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A Perfect Circle

“3 Libras Acoustic Live” by A Perfect Circle revolves around a rock ballad style with an alternative rock genre. It features distinctive chord progressions and some borrowing from outside of the primary key. The harmonic progression in the chorus is relatively simple but contributes to the melancholic and introspective atmosphere of the song.

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A Perfect Circle

The song “The Outsider” by A Perfect Circle has a main key signature of E major, as indicated by the repeated occurrences of the chords B, A, and E. The overall structure is tonal, using chords common in Western music. Some elements of modality are observable though, with the use of the C chord, which in traditional music theory would be considered a borrowed chord from the parallel E minor scale. A sense of tension and release is created through the use of these non-diatonic chords, which ultimately helps to maintain the listener’s interest.

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The Beatles

“All You Need Is Love” is in the key of G major. The song primarily uses the chords within the key signature and has a relatively simple harmonic structure. However, the song does utilize a few distinct chord choices that contribute to its unique sonic character. The song applies modal interchange with an inclusion of A minor from the G Mixolydian mode and the D7 and D6 which evoke a hint of the D Mixolydian mode.

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Elton John

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, written in the key of C Major, is a classic example of elaborate pop song writing. The chord progression features common primary and secondary chords in the key of C Major, along with some borrowed chords to add color. This combination makes for a memorable and melodic song.

The most unique feature of the song is how it slowly changes to the key of C minor in the second half of the verse, making use of two borrowed chords. This is a powerful tool in songwriting, as it can dramatically affect the emotional tone of the song. Lastly, this song demonstrates Elton John’s use of Coloristic harmony, through chromatically altered chords.

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The Rolling Stones

The song, “As Tears Go By” by The Rolling Stones, is primarily in the key of G major. Its chord progression contains elements of classic pop songwriting, particularly from the 1960s, featuring major and minor chords, functional harmony, and a few borrowed chords. The verse has a repeating chord sequence that eventually concludes with a resolution to the tonic chord.

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A Perfect Circle – 3 Libras Acoustic Live – Verse

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Chord Progression

[‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘D’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The chord progression can be segmented into two main parts:

1. Asus2 – Asus2 – Asus2 – Asus2 – C#m – C#m – C#m – C#m
2. Asus2 – Asus2 – Asus2 – Asus2 – C#m – C#m – D – D

And their respective Roman numerals:

1. Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – C#m (vi) – C#m (vi) – C#m (vi) – C#m (vi)
2. Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – Asus2 (IVsus2) – C#m (vi) – C#m (vi) – D (♭VII) – D (♭VII)

Borrowed chords:
“`
C#m (vi)
D (♭VII)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

One notable song with a similar chord progression is “Black” by Pearl Jam (in the key of E major):

Verse:
E – E – Aadd9 – Aadd9 – C#m – C#m – D – D

Chord/Roman numeral representation:
E (I) – E (I) – Aadd9 (IVadd9) – Aadd9 (IVadd9) – C#m (vi) – C#m (vi) – D (♭VII) – D (♭VII)

As with “3 Libras,” “Black” uses suspended and minor chords in its verse to create a dark, melancholic tone, and borrows the ♭VII from the parallel minor.

Musical Analysis

The extensive use of the Asus2 chord creates a sense of movement and unresolved tension in the piece. The frequent repetition of these specific chords contributes to that sense of movement and anticipation, which is then furthered by the unexpected turns to the C# minor and D major chords – borrowed chords from the parallel minor key.

Overall Analysis

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.

Style Analysis

“3 Libras” is characteristic of the alternative rock/post-grunge style of A Perfect Circle, particularly their exploration of darker harmonies and suspended tonality. The song’s style also incorporates elements of the progressive rock genre, demonstrated by its utilization of non-diatonic harmony and unusual chord progressions.

Chords in the Verse section of 3 Libras Acoustic Live by A Perfect Circle are:

[‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘Asus2’, ‘C#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘D’, ‘D’]

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