Skip to main content

Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2

Lesson 27 from: Music Theory for Electronic Producers

Tomas George

Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2

Lesson 27 from: Music Theory for Electronic Producers

Tomas George

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

27. Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2

<b>In this lesson, I show you one of my tracks and I deconstruct and show and show you how and why I wrote the chords the way I did.</b>

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Introduction

00:58
2

Basic Music Theory Terms

08:07
3

Keyboard Layout and Octaves

06:19
4

Working out Major Scales

08:58
5

Perfect 5ths

06:42
6

3rds - Part 1

08:05
7

3rds - Part 2

07:39
8

Perfect 4ths

04:36
9

Chords and Inversions - Part 1

10:05
10

Chords and Inversions - Part 2

09:13
11

Chord Progressions - Part 1

10:22
12

Chord Progressions - Part 2

08:26
13

Inversions

08:53
14

7th Chords

09:48
15

Chord Extensions

08:09
16

Suspended Chords

02:40
17

The Circle of 5ths

04:30
18

Minor Scales

08:09
19

Chords in the Natural Minor scale

09:56
20

Harmonic and Melodic Minor

09:30
21

Write the Chords, then the Melody

09:03
22

Write the Melody, then the Chords

18:01
23

Arpeggios

08:00
24

Writing Bass Parts

11:35
25

Writing Bass Riffs and Adapting Melodies

14:10
26

Song Analysis - Chords, Part 1

10:17
27

Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2

05:58
28

Song Analysis - Melody

08:55
29

Song Analysis - Arrangement

07:30
30

Song 2 Analysis - Arrangement

05:04
31

Song 2 Analysis - Chords

08:55
32

Song 2 Analysis - Melodies

06:34
33

Song 3 Analysis - Chords

11:41
34

Song 3 Analysis - Melodies and Arrangement

06:55
35

Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 1

10:22
36

Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 2

18:47
37

Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 3

18:49
38

Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 4

08:21
39

Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 1

08:16
40

Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 2

08:07
41

Create a Song from a Melody - Part 1

07:27
42

Create a Song from a Melody - Part 2

09:05
43

Modes Intro

04:10
44

Ionian

00:43
45

Dorian

04:31
46

Phrygian

02:09
47

Lydian

01:35
48

Mixolydian

02:13
49

Aeolian

00:39
50

Locrian

01:50
51

Dorian Mode Example

09:12
52

Pentatonic Scales

12:27

Lesson Info

Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2

The next section is this purple section. So let's just have a listen to this. You can hear it's a lot different. There's a few stranger chords in this. Let's have a look at the base actually, first of all, let's see what key it in for. Now, you can tell by looking at this. We are in a minor. I'd say this first call. I just realized it's actually a minor. SU T not a cos there isn't a C#. So there we go. Let's have a look at the B section. So in a minor, let's have a look at these chords, the base notes. So we have a, a, we have an F sharp, which is out of key. So we're changing keys here. So let's just write this in a, an F sharp. So this is uh a section. Now, let's have a look at the A one section. I'll call it cos it's quite similar, but it has a few different cords in a one section. The first note was, I think it was the same, it was a, a minor and the next one is nef sharp. OK. It's a bit more interesting though. And then it goes down one semitone, kind of breaks a few rules here to...

an f but it works. I think it works. Then the next note is G, so we've got some uh of uh dissonance here. It's going a bit out of key. I think this sounds interesting. It's up to you what you wanna do. But me personally, I like it when it sounds a bit more interesting. It's good to break the rules. It's good to try new things because if it's just up to the key, stick to the rules all the time, it's just gonna sound like everyone else. It's gonna sound a bit boring personally. But it's best to start with the rules and learn to break and expand and modulate and try new ideas. OK. So the first one was a, we all know it's an, a minor. We can tell it doesn't swap keys on the first chord. But let's have a look. So we have a E, an A and a B E A nine and a B. No problem before that. This, it's a sus two. This is the same chord as before. So I have a minor. So then the second one goes up to the D, so it's the same as before a minor. So it's four. This is the weird call. Let's have a listen to this again. The second one adds a bit more tension. I really like that chord. So it's f sharp. Let's work out what it is. So it's F sharp A C# F sharp A C#. So the second one is F sharp A C# OK. So one, 234. So it's a minor. 12345. Simply just F sharp, minor. I've got a bit of modulation going here. I like this. Then let's work out. The next one goes up to A Dean's to have a C# but then it goes back down to a C#. So we could call it a add six because we're playing both of them. We're playing the fifth and the sixth. So I would call this F sharp minor add six F shot Mor at six or we could just call it F sharp minus six, which kind of implies as the six as well. E one's fine. A 66 depends on what you're comfortable with. So we've got some quite interesting codes here. Let's have a look at this one. This goes to A F is F may just same as before the third chord. So we have an F because it goes F ac if we count up 123451234, that's a major called the root note is F, that's F major. And after this, it goes up to the D. So this is uh same as before, I believe fa six. Let's have a look at the cord before, before we added the six. Now we've replaced the six if you can see here. So let's call this one here. F minor add six. So we don't get too confused. There isn't really a exact rule for writing these six cord when you replace them, but it is kind of a F six. I would call that. So we've got some chromatism here. So we're just moving down semitone. I think this sounds really cool personally, which I wrote it, but I'm quite biased, but it depends what you want. If you want to sound a bit more unusual, a bit more tension, maybe have a look at changing the key, adding some chromatic notes. It doesn't have to always stay in key. You'll notice later on when we talk about the melody, the med, the melody actually adapts and changes to these changing chords. So the melody doesn't stay the same sounds similar, but it does weave with these chords also. OK. Now we have the last one. Cheers this G so start the base note was a G. So if we look down here, base notes, A G and we go up to this chord. So we have G day see same as before this G. So six, which basically means Sussex is a bit of a strange one. It means you play 1/6 note instead of the third and then I think it's the same as before. It goes down to this D and A B. So this is just a G. OK? So these are the chords. It's quite complicated. Really. You hear it, it just sounds like music a lot of the time. If you haven't trained your ear to music theory, let's have a listen back, then you realize you deconstruct the chord, you realize there's quite a lot of stuff going on. So the first section, we have the A minus plus two. So we play the second note instead of the third, a minus SU four. So we play the fourth note instead of the third GG Sus two. So we play the second note instead of the third FF add six. So we add on 1/6 note as well. G SU six bit of a weird one. So we play the sixth note instead of the third, then a gag major and the A one section, a minus SU two. So it's a minor chord, but play the second note instead of the third a behind the Sus four. So we play the fourth note instead of the third F sharp minor. So we've got a key change here. We've got a chord that doesn't fit in key. Then we have F minor add six. So we basically add the sixth note F so we're changing the key back again. F six. So this, we don't add the six. We play the sixth note. Let's have a look at this again. So here we're actually playing the sixth note instead of the fifth note, which is why it's called A F six. Then we have a G, so six. The weird one again, we play the sixth note, there's no third note, bit of a strange one and then back to G major or G. So this is the core progression that's used in this song. And this is how you deconstruct it, it's not the easiest thing. The basic thing to start with is write down the base note. Then once you've got the base note, write in the other notes and then try and get a pattern of say five and four, major four and five for minor four and four for diminished five and five for augmented. So different types of patterns, you might have to readjust them cos a lot of the time when people write music and they arrange the music, they create different inversions. So it's not always in the right order. So don't be afraid to have a look at these notes and flip them around a bit and then you can kind of work out generally what's going on. This is quite a complex chord progression. Really? A lot of, a lot of songs just have really simple ones like C the minor G. But this one's a little bit more complicated. There's a bit more going on, but I thought it would be an interesting one to show you cos it's a bit more interesting and it's one of my songs as well. So I'm a bit more biased. Um But I personally prefer this kind of chord sequences. Chord pattern just sounds a bit more interesting than just regular of 25 ones. This should add a bit more flavor, color and character to your music. So thank you for watching this first section, this first lecture of this deconstructing section. Next, we're going to have a look at the melodies used in this track.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials

Music_Theory_for_Electronic_Producers_PDF_Guidebook.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Sabrina John
 

This class by Jared Platt is incredibly comprehensive and invaluable for both beginners and advanced users of Lightroom Classic. His insights into organizing and editing are game-changing. Speaking of organization, for those looking to streamline their utility bill management, especially MEPCO bills, I highly recommend checking out the MEPCO Bill Payment service. It makes tracking and paying bills straightforward and efficient.

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES