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This is the second piece which I originally wanted to do earlier this morning together with the first one, but I ran out of time. :P
My analysis is based on the piano version, but the vocal version is similar in its underlying harmonies and melodies. As always, this analysis may contain mistakes, and it's not meant to be definitive in any way or form. It's just my attempt to understand why I like this song. :)
Title: Modokashii Sekai no Ue de (Sasakura Yuugo arr. Shimada Masanori / Makino Yui)
Key: G major
I can't take any credit for transliterating the lyrics into romaji, which must instead go to a very good friend of mine who offered her services.
( Lyrics for Modokashii Sekai no Ue de )
All chord notations are based upon Roman numerals corresponding to the notes of the scale. Thus for G major, I (the tonic) is G, II (the supertonic) is A, III (submediant) is B, IV (subdominant) is C, V (dominant) is D, VI (mediant) is E and VII ("leading note", which leads to the tonic) is F♯.
The song starts with an introductory section in G major, in the following chord progression:
a) I - VI [embellished] - IV - V
There are three repeating chord progressions for the main melody:
b) [I - VI - IV - III♮ - IV] x2
c) V - IV - III♮ - VI♯ - VII (C♯)
d) II - V
The refrain follows the pattern of:
e) [I - VI - IV - V] x2
f) VI - V - IV - I - V - I (with a chromatically descending progression from VI to IV)
And the ending is as follows:
g) I - [IV - V]x3 - V - I
In tonal classical music, the "perfect cadence" (V - I) is one of the most common ways to end a piece or a section of music, because it represents a finality of the musical flow as the piece returns to its "home" in the tonic chord I (with the tonic and the dominant) from a chord (V) that contains both the leading note and dominant.
Apart from the use of G major as this piece's key -- a key which conveys a feeling of optimism and upbeat outlook -- the use of perfect cadences in f) and g) helps convey a feeling of closure to their respective sections. In the case of the refrain f), it marks the end of the refrain and allows the next section to start without sounding like a continuation of the refrain. At g), the perfect cadence ends the piece as a whole.
The interrupted cadences (chord progressions ending in V) in a), d) and e) are not as "powerful" as a perfect cadence would be, but they also serve a similar purpose in concluding their respective sections. Arguably, replacing these cadences with a perfect cadence in each case destroys the character of the music, because the melody no longer flows from each section to its subsequent refrain at d), and placing a perfect cadence at a) doesn't serve much purpose.
Progressions b) and c) are interesting in their musical development. Although b) contains an altered chord (the III♮, which is B - D - F♮), and c) adds two more altered chords (VI♯, E - G♯ - B and VII(C♯), F♯ - A - C♯), they still sound like perfectly natural progressions in the context of the key. There's also a sense of buildup from the I at the beginning of b) through to the VII at the end of c), with the last IV chord in b) and the first V chord of c) acting as a form of bridge between the two progressions, and this buildup manifests itself in the powerful II (minor) chord followed by a V (major). The vocals also correspondingly build up from the beginning of each verse to the end, before breaking out into the refrain.
So, in short, the reason (or at least, one of the reasons) why I like this piece is because it employs a lot of tonal concepts - concepts that seem to be somewhat "outdated" now with the rise of pop- or rock-themed songs that don't generally subscribe to concepts of tonality, and especially in a genre such as anime.
This song is most definitely a keeper. :)
My analysis is based on the piano version, but the vocal version is similar in its underlying harmonies and melodies. As always, this analysis may contain mistakes, and it's not meant to be definitive in any way or form. It's just my attempt to understand why I like this song. :)
Title: Modokashii Sekai no Ue de (Sasakura Yuugo arr. Shimada Masanori / Makino Yui)
Key: G major
I can't take any credit for transliterating the lyrics into romaji, which must instead go to a very good friend of mine who offered her services.
( Lyrics for Modokashii Sekai no Ue de )
All chord notations are based upon Roman numerals corresponding to the notes of the scale. Thus for G major, I (the tonic) is G, II (the supertonic) is A, III (submediant) is B, IV (subdominant) is C, V (dominant) is D, VI (mediant) is E and VII ("leading note", which leads to the tonic) is F♯.
The song starts with an introductory section in G major, in the following chord progression:
a) I - VI [embellished] - IV - V
There are three repeating chord progressions for the main melody:
b) [I - VI - IV - III♮ - IV] x2
c) V - IV - III♮ - VI♯ - VII (C♯)
d) II - V
The refrain follows the pattern of:
e) [I - VI - IV - V] x2
f) VI - V - IV - I - V - I (with a chromatically descending progression from VI to IV)
And the ending is as follows:
g) I - [IV - V]x3 - V - I
In tonal classical music, the "perfect cadence" (V - I) is one of the most common ways to end a piece or a section of music, because it represents a finality of the musical flow as the piece returns to its "home" in the tonic chord I (with the tonic and the dominant) from a chord (V) that contains both the leading note and dominant.
Apart from the use of G major as this piece's key -- a key which conveys a feeling of optimism and upbeat outlook -- the use of perfect cadences in f) and g) helps convey a feeling of closure to their respective sections. In the case of the refrain f), it marks the end of the refrain and allows the next section to start without sounding like a continuation of the refrain. At g), the perfect cadence ends the piece as a whole.
The interrupted cadences (chord progressions ending in V) in a), d) and e) are not as "powerful" as a perfect cadence would be, but they also serve a similar purpose in concluding their respective sections. Arguably, replacing these cadences with a perfect cadence in each case destroys the character of the music, because the melody no longer flows from each section to its subsequent refrain at d), and placing a perfect cadence at a) doesn't serve much purpose.
Progressions b) and c) are interesting in their musical development. Although b) contains an altered chord (the III♮, which is B - D - F♮), and c) adds two more altered chords (VI♯, E - G♯ - B and VII(C♯), F♯ - A - C♯), they still sound like perfectly natural progressions in the context of the key. There's also a sense of buildup from the I at the beginning of b) through to the VII at the end of c), with the last IV chord in b) and the first V chord of c) acting as a form of bridge between the two progressions, and this buildup manifests itself in the powerful II (minor) chord followed by a V (major). The vocals also correspondingly build up from the beginning of each verse to the end, before breaking out into the refrain.
So, in short, the reason (or at least, one of the reasons) why I like this piece is because it employs a lot of tonal concepts - concepts that seem to be somewhat "outdated" now with the rise of pop- or rock-themed songs that don't generally subscribe to concepts of tonality, and especially in a genre such as anime.
This song is most definitely a keeper. :)
