing in A on their actual guitars. I know this may sound confusing but if you listen close enough to the recording and then also check out this video below of them playing it in A live below, you’ll hear what I mean. 

So standard tuning up a half step spelled out is: FBbEbAbCF. 

 Here are the strings: 

• F (6th string, lowest pitch)
• Bb (5th string)
• Eb (4th string)
• Ab (3rd string)
• C (2nd string)
• F (1st string, highest pitch) 

Let’s next take a look at the…

Revolution Chords

If you want to play "Revolution'" on guitar then here are the chords you need to know A, A6, D, E, Bm/F#, G, F#, and Bb6. We’ll be using a mix of open chords, bar chords, and blues rhythm patterns. You see, millions of songs from the past 100 years of popular American music, use common blues principles. The better you can understand these blues principles, the easier and faster you will learn to play your favorite songs – if you want to play popular American music from the past 100 years.

Let’s take a look at a few ways these shapes can be played on guitar.

A is played from the 5th string down like this:

We’ll also use a few variations on this A…Like A barred at the 5th fret:

And an A6 chord to end the tune. (A classic Beatles sound).

 D is played from the 4th string down like this:

E is a pretty common guitar chord. Here we’ll play it in open position using all 6 strings like this:

Bm/F# is a slash chord and it is played in 2nd position like this:

The rest of the chords are bar chords. HINT: if you haven’t learned the proper fundamentals to play effortless bar chords yet, you can also play them as (easier) power chords by using only the first two notes in the following chords.

G is played using all 6 strings and in 3rd position like this:

F# is played exactly the same way just shifted down one half step like this:

And finally, Bb6 is the penultimate chord and is played like this:

Now that you know the “Revolution” chords let’s talk about…

What key is Revolution by the Beatles in?

“Revolution” as recorded by The Beatles is slightly between the key of Bb major and B major. However, remember the guitar is playing in the key of A tuned up one half step. 

So let’s look at this in terms of the guitar chords. All of the chords in the song fit into the diatonic scale of A major – except for F#, and G. But these chords (not in the key) are very commonly used in rock and classic rock guitar.

Here’s a breakdown of the main chord functions and how they relate in the key of A major. First, let’s look at the primary scale for the key.

A Major Scale

The A major scale is built from the following notes:

• A (Root)
• B (Major 2nd)
• C# (Major 3rd)
• D (Perfect 4th)
• E (Perfect 5th)
• F# (Major 6th)
• G# (Major 7th)

Here’s how they all relate in the Key of A Major:

A Major (I chord)

Notes: A, C#, E

Function: The tonic chord, or the "home" chord, which establishes the key and provides a sense of resolution.

D Major (IV chord)

Notes: D, F#, A

Function: The subdominant chord, which creates movement away from the tonic and introduces some tension that typically resolves back to the tonic or the dominant chord.

E Major (V chord)

Notes: E, G#, B

Function: The dominant chord, which has a strong pull back to the tonic. It creates tension that resolves to the tonic chord (A major).

Bm/F# (ii chord)

Notes: B, D, F#

Function: This is the supertonic chord with the 6th of the scale in the bass. It provides a contrasting minor color and serves as a pivot chord to go to the next section in the song.

F# (VI chord)

Notes: F#, A#, C#

Function: This is the VI chord but it’s made major, an interesting twist that leads to the dominant chord (E major) in “Revolution”.

G Major (bVII chord)

Notes: G, B, D

Function: This chord is not diatonic in the key of A major, but as I mentioned above is a very common chord in classic rock that again comes from the blues and the blues scale.

If you don’t know how to play this scale anywhere on your fretboard, then get your hands on my free blues scale pdf guide right here:

Now that you know the key, let’s talk about the…

Revolution Opening Riff And Solos

If you would like to solo over “Revolution” the best scale to use is the A minor blues scale.

The A minor blues scale is a versatile and expressive scale. It’s built from the following notes:

• A (Root)
• C (Minor 3rd)
• D (Perfect 4th)
• Eb (Diminished 5th or Augmented 4th, also called the "blue note")
• E (Perfect 5th)
• G (Minor 7th) 

So, the notes in the A minor blues scale are: A, C, D, D#, E, G. 

The A minor blues scale can be played in many ways on the guitar fretboard. Here’s a common pattern for the scale, starting on the 12th fret:

Here’s an example of a riff in this style using the A minor blues scale:

But remember, solos don’t mean anything without the…

Revolution Strumming Pattern And Groove

The main underlying groove for "Revolution'" is an 8th-note swing feel. Strumming 8th notes with a swing feel means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into 2 parts, with a rhythmic twist that gives a "swing" feel.

To properly strum 8th notes with swing, you need to understand how to count them within each measure. In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats. When subdividing each beat into 8th notes with a swing feel, each beat is divided into two uneven parts, creating a long-short rhythm pattern. This gives us a total of eight 8th notes per measure.

To count 8th notes with a swing feel, you typically use the following syllables:

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Here’s the rub though as compared to straight 8th notes:

1: The first 8th note (on the beat)

and: The second 8th note (off the beat, is slightly delayed for the swing feel)

When counting out loud with a swing feel, it sounds like:

 "One and, Two and, Three and, Four and" 

Remember, in swing rhythm, the “and” is slightly delayed compared to the "1" which gives it the characteristic lilt. Here’s an example strumming pattern you could use throughout the entire song:

Conclusion

To wrap it up, “Revolution” by The Beatles is not just a song, it’s a powerful statement and a piece of rock history. From its politically charged lyrics to the unique recording techniques, every element of this track showcases the genius of The Beatles.

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free blues scale guide right here now: 

Jon MacLennan