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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Landslide” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a cover of the original song by Fleetwood Mac, and it blends rock and folk styles. The song features a variety of chords which predominantly mixes major and minor chords to evoke strong emotions. The simple yet effective chord progression emphasizes the sentiment of the lyrics, illustrating the theme of introspection and feeling a loss of control.

The song “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins has a chord progression that can be considered experimental for Pop and Rock music, which typically tend to use simple and easily predictable progressions. In this song, the progression is notably more complex and unpredictable, shifting between ‘E’ and ‘Emaj7’ gives this track a moody feel, and the Amaj7 gives it another color. This progression is in the key of E major.

“Wicked Game” has a distinct melancholic tone facilitated by the minor chord progression. The repeating pattern enhances the hypnotic sense of longing Isaak is known for. Isaak’s use of reverb and echo effects on the electric guitar contributes to the “dreamy” and somewhat eerie atmosphere of the song.

“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley is a popular and iconic song that showcases Jeff Buckley’s unique vocal talent and emotional delivery. The song is in the key of C major and features a simple yet effective chord progression. The song’s memorable melody is accompanied by guitar, which uses arpeggiated fingerpicking. This adds to its musical depth and also creates dynamic rhythmic interest. The song builds in intensity as it progresses, and this, along with the powerful lyrics, contributes to the overall emotional impact of the piece.

The chord progression in Verse 3 of “Congratulations” by MGMT features a mix of diatonic and non-diatonic chords. The song appears to be in G major, and the progression showcases several common techniques such as the use of inversions (G/F#), borrowed chords (Dsus4), and extended chords (Em7).

The Smashing Pumpkins – Landslide – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s a detailed chord progression analysis with complete chord names and their corresponding roman numeral forms:

– C Major (‘I’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– G6 (‘V6’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– G6 (‘V6’)

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “Wonderwall” by Oasis
– Progression: Em7 (‘ii7’) – G (‘V’) – Dsus4 (‘IVsus4’) – A7sus4 (‘VII7sus4’)

2. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
– Progression: Am (‘vi’) – D/F# (‘II#’) – G/F (‘bVII/F’) – G (‘V’) – Am (‘vi’)

Each of these songs use similar technique of alternating between major and minor chords, creating a memorable tonal landscape that moves the listener. “Wonderwall” also uses a type of 6th chord (A7sus4) that, similar to “Landslide”, creates a unique and distinctive sound.

Musical Analysis

The structure of C – G6 – G6 – Am, repeated several times, beautifully leads into each other, building suspense before resolving back to the C. The G6 chord acts as a transition chord leading to the Am, and then once again leads back to the C, effectively outlining the tonal center of the piece.

Overall Analysis

“Landslide” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a subtly complicated piece of music. At first glance, the chord progression may seem simple, but it actually incorporates a number of rich musical techniques that give the song its iconic depth and emotional resonance. The song follows a simple yet powerful chord progression and relies heavily on the interplay between the root C major chord, the G6, and the Am minor. There is a recurring theme of returning to the G6, which creates tension and suggests feelings of melancholy or introspection.

Style Analysis

The dominant use of G6 gives a nod to the band’s alternative-rock style, as this is not a conventional chord that is traditionally used. The Smashing Pumpkins have been known for their grunge and heavy metal influences, and incorporating such chords adds a layer of musical sophistication and unpredictability to their songs.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Landslide by The Smashing Pumpkins are:

[‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’]