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Song Analysis 2 - Floating

Lesson 31 from: Music Theory Essentials: Chords, Scales and Modes

Tomas George

Song Analysis 2 - Floating

Lesson 31 from: Music Theory Essentials: Chords, Scales and Modes

Tomas George

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Lesson Info

31. Song Analysis 2 - Floating

<b>In this lesson, you will get a complete song overview of Tomas' song 'Floating'.</b>

Lesson Info

Song Analysis 2 - Floating

OK. Now let's analyze another track. So this is another song that I'm currently working on and it really has two main sections. It has this kind of a section which is the one in green and the B section which is in blue. Then it has this breakdown, which is a new version of the A section. Then it goes back to the B section. So let's just have a listen to the song and then we're going to go through and analyze this track and then I'll show you exactly how and why I created this music. OK? And then the song continues with a breakdown which is the same course as the A section, this green section. And then we have another chorus, which is this blue section. So we actually start off the song. We have the bass part from the chorus. So this is so I can hint to the listener that this will come later on. So this is gonna be the chorus. So this song is actually called floating. I wanted something that was quite airy, mysterious, but quite light at the same time. And let's, first of all, have a lo...

ok at the base part. So we have four notes at the start. We have this F that goes up to a G, then we have an E flat that goes up to an F, so it's going up to the second. And then we have ac, which goes to an E flat and then we have a B flat that has this passing note of C and then E flat. So that's the base part. And then after this, we go to just the first chord which is this F repeated. So it's F and then it has the note of a G which is really just a passing note. So just repeat this for the verse. And the key of this song is actually, if you notice here is an F is an F major or F minor because we've got this G here, it's F major, but it's not quite F major. We also have an E flat and the key we're actually in is F mix solium. So we have a B flat and an E flat. But the root note is the F and if you remember the modes, Malian is the fifth one along. So in the key of B flat, we have a B flat and an E flat and the fifth note along is an F. So it's actually the notes of B flat major rooting around F. So it's an F mix lium. The reason I wanted to have this in F mix Lian is just to make it sound a little bit different from a major or a minor scale going along. We have this base part that just repeats the first chord over and over again for the verse. So it's just this F that goes up to G. So for the base part, we just repeat the F and we also have a G passing note and let's have a look at this cord that enters here, this pl sound. So you can see here we have a gab flat and ac. So this is actually used as nargi. So it will play one note after another. Let's just solo this and have a listen to this Arpe Gator. OK. And then if we add the base part, it's not the easiest to hear because it is on a synthesizer. However, this isn't a regular chord if we go to the piano and we have the F from the base and then the notes here, we have a ag, I'd be flat and also ac, so this chord is being played over and over again. So this isn't an F major isn't an F minus. It's, it's a different chord really. We, we haven't got the third. We're using this fourth instead of the third. So it's a Sus chord and we're also playing the second. So this cord is actually a FC 49. Let's just write it in here. So this is a F nine, Sus four is the way to write it. So it basically means it's an F and it's playing a nine in this case, A G and it's playing a Sus four. So it's playing the B flat instead of this A. So this just add a bit of tension. It really wants to resolve and go to the f. However, none of the chords actually resolve into the chorus because it's just this one chord going over and over again to add a bit of tension, to add a bit of suspense. And then we have this other cord part that enters, let's just solo this. So this is actually playing the notes FG and B flat. So we have the SUSS four here again, but also on top, it's adding other notes as well. So it's adding this D to the chord. So if we play this chord, now we have the F, we have the J, we have the B flat and we have a day. So we're adding the six as well. So this chord has kind of changed to an F nine, 13 plus four, kind of a complex chord. Really? It's uh an F in the base. And then we have this nine, the G and then we have the B flat because it's a sus cord. Then we also have this D which is the sex. So it's kind of a, a G minor in the right hand. But with an F, this is just to add tension because this isn't a really clear call. This doesn't really resolve. It sounds a bit strange. And yeah, the reason I've got this is so when the chorus centers, you know, it's the chorus, you know, it's built up and then also going along, we ha add this E flat here. So the second chord adds this E flat. So the first one has this, the six and the next one has this, this note that isn't actually in the at major scale. So now we're adding the minus seven. So this one now will be an F seven plus four, maybe you could even call it a nine. So yeah, these calls are getting quite complex. I won't get too caught up on the exact names. I just want to explain what's going on. So we have this F, we're playing the, this is four instead of the third and then we're adding the nine here, this G and then I'm playing well, the minor seventh and then we're going up to the F and going back down to this one. So it kind of doesn't really resolve, but it kind of has less tension here when it goes up to the F. So it just goes really to the original cord. So this is now the third chord in the centers. Then the fourth calls this one again. So really the first half of the verse is this chord here, which is this F nine plus four and then when this new sequence enters, we kind of bring in these new notes here, kind of make it even more complex if this seems like another language to you. Don't worry, just realize we're just extending the chord, we're just changing a few notes in the chord. OK? And now let's have a look at the melody. So that's the melody for the verse over this called the F nine plus four. So we have an F, which obviously is the root and we go down to this E flat here. So this really isn't actually an F nine plus four. So now we know that this melody has actually changed it to this F seven because we're introducing this E flat again. So this song can be a little complex at times, doesn't sound like it. But when you go through and you analyze the notes, you realize we're actually playing in the Mixolydian mode and we've actually got some kind of different chords going on to add some extensions. And then we have the F and then we go to the E flat again, which is the minus seventh and then we go to the C which is the fifth, then we go to the Duke to the ninth and then we go to the F again. So we're not playing the third anywhere. We're not giving the listener the third, which is what they really want. They want it to resolve into the third note. Of the triad and we're not giving them that instead, what we're doing is we're giving them this E flat which turns it into the mix linear mode. So that's really the verse that's quite complex. And then we go to the chorus where we have a new chord progression. So the chorus, we have a few other chores. Let's just have a look at this now. So we have the f, then we go to an E flat and then we go to AC and then we go to a B flat. So let's just write that in. So the chorus, we have an F, then we have an E flat, then we have AC, then we have a B flat. So in the chorus, we have fe flat, C and B flat. Now, let's find out the rest of the notes that are going on in this. So let's just have a look at the clock here. So in the first call, we get an F AC and then in a flat, we finally resolved it. So in the chorus, it resolves. We're not playing the SS four. We do resolve the third. So the first chord is a F minor, which is why the chorus sounds so nice because it finally resolves. So the second chord, we have an F AC and a B flat. So this over the root note E flat. So this kind of gives us a E flat six because we're adding this C, which is the sixth note of the E flat major scale. And then going along, we have this FB flat and C. So FB flat and C and then we have ac in the base. So here we go, we have a S four chord again. So it's ac seven cos it has this B flat, which is a minus seventh. So we have C seven C four. So it kind of still unusual. We have a bit of tension here and will it resolve with the last cord, which is a B flat. So we have a B flat in the base, then we have an E flat, then we have a G and then we also, we have a B flat as well. So here, so this doesn't resolve either. We have a SUS four again, SU S four, a six. So yeah, it's a little bit unusual. So we have a B flat SU four add six. So that means we're playing the B flat. Suss four means we're not playing the third, we're playing the fourth, which is an E flat. Then we're playing the sixth, which is this G, it's not really a six because we're not playing the F. So it could be a B flat six. So S four, it really depends on how you wanna write it. But I wouldn't get too caught up on writing these. It's more about understanding what's actually going on, but then it does resolve back to this F minor, then we go to this E flat six and then the C seven C four and then the B flats us for with the six. So that's really the cause in the chorus, it's quite complex as well. It sounds like quite an easy light song. But when you analyze it, there is quite a lot going on because I did want this to sound kind of mysterious and, and uneasy. I felt like I once, it sounded like I was floating in the end, you're not sure if you're gonna fall at any point. So enjoying the floating, it's so much fun, but at the same time, you're quite uneasy. So that was the vision I had when I was writing these chords. Then we have this Arpeggio here which is playing Cab Flat and an F. So we kind of adding some notes to this F minor here as well. We're adding this B flat. So we're kind of changing this to an 11th for adding an 11 because we're adding this B flat. Then we have the E flat and the sea. We have the Sus four again with the F and then the B flat. We have the SUSS four with the E flat. So we're kind of changing the F as well. You could say, uh F minor add 11 if you really wanted to go dig deep and just write it out properly. However, I wouldn't worry too much. A lot of this is about training the ear and actually knowing what's going on rather than writing out the course exactly how they should be. Ok. And then that's kind of it for the chorus. And then we have, apart from this lead section above, so let's just hear this with the lead section. So the first part there, so the first two chords. So the first one, we have the F, so we have the F and then we have the, we go to the E flat again so it could change the quad again if we really wanted to. So it could be an F minus seven cos we're playing the seventh note here. And then uh we go to this E flat. So we're playing a F over this E flat. So it could be E flat six and nine if we wanted to really make it complex. So we're playing a F over this E flat and then we're playing this B flat as well, which is the fifth of E flat and then up to the C, which is the sixth and then we play the C here. So we have the Sus four, the F, then we have the seventh which is the seventh and up to the C and then for the B flat, we're playing a G which in B flat is the six. So we've got the 06 here and then we go down to the, the fifth. So these are the chords. It can be pretty complex. Don't worry too much if you don't know how to write this out. Exactly. It's just more about understanding what notes are there and why the sounds a little bit different. So hopefully, now when you listen to the song, it might sound different to when you first heard it because you can hear the tension, you can hear the build up from the verse and then when the chorus kicks in and we get that release from that minor, we've finally got the third in the chord. So let's just have a listen to this track again and hopefully it might sound a little bit different to you now. OK. So that's really the chords, harmony and melody of this track. Of course, there are a lot more things as well like arrangement, sound design and rhythms, but that's the harmony, the chords and the melody of this track. I hope you found this analysis useful. And thank you for watching this lecture and I'll talk to you soon.

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