Michelle — reimagined in DADGAD

Originally by The Beatles (Standard tuning, capo 5) Tuning used here DADGAD (free, one of the 33 built-ins) Key idea some of the Beatles' most jazz-literate harmony, refretted in a Celtic folk staple

This isn't how Michelle was originally played. McCartney recorded it in Standard tuning, capo 5. But the harmony itself is some of the most sophisticated writing in the Beatles catalog — a minor iv7 borrowed from the parallel key, a chromatic diminished passing chord, a real modulation to C minor in the bridge. Refretted here in DADGAD, the tuning most associated with Celtic and prog-folk players — about as far from a Liverpool pop tuning as you can get.

The verse opens on the tonic, then drops straight into a minor iv7 borrowed from the parallel minor key — an unusually somber color for a I chord to fall into. From there a ♭VI6 and a chromatic diminished chord lead back to the dominant. The bridge briefly tips the whole song into C minor before pulling back home. It's the kind of borrowed-chord, functional-jazz thinking most pop songwriting never touches.

C→ Fm7→ B⁠♭⁠6→ Adim→ G7→ Cm→ E⁠♭⁠7→ A⁠♭⁠

This is the verse-into-bridge harmonic skeleton as commonly transcribed — open it below to hear it fretted in DADGAD, no Pro unlock needed.

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