It's worth noting that the "4 chords of pop" observation reference in TFA (which is about how few chords you need to learn to be able to make songs) is a bit different than the 4-chord cycle progressions discussed in that Axis of Awesome video (which is about specifically using 4-chord-long progressions that repeat in a cycle) — but it is still a fun thing.
If you do enjoy that, be sure to check out Patricia Taxxon's video on the subject, which is a very worthwhile analysis of that idea. It might be my favorite youtube video in the music theory genre.
Three chords and the truth. Usually attributed to Harlan Howard [1], an early country music songwriter. A lot of early country music sticks to just I, IV, and V.
No problem. In country and bluegrass jamming circles, there's definitely a faction that prefers simpler songs with fewer chords (true to Howard's quote), so I was amused to see his words distorted. Thanks for fixing it.
> Axis of Awesome video (which is about specifically using 4-chord-long progressions that repeat in a cycle)
Well yes the Axis of Awesome thesis is a bit disingenuous and the critique at the beginning of Patricia Taxxon's video is justified; just because the chords are the same doesn't mean the songs are the same! And the analogy is quite true that in visual arts all colors can be formed from the three primary colors.
Actually, I'm currently trying to make songs based on this simple 1465 progression, in that order; here are my first two attempts (the titles are a hint ;-)
The interesting thing about the Axis of Awesome four chords is that they are the same four chords that were in the stereotypical 1950s/early 60s pop song (Heart and Soul, Teenager in Love, Up on the Roof) but the order has changed. In the key of C the 50s version was C, A minor, F, G (or sometimes G7 instead), and in the Axis of Awesome / Adele version it's C, G, A minor, F. Of course Axis of Awesome cheats a little bit because they play the 4-chord parts of those 30-odd songs (though in fairness those tend to be the best known parts).
Yes, and this is the crucial difference that make new songs sound "modern". The Beatles were one of the first to use the 1,5,6,4 sequence (Let it be). Since then the 1,6,4,5 sequence has consistently lost ground, while 1,5,6,4 sounds modern. The chords are still the same.
If you do enjoy that, be sure to check out Patricia Taxxon's video on the subject, which is a very worthwhile analysis of that idea. It might be my favorite youtube video in the music theory genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-XSTSnqXxo