A Brilliant Explanation of the Classic Four Chord Arrangement That Makes Pop Songs So Catchy

Four Chords

Ethen of Sideways has created a brilliant video essay that explores the four chord arrangement that exists in most modern pop music, its gorgeous classical history and why this combination, when played in a certain way, makes the music so darn catchy.

If you have four chords that loop over and over and over again regardless of which four chord pattern you use you have an entire journey happen in a fraction of the time and more often… it’s quality versus quantity.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.