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MusicRadar
MusicRadar
Entertainment
Ben Rogerson

“What is it? Do you know the wacky chord?”: Paul McCartney shows you how to play the mystery guitar chord that kickstarted his new album – but he still doesn’t know what it’s called

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1904 -- Pictured: Musical guest Paul McCartney performs "Days We Left Behind" on Saturday, May 16, 2026 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images).

When Paul McCartney announced his new album, The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, he revealed that, during his first meeting with producer Andrew Watt, he played an unfamiliar guitar chord that proved to be the jumping off point for the whole project.

“While playing around on the guitar during the meeting, Paul happened upon a chord that even he – the world’s most successful living songwriter – didn’t recognise,” said a press release. “Undeterred and driven by his experimental nature, Paul carried on changing one note, then another, until he had a three-chord sequence – which Watt suggested they should record.

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