Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 1

Using Beatles Songs toDemonstrate Modulation

Concepts

Richard Repp, Ph.D.

Fiftieth National Conference of theCollege Music Society

Salt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007

Overview

• Rationale for using popular songs inmusic theory

• “Her Majesty” - secondary dominants• “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and

“Yesterday” -modulations to closely related keys

• “Here, There and Everywhere” - modulationto a foreign keys

Other modulation concepts

• Chord substitution, borrowed chords, chainsof secondary dominants, common chords,closed form, deceptive resolution, authenticand plagal cadences, relative and paralleltonality, voice leading, structural andembellishing harmonies, and therelationship of the supertonic and dominantin popular and jazz music

Background

• Music that is familiar to students• Demonstrate a connection between

academic material and music the student hasalready internalized

• Scaffolding: working from what the studentalready knows toward unfamiliar material

Acceptable level ofmusicianship?

• The music of the Beatles has worth thattranscends their particular moment inmusical history.

• MENC has indicated the Beatles song“Yesterday” is on the list of songs thateveryone should know.

Classical influence

• The Beatles themselves were not classicallytrained.

• Their producer Sir George Martin did haveclassical training.

• Evident on “Lady Madonna,”“She's Leaving Home,”“I am the Walrus.”

Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 2

Inexperience of professors

• New music has not proven its worth.• The students often know more about the

music than the instructor.• With older music, popular tastes have

shifted so much that the music is passé.

Beatles songs are an excellentsolution

• Old enough to have been thoroughly studied• Still known and accepted by younger people• Beatles songs transcend their history as

different generations play the recordings foreach other, just as classical musictranscends its place in history.

“Her Majesty”

• Abbey Road(1969)

• Secondarydominants

• Tonicization• Chains of

secondarydominants

First phrase

• Establish tonic

Second phrase

• E7 chord not diatonic• “Tonicizes” (strengthens) following

chord• V7/V rather than II7

Third phrase

• Bm substitution for I• Another secondary dominant on D7• V7/IV• Two most common secondary

dominants established first

Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 3

Chains of dominants

• Alternately,

“I Want to Hold YourHand”

• Single, 1963• Modulation to Closely RelatedKeys

• Common chordmodulation

• Using modulationto create form

Opening phrase and chorus

• Simple progression

Transition to bridge

• Common chord modulation• I in C, V in F

New key to highlight form

Transition back to A section

• Secondary dominant as modulationchord

“Yesterday”

• Single, 1965• Modulation to

closely related keys• Relative minor• ii-V-I progression• Plagal cadence

Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 4

Opening phrase

• Establish F as tonic• Quickly moves to dm• ii-V-I in new key

Quick change

• Modulates back to F• Moving freely between major and

relative minor

Plagal cadence Bridge

• Alternates between Major and Minor• Enhances form

“Here, There andEverywhere”

• Revolver (1966)• Modulation toForeign Keys

• Parallel minor

Establish G Major

Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 5

B7 chord not diatonic

• Possible modulation?

• iiø-V-i in e minor

Quickly cadences in originalkey

• Relative minor used similar to“Yesterday”

Bridge more adventurous

• F7 suggests a modulation to Bb

• Bb not a closely related key

Next phrase could be in Bb

• But to be consistent, probably Gm

Reanalysis in Gm Parallel minor

• Makes transition to A section smooth

Using Beatles Songs to Demonstrate Modulation Concepts

Fiftieth National Conference of the College Music SocietySalt Lake CityNovember 18, 2007 6

Conclusions

• Beatles songs contain the elements ofclassic modulations.

• Songwriter probably naturally heardthese transitions rather than training.

• These songs will be more accessible tomany students than classical music.

• Beatles songs were effective inteaching modulation concepts.

Thank you

Richard Repprrepp@richardrepp.comhttp://richardrepp.com