The Chord Progressions of Christmas Music

Posted on November 29, 2019 by songtive

The Chord Progressions of Christmas Music

Chord progressions provide for the basis of every song. First is a look at the chord progressions of the choruses of four popular Christmas songs from different eras. After that, you will find how to replicate the chords of these choruses using the Piano Companion app on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Mariah Carey’s Christmas song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was first released in 1994 and has turned into a modern-day classic. In fact, there are estimates that the song will hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 2019, a full 25 years after the initial release. Written and produced by Carey alongside Walter Afanasieff, the chord progression and chords in the chorus are much more complicated than one may think for an instantly catchy song.

“Jingle Bells” dates back to 1857, when it was performed by James Lord Pierpont and titled “One Horse Open Sleigh”. There is no doubt that this has become a well-known classic, and it has been covered by countless singers ever since it was originally released. Its chorus does not follow a simple sequence with its chord progression and chords; rather, it utilizes multiple of them that combine to make this previously seemingly simple song into a classic.

“Last Christmas” was released by Wham in 1984. It topped the Billboard charts in many countries, mostly throughout Europe, and peaked at #5 on the US Holiday 100. It’s been a mainstay on holiday playlists ever since it was released, with countless covers and reissues. The chorus of “Last Christmas” follows a four-chord progression and utilizes four chords, as noted above. The chord progression is used in many other songs, particularly in the beginning stages of jazz music. With that in mind, it is impressive that Wham pulled this chord progression off as a holiday pop song.

Like “Jingle Bells”, “Frosty The Snowman” is a classic holiday song that seems to have been a mainstay in holiday music for a long time. The song was written in 1950 by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, the former of which sang (but did not write) “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. “Frosty The Snowman” went as high as #7 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, a now-defunct chart that preceded its flagship Hot 100. It also went to #4 on the now-defunct Billboard Country Singles chart. Despite being in the simple key of C Major, the chorus has a rather complicated chord progression. While most of the chord progressions are I and IV, and most of the chords are C and F, the sequence of them does not follow prolonged patterns and is occasionally interrupted by other chord progressions and chords.

If you are looking for a way to play these melodies yourself, download Songtive’s Piano Companion app on your phone, tablet, or computer. Upon opening the app, navigate to the Chords Dictionary tab to get a visual glance at how to play each cord. Then, find your way to the Piano tab and you can try it for yourself. The default sound is Grand Piano, and there is a setting to change the sound of something such as a guitar or synth by tapping on the upward arrow in the top right corner. Even better, you can record while you play so that you have a chance to listen back.

If it takes you some time to find the chords in the Chords Dictionary tab, there is no need to worry; once you find the chords, you can add them to your Chords Dictionary to make it quick and convenient to re-find the chords.

chordschristmaspianopianocompanionprogressionssongtive

The Chord Progressions of Hit Songs in 2019

Posted on October 14, 2019 by songtive

tutorial3

Chord progressions provide for the basis of every song. First is a look at the chord progressions of the choruses of four of the most popular songs in 2019, according to their chart placements on the Billboard Hot 100. After that, you will find how to replicate the chords of these choruses using the Piano Companion app on your phone, tablet, or computer.

This list would not be complete without Lil Nas X’s debut song Old Town Road, which spent a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks leading the Hot 100, with a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus impacting radio stations everywhere. Lil Nas X originally went viral with this song on social media before it turned into a mainstream hit. The key of G# Dorian is not one of the most popular ones, nor is the overall chord progression. Despite the massive success of this song, the instrumental melody of the chorus isn’t exactly seen as one that would make for guaranteed success.

Lizzo’s song Truth Hurts has an interesting backstory when it comes to chart success. It’s spent more time at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other song in 2019 except for Old Town Road, despite originally being released on September 2017. Nevertheless, the song became a big hit eventually and musically has a relatively basic chorus. It only has two chords, and the key of C Major is one of the most-used in music. Clearly, it did not take a complex chorus melodically to turn this into something people want to hear.

Shallow is the only ballad on this list, as well as the only one to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 through mid-October. It is also the only song on this list to have more than four chords in its chord progression. With those outliers in mind, it is worth noting that the song is set in the key of G Major, the single most popular key in music. This may allow listeners to hear a very familiar sound, which could explain why it is so radio-friendly. Through radio play well past its initial release, one could argue that it is a modern-day classic.

Perhaps one of the toughest songs to learn how to play on this list is a straight-up pop song. Halsey’s song Without Me spent two non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and had a lengthy run on many Billboard charts. Its chorus features a four-chord progression, which isn’t unusually long, but the key of D# Minor isn’t particularly common.

Sunflower spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the song that interrupted Without Me’s two-week run. Like Without Me, Sunflower’s success was and still is long-lived. While both artists performing the song are best classified as rappers, Sunflower plays more like a basic pop song. It’s in a popular key and has a pretty basic chord progression. The first four chords of the chorus are all D Major, followed by four G Major, followed by four E Minor, and then back to G Major for the final four chords. It is the only song on this list where the chord progression features chords repeating themselves consecutively.

As you may have noticed, none of these five songs share the same chord progressions or keys, making for a diverse group of music. From that, it can be argued that people are willing to listen to many different chord progressions in many different keys, just as long as the music fits with the vocal melody.

If you are looking for a way to play these melodies yourself, download Songtive’s Piano Companion app on your phone, tablet, or computer. Upon opening the app, navigate to the Chords Dictionary tab to get a visual glance at how to play each cord. Then, find your way to the Piano tab and you can try it for yourself. The default sound is Grand Piano, and there is a setting to change the sound of something such as a guitar or synth by tapping on the upward arrow in the top right corner. Even better, you can record while you play so that you have a chance to listen back.

If it takes you some time to find the chords in the Chords Dictionary tab, there is no need to worry; once you find the chords, you can add them to your Chords Dictionary to make it quick and convenient to re-find the chords.

chordspianocompanionprogressions

Top 5 Excellent Habits Of A Healthy Musician

Posted on March 19, 2019 by songtive

pexels-photo-977971Music making is the best way of expressing your emotions and feelings especially if you are a musician. You will be able to come up with music which you can’t only related but for your listeners also to feel what you are trying to say. You will be able to build interaction and at the same time, your ability to let them out their emotions through your music is much more of an influence.

However, as you dedicate so much of your time in music making, have you ever experienced serious pain because of rigid music making? Have you ever come to a point where you almost give up because you undergo so much terrible pain and feel like you’re almost dying? Have you ever decided to give up because the tiresome you feel is intolerable?

If your response is yes, then maybe it’s time for you to consider and review your health habits to make sure that the pain you’re suffering because of music making won’t get worse. In this article, we’d like to give you some tips on how you can get away with a painful feeling so that you can continue your music making job without risking your health.

Take Care Of Your Mental and Physical Health

One of the best qualities that every musician has is being ambitious. Being ambitious means imagining himself soaring high in the music industry and creating music that will create an enormous response from their fans. While this may be true, you have to understand that everything has limitations especially if you are a beginner. Your mental and physical health will be affected if you abuse yourself in creating music too much.

Taking care of your physical and mental health as a musician means you have to understand your limitations. You can have a practice every day or create a music piece gradually, but if feel like you need a rest, then take it. When it comes to your voice, some vocal experts like Bohemian Vocal Teacher can ultimately guide you what are the necessary steps you should take in order to take care of your vocal health.

Establish A Right Workflow

I guess it is basic for every career you want to take that once you do a particular task you have to establish the right workflow. You need to manage the things you need to accomplish within the day so you will not be loaded with a lot of workloads in the coming days and would not possibly meet the deadline if you don’t structure them well.

The same thing for a musician, whether you are a professional or a beginner, you have to properly produce the right workflow that you need to comply within the day. Set limitations and boundaries and make sure that you also lay out what are your top priorities. Take things easily and manage them well.

Prepare Adequately

When you are performing either playing in the band or singing, you have to take practice. It may sound an old cliche but practice always makes things perfect. Your ability to prepare before you head on to a performance will surely give you a fun moment during the show, you know what to do, and you will not be pressured whether you’re going to make an excellent performance or not.

Consult Health Experts

For most of us, if we feel something painful we normally self diagnose and heal ourselves. This may be true for temporary pains. If you are a musician and has feeling acute pains for a long period of time, diagnosing yourself won’t relieve the pain you’re feeling at all.

In this case, you need to consult a doctor and should undergo a general check-up. You need this to make sure that you know what your body really feels. Once you have the results from the health expert, they would also be able to provide you the right medication you can take in and the way how should it be taken to make sure that the pain you’re feeling won’t get worse.

Exercise and Eat Healthy

As a musician, it is true that you exhaust yourself and dedicate all of your time in music making that you skip your meals and instead replace them with unhealthy snacks. Always remember that in order for you to regain your energy because you were exhausted too much in making your music, eating nutritious food will be the best way to gain back what you have lost.

Also, find some time to take exercise your muscles and limbs will be stretched and it won’t get still. Studies have shown that prolonged inflexibility of muscle can cause strain which can lead to severe muscle injuries. To avoid that, you have to exercise well and eat nutritious foods.