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Related Music Theory Alchemy

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“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a classic alternative rock song that cleverly uses uncommon, sophisticated chords to evoke an emotional, melancholic atmosphere.

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“Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead is an experimental and ambient piece released in 2000 as part of their album “Kid A.” The piece defies traditional pop and rock song forms, delving more into the territory of electronic and experimental music. The outro chord progression is simple but intriguing, serving a hypnotic and unresolved quality that keeps the listener engaged.

The Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By” is primarily in the key of G major and follows a Verse-Verse-Verse-Outro structure. The harmony is relatively simple, incorporating primarily diatonic chords from the G major scale as well as a few borrowed chords and inversions.

Chord Progression Analysis (Outro):
G Major (I) – A Major (V/vi, borrowed from E minor) – C Major (IV) – D Major (V) – G Major (I)

The outro of “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix uses a descending circle of fifths chord progression, which is a very common progression in many styles of music, particularly in the Baroque period and in blues-based rock music. The progression features a steady descent through the Circle of Fifths that creates a strong sense of harmony and resolution. In this context, Jimi Hendrix uses the progression to create tension and momentum, which is appropriate for an outro section.

The Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm – Outro

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Chord Progression

[‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s the chord progression analysis with the full chord names and their functions:

“`
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), Dsus (V)
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), Dsus (V)
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), D (V)
Em7 (vi7), D (V), Em7 (vi7), D (V)
Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9)
“`

The chord D in the outro serves as the dominant (V) function in G major moving to the vi chord (Em7), which uses the tonic function in this context. The Cadd9 is a subdominant IV chord.

Similar Chord Progressions

– “Wonderwall” by Oasis shares a similar chord progression with its use of suspended and added ninth chords (e.g., Asus4 and Dadd9).
– “With or Without You” by U2 also uses a repeated four-chord progression (D, A, Bm, G).
– “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses contains the same chords, though arranged differently (C, G, A, D).

Please note that while these songs utilize the same chords, proceeding chord order, rhythm instrumentation and lyrical content all contribute in creating distinctively different songs.

Musical Analysis

The sparseness and repetition of this chord progression subtly creates a melancholic and introspective atmosphere contributing to the overall mood of the song. While the song primarily moves diatonically within the G major scale, the recurring Dsus chord creates a sense of unresolved tension that elevates the emotional resonance of the piece.

Overall Analysis

“Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a piece that showcases a rather common chord progression structure in pop music, but with added embellishments and variations. The featured chords include Dsus, Em7, Cadd9, G, and Dsus/F# with a key signature suggesting that the song is in the key of G major or E minor. The prominent chord in the outro is Dsus which suggests that the song might be interpreted in the D Mixolydian mode. The use of the slash chord (D/F#) diversifies the sound of the progression and adds harmonic richness. This chord progression uses both diatonic and borrowed chords creating a familiar but interesting sound.

Style Analysis

Billy Corgan, the main songwriter for The Smashing Pumpkins, often employs the use of extended and suspended chords (like Dsus and Cadd9), to create a distinctive sound that straddles between alternative rock and pop. This song, like much of their work, combines relatively simple chord progressions with evocative lyrics and a unique sonic landscape.

Chords in the Outro section of Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins are:

[‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’]