Pop music chord progression question

[ming8080]

Hello, I'm trying to study the chord progression of a pop music, but I'm confused in one of the section.
music: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L7OmrF ... sp=sharing
score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eTzYYa ... sp=sharing

This is what I came up with:
1st measure: Am Bm
2nd measure: C F#m
3rd measure: G
The Am, Bm, and C is of course ii, iii, and IV of G Major, but I'm not so sure about the F#m chord, I mean, how does it fit into the progression and the key signature?

[prayforrock]

In music theory, the term "ii-V-I progression" refers to a sequence of three chords in which the second and fifth chords are minor, and the first chord is major. This progression is commonly used in many different genres of music, and it can create a variety of different effects. In the key of G Major, the ii-V-I progression would be Am-Bm-C. However, some musicians may choose to use a different chord for the fifth, such as F#m. This choice can change the feel of the progression and create a more unique sound. Ultimately, it is up to the musician to decide which chords will work best for the particular piece of music they are creating.

[Aled Hughes]

In music theory, the term "ii-V-I progression" refers to a sequence of three chords in which the second and fifth chords are minor, and the first chord is major. This progression is commonly used in many different genres of music, and it can create a variety of different effects. In the key of G Major, the ii-V-I progression would be Am-Bm-C. However, some musicians may choose to use a different chord for the fifth, such as F#m. This choice can change the feel of the progression and create a more unique sound. Ultimately, it is up to the musician to decide which chords will work best for the particular piece of music they are creating.

Hmm. 'V' denotes a major chord - a minor chord would be a lower case 'v', and is not nearly as common as a fifth chord in pop music.

Also, in G, the 'I' would be G, not C.

In G Major, 'ii-V-I' would be Am, D, G.

[merlyn]

The diatonic (in the key) chord with an F# root is F#dim, F# A C. This is the top part of a D7 chord, D F# A C, so those two chords, D7 and F#dim are closely related. We say they have the same function.

In your example there aren't block chords as such. You're inferring the chords from the keyboard part and bassline.



So it's Am Bm C F#m/C# G/D.

This is working because the bassline is a strong line. The C# is a passing note to get to the D bass of the G chord. If a line is strong you can get away with pretty much anything.

[zdawgster]

I listened to the excerpt which is quite short, so it's hard to hear the entire context. To my ears, the F#m (with C# in the bass) sounds sort of "wrong." I think what would sound better would be A or A7 in first inversion. That would have C# in the bass. Or it could also be C# half-diminished 7. The next chord is G in 2nd inversion (D in the bass) which is where the phrase ends (with a half step dip down to F# and back up to G).
It almost sounds like the composer could hear the bass line (A-B-C-C#-D) and was able to find chords to fit them (Am, Bm, C......G/D), but couldn't quite find the right chord on the C#.
I'm curious who wrote the song because it does sound like maybe they lacked either the ears to work out what would sound good, or the theoretical knowledge to know what chord would work there. This kind of chord pattern has been done before in many songs, so it's possible it was kind of in the ear of the writer, but they lacked the knowledge to pull it off successfully.
Or maybe the writer like the sound of the F#m chord. Who knows?

[tacitus]

I noodled with it and thought I preferred the bass to jump from C to D#, then E to make bar 3 Em. But then I go for minor chords. Just don’t let me loose with falling chromatics - I’m not safe!

[merlyn]

If anything it's the rhodes part that could be changed. It is a lot of parallel motion. So which two notes on the rhodes? I thought F# and B worked, which would be F#sus4/C#.

[doggytrainer]

Hello, I'm trying to study the chord progression of a pop music, but I'm confused in one of the section.
music: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L7OmrF ... sp=sharing
score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eTzYYa ... sp=sharing

This is what I came up with:
1st measure: Am Bm
2nd measure: C F#m
3rd measure: G
The Am, Bm, and C is of course ii, iii, and IV of G Major, but I'm not so sure about the F#m chord, I mean, how does it fit into the progression and the key signature?

As a matter of interest, what is it?

Bar 3 just sounds as wrong as wrong could be.

[merlyn]

... Bar 3 just sounds as wrong as wrong could be.

Are you talking about going down a semitone and back up? It's certainly not diatonic, but wrong?

The short excerpt has a kind of fusion feel to me. Pop fusion, in the Spyro Gyra ballpark. The chords change quickly, the melody is fiddly, there is syncopation, and there are non-diatonic notes.

The whole music -- all the parts -- are moving together. In the short excerpt everything is going up. I might have kept the D bass note when the chords and melody go down a semitone. More dissonant but gets away from the unison feel.

[doggytrainer]

Hiya,

IMO...the C# bass note would sound better as D and then the D bass notes in the next bar would be better as E's. The bit after that makes no musical sense to me so not sure what was trying to be achieved there.

[merlyn]

It seems you prefer your music diatonic.

Approaching a chord from the semitone below is pretty common, like the intro of Johnny B. Goode where Chuck Berry slides into the chords.

In our example here the semitone below -- the out chord -- is there for longer, but it's the same idea.

[Drew Stephenson]

As a complete ignoramus on these matters, I really like that progression. It's completely unlike anything I'd ever write but to me it sets up an expectation for the next phrase that I'm itching to hear.
I'm hope the OP comes back with the next few bars.

[doggytrainer]

It seems you prefer your music diatonic.

Approaching a chord from the semitone below is pretty common, like the intro of Johnny B. Goode where Chuck Berry slides into the chords.

In our example here the semitone below -- the out chord -- is there for longer, but it's the same idea.

Hey thanks for that! I know absolutely nothing about music so it's great when people like yourself educate me with great nuggets of info like this.

Thanks!

[ming8080]

Hello, sorry for the late response, been quite busy lately
So this music is titled "Yasuragi no Hi (A Peaceful Day)", it's one of the theme song of a Japanese Anime TV show "Card Captor Sakura". I'm trying to sequence it as close as possible to the original, using cakewalk.
Here's an excerpt of the original song (you can search the web for the full version): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SSD5XS ... sp=sharing
Here's the sequenced version in full (not mixed yet): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XWBY50 ... sp=sharing
This is a very short music, it has 8 bar intro, 16 bar verse, 8 bar flute solo (the part in question is the latter 4 bar of the solo), followed by some sort of bridge for another 8 bar, and then the ending. I'm trying to understand the chord progressions, and stuck at the solo part.
Verse: | G | Am | C | G D |
Solo: | C | Cdim | Bm7 | E | Am Bm | C ? | G | G |

[ming8080]

Hello again, sorry for extending the thread
TBH, I'm not really sure about the chords of the verse also.
Here's the 16-bar verse with only bass & rhodes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RplKce ... sp=sharing
The rhodes seems to be filled with dissonant (jazzy?) extensions of the chords, so it's more like GMaj7add13 | Am7?? | C#11 I dunno anymore

[prayforrock]

Hi! Look what I found about your question: The chord progression you are referring to is called the "four-chord song" progression. This progression has been used extensively in popular music since the 1950s, and shows no signs of losing popularity any time soon. The four chords in question are typically the I, IV, V, and vi chords in a major key, or the i, iv, v, and VI chords in a minor key. This progression is so common because it is extremely versatile - it can be used for a wide range of emotions and styles, from happy and upbeat to sad and introspective. Additionally, the four-chord song progression is relatively easy to remember and play, making it ideal for sing-along situations. Whether you're a fan of pop music or not, there's no doubt that the four-chord song progression has had a significant impact on popular culture.