The 'Stairway to Heaven' Progression in Charlie Puth's "The Way I Am"

By Asaf Peres

​In the bridge of "The Way I Am", Charlie Puth creates interesting chords by using the 'Stairway Technique', which combines a bass moving down by half steps, inner notes that stick to the tonic triad, and a melody that first moves in contrary motion to the bass but later breaks free.
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