Pitch
Pitch refers to the relative highness and lowness of sounds. Important aspects include high, low, higher and lower pitches, direction of pitch movement, melody, harmony, indefinite and definite pitch.
Device | Song | Artist | Time of Event | Listen Now | Album | Publisher/Label | Explicit Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angular Melody (large intervals) | Axel F |
Harold Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills Cop) |
Main Theme throughout |
Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack |
MCA |
N |
|
| Arpeggio | Marry You Submitted |
Bruno Mars |
Wedding Bells throughout |
Doo-Wops and Hooligans |
Atlantic/Electra |
N |
|
| Ascending Melodic Phrase | Ring-A-Ling |
The Black Eyed Peas |
Electronic instrument heard during intro |
The E.N.D (The Energy Never Dies) |
Interscope / Will.i.am |
N but questionable content |
|
| Chromatic Movement in Melody | Master Of Puppets |
Metallica |
Main Guitar Riff |
Master Of Puppets |
Elektra / Vertigo |
N |
|
Dazed and Confused |
Led Zeppelin (Originally by Jake Holmes) |
Main downward-falling theme heard throughout |
Led Zeppelin |
Atlantic |
N |
||
Night and Day |
Cole Porter |
A repeated note to begin, then chromatic movement throughout |
From the musical play ‘Gay Divorce&’; |
N |
|||
All Through The Night |
Cole Porter |
Throughout – most evident on the words ‘all through the night&’; |
From ‘Anything Goes&’; |
N |
|||
La Habanera aria from ‘Carmen&’; |
Georges Bizet |
First phrases of vocal melody are descending chromatic |
From ‘Carmen’ |
N |
|||
| Bass Line (Ascending) | Live And Let Die |
Guns n Roses |
Most evident in first verse |
Use Your Illusion I |
Geffen |
N |
|
| Bass Line (Descending) | Piano Man |
Billy Joel |
Throughout |
Piano Man |
Family Productions / Columbia |
N |
|
| Bass Line (Walking) | I Wish |
Stevie Wonder |
Clearly heard in intro, then throughout |
Songs In The Key Of Life |
Motown |
N |
|
Moondance |
Van Morrison |
Throughout |
Moondance |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
Crazy Little Thing Called Love |
Queen |
Throughout |
The Game |
EMI / Elektra |
N |
||
Chick Magnet |
MXPX |
Throughout verses |
Life In General |
Tooth and Nail |
N |
||
| Chromaticism | Solo e pensoso I piu deserti campi |
Luca Marenzio |
This example also displays the score so you can see the chromaticism in the soprano part |
N |
|||
Caves |
Jack’s Mannequin |
The piano intro has a nice chromatic movement upwards |
The Glass Passenger |
Sire |
N |
||
| Countermelody | One Day More |
Schonberg |
Throughout |
From ‘Les Miserables’ |
N |
||
Mockingbird Submitted |
Johnny O’Keefe & Del Juliana |
Throughout |
Released as a single |
Festival |
N |
||
|
Dumb and Dumber’s take on Mockingbird! |
Throughout |
From ‘Dumb and Dumber’ |
N |
|||
| Counterpoint | Little Fugue in Gm (BWV 578) |
Bach |
Throughout – it’s a fugue! |
||||
String Quartet Op 76 No.2 |
Haydn |
Throughout |
N |
||||
BBC Radio Theme – Radio 4 |
Spiegl/Arlan |
Drunken Sailor vs Greensleeves! Epic! |
N |
||||
| Doubling of melody | If You Seek Amy |
Britney Spears |
Electronic melody doubles main melody during intro |
Circus |
Jive |
N but questionable content |
|
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) |
The Beatles |
Guitar doubles vocal melody during first verse |
Abbey Road |
Apple |
N |
||
I Want To Be Left To My Own Devices Submitted |
Unknown Mortal Orchestra |
After first verse and chorus guitar doubles vocal melody |
Unknown |
Fat Possum Records |
N |
||
| Falsetto | Grace Kelly |
Mika |
Throughout |
Life In Cartoon Motion |
Glam Rock |
N |
|
Beautiful |
Snoop Dogg/Pharrell Williams |
During Chorus – When Pharrell sings |
Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$ |
Priority/Capitol/EMI Records |
Y |
||
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing |
Leo Sayer |
Throughout |
Endless Flight |
Chrysalis Records (UK) |
N |
||
Bohemian Rhapsody |
Queen |
First ‘Galileo’ voice |
A Night At The Opera |
EMI/Elektra/Parlophone |
N |
||
September Submitted |
Earth, Wind and Fire |
Verses are sung in ‘chest voice’ while each chorus is falsetto. “Ba de ya!” |
The Best of Earth, Wind and Fire, Vol. 1 |
Columbia |
N |
||
| Harmonic Rhythm | Tears In Heaven |
Eric Clapton |
Chord changes are every two beats during verses, every four during chorus |
Rush |
Warner Bros. |
N |
|
Boulevard of Broken Dreams |
Green Day |
Chord changes are every two beats except for B chord held for 2 bars at end of chorus |
American Idiot |
Reprise |
Y |
||
| Imitation | The Musical Offering |
Bach |
The melody is presented firstly in the flute, then violin, harpsichord and cello |
N |
|||
| Melisma | Shout |
The Isly Brothers |
First word ‘We-e-e-e-ll” |
Shout |
RCA |
N |
|
Please Mr Postman |
The Marvalettes |
‘Mr Po-o-o-o-stman’ |
Please Mr Postman |
Tamla |
N |
||
| Small Melodic Range | Hello, I Love You |
The Doors |
Throughout – uses quite a small range of notes (excluding the shouted ‘Hello!’) |
Waiting For The Sun |
Elektra |
N |
|
| Large Melodic Range | Manana Iguana |
Bobby McFerrin |
Don’t Worry Be Happy |
EMI |
N |
||
| Pedal Point | Hangar 18 |
Magadeth |
Heard in bass throughout, until solos begin |
Rust in Peace |
Capitol |
N |
|
Jump Submitted |
Van Halen |
Keyboard plays a C in the bass while chords change above it. |
1984 |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
YouKeep Me Hangin’ On |
The Supremes |
Octave A’s against A, G and F Major chords in the chorus |
The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland |
Motown |
N |
||
Photograph |
Nickelback |
The high E and B strings on the guitar are held throughout chord progression – however, pedals are traditionally thought of as being in a low register |
All The Right Reasons |
Roadrunner |
N |
||
Notion |
Kings of Leon |
The high E string on the lead guitar is played throughout main riff – however, pedals are traditionally thought of as being in a low register |
Only By The Night |
RCA |
N |
||
No Son Of Mine |
Genesis |
Throughout intro and first verse, electric guitar plays pedal underneath vocals and synthesised strings |
We Can’t Dance |
Atlantic / Virgin |
N |
||
| Sequence | So What |
Miles Davis |
First melodic phrases – 8 bar sequence! Not often heard |
Kind of Blue |
Columbia |
N |
|
Angels We Have Heard On High |
Trad. Christmas Carol |
The famous ‘Glo-o-o-o-ria’ |
N |
||||
I’m Gonna Find Another You |
John Mayer |
A short 3 note, ascending sequence in horn section after he sings ‘But you will never have my rhyme’ |
Continuum |
Columbia / Aware |
N |
||
River Deep – Mountain High Submitted |
Ike and Tina Turner |
Melodic intro played by brass |
River Deep – Mountain High |
Philles |
N |
||
| Blues Scale | Rolling In The Deep |
Adele |
Main vocal melody |
21 |
XL |
N |
|
Titanic Blues |
‘Hi’ Henry Brown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|||
| Blues / Major Scale | Many The Miles Submitted |
Sara Bareilles |
Mixture of the Major and Blues scale vocal melody used throughout, especially after the chorus |
Little Voice |
Epic |
N |
|
| Chromatic Scale | SEE CHROMATICISM |
||||||
| Pentatonic Scale | Play That Funky Music |
Wild Cherry |
Bass & Gtr. During Verse |
Wild Cherry |
Epic |
N |
|
Are You Gonna Go My Way |
Lenny Kravitz |
Gtr. Riff |
Are You Gonna Go My Way |
Virgin |
N |
||
Back In Black |
AC/DC |
Gtr. Riff |
Back in Black |
Albert / Atlantic |
N |
||
Turn Off the Light |
Nelly Furtado |
Gtr. Solo |
Whoa, Nelly! |
DreamWorks |
N |
||
Wish You Were Here |
Pink Floyd |
12-String & Lead Gtr. Intro, Bass |
Wish You Were Here |
Harvest / EMI / Columbia / Capitol |
N |
||
Honky Tonk Woman |
The Rolling Stones |
Intro Gtr. Lick – this clip must be the slowest version ever! |
Released as single |
Decca / London |
N |
||
Green River |
Creedence Clearwater Revival |
Gtr. Riff |
Green River |
Fantasy |
N |
||
Susie Q |
Creedence Clearwater Revival |
Gtr. Riff |
Creedence Clearwater Revival |
Fantasy |
N |
||
Paranoid |
Black Sabbath |
Gtr. Solo |
Paranoid |
Vertigo |
N |
||
Sweet Home Alabama |
Lynyrd Skynyrd |
Gtr. Intro & Solos |
Second Helping |
MCA |
N |
||
Centerfold |
The J. Geils Band |
Gtr. Riff |
Freeze Frame |
EMI |
N |
||
Amazing Grace |
Hymn |
Vocal Melody |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
Lowrider |
War |
Bass |
Why Can’t We Be Friends |
ABC / United Artists |
N |
||
Born Under a Bad Sign |
Cream |
Bass |
Born Under A Bad Sign |
Stax Records |
N |
||
Lady Marmalade |
Patti Labelle |
Bass & Gtr. |
Nightbirds |
Epic |
N |
||
Money for Nothing |
Dire Straits |
Gtr. Riff |
Brothers In Arms |
Vertigo / Warner Bros |
Y (2nd verse) |
||
| Whole Tone Scale | Milk |
Garbage |
Descending Synth Riff in Intro, Outro and b/w sections |
Garbage |
Mushroom |
N |
|
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life |
Stevie Wonder |
3rd and 4th bars of intro |
Talking Book |
Tamla |
N |
||
| Aeolian Mode | When Johnny Comes Marching Home |
Louis Lambert |
Throughout |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
Stairway To Heaven |
Led Zeppelin |
The riff before the guitar solo and then the solo itself. |
Led Zeppelin IV |
Atlantic |
N |
||
All Along The Watchtower |
Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan) |
C# Aeolian, using the chords C#m B A B |
Electric Ladyland |
Track |
N |
||
Losing My Religion |
R.E.M |
A Aeolian, using the chords Am Em Dm G |
Out Of Time |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
Love Song |
The Cure |
A Aeolian, using the chords Am Em Dm G |
Disintegration |
Fiction Records |
N |
||
The Thrill Is Gone |
B.B. King |
Throughout |
Completely Well |
Bluesway / ABC |
N |
||
| Dorian Mode | Scarborough Fair |
Simon and Garfunkel (Trad) |
Throughout melody |
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme |
Columbia |
N |
|
Oye Como Va |
Tito Puente |
Abraxas |
Columbia |
N |
|||
So What |
Miles Davis |
Entire melody – 16 bars D dorian, 8 bars Eb dorian, 8 bars D dorian |
Kind of Blue |
Columbia |
N |
||
Apache |
The Shadows |
Throughout |
Released as a single |
Columbia |
N |
||
Eleanor Rigby |
The Beatles |
E Dorian, using the raised 6th note; the raised 6th becomes a lowered 6th a little later as it pulls down toward the dominant note |
Revolver |
Parlophone |
N |
||
| Phrygian Mode | The Pyramid Song |
Radiohead |
Not strictly Phrygian, but melody has only small deviations |
Amnesiac |
Parlophone / Toshiba-EMI |
N |
|
War |
Joe Satriani |
Mostly Phrygian, with a few major 3rds thrown in for fun |
The Extremist |
Epic |
N |
||
| Lydian Mode | The Simpsons theme |
Danny Elfman |
Throughout melody |
N |
|||
| Mixolydian Mode | Signed, Sealed and Delivered |
Stevie Wonder |
Starts with the descending line of 1, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1 |
Signed, Sealed and Delivered |
Tamla |
N |
|
Pretty Woman |
Roy Orbison |
Starts with arpeggio of Mixolydian chord (dom 7th) – |
Released as a single |
Monument |
N |
||
Sweet Child O’ Mine |
Guns ‘n’ Roses |
First two guitar solos |
Appetite For Destruction |
Geffen |
N |
||
| Minor 2nd (Ascending) | Chromatic Scale |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Jaws |
John Williams |
First melodic interval |
Jaws Soundtrack |
MCA |
N |
||
A Hard Day’s Night |
The Beatles |
First melodic interval |
A Hard Day’s Night |
Parlophone / Capitol |
N |
||
Pink Panther Theme |
Henry Mancini |
First melodic interval |
Released as a single |
RCA |
N |
||
White Christmas |
Irving Berlin |
First melodic interval |
Merry Christmas |
Decca / MCA |
N |
||
Isn’t She Lovely |
Stevie Wonder |
First melodic interval |
Songs In The Key Of Life |
Tamla |
N |
||
| Minor 2nd (Descending) | Major Scale (Descending) |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Für Elise |
Beethoven |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Jurassic Park Theme |
John Williams |
First melodic interval |
Jurassic Park Soundtrack |
MCA |
N |
||
Solar |
Miles Davis |
First melodic interval |
Walkin’ |
Prestige |
N |
||
Joy to the World |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
| Major 2nd (Ascending) | Major Scale (Ascending) |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Happy Birthday |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
Silent Night |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
Do-Re-Mi |
Rodgers & Hammerstein |
First melodic interval |
The Sound of Music (Soundtrack) |
RCA Victor |
N |
||
Body and Soul |
Green/Heyman/Sour/Eyton |
First melodic interval |
Duets II / Lioness: Hidden Treasures |
Sony |
N |
||
| Major 2nd (Descending) | Yesterday |
The Beatles |
First melodic interval |
Help! |
Parlophone |
N |
|
Three Blind Mice |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
Eight Days a Week |
The Beatles |
First melodic interval |
Beatles For Sale |
Parlophone |
N |
||
The First Noel |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
| Minor 3rd (Ascending) | Smoke On The Water |
Deep Purple |
First melodic interval |
Machine Head |
EMI / Warner Bros |
N |
|
Axel F |
Beverly Hills Cop |
First melodic interval |
Beverly Hills Cop (Soundtrack) |
MCA |
N |
||
Bad |
Michael Jackson |
First melodic interval |
Bad |
Epic |
N |
||
Happiness Is a Warm Gun |
Beatles |
First melodic interval |
The Beatles |
Apple |
N |
||
Georgia On My Mind |
Willie Nelson (Charmichael/Gorrell) |
First melodic interval |
Stardust |
Columbia |
N |
||
So Long, Farewell |
Rodgers & Hammerstein |
First melodic interval |
The Sound of Music (Soundtrack) |
RCA Victor |
N |
||
Lullaby |
Brahms |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Oh Canada |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
| Minor 3rd (Descending) | Hey Jude |
The Beatles |
First melodic interval |
Released as a single |
Apple |
N |
|
This Old Man |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
They Don’t Care About Us |
Michael Jackson |
First melodic interval |
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 |
Epic |
N |
||
| Major 3rd (Ascending) | Oh, When The Saints |
First melodic interval |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
Kumbaya |
The Seekers (Traditional) |
First melodic interval |
Introducing The Seekers |
Unknown |
N |
||
Michael Row the Boat Ashore |
The Beach Boys |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
| Major 3rd (Descending) | Swing Low Sweet Chariot- |
UB40 |
First melodic interval |
England (The Album) Compilation |
EMI |
N |
|
Man In The Mirror (verse) |
Michael Jackson |
First melodic interval |
Bad |
Epic |
N |
||
Summertime |
Gershwin |
First melodic interval |
From Porgy and Bess |
N |
|||
Bessie’s Blues |
John Coltrane |
First melodic interval |
Crescent |
Impulse! |
N |
||
Giant Steps |
John Coltrane |
First melodic interval |
Giant Steps |
Atlantic |
N |
||
| Perfect 4th (Ascending) | Amazing Grace |
Traditional |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
Super Mario |
Koji Kondo |
First melodic interval after short intro phrase |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
Harry Potter Theme |
John Williams |
First melodic interval |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone |
Atlantic |
N |
||
Wedding March (Here Comes The Bride) |
Wagner |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Love Me Tender |
Elvis Presley |
First melodic interval |
Released as a single |
RCA |
N |
||
El Condor Pasa |
Simon and Garfunkel (Alomia) |
First melodic interval of vocals |
Bridge Over Troubled Water |
Columbia |
N |
||
We Wish You a Merry Christmas |
Traditional |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
Star Trek Theme (Next Generation) |
Courage/Goldsmith |
First melodic interval |
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Soundtrack) |
Paramount |
N |
||
| Perfect 4th (Descending) | Oh, Come All Ye Faithful |
Twisted Sister |
First melodic interval |
A Twisted Christmas |
Razor & Tie |
N |
|
George Of The Jungle Theme |
Allman/Worth |
First melodic interval |
George Of The Jungle (Soundtrack) |
Walt Disney |
N |
||
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik |
Mozart |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
| Tritone (Ascending) | The Simpsons Theme |
Danny Elfman |
Repeated interval played by strings under melody |
N |
|||
Maria |
Bernstein/Sondheim |
‘Ma-ria’ |
From ‘West Side Story’ |
N |
|||
| Tritone (Descending) | Black Sabbath |
Black Sabbath |
Repated interval played by electric guitar |
Black Sabbath |
Vertigo / Warner Bros |
N |
|
| Perfect 5th (Ascending) | One |
Metallica |
First melodic interval of guitar riff in intro |
…And Justice For All |
Elektra |
N |
|
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
Baa Baa Black Sheep |
First melodic interval |
N |
|||||
Blackbird |
Beatles |
First melodic interval |
The Beatles |
Apple |
N |
||
Superman |
John Williams |
First melodic interval of main theme |
Superman (Soundtrack) |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
My Favourite Things |
Rogers/Hammerstein |
‘Bright Copper Kettles’ |
Sound of Music (Soundtrack) |
RCA Victor |
N |
||
Can’t Help Falling In Love |
Elvis Presley |
First melodic interval |
Blue Hawaii |
RCA |
N |
||
X-Files Theme |
Mark Snow |
First melodic interval of main theme |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 Movie Theme |
Strauss |
First melodic interval of main theme |
N |
||||
| Perfect 5th (Descending) | Flintstones Theme |
Curtin |
First melodic interval (easiest heard in vocals) |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
It Don’t Mean A Thing |
Duke Ellington |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor |
Irish Rovers |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
| Minor 6th (Ascending) | In My Life |
Beatles |
First melodic interval of guitar intro |
Rubber Soul |
Parlophone |
N |
|
She’s a Woman |
Beatles |
First melodic interval in vocals |
Released as a single |
Parlophone |
N |
||
| Minor 6th (Descending) | Love Story Theme |
Lai/Sigman |
First melodic interval of main theme |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone |
Frank Sinatra (Stept/Clare) |
First melodic interval of vocal line |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
You’re Everything |
Chick Corea |
First melodic interval in vocals |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
| Major 6th (Ascending) | Angels |
Robbie Williams |
First melodic interval |
Life Thru A Lens |
Chrysalis |
N |
|
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean |
Traditional |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
My Way |
Frank Sinatra |
First melodic interval in vocals |
My Way |
Reprise |
N |
||
Nocturne (Op. 9#2) |
Chopin |
First melodic interval |
N |
||||
Take the A-Train |
Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald (Strayhorn) |
First melodic interval |
Ella In Hollywood |
Verve |
N |
||
| Major 6th (Descending) | Man In the Mirror (chorus) |
Michael Jackson |
First melodic interval of chorus |
Bad |
Epic |
N |
|
Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen |
Traditional |
First melodic interval in vocals |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
||
The Music Of The Night |
Andrew Lloyd Webber |
‘Night time’ |
Phantom of the Opera |
Sony |
N |
||
| Minor 7th (Ascending) | Somewhere |
Bernstein/Sondheim |
‘There’s a’ |
West Side Story |
Sony |
N |
|
Star Trek theme (Original) |
Courage |
First melodic interval |
Star Trek Theme (Original) |
Varese Sarabande |
N |
||
| Minor 7th (Descending) | Lady Jane (Chorus) |
Rolling Stones |
First melodic interval of vocals |
Aftermath |
London |
N |
|
Watermelon Man |
Herbie Hancock |
First melodic interval |
Takin’ Off |
Blue Note |
N |
||
| Major 7th (Ascending) | Don’t Know Why |
Norah Jones (Harris) |
First melodic interval |
First Sessions / Come Away With Me |
Blue Note |
N |
|
Take on Me |
A-Ha |
‘Take on’ |
Hunting High and Low |
Warner Bros. |
N |
||
| Major 7th (Descending) | I Love You |
Cole Porter |
First melodic interval |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
| Octave (Ascending) | Somewhere Over The Rainbow |
Arlen/Harburg |
First melodic interval in vocals |
From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ |
N |
||
I’m Singing In The Rain |
Gene Kelly (Freed/Brown) |
First melodic interval in vocals |
From ‘Singin’ In The Rain |
N |
|||
| Octave (Descending) | Willow Weep for Me |
Billie Holiday (Ann Ronell) |
First melodic interval in the vocals |
Yesterday’s Gone |
Ember |
N |
|
| Major vs Minor | Fool On The Hill |
The Beatles |
Starts out in a major key and has a very identifiable change to minor at 0:24, then back at 0:38. This happens several more times throughout |
Magical Mystery Tour |
Parlophone / Capitol / EMI |
N |
|
| I-vi | Buffalo Soldier |
Bob Marley |
Throughout each chorus |
Confrontation |
Tuff Gong/Island |
N |
|
| I-iv-IV-V (50&’s or Ice Cream Chord Progression) | Heart and Soul |
Hoagy Carmichael (Larry Clinton performed first, most popular version) |
Throughout A section |
Unknown |
Unknown |
N |
|
All I Have to Do Is Dream |
The Everly Brothers |
Throughout |
Released as a single |
Cadence |
N |
||
Don’t Get Me Wrong |
The Pretenders |
Whole song, except for bridge |
Get Close |
Sire |
N |
||
| I-i (Adjacent Major/Minor Chords) | Creep |
Radiohead |
Throughout – follows G, B, C, Cm progression (so really, it’s I, III, IV, iv) |
Pablo Honey |
Parlophone / EMI |
N (Not in clean version!) Unclean version is quite unclean. |
|
| 12 Bar Blues | Jailhouse Blues |
C.W. Stoneking |
Verses |
Jungle Blues |
King Hokum Records |
N |
|
Candyman |
Christina Aguilera |
Verses utilise both 12BB and a walking bass |
Back To Basics |
RCA |
N |
||
| 2 Chord Songs | A Horse With No Name |
America |
E, F#m |
America |
Warner Bros |
N |
|
Don’t Let Me Down |
The Beatles |
E, F#m |
Released as a single |
Apple Records |
N |
||
Solitude |
Black Sabbath |
Gm, F |
Master of Reality |
Vertigo |
N |
||
Born in the USA |
Bruce Springsteen |
B, E |
Born in the USA |
Columbia |
N |
||
I’d Rather Go Blind |
Etta James |
A, Bm |
Tell Mama |
Fame Studios |
N |
||
Dreams |
Fleetwood Mac |
F, G |
Rumours |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
Jane Says |
Jane’s Addiction |
G, A |
Nothing’s Shocking |
Warner Bros |
N |
||
Look So Fine, Feel So Low |
Paul Kelly |
C, G |
Gossip |
Mushroom |
N |
||
Heroin |
The Velvet Underground |
Db, Gb |
The Velvet Underground and Nico |
Verve |
N, but questionable content |
||
| 3 Chord Songs | Feelin’ Groovy |
Simon and Garfunkel |
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme |
Columbia |
N |
||
Gloria |
Van Morrison |
The Angry Young Them |
Decca/Parrot |
N |
|||
Back in Black |
AC/DC |
Back in Black |
Atlantic |
N |
|||
Blowin’ In The Wind |
Bob Dylan |
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
Columbia |
N |
|||
| Relative Key Modulations (I-vi or vi-I) | I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ |
George Gershwin |
Porgy and Bess |
N |
|||
You Are The One That I Want |
Grease Soundtrack |
Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture |
RSO / Polydor |
N |
|||
SOS |
ABBA |
ABBA |
Polar / Atlantic |
N |
|||
Could You Be Loved |
Bob Marley |
Uprising |
Island |
N |
|||
That’s The Way It Is |
Celine Dion |
All The Way… A Decade of Song |
Columbia / Epic |
N |
|||
One |
U2 |
Achtung Baby |
Island |
N |
|||
One |
Metallica |
Not perfect example as the Major key (D) is mixolydian |
…And Justice For All |
Elektra |
N |
||
Fading Like A Flower |
Roxette |
Joyride |
EMI |
N |
|||
Everybody Hurts |
REM |
Automatic For The People |
Warner Bros. |
N |
|||
Living On My Own |
Freddie Mercury |
Mr. Bad Guy (You HAVE to check out this album cover…) |
EMI / Sony |
N |
|||
Georgia On My Mind |
Hoagy Carmichael |
Crazy Love |
143 Records / Reprise |
N |
|||
| Parallel Key Modulations (I-i or i-I) | I Want It All |
Queen |
The Miracle |
Parlophone / Capitol / Hollywood |
N |
||
I’m Still Standing |
Elton John |
Too Low For Zero |
Geffen / Rocket |
N |
|||
Fool On The Hill |
The Beatles |
Magical Mystery Tour |
Parlophone / Capitol / EMI |
N |
|||
Norwegian Wood |
The Beatles |
Rubber Soul |
Parlophone / Capitol / EMI |
N |
|||
While My Guitar Gently Weeps |
The Beatles |
The Beatles |
Apple |
N |
|||
November Rain |
Guns n Roses |
Coda |
Use Your Illusion I |
Geffen |
N |
||
Sleeping In My Car |
Roxette |
Crash! Boom! Bang! |
EMI |
N |
|||
Black Or White |
Michael Jackson |
Dangerous |
Epic |
N |
|||
In The Navy |
Village People |
Go West |
Casablanca Records |
N |
|||
Lovefool |
The Cardigans |
First Band On The Moon |
Stockholm |
N |
|||
The Sign |
Ace Of Base |
Happy Nation / The Sign |
Arista Records |
N |
|||
Everything’s All Right |
Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice |
From ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ |
Decca / MCA |
N |
|||
Perfect Day |
Lou Reed |
Transformer |
RCA |
N |
|||
| Shift Modulation | Allies Submitted |
Mutemath |
The third phrase of each verse is shifted up a semitone |
Odd Soul |
Teleprompt / Warner Bros |
N |
|
The Thong Song |
Sisqo |
Unleash The Dragon |
Def Soul |
N, but questionable content |
|||
New Kid In Town Submitted |
The Eagles |
Modulation from the original verse in E Major to G Major in the 3rd verse (2:46), before resolving back to E Major in between the final chorus and outro (3:39) |
Hotel California |
Asylum |
N |
||
Oh Happy Day |
Ernst & Young |
Sister Act 2 Soundtrack |
Touchstone |
N |
|||
Because Of You |
Kelly Clarkson |
Breakaway |
RCA |
N |
|||
Shining Light |
Ash |
Free All Angels |
Infectious |
N |
|||
I Try |
Macy Gray |
On How Life Is |
Epic |
N |
|||
Old Before I Die |
Robbie Williams |
Life Thru A Lens |
Chrysalis |
N |
|||
Let’s Get Rocked |
Def Leppard |
Adrenalize |
Bludgeon Riffola |
N |
|||
To Be With You |
Mr Big |
Lean Into It |
Atlantic |
N |
|||
Heal The World |
Michael Jackson |
Dangerous |
Epic |
N |
|||
When A Man Loves A Woman |
Michael Bolton |
Time, Love and Tenderness |
Columbia |
N |
|||
Seinfeld Theme |
Jonathan Wolf |
N |
|||||
If I Could Turn Back Time |
Cher |
Heart Of Stone |
Geffen |
N |
|||
Man In The Mirror |
Michael Jackson |
Bad |
Epic |
N |
|||
Stand |
R.E.M |
Green |
Warner Bros. |
N |
|||
Livin’ On A Prayer |
Bon Jovi |
Slippery When Wet |
Mercury Records |
N |
|||
Chain Reaction |
Diana Ross |
Eaten Alive |
RCA / Capitol |
N |
|||
I Just Called To Say I Love You |
Stevie Wonder |
The Woman In Red |
Motown |
N |
|||
Woman |
John Lennon |
Double Fantasy |
Geffen |
N |
|||
All My Love |
Led Zepplin |
In Through The Out Door |
Swan Song |
N |
|||
I’m Every Woman |
Chaka Khan |
Chaka |
Warner Bros. |
N |
|||
Money, Money, Money |
ABBA |
Arrival |
Polar |
N |
|||
Play That Funky Music |
Wild Cherry |
Wild Cherry |
Epic |
N |
|||
Ramblin’ On My Mind |
Eric Clapton |
Crossroads |
Polydor |
N |
|||
Penny Lane |
The Beatles |
Magical Mystery Tour |
Parlophone |
N |
|||
| Neighbour Key Modulation – Major (I-IV, I-V) | Who Needs You |
Queen |
News Of The World |
EMI / Parlophone / Elektra / Hollywood |
N |
||
Play The Game |
Queen |
The Game |
EMI / Elektra |
N |
|||
Save Me |
Queen |
The Game |
EMI / Elektra |
N |
|||
From Me To You |
Beatles |
Released as a single |
Parlophone |
N |
|||
Sometimes |
Erasure |
The Circus |
Mute / Sire |
N |
|||
Honey Honey |
ABBA |
Waterloo |
Polar / Atlantic |
N |
|||
Everlasting Love |
Carl Carlton |
Everlasting Love |
Backbeat |
N |
|||
| Neighbour Key Modulation – Minor (i-iv, i-v) | Don’t Speak |
No Doubt |
i-iv |
Tragic Kingdom |
Interscope |
N |
|
La Isla Bonita |
Madonna |
i-iv |
True Blue |
Sire / Warner Bros. |
N |
||
Who Wants To Live Forever |
Queen |
i-iv |
A Kind Of Magic |
EMI |
N |
||
The Prophet’s Song |
Queen |
i-v |
A Night At The Opera |
EMI / Parlophone / Elektra / Hollywood |
N |