IFR blog > Instrument blogs > Piano blog > Free sample lesson 2 whole steps
Wild Horses

The chord progression to this ballad by the Rolling Stones contains two fascinating sounds that are worth studying.

Rocket Man

Elton John was a master of the most subtle details of Mixed Harmony.

Like a Rolling Stone

When you think of the bluesy rock sound of this Bob Dylan classic, it's hard to imagine that the entire song is made from just the seven notes of the major scale.

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Bob Dylan's beautiful ballad uses the "backwards" movement through chords 1, 5D and 2-.

Hallelujah

This classic by Leonard Cohen not only uses the most important chords in our musical system, but even talks about them in the lyrics!

Better Together

This catchy chord progression uses a very melodic bass line to create beautiful chord inversions. 

Harmonic analysis of Bye Bye Blackbird

Despite the almost child-like simplicity of this popular song written by Ray Henderson, Bye Bye Blackbird has become one of the most important jazz standards of all time. In this lesson we analyze the complete chord progression.

Hey Jude

This beloved Beatles anthem uses just one chord from outside the major scale.

Song for My Father, part 1

Horace Silver's classic "Song for My Father" is a perfect song for beginning improvisers because the entire song is made from just four chords. In this four-part lesson series you will learn to improvise your own solos over the entire form.

Song for My Father, part 2

In this lesson we will explore the second chord that appears in Song for My Father. It's called the 5D chord (pronounced "five dominant chord"). You will learn to improvise over this chord and to create this sound in your music.