Dorian Mode Get Lucky By Daft Punk 5f55a

Going Modal: Get Lucky – Daft Punk Song: Get Lucky Band: Daft Punk Album: Random Access Memories Mode: Dorian (2nd degree of the major/Ionian scale) One of the most interesting things about this song is that it doesn’t get boring! The arrangement isn’t particularly varied and the chords are exactly the same throughout, though it’s still a great song. Let’s have a look at the chords and see what we can glean from it.

Chords to Get Lucky: Bm, D, F#m, E

The song is based entirely on this four chord progression. The song writers have very strongly implied that the key of the song is B minor, but there’s one chord that tells us otherwise:

Chords in B minor: Bm C#dim D Em F#m G A i

ii

III iv

v

VI VII

As we can see, the first three chords of the progression (Bm, D and F#m) ARE in the key of B minor. But, after lulling us into a false sense of security, they throw an E major into the mix. We can see that E major isn’t in the key of B minor, but it still fits in nicely and certainly doesn’t sound ‘wrong’. So how do we explain it?

One way of solving the issue would be to say that the E major is borrowed from the tonic major, B major:

B minor: Bm C#dim D Em F#m G A i

ii

III

IV

v

VI VII

B major: B C#m D#m E F# G#m A#dim I

ii

iii

IV V

vi

vii

Personally, I find that the most satisfactory way of solving the issue is by suggesting that we’re not actually in the key of B minor. The scale that fits over the top of the chord sequence is a B dorian scale. B dorian is the 2nd mode of the A major/Ionian scale. Let’s look at the chords in A major:

A major: A Bm C#m D E F#m G#dim I ii iii IV V vi vii Here we can see that every chord from the ‘Get Lucky’ progression fit into the key of A major.

Why use this technique? Using this method creates a circular motion with the feeling that the song should never end. This is because the tonic isn’t part of the song. If the chord sequence started with an A major instead of a B minor (A, D, F#m, E) then there would be a natural place to stop the song. But without the tonic, the song keeps going in search of a landing point, which never actually comes (note the effective use of the fade out in the recording, further strengthening the ‘never-ending feel’). As E major is the fifth chord in the key of A major (or dominant) it sets itself up for a perfect cadence, only to be subverted by the B minor. This acts a little bit like an interrupted cadence (though traditionally an interrupted cadence is chord 5 to 6). Using a chord sequence that leans on one of the modes opens you up to new sounds and possibilities with the dorian scale (or whichever mode you are using). This can be a really helpful way of getting out the rut that you can sometimes fall into once you’ve got to grips with the basic chords within the key.