Interval Reinforcers
Stevie Wonder - "Isn't She Lovely" (Ascending Minor Second)
Young the Giant - “Simplify” (Ascending Minor Second)
Rebecca Black - “Friday” (Descending Major Second)
Violent Femmes - "Blister in the Sun" (Ascending Major Third)
Adele - “Rolling in the Deep” (Ascending Perfect Fourth)
The Smashing Pumpkins - “Today” (Descending Perfect Fourth)
Lorde - "Team" (Ascending Perfect Fifth)
Taylor Swift - "I Knew You Were Trouble" (Perfect Fifth)
Usher w/ Lil' Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!" (Perfect Fifth)
Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (Tritone)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Purple Haze" (Tritone)
Rush - "YYZ" (Tritone)
fun. featuring Janelle Monae - "We Are Young" (Ascending Minor Sixth)
Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Ascending Minor Sixth)
The Beatles - "In My Life" (Ascending Minor/Major Sixth)
Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe" (Ascending Major Sixth)
Robbie Williams - "Angels" (Ascending Major Sixth)
Michael Jackson - "Man in the Mirror" (Descending Major Sixth)
A-ha - "Take on Me" (Ascending Major Seventh)
Norah Jones - "Don't Know Why" (Ascending Major Seventh)
ABBA - "The Winner Takes It All"
The Beatles - "Hey Jude"
Deep Purple - "Smoke on the Water"
Metallica - "One"
Nada Surf - "Popular"
The Rolling Stones - "Lady Jane"
Modulations
Obviously, there are many different types of modulations, although the "Gear Shift" is one of the more common types heard in popular music. Here, they will be divided into three categories.
General Key Change Examples
Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Buzzcocks - "I Don't Mind"
The Commodores - "Easy"
Sisqo - "Thong Song" (no really, you might not want to teach this)
Minor/Major Transitions
Carole King - "You've Got a Friend"
Justin Timberlake - "Mirrors"
Flattened Submediant Modulation
Billy Joel - "Uptown Girl"
Buddy Holly - "Peggy Sue"
The Decemberists - "16 Military Wives"
The Platters - "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
Modes
Much of Western music, and a large majority of popular music, is heard in basic Ionian mode (do re me fa sol la ti do), but there are six other modes based on the same scale degrees. Here are a few examples that show up in popular music.
Dorian Mode
Deep Purple - "Smoke on the Water"
Madonna - "Express Yourself"
Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"
Santana - "Black Magic Woman"
Phrygian Mode
Metallica - "Wherever I May Roam"
Mixolydian Mode
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama"
Aeolian Mode
Cadences
Popular music features a number of typical cadences, but sometimes, a less standard cadence appears in a pop song.
Deceptive cadence
PIcardy Third
Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'"
Guns & Roses - "Sweet Child of Mine"
Mates of State - "Nature & the Wreck"
No Doubt - "Don't Speak"
Roberta Flack - "Killing Me Softly"
Yes - "Roundabout"
Aeolian Cadence
The Beatles - "Not a Second Time"
Sonic Youth - "The Diamond Sea"
Have a suggestion for a song to include here that aurally demonstrates this particular concept? Write me on the Contact page!!