In terms of chords and melody, Broken Strings has complexity on par with the typical song, having near-average scores in Melodic Complexity, Chord-Melody Tension and Chord-Bass Melody and below-average scores in Chord Complexity and Chord Progression Novelty.
Broken Strings is written in the key of D♭ Major. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 9th most popular key among Major keys and the 16th most popular among all keys. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major chords (D♭ Major, G♭ Major, and A♭ Major). See the D♭ Major Cheat Sheet for popular chords, chord progressions, downloadable midi files and more!