Downtown artwork

Rhodes melody, piano & acoustic guitar.

INTROClick a line to play from there
SONG NOTES

Questions about this song

Answers from our automatic transcription. Key, tempo and chord labels may contain errors.

What key is Downtown by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Ft. Eric Nally, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Melle Mel & Kool Moe Dee) in?

This transcription starts in B♭ minor.

What tempo is Downtown?

The estimated tempo is 109 BPM, calculated from the median spacing between detected beats. This is a summary of the transcription; timing can vary during the song.

What are the main chord progressions in Downtown?

Recurring four-chord sequences in this transcription include B♭m → D♭maj7/3 → G♭ → A♭ (6 occurrences); D♭maj7/3 → G♭ → A♭ → D♭ (5 occurrences); G♭ → A♭ → D♭ → A♭maj6 (3 occurrences). These are exact chord-label matches within sections, not a complete harmonic analysis.

What are the relative chords in Downtown?

Here are a few patterns to play with: i → IIImaj7/3 → VI → VII in B♭ minor; IIImaj7/3 → VI → VII → III in B♭ minor; VI → VII → III → VIImaj6 in B♭ minor. Think of Roman numerals as chord names you can take into any key. Uppercase is major, lowercase is minor; in minor keys, we count from the natural-minor scale.

Does Downtown use a well-known chord progression?

Yes! In B♭ minor: The hopscotch progression (III → VI → VII → i) shows up in the chorus at 1:51 and 2:00. Three rising chord roots give this loop a lift before it hops back around.

What time signature is Downtown in?

The transcription starts in 4/4.

How is Downtown structured?

The detected sections are intro (0:00) → verse (0:26) → chorus (0:43) → verse (1:07) → chorus (1:42) → verse (2:37) → pre-chorus (3:47) → chorus (4:13).

How long is this version of Downtown?

The transcribed version lasts 4:52. Other recordings or edits may have a different duration.

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