The same 4 chords in every song. Real or fake?

[Mark R]

Real or fake? I can't decide.

Vid

 

[KeithTalent]

Voted.

KT

 

[Ns1]

Sounds pretty reasonable for a comparison of popular songs

 

[MikeMike]

its obviously fake, i have seen numerous fake youtube vids, and this one is true because its the same damn singer, not the original singer, thus its fake...

 

[drebo]

Most pop/rock songs use the same chord progressions, and most are written in the same key. It's not a new revelation.

 

[Yeem]

Huh? It's the Axis Of Awesome. They use the same 4 cords to play all the songs. What's fake about it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpB_40hYjXU

 

[coloumb]

That's why pop music is popular - keep using the same original 4 chords over and over with a bit of mixture thrown in to make you think you're listening to a new song - when you're actually just relistening to the same 4 chords.

How else are bands suppose to get people who like pop to listen to their music?

 

[Ns1]

a quick search for the first 10 songs confirms that it's C G AM F

 

[GoodRevrnd]

This really shouldn't be that surprising. They simplified the rhythm of the chord progression for dramatic effect, but yes, this is 100% legit.

 

[joesmoke]

Amen Chord Break?

 

[Ns1]

Amen Chord Break?

lol

 

[bfdd]

all I want to learn is how to play those 4 chords on my ukulele now.

 

[BoberFett]

Most pop/rock songs use the same chord progressions, and most are written in the same key. It's not a new revelation.

This. You've only got a limited number of major chords.

 

[spidey07]

Have you guys never heard of a key?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

there's another guy that does the same with pachabel

 

[hiromizu]

In the same note (no pun intended) what about the common I IV V blues progression? If that makes all blues songs the same..the entire genre has lost musical credibility..but isn't that the case when you consider blues roots to be the most uneducated, poor form of music?

 

[BoberFett]

LOL, one of the comments on that video is "Haha this reminds me of the Pachelbel Rant" so I looked up that video, kinda funny.

I've written music before which after letting it sink in, I realized it sounded really familiar. Sure enough: Pachelbel's Canon.

 

[Ns1]

In the same note (no pun intended) what about the common I IV V blues progression? If that makes all blues songs the same..the entire genre has lost musical credibility..but isn't that the case when you consider blues roots to be the most uneducated, poor form of music?

Which is why I fin everything but the guitar boring as fuck in the blues

 

[MJinZ]

Hmmm... no...

The first song doesn't sound anything like those repeated 4 chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofSnsGkops&ob=av3e

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Hm yeah, with thousands of songs being made all the time, it would be impossible not to repeat the same chords over and over... In the end what makes the difference is the combination of melody and rhythm, and of course the little details that each instrument brings to the table

But that really is one of the most basic progressions, something you learn right away when you start playing guitar

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

why is this a question?
i guess you don't play guitar or any instruments.
chord progressions. look it up.

 

[Fritzo]

It could very well be true, becuase people don't just make up random chords in music and hope they sound good- there's a theory behind it.

For instance, blues and rock frequently use a I-IV-V pattern. So, if you were playing in A, the chords would be A, D, and E. You will find 1000's of songs that use those chords.

There are dozens of frequently used progressions. This is how people that play by ear can figure out what someone is playing within a few minutes. The find out what key they're in and then figure out what progression they're using.

Uninformed people trying to make a big deal out of nothing.

 

[Ns1]

Hmmm... no...

The first song doesn't sound anything like those repeated 4 chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofSnsGkops&ob=av3e

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/james_blunt/youre_beautiful_tab.htm

C G Am F

 

[KIAman]

What's the big deal? These chords have become "normal" to westernized listeners.


Just like when you only play the black keys on the piano, it sounds oriental. Go try it out.

 

[Key West]

For the musically challenged, there is a thing called key.

Bunch of songs may have different chord sets, but you can change the key to fit one uniform progression. So it's not as dramatic as you'd think.

This is as obvious as saying:

"OMG look at all these jazz music, they all use same jazz scale/chords!"
"OMG look at all the blue music, they all use same blue scale/chords!"

Pop is for pop.