Download Jeff’s Charts Of The Songs We Analyzed:
If you are a producer, songwriter or composer, studying and analyzing the song structure of your favourite songs and world-hits can be a huge help. Chords and chord progressions are a great way to evoke emotions in your listeners and set the mood of a song. By understanding what works, you can gain new ideas and inspiration for your songwriting.
In this tutorial, Jazz Pianist and Composer Jeff Lorber shows you how to easily figure the chord progressions of your favourite song, and learn how they make you feel, so you can use these concepts in your own productions.
Jeff also breaks down the cord progressions of 11 hit songs, including:
- Justin Bieber – Despacito
- Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
- Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
- Chain Smokers and Coldplay – Something Like This
- Adele – Hello
- John Mayer – Still Feel Like Your Man
- Tom Petty – One Back Down
- Tom Petty – Into The Great Wide Open
- Elton John – Your Song
- 10 CC – I’m Not In Love
- Jimi Hendrix – Bold As Love
I hope you enjoy this tutorial, it was very educational and a lot of fun for me! Analyzing your favourite songs and all-time classics like that on a regular basis will majorly impact your songwriting and creativity!
Thanks Jeff for sharing your knowledge with us! I hope this tutorial helped you to get a deeper understanding of chord progressions and to write a few hit-songs of your own!
Have a marvellous time recording and mixing,
Warren
I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Lorber’s since way, way back. Really enjoyed watching the two of you guys sitting and analyzing song and chord structure. I would sheepishly comment that I’m hearing the progression to the 10cc song differently. Not seeing the chart yet but going on the video, I’m hearing the verse progression as:
IV ivm / iiim III / vi vi7 / ie. A am / g#m G# / c#m c#m7 /
Then at the end of the chorus when it goes to the I he describes it as blues which would imply 5 6 7 movement within the i chord. I think it’s actually going / E Esus / E7sus Esus add6 / which is a leading chord to the I.
Great video Warren.
Ah yes…the Nashville Number system…aka The Mr. Postman Pattern. (16451, or 162451 etc.) The best theory I ever learned I never was taught in school. I learned it from sitting in, in a Rathskeller type of coffee house on the Campus of George Washington University in DC. They featured “Blue Grass” Music, and pickers and fiddlers from as far away as West “By God” Virginia would show up every Friday and Saturday night and play everything from Doc Watson, to John Prine. And it was all about that variation and substitution of a 2 chord for a 4 or a 6 chord for whatever. I still to this day just cannot read music, but I can hear it every single time for some reason.
Jeff is just such a brilliant keyboard musician that he maimikes it all look easy (I hate it!! lol!) but he explains in a way that pretty much makes sense of it.
I will definitely download the chord charts to play with as I really do want to step up the arrangement thing with our music. I really get tired of the same old 1451 stuff. Which sadly seems to be the norm right now in today’s music. (I miss Steely Dan a lot!!)
Great video…I’d love to meet Jeff just once in my life if for no other reason than to just sit back and listen to him “doodle” on his pianos. Ah.. Heaven!
Thanks Warren…please keep re interviewing Jeff as it’s a wonder and joy to listen to him and hear him talk about things. (I know he secretly has long hair and just hides it in a short hair wig…lol!!) Just can’t kill the hippie musician.
Oh yeah by the way Warren…the easiest guitar tuner in the world is a harmonica. Want to make certain your guitar is in tune with the band? Carry an A harp with you and just blow the first note on it. That’s your guitar A440 every time. 😛