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Music Theory Tutorial 1 by Jeff Weinberger

10/29/2017

3 Comments

 
Howdy. Good to see y'all again. Time for a new free theory lesson. Last time we discussed the basics of diatonic harmony, looked at a few tunes that use it and discussed the I IV V chord progression. Be sure to review and email questions if anything wasn't clear. This time out I'd like to look at other ways to use diatonic chords. The iim, iiim and vim chords are also pretty useful.

Some great songs are totally or mostly diatonic. Our system of diatonic harmony largely comes from church modes. Just using one of these, the Ionian or major scale, scores of familiar compositions came about.

"With or Without You" by U2:

||: D  |  A   | Bm  | G  :||
   ////  ////  ////    ////  ad nauseum! Literally, this song is 4 chords. This is one of the most commonly used chord progressions in all of modern pop music from the 1950's on:





"Let It Be" by the Beatles:

Verse-                Chorus-

C F | G Am | C G | F C :|| Am G | F C |C G |F C ||
// //  //  //    // //  //  //   //    //   // // // // // //

There actually is a Bb chord in the tag before the organ and guitar solos and also the coda. Let's forget about that for now, though. I'll explain the bVII chord later.

The analysis is:

C F | G Am | C G | F C :|| Am G | F C |C G |F C ||

I  IV |V  vim| I  V| IV I :|| vim V IV I  I  V  IV  I  ||

It, to me is gospel-like in it's directness and simplicity. It turned out to be one of their best received tunes worldwide. Another tune I would put in this category is:

"No Woman, No Cry"  by Bob Marley:

Chorus-

C G | Am F | C F | C G :||
// //  //    //  // //  // //


Play these three songs over and over to reinforce your critical listening skills and analytical skills. There is a reason these songs have been immortalized. A lot of that lies in the simplicity, honesty and directness of the chords, lyrics and melody. Cheers for now.



P.S.-

This explains it fairly well:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4gp0WKrgqY#t=210





"Your Song" by Elton John is a good example. Here are the chords in the key of C rather the the original D. What is a key? It is when the notes and chords of a song conform exactly or closely to only those found in a particular scale. In this case C major. C D E F G A B C. Remember that from last time? I simplified the Am part. It really goes: Am Am/G Am/Gb F. I'll explain "slash" chords later, so for now just play Am for all three of those chords. Here's the tune:
                                                                                        
C Fmaj7 | G Em
//    //       //  //
Am   |Am  G

 C  G |  E Am

 C Dmin7| F G
//  / /        // //

There are so many great examples in pop music, classical, etc. This is just the tip of the iceberg! Go forth and use this new found knowledge. Cheers.
3 Comments
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  • Home
  • Song Sheets
    • Standard Songs >
      • Songs A to M >
        • Songs A >
          • Abilene
          • Act Naturally
          • All I Have to Do is Dream
          • All My Loving
          • Alone and Forsaken
          • Amazing Grace
          • Amelia
          • Angel From Montgomery
          • Annabelle
          • As Tears Go By
          • At the Cod Fish Ball
        • Songs B >
          • Bad Moon Rising
          • Battleship of Maine
          • Be Bop A Lula
          • Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
          • Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea
          • Beyond the Sea
          • Blue Bayou
          • Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
          • Blue Moon
          • Blue Skies
          • Blues, Stay Away from Me
          • Braw Sailin' on the Sea
          • Bright Lights, Big City
          • Bring It on Home to Me
          • Bring Me Sunshine
          • Brown Eyed Girl
          • Buckets of Rain
          • Buffalo Gals
          • Build Me Up Buttercup
          • Bury Me Beneath the Willow
          • By the Beautiful Sea
          • Bye Bye Love
        • Songs C >
          • California Dreamin'
          • Can't Buy Me Love
          • Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound
          • Can’t Help Falling in Love
          • (The) Cat Came Back
          • City of New Orleans
          • Closing Time
          • Cluck Old Hen
          • Cold, Cold Heart
          • Comes a Time
          • Corrine Corrina
          • Crawdad Song
        • Songs D >
          • Da Doo Ron Ron
          • Dancing in the Dark
          • Dancing in the Moonlight
          • Dark Hollow
          • Dead Flowers
          • Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road
          • Devil Woman
          • Devoted to You
          • Different Drum
          • Dixie Chicken
          • Do Wah Diddy Diddy
          • Don't Fence Me In
          • Don't Get Around Much Any More
          • Don't Get Me Wrong
          • Don't Think Twice, It's All Right in C
          • Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
          • Doo Wop Mash Up
          • Dooley
          • Down in the Boondocks
          • Down on the Corner
          • Downtown
          • Drunken Sailor
        • Songs E to F >
          • Early Morning Rain
          • Eddystone Light
          • Eight Days a Week
          • End of the Line
          • Everybody's Talkin'
          • Everyday
          • Faded Love
          • Fiddlin' Dan
          • Fishing Blues
          • Five Foot Two
          • Florida Blues in D
          • Folsom Prison Blues
          • Footprints in the Snow
          • Four Strong Winds
        • Songs G >
          • The Galway Girl
          • Garden Song
          • Gentle on My Mind
          • Ghost Riders in the Sky
          • Girl from the North Country
          • The Girl I Left Behind Me
          • Good Day Sunshine
          • Glory of True Love
          • Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
          • Going Up the Country
        • Songs H >
          • Hallelujah
          • Hamilton County Breakdown
          • Handsome Molly
          • Happy Trails
          • Hard Times Come Again No More
          • Harvest Moon
          • Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
          • Heart of Saturday Night
          • Heat Wave
          • Hey, Good Looking
          • High on a Mountain
          • Hit the Road Jack
          • Home
          • Home on the Range
          • House of the Rising Sun
        • Songs I >
          • I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow
          • I Fall to Pieces
          • I Fought the Law
          • If I Had a Hammer
          • I'll Fly Away
          • I'll Never Find Another You
          • I'm a Believer
          • I'm a Truck Driving Man
          • I'm Henry the VIII, I Am
          • I'm into Something Good
          • I'm on Fire
          • I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
          • I Will
          • Iko Iko
          • In My Life
          • In the Hills of Shiloh
          • In the Pines
          • Irene, Goodnight
          • It's Only a Paper Moon
          • I've Got Peace like a River
          • I've Just Seen a Face
        • Songs J >
          • Jamaica Farewell
          • Jambalaya
          • John Henry
          • Jolene
          • Jolie Blonde
          • Just a Closer Walk with Thee
        • Song K to L >
          • Kansas City
          • Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy
          • Keep on Smilin'
          • Keep on the Sunny Side
          • King of the Road
          • La Bamba
          • La Vie En Rose
          • Last Kiss
          • The Last Thing on My Mind
          • Leaving on a Jet Plane
          • Let It Be Me
          • Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me
          • Let's Talk Dirty
          • Life is Beautiful
          • Long Time Gone
          • Lookin' Out My Back Door
          • Louisiana Saturday Night
          • Love Me Do
          • Lovely Hula Hands
      • Songs M to Z >
        • Songs M-N >
          • Main Stein Song
          • Make Me a Pallet on your Floor
          • Mama Don't Allow
          • Mama Tried
          • Maybellene
          • Me and Julio
          • Medicine Bow
          • Mercedes Benz
          • Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
          • Molly Rose
          • Moondance
          • Moonlight Bay
          • Mr. Bojangles
          • Mr. Spaceman
          • My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
          • Navaho Rug
          • Needles and Pins
          • No Place to Go
        • Songs O to P >
          • Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
          • Oh, Boy!
          • Oh, Susanna
          • Okie from Musgokee
          • Old Dan Tucker
          • Old Home Place
          • Old Yellar Dog
          • On the Cover of the Rolling Stone
          • On the Road Again
          • On the Sunny Side of the Street
          • On Top of Old Smokey
          • One Meat Ball
          • Oy u luzi Chervona Kalyna
          • Paradise
          • Pay Me My Money Down
          • Peaceful Easy Feeling
          • Peggy Sue
          • Pistol Packin' Mama
          • (A) Place in the Choir
          • Pretty Fair Maid in the Garden
        • Songs Q to R >
          • Ragtime Cowboy Joe
          • Ramblin' Man
          • Red Rocking Chair
          • Ring of Fire
          • Ripple
          • Rock Around the Clock
          • Rocky Top
          • Rolling Home to Old New England
          • Rose Tattoo
          • The Roseville Fair
          • Route 66
          • Runaround Sue
        • Songs SA to SH >
          • Sally Brown
          • Salty Dog
          • San Antonio Rose
          • Save the Last Dance for Me
          • Sea of Love
          • Secret Agent Man
          • Shady Grove
          • Shake, Rattle, and Roll
          • She's Not There
          • Shove the Pig's Foot
        • Songs SI to SW >
          • Side By Side
          • Sitting on Top of the World
          • Sixteen Tons
          • Somewhere Over the Rainbow
          • Stand By Me
          • State of Maine Song
          • Stay All Night
          • Steam Powered Aereo Plane
          • Stir It Up
          • Stray Cat Strut
          • Sunny Afternoon
          • Summertime
          • Sway
          • Sweet Home Chicago
          • Sweet Pea in C
          • The Swimming Song
        • Songs T >
          • Take Me Home Country Roads
          • Tell Your Face
          • Tennessee Waltz
          • That's All Right, Mama
          • The Letter
          • They Call Me the Breeze
          • This Land Is Your Land
          • This Little Light of Mine
          • This Train Is Bound for Glory
          • Those Were the Days
          • Tide Is High
          • Tom Dooley
          • Tombstone Every Mile
          • Too Much
          • Tonight You Belong to Me
          • Tulsa Time
          • Tupelo Honey
          • Turn Your Radio On
        • Songs U >
          • Ukulele Lady
          • Under the Boardwalk
          • Up Around the Bend
          • Up on the Roof
        • Song V to W >
          • Wagon Wheel
          • Waiting for a Train
          • Walk Right In
          • Walking After Midnight
          • Walking Down the Line
          • Waterbound
          • Wayfaring Stranger
          • Westphalia Waltz
          • What a Wonderful World
          • When I'm Sixty-Four
          • When Will I Be Loved
          • Whiskey in the Jar >
            • The Dubliners - Whiskey in the Jar
            • Kingston Trio - Whiskey in the Jar
          • White Sandy Beach of Hawaii
          • Wild Night
          • Wildwood Flower
          • Will the Circle Be Unbroken
          • Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go
        • Songs Y to Z >
          • Yellow Submarine
          • You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
          • You Belong to Me
          • You Don't Know Me
          • You Send Me
          • Your Cheatin' Heart
          • You're Sixteen
    • Holiday Songs A-I >
      • Auld Lang Syne
      • Blue Christmas
      • Christmas Island
      • Deck the Halls
      • Do You Hear What I Hear?
      • Feliz Navidad
      • Frosty the Snowman
      • Good King Wenceslas
      • Hanukkah, Oh, Hanukkah
      • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
      • Hava Nagila
      • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
      • Holly Jolly Christmas
      • Holly Jolly - Rudolph Medley
      • I Want a Hippopotamus
    • Holiday Songs J-R >
      • Jingle Bell Rock
      • Jingle Bells
      • Jolly Old St. Nicholas
      • Joy to the World
      • Let It Snow!
      • Mele Kilikimaka
      • The Monster Mash
      • O Christmas Tree
      • Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
      • Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
    • Holiday Songs S-Z >
      • Santa Baby
      • Silent Night
      • We Three Kings
      • We Wish You a Merry Christmas
      • White Christmas
      • Winter Wonderland
    • St. Patrick's Day Songs >
      • Danny Boy
      • I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
      • MacNamara's Band
      • Molly Malone >
        • Dubliners - Molly Malone
        • Irish Rovers - Molly Malone
      • My Wild Irish Rose
      • Red Is the Rose
      • Somewhere Over the Rainbow
      • That's an Irish Lullaby
      • When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
      • When You're Smiling
  • Practices
  • Chord & Strum Charts
  • Photos
  • Recordings
  • Links
  • Contacts
  • Tutorials By Jeff
  • FAQs
  • Searsport Jam