Music Theory Alchemy

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Related Music Theory Alchemy

Patterns in music are fundamental for creating musical identity. This repetition ensures the music is coherent and familiar for the listener. In the case of “Perfect” by Smashing Pumpkins, the song makes use of a common popular music chord progression known as the I – vi progression.

The outro of George Benson’s “Give Me The Night” features a smooth, soulful chord progression that is common to jazz, R&B, and pop music. The progression has a descending movement with alternating minor 7th and major 7th chords. This repetition creates a sense of ambience and resolution, making it an ideal conclusion to the song.

The song “Something” by The Beatles has a key center in C major. However, it modulates from time to time using a variety of techniques including secondary dominance and borrowed chords. It is a fine example of George Harrison’s complex songwriting and his adroitness at seamlessly weaving together uncommon chord progressions. Harrison employs an array of chords to inject a rich, nuanced musical quality to the song.

The outro of Muse’s “Apocalypse Please” features a mix of power chords and triadic chords, with predominant iim7 and IV triads along with some embellishing chords. The piece has a rock-based style, with the emphasis on power chords, a driving rhythm, and intense dynamics. The chord progression borrows elements from different genres, such as pop and classical, with some interesting chromatic movement.

The Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm – Outro

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Chord Progression

[‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s the chord progression analysis with the full chord names and their functions:

“`
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), Dsus (V)
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), Dsus (V)
Dsus (V), Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9), D (V)
Em7 (vi7), D (V), Em7 (vi7), D (V)
Em7 (vi7), Cadd9 (IVadd9)
“`

The chord D in the outro serves as the dominant (V) function in G major moving to the vi chord (Em7), which uses the tonic function in this context. The Cadd9 is a subdominant IV chord.

Similar Chord Progressions

– “Wonderwall” by Oasis shares a similar chord progression with its use of suspended and added ninth chords (e.g., Asus4 and Dadd9).
– “With or Without You” by U2 also uses a repeated four-chord progression (D, A, Bm, G).
– “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses contains the same chords, though arranged differently (C, G, A, D).

Please note that while these songs utilize the same chords, proceeding chord order, rhythm instrumentation and lyrical content all contribute in creating distinctively different songs.

Musical Analysis

The sparseness and repetition of this chord progression subtly creates a melancholic and introspective atmosphere contributing to the overall mood of the song. While the song primarily moves diatonically within the G major scale, the recurring Dsus chord creates a sense of unresolved tension that elevates the emotional resonance of the piece.

Overall Analysis

“Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a piece that showcases a rather common chord progression structure in pop music, but with added embellishments and variations. The featured chords include Dsus, Em7, Cadd9, G, and Dsus/F# with a key signature suggesting that the song is in the key of G major or E minor. The prominent chord in the outro is Dsus which suggests that the song might be interpreted in the D Mixolydian mode. The use of the slash chord (D/F#) diversifies the sound of the progression and adds harmonic richness. This chord progression uses both diatonic and borrowed chords creating a familiar but interesting sound.

Style Analysis

Billy Corgan, the main songwriter for The Smashing Pumpkins, often employs the use of extended and suspended chords (like Dsus and Cadd9), to create a distinctive sound that straddles between alternative rock and pop. This song, like much of their work, combines relatively simple chord progressions with evocative lyrics and a unique sonic landscape.

Chords in the Outro section of Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins are:

[‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Dsus’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘Cadd9’]