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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Let It Be” by The Beatles utilizes a very accessible and effective chord progression throughout the song. This progression is designed to create tension and release as it progresses, as well as establish the root key of the song, which is C Major.

The chords used throughout the song show a strong use of borrowed chords, inversions, and extensions, adding to the depth and complexity of the song despite the relatively uncomplicated chord progression.

The balance between the root key, dissonance, resolution, and overall harmony creates an emotive and engaging song that maintains listener interest and displays the songwriting abilities of The Beatles.

“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.

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“Viva la Vida” mostly utilizes a four-chord progression thorough the song which is fairly common in popular music. The verse we are focusing on replicating the verse goes like this: C – D – G – Em. The chord progressions are pretty simple, catchy and give the song an uplifting feel.

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“Lord Only Knows” by Beck showcases a simple yet effective chord progression in its Verse 2. The harmonic foundation of this progression is based on the I – V – IV – I pattern, repeated four times. This pattern is common in many popular music genres, with the verse featuring a strong tonic-dominant relationship. The progression also displays an interesting mix of major and minor chords, adding a certain level of spice to the harmonic atmosphere present in the verse.

“A Star Is Born – Shallow” by Misc Soundtrack uses common chords found in pop music and combines them in a fresh way. The progression makes use of diatonic chords and even includes a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key. It showcases a feasible balance of tension and resolution, often transitioning through a variety of chord inversions to add color and depth to the harmonies. The song moves around the circle of fifths, which allows for smooth transitions between keys.

The Beatles – Let It Be – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s a breakdown of the named chord progressions in roman numerals for the Verse 2 you provided:

– C (‘I’), G (‘V’), Am (‘vi’), Am/G (‘vi/IV’), Fmaj7 (‘IVmaj7’), F6 (‘IV6’), C (‘I’), G (‘V’), F (‘IV), C/E (‘I/iii’), Dm7 (‘ii7’), C (‘I’)

“`csharp
Borrowed Chord: None in this progression
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

-1. “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley: C (‘I’), G (‘V’), Am (‘vi’), F (‘IV’)
-2. “With Or Without You” by U2: D (‘I’), A (‘V’), Bm (‘vi’), G (‘IV’)
-3. “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga: G (‘I’), D (‘V’), Em (‘vi’), C (‘IV’)
-4. “Someone Like You” by Adele: A (‘I’)- G# ‘dim’/C-F#m/C#m-D-E(not in roman numeral format)

Note: While the chord progressions of the above mentioned songs are not exactly the same, they still share some common features with that of “Let It Be”. They all feature transitions between the tonic (‘I’), the dominant (‘V), and the relative minor chord (‘vi’) which are typical characteristics of pop music chord progressions. It’s interesting to see how different artists use these common sequences and expressions to create their unique sound.

Musical Analysis

The progression starts on the tonic (‘I’) chord and moves to the dominant (‘V’) before moving to the relative minor (‘vi’). The Am/G chord is an example of a slash chord or an inversion, which essentially means an Am chord with G in the bass. The use of Fmaj7 and F6 are examples of chord extensions, which add color and complexity to the harmonies. The Dm7 (‘ii7’) is a diatonic seventh chord in the key of C and it’s often used as a pre-dominant chord leading back to the tonic.

Overall Analysis

“Let It Be” by The Beatles uses some of the most common chords in the key of C Major, which is the tonic of the song. It also contains few instances of chord extensions, inversions, and secondary dominants, which are widely used in pop music composition.

Style Analysis

The Beatles are known for their blend of pop, rock and psychedelic music. “Let It Be” is one of their more straightforward songs, combining the folk and gospel genres with their pop sound. The chord progression follows a pretty standard pop music formula but what stands out is the effective use of inversions and extensions in the chords.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Let It Be by The Beatles are:

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’]