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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles is in the minor mode and its chord progression showcases rich harmonic content and unexpected key changes, common to The Beatles’ music. Harmonically, it features an interesting mixture of chords from the parallel major and minor keys, which is indicative of modal interchange, a key characteristic of The Beatles’ songwriting.

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by The Beatles is a track that showcases the band’s fondness for creating complex and textured compositions by combining multiple melody lines with innovative chord sequences in a pop rock context. It features numerous musical styles, including pop, rock, and music hall, which reflects the band’s eclectic musical influences. The Coda of the song takes place in the key of D major.

“Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead is a melancholic song with an emotional chord progression. The song is in the key of A Major and features a mixture of diatonic chords, suspended chords, and extended chords that create a sense of yearning and tension. The verse is characterized by a cyclical progression that begins and ends on the tonic (A), providing a sense of unresolved tension. This helps to support the song’s themes of artificiality and dissatisfaction.

“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd is an iconic rock ballad from their 1975 album of the same name. The song’s verse chord progression evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing, featuring a combination of major and minor chords, as well as borrowed chords and inversions that create a unique and emotional soundscape.

“Bullet With Butterfly Wings” by The Smashing Pumpkins features a chord progression that uses a lot of power chords (fifth chords) which demonstrates its grungy, rock oriented style. It also incorporates major, minor, and suspended second chords, making it an interesting combination of simplicity and complexity.

The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F#m7b5’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus4’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus2’, ‘D’, ‘Esus4’, ‘E’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F#m7b5’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘E’]

Chord Progression Analysis

In musical analysis of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ Verse 1, the chord progression goes as follows:

Am (i), Am/G (i with G in bass), F#m7b5 (vi half diminished), Fmaj7 (VI), Am (i), G (bVII – borrowed from parallel key Am mixolydian), D (IV of relative major), Dsus4 (IVsus4 of relative major), D (IV of relative major), Dsus2 (IVsus2 of relative major), D (IV of relative major), Esus4 (V of parallel major), E (V of parallel major), Am (i), Am/G (i with G in bass), F#m7b5 (vi half diminished), Fmaj7 (VI), Am (i), G (bVII – borrowed from parallel key Am mixolydian), C (III of parallel major), E (V of parallel major).

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Borrowed Chords: G (bVII – borrowed from parallel key Am mixolydian)
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Similar Chord Progressions

The chord progression bears some similarity to the style found in songs like “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, or “Something” by The Beatles themselves, showcasing a mixture of major, minor, and suspended chords creating a rich harmonic progression. Also, “Yesterday” from The Beatles uses similar chord progressions including borrowing parallel major and minor chords.

Here is the chord progression in Stairway to Heaven’s verse:

Aminor (i) – Gsharp diminished (vii dim) – Gmajor (bVII) – Fmajor (VI) – Aminor (i) – Amajor (I of parallel major) – Cmajor/D (VII with D in bass) – D/F# (IV of relative major)

Likewise, in “Something”, a Beatles classic showcases a mixture of major, minor, and suspended chords in its verse:

C (I) – Cmaj7 (Imaj7) – C7 (I7) – F (IV) – D7 (II7 – secondary dominant) – G (V) – Am (vi) – Am/G (vi with G in bass) – Am/F# (vi with F# in bass) – F (IV).

Musical Analysis

What stands out in this song is Harrison’s wide use of borrowed chords and secondary dominants, creating an interesting tonal color and musical depth. A clear demonstration of modal interchange, the song uniquely moves from Am (natural minor focused) to D (Dorian mode focused) and also manipulates the harmonic rhythm extensively for emotional effect. The transition between sus4 and sus2 on the D chord creates additional tension leading to resolution.

Overall Analysis

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is in the key of A minor and quite uniquely, the song borrows chords from parallel major and minor keys, as well as from modes like mixolydian. It is one of George Harrison’s contributions to the Beatles and showcases sophisticated harmonic techniques and an intricate chordal design, reflecting deeply on the influence of Eastern music and philosophies on his songwriting.

Style Analysis

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is marked with melancholy – a sensation further enhanced by the varied and unusual chord choices which bring a sense of pathos to the composition. It showcases George’s unique usage of modal interchange, extended harmonies, and diatonic substitution, thereby depicting a groundbreaking depth in popular music of the time.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles are:

[‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F#m7b5’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus4’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus2’, ‘D’, ‘Esus4’, ‘E’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F#m7b5’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘E’]