Vertigo bichord: how to play it on guitar

Vertigo bichord (E♭(1 ♭3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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Standard

Vertigo, 1958 · Bernard Herrmann · Vertigo bichord · nearest shape for the hand

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E♭(1 ♭3 ♯11 5 7)

E♭m(maj7)(♯11) Standard

5 strings

FamousVertigo bichordVertigo, 1958 · Bernard Herrmann

Two chords at once: D major over E♭ minor

Scottie's attacks of vertigo: the rooftop scene at the start ('Roof-Top', bar 58) and the bell-tower stairwell ('The Tower'); Herrmann quoted it in North by Northwest (1959), 'The Cliff'

Two chords at once: a bright D major triad stacked on a dark E♭ minor triad, their roots only a half step apart. The triads sit a half step apart yet share one note (G♭ and F♯ are the same pitch), so the sound seems to tilt and spin, which is exactly what Scottie feels. Herrmann uses it for his attacks of vertigo, on the rooftop and down the bell-tower stairs, and reused it for the cliff-edge climax of North by Northwest.

Also called Vertigo bitonal chord, D major over E♭ minor

Sources: 'A Case Study of the Bernard Herrmann Style' (hitchcock.tv; author not named on the page) · Bill Wrobel, Vertigo film score rundown (from the written score) · Bill Wrobel, North by Northwest film score rundown

Chord clock

What’s in it

R E♭♭3 G♭♯11 A5 B♭7 D

About this shape

Lowest note: E♭3, the root
Highest note: A4, the ♯11th
Stretch: 4 frets
Fingers: 4 fingers, ring finger barre

Where it sits on the neck

Fingering not checked by a guitarist yet.

Vertigo bichord (E♭(1 ♭3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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Vertigo bichord (E♭(1 ♭3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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