Unit 17 · Song analysis · Lesson 1 of 4
How to analyse a song
Need a definition? Tap or click a dotted word. You can hear examples there, too.
The method
is just asking good questions in order:
- Find the . Which feels like home? Which points at it?
- Label every with a .
- Find the — where do phrases end?
- Spot the colour — any outside the is a clue: a , a , a .
Try it on Pachelbel's Canon.
Canon in D
Johann Pachelbel (c. 1680) · D major · 4/4
- Bar 1DIAV
- Bar 2BmviF♯miii
- Bar 3GIVDI
- Bar 4GIVAVIV → V: predominant to dominant, setting up the loop back to I.
- The bass walks down by step and leap: D, A, B, F♯, G, D, G, A.
- Every chord is diatonic — nothing outside D major.
- It ends on V, a half cadence, so it can loop forever.