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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Sometimes It Snows In April” is commonly recognised as a hauntingly beautiful ballad that features gentle, intricate piano work and tender vocals. Musically, it explores a slightly complex harmonic structure that creates a profound emotive sound spectrum.

“Kiss” by Prince is primarily a rock song that features pop elements. The song utilizes power chords which are common in rock music, having a stripped-down chord structure that highlights the root and the fifth notes of the chord. The defined chord progression listed for Verse 3 is: [‘A5’, ‘D5’, ‘A5’]. This progression lacks the richness of Major or Minor chords but provides a solid, driving rhythm backbone to the song, prioritizing rhythmic energy over harmonic complexity.

The chord progression for verse 3 of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” utilizes multiple techniques to create a rich and emotive sound. These techniques include diatonic chords, borrowed chords, and extended harmony. The progression follows a general pattern, with a repeated structure that helps unify the verse.

“The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix is a classic example of the blending of blues, rock, and pop elements that characterizes Hendrix’s unique style. The chord progression in Verse 3 demonstrates Hendrix’s use of non-diatonic chords and chromatic harmony, while maintaining a strong sense of tonality and harmonic progression. The unconventional chord progression and the expressive guitar work contribute to the song’s lasting appeal.

“And I Love Her” is a masterful composition by The Beatles that beautifully demonstrates their ability to mix pop songwriting with complexities of harmonic journey. The song is in the key of E Major, which is unique for being a popular song written by the Beatles in a major key. The main repeating chord progression of the Verse 3 is a progression that modulates between F# minor (the relative minor of A Major, which is the subdominant of E Major), and C# minor (the relative minor of E Major, the original key). The progression’s use of E6 at the end, which is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (E minor), adds a unique flavor of sixth interval. Finally, it concludes on E6, a somewhat uncommon way to ground a song within a major key.

Prince – Sometimes It Snows In April – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Amaj9’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Eadd9 (Iadd9)
F#7add11 (II7add11)
Amaj9 (IVmaj9)
Eadd9 (Iadd9)
F#7add11 (II7add11)
Eadd9 (Iadd9)
F#7add11 (II7add11)
Eadd9 (Iadd9)
F#7add11 (II7add11)

Note: In regards to borrowed chords as per your request, none of these chords are borrowed from a parallel mode. All of these chords fit functionally within E major.

“`No borrowed chords in this progression“`

Similar Chord Progressions

– “Purple Rain” by Prince
Chord Progression: Bbsus2 (Isus2), F (V), Gmadd9 (viiadd9), F (V), Ebadd9 (IVadd9), Bb (I)

– “Michelle” by The Beatles
Chord Progression: Fm7 (iim7), Bb9 (V9), Ebmaj7 (Imaj7), Ab6 (IV6), Dbmaj7 (bVII), Fm7 (iim7), Db (bV), Bb (V)

– “Peg” by Steely Dan
Chord Progression: A13 (I13), G13 (bVII13), Cmaj9 (IIImaj9), E7#9 (V7#9), Amaj7 (Imaj7), C#m7 (iiim7).

Note: The Roman numerals for the songs by other artists might be different in their respective keys. These examples are transposed to E major for comparison. The function might not exactly match due to the change in the tonal center.

Musical Analysis

The use of the Eadd9 and F#7add11 as the primary chords gives a tonal ambiguity to this progression. Eadd9 is a major chord with an added 2nd/9th, and F#7add11 is a dominant chord with an added 4th/11th. The Amaj9 chord serves as a temporary resolution, but its placement as the IV chord maintains a suspended feeling before returning back to the tension with Eadd9 and F#7add11.

Overall Analysis

“Sometimes It Snows In April” is a song by Prince in the pop style. It’s characterized by its use of extended and added note chords, as seen in the chord progression for Verse 3. This advanced harmonic content gives the song a distinct, rich, and complex musical texture, typical of Prince’s style.

Style Analysis

Prince is known for his distinctive musical style, characterized by sophisticated chord progressions and a unique fusion of different types of music including funk, rock, and pop. This progression is classic Prince, featuring extended chords which give a rich, atmospheric sound, and an interesting mixture of tension and release that draws the listener in.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Sometimes It Snows In April by Prince are:

[‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Amaj9’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Eadd9’, ‘F#7add11’]