Music Theory Alchemy

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“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.

The chord progression in the verse of “Help!” by The Beatles is quite characteristic of their style, using common chords but in interesting and unusual ways. The verse of “Help!” notably presents a mix of classic pop chord progression (I-vi-ii-V), secondary dominant chords and chromatic progressions. The Beatles often incorporated novel harmonic structures that added depth and complexity to their pop music, as evidenced in this piece.

The chord progression in the verse of “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse features a mix of diatonic and borrowed chords, primarily from the G# minor and E major keys. The progression features an interesting blend of major and minor chords, chromatic movement, and modulation, contributing to the epic and powerful sound of the track.

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“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones is built around major tonality and uses direct and simple progressions. It also features what are known as additive chords (Gadd9) – chords to which notes are added beyond the common triad. The song commences in the key of G Major, indicated by the G, Gadd9, and C chords. These chords progress in an almost continual cyclical pattern across the verses. Here, the dominant chord (D) in the key of G Major is absent, which grants a tonal ambiguity to the song. Interestingly, the song takes a departure into a different key later on which will not be included in this analysis as it pertains to the Verse only.

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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’]