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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“In My Life” is a song by The Beatles from the 1965 album Rubber Soul. It is written in the key of A Major, beloved for its introspective lyrics and harmonic structure. The chord progression is complex and contains several borrowed chords and secondary dominants, displaying an impressive use of tonality that is characteristic of the band’s sophisticated songwriting.

“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.

“In My Life” by The Beatles is in A Major key, and it makes use of both diatonic and non-diatonic chords. The song is notable for its use of various chord trickery such as modal borrowing, secondary dominant, and chromatic bass movement. Additionally, the song is filled with the Beatles’ signatures: a mix of major and minor chords and the use of the VI-IV progression.

“Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” features a memorable and catchy chord progression, with a mix of major and minor chords that creates an overall uplifting and pleasant atmosphere. The song is in the key of G Major and employs a simple and repetitive progression, characteristic of pop and rock music. Although the chord progression is fairly common, the rhythmic pattern and melodic line make the song stand out among other pop and rock tunes.

The chord progression in the verse of “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse features a mix of diatonic and borrowed chords, primarily from the G# minor and E major keys. The progression features an interesting blend of major and minor chords, chromatic movement, and modulation, contributing to the epic and powerful sound of the track.

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The chord progression in the verse of “Help!” by The Beatles is quite characteristic of their style, using common chords but in interesting and unusual ways. The verse of “Help!” notably presents a mix of classic pop chord progression (I-vi-ii-V), secondary dominant chords and chromatic progressions. The Beatles often incorporated novel harmonic structures that added depth and complexity to their pop music, as evidenced in this piece.