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Related Music Theory Alchemy

The verse chord progression in Beck’s “Girl Acoustic” features a bright and uplifting feel, with a mix of major and minor chords. The progression is in the key of A major and showcases a simplicity that is common in pop and folk music.

The chord progression in Verse 2 of Beck’s “Say Goodbye” showcases a unique blend of chords that are not commonly heard together in popular music. The mix of major, minor, and borrowed chords creates an interesting and engaging sound. Its distinctive quality can be found in the use of the A# major chord, which is not diatonic to the key of G major.

“Kiss” is a funk, synthpop song written, produced and performed by Prince. The song’s structure runs around a simple, repeated two-bar eight-note pattern, but what’s odd is the song’s key. Dotting between E and D, it’s hard to pin down definitively, but the song seems to be written in the ambiguous key of E Mixolydian/D major.

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‘Set Fire to the Rain’ is written in the key of D minor. The main course of progression uses the chords of Dm, B-flat Major, F Major and C Major. This is a 6-4-1-5 progression, which is very popular and is used in a lot of pop music.

What makes this progression interesting is that Adele uses the 2nd inversion of the A minor chord, Am/B, and G/A, which gives it a unique timbre. `Am/B` is the 2nd inversion of the `Am` chord and `G/A` is the 2nd inversion of the `G` chord.

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The key of ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ is G Major, a common key for pop and country songs which provides a bright and uplifting sound. Throughout the song, only four different chords are used: G, D, Em and C. The progression is repeated consistently, with only the sudden introduction of an F major chord (borrowed from the parallel minor of G) towards the end of the song during a transition phase.

Beck – Girl Acoustic – Chorus

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Chord Progression

E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A

Chord Progression Analysis

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

Similar Chord Progressions

There are many songs that share a similar structure of moving between the V, IV, and I chords. Some examples are:

1. “Yellow” by Coldplay: B Major (V) – A Major (IV) – E Major (I)
2. “Let It Be” by The Beatles: G Major (V) – F Major (IV) – C Major (I)
3. “With Or Without You” by U2: D Major (IV) – A Major (I) – E Major (V)

These songs, like “Girl Acoustic,” utilize the strong resolutions and the tension between the V and IV chords to create memorable and engaging progressions.

Musical Analysis

The progression is a repeated pattern of three chords – E, D, and A. This particular sequence creates a strong and stable harmonic structure built around the tonic. The constant return to the tonic provides the sense of resolution and conclusiveness, whereas the movement from V to IV chords creates tension, contributing to the song’s overall emotion.

The movement from E to D (V to IV) is a classic “plagal cadence” that is widely used throughout various music genres, enhancing the song’s catchiness and familiarity.

Overall Analysis

The chord progression of the chorus in Beck’s “Girl Acoustic” is relatively simple and straightforward, yet effective in creating a memorable and catchy tune. The song is in the key of A major, and the progression maintains a predominantly diatonic harmony.

Style Analysis

The progression’s simplicity and constant return to the tonic can be seen as a defining stylistic characteristic of Beck’s songwriting, which often employs straightforward yet effective harmonic structures. “Girl Acoustic” is predominantly a pop-influenced indie-folk song, and the chord progression reflects that in its accessible nature.

Chords in the Chorus section of Girl Acoustic by Beck are:

E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A, E, D, A