Explore the building blocks of many popular songs from the 1950s to the present.

1. MUSC 1800: Popular Music
Harmonic Schemata
Dr. Matthew C. Saunders
Lakeland Community College
C-1078

2. What are “harmonic schemata?”
• A schema (pl. schemata) is a formula or cliché
used as a building block
• As the rock era progressed, an increasing
number of songs relied on short, repetitive
chord progressions
• Listen for these progressions in songs from the
1950s forward and note them in the
“Harmony” section of analyses

3. Harmonic schemata: Why do we care?
“I think that harmony is the most
difficult of the seven elements
of music to understand,
especially for a non-musician.
If you can latch onto these
little chunks of harmony, you
will be able to say something
important about a song when
you hear it.”

4. The Duke
• a.k.a., the 50s progression
• Usually 4 bars (16 beats)
• “Duke of Earl,” Gene Chandler
– Repeated throughout song
• “Earth Angel,” The Penguins
– Most of song
• “Stand by Me,” Ben E. King
– Most of song

5. The Louie
• Usually 2 bars (8 beats)
• “Louie, Louie,” The Kingsmen
– Entire song
• “Hang on Sloopy,” The McCoys
– Entire song

6. The Fall
• a.k.a., Andalusian Cadence
• Often 4 bars (16 beats), sometimes
changed up
– Listen for descending bass line
• “Hit the Road, Jack,” Ray Charles
– 2 beats per chord
• “Runaway,” Del Shannon
– Verses only
• Modified versions:
– “25 or 6 to 4,” Chicago
– “Hotel California,” Eagles

7. The Journey
• a.k.a., Pop-Punk Progression
• “Don’t Stop Believing,” Journey
• “Let It Go,” Idina Menzel
– Chorus
• “The Edge of Glory,” Lady Gaga
– Chorus
• “When I Come Around,” Green Day
– Verses, 2 beats per chord

8. The Minor Journey
• Same as the Journey, but starts in the
middle
• “Africa,” Toto
– Chorus
• “Dynamite,” Taio Cruz
– Entire song, 2 beats per chord
• “Stronger,” Kelly Clarkson
– Verse