PianoChords.studio

I Second That Emotion by The Miracles

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 18 steps · 3 unique chords · 1960s

Expert transcription. These chords come from a published research transcription of the original recording by trained musicians. A second independent transcription to cross-check against isn't available (or differs in places), so this page isn't marked verified.
IntroStep 1 of 18

A

LeftA2, E3RightC♯4, E4, A4
C4A2E3E4A4C♯4
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: D major · Chords used: 3 · Sections: 12

Form: Intro → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Transition → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Transition → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Transition

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

  • A – G – D
    V – IV – I

Verse 1

  • D – G – A – D
    I – IV – V – I

Pre-Chorus 1

  • G – D (×2)
    IV – I

Chorus 1

  • D – A – G (×2)
    I – V – IV
  • D
    I

Transition 1

  • A – G
    V – IV

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Transition 2

  • A – G – D (×2)
    V – IV – I

Pre-Chorus 3

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Transition 3

Same chords as Transition 2.

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
AVIn the keyIntro, Verse, Chorus, Transition
GIVIn the keyIntro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Transition
DIHome chord (tonic)Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Transition

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0946, CC0), via ChoCo.
  • Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
  • Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.

Sources & Accuracy

Every chord on this page comes from the expert transcription listed first below. Piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

All Piano Voicings

#SectionChordLeft handRight handSources
1IntroAA2, E3C♯4, E4, A4—
2IntroGG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
3IntroDD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
4Verse 1DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
5Verse 1GG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
6Verse 1AA2, E3C♯4, E4, A4—
7Verse 1DD2, A2D4, F♯4, A4—
8Pre-Chorus 1 (×2)GG2, D3D4, G4, B4—
9Pre-Chorus 1 (×2)DD2, A2D4, F♯4, A4—
10Chorus 1, part 1 (×2)DD2, A2D4, F♯4, A4—
11Chorus 1, part 1 (×2)AA2, E3C♯4, E4, A4—
12Chorus 1, part 1 (×2)GG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
13Chorus 1, part 2DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
14Transition 1AA2, E3A3, C♯4, E4—
15Transition 1GG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
16Transition 2 (×2)AA2, E3C♯4, E4, A4—
17Transition 2 (×2)GG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
18Transition 2 (×2)DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—