# Real World Music Theory > Finally understand why great songs work. Learn practical music theory through real songs and turn those ideas into better songwriting, improvisation and musicianship. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### 9 Essential Chord Progressions URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/9-essential-chord-progressions/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:19.000Z ## This course could make you a hit song writer in one weekend [9 Essential Chord ProgressionsThis video course could make you a hit song writer in one weekend. Learn 9 essential chord progressions from hit songs and become a better songwriter. More than 4 hours of video. More details at www.realworldmusictheory.com/9-essential-chord-progressions.A limited amount of early-bird packages are a…![](https://gum.co/favicon.ico)GumroadMatthias Orgler![](https://static-2.gumroad.com/res/gumroad/2700707154242/asset_previews/158fd0fbae672099ead568c511a64239/retina/Kaleidoskop.jpg)](https://gum.co/GSIvX?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) Learn 9 essential chord progressions from hit songs and become a better songwriter. - **Audio Examples**: Listen to real world examples in actual chart hits. See the multiple ways the progressions can be applied in successful songs. - **Write Songs**: You will learn how to use these progressions to write your own hits. Get ready to use song templates and add your personal touch. - **Experienced Instructor**: More than 30 years of experience in the music industry: playing live, recording in studios and writing songs. - **9 Essential Chord Progressions**: You will learn and understand 9 essential chord progressions that every songwriter needs to know. - **Music Theory**: Just enough music theory to understand and use these progressions. - **Variations**: For each of the nine progressions you will get multiple variations. Combine them how you like or take them as starting points for your own progressions. - **Explanations & Metaphors**: Get simple explanations of the forces that make each progression work. Metaphors and visualizations make it easy to understand. - **Practical Tips**: Each lesson will give you hands-on tips. You will learn how to apply the new knowledge to your own songwriting. - **More Than 4 Hours of Video**: Lean back and learn. In more than 4 hours of video you will understand exactly how each of the chord progressions work. - **Self-Tests**: Each section comes with a test to assess your learning objectively. - **Cheat Sheets**: You will receive a written summary of each of the progressions. Keep these valuable cheat sheets handy while writing your songs. - **Money Back Guarantee**: If you don’t think you’ve learned anything during the first 30 days with this course, I will refund you the full amount. ## What Will I Learn? You will learn 9 of the most essential chord progressions in modern songwriting. For each progression you will get: - Countless audio samples of real hit songs. Hear what it sounds like and get a feel for it. - The progression in general and in an example key - The music theory. You will learn the inner mechanics that make the progression work. - Multiple variations of the progression. These vastly increase your options when writing songs. - Recipes to write your own songs. Learn how to apply the theory to your own songwriting. - A cheat sheet for quick reference while you write songs. - A little test to check your learning. - Next steps and tips of how to proceed after each chapter. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/Kaleidoskop-1.jpg) ## The 9 Essential Chord Progressions I will go through all of the above for each of the following 9 chord progressions: - Pop Progression - 50s Progression - Circle Progression - 8-/12- and 16-Bar Blues - V-IV-I Turnaround - vi-V-IV-V - I-V-IV-V - Good Love Progression - Sweet Home Alabama Progression You will spend time with each progression and get to know it in depth. Each of the 9 videos is essentially a course on its own about that one progression! Be prepared for some serious knowledge to boost your songwriting. ## Pre-Order Today Learn 9 essential chord progressions from hit songs and become a better songwriter. Reserve your spot today! Your credit card will not be billed until the course with more than 4 hours of video and countless real world examples is released. [Pre-Order for $197](https://gum.co/GSIvX?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ## Your Instructor I’m Matthias Orgler, a musician with more than 30 years of experience in the music industry. I’m still actively playing live, recording in studios and writing songs. Here is what people say about my online teaching: > “There are very few people even in the internet, who explain things with so much clarity” > “As an educator, Matthias, you are gifted, and gifting us with these fine lessons. The clarity of your explanation is motivating me to go out and try this technique right away.” ## What Others Say About My Videos > “\[…\] what you’re doing is fantastic. **I wish you were sitting there while I record the songs**.” > “You get right to the point, put out **all the relevant info**.” > “Even though I know the theory quite well, hearing it explained from another angle in such a good way **gives extra clarity**. Thank you dear sir!” > “Fuck, **I love this stuff**.” > “As someone who dons’t read music this video is exactly the sort of thing would like to learn more about music, as you explain **with lots of common musical examples** so I can hear what your talking about.” > “It’s **EXACTLY what a producer should be looking for** in order to understand what the audience likes.” > “\[…\] done very well.” > “It’s **clear and to the point** with good examples.” > “Great work!!! I think **this can help lots of songwriters**! It’s a very powerful chord change.” > “Interesting theories and I enjoy the way you think about music.” > “If I were a college Dean, I would hire you to run the music department in a heartbeat.” > “There are very few people even in the internet, who **explain things with so much clarity**.” > “I will watch this SEVERAL times. As an educator, Matthias, you are gifted, and gifting us with these fine lessons. The clarity of your explanation is **motivating me to go out and try this technique right away**.” > “This is the first time I’ve actually understood the progression.” > “Great teacher!” > “This is a really good video. Simple and informative and doesn’t talk over people’s heads. Two thumbs up.” # Frequently Asked Questions ### What will I get? You get online access to my video course with over 4 hours of video lectures. You will learn 9 essential chord progressions that are invaluable for songwriters. You will learn and understand each progression in depth: - Listen to the progression in real hit song - Learn the progression - Understand the music theory making it work - Learn multiple variations of the progression - Learn how to write your own songs with it In addition you will receive tests for each progression, so you can evaluate your progress. For each progression you will also get cheat sheets that are invaluable to have by your side while writing songs. And last but not least, you will get all this knowledge in fun way without having to read through dry and boring music theory books. ### Which 9 progressions will I learn? The 9 essential chord progressions you will master with this course are: - Pop Progression - 50s Progression - Circle Progression - I-V-IV-V - 8/12/16-Bar Blues - V-IV-I Turnaround - vi-V-IV-V - Good Love Progression - Sweet Home Alabama Progression ### What is your refund policy? We offer no-questions-asked refunds to all customers within 30 days of your purchase. If you are not satisfied with our product, then simply send us an email and we will refund your purchase right away. Our goal has always been to create a happy, thriving community. If you are not thrilled with the product or are not enjoying the experience, then we have no interest in forcing you to stay an unhappy member. ## Pre-Order Today Learn 9 essential chord progressions from hit songs and become a better songwriter. Reserve your spot today! Your credit card will not be billed until the course with more than 4 hours of video and countless real world examples is released. [Pre-Order for $197](https://gum.co/GSIvX?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ### Downloads URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/downloads/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:46.000Z Sheet music and mini ebooks. ### [Mamma Mia Reharmonization](https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-reharm) [Download the chord sheet](https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-reharm) to my predominantly modal reharmonization of this ABBA song. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/Mamma-Mia-Sheet-Preview-2.png) ### [How to Instantly Give Your Songs an Irresistible Touch with the Backkdoor Progression](https://realworldmusictheory.com/backdoor-progression-ebook) This [mini ebook](https://realworldmusictheory.com/backdoor-progression-ebook) helps you learn and apply the backdoor progression. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/PDF-Teaser.png) [Unlocking the Secrets of Modern Music: Analyzing the Top 5 Chord Progressions for SongwritersUnderstand, compose, improvise![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/01/Logo-RWMT-Icon-padded.png)Real World Music TheoryMatthias Orgler![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2023/03/D4758FBC-1406-4690-AA58-3CF0BB93DC6A-1.png)](https://realworldmusictheory.com/unlocking-the-secrets-of-modern-music-analyzing-the-top-5-chord-progressions-for-songwriters/) ### 5-Day Crash Course on Basic Songwriting Tricks URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/little-songwriting-tricks-5-day-email-course/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:36.000Z ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/3.png) ### 5-Day Crash Course on Basic Songwriting Tricks Get 5 songwriting tricks that you can apply immediately! This 5-day email course teaches you tips for **chord changes, melody and song form**. You will receive one tip a day in your inbox for 5 days. This gives you time to use the newly acquired knowledge in your own creations. In less than a week you could have improved your songwriting skills quite a bit. Ready? Email Address I understand and agree to the [privacy policy](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/75372857?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) Website ### Courses URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/courses/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:27.000Z You can take free and paid courses to improve your music theory skills. Whether you're a songwriter, a performing artist or you simply want to understand how to evoke certain moods and feelings, I love to help you get to your goal. If you're missing a course on a specific music theory topic, just write me an email (you can reply to any of the emails I send when you subscribed to this website) or join our [music theory community](https://realworldmusictheory.com/community/). And if you have specific questions, I also offer 1:1 Zoom sessions in which you can have my expertise, full attention to your topic and ask questions galore. ### [5-Day Crash Course on Basic Songwriting Tricks](https://realworldmusictheory.com/little-songwriting-tricks-5-day-email-course) A [free email course](https://realworldmusictheory.com/little-songwriting-tricks-5-day-email-course). ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/3-1.png) ### [9 Essential Chord Progressions](https://realworldmusictheory.com/9-essential-chord-progressions) A [premium video course](https://realworldmusictheory.com/9-essential-chord-progressions) open for pre-order. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/Kaleidoskop.jpg) ### Join our Community URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/community/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:12.000Z Join a community of like-minded musicians, songwriters and music theory enthusiasts. Ask questions and get expert advise. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Legal URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/legal/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:16:02.000Z I respect your privacy and will never abuse your data. To provide my music theory knowledge to you on this site, I need a few external services, which are listed in the privacy policy. You will also find the legal contact address there: [Privacy Policy](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/75372857?ref=realworldmusictheory.com "Privacy Policy ") ### Music Theory Book Recommendations URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/music-theory-book-recommendations/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:54.000Z Books and ebooks I recommend to deepen your music theory knowledge. ## Elements Of The Jazz Language I learned a lot from this book! True to its title it feels like a dictionary of commonly used music elements. Although it talks about the “Jazz Language”, it really applies to other genres like pop or rock music as well. Every seasoned improviser and songwriter should know the 3-b9 resolution, the bebop lick or the back door progression. This book gives a musician a great arsenal of music elements to “speak” with while composing or improvising. [Buy on Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/157623875X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=orgler-21&creative=6742&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=157623875X&linkId=5c37cbf699c91445829e2142082a1ab8&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ## Reharmonization Techniques A wonderful book for beginner and advanced reharmonizers. It explains various song reharmonization techniques – starting with simple substitutions and the diatonic approach and getting into more advanced music theory topics like modal interchange, modal reharmonization or diminished seventh chords. I draw from this book a lot when I do my song reharmonizations on YouTube! It is well written and clearly structured, which helps to practice each of the reharmonization techniques separately. [Buy on Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0634015850/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=orgler-21&creative=6742&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0634015850&linkId=028f0fca6347d975be02ccd420faa515&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ## The Real Book Play-Along: Volume 1 Sixth Edition Every serious musician should own a copy of The Real Book! It contains hundreds of songs considered “standards” across the music world. This edition even comes with play-along tracks (thankfully they include USB and I believe a download link nowadays). Though the Real Book focuses on jazz, it is a helpful study tool for all genres. I use it to practice reharmonization techniques and to try out solo and improvising techniques. If you prefer rock songs to practice with, I can recommend [The Real Rock Book](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1423438531/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=orgler-21&creative=6742&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1423438531&linkId=a3c5895168de650afe3c625a0a3ac940&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) (volume 2) I also own. [Buy on Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1476877262/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=orgler-21&creative=6742&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1476877262&linkId=465d0a8712b03fdb0fec4c6ba5df854c&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ### Privacy Policy URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/privacy-policy/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T15:30:41.000Z Last updated: August 18, 2026 ## 1\. Introduction Matthias Orgler ("we", "us", or "our") operates [https://realworldmusictheory.com](https://realworldmusictheory.com/) (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services. 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If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. ## Contact Us If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: - Email: [info@realworldmusictheory.com](mailto:info@realworldmusictheory.com) - Website: [https://realworldmusictheory.com](https://realworldmusictheory.com/) ## Changes to This Privacy Policy We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page. ### Terms of Service URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/terms-of-service/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T15:31:28.000Z Last updated: August 18, 2026 ## 1\. Acceptance of Terms Welcome to Real World Music Theory. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Real World Music Theory website, products, and services (the "Service") operated by Matthias Orgler ("we", "us", or "our"). By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of the Terms, you may not access the Service. ## 2\. Description of Service An educational site about music theory. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time without notice. ## 3\. 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Contact Us If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us: - Email: [info@realworldmusictheory.com](mailto:info@realworldmusictheory.com) - Website: [https://realworldmusictheory.com](https://realworldmusictheory.com/) ### Impressum URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/impressum/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T15:46:49.000Z **Angaben gemäß § 5 DDG** Matthias Orgler c/o Impressumservice Dein-Impressum Stettiner Str. 41 35410 Hungen Deutschland **Kontakt** E-Mail: [info@realworldmusictheory.com](mailto:info@realworldmusictheory.com) **Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer** Gemäß § 27 a Umsatzsteuergesetz: DE216635912 **Redaktionell verantwortlich** Matthias Orgler (Anschrift wie oben) **Verbraucherstreitbeilegung / Universalschlichtungsstelle** Wir sind nicht bereit oder verpflichtet, an Streitbeilegungsverfahren vor einer Verbraucherschlichtungsstelle teilzunehmen. ## Posts ### Sweet Child O’ Mine: More Than A Riff URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-more-than-a-riff/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:10:29.000Z Everybody knows the riff. That is not the mystery. The real question is why “Sweet Child O’ Mine” keeps working after the riff, after the first verse, after the chorus, after the solo – and why the whole thing feels so satisfying even though the ingredients are not absurdly complicated. A big part of the answer is that Guns N’ Roses keep doing smart things with very usable material. They hold back the bass at the start. They build the verse around a classic rock loop with just enough modal color to sound fresh. They make the chorus hit harder by suddenly giving us a real dominant pull. And later they do not just repeat the same idea louder – they shift the song into a darker Eb minor world and let it finish there. The song first appeared on *Appetite for Destruction* in 1987, came out as a single in June 1988, and became Guns N’ Roses’ only No. 1 hit in the US. Slash has pushed back on the old story that the riff was just a warm-up exercise. He says it was a real riff he came up with while messing around. Axl Rose then connected it with a poem he had written for Erin Everly. The song became huge, and its afterlife has been ridiculous too: in 2019, the official video became the first music video from the 1980s to cross one billion YouTube views. For this analysis, I’m treating the song in the key it sounds in: **Db**. The original is commonly thought of as being played in **D** with the guitars tuned down a half step, but what we hear is **Db**, so that is the most useful key for analysis. ## The riff The intro already teaches a songwriting lesson. What we hear is that famous ostinato, the guitar riff, built around **Dbsus4 resolving to Db**. The suspended fourth creates tension. The resolution to the third gives release. Very simple move, but it does a lot of emotional work. The other smart thing in the intro is the arrangement. It doesn't give you the full bass impact immediately.At first, what really jumps out is the upper structure of the riff. To my ear, the lowest strong note you really feel at first is more the **Ab** than the full **Db** root, so the sound can almost feel like a second-inversion Db color before the bass really settles it. Then, once the bass comes in properly, the exact same material suddenly feels bigger and heavier. **That is worth stealing:** Do not always give people the bass note immediately. Let them hear the riff, melody, or chords first. Let the upper notes create some tension and a little ambiguity. Then bring in the root and the payoff is bigger than if you had spelled everything out from the first second. It is basically the same move DJs use when they cut the lows first and then slam the bass back in on the one. ## The verse In the verse, the song keeps turning around the same chords in a loop: **Db | % | B | % | Gb| % | Db | %** Strictly speaking, that **B** chord would be called Cb in Db. But I’m calling it **B** anyway, because it is easier to read and easier to think about on the instrument. Now that B chord is the interesting one, because it is not part of plain **Db major**. So why does it sound as if it belonged there? Because this is not really behaving like plain major. The most practical label here is **Db mixolydian**. If that term is new: mixolydian is basically a major scale with a lowered seventh. So instead of the notes > Db – Eb – F – Gb – Ab – Bb – C you get > Db – Eb – F – Gb – Ab – Bb – **Cb** That lowered seventh, Cb, is the whole point. It gives you that classic rock sound where the tonal center still feels stable, but the harmony is less polished than regular major. So from that angle, the verse loop is: **I | % | bVII | % | IV | % | I | %** That is one very useful way to hear it. But there is another equally valid way to hear the same material: These are also the notes of **Gb major**, and from that point of view the song starts on the dominant: **V | % | IV | % | I | % | V | %** That works too. And this matters: Music theory is not just about finding one official answer and then stopping there. It is about having more than one way to explain what you hear. If you only have one explanation for something, you also tend to see only one set of options. If you can see the same progression from two or three angles, harmony becomes more three-dimensional. You can suddenly see where else it could move. You can see pathways other songwriters miss because they are trapped inside one model. That is part of the advantage. Here, **Db mixolydian** is probably the most practical label because Db feels so strongly like home. But it is useful to know that the exact same material can also be understood as **Gb major** starting on V. Both perspectives give you something. And there is a songwriting lesson in that too. **If plain major feels too clean, too nice, too expected, try a mixolydian loop**. That bVII chord changes the atmosphere immediately. ## The melody over the verse The melody is doing something very simple and very effective. Axl stays on the **same note material** while the chords underneath move. That is one of the reasons the verse feels stable and tense at the same time. The melody is not chasing each chord change. The harmony moves, but the melodic world stays put. The especially interesting note here is **F**: Over **Db**, it is the **major third**. Over **B**, it becomes the **#11**. Over **Gb**, it becomes the **major seventh**. Same note. Different job each time. That is a great lesson for songwriting. You do not always need a new melody when the chord changes. Sometimes the stronger move is to keep the exact same notes and **let the changing harmony create the tension for you**. That is also why the verse feels so tied together. It is not harmonic wizardry. It is just staying on the same melodic material while the ground moves underneath. The riff already teaches the same lesson. The sus4 resolves down by half step. The vocal writing keeps leaning into notes that rub a bit before they resolve. If you are looking for notes with character, look near the half steps in a scale. That is often where the interesting tension lives. There are also occasional blue notes in the vocal, especially little hints of the minor third against the major harmony. But they are used with restraint. That matters. If the song went fully bluesy right away, the later sections would have less room to grow. ## The interludes The guitar interludes use the same basic trick as the vocal melody: they stay on the same note material while the chords underneath move. That means the same note keeps changing its function. The important note is still **F** – over **Db** it is the major third, over **B** it becomes the **#11**, and over **Gb** it becomes the major seventh. So the guitar keeps playing with that same tension note and its resolution, especially around that half-step pull already built into the song. It is a small thing, but it helps tie the whole section together. ## The chorus Then the chorus arrives with: **Ab | B | Db | %** This is where the song suddenly becomes much more directional. The first surprise is **Ab**. Up to this point, the song has mainly lived in **Db mixolydian**. In that world, the chord on the fifth degree would be **Ab minor**, not **Ab major**. So when the chorus gives us Ab major, that is a **modal interchange**. The song briefly borrows from **Db ionian** instead of staying in **Db mixolydian**. That gives us a real dominant pulling back to Db. Then comes: **B → Db** That is the [**backdoor dominant**](https://realworldmusictheory.com/backdoor-progression-ebook/) resolving to the tonic. So one very useful way to hear the chorus is: **dominant | backdoor dominant | tonic** But there is also a very typical rock move in the root motion here. From **Ab** to **B** is **a minor third up**. From **B** to **Db** is **a whole step up**. That pattern – **minor third up, then whole step up** – is one of those classic rock moves. It shows up here, and later in the song we hear the same basic idea again in a bigger way. That is a songwriting lesson worth stealing: if you want a progression to sound immediately rock-solid, try that pattern. Move up a minor third, then up a whole step. So the chorus works on several levels at once. It gives us modal interchange from mixolydian to ionian. It gives us the regular dominant and then the backdoor dominant. And it gives us a root motion that feels very rock. That is why it sounds both surprising and completely natural. ## The solo The big solo section is where the song really changes gear. It moves through two different progressions. The first one is: **Ebm | B | Bb7 | Abm** and then it repeats. This already changes the emotional world of the song. We are no longer mainly in that bright Db mixolydian space, but in a minor mode. The **Bb7** is especially important because it strongly confirms **Ebm** as the new center. That dominant chord makes the shift feel real. And again, different perspectives help here too. If you are hearing the earlier material as living inside Gb major, then Ebm is the **relative minor**. That is another useful way to connect the sections. Same move, different explanation, different things you might notice or try in your own writing. Then comes the second progression: **Ebm | Gb | Ab | B Db** And between the Db and the next Ebm, there is often that brief Gb power-chord feel helping smooth the move, but the main progression is the one above. This second progression is one of the reasons the section sounds so huge. And here the rock pattern becomes even more obvious. You get that same basic **minor third up, then whole step up** logic, only stretched into a bigger sequence. Rock loves that move because it feels physical. It sounds like momentum. (And it's easy to shift on a fret board 😂) That is another songwriting trick worth stealing. If you want a section to sound like it has started to drive instead of just float, this kind of **rising rock pattern is extremely effective**. And again, timing matters. The song saves this real move into **Ebm** for the climax. That is why it lands so hard. ## The ending By the end, the song is no longer living in the same emotional world where it began. It started bright, suspended, almost tender. By the end, it has moved fully into a darker **Ebm** space, and the blues language is no longer just hinted at. And this is where one of the most recognizable gestures in the whole song shows up: that famous **triplet walk-down**. It is one of the defining parts of the song. And the theory behind it is beautifully simple: it is basically just an **Eb minor blues scale walked down in triplets**. That is why it sounds so direct and so effective. It is a pure blues move, placed exactly where the song needs it. Earlier in the song, the blues flavor was used more sparingly. Here, it comes right to the front. That is part of why the ending works so well. The song does not merely get louder. It gets darker. It gets rougher. It leans harder into the blues. And because the beginning lived in such a different place, that change feels earned. Oh, and a fun legend I heard about this part of the song, where Axl sings "where do we go now" repeatedly is this: Apparently Axl had no lyrics for this section when recording it, so he literally asked the band "where do we go now \[with the song\]?". And it was just so great that they left it in 😅 ## What songwriters can steal from this song Start with a figure that already contains tension. The riff is not just catchy. The sus4-to-major move gives it built-in drama. Do not always reveal the bass immediately. Let the upper structure create expectation first, then let the root arrive. If plain major feels too clean, try mixolydian. **I – bVII – IV – I** is one of rock music’s most useful colors. Do not assume the melody has to change every time the chord does. Sometimes the stronger move is to keep the **same notes** while the harmony underneath changes their meaning. Use more than one theoretical perspective. That is not academic overkill. That is how you see more options than other songwriters see. If you want a chorus to feel bigger, give it stronger harmonic direction. Here, the modal interchange, the dominant, and the backdoor dominant do a lot of that work. And if you want something to sound more rock, remember the pattern: **minor third up, then whole step up**. Save your real key-center shift for later if you want it to matter. And if you want the ending to feel like a destination after a journey, end the song in a different emotional place than where it began. These songwriting tricks are part of the reason “Sweet Child O’ Mine” holds up so well. The ingredients are learnable. Try using one or more in your next song! ### How Brian May Makes a Ballad Hurt: The Harmony of “Too Much Love Will Kill You” URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/how-brian-may-makes-a-ballad-hurt-the-harmony-of-too-much-love-will-kill-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:10:38.000Z If you’ve ever wondered how a “simple” ballad can hit like a freight train, Brian May’s "Too Much Love Will Kill You" is your masterclass. Not because it’s harmonically flashy in a jazz-nerd way, but because it’s harmonically honest. Every move is doing emotional work. Before we nerd out, here’s a little context: - Brian May co-wrote the song with Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers, and he’s called it "in a way, the most important song I ever wrote." - He wrote the song reflecting on the torn feeling between the end of his first marriage and hist attraction to his future (second) wife. - The song was first performed publicly by May at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley on April 20, 1992. - May’s solo single hit #5 on the UK Singles Chart. - BrianMay.com notes the Queen recording (released later) earned an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Now let’s talk craft. ## The big picture: why this ballad works This song is a clinic in one thing: **tension management**. It constantly builds desire (dominant energy, suspensions, slash chords, “hesitation” loops) and then lets you breathe just enough to want more. If your own ballads feel flat, it’s usually because you’re not controlling tension on purpose. ## Intro / Interlude: “Come in… but don’t get comfortable” ****G D | C/G | G D | C/E Dsus4** The intro firmly establishes the key of G major. It’s essentially a cadence of I–IV–I–V. That’s classic for a reason: it gives the listener a home base, then ends on the dominant to create forward motion. It sucks you into the verse. There’s also a sneaky emotional move here: the essential pedal point on C/G keeps one foot planted. You feel preparation rather than propulsion – like the song is gathering courage before it speaks. Songwriting exercise:**Write a four-bar intro that ends on V.** If your next section feels like it “starts too randomly,” it’s often because your intro didn’t earn it. ## **Verse: the descending bass line that quietly breaks your heart** ****G Cmaj7 | G | Em Bm/D | C |** ****Am Em |Am Em | Dsus4 D | C/D |** The verse starts on the tonic and briefly switches to the emotional subdominant. Adding the maj7 to the subdominant (Cmaj7) makes it softer and more balladesque – instant “tenderness filter”. After the first two bars of G (with the quick switch to C), the verse moves toward the subdominant using a stepwise descending bass line: **Em → Bm/D → C** That bass descent is doing emotional storytelling. It’s not “complex.” It’s just **inevitable**, like sinking. And the lyrics go perfectly well with it: - "too many bitter tears are raining down on me" - "and what a struggle it would be" - "seems like there is no way out of this for me" - "can't you see it's impossible to choose" Then you get what is basically a stretched (augmented) ii–V: Am → D. But it doesn’t go there immediately. The chords hesitate and alternate between Am and Em. And that “hesitation” is the point. Em works as a tonic replacement (relative minor of G), which prevents the section from feeling stuck on a single emotional color. It’s motion without closure – and that’s exactly what the lyric mood wants: - "in my tangled state of mind, I've been looking back to find…" - "I used to bring you sunshine, now all I ever do i bring you down" - "no, there's no making sense of it. Every way I go I have to lose" Finally, the verse celebrates the dominant and cranks tension over the last two bars: - Dsus4 → D (release–then re-tension) - then C/D which is basically D with extra color (7/9/11 flavor) – maximum “we are not done yet” energy. The first tension collapses back into another round of the verse chords. But the second time it really builds towards the mighty chorus. Songwriting lesson: **Don’t rush your ii–V.** If you want ache, let your progression “almost resolve” and then pull back. That’s what real emotional conflict sounds like. ## **Chorus: the hit-progression… with a May-sized twist** ****G C | Em D | G C | Em D |** ****G/B C | G/D C#m7b5 | G/D C/D** The chorus meets us with a familiar monster: **I–IV–vi–V**. This is one of the most used pop progressions of all time. And that’s not a weakness – it’s a weapon. After the verse’s motion and hesitation, the chorus feels like a solid statement. A familiar place. “This is what I’m saying.” And it’s repeated for emphasis. Then the harmony starts climbing. The tonic is destabilized by putting the third in the bass: **G/B** Now the bass line moves upward: B → C → D. Your body feels this as lift, urgency, inevitability. And then: the non-diatonic spark – "'cause you never read the signs!" as the lyric says. C#m7b5 is outside G major and can be interpreted as an A7-ish dominant function – effectively a push toward D, the real dominant. It’s a classic “double dominant” type move: dominant of the dominant energy without spelling it in the most obvious way. On the dominant, the song plays the tension game again: - **G/D** (a Dsus flavor with extra warmth) - **C/D** (that delicious dominant extension again) And only then do we collapse back to the tonic via the interlude, which releases everything you’ve been holding. Songwriting lesson: **End your chorus on V.** Create tension. Ending on dominant creates the emotional reason for the next section to exist. ## **Solo: reuse the best material, don’t invent new problems** The chord are exactly the same as interlude + verse, but instead of repeating the verse, we move straight into the final chorus. This is a common solo technique: you reuse the verse/interlude harmony and let the melody instrument “speak” where the lyric would have spoken. In this song, it works especially well because the harmony already has that built-in hesitation and dominant-loading. The solo just rides a wave the song already created. Songwriting lesson: **You don't need to write new chords for the solo.** If the verse is great, your solo job is to reveal it from a new angle, not distract from it. ## **Final chorus: the return hits harder because we earned it** After the instrumental space, the final chorus lands with more weight. Why? Because your ear has been living inside the tension system of the song for a while now. It’s like the song trained your nervous system to crave that chorus. And the absence of Brian May's voice during the solo makes its return all the more powerful. ## **Ending: the tearjerker moves everyone should steal (yes, steal)** ****G/D | Cm | Eb Eb11 | Eb Eb11 | G ||** The final chorus doesn’t fully conclude and release its tension – it slides into the ending. And then Brian May pulls one of the most reliable emotional levers in songwriting history: ### **1) Minor plagal cadence (parallel minor subdominant)** You take the subdominant and make it minor: C → Cm. That’s it. That’s the move. It’s time-tested because it sounds like memory, regret, bittersweet acceptance – all at once. If you didn’t know this move, learn it. Use it. Tastefully. It works because it’s simple and psychologically direct. Also check out the minor plagal cadence in [Adele's "Make You Feel My Love"](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-minor-plagal-cadence-in-adeles-song-make-you-feel-my-love/). ### **2) The “make the tonic shine” bVI color** Then we get Eb – borrowed from the parallel minor world. Ending a song with bVI to I (or bVI–bVII–I in other contexts) makes the tonic feel like sunlight after clouds. Some call related variants “the Mario cadence”. It's also related to the ["backdoor progression"](https://realworldmusictheory.com/backdoor-progression-ebook/) and is used to a similar effect in [Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling"](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-1-song-analysis/) . I’ve always heard this as an Elton John kind of ending vibe – a confident theatrical flourish that still feels earned. Songwriting lesson: next time you want a big emotional ending, try: - **minor plagal**: IV → iv → I (here: C → Cm → G) - **borrowed bVI**: bVI → I (here: Eb → G) Your audience will feel it even if they can’t name it. That’s the whole point. ## **Your takeaway: write tension like you mean it** If you want to write ballads that actually move people, don’t chase “sad chords.” Chase **tension behavior**: - Set up home (I) - Create longing (V, suspensions, dominant extensions) - Hesitate (loop between ii-ish and tonic-replacement) - Lift the bass line (stepwise motion is a cheat code) - Borrow from the parallel minor at the end for emotional truth Now do the real work: take one of your songs and rewrite the ending using **IV → iv → I** or **bVI → I**. Then tell me you didn’t feel something. 🙂 ### My Heart Will Go On — The Power Ballad That Sailed Across Oceans URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/my-heart-will-go-on-the-power-ballad-that-sailed-across-oceans/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:10:47.000Z When you think of *ultimate* movie ballads, **“My Heart Will Go On”** almost certainly tops the list. From the opening flute solo to Celine Dion’s soaring vocals, it’s a masterclass in **building emotional arcs** through clever songwriting choices. But there’s more happening under the hood than meets the ear! From *repetitive melodies that shift color* beneath different chords, to a **classic 90s key change**, James Horner’s score is brimming with lessons *you* can use in your own music. --- ## 1\. A Repetitive Melody That Feels *Fresh* with Each Chord Take a look at the **verse** chords: > **E B(add 11)/F# Asus2/E E(add 9) B** In “My Heart Will Go On,” the **melody often repeats**, but the *underlying chords* keep shifting. This re-contextualizes those same notes, so they sound fresh each time (not unlike the intro of [Can't Fight This Feeling](cant-fight-this-feeling-unpacking-an-80s-power-ballad-masterpiece)). Specifically, when the melody hovers over **B**, we see a move from the *3rd* of B (d#) to the *4th* (e), which is an *inverse* of the usual 4 → 3 resolution. It’s as if the song momentarily *upends* our expectations—keeping our ears perked up. ### Lydian Flavor Over the A Chord Another highlight is how the **same two melody notes** (d# and e) played over an **A chord** can create a **#11** sound (that sharp 4th characteristic of Lydian). In a typical major chord, you’d hear a perfect 4th, but that raised 4th or #11 note gives a *glimmer* of brightness and a subtle tension that never fully resolves. It’s a classic “movie magic” trick: a dash of Lydian can make any passage feel *magical* or otherworldly. **Songwriting Tip #1:** Reuse a short **melodic figure** but shift the *underlying chords* to hear how each chord colors that same melody differently. It’s an easy way to create variety without crafting brand-new melodies for every section. --- ## 2\. The Chorus: Simple Progression, Clever Counterpoint > **vi (C#m) → V (B) → IV (A) → V (B)** At face value, that’s a **straightforward** progression. But the real secret is *counterpoint*: **while the chords descend, the melody rises**. This interplay creates a *gentle tug-of-war* that feels uplifting—like love itself, rising above challenges. 1. **Chords move down**: from C#m to B to A (the bass lines or chord roots are stepping down). 2. **Melody goes up**: each phrase in the chorus climbs higher, culminating in that *iconic* big note. It’s a brilliant way to add **internal tension and release** without using tons of complex harmony. **Songwriting Tip #2:** When designing your chorus, try letting **one element rise** while another **falls**. A descending chord progression against an ascending melody (or vice versa) can really hook listeners’ emotions. --- ## 3\. The Classic Key Change: A Staple of Power Ballads Near the end of the song, we *jump* from the home key of **E** (and its relative minor C#m) into a higher realm of **Ab** (and its relative minor Fm) —**Fm to Eb to Db**, etc. This **shift** is huge for two reasons: 1. **Emotional Elevation**: Suddenly the vocals soar above a brand-new tonal center, signaling that *final push* of feeling. 2. **Fresh Palette**: The new key infuses a renewed energy, so the last part of the song doesn’t feel repetitive. Pop and power ballads often lean on this trick. When used *tastefully*, a key change is like turning on a spotlight after the stage has been in dim light—*bam*—instant drama. **Songwriting Tip #3:** To give your final chorus *extra lift*, transpose everything up a half or whole step – or even the iconic major third like here. It’s a tried-and-true pop move, but if you set it up with a brief transition chord or two (or even a drum fill), it can still feel fresh and *triumphant*. --- ## 4\. Other Notable Touches - **Instrumentation & Dynamics**: Part of the emotional impact comes from how the arrangement swells. Soft, intimate strings and piano in the verses build into a full orchestra behind that iconic chorus. This dynamic evolution underlines the key changes *and* the melodic lifts, making each shift feel bigger. - **Vocal Ornamentation**: Celine Dion’s phrasing includes subtle runs and embellishments, guiding the listener through those chord changes. These details soften any harmonic shifts, making them flow effortlessly. --- ## 5\. Bringing It into Your Own Songs **Melody vs. Chords “Re-Contextualization”** Write a short, catchy melody (just a handful of notes). Then, experiment with new chords beneath it. Could those notes imply a Lydian flair, or a suspended tension, if you swap in a chord with a #11? **Counterpoint in the Chorus** If your chord roots go down, try writing a melody that *ascends.* It can be as simple as stepping up a scale while the chords shift downward. **Plan a Powerful Key Change** Don’t just plop it in—*build up* to that higher key. Maybe use a pre-chorus or an instrumental break to hint at the shift. Once it lands, let your vocals or lead instrument *shine*. **Layer Your Arrangement** Start small in the verse, gradually add orchestral or synthetic layers, and unleash them in your final chorus. Dynamics can be just as effective as chord choices. --- ## 6\. Why It All Works “My Heart Will Go On” combines **simplicity** (straightforward chord progressions) with **canny twists** (Lydian notes, melodic re-contextualization, and a dramatic key change) to create a ballad that *swells with feeling*. James Horner didn’t overload the track with complexity—he found a few truly *powerful* moves and leaned on them in exactly the right spots. **The lesson?** Sometimes, sticking to a simple, repeating figure and then *changing the chords* can be more moving than a maze of complex harmony. When you add a final key change for that last emotional push, you get a power ballad that resonates for decades. So the next time you’re writing a love song or a big, sweeping pop anthem, **take a page from “My Heart Will Go On.”** Don’t be afraid of repetition—*so long as* you change the scenery beneath it. Let your chords shift, build a sense of rising vs. falling, and, if you’re feeling bold, **give your finale a key change**. Because when it comes to love and music… sometimes you need that final, soaring statement to say it all. ### The Musical Magic of “Stand by Me” URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-musical-magic-of-stand-by-me/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:10:54.000Z “Stand by Me,” originally performed by Ben E. King, is a timeless classic that has resonated with audiences for decades. Its enduring appeal lies not only in its heartfelt lyrics but also in its deceptively simple yet powerful musical composition. In this blog post, we’ll look at the music theory behind this iconic song, exploring how its structure, harmony, and melody contribute to its emotional impact. **The Simplicity of the Song Form** At first glance, “Stand by Me” follows a straightforward song form that’s common in many pop and soul songs. However, it distinguishes itself through its consistent use of the same chord progression throughout the entire song—both in the verses and the choruses. This unchanging harmonic foundation creates a stable backdrop that allows the lyrics and melody to take center stage. **Song Structure Breakdown:** • **Intro:** 8 bars (bass and percussion) • **Verse 1:** 16 bars • **Chorus 1:** 8 bars • **Verse 2:** 16 bars • **Chorus 2:** 8 bars • **Instrumental Interlude:** 16 bars (featuring strings) • **Chorus 3:** 16 bars (fading out) Despite the repetition, the song remains engaging due to subtle changes in instrumentation and the emotional delivery of the vocals. The introduction of strings during the instrumental interlude adds a new texture without altering the fundamental chord progression. **The Iconic Chord Progression** The song is anchored by a repetitive chord progression in the key of A major: 1\. **A Major (I)** 2\. **F# Minor (vi)** 3\. **D Major (IV)** 4\. **E Major (V)** 5\. **A Major (I)** This progression is one of the most commonly used in popular music, often referred to as the I–vi–IV–V progression. It creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for the listener. **Harmonic Analysis** • **Tonic (I) – A Major:** Serves as the home base or point of rest. • **Submediant (vi) – F# Minor:** Introduces a slight departure while remaining harmonically close to the tonic. • **Subdominant (IV) – D Major:** Adds a gentle lift, moving away from the tonic but not creating significant tension. • **Dominant (V) – E Major:** Builds tension that yearns for resolution back to the tonic. • **Return to Tonic (I) – A Major:** Provides the satisfying resolution that completes the harmonic journey. This cyclical movement from stability to slight tension and back to stability mirrors a storytelling arc, giving the song an emotional resonance that listeners subconsciously feel. **The Power of the Ostinato Bass Line** A defining feature of “Stand by Me” is its ostinato bass line—a repeating musical phrase that persists throughout the song. This bass line not only grounds the harmonic progression but also interacts intricately with the melody and rhythm. **Melody and Bass Interaction** Interestingly, the melody at the beginning mirrors the bass line, creating a cohesive musical motif. This mirroring hooks the listener and reinforces the song’s central themes both musically and lyrically. **Rhythmic Elements and Groove** The rhythmic structure plays a crucial role in the song’s appeal. The interplay between the bass and percussion instruments, like the cabasa and triangle, creates a groove that’s both relaxing and engaging. • **Drums and Percussion:** Emphasize the off-beats (the “two” and “four” in a 4/4 measure), contributing to the song’s laid-back feel. • **Bass:** Leaves space at strategic moments, allowing percussion accents to shine through. This rhythmic interplay adds layers to the song without overwhelming the listener, maintaining the focus on the vocals and lyrics. **Melodic Use of the Sixth Scale Degree** One of the song’s subtle yet impactful techniques is its use of the sixth scale degree in the melody. Instead of landing on more stable chord tones like the root, third, or fifth, the melody frequently targets the sixth, adding a touch of emotional ambiguity. • **Emotional Effect:** The sixth scale degree introduces a note that’s not as harmonically stable, creating a sense of longing or unresolved emotion. • **Pause and Emphasis:** The melody often holds on this note during pauses, allowing the listener to feel its impact before the progression continues. This choice enhances the emotional depth of the song, making the plea of “Stand by me” feel more poignant. **Allowing Lyrics to Shine Through Simplicity** The repetitive nature of the chord progression and the sparse arrangement serve a deliberate purpose—they allow the lyrics to take center stage. By not overcomplicating the musical backdrop, the song ensures that the listener’s attention remains on the heartfelt message. • **Instrumentation:** Minimalistic, featuring essential elements that support rather than overshadow the vocals. • **Dynamics:** Subtle changes in intensity and the introduction of new instruments (like strings) add variety without disrupting the song’s continuity. **Conclusion** “Stand by Me” exemplifies how simplicity in music can lead to profound emotional connections. Through its stable yet engaging chord progression, clever melodic choices, and rhythmic groove, the song creates a timeless appeal that continues to resonate with listeners. Understanding the music theory behind it not only deepens our appreciation but also highlights the craftsmanship involved in creating such a lasting piece of art. Whether you’re a musician, a music enthusiast, or someone who simply loves this classic tune, exploring its musical foundations reveals the intricate balance between simplicity and emotional depth that makes “Stand by Me” a masterpiece. ### Can’t Fight This Feeling — Unpacking an 80s Power Ballad Masterpiece URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-fight-this-feeling-unpacking-an-80s-power-ballad-masterpiece/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:04.000Z Ever notice how some 80s ballads just grab you from the very first second? REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is one of those songs. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Is “Blinding Lights” in Two Keys at Once? Let’s Break It Down URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/is-blinding-lights-in-two-keys-at-once-lets-break-it-down/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:13.000Z ## 1\. The Neon Mystery Ever get that feeling a track is straight out of a time machine—like you’re suddenly transported to a crowded arcade, surrounded by flashing lights and synth-heavy pop? That’s exactly the vibe that **“Blinding Lights”** by The Weekend projects. But there’s an **invisible trick** beneath the shiny production and driving beat: *the song might be in one of two keys, each telling a slightly different harmonic story.* Intrigued? You should be! ### The Big Question: F Minor or C Minor? You’d think a song must have a single “home,” right? But “Blinding Lights” manages to slip between **F Dorian** (a minor feel with a *raised sixth note*) and **C Minor** (the more common, natural minor). So which is it? Well… it can be both! And *that* is the real kicker—ambiguity can keep listeners hooked, replaying the track to figure out why it feels so luminous yet still a bit shadowy. Here are the chords for you to enjoy. And yes, these are the same chords through all parts of the song! > **Fm Cm Eb Bb (Bb7/Ab Gm7)** --- ## 2\. Unraveling the Secrets ### Brightness in the Dark At first, the track leans heavily on minor-sounding chords and moody synth lines. You expect to settle into something edgy and dark. But then, suddenly, there’s a flash of brightness. This is where the **Dorian mode** might be sneaking in—slipping a sunny chord (with that raised sixth) into an otherwise darker landscape. It’s like you’re driving down a dark highway and you see a huge neon billboard in the distance. Unexpected, but *thrilling*. ### The Surprising High Note Now comes the moment that always makes you perk up: a swift shift from **C minor** to **Eb**, its relative major. The melody peaks right here, hitting its highest pitch over a chord that bursts with optimism. It’s like opening the blinds in a dimly lit room—*whoosh*, instant glow-up. You’ve gone from brooding to bright in the blink of an eye, and it’s a payoff that **feels so good** your ears practically thank you. ### A Story with Two Possible Endings So are we in **F Dorian**, or are we in **C minor**? The best part is, the song never really has to choose. Parts of it lean toward F as the tonal center. Other moments shout, “We’re in C minor, can’t you hear it?” This layered approach invites multiple interpretations, making the tune deeper—and more addictive—than a standard, clearly defined progression. When something can’t be pinned down, your brain just *keeps coming back* to it. Ambiguity = allure. --- ## 3\. The 80s Flair Of course, none of this theory matters if it doesn’t *sound* awesome. And “Blinding Lights” absolutely glows with that vintage vibe. **Why?** - **Synth Overload**: Dreamy pads, punchy leads, and a bass that’s straight outta 1985. - **Reverb on Everything**: The drums, the vocals, the *air* itself—it’s all bathed in spacey echoes that lend that stadium-like *whoosh*. - **Driving Beat**: A near-constant pulse that keeps your foot tapping, all while these chordal mysteries unfold. It’s the ultimate package: **theory wizardry meets a classic pop aesthetic**—and the result is a global hit. --- ## 4\. Using Ambiguity and Modal Mixes in Your Own Songs Ready to turn these techniques into your own chart-topping jam? Here’s how: **Flirt with Multiple “Homes”** Instead of declaring one obvious root, slip between two potential tonal centers. Start on one chord that *feels* like home, then pivot to another chord that also feels like home. Let the listener chase the real root—and have fun keeping it just out of reach. **Unleash the Dorian Mode** If you’re writing in a minor key, experiment with that *raised sixth* to create a flash of brightness. Think of it like adding a secret spice to your recipe—just enough to make people wonder what’s going on. **Embrace the Minor-to-Major Glow-Up** Take any minor chord—say, A minor. Immediately follow it with its relative major (C major). Time your melody’s highest note for that *exact* moment, so the chord change and the melodic peak coincide. Boom—instant drama and satisfaction. **Pour on the Retro Elements** Want that unstoppable ‘80s vibe? Stack up the synth layers, add reverb galore, and keep the drums punchy but not overly complicated. Sometimes a straightforward four-on-the-floor pattern is all you need to let your chord choices shine. **Try a Stepwise Bass Line** “Blinding Lights” descends from Bb down to F with a simple, memorable bass line. Give your progression that cinematic sense of movement by mapping a stepwise run in your final bars. --- ## 5\. Why Ambiguity Works Music, like a good novel, thrives on *surprises* and *multiple interpretations*. If everything’s spelled out from the start, there’s no reason to keep listening. With “Blinding Lights,” the subtle tug-of-war between F Dorian and C Minor keeps our attention—and the huge payoffs (like that luminous Eb chord under a soaring melody) deliver sonic fireworks. **You** can do the same—just let a little mystery creep into your chord progressions, and watch your songs gain that addictive, can’t-stop-hitting-replay quality. So the next time you’re cooking up a track, ask yourself: “What if I *didn’t* choose a clear home key?” Toss in a chord that doesn’t belong to strict natural minor, time a glorious major chord with the peak of your melody, and let your listeners float in that tension—trust me, they’ll *love* the ride! Now crank up the reverb, dial in those synths, and build your own neon-bathed anthem. The key? **Keep ‘em guessing and keep it grooving**. After all, a little mystery never hurt anybody—especially in music. ### The Minor Plagal Cadence in Adele’s song “Make You Feel My Love” URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-minor-plagal-cadence-in-adeles-song-make-you-feel-my-love/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:21.000Z Discover the magic of the minor plagal cadence in Adele’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Explore how this simple yet surprising chord progression enriches the song and learn how to apply these techniques to your own songwriting. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Modal Interchange in Radiohead's "Creep" URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/modal-interchange-in-radioheads-creep/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:29.000Z Radiohead's "Creep" is a classic rock anthem that has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. The song's simple yet powerful chord progression and lyrics have resonated with listeners for decades. In this blog post, we will explore the music theory concepts behind the chords in "Creep," with a particular focus on the two interesting chords of B and Cm. The song is in the key of G major, and the chords used are G, B, C, and Cm. The use of the B chord is particularly interesting because it is a non-diatonic chord in the key of G major. In other words, it does not naturally belong in the G major scale. However, it fits seamlessly into the song's overall sound and adds a sense of tension and release. One interpretation of the B major chord is that it is a borrowed chord from E harmonic minor. E minor is the relative minor of G major, and the E harmonic minor scale includes the B major chord. By borrowing this chord from a different key, Radiohead creates a surprising and shining effect that adds emotional depth to the song. Another interpretation of the B major chord is that it is a modal interchange of the diatonic Bm chord. By switching modes to major, it creates a similar positive and shiny feel like smiling through tears. The other interesting chord in "Creep" is the Cm chord. This chord is a typical minor plagal cadence, in which the subdominant moves from a major chord to a minor chord. In other words, it is a kind of modal interchange moving from major to minor. This chord change has a defeated feel that fits perfectly with the heartbroken sentiment of the song's lyrics. The use of the minor subdominant chord creates a sense of sadness and vulnerability that resonates with listeners. In conclusion, "Creep" is a masterful example of how music theory concepts can be used to create emotional depth and complexity in a song. The use of the non-diatonic B chord and the minor plagal cadence of Cm are just two examples of the many ways in which Radiohead crafted this iconic song. By understanding these music theory concepts, we can better appreciate the genius of "Creep" and the enduring appeal of Radiohead's music. ### Relative minor and secondary dominants in Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-and-secondary-dominants-in-hallelujah-by-jeff-buckley/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:37.000Z "Hallelujah" is one of the most iconic and beloved songs of all time, originally written and composed by the legendary Leonard Cohen. Over the years, many artists have covered the song, but Jeff Buckley's rendition is arguably the most famous and widely recognized. In this article, we will analyze the chords used in Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah," and explore some interesting music theory concepts that arise. The song begins with the famous chord progression of C Am C Am F G. This progression is a classic example of the I-vi-IV-V chord progression, which is commonly used in many popular songs. In "Hallelujah," however, the progression takes on a unique twist. It creates a reluctant feeling by alternating between C major and A minor. Both of these chords are tonic functions, so harmonically there is little momentum. It creates a static feel that doesn't know where to go, which perfectly ties in with the emotion of the song. The use of the relative minor chord is a common device in music theory, and it can be seen in many other popular songs. In "Hallelujah," it's used again when alternating between the subdominant IV and its relative minor ii. Again creating a bittersweet feeling that perfectly matches the lyrics of the song. The relative minor also play a role in the deceptive resolution F G Am ("the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall"). Usually a cadence of IV V would resolve to the I chord as the tonic. But this progression moves to vi (Am) instead. We call this "deceptive resolution". A cadence set up to create the expectation of a certain chord (C major), only to disappoint that expectation by moving to a different chord (Am). In this case, the Am still fulfills part of our expectation, because it's the relative minor of the expected C. But it still tickles the ear by not being quite what we anticipated. Another interesting aspect of the chord progression in "Hallelujah" is the use of secondary dominant chords. These are chords that are not part of the key of the song, but are used to create tension and lead to a chord that is part of the key. In "Hallelujah," the most notable secondary dominant chord is the E7 chord, which is used to lead to the Am chord. This creates a strong sense of resolution and helps to emphasize the importance of the relative minor chord in the song. Overall, the chord progression in "Hallelujah" is a masterful example of how music theory can be used to create a certain mood with minimal harmonic tools. The alternating between major and relative minor, the deceptive resolution and a secondary dominant is all it takes. I hope you feel an urge to play Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" version right now. You should also try to use one of the music theory tools from this article in your next composition. And above all, have fun making awesome music! ### Unlocking the Secrets of Modern Music: Analyzing the Top 5 Chord Progressions for Songwriters URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/unlocking-the-secrets-of-modern-music-analyzing-the-top-5-chord-progressions-for-songwriters/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:45.000Z Unlock the secrets of modern music by analyzing the top 5 chord progressions used in popular songs. This PDF guide delves into these essential chords and tension curves, helping you understand and apply them to your own songwriting. Elevate your music by learning from the best. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Unusual Chord Progressions You Need to Know URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/unusual-chord-progressions-you-need-to-know/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:11:53.000Z Discover five unusual chord progressions that can elevate your music to new heights. Explore how these unique sequences from classical, rock, metal, reggae, and minimalism genres create different moods and emotions. Unleash your creativity by incorporating these progressions into your compositions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Relative minor blues pentatonic over major (soloing trick #37) URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-blues-pentatonic-over-major-soloing-trick-37/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:00.000Z 💡 To make your solos distinct and impressive, you need to know the tricks of the pros. Here at RealWorldMusicTheory.com I will teach you a lot of these tricks. And if you're serious about advancing your solos to the next level, [reserve a free Zoom session with me](https://calendly.com/realworldmusictheory/music-theory-talk?ref=realworldmusictheory.com), so we can work on your individual style together! Today I will show you a versatile trick to **solo over a major chord or chord progression**. It will help you to steer clear of the dreaded scale running and make your solo **instantly sound more professional**. Let's pick an example key and chord progression to make this hands-on: We will solo in the key of Eb major over the chord progression Fm7 Bb7 Ebmaj7 (a ii-V-I progression). ## How NOT to do it You might be tempted to tackle soloing over such a progression by identifying the scales for each chord and then using their notes as your available tone material. This would give you the scales F dorian, Bb mixolydian and Eb ionian (or major). Don't worry, these scales all have the same notes 😉 – they just start on different keys. In essence you would use the Eb major scale over the whole chord progression. But this *scalar* approach to playing can easily end up in scale running – and you definitely want to **avoid sounding like an amateur by running up and down the scale!** So here comes a trick to make you sound much more professional… ## How the pros do it Instead of using the Eb major scale, use the **Cm blues pentatonic scale** over the entire chord progression! Now technically the pentatonic scale is still a "scale", but because this scale skips certain steps and adds others, it sounds very professional even when you just run it up and down your instrument. Let's take a look at the Cm blues pentatonic scale: ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/cm-pentatonic-blues.png) This scale works well over each chord of our progression and at the same time emphasizes different notes on each chord. For example on `Fm7` it emphasizes the 9 and 11 – two notes the pros use all the time on a minor 7 chord **to sound sophisticated**! On the `Bb7` our scale emphasizes the 9, 11 and 13 – again making you sound less like an amateur who only plays the triad notes. On the `Ebmaj7` finally, it emphasizes the the 6 and 9 as well as the third (which it avoided on the two earlier chords). ![Cm blues pentatonic over Fm7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic.png) Cm blues pentatonic over Fm7 ![Cm blues pentatonic over Bb7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic--2-.png) Cm blues pentatonic over Bb7 ![Cm blues pentatonic over Ebmaj7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic--3-.png) Cm blues pentatonic over Ebmaj7 The little blue note – the gb or f# – lends itself especially well to approaching the f and g. You can add little **grace notes**, which instantly change the feel of your solo. With this scale under your fingers, you need to put much less thinking into choosing good sounding notes and phrases, because the `Cm` blues pentatonic scale instantly gives you a **professional sound**. And freeing up some of your brain power that way, you can focus on other important aspects of your solo like **the form of your solo, your arc of tension or to interact with the other musicians**. ## How to practice To really make use of this soloing trick, you do not only need to know about it, but you need to get it into your fingers! If you cannot fluently play the minor blues pentatonic in common keys yet, you should practice it for 5-10mins every day. Just walking up and down the scale should show quick results after one or two weeks. Once your fingers know the scale, go ahead and play over various chord progressions. The chord progressions should be diatonic, meaning all chords should be from the same key (like `Fm7`, `Bb7` and `Ebmaj7` all were chords of the Eb major key). Either accompany yourself with the left hand (if you're a piano player) or use play-a-long tracks. At your next rehearsal or gig make a conscious effort to use the minor pentatonic scale as much as you can – this will help you get fluent with this new trick and ingrain it into your style repertoire. While practicing the scale over certain chord progressions, listen to which feelings each note creates for you. **Develop your own taste** of which notes you like to play over which chord. For example I love the 9th on the `m7` chord, but I try to play the 6th on the `maj7` chord less frequently. This is all a matter of taste, because the genius of this trick is, that **none of the notes sounds wrong or bad!** All notes sound good over all chords. With that out of the way, you only have to decide, what you personally like better and what you want your personal soloing style to sound like :). ## Why does it work? Why can we use a seemingly unrelated scale over an Eb major progression? And what music theory secrets help us to sound so sophisticated by using the scale? The relationship between the Cm pentatonic scale (let's set the "blues" aside for a moment) is actually pretty closely related to the key of Eb major. First you should know, that the key of Cm is the [relative minor](https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-and-parallel-minor-explained/) key of Eb major. And once we build the minor pentatonic scale on C, we can simply rearrange the notes a little to see, that they're exactly **the same notes** as the Eb major pentatonic scale! So in fact we have also been soloing over the Eb major pentatonic scale all along. Before we add in the "blues" again, let's first look at what the C minor pentatonic scale does in relation to the root of each chord: On `Fm7` the notes of the scale represent the - root - 9th - 11th - 5th - and 7th. ![Cm pentatonic over Fm7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic-1.png) Cm pentatonic over Fm7 Notably we're **avoiding the third of the chord and also the 6th**. You already learned that the 9th and 11th sound great over a m7 chord. We also have the root, 5th and 7th as less unstable tones to end our phrases on, in case we want to resolve some tension. On `Bb7` the notes of the scale represent the - root - 9th - 11th - 5th - and 13th ![Cm pentatonic over Bb7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic--2--1.png) Cm pentatonic over Bb7 Again we miss the third and also the 7th. Instead of the third, we automatically have the 11th, which **adds extra tension to a dominant** chord like this. The 9th and 13th are two more sophisticated notes that you might not have picked just by looking at the chord symbol of `Bb7`. The root and 5th give us stable points to start or end our phrases on, should we desire less tension. On `Ebmaj7` the notes of the scale represent the - root - 9th - third - 5th - 6th ![Cm pentatonic over Ebmaj7](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Cm-blues-pentatonic--3--1.png) Cm pentatonic over Ebmaj7 This time the minor pentatonic scale gives us the third of the chord, which is very important on a *tonic* chord like `Ebmaj7`! So the **scale automatically helps us to sound good and choose great notes**. It also gives as the root and 5th, so provide even more stable tones on a tonic chord . The chances for a random phrase of ours to resolve nicely to a stable chord tone are 60% – significantly higher than the 43% we get with a regular major scale (sorry, the little maths nerd came out in me 🤓). And the added tensions are not bad either: a 9th sounds wonderful on a `maj7` chord and **the 6th is a substitution for the maj7th the pros use frequently**. Now let's add in the "blues"! This tiny extra gb/f# effortlessly leads you to a professional solo sound. On the `Fm7` and `Bb7` it gives you an **awesome double chromatic approach** to the sophisticated tensions 9 and 13\. Doing little grace notes on f and f# up to g **add color to your solo**. You can also just slide up from the f# directly – a nice trick on the piano is to simply let your finger slide down from the black key (f#) to the white key (g). For the `Bb7` chord, the f# also adds another welcomed tension for a dominant chord, even if you emphasize it more. On the `Ebmaj7` chord, the blue note f# gives you a **nice approach towards the third** of the chord. The third – as you might already know from my little songwriting email course – is **THE go to note to end phrases on**, if you're looking for great melodies. And preparing that note with a double chromatic approach demonstrates insight and musical mastery to your audience. ## Closing words Only knowing your available scales for each chord is not enough! You also need to know when and how to creatively apply these scales and which other approaches you have to make your soloing interesting. Using the minor blues pentatonic scale of the relative minor of your progression is one such trick. You end up with **phrases that sound more sophisticated, you avoid the dreaded scale running and you free up cognitive brain power to focus on other important aspects of soloing**. All in all, a trick like that will improve your solo playing considerably. I will leave you with that. And don't forget to practice and – most important of all – **have fun with making music!** ### Ballad intro I-VI-ii-V – great for songs in major URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/ballad-intro-i-vi-ii-v-great-for-songs-in-major/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:08.000Z As a musician and songwriter you needs to have a repertoire of intros and outros. This article presents another wonderful ballad intro to add to your bag of musical tricks. ## What it sounds like Listen to the chord progression first: It’s a beautiful progression to ease your listener into your song. The chords are almost diatonic, but they add that certain flavor of altered harmony. Let’s look at the chords in more detail. ## The chords This intro works heavily on arpeggios. Arpeggio simply means taking a chord and playing one note after the other (instead of all at once). Arpeggios can go up and down. This intro alternates between arpeggiating down and up. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/Ballad-Intro-2.png) The starting chord of our song is Eb major. So we establish that tonality first with Ebj7\. Adding the major 7th is common in ballads. It adds a sophisticated and lush flavor to the chord. We also add a 9th for good measure – you can almost always add 9th to chords to make them more interesting. We arpeggiate down on that chord. The Ebj7 is followed by C7b9#11\. That’s a heavily altered chord. You can think about this chord as F# over C, which makes playing the thing a lot easier. The arpeggio of this is essentially an F# chord run up on the instrument. The progression then moves to Fm7\. Again we change the direction of motion by arpeggiating down on the chord. Also adding a 9th again to make the chord richer. Finally we move to Bb7b9\. Another altered dominant chord that will lead us back to the starting chord of Eb major. You can view this altered chord as a B diminished chord over Bb. But instead of running this diminished chord up in sixteenths again, we slow the arpeggio to only use eighths notes. That slowing creates a ritardando effect and leads nicely into the following Eb major chord. It’s worth understanding all the music theory going here. Besides furthering your music theory knowledge, understanding the theory will actually help you play this progression much more easily in real world situations. So let’s dive in! ## The music theory The music theory of this progression is interesting. We look at the chords and the flow of the melody in arpeggios. ### Chords Despite of the progression being basically diatonic (meaning all chords are from the same key), the addition of altered chords adds a distinct flavor to it. But let’s start at the beginning. Our example song is in the key of Eb major and starts on that key’s tonic chord, which is simply Eb major. Our job as songwriters and intro creators is to find a nice progression leading the audience into that Eb major tonic chord. We start by working our way backwards from that Eb target chord. So what’s a chord leading nicely into an Eb major chord? Yes, it’s its dominant chord a fifth above. That chord is Bb7\. To spice things up a little, we make this an altered dominant chord. Dominant chords are great for turning them into altered chords. In this case we add the b9 (a *b* natural), which is an additional leading tone towards the Eb tonic chord. We’re also adding another leading tone, but we’ll cover that in the “melody” section below. Next we need a chord leading into our Bb7b9 dominant. Again we can find such a chord moving up a 5ths (or moving one step further in the circle of fifths). We arrive at F. Preceding a dominant chord, we often use a minor seventh chord, which makes this an Fm7. Now we have Fm7 to Bb7b9 to Eb. With a little experience in music theory you will recognize this as a [2-5-1 progression](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/) in Eb major. So we have a strong cadence leading into our beginning of the song. While we could stop (or rather start) there, we can work our way back further. Trying to find a chord leading into Fm7 leads us to search for the dominant again. The dominant of F is C7 – a 5th above F. To spice things up a little, we turn this dominant into an altered chord, too. We’ll make it a C7b9#11 chord. While this reads like a mouthful, it’s actually a simple chord to play. The 7, b9 and #11 are actually a b flat d flat and g flat. Just arranging these three notes makes us realize that it’s just a Gb major triad (or F# major enharmonically). So playing Gb over a C (adding in the major third e) already gives us a professional sounding C7b9#11 chord! We’ll make even more use of that Gb (or F#) chord in the melody section below. While we could advance this game even more by working out the dominant leading to C7, we stop here. We already have three chords for our intro and we just need one more to make it an even 4 chords. That starting chord will just be the Ebj7\. We establish the key of the song by stating the tonic here. This anchors our audience into the world of the song. Adding the major 7th and also a 9th to the chord makes it sound sophisticated and rich. Now we have four chords carefully built to grab the listener and pull them into our song. The four chords resemble a classic I-vi-ii-V progression. But we added some spice with our altered dominants. To make our intro even more persuasive, we add a little thought to the melody as well. ### Melody The melodic part of this intro has a simple melodic outline and uses arpeggios to move between corner stones of the melody. We’ll look at the outline and the corner stones first. It all starts on a *g*, which is the third of Eb major. The melody also ends on a *g*, just an octave lower. In between these two points it moves down, up again to that same *g*, back down and finally up half way to the *g* an octave lower. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/06/IMG_0282.jpeg) This wave-like motion creates the corner stones for all melody notes in the intro. Now let’s fill in the details. Generally the notes move up and down in arpeggios (i.e. playing the notes of the chord one after the other). This creates a flurry of notes waving up and down beautifully to pull the audience into the beginning of the song. The first arpeggio on the Ebj7 chord moves down from the third by outlining ab Ebj7,9 chord. When the next chord C7b9#11 hits, we move down to the next note of that chord and then reverse our motion. Now we arpeggiate the altered dominant chord upwards. The arpeggio is actually a simple Gb (or F#) triad running up on the instrument. We run back up until we almost hit the initial note of *g*. That initial *g* is now stated again with the chord change to Fm7\. The note instantly adds the 9th to the Fm7\. Again we reverse the motion. Now we run the arpeggio down on the Fm7,9 chord. This time we switch things up a little to not run to low on the instrument. After all, we want to slow down a little and target the final *g* after the next chord, so that we can ease the audience into a nice third on the tonic chord. On the chord change to Bb7b9 we again move down a little to get our starting note (the b9). We reverse direction again, but this time we move upwards a little slower. This slowing down has two reasons: First it allows us to land an octave lower than where we started, second it adds a nice ritardando feel creating some tension and expectation towards the beginning of the song. Add the end we ease the melody into the final Eb chord by moving chromatically upwards (which is our current arpeggio motion). From the f to f# to g. In terms of harmony this adds another alteration to our altered Bb7b9 chord, making it essentially a Bb7b9b13 chord. But the main purpose of that chromatic figure is to create a strong leading tone and a smooth line towards the third of the Eb chord. That’s it. We created a nice flurry of notes with wave-like up and down motion depositing us nicely on the initial chord of the song. ## Next steps As with other intros, you should transpose this chord progression into a few keys you use commonly. You should best pick a few ballads you like and simply add this intro to each and every one. Songs starting on the major tonic chord work best for this. Once you’re familiar with it, you should be able to recall it instantly when writing or playing a new song. Now you can begin to change the chords a little. Experiment. Use a regular minor vi chord instead of the altered dominant. Or make the final ii-V7 progression a ii-bII7 progression by doing a tritone substitution. Have fun and try new things to come up with your own variations of this song intro. And most of all: keep making awesome music! Btw: I have [another wonderful ballad intro](https://realworldmusictheory.com/a-great-intro-for-ballad-songs/) for you. ### A great intro for ballad songs URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/a-great-intro-for-ballad-songs/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:16.000Z Every musician and songwriter needs a bunch of intros and outros for songs. Whether you tag them onto your own compositions or use them when covering other musician’s songs, well crafted intros and outros make a performance much more sophisticated. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The magic of the major 7 in ABBA's Dancing Queen URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-magic-of-the-major-7-in-abbas-dancing-queen/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:25.000Z The 7th scale degree in a major key is magic! We often use it to make the tonic chord sound very lush and sophisticated. But the 7th also a wonderful melodic choice that can make a song iconic. A good example of this is ABBA's classic hit song "Dancing Queen". _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Is ABBA the future of music? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/is-abba-the-future-of-music/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:34.000Z This year the legendary band ABBA will be back on stage! But although they'll perform a few new songs, they won't actually be on stage! Their avatars will perform live. Is this a glimpse of the future of live music? ## What is ABBA Voyage? ABBA could have retired and not play again at all. They're well in their 70s now and their songs still earn insane revenue. But they they wanted to take control of their legacy. And they wanted to set ABBA up for the future of the music industry. [ABBA Voyage](https://abbavoyage.com/?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) is a concert show, in which life-like avatars act out on stage. ABBA chose to record their songs – old and new ones – in a studio using motion-capture. All their moves were mapped onto virtual avatars of their younger selves. It's the perfect merge of them playing the music and acting out on stage with the look and feel of the original band in the 70s. It also allows them to perform two shows a day without ever getting exhausted. The illusion seems to be pretty strong as first audience members reported. They felt transported back to the 70s. But despite the nostalgia, they could also hear and see their heroes perform new songs from 2022 live on stage. It's definitely a completely new concert experience. ## Is this a good development? Before we talk about the implications of all this for the future of the music business, let's pause for a moment and ask whether we like this or not. Some commentators immediately react hostile towards ABBA's new show. They criticize it to be a lifeless attempt to make more money and control their heritage. You could also criticize that such a show exacerbates the youth obsession plaguing our society. Why not be honest and vulnerable and stand up on stage as your own old self? And if it is just a computer show and the original band members actually sit in the audience and watch their own show, isn't this any different from watching an old ABBA concert on your TV at home? I personally think that, while some of the critique is valid, ABBA's new approach is innovative and good for the industry. Instead of criticizing, I would rather learn from them. ## What can we learn? ABBA is not the only band existing as virtual avatars. If you're from Germany you might remember the band Milli Vanilli: They were acting out on stage, while unknown artists actually played and sang the songs. Milli Vanilli was only a facade – although not yet as computer avatars. Today there are countless "artists" who are not even real humans. Computer-generated figures portray a fictitious yet real-looking life on TikTok and Insta, while releasing albums and giving virtual concerts. Heck, we even have a band of bored apes (TheZoo) performing in the metaverse and having their own NFTs. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2022/05/thezoo-bayc-810x524.jpg) And if we're really honest with ourselves as musicians, it has always been that way! Even decades ago bands and artists were carefully constructed personalities that were often very different from the real human characters behind the show. Moving from made up human characters to made up computer characters doesn't seem like a far step. It's even more efficient, because you don't have to reconcile the fictitious image of a "star" with the character traits of the human being behind the star. You can now freely sculpt an artist character without having to bend a real human soul to its will – something that had wrecked many musicians in the past. With the advent of NFTs it's even possible to license these characters for music, merch or movies and build a solid business on it. No need for a unique human just to tie royalties and rights to. It could be the beginning of an artistic and creative explosion in the years to come. Another advantage for ABBA and other virtual artists is the efficiency. Virtual artists can do concerts 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without getting tired. It's a much more scalable solution! Albeit we have to be careful not to ruin the uniqueness element. While we didn't need artificial scarcity with real humans, we need with digital artists. NFTs help a bit here, but still we need to be careful not to make "stars" too much of a commodity. All in all I feel we can learn a lot from ABBA, TheZoo and other virtual artists. It's just a new field for innovation in the music industry – much as synthesizers, records or the invention of the piano-forte were. We should embrace it and think about how we can take advantage of the opportunities! ## Is this the future of music? So, will virtual avatar artists be the future of music? Will humans vanish from stages? I don't know, but I don't think that it's an either or. Virtual artists will definitely broaden the spectrum of what is possible. They will open up new business opportunities and creative fields for all of us – much like the ability to record music did for our industry. But I also think that human artists playing in flesh on stage will be part of the future as well. As with so many things, it will not be about slicing the cake differently, but about adding more cake for everybody. There will also be hybrid forms – like ABBA already is. The possibilities of virtual artist will influence human artists and vice versa. It's gonna be an exciting future! The key is to embrace these developments whole-heartedly and use them to our advantage. I'm boundlessly optimistic about the future of the music industry and the future of live music! I don't know what exactly it will look like in 10 or 20 years, but I sure know that it's gonna be an awesome hell of a ride 🤘 Btw: If you want more ABBA, you might enjoy my [reharmonization of Mamma Mia using a lot of music theory tricks](https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-abba-reharmonized/) or the [article about the magic of the major 7th in ABBA's Dancing Queen](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-magic-of-the-major-7-in-abbas-dancing-queen/). ### How Songwriters Manage Their Creative Energy with Flow URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/how-songwriters-manage-their-creative-energy-with-flow/ Last updated: 2026-08-15T19:08:30.000Z We songwriters heavily depend on our creative energy. If we’re creative and energized, we can write awesome songs in just 30 minutes or less; but when the muse deserts us or our batteries are empty, we can’t seem to get anything done for weeks on end. Professional songwriters know how to keep their creative juices flowing. Each of them has their personal secrets that let them write more and higher quality songs than the rest of us. This article is about one of these secrets – and how you can master it for bigger musical impact. # The Flow ## What is flow? The psychological phenomenon named “flow“ by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi is less a method but more an observation of human behavior. You almost certainly experienced flow moments in your life. Flow is “the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity“ (Wikipedia). When you’re in the flow, you truly live in the moment, you’re happy and you perform at your best. As musicians we’re gifted to experience such flow moments more often than others: we feel it while composing, playing on stage or recording an album. If you’ve forgotten about space and time in a recording studio only to notice after the fact, that you spent 10 hours without food and sunlight, completely immersed in your music and feeling completely happy, you’ve experienced flow. We also regularly experience flow during a live performance – especially when soloing. Somehow things just happen effortlessly and everything turns out right – it’s pure joy. So being in a state of flow not only makes us happy, but it also let’s us produce our best work. The challenge now, of course, is how to get into a state of flow on purpose? ## How to do it? Unfortunately you can’t simply trigger a state of flow – flow just happens. But you can create the circumstances that make a state of flow more likely. The main ingredient to flow is a balance between the two aspects *challenge* and *skill*. First, what you’re about to do (e.g. songwriting or rehearsing), has to be “challenging“. But challenge alone can lead to various states of mind depending on your skills to handle that challenge. So the second aspect “skill“ has to fit the challenge. If your skills are not adequate, you will feel anxiety and worry. If your skills are better than what the challenge demands, you feel in control, but missing the excitement of flow – it's boring. So the trick is to take on an activity that is neither too challenging nor too easy for your skill level. In a solo for example don‘t just stick to the licks you already master - challenge yourself a little by playing more difficult lines! But don‘t stress yourself with overly hard phrases that create anxiety even before you play them. Find the balance and you can enter a state of flow. Once you have entered a flow state, you will not be easily interrupted; but right at the beginning, when you try to get into flow, distractions can really hinder the process. So prepare for what you‘re about to do. For songwriting for example it is important to have everything available for your composing session: your instrument, a recording device, paper or a tablet, maybe a rhyming dictionary and an undisturbed environment. Nothing prevents flow more than having to fiddle with non-working tech (“why am I hearing nothing on this channel?“) or being constantly interrupted with other tasks. One such form of preparation is (of course) having enough music theory skills, so you don’t get stuck half way through the first verse. To improvise in a state of flow during a live concert, you also need to rely on your skills (so practice beforehand) and knowing your instrument. But it’s equally important to trust your band to support you and simply to have your monitoring set up properly (i.e. do good sound checks!). Then find that sweet spot between too easy and too difficult, in which your skills just match the solo challenge you set for yourself. ## Getting better A nice side effect of operating at the challenging edge of your skills is that you will get better over time. Because the secret that gets us into a state of flow is also the secret of learning and getting better at our craft. You can use flow not only during live shows or in songwriting sessions, but also during daily practice of your instrument! Practicing in a state of flow does not only feel much better, but it keeps you going longer and it let’s you operate at the upper edge of your current skill set. Nothing is better to advance quickly in developing new skills. For example take a lick you can play at medium tempo in one key. A good challenge to get you into flow would be to play this lick in different keys repeatedly and to slowly speed it up with a metronome. Simply things like this can create a flow state. ## Summary As a musician you depend on managing your energy. Flow is a way of channelling all your potential into an actual performance or composition. Understanding the state of flow and how you can best enter it is crucial for any artist. Take the lessons from this article and seek situations in which your skills balance the challenges (and the challenges balance the skills!), in which you feel at the same time relaxed, but excited. Getting into flow during a live concert, a songwriting session or just during daily practice is not that hard, as long as you create the circumstances to get there. Now try it right away: sit down to practice something or write that song you wanted to write this week. And most have all: have fun making awesome music! [1win casino online](https://1winmd.lol/?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ### How to create dark, eerie and foreboding moods with the Phrygian mode URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/how-to-create-dark-eerie-and-foreboding-moods-with-the-phrygian-mode/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:12:51.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### From Simple to Complex Harmony using Secondary Dominants URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/from-simple-to-complex-harmony-using-secondary-dominants/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:00.000Z An important music theory tool for songwriters, composers and musicians in general is the secondary dominant. This tool alone can turn a boring chord progression into a masterpiece or number one hit song. I invite you to join me on a journey of pimping a simple chord progression and turning it into complex and professional harmony. I will take you from a simple chord progression like this: > C Am F G To a much more sophisticated and professional sounding chord progression like this: > C E7/B Am C7/G F F#dim G7 And the only tool we really need is: **the secondary dominant**. Let’s go! ## The Starting Point – 50s Progression We will start with a simple and famous chord progression from the 1950s: the 50s progression. It has been used by countless songwriters and the chords are the following in C major: > C Am F G Very simple, very uneventful. Now you could totally use this chord progression as is and compose a song from it; but I like to make things a little more unique, shiny and sophisticated. Pimping simple chord progressions like the 50s progression makes a song stand out and increases the chances of it becoming a number 1 hit song; and it is just more fun and more interesting to listen, sing and play to! We apply a lot of music theory to such a simple chord progression, but in this article I want to focus on one specific music theory tool: the secondary dominant. Let’s first get to know this tool, before we apply it to our chord progression. ## The Tool – Secondary Dominants A **secondary dominant** is not as scary as the term might sound. Let’s tackle the jargon one by one. A **dominant** is a chord with a lot of musical tension. Dominants scream to be resolved to a chord with very little tension (which we call a tonic chord). Dominants achieve this by including many strong leading tones towards the notes of the tonic chord. The dominant probably everybody is familiar with is the chord on the fifth scale degree of a major scale (V7). In C major, this is the chord G7\. The G7 has a strong pull towards the C major tonic chord and every listener kind-of expect a G7 chord to be followed by a C major chord. Although there are more chords that can create dominant-like tension, only this chord is usually referred to when talking about “the dominant”. The dominant is a perfect fifth above the tonic chord it targets (i.e. wants to resolve to): G is a perfect fifth above C. We can also call this the “primary dominant”. So much for the dominant. Now to the second part of the jargon. A **secondary** dominant chord is dominant chord that leads to a chord OTHER than the tonic of the key. So any dominant chord leading to Dm or F in the key of C major is a secondary dominant. It’s just a dominant leading to a “tonic” which is not the tonic of the key C major. A secondary dominant still sits a perfect fifth above its target chord and thus resolves a perfect fifth down. Let’s take the chord of F major, which is a chord in the key of C major, but is not the tonic. To find the dominant chord leading to this F major, we simply jump one fifth above F and then play a dominant chord on that note. A perfect fifth up from F is C – and to make it a dominant chord, we play it as C7\. Great, you have just found a secondary dominant leading to the F major chord in the key of C major! Now let’s apply this music theory knowledge to our real world chord progression. ## Hands-on – Apply Music Theory to the Real World Let’s look at our initial chord progression again: > C Am F G You might already spot the (primary) dominant in there: the G. We could just make this more “dominanty” by adding the minor 7th while we’re at it: > C Am F G7 This dominant wraps around to resolving to the tonic chord C major at the beginning of the chord progression. But now to the meaty part – let’s apply some secondary dominants! The second chord Am chord be preceded by a dominant chord strongly leading to it. The dominant chord leading to Am is a perfect fifth up: E7\. So let’s insert E7 here (and at the same time shorten the C major a little to make room): > C E7 Am F G7 This chord progression sounds much more interesting and has a stronger forward momentum. And by adding the E7 we introduced a non-diatonic chord – a chord with notes that don’t belong to the key of C major! In fact, all secondary dominants are non-diatonic. In the case of E7 we now have a G# note which is totally not from the key of C major. These non-diatonic notes do not only add nice leading tones towards the target chord, but also add a new sonic color to the progression. Let’s move on to the next chord F. The F major could also use a preceding dominant chord leading to it. Again we go a fifth up from F and find the dominant chord: C7\. Again we shorten the Am a little, so we can fit in the C7 in the same bar: > C E7 Am C7 F G7 Wow, another non-diatonic chord (introducing the note Bb). Now the chord progression really begins to roll with a lot of forward momentum. This Momentum is created by the natural pull of dominant chords. On to the last chord in the progression: G7\. Again, we go up a perfect fifth and find the dominant chord: D7: > C E7 Am C7 F D7 G7 That gives us a dominant chord leading to a dominant chord! Now in that case many people would actually use a “pre-dominant” chord leading to the dominant chord. The most common pre-dominant chord would be a minor 7th: Dm7 G7\. You might recognize a ii-V cadence here ;). Nevertheless, we will stick with the dominant chord D7 for this example. Now this chord progression has a pretty strong forward momentum already. But there is one little thing that drags a little: Have you noticed how the bass line is now jumping around pretty frantically? It’s moving up a third to E, then down a fifth to A, then up a third again to C, then down a fifth … . While this bass line still works, we can smoothen the ride of the chord progression – and therefore increase the momentum even further – by taking out some of the leaps and using small steps (half-note or whole-note steps) in the bass. The bass doesn’t always have to play the root of a chord – especially in harmonically weaker spots like the 2nd, 4th or 6th chord. The bass will do fine with any note from the chord. So to make the move from C to E7 to Am smoother, the bass could just move down in steps from c to b to a: > C E7/B Am This makes the bass movement much more singable and melody-like. And this greases our chord progression so that it can move so much more elegantly. Let’s continue this trick for the rest of the chord progression: > C E7/B Am C7/G F D7/F# G7 Awesome, now the bass almost has its own little melody. We’re almost done, but let me give you a little bonus tip here. ## Bonus – Diminished Passing Chords If you play the D7/F# chord in the new chord progression, you might notice that it almost looks like an F# diminished chord: > D7/F#: f# a c d > F#dim: f# a c d# Yes, in fact you can replace the D7/F# chord with an F#dim chord! Actually, the diminished chord between the 4th and 5th degree of the major scale is commonly used to smoothen the transition to the dominant chord. By adding the additional non-diatonic note of d# (or enharmonic eb), you add yet another leading tone towards the target chord G7\. That new F#dim chord could also be interpreted as an altered secondary dominant chord: D7b9/F#. So without much effort, you crowned this chord progression with an altered secondary dominant – yeah! > C E7/B Am C7/G F F#dim G7 ## The Result – What you have Learned We transformed the simple, rather uneventful 50s chord progression: > C Am F G Into this sophisticated and professional sounding chord progression with significantly more forward momentum, non-diatonic notes and even a fancy diminished chord: > C E7/B Am C7/G F F#dim G7 We could do this using only one single music theory tool: the secondary dominant. You now have this tool of secondary dominants in your arsenal as a songwriter. Practice to use it and apply it to your next composition! ## What to do next To practice secondary dominants, look at songs you like or songs you wrote. Try to sneak in as many secondary dominants as you can. Remember, this is just for practice. For real compositions, you usually want to dial back the excessive use of secondary dominants in front of every single chord a little. Nevertheless it is good practice to at least be able to know and play all the possible secondary dominants. Once you have a few nice dominants to increase your songs momentum, try to use chord inversions to make the bass line more melodic. This takes practice, but it can lead to an even more sophisticated and professional sound. And most of all: have fun using this music theory tool, keep writing your songs, and enjoy making awesome music! ### Parallel or Relative minor? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/parallel-or-relative-minor/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:09.000Z Why is Tp the symbol for "tonic relative"? And what is the difference between parallel and relative minor? To learn about the basics of relative and parallel keys, you might want to read my article [Relative Minor and Parallel Minor EXPLAINED](https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-and-parallel-minor-explained/) first. Below I want to point out the peculiarity of Tp (or "Tonikaparallele") symbolizing "relative minor". If you have never heard of Tp or functional harmony before, you might want to read up on it here (article not yet published). ## Lost in translation If you ask Google to translate "parallel minor" to German, you will get "parallel moll" – which is dead **wrong**! ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/03/Bildschirmfoto-2021-03-10-um-07.12.21.png) **WRONG** translation by Google Translate The German "parallel moll" would be "relative minor" in English! As far as I know there is no translation of "parallel minor" in German. If you come from a European music tradition – especially if you were trained in functional harmony – you will certainly be confused by the English meaning of the word "parallel". In German and the functional harmony tradition, a "parallel" chord (e.g. the "Tonikaparallele" as the tonic parallel) refers to the chord a third away from the original chord – a chord called "relative" in English. So "parallel" in German means "relative" in English! That would only be confusing to German speakers, but since the symbols used to denote functional harmony come from the German language, it might also confuse anyone who learned about functional harmony. The symbol for the relative minor chord for example is "Tp": The "T" means "tonic" and the "p" means "relative minor" (or "Mollparallele" in German). The relative major would be written as "tP". As far as I know, there is no translation for the English "parallel" in German music theory. You could only describe a parallel key in German language (like "Molltonart mit dem gleichen Grundton"). The interesting observation I made is that due to the lack of a term for "parallel minor" the use of parallel minor is less frequent in German songs than in English/American songs 😲. ## Clarification So to not confuse you any further, here are the correct translations and meanings of parallel and relative minor: - Relative minor (English) = Mollparallele (German) = minor key/chord a minor third below the major key/chord - Parallel minor (English) = no translation (German) = minor key/chord on the same root as the major key/chord To learn more about relative and parallel keys and the great things you can do with them in songwriting and making music, check out [Relative Minor and Parallel Minor EXPLAINED](https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-and-parallel-minor-explained/). ### Relative Minor and Parallel Minor EXPLAINED URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/relative-minor-and-parallel-minor-explained/ Last updated: 2026-08-15T19:08:26.000Z Understanding the concept of relative and parallel keys is a must for any decent musician. Relative minor? Parallel major? These music theory terms are a lot easier than they might seem. Let's learn about relative and parallel keys now. ## Relative minor Examples are easiest to understand: - The *relative minor* of **C major** is **A minor** - The *relative minor* of **F major** is **D minor** - The *relative minor* of **A major** is **F# minor** You can already see a pattern here: > The relative minor is always a minor third (or 3 half steps) below the major. Though this is easy to remember, it doesn't yet explain, what relative minor is and why we need it. So let me ask the question: what do the major key and its relative minor have in common? If you answered that they have the **same accidentals** or the same scale material, you were correct! The note material of C major is the same as the note material of A minor (i.e. all the white keys on a piano). The only difference between a major key and its relative minor key is the root: The root of C major is `C`, while the root of A minor is `A`. In the circle of fifths, which orders all keys by their accidentals, C major and A minor actually share the same spot! And so do all other major and their relative minor keys. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/03/1D04D17C-C2EB-4E12-8B8B-E5F989C33D3D.png) If we look at relative minor as a chord (as opposed to a whole key), we can see that both the C major chord and the A minor chord belong to the other chord’s key. That means the A minor chord is included in the key of C major (it's the chord on the sixth scale degree) and the C major chord is included in the key of A minor (it's the chord on the third scale degree). It's worth looking at relative chords a little closer. With a C major chord and an A minor chord side by side, we immediately see that they both **share two of their three notes**: `C` and `E`. If we extend these triads to four notes, they even have three notes in common: `C`, `E` and `G`. From this it's easy to understand how closely related relative chords are. They're so closely related that in functional harmony, **a relative minor chord can take the place its relative major chord**. Both C major and A minor play the same "harmonic function" (e.g. a *tonic* function in C major or a *pre-dominant* function in G major). Try it and replace a major chord with its relative minor in any song. It almost always works, because the function of the chord didn’t change! Only its flavor is slightly altered. This is the basis of many tricks in music theory. One such trick is to *deceptively* resolve a major cadence to the relative minor chord. This will sound somewhat surprising yet still satisfying. It creates a welcomed surprise without sounding too jarring. Try it for a few songs and replace the final cadential chord with its relative minor chord. The famous [251 progression](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/) can also be explained with relative keys. A 251 progression is simply a full authentic cadence of 451 with the subdominant being replaced by its relative minor chord. Here is the example in C major: `F G C` `Dm G C` Some scientists even believe the [251 progression](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/) was the original cadence that later developed into the classic 451 by replacing the first minor chord with its relative major (see next section)! This theory sounds convincing, because 251 not only has the functional progression of pre-dominant to dominant to tonic, but also has a sequence of *falling fifths* in the bass - one of the strongest forces in music theory. Anyway, we only need to remember: 251 and 451 are related via the magic of relative chords. ## Relative major Relative major is essentially the inverse of relative minor. If the relative minor of C major was A minor, then we say the relative major of A minor is C major. Here are a few examples again: - The *relative major* of **A minor** is **C major** - The *relative major* of **D minor** is **F major** - The *relative major* of **F# minor** is **A major** It's the same concept as with siblings: if Benny is Anna’s brother, then Anna is Benny’s sister. They're both relatives to each other. > The relative major is always a minor third (3 half steps) above the minor. You can take everything you learned in the *relative minor* section above and apply it to relative major as well. The triads still have two of their three notes in common and both can still play the same function in a chord progression. Relative major is just a way of describing the relative minor relationship from the other perspective. With parallel minor however, it gets a little more interesting again... ## Parallel minor Examples are easy to understand: - **C minor** is the *parallel minor* of **C major** - **F minor** is the *parallel minor* of **F major** - **A minor** is the *parallel minor* of **A major** You see the pattern: > The parallel minor always has the same root as the major. That seems a lot simpler than it is. While the root stays the same in a parallel key relationship, **the accidentals change dramatically**. You can see this when looking at parallel keys in the circle of fifths: ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/03/94860175-A634-4D17-BB5A-FE1AE0B1E98C.png) You can view parallel keys as the cousins of relative keys: **While relative keys keep all accidentals the same, but change the root, parallel keys keep the root the same, but change the accidentals.** Using parallel keys can sound more sophisticated due to the drastic move along the circle of fifths. It is certainly the more obvious sound compared to relative keys. **So use parallel keys for the more impactful effect and relative keys to be more subtle.** Instead of just substituting a chord with its minor parallel chord (e.g. C major with C minor) many songs "borrow" chords from the entire parallel key. This is why you encounter non-diatonic chords like Eb major, F minor or Ab major in the key of C major quite frequently. Two examples might illustrate this: Rock songs often use the "**rock changes**": `C Eb F C` It sounds familiar to our ears, yet these chords come from two different keys: C major (chords `C` and `F`) and C minor (chord `Eb`). While you could just say rock guitarists are lazy and just slide the major chord voicing up the fretboard 😂, the underlying music theory actually makes sense: The Eb chord is a *borrowed* chord from the parallel C minor key. The **minor plagal cadence** is also a common progression using the parallel minor key: `F Fm C` I associate it mostly with endings of emotional ballads, but it can happen in any kind of song. Again, the Fm chord is *borrowed* from the parallel minor key of C minor. If you want more examples of cool chord progressions commonly used in songwriting, check out this article *(not yet published)*. With parallel minor we tend to think more about the whole parallel key instead of single chords (as we do in relative relationships). This is in the nature of parallel minor, since it actually has different chords due to the different accidentals. ## Parallel major To make the relative and parallel realm complete, we still have to talk about parallel major. Here are a few examples: - **C major** is the *parallel minor* of **C minor** - **F major** is the *parallel minor* of **F minor** - **A major** is the *parallel minor* of **A minor** Pretty straight forward, once you understood parallel minor 😁: > The parallel major always has the same root as the minor. Again, like with parallel minor, the accidentals of the parallel major key change. Parallel major is just the reverse of parallel minor. I have seen less deliberate use of parallel major chords or keys in songs. One common pattern in songs is the **major dominant chord in a minor key**: `G Cm` While this is a valid case, the dominant major is often better explained with *harmonic minor*, which adds the guide tone of `B` to the C minor tonality. As soon as you add options like 9ths to the dominant chord, the interpretation as harmonic minor often works better. I have seen less use of the parallel major key in actual songs compared to parallel minor or relative keys. Nevertheless you should know about this twin of parallel minor to extend your harmonic choices when writing in a minor key. And if you know any songs that use parallel major, please send me a message with the song! ## Chord or key? You might have noticed that we can talk about relative/parallel **keys** and relative/parallel **chords**. Sometimes the distinction is important, sometimes it's not - but I thought clarifying this matter briefly does not hurt. Talking about the relative minor **key** of C major doesn't give us any new chords to choose from. The chords of A minor (the relative key) are exactly the same as those of C major. If we apply the concept of "relative" to single **chords**, however, we get a possible substitution chord for each major chord in the key. So with "relative" we mostly think about relative chords. Talking about the parallel minor **key** C major, however, gives us a whole set of shiny new chords we can borrow! So with "parallel" we mostly talk about the whole key instead of single parallel chords. Simply replacing a major **chord** by its minor parallel chord can certainly work (like in the plagal cadence `Fm C`), but in actual songs it is far more common to borrow other chords from the entire parallel key (like `C Eb F`). In practice most people don't bother to distinguish strictly between relative/parallel *keys* or relative/parallel *chords*. And that is fine. Sometimes it pays to combine the concept of a parallel and relative chords to pick the right chord from a parallel key. For example substituting a borrowed Eb major chord for a C major chord can be explained in these two steps: First replace C major with its parallel minor chord C minor, then replace C minor with its relative major chord Eb. When you watch my [videos](https://youtube.com/morgler?ref=realworldmusictheory.com), you can occasionally see me use this two-step-explanation to analyze a chord progression 😁. ## Borrowing chords An important topic with parallel keys is the idea of **borrowing chords**. Borrowing a chord means to widen your set of harmonic choices by also using ("borrowing") chords from the parallel key. In C major for example, you would only have *seven* chords to choose from (aka diatonic): `C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished` But once you also add all possible chords from the parallel minor key (C minor in that example), you get *seven more* chords to choose from: `C minor, D diminished, Eb major, F minor, G minor, Ab major, Bb major` Now you have *14* (!) chords to harmonize your melodies - that's twice of the chord material you would normally use in a diatonic setting. So instead of harmonizing a melody note `G` with the chords `C`, `Em` or `G`, you can also harmonize it with `Cm`, `Eb` or `Gm`. We already saw the example of the "rock progression" above. The [awesome backdoor progression](https://youtu.be/RZPNmXRTcMw?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) is another example of borrowing chords from parallel minor. ## “P” stands for “relative” !? If you are a non-native English speaker or you have been trained in functional harmony, you might be surprised that the abbreviation for "Tonic relative" chord is `Tp`!? This comes from the German origins of functional harmony and it can be pretty confusing: "parallel" in German means "relative" in English 😳. Check out this interesting fact in my article Parallel or Relative minor? (*coming soon*). ## Summary Understanding relative and parallel keys is a basic skill for any decent musician. Now you have a thorough understanding of the two concepts "relative" and "parallel" as well as their application to whole keys or single chords. While a using chords from the relative key does not change the sound a lot, borrowing chords from the parallel key has more drastic effects. This is because of relative keys having the same accidentals (and thus the same chords) as their relative counterpart (e.g. C major and A minor). The chords of A minor are still diatonic to C major (e.g. the chords `Em` or `F`). Parallel keys however have different accidentals than their parallel counterpart! They essentially shift you around the circle of fifths by three steps (e.g. C major (no accidentals) and C minor (3 accidentals). To practice the concept of relative chords and keys, try to substitute an occasional chord with its relative counterpart. Take your favorite song or one of your own compositions. Randomly replace a few chords and listen to the effect. To practice the concept of parallel chords and keys, try to substitute the occasional chord with any chord you borrow from the parallel key. Again take your favorite songs or any of your own pieces. Get used to the sound and the effects you can achieve. And now pat yourself on the shoulder for learning this new concept and be eager to apply it in your future songwriting and playing! Most of all: have fun and make awesome music! 🎉 [cod promoțional 1win](https://1winmd.lol/?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ### Reharmonizing Stand by Me (by Ben E. King) URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/reharmonizing-stand-by-me-by-ben-e-king/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:28.000Z Learning music theory is most fun when applied to real songs! So I applied a few reharmonization techniques to the good old Stand by Me. I wasn't after one particular version of rehamronized chords, but rather wanted to demonstrate what you can do! The more music theory you know, the more fun you can have applying this stuff to reharmonizing classics like this Ben E. King song. Enjoy the video! The original Song "Stand By Me" uses the 50s chord progression: > I vi IV V For the reharmonization I start with the original chords and simply use sophisticated upper-structure voicings (like E/A for Amaj79 or E/F#m for F#m11). I then add a ii-V-I turnaround at the end to get a stronger pull to the repetition of the chorus. To make it even stronger, I use another upper-structure chord for E7: C/E7, resulting in an altered E7#5#9 chord. Through the next chorus I use a tritone substitution in the ii-V progression to turn the E7 chord into an Bb7#11 sound. Btw: Moving back and forth between the tonic and the tritone substituted dominant is a typical Bossa Nova move you can use for intros, outros or whole songs: > Amaj7 Bb7#11 Amaj7 Bb7#11 Even more reharominzation potential is released by looking at functional harmony and using the median chord ("Gegenklang") on the tonic and the relative minor on the subdominant. To get into all the details, how the reharmonization sounds and how it works, check out the video on YouTube. ### How a one-note melody became a number one hit URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/africa-toto-analyzing-the-chorus/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:37.000Z ## Africa (Toto) – Analyzing the Chorus ## Can you write a number one hit with only one note? The song *Africa* is Toto's only number one hit on the Billboard charts – hard to believe, because Toto created other masterpieces such as *Hold the Line*, *Rosanna* or *99*. And while this 1982 song stands out as their most successful chart hit, it also stands out because of another interesting quality: **the astonishingly simple melody of its chorus!** Let's dive into the compositional elements Toto use in the chorus of this hit: the **melody** (surprisingly simple), the **chord progression** (learn a pop music standard progression) and the **form** (bend the rules a little). Understanding music theory by analyzing a hit song is what separates the great musicians from the rest. Once you know what makes other songs successful, you will write and play better music yourself. But before we get to the peculiar melody, that basically consists of only one (!) note, we have to analyze the base over which this melody flies: the underlying chord progression and the form of the chorus… ## Chord Progression While the verse of *Africa* contains some interesting chords weaving through multiple keys, the chorus chords are as straight forward as it can be for a pop song: `F#m D A E` or `vi IV I V` This progression is so ubiquitous in pop music, that I tend to call it the *"pop progression"*. These chords are likely **THE most used progression in popular music**. Some songs start it on the second chord, some on the third or fourth, but half of the pop music since 1950 is made up of one variant of this chord progression! > This progression just works! People like it, feel it and sing along to it. Toto are not famous for a lack of musical originality or music theory skills, but they went for simplicity here on purpose. First, this progression just works! People like it, feel it and sing along to it – so why get more fancy. Second, Toto already showed a little more complex harmony in the verse. A simple chorus gives listeners a welcomed rest from the verse’s higher complexity thus balancing the overall harmonic complexity of the song. The progression is four bars long (one chord per bar) and the entire thing is repeated four times. Sounds very straight forward. But Toto add a little twist at the end: The final repetition of the progression extends the ending, extending it to six bars. `F#m D A C#m7 E F#m E/G#` This extension uses an old music theory trick: Instead of going straight to the `E` they insert a `C#m7` chord. This is a so called deceptive resolution, because we expect to hear the E after the `A`, but we're deceived. Our expectation - set up by the three repetitions before and by musical intuition (more precisely the power of falling fifth) - is disappointed. Instead of getting the `E`, we hear the `C#m7`. But to us it feels less disappointing and rather joyous. The reason is threefold. > Disappointing our expectation actually tickles our logical brain in a delightful way. First, as much as we humans love patterns and predictability, we also yearn for a small amount of surprise. Disappointing our expectation actually tickles our logical brain in a delightful way. Think of this like spices in the food you eat: without spices it would be bland, but too much would ruin the dish. It's that delightful pinch of salt or chilies that makes a masterpiece. Second, the `C#m7` chord is not that much different from an `E` chord. In fact, the `E` triad is a part of the `C#m7` chord. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/02/E-is-in-C-m7.png) The E major triad is naturally embedded in the C#m7 chord You could see this `C#m7` chord as just an `E` triad with the “wrong” bass note. They sound pretty familiar. In functional harmony, both chords can play the role of a dominant chord - so they're functionally equivalent. And third, Toto deliver the original `E` chord right after this little journey to `C#m7`. They give you what you wanted, but only after inserting that little twist before. This technique is used in jazz music to more extreme, when improvisers actually move to dissonant chords outside of the current scale only to deliver a nice consonant chord right before it feels too dissonant for you. In jazz this is called “stepping outside”. A similar technique is used for extended endings, where you repeat a phrase in a different key only to return to the original key right after that. After this nice music theory trick, the song moves on to the familiar `F#m`, but without starting a fifth repetition of the progression. This time, the `F#m` actually sounds like a final resolution and brief point of rest. It only lasts for half a measure though, because Toto yank it back up to A via the transitioning chord of `E/G#`. And before we know it, we're back in the intro phrase. The intro acts as an interlude here and has two functions: First it transitions us back to the verse and second it repeats the famous hook of the song just two more times. While the chorus was in the key of either A major or F#m (aeolian) minor, the hook is in C# (aeolian) minor. These keys are right next to each other and their only difference is the `d` (in F# minor) versus `d#` (in C# minor). This whole moves prepares us for going back to the key of the verse, which is B major (and moving to E major) - but the harmony of the verse is food for another article. You can see all these keys right next to each other on the circle of fifth: ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/02/Adjacent-keys-.png) Africa moves back and forth between adjacent keys Now that we understand the chords of the chorus, let's see how the chord progressions are arranged. ## Form We already saw that the pop chord progression `vi IV I V` repeats four times. And since each chord initially lasts one bar, a songwriter could nicely get away with 4x4 = 16 bars. Indeed this would be a common chorus and sound pleasing to the listener. But at the same time, this clear symmetry of 4x4 can sound unnoticeable and the song would quickly be forgotten. Toto break the symmetry during the last repetition, by growing the fourth phrase to 6 bars - making the whole chorus an odd 18 bars long. In song form terms we could write the form as something like this: `AAAA’` Here A is our standard pop progression and `A’` is the slightly modified, 6-bar long form. > The psychology in use here is simple: if you hear a phrase two or three times, your brain recognizes the pattern and expects another repetition next. Disappointing that expectation is what draws our attention and gives us delight. This trick of modifying the final repetition helps to create attention and make the rather straight forward chorus more memorable. It is often applied in the more general form `AAB` or `AAAB`, in which the final repetition is replaced by a completely new part. Of course you can always debate, when an `A’` has enough changes to became a completely new part `B`; the point is to change something in your final repetition. The psychology in use here is simple: if you hear a phrase two or three times, your brain recognizes the pattern and expects another repetition next. Disappointing that expectation is what draws our attention and gives us delight. In fact, most of music theory and songwriting works by setting up expectations and either fulfilling or disappointing them on purpose :). Finally the chorus lands us right back at the 8 bar intro hook. This catches us after the odd 6 bars before and lets us contemplate what just happened, before we move on to another verse. The form and chords give us the basis over which the melody soars. ## Melody Yes, the melody of Africa's chorus consists almost entirely of only one note: an `a`! As strange as a simple melody with only one note may seem, it is not an uncommon phenomenon in pop music (for another example listen to Mr. Brightside by the Killers). In fact, one-note melodies have two distinct advantages in hit song writing: - Easy to sing along! Almost anyone can sing a one-note melody. You don't have to worry so much about pitch or musical ability - perfect for a big audience.. - Easy to remember! Because the melody is easy to sing along, it is also easy to sing after you heard the song. > Because the harmony changes underneath the melody, the melody note actually sounds different with every chord change! And a one-note melody doesn't have to sound boring either. Because the harmony changes underneath the melody, the melody note actually sounds different with every chord change! This is the phenomenon of the “common tone”: a note that is part of all chords in the progression. ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/02/Common-tone.png) The same note sounds different over each chord The `a` is the minor third in the first chord of `F#m`. Then that same `a` becomes the fifth in `D` and the root in `A`. Only once the E hits do we need to adjust the melody note to its closest neighbor `g#` to still make it a chord tone. The `a` thus sounds like a third, then like a fifth and then like a root! An although the pitch of the melody note does not change, our ear hears it in a different context on each chord change. We already noticed that the melody does not consist to 100% of only one note. Without the little adornments of the singer we can identify three notes for the core melody: a, `g#` and `f#`. While the melody stays on `a` most of the time, Toto adjust the note to `g#` on every `E` chord. The certainly could've stayed on `a` turning the `E` into an `Esus4` chord, but the little variation in melody pitch nicely contrasts with the static pitch before (and music is so much about contrast!). The `f#` finally is the note the melody arrives on after four repetitions of the chord progression. It is the resolution of the melody and creates a feeling of finally being able to sink down to the root of the first chord of the progression. Despite these extra notes, the melody is still mainly a one-note affair on `a`. This teaches us once again, that music theory is not necessarily about complexity. To write great songs, we always aim for the right balance between simple and complex elements. Let's look again at what we can learn from the chorus of Africa... ## Learnings What can we learn from analyzing the chorus of a great song like Africa by Toto? ### Contrast We neither want our song to be too simple nor too complex. Too simple would bore the listener, while too complex would overwhelm them. To achieve this contrast, we can **balance certain songwriting elements**: - contrast *complex harmony* in the verse with *simple harmony* in the chorus - contrast a *moving melody* with a *static* (even an extreme one-note) melody - contrast *complex harmony* with a *simple melody* - contrast c*omplex melody* with a *simple rhythm* - contrast many *short notes* in the verse with few *longer notes* in the chorus - ... The variations of these contrast ideas are endless! Try it yourself: write a winding melody and contrast it with a one-note melody. Practice as many of the above contrast techniques as possible. Once these techniques are second nature for you, you will be able to write better songs and play better solos. ### Expectation and deception Music plays a lot with the expectations of the listener. Sometimes we use expectations familiar to most people, like the *cadence*, sometimes we set up expectations ourselves, like *repetition*. Be aware of these expectations and play with them! **You can decide whether to satisfy the expectation or to disappoint it** (we call this deception). Fulfilling an expectation gives the listener *security and familiarity*, but it can sound dull and boring after some time. Deception jolts us awake and makes us experience the moment with more *attention*. Both have to be balanced in a good song. The chorus of Africa uses a few expectations: - By repeating the chord progression three times, the song sets up the expectation to hear it a fourth time. This expectation is especially strong, when we hear the first three chords of the progression a fourth time. But then! *Toto frustrate the expectation* and hit with the C#m7 chord. At the same time they catch us softly by using a relative minor and even land us on the original chord a little later. - The form also sets up an expectation. Apart from our usual experience of a chorus having 8, 16 or 32 bars, the 4-bar chord progression certainly lets us expect a 16 (4x4) bar chorus. But with *the extension of the last repetition to 6 bars*, our expectation of symmetry is disappointed (4,4,4,6!). Use expectations to guide your listener. Fulfill them sometime, but also disappoint them sometimes. Be aware of when you do either and to what effect. ### Common chords To move between adjacent keys on the circle of fifths, use common chords. **Two directly adjacent keys always have a few chords belonging to both keys**. You can use these common chords for smooth modulations. You can also keep a key deliberately ambiguous, by never really defining which of the keys you're in (see my [video on 2pac's "Changes" aka Bruce Hornsby's "That's just the Way it is" ](https://youtu.be/8Zpjo%5FtrKMM?ref=realworldmusictheory.com)for an example). ### One-note melodies Don‘t be afraid to write one-note melodies! They create a nice contrast to a more complex harmony or other complex parts of your song. One-note melodies are **easy to sing along**, which appeals to a wide audience. They don't have to sound boring either, because the **same note will play a different role relative to the underlying chord**. I hope there was some learning and insight for you in this article. Pick one of the techniques and write a few choruses yourself; focus just on one technique at a time. Once you're familiar with it, the technique will automatically make its way into your songwriting, improvising and general playing. And always remember to have fun with music! 🎉 ### What is the longest musical chord name? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/what-is-the-longest-musical-chord-name/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:44.000Z As a music theory coach I sometimes get rather weird questions — this is one of them: What is the longest musical chord name you could construct? In fact you could construct pretty long chord names. Let me give it a shot: `Bb7#9b9#11#5/Ab` Now I don’t know if this chord would sound great — it’s just an altered Bb dominant chord over Ab. The maximum number of options is limited by the notes we have: we have 7 notes in the scale, of which 2–3 (root, third and the implicit fifth) are already encoded in the basic chord name; this leaves 4–5 options: 5,7,9,11 and 13\. With some options it makes sense to alter them high and low, as I did with the 9 above. You can spell out every single option to use in a chord like this, but normally you wouldn’t do it. Just writing `Bb7#9` would have most musicians play the same chord. The shorter symbol is enough to state that this should be an “altered dominant” chord. It is up to the instrumentalist to add matching alterations as they see fit — the #9 merely stands as a placeholder for alterations like b9, #5, b13, #11 and the like. The goal with chord symbols is NOT to spell out every note to play (staff notation is much better suited for this), but to be quickly recognizable while playing. Chord symbols are more in the history of figured bass, where performers were expected to come up with matching notes and chords, than in the history of romantic music, where composers tried to write out every minute detail of the sound (sometimes ending in horribly complex looking staff notation). ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/0-SYyGkMENzZLznbsL.-1.png) *Figured bass is most similar to our chord notation today* ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/0-AqoFNkLSqYSwchyn..png) *Romantic music trying to notate as much performance detail as possible* But if your goal, just for the sake of it, is to really produce long chord symbols, you could walk into the realm of polychords (i.e. playing one chord over another). This allows you to essentially double the length of your chord symbol: `Bb7#9b9#11#5/Abmaj7#9b9#11#5` Again, this would be defeating the purpose of chord symbols as quickly scannable and recognizable playing advices. But for sake of making it long, it would certainly work 😁. ### How many songs should an album have? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/how-many-songs-should-an-album-have/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:51.000Z Many artists are wondering about how many songs they should put on their album — 10? 13? 21? 3? An “album” is a ****concept of the past**. It doesn’t make much sense anymore today except for very special cases (like concept albums). ## The History of Albums Albums were an invention of the recording industry. The length of an album was always defined by ****physical and marketing constraints**, not by musical taste. Well, almost, there is the story that the inventor of the CD chose the length of 74min so that his favorite symphony could fit on it ;). Since pop music songs tend to be about 3–6 minutes long, ****you can fit 12–24 on a CD**. And to fill all the space is always better than to leave it empty — from a marketing point of view. ## Modern Times Today you should ****not think in albums anymore** (except the special cases mentioned). You should not even think of a “song” as a product with fixed length and sound anymore. Think of a ****song as a service you deliver** to fans. It doesn’t have to sound the same every time they hear it. Change it, perform it, just read the words, talk about the political context of it … . All that is a song! ****Don’t let the old notion of the recording industry, that was driven by the marketing thinking of a long gone age, dictate what a “song” or an “album” is for you.** ### Mamma Mia (ABBA) - Reharmonized URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-abba-reharmonized/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:13:58.000Z I took a chance on the classic ABBA Song *Mamma Mia*. Heavily using modal reharmonization techniques, I created this cover version. Enjoy! You can [download the chord sheet](https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-reharm) for free. ### The 251 turnaround (aka ii-V-I) URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:06.000Z The 251 turnaround is one of the most common chord progression in jazz and pop music. This mini course teaches you its practical applications for songwriting and improvising alike. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Kokomo (Beach Boys) - Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/kokomo/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T17:34:21.000Z _No content available._ ### Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson) – Song Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/man-in-the-mirror-michael-jackson-song-analysis/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:23.000Z > “\[…\] an anthem that would spread some sunshine on the world.” > – Quincy Jones (producer of Man in the Mirror) This amazing song was the fourth of five US #1 hits from Michael Jackson’s Bad. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and demonstrates some nice music theory concepts for hit song writing. ## Form Song form is an important element to master in songwriting – and Man in the Mirror shows us some common techniques used in pop music. So let’s start by looking at the form. ### Overall Structure I laid it out so that you can immediately identify four big sections in the song: 1. The first exposition of all major elements like verse and chorus 2. Repeating the material with second versus and a double chorus 3. Introducing variety and intensifying energy 4. Coming back down and ending You can take the above recipe as is and apply it to your own songwriting. It is a basic form found in many songs and musical pieces. If you want to see that clearer, you only need to generalize it further and write it like this: ### A A’ B Coda (Coda is a term for ending.) Why does this work so well? The human brain likes a balance between surprising new stuff and comforting known stuff. By repeating the A section, we comfort the listener and familiarize her with the musical material. But repeating it yet again would be boring and so we present some new material or interpret the material from a new point of view. Then we comfort the listener again by repeating material and reducing tension. Having said that, most pop songs actually use a slightly different recipe. They repeat some of the A section material at the end instead of having a coda (resulting in A A’ B A”). These songs have to repeat stuff at the end, because their B section (also called “bridge” in songwriting) is usually quite different from the A section. But in the case of Man in the Mirror, the B section uses a lot of material from the A sections – so the song really has no need to repeat anything yet again. And by that we already found an important song writing lesson: **You don’t always need a contrasting B section or bridge** This song also demonstrates an ending that is not that common in pop music: the vamp. A vamp is a short section (2-4 bars) that is repeated almost indefinitely. It is an element the two songwriters borrowed from jazz and gospel music. It works well here, because the whole song as a “gospelly” feeling and it fits the songs message, allowing everyone to join and keeping the end open. **A vamp is a short section (2-4 bars) repeated almost indefinitely. It is often used in jazz, soul and gospel music.** ### Section Length Another aspect of the form is the length of each section. You will notice, that almost all sections have a multiple of 4 or even 8 bars. This length is very common in pop music, but also in other genres like blues, soul or EDM. 8 bars just feels natural and symmetric to listeners and is an element of comfort. The songwriters played with deliberately disrupting the symmetry twice: - The 10 bar chorus does not only appear in a different key, but is also a little longer than expected. - The 6 bar interlude feels like an 8 bar interlude cut short. The effect of breaking this symmetry is interesting! The 10 bar chorus is longer than expected and draws the listener’s attention. It also increases tension by staying on the dominant chord 2 bars longer. The 6 bar interlude then feels cut short, because we expect to hear 8 bars. This little trick cuts the song at an unexpected point and drops us into the ending vamp. Again this draws attention, but it also helps to create that open ending feeling. The song just feels as it should continue and someone just hit the stop button too early. A nice trick to make your listeners come back for more (as I described in the analyses of [Hotline Bling](https://realworldmusictheory.com/hotline-bling-drake-analysis) and [Blank Space](https://realworldmusictheory.com/blank-space-taylor-swift-song-analysis/)). But here it also serves the purpose of not letting the listener settle – they’re supposed to get up and do something about the problems of the world. **Deliberately break the symmetry of section lengths to draw attention to parts of your song** ## Harmonic Rhythm Now we zoom in a little and look at the content of the sections. One tool to master as a songwriter is the conscious use of harmonic rhythm. **Harmonic rhythm is the speed with which your chords change** Going from slow to fast harmonic rhythm increases tension, while going the other way releases tension. Man in the Mirror uses the device harmonic rhythm very consciously. The intro and verse alternate between two chords per measure (first two bars) and one chord every two measures (next two bars). This creates a kind of “stop and go” feeling. The song feels like a car that has trouble starting – you turn the key and the engine spins a few times, but then you have to wait a few seconds and try again. In the pre-chorus the engine finally ignites and the car is driving at a slow but steady harmonic rhythm of one chord per bar. Finally in the chorus we rev the engine and bring it up to speed with two chords per bar. At the end of the chorus we briefly take our foot of the gas and let the car glide along a little with the speed it now has – we have a slow harmonic rhythm of one chord every two bars, but it is an altered dominant chord keeping the speed instead of slowing down immediately. ## To be continued… I will continue this post some day and also talk about harmony and chord progressions (Pachelbel, Gospel). Either check back regularly or make sure you subscribed to get a notification… ### Are minor and diminished chords the same thing? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/are-minor-and-diminished-chords-the-same-thing/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:30.000Z I don’t know where this myth stems from, but a minor chord and a diminished chord are not more similar to each other than a minor chord and a major chord… There a **four types of triads** you can built from thirds: - major third + minor third => major triad - major third + major third => augmented triad - minor third + minor third => diminished triad - minor third + major third => minor triad They’re all different from each other. If you move from triads (with three notes) to chords in the jazz sense (with four notes), the permutations increase yet again and you get all the stuff like dominant (mixolydian) or half-diminished chords. Maybe this is what confuses you: if you have four notes (stacking three thirds for a chord), you get something called a “half-dimished” chord, which is: - minor third + minor third + major third => half-dimished This thing looks like a diminished triad at the bottom, but is often written as *m7b5*. But that does not mean that a diminished or half-dimished chord and a minor chord are the same. Especially the (fully) diminished chord has a totally different function in music than a minor chord. However, the half-diminished chord *m7b5* can take some of the same functions of a regular minor chord (e.g. as the ii chord in a major ii-V-I progression). This can be confusing and some musicians even argue agains the chord symbol m7b5 in favor of the chord symbol ∅. The latter symbol is derived from the symbol for a fully diminished chord (￮). To wrap it up: for triads, diminished and minor triads are no more similar than major and minor triads. For chords with three thirds stacked, a fully diminished chord is again very different from any minor chord; but the half-diminished chord can sometimes take the function of a dorian (minor7) chord and thus could be considered “similar” — although it’s by no means the same chord. Let me know, if that was too confusing ;). ### Why do sus4 chords include word sus? URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/why-do-sus4-chords-include-word-sus/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:38.000Z Why do you write `Csus4` instead of just `C4`? ## The quick explanation The `sus` is short for *suspended*. That means the fourth **replaces** the third and is later **resolved** down to the third. The two characteristics of a suspended chord are: - a `Csus4` chord has no third - the 4 of the `Csus4` chord resolves to the third A `C4` chord on the other hand would add the fourth, while also keeping the third. Notes for `Csus4`: C-F-G Notes for `C4`: C-E-F-G ## More details Suspended notes where originally a chord tone that was held over from a previous chord. Its resolution was delayed (suspended), which creates a temporary dissonance. This dissonance was then resolved (from the 4 down to the third). Today, the suspended note doesn’t have to come from the previous chord. It doesn’t even have to be resolved. But the suspended chord still has no third in it, distinguishing it from all other chord options (6,7,9,11,13). You sometimes also see a `sus9` which indicates that you should remove the third and add the ninth. In modal jazz you often have quartal harmonies. In this style of music, the fourth becomes the defining element of chords. Chords are built from fourth instead of thirds. Thus you can break the rule of omitting the third in a `sus4` chord in this style. If you want to add the fourth to the chord and still keep the third (a rather dissonant addition in a major chord), you would write that as `C11`, because optional chord tones are counted from the octave up. *(If you’re interested in why options are counted that way, let me know in a comment and I will write an article about it.)* So there is no `C4` chord. If a musician sees a `C4`, she might *autocorrect* it to `Csus4`. I hope this little explanation demystified the `sus4` and why it looks so different from other chord options. If you want to learn more about music theory, check out my [videos on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggQOwnMbOOyplQM%5Fjdqsng?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) about real world music theory. ### Solo Like a Pro with the Tritone Substitution URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/solo-like-a-pro-with-the-tritone-substitution/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:46.000Z Solo skills can often get stuck on a certain level. Your improvisation sounds predictable and ordinary and elevating it to the next level seems like years of practice ahead of you. And while practice and continuous learning are important, there are several quick tricks to can use to elevate your solo skills in a matter of days rather than years. I’m going to teach you one of these tricks in this article. Let’s talk about the **tritone substitution**: The tritone substitution (or *augmented sixth chord* for classical musicians) is a music theory concept that has quite some depth and I will go into it in a video course (still in the making => sign up below to be informed). But you don’t have to learn all the tricks before seeing the first results. Let’s start with one small trick here. Although the tritone substitution can be used in many ways, one way is to use it as a superimposed scale on a dominant chord. That is not as scary as it may sound ;). We will go through the example of soloing over a typical `ii V I` progression: `Dm7 G7 Cmaj7` Which scales would you pick over this progression? Most people would use the C major scale – or more precisely: D dorian, G mixolydian and C ionion. In essence, you use all the white keys on a keyboard to solo over this progression. And it sounds … okay. But it doesn’t sound great or sophisticated or jazzy or like a seasoned musician. So here is the trick making a solo over this 251 progression sound way more sophisticated. Using a tritone substitution, you can replace the dominant chord `G7` with `Db7`. `Db7` is a tritone away from `G7`. But much easier to remember is: `Db7` is a half step down from Dm7\. Simply find the tritone substitution in a 251 progression by moving a half step down from the root of the ii chord and then play a dominant chord over that root: `Dm` \=> `Db7`. That alone would create a plain and simple tritone substitution. But we want to get fancier here! So instead of replacing `G7` with `Db7`, simply leave the `G7` chord as it is! Only use the notes from the Db triad to solo over this `G7` chord. Try it! Notes for improv: `db f ab` Chord: `G7` Did you run a Db major chord up and down your instrument over the sound of a `G7` chord? On its own this might not sound too good. So let’s put it into context. Solo over all three chords of the 251 using the following note material: C major, Db chord tones, C major This gives you a nice side-stepping sound. You move from C major briefly into `Db7` (mixo-)lydian and back to C major. What you have done is to “superimpose” the `Db7` scale over a `G7` chord. In other words: you played pretending your sheet music read Db7 while it actually said `G7`. Here is the recipe for soloing over a 251 progression: 1. Move **down a half step** from the root of the `ii` chord, e.g. `D` \=> `Db` 2. Build a **major triad** on that new note, e.g. Db major 3. Play this triad up or down **over the `V` chord** of the 251 Remember to **return to the original key** for the I chord to provide resolution. The best results come from landing on a chord tone of the I chord after your little excursion to bII :). So why does this sound so good? I will tell you in my course. You can do so much more with the tritone substitution! Sign up today to build on that first step you just took! Since the video course is still in production, just sign up for free below to be informed. ### Can’t Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake) 2/2 – Song Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-2-song-analysis/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:14:55.000Z **This is part 2 of my analysis of the song ["Can’t Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake](https://youtu.be/ru0K8uYEZWw?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) in terms of music theory and its harmonic content. The idea of these articles is to bring the dry topic of music theory to the real world and help you understand why songs like „Can’t Stop the Feeling“ work and sound like they do. If you want to start at the beginning, then jump right to [part 1 of this article](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-1-song-analysis). For all others: let’s continue with the pre-chorus here in part 2…* ## Pre-Chorus (continued) The last two chords of the pre-chorus are a cadence leading back to the tonic of the chorus. You might ask, how this cadence ( `Fm Bb13sus4`) can lead back to a C major tonic chord!? After all, these two chords are a [ii-V7 cadence](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/) in the key of Eb (!). To solve this mystery, let’s first give this cadence it’s name: this is the [****backdoor progression**](https://youtu.be/RZPNmXRTcMw?list=PLm41kfuOhldaFEzU0%5FPprLfAmBjxaw1%5FL&ref=realworldmusictheory.com). It’s called backdoor progression, because it kind of sneaks in to the tonic through the backdoor ;). But why does it work? ![](https://realworldmusictheory.com/content/images/2021/01/1-upTcjC1s54kmf8Utk5Qm0w.png) The backdoor progression in the key it appears in “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake The backdoor progression (or `iv-bVII7`) works for several reasons: - It has a well known and convincing „inner“ structure: it’s essentially a [ii-V7 progression](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/). The ear tolerates this yank to another key, because it recognizes familiarity in this inner structure. In fact you could play almost any `ii-V7` progression in any key and — as long as you come back to the original key — the ear would tolerate this as a nice spice in your dish. It’s comparable to how stumbling drum fills briefly yank the listener out of the back beat only to drop him back into the groove moments later. - The first chord of the progression (Fm in this song) is still close enough to the key center (C major): F major would be the subdominant in the key of C major and this progression merely changes its mode from major to minor. - The resolution two half steps up (Bb to C) is very convincing. Although it is deceptive and does not follow the cycle of fifth (a `G7` would have been the dominant chord in this case), the ear accepts this move as a natural resolution. If you want some variety from the default cadences, try the [backdoor progression](https://youtu.be/RZPNmXRTcMw?list=PLm41kfuOhldaFEzU0%5FPprLfAmBjxaw1%5FL&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) for a change. ## Chorus The tonic hits with bright sunshine coming from the backdoor progression. The choir emphasizes the resolution up two half steps (from Bb to C) by slurring the notes and thus "lifting" the harmony up. We’re now back in the original key of C major and go through the same chords as in the verse. The pre-chorus did a great job to set up the chorus. Without any interlude, the transition back to the verse is merely accompanied by a "c’mon" by Justin Timberlake… ## Verse 2 The verse goes back to a much thinner arrangement. This creates to contrast with the chorus and lets the song gradually build up again towards the second chorus. ****Letting the energy drop in the verse is a common tool to differentiate verse from chorus, let the song breathe and create room for a new climax**. The chords in the second verse are the same as in the first verse or the chorus. But this time, the verse is twice as long as the first one. I already told you in the "Overall" section, that the reason for the shorter first verse is to get to the first (full energy) chorus quickly (usually around the 1 minute mark, which Justin Timberlake hits spot on here). The second verse is longer, so the second chorus does not hit too quickly and we have time to build to a new climax. ## Bridge After the second chorus, the bridge provides another dynamic contrast, as it breaks down to a very sparse arrangement. This also features the funky base line, that has been pumping throughout the song. Harmonically, the bridge is basically a rearranged chorus — no new chord changes are introduced here. A nice trick at the end of the bridge is to make it one bar longer than expected. This delays the resolution to the chorus and hightens the tension. ****If you want your last chorus (or any part) to come in more forceful, consider inserting one (or two or half an) extra measure right before it hits**. ## Final Chorus + Ending The final chorus holds no surprises harmonically. The arrangement hightens the feeling of "everyone is happy" and "dance and celebrate with your friends" by featuring a choir for backing vocals. This choir then continues into the ending — a nice trick to ****make it sound like the audience would sing and party on after the song is already over**. ## Summary Justin Timberlake delivered a very well composed, arranged and produced pop song. We can learn a lot from this track in terms of songwriting: - You can aim for your track to be played on the beach during daytime or in the club during nighttime. But this song proves that it ****is also possible to create a convincing mixture**. - If you want people to like your song, ****associate the positive feeling of „you can dance, too, don’t care what others think“ with the song**. - Make ****the second verse twice as long as the first one**. This lets the first chorus hit early without the chorus having to appear too often (and get boring). - Consider using the chords of the chorus in your intro, to ****acquaint the ear with the main chord changes**. - ****Omitting the lower frequencies temporarily creates tension**. - A ****pre-chorus creates a harmonic and dynamic path** from verse to chorus. - The ****„re-interpretation“ of chords in the new key is a common tool to modulate to another key**. - Originating ****in the blues style, the tonic, subdominant and dominant are often voiced like dominant chords**. - Always adhere to the ****simple rule of keeping some elements the same, while changing some others.** Never change everything at once. - ****Shifting a voicing up or down works**, because the internal structure of intervals in the voicing stays the same, while the key center might change. - The ****backdoor progression** ( `iv-bVII7-I`) is a convincing cadence. - Letting the ****energy drop in the verse** is a common tool to differentiate verse from chorus, let the song breathe and create room for a new climax. - If you want your last chorus (or any part) ****to come in more forceful, consider inserting one (or two or half an) extra measure** right before it hits. - ****Make it sound like the audience would sing and party on after the song is already over**. I hope this article and its conclusions can help you in your own musical work. Please also check out [my YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggQOwnMbOOyplQM%5Fjdqsng?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) and consider subscribing here to see and listen to the various concepts of my articles. If you’d like to read more about real world music theory, just follow me on Medium or subscribe on YouTube. Share this stuff with your friends and colleagues, if you found it interesting! ## About me I am a piano and keyboard player touring in Germany as well as a music theory enthusiast. Ever since I started making music at the age of three I have been playing, creating, analyzing, understanding, teaching and enjoying music. Feel free to contact me on any question related to music theory or songwriting! ### Can’t Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake) 1/2 – Song Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-1-song-analysis/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:04.000Z **Today I will analyze the song ["Can’t Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake](https://youtu.be/ru0K8uYEZWw?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) in terms of music theory and its harmonic content. The idea is to bring the dry topic of music theory to the real world and help you understand why songs like „Can’t Stop the Feeling“ work and sound like they do. Since the pre-chorus section of this song is particularly interesting, I split this article into two posts ([part 1](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-1-song-analysis/) and [part 2](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-2-song-analysis)). So let’s get started with part 1…* ## Overall This song is in the key of C major and borrows elements from funk & soul music, which is typical for Justin Timberlake. „Can’t Stop The Feeling“ is designed as a great ****mixture between a summer hit song and a club hit**: The music video, the „sunshine“ in the lyrics and the sound make it a fantastic song for daytime; simultaneously the right lines („under the lights when everything goes“), the filter fades and the 4-to-the-floor bass drum make it work in the club during nighttime. The song is about dancing, being happy and not caring what others think. The video depicts everyday people dancing in their work or leisure clothes. This mood is typical for many hits and it tries to ****associate the positive feeling of „you can dance, too, don’t care what others think“ with the song**. It’s a simple yet effective foundation for a hit song. The song form follows many basic rules of a pop song. After a short intro, we immediately get a glimpse of the chorus at low energy. The verse is always followed by a pre-chorus (harmonically the most interesting part of this song), which then leads into the chorus. Typical for a pop song is, that the ****second verse is twice as long as the first one**. The reason for the shorter first verse is to get to the first (full energy) chorus quickly (usually around the 1 minute mark). The second verse is longer, so the second chorus does not hit too quickly. The bridge then is followed by another chorus and a brief ending. Let’s begin analyzing the intro and the first glimpse of the chorus… ## Intro + Glimpse of Chorus The short 4 bar intro establishes the four chords of the chorus: ![Main chord changes of "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*8oB7Q4nyn4W6s3COC0FOYw.png) Main chord changes of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake This short statement ****acquaints the ear with the main chord changes**, so we can focus on the vocals/lyrics from bar 5 on. The first chorus is a low energy version that omits lower frequencies like bass and kick drum (this is what DJs simulate, when they use high-pass filters). ****Omitting the lower frequencies temporarily creates tension**, because the listener waits for these missing frequencies to make the sound „whole“. When the whole band comes in on the first verse, it feels pretty powerful, although it is „only“ the verse. That way we save ourselves some dynamic headroom for the first „real“ chorus later on. Use various tools like this to create dynamic in your songs — and try not to hit your ultimate climax too early in a song. ## Verse 1 The verse uses the same chords as the chorus. It’s actually rather common in pop songs to use the same chord changes for verse and chorus. As long as other parts of the arrangement change, the familiar chords glue verse and chorus together. There should always be at least one element that stays the same from one part to the other — otherwise the song falls apart. An alternative notation for these four main chords is this: ![Main chord changes of "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake as slash chords](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*99HW7jP20MtbarGkTTC7OQ.png) Main chord changes of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake as slash chords This notation emphasizes the voice leading (or the lack of it): it sounds like a C major triad (actually `C6`, if you add the single note guitar later on) is constantly played over a changing bass line. I explained this in other articles and videos already: [Hotline Bling](https://youtu.be/F3K%5F4tvpiXo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ([article](https://realworldmusictheory.com/hotline-bling-drake-analysis/) & [video](https://youtu.be/F3K%5F4tvpiXo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com)) or [Blank Space](https://youtu.be/I2zfMcopO%5Fo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) ([article](https://realworldmusictheory.com/blank-space-taylor-swift-song-analysis) & [video](https://youtu.be/I2zfMcopO%5Fo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com)). ## Pre-Chorus The pre-chorus is a part that is often inserted between verse and chorus to ****create a harmonic and dynamic path from one part to the other**. Some people count the pre-chorus as part of the verse — which is totally okay. This part is probably the most interesting in terms of music theory in this song. Here are the chords of this part first: ![Pre-chorus chord changes of "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*-2H7r3J-gJqkfyMsGCnaMA.png) Pre-chorus chord changes of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake or in a simpler notation with slash chords: ![Pre-chorus chord changes of "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake in slash notation](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*UCp3rb425BhhXrdKmHuqrg.png) Pre-chorus chord changes of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake in slash notation The pre-chorus switches to a different key temporarily to set us up for the chorus: we’re coming from C major in the verse and now move one fifth down in the cycle of fifth to F major. But instead of starting on an F major chord, the pre-chorus starts on a C chord just as the verse did, only that it’s mode is mixolydian this time. The `C79sus4` (or simpler `Bb/C`) chord is the dominant in the key of C. This move also kind of turns the preceding Am7 chord from the end of the verse from a iv chord (in C major) into a iii chord (in F major) after the fact. ****This „re-interpretation“ of chords in the new key is a common tool to modulate to another key** — although it is not that important in this song. The modulation to the new tonal center works so well, because: - the root of the new chord is the same as that of the chord we heard in this position in the verse (C) - the new key (F) is a fifth down (or one step in the cycle of fifth) — a powerful relationship between keys - the first chord of the pre-chorus is an „unstable“ chord (a dominant) that wants to move some place else So the pre-chorus has both expected and unexpected elements. In addition to these harmonic tools, the arrangement also changes. Apart from various other elements (like the DJ-typical lowpass filter), the instrumentation also thins out again (like in the intro and first glimpse of the chorus) to add to the tension. This is also a great part for the club: typical filter moves and the lyrics („under the lights when everything goes“) are straight from the rulebook for club floor hit songs. Harmonically the pre-chorus continues with the subdominant of F major: Bb. But in a typical funk/soul/blues/gospel fashion, this chord is interpreted like a dominant. ****Originating in the blues style, the tonic, subdominant and dominant are often voiced like dominant chords** and played with a minor 7th. This tradition is also audible in gospel, funk and soul. If you want your song to sound like these styles, think about interpreting the I, IV and V chords all as dominants. One could also interpret the move from `C79sus4` to `Bb79sus4` as a simple shift down of the chord. You can almost always get away with shifting a chord up or down any amount of steps, as long as you keep the voicing the same. Yes, that even works for chords „outside“ the current key. Why does this work? Again it’s the ****simple rule of keeping some elements the same (the internal structure of intervals in the voicing) while changing other elements (the key center)**. The last two chords of the pre-chorus are a cadence leading back to the tonic of the chorus. You might ask, how this cadence ( `Fm Bb13sus4`) can lead back to a C major tonic chord!? After all, these two chords are a [ii-V7 cadence](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/) in the key of Eb (!). I will solve this riddle in [part 2 of this analysis](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-2-song-analysis). ## End of part 1 Hopefully you could already pick up some tricks from the first part of this article. Please also check out [my YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggQOwnMbOOyplQM%5Fjdqsng?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) or the other articles or on [Real World Music Theory](https://realworldmusictheory.com/) for more stuff of this kind. Now continue with the pre-chorus in [part 2](https://realworldmusictheory.com/cant-stop-the-feeling-justin-timberlake-2-song-analysis)… ## About me I am a piano and keyboard player touring in Germany as well as a music theory enthusiast. Ever since I started making music at the age of three I have been playing, creating, analyzing, understanding, teaching and enjoying music. Feel free to contact me on any question related to music theory or songwriting! ### Blank Space (Taylor Swift) – Song Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/blank-space-taylor-swift-song-analysis/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:12.000Z Today I will analyze the song [Blank Space](https://itun.es/de/6gve2?i=907106180&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) by Tylor Swift in terms of music theory and its harmonic content. The idea is to bring the dry topic of music theory to the real world and help you understand why songs like „Blank Space“ work and sound like they do. So let’s get started… By the way: If you’d rather watch & listen, play the video from my [YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/morgler?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) **(note: when I say “minor parallel” I have the German meaning in mind, which would correctly be “relative minor” in English)*: ## Overall !["Blank Space" has a blatantly standard pop song structure](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*blu6R8MU8TnACGZs7OwbEw.png) “Blank Space” has a blatantly standard pop song structure The song was written by the Swedish team Max Martin and Shellback together with Taylor Swift. It is in the key of F major throughout and follows a very traditional pop song form. Everything is based on multiples of 8 bars — no experiments here. The chords change consistently every two measures and thus the harmonic rhythm of the song always stays the same. Taylor Swift is making fun of her own image in the media and so this very traditional song form can be understood as a nice kind of irony. Now let’s get started with the verse… ## Verse — „nice to meet you…“ ![Verse of "Blank Space"](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*6y7ENPJo9F74RzMXdxINxA.png) Verse of “Blank Space” After a very short and intentionally simple intro, the verse starts on the tonic F major. It then progresses in a very traditional pop song manner by using the most ubiquitous changes in pop today: I-vi-IV-V or F Dm Bb C. This progression is repeated before we go to the chorus. I-vi-IV-V sounds so familiar, because a) we’ve heared in a million songs and b) it is a pleasing progression without any surprises. From the stable tonic F it moves to it’s parallel minor chord Dm, which makes for a rather unpretentious movement. Then follows another move down a third to the pleasing subdominant, which at the same time acts as the beginning of a classical cadence Bb C F — from subdominant (some tension) over dominant (a lot of tension) to tonic (total resolution). The verse also uses the tool of the ****pedal point to hold back** until the chorus. A pedal point originally was a bass note that stayed on one note, while the harmonies above it changed. This builds suspense and holds back, until the bass starts to move with the harmonies, which finally creates a sense of unhindered movement. In “Blank Space”, the simple melody outlining an F major triad acts as that static, pedal-point-like element here, that stays the same throughout the verse. This also makes the final chords Bb and C technically correct F/Bb and F/C, but that does not distract the ear from hearing the I-vi-IV-V progression. The blatant use of the most overused chord progression is yet another ironic tool that Taylor Swift uses. You can almost see the outstretched middle finger shown to the press. Irony can be a great tool that is not only available in the writing of words, but also in the writing of music. ****Use this musical irony to criticize or make fun of things**. You should not take yourself or your music too seriously — people will love it, if you can make fun of yourself and use very simple chord changes intentionally. In „Blank Space“ this irony continues in the chorus… ## Chorus — „so it’s gonna be forever…“ ![Chorus of "Blank Space"](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*EuX5efFEAO7AMu9G5j3xhQ.png) Chorus of “Blank Space” After a short break of one measure without any harmony at the end of the verse, the chorus comes in. The chorus continues in the fashion of very predictable and traditional chord progressions. It starts on the tonic F, which is the chord the listener expects after the dominant (C) at the end of the verse. The following movement to the parallel minor chord is familar from the verse’s changes. From Dm the song moves to Gm7\. This deviation from the verse chords can be interpreted in two ways: - Gm7 is a ****substitute chord** for Bb (which is the chord that was at this position in the progression of the verse). As the minor chord a minor third below its relative major chord it ****fulfills the same harmonical role**and shares almost all chord tones. In fact, since this is Gm7 with the seventh, it shares **all* chord tones with Bb. The only difference between Bb and Gm7 here is the bass note. - Gm7 can also be seen as the next chord in the cycle of falling fifth starting at Dm. The ****cycle of falling fifth is probably the* most driving force in music theory** — all cadences and progressions can be derived from it. So it is very natural for a D chord to resolve down a fifth to a G chord like here. The following Bb major chord is probably the only minor surprise in the changes of „Blank Space“. Although it is not really unexpected or out of place, the more natural movement would have been to coninue the cycle of fifth to a C dominant chord. This would also have turned Gm7 C and the following F into a traditional [ii-V-I jazz cadence](https://realworldmusictheory.com/the-251-turnaround-aka-ii-v-i/). But Taylor Swift avoids this and moves to the less tense subdominant to continue the chorus. Not surprisingly, this minor surprise coincides exactly with the appearance of the song title in the lyrics: „But I’ve got a blank space, baby“. You should always ****use some element that stands out to mark the parts of the song you want people to remember** or to listen to attentively. After a short interlude of two bars (that is the same as the intro), the song transitions back to another verse and chorus. After the second chorus we move — very traditionally — into the bridge… ## Bridge — „boys only want love if it’s torture…“ The bridge lasts 8 bars and has no harmonic content. Dropping all arrangement but beat and vocals creates some contrast to the rest of the song. The melody descends down the F major scale in an almost childish manner — yet another middle finge going up… . Again: ****don’t be afraid to use irony and employ very simplistic melodies** or harmonies in your song! ## Ending — „…and I’ll write your name“ The song ends abrubptly after the last chorus. Harmonically it ends on the subdominant Bb and avoids the expected resolution to the tonic F. Again, this is a very standard trick in pop music to leave the listener longing for more. The lack of an outro also tells the listener, that all has been said and there’s nothing left to add — another grin by Taylor Swift in the direction of the press. You can ****use abrupt endings without a resolution, too, to leave the listener longing for more**. A simple, yet effective psychological trick, so they want to go back and listen again to resolve the tension with which you left them. It’s just like Roger Rabbit’s [„shave and a haircut trick“](https://youtu.be/sDsgkRW2hDA?ref=realworldmusictheory.com). To increase the effect, stop right where the harmonic progression would resolve back to the tonic — most likely on the dominant. If you have established a strong line or progression in your song, simply cut it off in mid-sentence at the end. ## Conclusion „Blank Space“ by Taylor Swift lives from the irony of using very traditional pop song elements. We can learn from these elements whether we want to write standard pop songs, want to avoid these blatant clichés or — like Taylor Swift —want to make fun of them: - Use a ****pedal point** or some static element to hold back and build suspense - ****Irony** can also be used in song form, melody and harmony - A ****parallel minor chord** can ****substitute it’s relative major** chord - The ****cycle of falling fifth** is probably **the* ****most driving force** in music theory - ****use some element that stands out to mark the parts of the song you want people to remember** or to listen to attentively - use ****abrupt endings** without a resolution, too, to ****leave the listener longing for more** To get a better impression of these tools, you can also watch my [accompanying video on YouTube](https://youtu.be/I2zfMcopO%5Fo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com). ## About me I am a piano and keyboard player touring in Germany as well as a music theory enthusiast. Ever since I started making music at the age of three I have been playing, creating, analyzing, understanding, teaching and enjoying music. Feel free to contact me with any question related to music theory! ### How to Instantly Give Your Songs an Irresistible Touch with the Backdoor Progression (ebook) URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/backdoor-progression-ebook/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:20.000Z Download the free mini ebook about the backdoor progression. Learn how the music theory works and how to use it – with helpful cheat sheets in all 12 keys. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Mamma Mia Reharmonized (Sheet) URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/mamma-mia-reharm/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:30.000Z Download the chord sheet for my Mamma Mia reharmonization. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Hotline Bling (Drake) - Analysis URL: https://realworldmusictheory.com/hotline-bling-drake-analysis/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:15:37.000Z Today I will analyze the song [“Hotline Bling“](https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.08235196-34b7-11e5-8a5d-a6de19162b1c?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) by Drake in terms of music theory and its harmonic content. The idea is to bring the dry topic of music theory to the real world and help you understand why songs like Hotline Bling work and sound like they do. If you’re lazy, watch my [video on YouTube](https://youtu.be/F3K%5F4tvpiXo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com). So let’s get started… ## Overall First you should notice, that Drake sampled an old recording from 1974 in the typical hip hop fashion. The sample comes from Timmy Thomas’s [“Why Can’t We Live Together“](https://itun.es/de/5lnXe?i=80007894&ref=realworldmusictheory.com) and was speeded up and pitched a whole step higher. The key of Drake’s version is F major (or D minor). The whole tune has as a melancholic vibe and a rather static feeling. Drake has just been left by his girl and now bemoans the loss, without really coming to a conclusion or doing something. The harmony really helps to establish this mood by employing a few tricks: - The song centers around the subdominant or IV in the key of F major. The ****subdominant is a very emotional chord** in a major key. If you want to create intense feelings, start or end your chorus on the subdominant. - By definition, the scale of the subdominant in a major key is lydian. However, many songs don’t emphasize the lydian quality of the subdominant, but „Hotline Bling“ does. The important note differentiating a lydian chord from a regular major tonic chord (ionian) is the #11 — the fourth note of its scale. „Hotline Bling“ starts on and centers around the Bbmaj#11 lydian chord. The ****lydian chord has a pretty melancholic feel** to it. - The ****harmonic rhythm is slow and does not change** throughout the song. The harmonic rhythm is how quickly chords change. In „Hotline Bling“ the chords change only once per measure — with the half-time feel of the song, this is rather slow. Even the bridge (see below) does not speed up or slow down this speed of changing chords. - ****Neither real tension nor real resolution** happen during the song. The tonic — the most stable chord on the first scale degree — is never stated. Likewise there is not much use of tensions and there is no dynamic arc. If you want the mood of your song to be like this, avoid strong tensions and stay clear of chord resolutions like the tonic. - Chorus and verse only consist of two chords — with the exception of two other chords used as a turnaround at the end of the verse. The constant ****alternating back and forth between the two chords** helps to establish the „no progress“ feel of the song. Of course harmony is not the only device used to create this defined mood of the song. The [beat](http://digg.com/video/hotline-bling-beat-how?ref=realworldmusictheory.com), the [production](https://soundcloud.com/billboardpodcasts/chart-beat-hit-songs-deconstructed?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) and the [lyrics](http://nationalave.com/entertainment/chandlerdutton/a-line-by-line-analysis-of-hotline-bling-by-drake/4560/?ref=realworldmusictheory.com) are other elements emphasizing this feel. But let’s stick to the music theory of this song here and start with the verse… ## Verse — „ever since I left the city you…“ ![Verse of "Hotline Bling" by Drake](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*qtkqNiiz5JO2OOARyVDQjg.png) Verse of “Hotline Bling” by Drake The verse starts on the very emotional subdominant (IV) — Bbmaj. This chord hangs somewhere in between the tension of a dominant (V) and the resolution of a tonic (I). It is a great chord to begin a verse or chorus. The melody lands on the third of this chord on the downbeat (a D), which is probably the most euphonious and safe choice among all chord tones. Next the verse moves from the subdominant down a half step to Am7\. Technically this is a phrygian chord (iii), but the phrygian nature of it (the Bb, the second note of the scale) is not emphasized. The Am7 feels like a small resolution from the Bbmaj chord before it, but not by much. It still hangs there and you could identify it as either a substitute for the tonic (the minor chord a major third above the tonic F) or a substitute for the dominant (the minor chord a minor third below the dominant C). The Am7 also helps to clarify the function of the previous Bbmaj as a subdominant. By introducing the E — the natural fifth of Am7, it is now clear, that the preceding chord was a subdominant and not a tonic. As a listener I would expect the progression to move down further diatonically to the ii chord (making it IV-iii-ii or Bbmaj Am7 Gm7) — ****stepwise bass motion** creates that effect. But the song disappoints this expectation of forward movement and instead returns to the initial chord, the Bbmaj. If you want to create a pull forward, you can use stepwise bass motion, especially downwards. If you want to create the opposite effect of standing still — like Drake — you should refrain from letting the bass walk down further in a stepwise motion. The verse keeps alternating between the two chords of Bbmaj7 and Am7 until right before the chorus. The last two chords of the verse are different: Gm11 and A7sus4\. This is the only place in the song where some real movement is created by a kind of cadence. The Gm11 is the ii chord we were expecting all the time due to the stepwise bass motion (see above). The ii chord is also the starting point of the very traditional jazz cadence ii-V-I. Or, if you interpret the key of the song as D minor rather than F major, the Gm11 is the starting point of a classical progression of iv-v-i. However you interpret it, this creates some sense of finally moving forward and coming to an important conclusion in the song. The following A7sus4 (sometimes stated as D major by some authors) is the final dominant of the cadence. The distinctly major quality of this chord sounds slighlty out of place and hints at a happy resolution to a D major chord. The surprise element of switching modes (here from D minor to D major) also creates interest and makes the listeners turn their heads. If you want to create attention for an important part in your song (like the chorus in „Hotline Bling“), ****briefly break out of the diatonic harmonic setting of the song**. Don’t overuse this effect — it works best if employed sparsely at the pivotal moments of a song. The A7sus4 probably creates the biggest tension in the whole song and throws us right into the chorus… ## Chorus — „you used to call me on my cell phone“ ![Chorus of "Hotline Bling" by Drake](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*NbrXyGBSVAvt36ztOpUTsw.png) Chorus of “Hotline Bling” by Drake The chorus dissapoints the expectation from the turnaround at the end of the verse: instead of resolving to the tonic F, it resolves up a half step to the same lydian Bbmaj7 chord. So we’re back at the beginning harmonically — no progress made. And this is exactly what the song’s mood is. But the melody is different from the verse and lands on the E, the #11 of the Bbmaj#11 chord. This choice of melody note has two effects: - It strongly establishes the lydian nature of the chord. This also emphasizes the melancholic feeling of the song. - Putting a non-chord tone like #11 on a downbeat creates some tension and makes people listen. This emphasizes the importance of the chorus even more. So ****if you want to create a melancholic feel, emphasize the #11 to bring out the lydian quality**. And ****use interesting tensions at the important parts of your song to make them stand out**. After this first, attention grabbing chord, the chorus progresses in the same way the verse did. This further establishes the static mood of the song. Harmonically this was it for the chorus — just two chords. Transitioning back to the verse happens without any further harmonic support. From the third chorus, the song moves into the bridge… ## Bridge — „these days all I do is…“ ![Bridge of "Hotline Bling" by Drake](https://miro.medium.com/proxy/1*Dwo-LzRsyO4oa0xIBmhXAQ.png) Bridge of “Hotline Bling” by Drake The structure of the song is that of a very ****traditional pop song**: After an intro Drake briefly states the chorus, followed by the first verse. This leads to the second chorus and the second verse. After the third chorus we need some change and insert a bridge, before we return to another chorus and end the song. The harmonic purpose of a bridge is to provide some contrast to the previous parts of the song. A bridge can establish a new angle — harmonically, rhythmically and lyrically. The bridge can also act as a point of rest, where the music can breathe and the listener can reflect on what she heared until now. „Hotline Bling“ introduces two new chords in this section — which, given the few chords used so far, is quite a lot. First the bridge begins on the same chord as the verse and chorus — the „change“ at this point (the listener feels that something new is happening) is only established through melody, arrangement and rhythm (moving to a very slow half-time feel). Harmonically there is no surprise on the first chord of the bridge. Harmony rather acts like an anchor to relate this part to the rest of the song and not change to many aspects at once. Harmony then takes over on the second chord, which is a D minor. This aeolian chord (vi) is very closely related to the Bbmaj preceding it — almost all chord tones are the same. ****Such a movement a third up or down to a diatonic chord is considered a very weak progression** in music theory. Not much changes except for the bass note (from Bb to D). From there the song moves down to the C major chord, the dominant (V) in the key of F. However, it refrains from strongly establishing it as a dominant by avoiding the defining seventh (Bb) and by resolving it only half-heartedly down to the subdominant instead of the tonic. The bridge repeats this sequence twice and then, without too much tension or sense of progress, returns to the last chorus. ## Ending — „ever since I left the city…“ The ending of „Hotline Bling“ is very open. Drake transitions to it by stating the beginning of the verse again, but then stopping in mid sentence and letting it linger in suspense. The last note is an A, which would be the major seventh of the subdominant Bbmaj, although a chord is not stated anymore. Ending on the major seventh creates a soft and harmonically sound ending. After that the outro continues for almost one minute without any harmonic information and finally fades out. ## Conclusion „Hotline Bling“ by Drake can teach us quite a lot about real world music theory: - The ****subdominant** is a very ****emotional** chord in a major key - The ****lydian** chord has a pretty ****melancholic** feel to it - ****Slow and steady harmonic rhythm** establishes a ****static** mood - Avoid intense tensions or strong resolutions to create an ****undecided, lingering, non-progressing feel** - Use only a ****few chords** to establish a non-progressing feel - ****Stepwise bass motion** creates a strong ****pull forward** - Break out of the diatonic harmonic setting to ****create attention** - Use tensions on the downbeat to ****draw attention** to a note, word or line - A movement a diatonic third up or down is rather ****weak** - Don’t be afraid to use the ****traditional pop song form** I hope this article and its conclusions can help you in your own musical work. To listen to how all that sounds, [watch my video accompanying this article on YouTube](https://youtu.be/F3K%5F4tvpiXo?ref=realworldmusictheory.com). ## About me I am a piano and keyboard player touring in Germany as well as a music theory enthusiast. Ever since I started making music at the age of three I have been playing, creating, analyzing, understanding, teaching and enjoying music. Feel free to contact me with any question related to music theory!