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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Your Song” is characterized by a varied and complex chord progression that helps to emphasize the emotional complexity of the lyrics. This is apparent in the progression used in Verse 2, which employs several techniques used frequently by Elton John. These include the use of secondary dominants, borrowed chords, modal mixture, and chromatic bass movements to add emotional color and reinforce the feeling of tension and resolution in the song’s narrative.

“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.

“Castles Made Of Sand” is a song by Jimi Hendrix, featured on the 1967 album “Axis: Bold as Love.” The chord progression in the verse is notable for its use of both diatonic and chromatic chords, creating a complex harmonic structure that reflects the intricate guitar work and emotive lyrics of the song.

“Goodbye Blue Sky” by Pink Floyd is a beautifully haunting piece with a chord progression that demonstrates their innovative use of borrowed chords and modulation to explore various tonal centers. The song is generally in the key of A minor.

“Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John is a heart-touching love song that carries a smooth flowing blend of pop and soft rock, showing Elton John’s inclination to use diatonic (major and minor) chords, 7th chords and inversions. The song, largely stays in its home key of C major, has an interesting chord progression that shifts between the tonic, subdominant, and dominant. Internally, there are multiple secondary dominant chords and borrowing from the parallel minor, providing color and contrast.

Elton John – Your Song – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bmadd11/A’, ‘Bmadd11/G#’, ‘G’, ‘D/A’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘Asus4’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s the list of chords you provided for Verse 1, with the Roman numeral analysis.

– D (‘I’)
– Gmaj7 (‘IVmaj7’)
– A/C# (‘V6’)
– F#m (‘iii’)
– Bm (‘vi’)
– Bmadd11/A (‘viadd11/5’)
– Bmadd11/G# (‘viadd11/#4’)
– G (‘IV’)
– D/A (‘I/5’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus2 (‘Vsus2’)
– F# (‘III’)
– Bm (‘vi’)
– D (‘I’)
– Em (‘ii’)
– G (‘IV’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus4 (‘Vsus4’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus2 (‘Vsus2’)

Similar Chord Progressions

For similar chord progressions, we could look at these songs –

1. Let it Be – The Beatles: [‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C’]
2. Imagine – John Lennon: [‘C’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘F’, ‘C’]

They share similar characteristic traits of augmentation, inversions and stepwise bass movement although they are not exactly identical.

Musical Analysis

The verse progression begins with a relatively straightforward I-IV-V, common in pop and rock music. However, the beauty lies in its creative use of various chord inversions and added note chords. For instance, the use of A/C# (‘V6’) and then transitioning to F#m (‘iii’) results in a smooth stepwise bass movement. Similarly, the use of Bmadd11/A and Bmadd11/G# gives the progression a sophisticated feel.

The ‘III’ chord or F#, is a ‘borrowed chord’ from D major’s parallel minor (D minor). It’s used to create a brief tension that is relieved immediately by moving to Bm (‘vi’) chord.

Overall Analysis

Elton John’s melody for “Your Song” is an elegant example of varied harmonization and creative chord usage. The verse chord progression is in the key of D Major, but employs the use of borrowed chords and modulation for enhancing musical flavour and interest.

Style Analysis

The chord choices in “Your Song” reflect Elton John’s classical influences, yet maintain a pop sensibility. The added note chords and inversions provide an ornate harmonic texture typical of his style and the era in which the song was written. More importantly, the resultant stepwise bass movement and voice leading keep the progression engaging for the listeners.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of Your Song by Elton John are:

[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bmadd11/A’, ‘Bmadd11/G#’, ‘G’, ‘D/A’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘Asus4’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’]