Page 66 - Year 10 Knowledge Organiser

BTEC Music: 3 of 9

Harmony

Harmony refers to the combinations of chords in a piece of music. Usually, music will have a sequence of chords playing one after the other. This sequence is called the chord
progression or harmonic progression.
1 Listen to the Song

• Start by listening to the song attentively. Pay close attention to the chord progressions and how they support the melody and overall feel of the song.

2 Identify the Chords and Key

•Listen for the basic chords that accompany the melody. These are typically played by instruments like guitar, piano, or synthesizers.
•Use your instrument (if you play one) or a keyboard/piano to figure out the chords by ear. Alternatively, you can find chord charts or tutorials online that
•provide chord progressions for popular songs.
•Write down the chords in the order they appear throughout the song. Use chord symbols (e.g., C, G, Am, F) to represent each chord
•Work out which key the chords belong to (this is nearly always the first chord of your sequence. If you need more help with this, check the Harmony and
•Tonality Booklets or ask for help). At this point it can be useful to write out the chords usually found in your key. This will make the next step much easier.

3 Analyse the Chord Progressions

•Look for patterns or recurring chord progressions in the song. Common progressions in pop music include the I-IV-V-I progression in major keys and the i-VI- IV-V
progression in minor keys.
•Identify cadences within the song.
•Look for any key changes or modulations in the song (where the song changes key). This often happens during the chorus or during the bridge of the
•song. Another place to look for modulations is if the song feels like it “lifts” towards the end.
•Identify any borrowed chords. This is where a song uses chords that are not from the original key. These usually make a progression more interesting by
•adding colour or tension.

4 Summarise your Analysis

• Describe how what you have discussed above impacts on the sound of the piece. For instance, modulations can add contrast, or the composer choosing a minor key
can create a dark mood.