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I II IV V I III IV V
CDm F G CEm F G
Now try the 'reverse polarity' trick:
III maj IV V I III maj IV V
C D FGC E FG
The major version of II creates the momentary expectation of a key change to G minor or G. The move to F cancels
this out. The expectation would be heightened if you played D7. The chorus of 'All You Need Is Love' has I IImaj V.
The major version of III creates the momentary expectation of a key change to A minor or A (as heard in chorus of
'Golden Slumbers'). Once again, the move to F cancels this out, and you can heighten the expectation by turning the
major III into a dominant seventh (D7 or E7). A dramatic example occurs in the verse of 'Innuendo' (E to G#).
The chorus of Abba's 'Dancing Queen' depends on IImaj and IIImaj and the expectation they arouse for its power.
The progression in A is:
V III maj VI II maj IV I I
E C# F#m B D Bm A
Notice the delay of chord I to the very end, the fleeting modulation to F#m and the sudden sadness that goes with
that chord, the unexpected change from B to D, the second sad change with D to Bm and the final resolution of these
emotions on the key chord.
The major versions of II and III are heard in the verse of the Foo Fighters' 'Alone And Easy'.
The minor version of chord IV is an MOR favourite because it lends itself to a romantic emotion. It is found either
as the chord change I to IVm or coming after IV in its normal major form and then resolving to I or V. Play these
popular changes:
IIIIVVVIVI
CDm F C G F C
Now try:
IIIIV m V V IV IV m I
C Dm Fm C G F Fm C
You can hear IVm in 'All I've Got To Do' (v Am-E), 'I Believe I Can Fly', 'Do You Want To Know A Secret?' v,
'Hold Me Tight', 'I Call Your Name', 'In My Life' v, 'Riot Act', 'Female Of The Species', 'World Without Love' br,
Neil Finn's 'Truth' v, and 'I'll Follow The Sun'. Its deeply tragic potential is heard in Stephen Stills's 'To A Flame'. It
can end a minor-key song with an unexpected lift, as in 'And I Love Her', which ends Gm D. 'Nowhere Man' has a
bridge of Dm Fm C (II IVm I). You will hear it at the climax of 'She Loves You', in the verse of 'That Means A Lot',
in the chorus and verse of 'Bungalow Bill' and in the intro of 'Band On The Run'. Another song with the VI-IVm
change is 'The Night Before'. 'The Air That I Breathe' has I III IVm I and I IIImaj IV IVm. Dylan used a IVm for a
dramatic first chord in the verses of 'Idiot Wind'. Try a Imaj7-IVm7 for a more