Perfect Progressions

Analyzing the Perfect Chords from “We Are The Champions” by Queen

November 15, 2019
2 min read
Watch Later Cinema Mode
PDF with chords posted at my Patreon: https://bit.ly/2KrAUs1
Get my Ultimate Modal Poster: https://bit.ly/2OdYIk4
This video is a musical analysis of the chord progression in We are the Champions by Queen. We will see things like key changes/modulations, modal mixture, secondary dominants, and secondary leading tone chords. Lots of complex changes for a song that might seem basic on the surface.
The following topics are touched upon, and you can go further into any of these topics by watching the lessons I’ve taught on them.
Writing chord progressions in Major: https://youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA
Writing chord progressions in Minor: https://youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Secondary Dominant Chords: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4Ha…
Diminished Chord Basics: https://youtu.be/HQ2pg7D1aks
Using Diminished Chords: https://youtu.be/koulaYcijEE
Modal Mixture: https://youtu.be/RyR98UEtt18
Modulations: https://youtu.be/Vxac3hHrxg8
The I – iii change: https://youtu.be/y97CwPqDQf8
Here are my previous videos on Perfect Progressions:
Bruno Mars – If I Was Your Man: https://youtu.be/rD0L-a0gDgk
The Beatles – Something: https://youtu.be/wcG7G1Ixb6E

A few things to note, that did not make it into the video:
Many of you may “hear” or “feel” a i – bVII instead of a i – v for the intro like I pointed out. That’s fine! There is no ONE way to interpret this chord, and often times, we have to choose a name based on our own experiences.
The second half of the verse is Eb – Ab/Eb. I forgot to talk about how nice and soft a I-IV can be when the bass note does not change- in this instance, Eb remains on the bass. It’s about as soft and pleasing as two chords can get IMO.
This video is brough to you by my AMAZING Patreon supporters, especially the following fine folks:
Linas Orentas
Joe Buote
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Christopher Swanson
John Arnold
Jon Reddish
Brandon Combs
Sebastian
Morgan M.
Lord of the Chords
Billyshes
Phillip Sharp
Don Watters
Bradley Bower
Marek Pawlowski
BuzzWasHere
Kip Ingram

Jake Lizzio

I teach music theory and songwriting for a modern generation of musicians who want to grow and excel at their craft.

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