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Related Music Theory Alchemy

The song “The Outsider” by A Perfect Circle frequently uses the chord progression [‘B’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘E’] in the key of E major. When viewing the chords through the lens of E major we can identify the chord progression as ii, ii, V, I. Furthermore, It shows some interesting harmonic decisions throughout. Most notably, the band makes use of borrowed chords which are chords taken from the parallel minor (in this case E minor). Here, the borrowed chords include A major and C major.

The progression starts on the suspended II chord of the key, which anticipates resolution either to the tonic (E major) or the supertonic (F# minor). However, it instead moves to the dominant minor (C# minor), suggesting a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (E minor). The D major chord which concludes the progression is a borrowed II from E minor as well.

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“Viva la Vida” mostly utilizes a four-chord progression thorough the song which is fairly common in popular music. The verse we are focusing on replicating the verse goes like this: C – D – G – Em. The chord progressions are pretty simple, catchy and give the song an uplifting feel.

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“Just The Two Of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. is a soulful song with a distinct R&B and smooth jazz style. The song is in the key of E minor during the verses, but frequently borrows chords from the parallel major, E major, delivering a rich harmony that is both pleasing and surprising to the ear.

The chord progression in Muse’s Hysteria (verse 2) is a fairly unique progression that revolves around a minor tonality with some hints of E7 acting as a secondary dominant. It seems to have an ambiguous key center, fluctuating between E minor and A minor. The progression is repeated, providing a sense of tension and familiarity throughout the verse.

A Perfect Circle – The Outsider – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘B’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘B’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘E’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The provided fragment of the song alternates between B major, A major, and E major, implying a key of E major. As such, the chords would be identified as:

– B Major (V)
– A Major (IV)
– E Major (I)

The repeated cycling through these chords would look like this:

`[B Major (V), A Major (IV), E Major (I), B Major (V), B Major (V), A Major (IV), B Major (V), A Major (IV), E Major (I)]`

Similar Chord Progressions

There are numerous examples of songs that use a similar progression, here are a few:

– Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Em, G, D, A) `[E minor (i), G Major (III), D Major (VII), A Major (IV)]`
– The Rolling Stones’ “Angie” (Am, E7, G, F) `[A minor (i), E7 (V), G Major (III), F Major (VI)]`
– The Beatles’ “Let it Be” (C, G, Am, F) `[C Major (I), G Major (V), A minor (vi), F Major (IV)]`

Please note that these examples are natively in different keys, and have been adjusted to fit the key of E major for comparison with ‘The Outsider’. So the Roman numeral designations will differ within their own native key structures. They are only the same in the key of E Major.

Musical Analysis

The Outsider, by A Perfect Circle, uses a strong and repeating chord progression throughout the song. This gives the music a driven, cyclical feel. The move between B (V), A (IV), and E (I) is a very strong resolution in classical harmony, known as a perfect cadence. This move to the tonic (I) chord at the end of the progression provides a satisfying resolution, making the music feel settled and complete at the end of each cycle.

Overall Analysis

The progression from B to A to E is a common progression in pop and rock music. This progression utilizes diatonic and non-diatonic chords, meaning that the chords all belong to the same key and it suggests the use of borrowed chords. A Perfect Circle tends to use a lot of downward motion in their chord progressions, moving from higher to lower pitches, which can give their music a distinct ‘heavy’ feel.

Style Analysis

A Perfect Circle’s style is often characterized by angsty lyrics, down-tuned guitars, complex time signatures, and innovative chord progressions. The band blends elements of progressive rock, art rock, hard rock, and metal into their sound.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of The Outsider by A Perfect Circle are:

[‘B’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘B’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘E’]