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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Landslide” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a subtly complicated piece of music. At first glance, the chord progression may seem simple, but it actually incorporates a number of rich musical techniques that give the song its iconic depth and emotional resonance. The song follows a simple yet powerful chord progression and relies heavily on the interplay between the root C major chord, the G6, and the Am minor. There is a recurring theme of returning to the G6, which creates tension and suggests feelings of melancholy or introspection.

The song ‘Today’ by The Smashing Pumpkins is a classic example of mixing major and minor modes in rock music. The majority of the song is modal, centered around D major and B minor. However, the bridge section changes gears and revolves around E minor.

“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is a classic and iconic rock song released in 1971, as part of their fourth studio album, Led Zeppelin IV. The song is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time, featuring an intricate chord progression, a memorable melody, and folk-inspired acoustic guitar work. The verse you provided is the second verse of the song, which shares a similar, but not identical chord progression to the other verses. The song is in the key of A minor, and the chord progression showcases a mix of diatonic and borrowed chords, along with a couple of chromatic alterations.

“Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer is an alternative rock song with a sense of melancholy in the verse and a catchy, anthemic chorus. The verse chords, which you provided, create a strong sense of movement and harmonic interest by using borrowed chords and a combination of diatonic and chromatic chord progressions.

The verse 2 chord progression in Tyler, The Creator’s “Earfquake” is a mixture of diatonic and non-diatonic chords. The progression mainly features chords from the Bb Major key, with the D7 acting as a secondary dominant chord (V7/III). The progression has a smooth, jazzy feel that is typical of Tyler’s signature style.

The Smashing Pumpkins – Landslide – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s a rundown of the chord progression for the given verse:

“`plaintext
G6 (I6), C (IV), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), Am (ii), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), C (IV), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), Am (ii), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), C (IV), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), Am (ii), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), C (IV), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), Am (ii), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), G6 (I6), Am (ii), G6 (I6], G6 (I6)
“`

In these sequences, the borrowed chord is `Am` from the parallel minor `G minor`, borrowing chords from a parallel key are a common technique used in many songs for its expressive potential.

Similar Chord Progressions

One of the classics that has a similar chord progression is “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses. Compared to Landslide, it uses a D instead of the G6 and C, but it has a similar character. The chord progression goes as:

“`plaintext
D (IV), Cadd9 (II9), G (I)
“`

Another one worth mentioning is “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty. While it cycles over D, G, A (IV, I, II in G major), the feel is similar due to the usage of triadic chords. The chord progression is:

“`plaintext
D (IV), G (I), A (II)
“`

Musical Analysis

The usage of the 6th chord indicates influence from the folk and country styles in the choice of harmony. The progression mostly alternates between the I6 (G6) and IV (C), which are very common chord progressions in the rock genre. The occasional ii (Am) offers a ‘minor’ mood contrast to the otherwise ‘major’ sounding G and C chords.

Overall Analysis

“Landslide” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a cover of a popular folk-rock song by Fleetwood Mac. In this song, The Smashing Pumpkins show their alternative rock style, while also paying homage to the folk-rock genre and especially to the founder of Folk-Rock “Fleetwood Mac”. The chords used throughout the song are predominantly composed in the key of G major, with the occasional use of a common borrowed chord (Am) from the G minor key.

Style Analysis

This progression is very soothing and smooth, consistent with the alternative rock and folk style of The Smashing Pumpkins. The alternation between G6 and C creates a consistent, catchy feel, and when the Am appears, it provides a touch of melancholy to balance out the progression.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Landslide by The Smashing Pumpkins are:

[‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘C’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’, ‘Am’, ‘G6’, ‘G6’]