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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles is an excellent example of their innovative approach to harmony and chord progression. This song, written in the key of G major, features a common I-V-vi-III progression in the verses. It notably uses borrowed ‘B’ major and ‘B7’ chords from the parallel minor scale.

“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles is a song that displays the remarkable depth of harmonic creativity found in their songwriting. The chord progression in the Chorus 4 section of the song is particularly complex. This progressions illustrate the band’s ability to exploit common harmonic devices such as diatonic pivots, modal mixture, and deceptive resolutions, in order to produce beautifully unique and captivating chord sequences.

The bridge of George Benson’s “Give Me The Night” features a blend of jazz, R&B, and pop elements. The harmonic progression showcases a series of descending chords, interspersed with borrowed chords that provide an interesting twist to the overall tonality of the piece.

“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.

The chord progression in the bridge of “Hey You” by Pink Floyd is a relatively simple progression that revolves around the C Major and G Major chords, with brief appearances of D Major and E minor add9 chords. The piece showcases Pink Floyd’s signature progressive rock style, with steady changes between chords and a sense of tension and release.

The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand – Bridge

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Chord Progression

[‘Dm7’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm7’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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Here is a chord progression analysis of the bridge. We’ll assume that the song is in the key of G Major:

Dm7 (‘ii7’), G (‘V’), C (‘IV’), Am (‘ii’), Dm7 (‘ii7’), G (‘V’), C (‘IV’), C (‘IV’), C (‘IV’), D (‘V’), C (‘IV’), C (‘IV’), D (‘V’), C (‘IV’), C (‘IV’), D (‘V’)

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Similar Chord Progressions

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1. Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” is similar to the bridge of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in that it uses a IV – V progression.

Chord progression: C – D – Em (‘IV – V – vi’ in G Major)

2. In Billy Joel’s “Vienna” the IV chord is held twice just like in the bridge of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”.

Chord progression: D – G – C – C (‘V – I – IV – IV’ in G Major)

These musicians, like The Beatles, often played with harmonic expectations to create fresh and engaging music.

Musical Analysis

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The bridge starts off with a ii7 – V – IV in G major, which moves to a ii in the key of C major. This represents a harmonic surprise as one might expect a V – I cadence in G major. This pattern is then repeated, but instead of returning to ii in C, it stays on the IV chord, C, with alternating V (D) and IV (C) chords. This creates tension, as the expectation of a V – I resolution in G major is thwarted twice, keeping the listener engaged before returning to song’s main key.

Borrowed chords:

“`
Dm7 (‘ii7’) from C major
Am (‘ii’) from C major
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Overall Analysis

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The Beatles were known for their innovative use of musical elements, and this can be seen in “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. The song is largely in the key of G major, but it also has some borrowed chords from other keys. This variety creates a unique listening experience that keeps the song fresh.

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Style Analysis

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The Beatles were recognised for their tendency to use unexpected chord progressions that kept their music so engaging. The use of borrowed chords and surprising harmonic movements such as the ii7 – V – IV instead of a V – I cadence contributed to their unique sound and keeps the listener engaged as traditional harmonic expectations are thwarted.

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Chords in the Bridge section of I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles are:

[‘Dm7’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm7’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘D’]