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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Dont Let Me Down” by The Beatles is a song that’s heavily grounded in the key of E Major, with some interesting use of borrowed chords for a richer, more emotional harmonic texture. The song is a fine example of The Beatles’ songwriting style, which often involves mixing diatonic chords with chromatic passing chords, borrowed chords, and secondary dominants.

“Hey Jude,” by The Beatles, is an iconic song. The chord progression is in the key of D major and it follows a sort of Variation on I-V-IV-I progression of many pop and rock songs. However, what makes this song extremely unique is its out-of-the-box structure and the experimental use of borrowed cords – it shows The Beatles’ fondness for combining elements of pop, rock and classical music and results in an emotional, powerful progression that resonates strongly with listeners.

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.

“Goodbye Blue Sky” is a song by Pink Floyd from their 1979 album, “The Wall.” It is known for its haunting, ethereal quality, achieved through the use of predominantly minor chords, lush harmonies, and a slow, atmospheric tempo. The song’s lyrics and melancholic mood reflect feelings of loss and desolation.

The chord progression in the chorus of “Paper Tiger” by Beck is an interesting mix of major and minor chords which gives the song a unique and slightly melancholic vibe. While the song is in the key of E major, it contains several chords borrowed from the parallel minor key and features unusual harmonic movement. This creates a sense of tension and release that is characteristic of Beck’s music.

The Beatles – Dont Let Me Down – CHORUS

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Chord Progression

[‘E’, ‘F#m’, ‘F#m7’, ‘Amaj7/B’, ‘E’, ‘F#m’, ‘F#m7’, ‘Amaj7/B’, ‘Esus4’, ‘E’]

Chord Progression Analysis

E (I), F#m (ii), F#m7 (ii7), Amaj7/B (IV7/5), E (I), F#m (ii), F#m7 (ii7), Amaj7/B (IV7/5), Esus4 (Isus4), E (I)

Below are the full chord names along with their roman numerals as per your request:

“`shell
E Major (‘I’)
F# Minor (‘ii’)
F# Minor Seventh (‘ii7’)
A Major Seventh over B, also known as A Major Seventh with B in the bass (‘IV7/5’)
E Major (‘I’)
F# Minor (‘ii’)
F# Minor Seventh (‘ii7’)
A Major Seventh over B, also known as A Major Seventh with B in the bass (‘IV7/5’)
E Suspended Fourth (‘Isus4’)
E Major (‘I’)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

Okay, now let’s look at a few other songs that demonstrate

Musical Analysis

The Beatles often used borrowed chords in their music, but in this chorus, there are no borrowed chords, instead they’ve got the simple diatonic chords (I, ii, IV) and common secondary chords like the ii7 and IV7/5. The use of the slash chord, Amaj7/B, creates a suspension feeling before resolving back to E major. The Esus4 chord is a common device to create tension before resolution to E Major.

Overall Analysis

As this song has a distinct classical rock sound, you’ll see a mixture of major and minor chords. The progression is in the key of E major. The use of seventh chords and suspended chords provides a dense harmonic texture.

Style Analysis

In terms of the Beatles’s style, this chord progression is quite representative of their later, more experimental period. The combination of simple major and minor chords with more complex seventh and suspended chords is very characteristic of their style. This harmonic complexity, combined with their strong melodic writing, is one of the reasons why their music is often used to demonstrate advanced concepts in pop music theory.

Chords in the Chorus section of Dont Let Me Down by The Beatles are:

[‘E’, ‘F#m’, ‘F#m7’, ‘Amaj7/B’, ‘E’, ‘F#m’, ‘F#m7’, ‘Amaj7/B’, ‘Esus4’, ‘E’]