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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“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.

The song “Yesterday” by The Beatles is in the key of F major and spans chord I to VI. It is characterized by a deeply expressive melody and distinctive harmony. The chord progression seems simple, yet it makes full use of secondary dominants, borrowed chords, and subtly shifting tonal centers for narrative, which is a trademark of The Beatles’s songwriting style.

“Kiss” by Prince is primarily a rock song that features pop elements. The song utilizes power chords which are common in rock music, having a stripped-down chord structure that highlights the root and the fifth notes of the chord. The defined chord progression listed for Verse 3 is: [‘A5’, ‘D5’, ‘A5’]. This progression lacks the richness of Major or Minor chords but provides a solid, driving rhythm backbone to the song, prioritizing rhythmic energy over harmonic complexity.

This is simply a repetition of the F major chord, played four times. This does not provide much variety or harmonic interest, but it might create a sense of stability and could be used to produce a strong tonal center.

The chord progression for “The Sound Of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel is in the key of A minor. It makes use of both diatonic and borrowed chords. The song reflects a folk and folk rock style, with its roots in the 1960s. The melody and harmony are interwoven to form an integral part of the song, reflecting the introspective and melancholic mood of the lyrics.

The Beatles – Let It Be – Verse 3

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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

“`
C Major (I)
G Major (V)
A minor (vi)
A minor/G (vi)
F Major 7 (IV)
F6 (IV)
C Major (I)
G Major (V)
F Major (IV)
C Major/E (I)
D minor 7 (ii)
C Major (I)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. The hangover track “For No One” also by The Beatles
“`
C Major (I)
A minor (vi)
D minor 7 (ii)
G Major (V)
“`
2. The song “Perfect” from Ed Sheeran
“`
G Major (I)
E minor (vi)
C Major (IV)
D Major (V)
“`
3. “High Hopes” from Kodaline
“`
C Major (I)
A minor (vi)
F Major (IV)
G Major (V)
“`

Musical Analysis

The song is built around a classic “IV-I-V-vi” pattern, contributing to its universal and easy-listening appeal. The Am/G (vi) chord is a more sophisticated version of the more common Am chord and adds an ethereal touch to the progression. The Fmaj7 (IV) adds a slight tension before resolving back to the tonic. The F6 (IV) adds color and variety to the progression. The Dm7 (ii) chord adds a different type of tension that nicely resolves back to the tonic.

Overall Analysis

“Let It Be” by The Beatles is a song in the key of C Major. The chord progression featured in Verse 3 of the song, C – G – Am – Am/G – Fmaj7 – F6 – C – G – F – C/E – Dm7 – C, is a common progression in pop music. It has a repetitive structure and revolves around the I-V-vi-VI progression.

Style Analysis

The Beatles often used conventional chord progressions but with twists, either incorporating sophisticated borrowed chords or switching chord inversions. They also often used non-diatonic chords to add color and emotional depth to their songs. “Let It Be” is a great example of this. It’s important to note that the primary hook of the song is not only in the chord progression but also in the melody and the lyrical content – a hallmark of The Beatles’ songwriting style.

Chords in the Verse 3 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’]