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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“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.

“The Long and Winding Road” by The Beatles is written in the key of D major and utilizes various chord progressions that contribute to its melancholic and nostalgic atmosphere.

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.

“Penny Lane” by The Beatles is an eclectic and elegant piece of music evident in its rhythm, harmony, melody, and lyrics. It is predominantly in the key of A Major, but it has several key changes and introduces chords that are non-diatonic, giving it a progressive and unexpected feel.

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 – Yesterday – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘F’, ‘Em7’, ‘A7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘Dm’, ‘G7’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘F’]

Chord Progression Analysis

These are the roman numerals for each chord in Verse 3:

* F (I)
* Em7 (ii7)
* A7 (V/vi)
* Dm (vi)
* Dm/C (vi/64)
* Bb (IV)
* C7 (V7)
* F (I)
* F/E (I6)
* Dm (vi)
* G7 (V7/V)
* Bb (IV)
* F (I)
* F (I)

Borrowed Chords:
“`
Em7 (ii7) from parallel minor key
A7 (V/vi) as secondary dominant
G7 (V7/V) as secondary dominant
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Elton John – “Rocket Man”: [‘Bb (I)’, ‘C7 (V7)’, ‘F (IV)’, ‘Em7 (iii7)’, ‘A7 (V/vi)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘Dm/C (vi/64)’, ‘Bb (IV)’, ‘F (I)’]

2. Billy Joel – “She’s Always a Woman”: [‘F (I)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘G7 (V7/V)’, ‘Bb (IV)’, ‘F (I)’, ‘Em7 (ii7)’, ‘A7 (V/vi)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘C (V)’, ‘F (I)’]

3. Brian Wilson – “God Only Knows” (Chorus): [‘A (IV)’, ‘G (bIII)’, ‘F#m7 (ii7)’, ‘B7 (V/vi)’, ‘Em (vi)’, ‘Em/D (vi/64)’, ‘D (I)’, ‘Bm7 (vi7)’, ‘E7 (V7/vi)’, ‘A (IV)’, ‘D (I)’]

All these song examples feature chord progressions that incorporate secondary dominants and borrowed chords, similar to the Beatles’ “Yesterday”. Each utilizes these techniques to capture their own distinctive harmonic color, showcasing the endless possibilities in pop songwriting.

Musical Analysis

“Yesterday” demonstrates the Beatles’ fondness for mixing major and minor harmonies. The Em7 (ii7) and A7 (V/vi) are borrowed chords, which are chords borrowed from the parallel minor key. These borrowed chords highlight unexpected flavors in the harmony and serve as bridge chords, linking diatonic sections together.

The use of secondary dominants, such as A7 (V/vi) and G7 (V7/V), creates a strong pull towards their respective tonic chords, thus adding tension and release in the chord progression.

Overall Analysis

“Yesterday” is predominantly composed in the key of F Major. The song is a classic in pop songwriting and showcases the effective use of borrowed chords to capture a unique, nostalgic sound that has made it one of the most covered songs in pop music. Specifically, in this verse, the use of secondary dominants and borrowed chords from the parallel minor key provides the song’s distinctive tonal color.

Style Analysis

The Beatles were known for incorporating traditional pop and blues influences with innovative chord progressions and song structures. “Yesterday” reflects this approach with its mix of major and minor harmony, augmented with secondary dominants and borrowed chords to create a complex yet accessible sound that has made it an enduring classic.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Yesterday by The Beatles are:

[‘F’, ‘Em7’, ‘A7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘Dm’, ‘G7’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘F’]