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NAVIGATION

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Try it. Feel it. Then imagine having 260 more → The Harmony Vault

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Next Monday: This analysis disappears and gets replaced

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"Something": A Masterclass in Pattern-Based Bass Line Design

Vault Pick Deep Dive: How George Harrison created one of pop music's most sophisticated bass lines

This week we covered pattern-based harmony learning and introduced the four-step sequence for developing harmonic fluency. But let's dive deeper into why "Something" is such a perfect example of intentional bass line architecture.

The Song That Became a Masterpiece

When George Harrison wrote "Something" in 1969, he created what many consider one of the greatest love songs ever written. Frank Sinatra called it his favorite Lennon-McCartney song (though Harrison actually wrote it). But from a harmonic perspective, "Something" represents a masterclass in sophisticated bass line composition disguised as a simple pop song.

Deconstructing the Architecture

Let's break down that complex progression we analyzed:

Section 1: C - Cmaj7/G - C7 - F - F/E - D7 - G

Bass movement: C - G - C - F - E - D - G

Section 2: Am7 - G/B - Am - Am7/E - Am/G - D9 - F - Eb - G/D

Bass movement: A - B - A - E - G - D - F - Eb - D

Harrison wasn't randomly choosing inversions. He was crafting a bass line that tells its own musical story through intentional movement patterns.

Pattern Recognition in Action

Using our four-step approach, let's see how "Something" demonstrates pattern-based thinking:

Step 1: Recognition Detective Work