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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Let It Be” by The Beatles is a song in the key of C Major. The chord progression featured in Verse 3 of the song, C – G – Am – Am/G – Fmaj7 – F6 – C – G – F – C/E – Dm7 – C, is a common progression in pop music. It has a repetitive structure and revolves around the I-V-vi-VI progression.

“Heartbreaker” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock song that utilizes a chord progression that is stereotypical of the genre. The verse and chorus unfold in the key of E minor, with the verse using primarily a cycle of Em7 and Am7. In terms of musical mood and expressivity, the progression conveys a melancholic yet energetic feeling, which is characteristic of the rock genre.

“Yesterday” by The Beatles showcases the innovative use of chord progressions that the group is known for. This song, unlike their other songs, includes borrowed chords and numerous secondary dominant chords. It also uses their favored approach of mixing chords from parallel major and minor scales, hence creating a ‘blended’ modal effect.

Moreover, it uses a mixolydian ♭7 in the main chord sequence, which is quite a popular trick among songwriters for shifting the tonic of a song.

“Idioteque” by Radiohead is a song with an alternative rock/electronic style, featuring an unusual chord progression that effectively creates a sense of tension and instability while still maintaining a familiar and consonant tonality. This can be attributed to the band’s creative use of borrowed chords and harmonic movement.

The Beatles – Blackbird – Verse

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Chord Progression

[‘G’, ‘Am7’, ‘G/B’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C#dim’, ‘D’, ‘D#(b5)’, ‘Em’, ‘Ebaug’, ‘D’, ‘Dbdim’, ‘C’, ‘Cm’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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Verse:

Here’s the chord progression for the verse with full chord names.

“`
G (I) – Am7 (ii7) – G/B (I/III) – G (I))
C (IV) – C#dim (iv♯°) – D (V) – D#(b5) (♭V(b5)) – Em (vi) – Ebaug (vi♭(#5)) – D (V) – Dbdim (♭V°) – C (IV) – Cm (iv(minor) – borrowed chord from G minor)
G/B (I/III) – A7 (V7/ii) – C/D (IV/V) – G (I)
C (IV) – G/B (I/III) – A7 (V7/ii) – C/D (IV/V) – G (I) –
C (IV) – G/B (I/III) – A7 (V7/ii) – C/D (IV/V) – G (I)
“`

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Similar Chord Progressions

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One song with similar harmonic complexity is “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, which combines a variety of chords, similar to “Blackbird,” though this progression is not as chromatically active.

Verse Chord Progression:

“`
Am (i) – G#°/B# (vii°/VI) – C/D (VI/VII) – D/F# (VII/IX) – Fmaj7 (VI maj7) – Am (i) – G (VII) – Am (i)
“`
Also, “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees has a similar feel:

Verse Chord Progression:

“`
G (I) – D (V) – G (I) – Bm (iii) – Em (vi) – Am (ii) – D7 (V7) – G (I)
“`

Musical Analysis

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There are two main aspects of this chord progression that make it unique: its use of secondary dominants (A7), which function to temporarily tonicize a non-tonic chord (in this case the ii chord, Am), and its use of a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key (Cm). These elements contribute to the progression’s distinct sound.

The progression also does not follow a standard 4-chord loop commonly seen in pop/rock music of the time, but rather goes on a journey with several unique changes. Non-diatonic chords such as the D#(b5), Dbdim, and the Ebaug chords further disrupt the expected feel of the key.

Furthermore, the inversion of the primary G chord (G/B) gives a distinctive color to the progression.

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Overall Analysis

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“Blackbird” by The Beatles is a song mostly in the key of G Major. It’s known for its interesting guitar work and unconventional chord progression. The song employs a mix of functional and non-functional harmony, striking a balance between traditional diatonic harmony and more experimental harmonic ideas. The chord progression also includes several chromatic or borrowed chords (Cm, Dbdim, D# (b5), C#dim, and Ebaug).

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Style Analysis

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“Blackbird” is one of the Beatles’ more harmonic adventurous songs, showcasing their ability as innovators within the pop music realm. The combination of standard folk acoustic picking with rare and borrowed chords, as well as its irregular structure defying the typical verse-chorus form, sonically painting a landscape that is famously Beatles.

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Chords in the Verse section of Blackbird by The Beatles are:

[‘G’, ‘Am7’, ‘G/B’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C#dim’, ‘D’, ‘D#(b5)’, ‘Em’, ‘Ebaug’, ‘D’, ‘Dbdim’, ‘C’, ‘Cm’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘A7’, ‘C/D’, ‘G’]