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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles is a song that was unusually complex and beautifully experimental. It uses rarely seen chord structures that emphasize both traditional tonality and borrowed tones from outside the key signature. This song is an excellent example of Beatles-style blending of rock & roll and pop music with elements of classical chord progressions and harmonies. It is also a great example of how The Beatles stretched the boundaries of diatonic harmony.

“Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles incorporates chords commonly associated with the genre of folk or country music. It is primarily built on a repetitive chord progression which consists of Am7, D7sus4, D7, G7, C, and C/B. There’s also a use of plenty of sevenths and suspensions to create a slightly jazzy feel. It’s also worth noting The Beatles’ penchant for chords that provide a mix of major and minor tonalities.

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by The Beatles is a track that showcases the band’s fondness for creating complex and textured compositions by combining multiple melody lines with innovative chord sequences in a pop rock context. It features numerous musical styles, including pop, rock, and music hall, which reflects the band’s eclectic musical influences. The Coda of the song takes place in the key of D major.

The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” is in the key of E major and the coda chord progression special in its context. It is a clear example of a piece from the pop or rock genre exhibiting a distinctive use of chord progressions and modulation without adhering strictly to the classical traditions. Common prevailing characteristics of music by The Beatles are exemplified in this piece through its use of borrowed chords, chromatic mediants, and modal interchange, providing a distinct harmonic color and texture.

“House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals is a folk-rock song in A minor that features a distinct and memorable chord progression in its coda. By incorporating rhythmic and dynamic elements in their rendition, The Animals managed to popularize the song, making it one of their best-known hits.

The Beatles – A Hard Days Night – Coda

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Chord Progression

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’]

Chord Progression Analysis

“`
‘G Major’ (‘I’)
‘C Major’ (‘IV’)
‘G Major’ (‘I’)
‘F Major’ (‘♭VII’ borrowed chord from G minor)
‘G Major’ (‘I’)
‘G Major’ (‘I’)
‘C Major’ (‘IV’)
‘G Major’ (‘I’)
‘F Major’ (‘♭VII’ borrowed chord from G minor)

Below are the special chords in Coda:
‘D7sus4’ (Not applicable as it’s not in the diatonic chords in G Major.)
‘Dm7’ (‘ii7’ but it is minor where in G Major it should be major)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths

“`
‘F# Major’ (‘I’)
‘B Major’ (‘IV’)
‘F# Major’ (‘I’)
‘E Major’ (‘♭VII’ borrowed chord from F# minor)
‘F# Major’ (‘I’)
“`

2. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses:

“`
‘D Major’ (‘I’)
‘G Major’ (‘IV’)
‘D Major’ (‘I’)
‘C Major’ (‘♭VII’ borrowed chord from D minor)
‘D Major’ (‘I’)
“`

Musical Analysis

This sequence of chords creates a sense of resolution and departure all together. The F Major acts as a borrowed chord from its parallel minor scale (G minor), creating some spice and feeling of departure while maintaining a melodic flow within the song.

Overall Analysis

“A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles is in the key of G Major. According to the provided list, the song has an array of major, minor, and some of the seventh and suspended chords, which is quite typical for the pop and rock genres. The coda appears to be a cyclic repetition of a phrase involving a transition from a C Major to a G Major chord, before leading to the repeated sequence of D7sus4, Dm7 chords. The D7sus4 and Dm7 chords give an interesting tension and release effect, as the suspension wants to resolve to the minor chord, while the minor chord creates an expectation for a return to the root chord.

Style Analysis

The Beatles are known for their innovative use of chord progressions and harmonies. Embedding borrowed chords and suspended chords into a pop song structure was one of the methods that greatly enriched their sound, making their music distinctive and widely appreciated.

Chords in the Coda section of A Hard Days Night by The Beatles are:

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘Dm7’]