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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.

“Something” written by George Harrison from The Beatles majorly follows the key of C major and includes a few borrowed chords. There is a usage of secondary dominants and seventh chords which lend a harmonic complexity to the song. During the course of the song, the chords shift from the major scale to the parallel minor scale.

The chorus from Jeff Buckley’s rendition of “Hallelujah” in the key of C major beautifully demonstrates a diverse range of chords and harmonic techniques. The chord progression incorporates diatonic chords, borrowed chords, and some unexpected harmonic twists, all of which work together to create a sense of emotional depth and tension throughout the chorus.

The chorus of “Hate This And I’ll Love You” by Muse features a highly chromatic and non-diatonic chord progression, with a myriad of borrowed chords and some distinctive rock sound. The key within which the progression is based seems to shift between E minor and B minor, with a mixture of Major and minor chords throughout.

“Cant Buy Me Love” by The Beatles, is a song in the key of C Major, but it has an interesting harmonic structure, especially in the chorus. The song features a number of borrowed and secondary dominant chords to create tension that resolves into the tonic chord. The chorus’s progression can be seen as a series of descending minor thirds, with an unexpected shift to a ii-V-I progression which is quite popular in jazz 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’]