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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Yet Again” by Grizzly Bear uses a repetitive verse structure that has a fairly common, major-oriented progression, but develops interest by alternating the exact sequence of chords that it employs. This gives the song a haunting but familiar atmosphere. The mixture of minor and major chords, along with the presence of a borrowed chord, creates tension and release within each verse.

The modality of the song “Yet Again” by Grizzly Bear is primarily in A minor, which makes it a piece in the minor modality. This song uses several traditional progression elements, but intermixes them with unexpected changes, especially the shift from E minor to F major, and the chromatic shift from G major to B flat major.

“Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer is an alternative rock song with a sense of melancholy in the verse and a catchy, anthemic chorus. The verse chords, which you provided, create a strong sense of movement and harmonic interest by using borrowed chords and a combination of diatonic and chromatic chord progressions.

“Paint It Black” plays with minor tonality, which isn’t extremely common in rock and roll music of the era. The song is in the key of E minor and uses the chords Em, B, D, G, and A. The verse has an interesting use of harmonies, incorporating the minor i, major V, minor iv, major bIII, and major IV chords.

“Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones, off their 1971 album Sticky Fingers, is in the key of C major, and primarily uses the chords C, F, G and Bb. This song showcases the band’s blues rock influences, built on a repetitive, riff-driven chord progression. The use of I, IV, V, and a borrowed bVII (Bb), which is common in the blues, creates an appealing and familiar sound, helping the song resonate with listeners.

Grizzly Bear – Yet Again – VERSE 2

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Chord Progression

[‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘C’, ‘Dm’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘C’, ‘Dm’]

Chord Progression Analysis

“`markdown
A Minor (‘i’), G Major (‘VII’), C Major (‘III’), F Major (‘VI’), F Major (‘VI’), E Minor (‘v’), C Major (‘III’), D Minor (‘iv’)
“`

This is a smooth and coherent progression, primarily because it follows a recognizable pattern. The shift between the I chord (Am), the VII chord (G), the III chord (C), the VI chord (F), and the iv chord (Dm) offers a common movement in music theory.

Similar Chord Progressions

Here are equivalent examples by other artists:
1. Radiohead’s “Exit Music” (for a film): [‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘B’, ‘Dm’]
2. Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon”: [‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘B’, ‘Dm’]
These songs show similar modulatory schemes and thematic structures, adopting a similar compositional approach to Grizzly Bear.

Musical Analysis

The repeated sequence tread between two predominant modalities: A minor and C major. This repetitive progression creates a kind of textural layering, engaging listeners through an ethereal sound as chords alternate between the relative major and minor keys. The two F major chords in a row add a slight twist to the expectation, intensifying the overall progression before resolving back to the tonic.

Overall Analysis

Verse 2 of Grizzly Bear’s “Yet Again” presents a straightforward harmonic progression that is common in pop and indie rock music. This series of chords is mainly built around the key of A minor, and uses diatonic chords (those that naturally occur within the key) of this key. The recurring sequence (Am, G, C, F, F, Em, C, Dm) indicates a strong sense of familiarity and predictability, characteristic of many pop/rock anthologies.

Style Analysis

Grizzly Bear’s harmonic progression in “Yet Again” signifies a common trend in indie rock where songwriters exploit a more complex harmonic language, rotating between standardised major-minor tonalities. The verse embraces a style that emphasizes repetitive progressions, establishing a hypnotic, reflective, and somewhat introverted atmosphere typical of indie bands.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Yet Again by Grizzly Bear are:

[‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘C’, ‘Dm’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Em’, ‘C’, ‘Dm’]