I prefer to see both these chords as creating another perfect V-I cadence to the G chord in bar 6, as D is chord V in the key of G Major. This is to create a smooth bassline which descends from F, to E and then to D in bar 5.īar 5 contains both D and D7, which are also not diatonic to the key of C Major. Here, the 3rd of C, E, is placed in the bass. F is chord IV in the key of C, which then moves to chord I again with C/E. It is in fact the dominant chord of F in bar 4, and it exists to create another perfect cadence to this chord. While the basic C major triad remains the same throughout each chord (C, E & G) the octave in the first C Major chord descends a semitone from C to B to create the Cmaj7 (C, E G & B) before descending another semitone from B to Bb to create the C7 chord (C, E, G & Bb.) You can see this concept in “I Just Called To Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder and “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer, which both feature similar chord progressions.Īs you can see from the chart above C7 is not in the key of C Major, so we have another borrowed chord.

Here, we have a fantastic example of a music theory concept known as “chromatic embellishment of static harmony.” To put that simply, we have a C chord which remains static throughout, with one note moving inside the chord each bar to create a new chord type. The verse begins on chord I, with 3 different C chords in C, Cmaj7 and C7. We also have a really nice bassline that descends through F, Eb, D and finally landing on C for the verse, which feels very natural and part of the reason why these chords were chosen. The G7 sets up a perfect cadence to the first chord of the verse, C, as it is the V chord in the key of C. Finally we have a G7 chord with its 5th note, D, in the bass. Immediately, this is followed up with an Eb chord, which is borrowed from the parralel minor key of C Minor. Harrison starts out on F chord, which is the IV chord of C. Here is the same scale harmonised in 4 note chords as an additional reference: C Here is the scale of C Major, harmonised in triads as a reference: C Although it is primarily in the key of C Major, it makes use of plenty of borrowed chords, as well as a nice modulation in the chorus.

“Something” by The Beatles features an extremely sophisticated chord progression, with some advanced music theory concepts which you can borrow to use in your own compositions. “Something” Chord Progression – Music Theory Analysis Outline

Tell me why the beatles chords