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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin is characterized by its distinctive blues-rock style and its highly memorable, driving riff. The bulk of the song revolves around the E5 (E power) chord, with occasional transitions to the D5 chord at the beginning of each phrase, giving the song a simple yet highly effective chord progression. The song is in the key of E Mixolydian.

The outro of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin features a simple alternating chord progression between G major and A major, which creates tension by avoiding a resolution to the tonic or dominant chords. This makes the progression sound unstable, yet well defined as it repeats. The recurring ascending motion creates a sense of lift throughout the outro, while the lack of a true resolution maintains a feeling of unease. This progression is notable for its simplicity, as well as how it invokes a modal sound that is characteristic of the mixolydian mode often used in rock music.

“Kiss” by Prince is a well-loved song known for its catchy tune and funky, upbeat style. The song is composed in the key of A major. However, it lacks typical diatonic major harmonies because Prince used power chords (fifth chords) instead of full major or minor chords. The progression is largely built around the ‘A5’ and ‘D5’ power chords, with the occasional ‘E5’ and ‘E9sus4’ worked in to add some variation.

“Rocket Man” by Elton John and his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin is a standout song in Elton John’s discography, well known for its memorable melody line and masterful chord progression that was very innovative for its time (1972). It showcases his trademark style of combining rock with various other genres such as folk.

Overall, the harmony in this song is quite rich and a clear example of Elton John’s ’70s songwriting style: using complex chords and a lot of borrowed chords from other keys that add extra color to the harmonic progression.

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.

Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D

Chord Progression Analysis

D Major (I) – E Major (II)
Note: This chord progression features no borrowed chords.

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Song: “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple.
Chord Progression: G Minor (i) – B♭ Major (III) – C Major (IV) – G Minor (i)

2. Song: “Sunshine Of Your Love” by Cream
Chord Progression: D Major (I) – A♭7 (♭V7) – G Major (IV)

Musical Analysis

The verse of “Whole Lotta Love” has a distinct rock riff-based structure. The repetitive use of D and E chords is played over a driving bass and drum rhythm, adding to the overall energy of the song. The focus of the verse is the memorable guitar riff, which consists of syncopated rhythm patterns and is emphasized by the two-chord structure. Additionally, the D-E progression is an unusual and bold choice for a rock song, as it includes a major second motion, which produces a sense of tension.

Overall Analysis

The chord progression in the verse 1 of “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin features just two chords: D and E. This fairly simple progression, used repetitively throughout the verse, creates a strong and energetic foundation for the song. The style of the song reflects 1960s heavy rock, and the simplicity of the chord progression adds to the rawness and drive of the music.

Style Analysis

“Whole Lotta Love” is a blues-influenced hard rock song that heavily features lead singer Robert Plant’s strong vocal delivery and Jimmy Page’s power chords and guitar riffs. The chord progression and riff played in the verse represent a style that was pioneered by the British rock bands in the late 1960s. It is characterized by heavy distortion, amplified sound, and aggressive guitar work.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin are:

D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D, E, D