Analyzing The Chords of John Lennon's "Imagine" - Perfect Progressions #4
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- čas přidán 11. 05. 2024
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This video deeply analyzes John Lennon's Imagine, specifically the chord progressions used to make up the song. In addition, we take a look at the arrangement, production, and other musical choices that all sum up this iconic composition.
Music theory is simply a way to describe what songwriter's have done. All of the composing tricks used in this song were clearly in John Lennon's vocabulary, whether he used their proper academic name (secondary dominant / pedal tone / etc.) is not relevent. What matters is understanding why this composition feels the way it does, and use that knowledge to our own benefit as composers!
Take note- this song was written on piano. Even if you're a lousy key player, you should be able to take these chords to the piano and see how simple of a song it really is. You'll also see how the geometry of the piano itself probably played a giant part in why the song was written the way it was. It falls very easly on the hands.
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In This Video:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Verse Chords
03:00 Why Voicings Matter
04:15 Creating Melody Within Chords
06:25 Mystery Ninth
07:34 Double Tracking
08:16 Chorus Chords
10:44 Refrain
13:31 Summary
![How To Arrange Chords into BEAUTIFUL 4-PART HARMONIES [Music Theory - Voice Leading]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UkatcvIuF4U/mqdefault.jpg)
I appreciated the way the teacher started with 'basic' and gradually progressed to 'refined', while defining the reason for the refinement all along the way. It was so controlled and smooth.
This guy is way better than my music theory teacher.
Lmao lol Rolf
My college music professor doesn’t hold a candle to Jake. Mr. Mumbles was phoning it in for his paycheck.
Jake is the best!
Yeah, Jake is the Don.
Same lmao
Wow! I finally found a CZcams music teacher who doesn't make you sit through 10 minutes talking cats, stories of last weekends BBQ, or Magic Biscuits and Sunglasses that make you a better songwriter.
Direct and to the point! Well done video series!
Thanks!
I feel like the E chord in this situation (as in many other uses of the III chord) does, in fact, work as a secondary dominant, in the way that the resolution from E to F is kind of like a deceptive cadence. This works because F is a very similar chord to Am (F is Am's submediant) so it has much in common with, say, a V - vi.
Totally agree! And since Lennon never sings a F note over the F Chord he plays, his melody basically functions like a chord change from E7 to Am w/ a raised 5th, and in second inversion... although, I do like your explanation of thinking of it like a deceptive cadence of a V-VI (as opposed to the more common classical V - vi progression). I can dig it
@@briansullivan3424 yeah, i think we're onto the same thing here! i do feel like calling it a raised fifth implies an E#, which feels kind of weird in this context, but yeah :) this III - IV movement seems to be pretty common, like in Creep (G - *B - C* - Cm) where I think the same thing is going on
I also think so. Another example is G to Am in Hello Goodbye and similar songs, instead of G to C.
@@briansullivan3424 I agree with both of you, except for the raised 5th. It'd make much more sense to think about the F as an F and not a E#.
@@vinicius.manhaes.23 I would agree with that. I meant it more in an enharmonic way, because you're right - a minor vi chord with a sharp 5th has a very different harmonic use than playing a IV chord, even if the two sound the same. I totally agree with that. Now, all that being said, most guitar players I know, when they play this song, often play that as E7 to Fmaj7, which drives that secondary dominant feel even more, since Fmaj7 has all the notes as Am, and you throw an F in the bass. I don't think any of them think of that bass note as E#, but the way Lennon's melody floats over E7 to F feels like a melody that would also be appropriate (and much more conventional) over E7 to Am, but subbing it out for Fmaj7 gives it the best of both worlds. Cheers from Maryland, US!
On the chromatic passage, I thought you were off your rockers. I could have sworn he did play a C and remembering it in my head, I've always heard it as a 4 note passage. I was shocked when I listened to it again and realised there was an empty beat with no note there, a serious (and disturbing) case of auditory hallucination ;-) Great analysis, thanx Jake.
Funny, me too. I always heard & played it as a 4 note chromatic run. But noticed many others didn't long ago.
I had to fix several of my assumptions about this song after listening to the isolated tracks. It's very deceptive despite it's simplicty!
I thought the same thing!
Ok I just went back and heard it, and maybe it's the two pianos that he talks about in the video because I definitely hear a note there, it's not empty.
Maybe a delay reverb thing who knows
This is a very nice breakdown of 'Don't look back in Anger' by Oasis
Lol
@@ieuanphillips4963 Underrated comment.
Noice
Imagine is one of the best of all time indeed. John Lennon surely wrote great tunes, whether Solo or with The Beatles.
Shame he was a huge asshole and a hypocrite. He wrote a song that basically encourages anarcho-communism and he wrote it out of a multi-million dollar penthouse lol.
@@musicalexplosion7786 "Imagine there's no countries" "Imagine no possessions"
@@musicalexplosion7786 Also to add, yes, it would be an ok song for me has he given his money away. This song is more of a "do as I say not as I do".
@@fandyus4125
That's so fuckin stupid, that's why it's called imagine
In a world where no one has possessions, We all could live fine, but we aren't living in a world like that, so throwing away your possessions would be stupid.
@@idontwant2beasoldiermama241 thank goodness someone here can appreciate the difference between imagining (clue is in the title) a socialist utopia and encouraging actual anarchy.
What a great presentation Jake. I find it hard to learn songs via tabs or other videos, because this is what I truly crave; an informed and in-depth analysis of not just how to mechanically play the song, but how all the elements fit together. I always want to learn something from a song, something I can take away and use in my own music. You meet these expectations beautifully--not many do. Keep up the fantastic work!
John Galt’s morality would entail that he be a Patreon subscriber for these lessons, right?
@@jimwarner8071 Today's John Galt disciples would say that it is unreasonable, and therefore immoral to pay for something that can be had for free.
I've been hacking around music since the day after The Beatles (a band from Liverpool, England) first appeared on tv (short for television, a popular medium for broadcasting sounds and images in the last century). Every time I take the time to view/listen to one of Jake's offerings, I learn so much about topics I thought I knew pretty much everything about. Thank you, Jake, for reminding me (once again) that musicianship is an endless journey, always more to learn.
"Slip inside the eye of your mind!" ...oops, wrong song
Beatles also referenced their hero's. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis, Dylan, The Beach Boys, I could go on and o........get my drift.😎😎😎
Dont you know you might find!
@@elijahdomingo3222 a better plaxe to stay
@@vibe6750 you said that you never been
Oh look a better song
Woah I never realized the piano part was double tracked. I've always thought that the way the piano sounds in the song was unlike any Piano I know.. Now I know why it sounds that way.
Yeah I know, it all makes sense now
Great analysis, thank you a lot! As pianist I wanted to capture the magic of that song for a long time but never got it quite right. Now knowing that the piano is doubled, made me realize that I had no chance to begin with.
Since it didn't come up explicitly in the video: the chords in the verse feel to me like C (or Cmaj7) and Csus (voiced with a 6 and with the 5 left out, which is something a pianist totally would do). These chords actually remind me of "Without You" (originally by Badfinger, but I have the '90s version by Mariah Carey in mind, please don't feel triggered guys, notes are free and all music is connected), which also starts with a change between a major chord and its sus4 equivalent, but there it's he other way around, more like sus chords were used traditionally. Anyway, Csus6 without a 5 and C/F have the exact same notes, so both interpretations are legit. I just find it interesting to point out the suspended aspect here, since the verse has this soft "time stands still" tension, with that chromatic ornament (a #a b) at the end of each round not even leading back to our tonic we've never really left. There's a feeling of resignation or stagnation to it, it's like we're not anywhere at all, but also we can't move, which matches beautifully with the song's over all subject. Because it turns out that we actually can move, many dreamers could build a new world if they could imagine doing it ("You may say I'm a dreamer - but I'm not the only one - I hope someday you'll join us - and the world will be as one"). So, no wonder, that when F comes around for the first time without C in bass, the song harmonically opens up so much and it feels like "a brand new chord" to us. It sort of is, it was hidden in Csus before, not even imagening it could be a real change.
I have to lose this: this channel is just brilliant, the presentation, the topics, the explanations and just your delivery makes a complete package that i really enjoy. One of the few rare channels that actually teaches something.
Keep it up and thanks alot.
The chromaticism is one of the things that makes this song. You end up having that B briefly played over the F, which has a really cool Lydian sort of sound, before it quickly resolves.
@@sunkintree you apparently have no idea what I'm talking about. The main piano lick has a climbing chromatic line that goes A-Bb-B. Those notes are played over the F chord. In other words, you get the 3rd of the F, the 4th of the F, the #4 of the F, all leading into the root of the C chord. It's the most defining lick of the song, so I'm not sure where your confusion comes from.
What an uplifting video! You're doing justice to this great song and Lennon would be smiling if he watched this lesson. Great stuff. Please make more song analysis videos like this, perhaps even more from the Beatles.
This channel is constantly putting out pure quality content and joy for music, loving it!
This video is amazing and John Lennon is my biggest musical inspiration and I’d love to see you dissect more of his music especially his Beatles Tunes! (I want you she’s so heavy is one of my fav Lennon tunes)
Finally, the video we've all been waiting for
BTW, nice shirt!
This is brilliant...you seriously do the most amazing dissection of classics! This was sheer perfection! Absolutely loved it👍
Thanks Jake, for such a clear exposition of this deceptively masterful song. If we could only find a way to realize what John imagined for us, we might have a chance to survive.
1:50 Lou Reed had tons of song that used I to IV
2:30 it even sounds like several of his songs in a non-descript way
"Walk on the Wild Side" for one.
18:24
1sorry , type 14:23
@@brdrnda3805 right after it is the rolling stones you cant always get what you want
Hi Jake... How in the world do you have this much wisdom of the elderly in music... You amaze me.... You don't just have theory, but hands down practicals too...
I just want to say thank you for all of these things you put out here...
Love from Nigeria...🇳🇬
I have absolutely no music education, but I love music, from jazz to classical to classic rock and other stuff in between. Your videos have opened a completely new way to see (hear) that music. The way you explain chords and why not (again no music education) makes it even more interesting to listen to my favorites in a different way. Subscribed.
Incredible breakdown of this Iconic anthem especailly close to John's birthday... Peace and Love and you are one special incredible teacher. Wow.
love your idea of analyzing chord progressions and their respective feelings they elicit. I was just looking yesterday on how to elicit certain feelings via chord progressions so I hope you do some more of these!
Great Analysis!!!
Love these types of videos, can’t get enough of them!
I would love to see hundreds of great songs broken down how you explain them.
Great explanations, and video visuals.
Thanks for Sharing.
😁👍👍👍
Excellent video. These are so helpful. Your explanations really help demystify the theory but also highlight the beauty of the songs and the depth of quality songwritingn
Man every time I watch a Jake Lizzio video I have to go sit at the piano and fuck around with chord progressions. Somehow your videos are the most reliable music inspiration for me. Your practical approach makes it so easy to understand and use concepts instantly
Missed these videos. Keep it up man. Cheers from Montreal!
Jake...how you make these so damn interesting blows my mind! Great content!! Thank you!!!
The F contains a A and C, so the E7 could be thought of as resolving to the Am diad inside the F chord.
WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
Interesting, I never thought of it that way
please more of these. that was so eye-opening! loved it.
I played this song many times since 70s and I never heard or wrote about the chords progressions in guitar like you do. Great job. Good teacher. say a guru.
this seriesis my favorite pls make more... its a great way of learning n u r a great teacher
I love the way you talk about - rich and colorful, like you analyze some book. I am feel like with your help I can reach the moment when this song was born, and I am in the mind of the author... Really journey. Thank you, Jake.😊
8:10 i love that you point out the whole concept of that track and even the album cover (a hazy polaroid photo of john which is actually DOUBLE exposure of John and a cloudy sky) which has no sharpness, no contrast on purpose.... it's funny how they kept the concept sonically and visually
It’s ART
Excellent video with the very talented Jake Lizzio guiding us gently through a beautifully simple song with tons of clever subtleties.
Thank you for that, Jake!
Even though I already know everything you're saying I feel like I'm learning something new. Always great videos with the right amount of depth.
Hey Jake, thank you so much!
These videos are a lot of help. Keep on rocking!
Jake, you are the best educator in youtube. Every video of yours is better than the last. Thank you so much!
After watching the whole series almost 5 times I am eagerly waiting for more episodes.
Very precise and polished lesson - like examining the brushstrokes of a Monet. As such, one gains a new appreciation and never looks at the Monet the same way again.
These Chord analysis videos are absolutely my favourite content on all of youtube, and I've been here since 2006!
I really enjoyed watching this! I know it's early to feature the same artist twice in this series but I'd like to offer my vote to #9 Dream!
Beautiful song.
Magical chord progressions on #9 Dream
Jake!...I really appreciate the depth of your understanding and enthusiasm in sharing your insights!
Thank you
The gives me the same feeling as when I thought I composed the best ever piece on piano, then i realised I was playing "Hotel California" :/
Damn, the same happened to me bro, I was writing something and I thought I had found the perfect progression, but sadly I was just playing Hotel California ;-\
@@skan5728 if you can come up with something like that you can find other progressions that are good. Hotel California is really Its just a fancy andelucian cadence, you can't copyright that, change the key and melody then you're good to go.
@@thesteve4235 Yes, it was already in another key and some chords were different (the melody too) so it's not that bad after all
Tbh all chord progressions have been used in a song before. You will never discover a chord progression that has not been played before.
@@timhorton7420 that's not necessarily true, I doubt anyone has ever used the progression Am F#7#9 Fmaj7 C# D#m E D7 G# A9
Great analysis! Your "poetic" description of the I to IV chord, with and without the pedal tone, was EXCELLENT. It's hard to describe vibrational sensations in words, and you really did a great job. Regarding the E chord in the refrain, I wonder if John had first started with an old-timey Caug kinda thing, and then tried it over E, which eventually led him to just making it an E chord.
brother, love ya work mate. not often you find such an engaging teacher of the craft of writing music. thanking you for your consistency in delivery of this information.. cheers mate
Brilliant video, Jake. I particularly enjoy your videos, like this one, where you provide music theory and chord progression analysis. It would be great if you could analyze chord progressions that emerge in classical pieces.
Very enlightening! When the small touches add up. BTW Jake your bass voice is amazing.
super cool analysis even for a beginner who just know the basics of music theory, I really enjoyed that even if some spots that I might not know about.. but you really demonstrated the whole idea in such an easy manner, thank you so much and please please more of this
Perfect progression indeed!
My favorite part has always been that E major that comes in out of nowhere. It flows perfectly...and gives the song a special something that's hard to define. It just sounds right. And the C turning into a Cmajor7 before going to the E major feels really good.
This song is a perfect example of deceptive simplicity. There's actually some advanced stuff going on just under the surface....
Intro/Verse: You can also hear the high C (1st fret 2nd str) on the F sometimes, though it is played very lightly and on guitar it translates a bit rash unless barely brushed/plucked. Otherwise, amazing content. Also, I had never realized he stayed on the tonic throughout intro/verse and I've been playing it for like 22 years haha, now it feels way better "your" way!
This is an absolutely superb video, thank you so much for the insights and the brilliantly clear explanation!
Excellent job - it takes real knowledge to pace the teaching right and not overload the student. You also know exactly where to put accents on the material in a way that helps in memorization.
Love this song, but I love this analysis/lesson much more.
Thanks Jake and thank you patreons.
That was do well done Jake, practical lesson one can apply right now.
We appreciate you Jake :)
I really wish there were more of these videos. They're amazing! Hope to see more in the future.
2:20 Very V.U. - Heroin. I guess it emphasises the feeling of 'stasis'
Wow, great observation. How I'd describe it is just Peaceful.
Dude, you're so Dope! love the musical knowledge you have and give, lots of thanks man!! God bless!
Great analyzing, thanks for sharing. I think Lennon did not think too much about all this, focuting on the message he wanted to share, but with those lyrics it became one of the biggest song ever. We miss him.
You, sir, are the Bob Ross of music instruction. I am so grateful for what you do.
Jake can you do one for "the great gig in the sky" by pink Floyd, that songs pretty interesting...
Jake, please :)
Yesyesyesyes pleeeeaseee
+1
I agree! Yes, please, would be great 👍🏻
The "Celestial Voices" section of Saucerful of Secrets is a progression worth an in depth analysis, imo
While music theory isn't my strong suit, Imagine has been my favorite song for the vast majority of my life and I even have a tattoo of it in John's handwriting from when he wrote the song. I'm always up for learning more about this piece even if I don't quite understand all of the theory! Nice work.
Your videos have been very helpful Jake. I can't believe they are all free. I am going to buy a poster and a couple tracks to support the channel, as your theory lessons helped things click in my brain finally. I'm sure I'll buy more stuff in the future too. Thanks for all these free lessons and backing tracks!
Love these type of lessons, keep up the good work
Your awesome, thank you so much for sharing your incredible musical knowledge. I always learn a lot and it's fun too!
Thx Mr.Lizzio, great teaching as every time 👍👏
Thanks for teaching us the magical subtleties of this masterpiece.
Very interesting analysis, Jake. I was unaware of the doubled piano part, I always thought the somewhat "sloppiness" of the piano part was the result of a field recording, or a demo recording that Lennon wanted to use because that particular recording, despite it being less than studio quality (my unsophisticated ears then determined) captured the essence of what he wanted to convey with the song - a feeling he could not recreate once in the studio. But alas, the romantic notion I had of Lennon's piano part in "Imagine" being brilliance captured but once, is replaced with the more realistic explanation of choices in the overall production of the song. Good to know. LOL
Seriously, this is an excellent video for someone like me somewhat new to theory and composition. I've got a much better understanding of the song and how to play it now. And your explanation of the theory underlying the chord and voicing choices gives me a lot of cool ideas to explore, experiment with, and work on in my own studies. Thanks man.
You really know your stuff! I'm glad you had to mention you weren't there when John Lennon wrote it, just to be clear. LOL. Love your videos and it's amazing that instruction like this is on youtube at all. Thanks!
You're a good teacher. i like how you brought me on a journey from the simple cowboy chords to the more subtle inversions, and how the melody revealed itself. i wonder which came first? did he played those chords and hear the melody? or did he sing the melody and then find the chords that include it?
This channel is a treasure. This video is gold.
That video is so inspiring to me! Your analysis gave me a lot of insights, thank you very much!
What an excellent channel you have. Love watching it and your enthusiasm.
Great video to watch. Lovely analysis. When you were describing the E as a secondary dominant I was thinking "shouldn't we just call it a 3 major chord?" and then you said it. Well, thanks for making me feel smart for a small moment. Can't wait for the next one.
Thank you. A great takeaway regarding theory. In our analytical moments it's great to dive deep into theory behind progressions and chord construction. Very empowering when we have light bulb moments.
You are really awesome sir, your works really helps me sir. Now I am able to understand music theories very easily.
Thank you so much sir.
Please do keeping videos sir it's really awesome sir.
I’ve learnt so much from this series. Would love to see some Grateful Dead on here.
loved this video to be honest!! keep creating..love your channel
Thank you. every once in a while I feel the need for some harmonic analysis to make me think more about what I am playing. When that happens I head to your channel.
LOOK !! Never, ever have I seen this video! Immediately, I was listening to you talk and your style of teaching music had me wanting to grab my guitar and play along with you. I only hope I can find more videos of you in the future. Only a chosen few possess the qualities you have as speaker in general, such as the long forgotten "Paul Harvey!" Not only do you know music and your way around the guitar, you also know how to convey the simple thing of (Us) just wanting to learn a song and how to play it !! Keep it up and good work !!! :) J.D. 11/09/21'
This guy can really express feelings. Great stuff!
Thanks, brilliant analysis as always and very helpful.
Thanks Jake awesome analysis as usual. Love your shirt. There is no cake! ;)
Another brilliantly lucid analysis, fitting reverence to a brilliant song.
Love your analysis of chords! Great job!
Man, your videos are so great! Thank you for sharing knowledge!
Wonderful breakdown of a great song. I enjoyed this very much, thank you!
Imma Need about 500 more hours of these perfect progression videos, They’re really entertaining and you should do more!
You are brilliant! Thank you for your work with Perfect Progressions. UR amazing!
Really amazing lesson. I've been playing this song for years, you just changed the way I looked at it. More of "Perfect Progressions" please. I suggest "The logical song" by Supertramp.
Really love this series ! Would you consider using an ELO song ? the chords used in "Livin' Thing" would be really interesting its in the key of C but uses chords out of the key but sounds great and i would love to understand the theory behind it :)
Wow! This is great! And your speaking voice is amazing!
I have literally learned more from you in 2 days about music and theory than I have in 35years, so awesome
Very well done. It's an incredibly simple but great song for the reasons you've outlined. All these years I never realized the piano was double tracked. I just thought it was due to a sloppy home recording on his white baby grand. Now the sometimes indistinct chord pulsings make sense. It does add to the dreamy quality of the song, though.
I absolutely LOVE the E-major chord in the key of C. The major 3rd just has a sweet sound. When I discovered that, it's all I wanted to do. There are a lot of songs that have the major 3rd chord.
So, two things. 1. lol Old videos don't get old; they just get listened to at a later date (by an old guy is just a bonus! ;-)) 2. Awesome, contrasting the two F's; I can't recall the number of times I've Dumped the F Chord in something I was composing... because it *was* too bold! Sometimes one just gets stuck in the rut; and needs a new perspective! I love this video; and the first one I watched. (SUBSCRIBED! - double tracking) I see the difference between someone with a few thousand subscribers; and a few HUNDRED thousand subscribers. Great Job; I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. A toast to old-er videos1 :-) Thank you! (Aside-So, family has been pushing me (cough) cause of my age to record music they've heard me play (mostly mine) throughout their lives... (I'm expecting my first GREAT-grandson soon. :-) And, I forked out some big bucks for two microphones; and a stand; and just bought the second stand, lamenting my pickiness for wanting to record in stereo... (Wife - we just want you to RECORD something; it doesn't have to be in stereo); (Me - I don't know why; but, if I'm going to invest in all this equipment; I just feel I need to do it right. Don't ask me why, I"m still learning the tricks; and it's just something I feel I need to do.) Thanks again; for justifying (from watching and hearing (yep-got out the headphones) the first video) WHY I need to actually USE those TWO very nice and expensive microphones... at the same time! Yes, I play acoustic! :-) I'm a finger picker! 20+ years... Awesome stuff here... so excited after, now, watching BOTH videos! I feel I'm ACTUALLY ready to record now! Um, I think I'll push the cats outside into the back yard for a day. lol All nine of them. :-/ :-)))
thanks for the clear no fluff explanation of this masterpiece, great video.
You are really awesome sir, your works really helps me sir. Now I am able to understand music theories very easily.
Thank you so much sir.
Please do keeping videos sir it's really awesome sir.a