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“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.

“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles is an iconic psychedelic rock track marked with rich harmonies and sophisticated musical elements. The song is primarily constructed around the key of A, but it employs several modal mixtures and non-diatonic chords, contributing to its intriguing tonality.

“Eleanor Rigby’” is a song by The Beatles, released on their 1966 album “Revolver”. Being unusually somber and profound for a pop song, it showcases The Beatles’ expanding musical palette and their desire to move past the conventional parameters of popular music at the time. The song itself is crafted entirely around the key of E minor, with only occasional diversions to the IV chord (C Major). It strongly exhibits the use of Aeolian mode (commonly known as the ‘natural’ minor) and employs string quartet instrumentation, a unique stylistic pattern at that time.

“Glory Box” by Portishead is a Trip Hop masterpiece which blends elements of blues, rock, soul, and electronic music together in an innovative and influential way. The song’s chord progression, as illustrated by the verse, is D minor, D minor with C in the bass (notated as Dm/C), B minor 7 flat 5, and B flat major 7. This particular chord progression gives an overall melancholy and haunting feeling throughout the song and sets the tone for the track.

“Time To Pretend” features a simple and repetitive chord progression in the key of D major. The chord progression in the verse is characterized by a repeated pattern of D – G – D – Dsus2. The style of the song can be described as psychedelic synth-pop, with its electronic synth sounds and dream-like atmosphere. MGMT’s music often features catchy melodies and harmonies, which can also be heard in this song.

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’]