Great Chords of Pop

Great songs often use great chord progressions. Today, we bring you the legendary I – V – vi – IV progression, which is used by these legendary artists to create songs that are to be considered modern classics. Check it out! Let It Be – The Beatles Another Girl, Another Planet – The Only Ones […]






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Learning from the Masters – Part 3

Hi there! Today in Songtive we’re going to follow our ‘Learning from the Masters’ series reviewing the legendary Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody! This worldwide known song has many interesting aspects worth to analyze and to incorporate in your composer’s toolbox. The singular structure, the musical approach of the ideas we’re listening, the combination of classical […]






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Popular progression I-V-vi-IV

In this post, we are going to talk more about one of the one of the most popular chord progressions that exists. This progression is and it is used across all genres of music. It turns out that these four chords in this particular formation can make for some seriously memorable music. Here are just […]






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Andalusian Cadence: vi–V–IV–III

From Classical to Flamenco to Pop What is the Andalusian cadence? The Andalusian cadence is the name of a chord progression that was made popular in flamenco music. This progression is made up of four chords that descend stepwise (from the vi to the V to the IV and finally the III chords. This progression […]






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50s progression

Today, we are going to talk about one of the most popular, yet classic chord progression, the 50s progression! The formula is I-vi-ii-V. While this progression was popular during the fifties, you’ll find popular songs using this progression from many decades. Want to know more? Check out some of these examples: Close Your Eyes – […]






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Learning from the Masters – Part 2

Hi there! Today in Songtive we’re going to follow our ‘Learning from the Masters’ series reviewing another part of Led Zeppelin’s immortal classic Stairway to Heaven. But first let’s check out what we’ve already gathered from our analysis: For analysis purposes the most convenient way to get into it is to get the structure first. […]






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Learning from the Masters – Part 1

We’re going to learn composition techniques through one of the best ways there is to do so: analyzing musical masterpieces and reviewing some of the most interesting aspects they got to offer to make them the great artistic achievement they became. In order to do so we’re reviewing two of the most emblematic classic rock […]






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The Four Chords of Pop

Today we are talking about the four chords of pop! It is a four chord progression widely used in pop music through the years, and it has a natural attraction that leaves no indifferent listeners. Based in the previous Doo Wop progression we discussed before, it consists of a I – V – vi – […]






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Doo Wop Progression

Today in Songtive.com we’ll be analyzing a popular chord progression. It’s called the ‘Doo Wop Progression’, and is one of the most popular harmonic cycles ever! It consists of a I – VI – IV – V progression that defined an era, as you will see. Many songs going from jazz standards to timeless classics […]






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The Minor Fourth Chord

Today we’re gonna learn about a curious chord progression that you all can identify in a wide number of popular songs. We are talking about the use of a minor fourth degree (IVm) that adds a melancholic feeling to the phrases’ endings – which we already discussed with the name of cadences. There are many […]






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