📍NOTE: Many people have commented that at 1:15 I call the interval between the 6th and 7th degree of Harmonic minor a “minor third” rather than an “Aug 2nd”. I understand why strictly speaking “Aug 2nd” is the correct name for that interval however, I thought using that name would unnecessarily add confusion for people who aren’t familiar with the difference between a ‘minor 3rd’ and a ‘aug 2nd’. That said, perhaps I should have put an on-screen annotation acknowledging the ‘aug 2nd’ at 1:15.
What I would call the diatonic rule. Second interval between notes with adjacent letters. Like B flat to C sharp in the harmonic scale, hence an augmented second.
Ehh...No?İt uses the Tonic,the 5th,the Minor 6th and the Minor 3rd.Thats it could be just as Natural Minor.İm not sure,but i think there is a V Chord in the Chorus,but that recognizable Riff is not Harmonic Minor,cause there is no 7th played.
@@SCHTRAM What? I personally enjoy all these artists. I've heard people dislike Billie Elish and the Beatles, but I've never met anyone who hates Radiohead.
I thought for sure you were playing "Bad Guy" when you were actually playing "Bury a Friend". Shows how much a functional chord progression can do to our ears.
You should make a video about songs that end with tension. Things like ending with a harmonic minor, 7th major chord, tritone, or any other chord that supposedly needs resolution.
zeus thanks, I’ll take a look. It’s fascinating how many classic artists stole things wholesale, like led zeppelin and a number of blues artists, and Elvis and a few black rock and rollers.
You should do a video on how the Beatles used really complicated musical techniques without realising it. Edit: Not that that takes anything away from them, they were still geniuses and probably the best band ever.
I think they key to understanding how The Beatles used "Modes" without understanding what modes were is that they simply used chords that were outside of the actual Major/Minor keys and they used notes in those chords. I actually find it easier to think of "modes" in this way myself, I just experiment with different chords and if the melody in those chords work I use them
A new example- If i'm not mistaken, much of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto uses the C harmonic minor scale. It uses G major chords instead of G minor. The melody uses both B-flats and B naturals.
Now I know why Bury a Friends sounds so, brilliant. I knew there was some kind of tension in the chord progression and harmonics but I couldn't figure out why.
Deep Purple's Jon Lord almost always uses the harmonic minor scale in his organ solos. It gives it a Arabic sound to it and they're very emotional and beautiful. He was such a great keyboard player>
Unless I missed something, it's interesting that most of the examples (safe for the final guitar note in Plug-in Baby) tend to approach the harmonic minor as a semitone "dip" from the root, instead of approaching the root from below to accentuate the three semitone jump.
'Girl' approaches it from below, but I do see what you mean. Resolving up from the 7th note to the 8th note is so satisfying a resolution that I guess that is why it appears in melodies so often
When approached from below, the sixth degree of the scale is traditionally raised as well to prevent the awkward leap of an augmented second. I think the distinction between harmonic, melodic, and natural minor is somewhat misleading. Classical composers would have regarded it as simply “minor” with alterations added to the sixth and seventh degrees as needed to produce a dominant cadence.
I like how the intro in Plug in baby (the main riff) breaks the harmonic minor scale when it bends on that G# note to an A natural, which both aren't in harmonic minor, but are in Dorian.
@@LoganAlbright73 Could always approach it from as far below as the dominant. At least to me, that's one of the most beautiful scale constellations I've ever heard, and that augmented second is its fundamental pillar.
YESSSS I saw John Lennon on the cover and harmonic minor in the title and I was like oh pls talk about Girls AND THERE IT IS!!! I love that harmonic minor line so so so very much that I played it over and over again on the piano and just enjoyed the goosebumps it gave me. It’s such a surreally beautiful line.
a lot of them also cite classical musicians as inspirations, for example Matt Bellamy the singer of muse always talks being inspirited by Rachmaninoff and Bach
Wow, just wow. I’m a complete novice when it comes to music theory, but you have just helped me reach a critical understanding of how some music is written. I’ve never had the functions of Tonic, sub-dominant & dominant chords in a scale explained to me in such a digestible way. I honestly just play guitar for a hobby but I’m amazed how suddenly, years of trying to understand music theory has just clicked. Thank you so much for your videos. They are an endless source of music knowledge I am slowly piecing together. Honestly, just had a eureka moment 💡
For Muse, it’s easier to list their songs which *don’t* use harmonic minor. Most of the songs on Simulation Theory feature it in one form or another. Break It to Me and The Dark Side both use Phrygian dominant, the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale.
“Blend the harmonic minor with the natural minor” This is exactly how I use harmonic minor, and I often use the major V chord resolving to the i chord. I also like to crawl up from the minor 7th to the 1st degree by semitones, hitting the major 7th, if it were c minor the notes would be Bb-B-C. Very well explained video and does a very good job of teaching how the harmonic minor can be used.
It ain’t a David Bennett video without either Radiohead or the Beatles! I still don’t understand most of this stuff cause I know absolutely nothing about music theory, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Gammer Games I’m a music teacher at a public school. Most people around me either teach and/or play gigs on the weekends. Honestly, you don’t even need the degree to play gigs. Just experience will do. The music degree is practically worthless unless all you want to do is teach.
i love how much effort and detail you put into your videos! you always end up making the most informative and well edited videos and i really appreciate it! 😁
I must say that music theory is so interesting to see in action, is complex to understand and yet so simple, I miss chorus classes sometimes. I'm in to this content because I love music so much.
Maybe leave this for your next Q&A: Are there any topics that you want to do but can't for one reason or another? Maybe you don't think it'll be popular, or maybe it'd be too hard to properly research or explain it etc.
Good question. Generally, when I think of a topic I want to cover, I will find a way to do it! However, the two most common setbacks are (a) lack of research and (b) copyright strikes! As for research... some topics I find hard to explain (like the recent 'Polyrhythm' video). It can takes me weeks and weeks to research and write a script that I'm happy with... often because that particular topic is pushing the limits of my own knowledge! As for copyright... if I want to talk about a song, I need to find a way to recreate it in a way that can get past the copyright content ID system. You may have noticed that all of the songs in this video were either isolated vocals set to my own piano playing or a live version. If I can't think of a good way to recreate a song that I want to talk about, I can't really talk about it!
Still, confused about the difference between the minor scales? Here is a different perspective on the same topic: ua-cam.com/video/pIENvxr7i1A/v-deo.html
The gravity falls opening theme is in D harmonic minor. The very beginning is a i -> V -> i. In the melody, it uses a c natural once, and a c sharp 4 times (3 of which were at the very end).
Good old harmonic minor. Always the most fun to play when practising scales 🙂 Also, "It's A Sin" by the Pet Shop Boys is another example of a song that toggles between the natural & harmonic minor (the verse is predominantly in C (natural) minor, but has a G major borrowed from the harmonic minor to lead into the chorus) 🙂
@@pawa303 - no, not at all! I've only ever attempted to play one a few times & every time I've tried it was distinctly more flatulent than melodic! Vocals, keyboards & guitar (and some blues stylophone) are more my thing : )
The part of "Bury a Friend" you played, sounds a lot like "People Are Strange" by the Doors. They both use i, iv, V chords, with i being a harmonic minor. Hey, here's another thought - in "Girl" (Beatles), that first G7 could just as well have been a Gm; and the 2nd measure could be split in half, with Cm followed by C7, suggested by that Bb, and forming a perfect cadence to the following chord, Fm. This would be an alternative way to cover the song, don't you think? Fred
@@ale305z People are Strange isn't 12/8. The first verse is exactly 8 bars of 4/4... doesn't get more basic time signature People are strange when you're a stranger Faces look ugly when you're alone Women seem wicked when you're unwanted Streets are uneven when you're down
@@urwholefamilydied you can think of it in 4/4 too, but you'd have to use triplets, same with Bury a friend I was just saying that they're both ternary (is that the right word?) rhythms
I've often thought the Cm in Girl could go to a C7 in places, too. Maybe Lennon considered it to be old fashioned, or maybe he didn't consider it at all. It would have worked nicely, though.
I just want to give you the credit you deserve to get. It's amazing how you make the video's and explain it so good. Also the things I learn from this channel are amazing! Keep it going my friend!
Another excellent video! I always love the “but this is what it would sound like if...” segments - so cool! But that ain’t no minor third! That’s an augmented second! A technical point which admittedly doesn’t typically matter much in the real world, but I think it’s worth at least a mention in any discussion of the harmonic minor scale. And speaking of that interval, it occurs in the very last line of Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”, another good example of a mixture of minor scales.
That Eilish chord progression reminds me of the middle-8 from "Here, There and Everywhere." I mean the notes used, not the progression itself. "Here, There and Everywhere" quickly goes from D to Eb to Bb, but then goes from Gm to Cm to D, back to Gm.
I began my study of music late in life and only now am I able to appreciate the music of the Beatles. It's fun to pick a song apart, looking for the music theory behind the chord changes, the use of modes, scales, etc. They probably weren't even aware of what they were doing...just writing down the noises they heard in their heads!
Excellent. Thanks for explaining this. I wasn’t allowed to do music at high school as “not enough students opted” so I left high school unable to do music at college. I’ve been a semi pro singer for many years but never got anywhere. I think I finally understand why... you need some formal music training and a full understanding to be able to build on for a professional future just like any other career. And loads of talent of course! Unless you’re lucky and win a competition! Great post.
I may fail, because im a self-taught person in music, but i believe Yngwie Malmsteen's entire musical career it's based on this scale. Best wishes from Spain, beautyfull channel my friend.
The thing that's so cool about Sweet Dreams is that the melody and main synth line, which acts as the bass line, are consistently in natural minor, while the chord progression is always in harmonic minor, and then it switches to c Dorian mode in the breakdown in the middle, which is why it sounds so dramatic.
I think if I had had a teacher for music theory like you, I might have stuck with it. Great stuff! Might start playing the piano again after several decades away.
The guitar solo to Sweet Child O’ Mine is very cool because it starts in harmonic minor before switching to the minor pentatonic scale in the second half.
Thanks for all you videos... I love that you talk of flavour or emotion and not rant about a double sharp is not the same as a double flat. Brilliant for my middle school students to wrap their heads around scales as an emotional or flavourful 😉 concept rather than a theoretical construct.
Nice idea using the vocals only tracks and adding piano etc. - a good way to hear what's really going on in the song while getting the right melody (and the vocals we love) from the vocalists.
The blend between harmonic and natural minor always sounds amazing in my opinion. I've always loved it in songs or just piano, guitar/bass and violin solos
Was looking for some inspiration for using harmonic minor and of course David has a video on it ❤ Thank you past David for your efforts so I can enjoy this today!
6:18, I would make the argument that "Girl" never actually steps into natural minor. The occurance of the Bb is simply a use of melodic minor (for, as the name implies, melodic purposes) which has the minor scale descend in it's natural form. The Bb was simply to bridge the melody from C on the syllable "sto" to Ab on the word "All." If you sang a B-natural on the syllable "ry," it wouldn't sound quite right, especially because of the rest between that note and the Ab on "All." For the song to be "in" natural minor (or aeolian) it would imply an entire harmonic switch, not just a melodic choice that was made, and that the song would either have to be a.) modal (such as Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower") or b.) contain a minor v chord so as not to have a perfect authentic cadence (such as America's "Horse with no Name") which could also be argued as modal. But, funnily enough, they later descend the scale using the B natural to Ab in the words "came to stay." If you sung that B as either natural or flat, they would work melodically. My guess is that particular choice was made because the augmented second is a very clashy interval to sing, and may spark a level of interest, and because that B natural was used as a neighbor note on the syllable "bout," not long before. But, as I said before, that choice would work much less at the point where they DO use the B-flat on the syllable "ry."
Sounds like quite a common blues feature: St James' Infirmary (so sweet, so cool and so fair), House of the Rising Sun (and God, i know I'm one), and many others.
I love the oriental flair that harmonic minor gives a melody if you make full use of the scale, as in 'Paint it Black' by the Rolling Stones, or in 'Karate' by Babymetal, which has the verse / pre-chorus in E harmonic minor, and then switches to a major key for the chorus.
I love me some good ol Harmonic Minor. I love Muse's use of the scale, especially in Matt Bellamy's piano playing which has a very classical sound to it, e.g. New Born, Apocalypse Please, Space Dementia, etc. I'd love if you could do a follow up of sorts on Melodic Minor. I see it all the time in classical music, but I don't see it nearly as much in more modern, popular music.
Ghost Town by the Specials is one I think. Modulates to major for the line 'Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?' - a switch to a 'happy' key for happy memories
I know absolutely nothing about music theory and don't have a single musical bone in my body but my gosh you're videos are always so fascinating and engaging! Keep up the awesome work!
Hey man don’t want to blow thing too much but you helped understand so so much more of musical theory. My passion has always been music and I just not few again learning that music theory is what mostly drives the music (imagine how much of a beginner I am) and Im so glad youtube recommenced you. I’m 18 years old so I’m glad I found at this point of my life. Thanks again!
Wow, thank you SO much for this video. I am currently studying for a Music Degree but I have had to study from home now because my university has been closed due to the coronavirus. Your videos have answered a lot of questions and settled many frustrations that my anxiety simply wasn't answering for me. So, thank you so much for your videos! You have seriously helped out so much.
i havent listened to muse in a while and you including the plug in baby intro made me happy :)) it used to be my favorite favorite band but radiohead is now, but i still love it :)
improvising with harmonic minor scales are amazingly fun, I'd suggest any musician to try it (I use 1, 4, 5, 1 chord progression which makes the music sound somewhat Russian mixed with Turkish)
The raised note was called Musica Ficta in Renaissance times. They raised the penultimate note a semi tone for singers when singing up the scale, thus becoming the the melodic minor scale.
📍NOTE: Many people have commented that at 1:15 I call the interval between the 6th and 7th degree of Harmonic minor a “minor third” rather than an “Aug 2nd”. I understand why strictly speaking “Aug 2nd” is the correct name for that interval however, I thought using that name would unnecessarily add confusion for people who aren’t familiar with the difference between a ‘minor 3rd’ and a ‘aug 2nd’. That said, perhaps I should have put an on-screen annotation acknowledging the ‘aug 2nd’ at 1:15.
When I first read this comment I got really confused, why is an interval named after August 2nd? Why not November 23rd :-)
As someone with only a smattering of theory I immediately understood that adjacent notes are not usually any kind of third
What I would call the diatonic rule. Second interval between notes with adjacent letters. Like B flat to C sharp in the harmonic scale, hence an augmented second.
I think calling augmented would better illustrate that fact that it is wide
@@PlanetoftheDeaf that was the day the jfk was assassinated nov 23 1963....ok, jfk just fkng kidding
I love how every video has a Radiohead example
Yeah Beatles too
I was about to say the same XD
it's amazing just how often they pop up here
It really helps me since I love all their songs and can hear the parts.
Hopefully I'll be in a list like his just as often some day.
I always think the same thing when I watch videos like this! I hope my music is featured in them one day
Is Billie Eilish still a harmonic minor now that she's 18?
harmonic barely legal
nice one dad
Definitely not a natural minor, with that hair.
👏.This.👏.is.👏.perfection.👏.
Bravo maestro! 🙏👌
It really isnt David´s Bennett video without Beatles in it.
Agreed!
Mia Nai and Radiohead
@@DavidBennettPiano agreed
...and Radiohead... and Muse. That's why he's one of my favorites.
Thank God ;)
This video: very educational
UA-cam: DEMONITIZED
Tell me about it! I'd be better off doing make up tutorials!
@@DavidBennettPiano keep it up man! This kind of content is great.
@@DavidBennettPiano how about singing your make up routine? That was a small trend
Why? How does it work?
@@minacheyo6242 maybe it's because he used music from another person
The main riff to Eminems "The Real Slim Shady" is in harmonic minor
Good example!
Batman vibes
In Stan he uses it at the chord change to sound darker
omg
Ehh...No?İt uses the Tonic,the 5th,the Minor 6th and the Minor 3rd.Thats it could be just as Natural Minor.İm not sure,but i think there is a V Chord in the Chorus,but that recognizable Riff is not Harmonic Minor,cause there is no 7th played.
Muse, Radiohead, The Beatles and Billie Eilish in a single video. This guy gets it.
🙏🙏🙏🎶🎶🎶
Don’t forget he used Bach too!! Awesome!
Muse and three terrible bands/artists?
@@SCHTRAM What? I personally enjoy all these artists. I've heard people dislike Billie Elish and the Beatles, but I've never met anyone who hates Radiohead.
@@SCHTRAM muse and billie eillish are trash. The rest are GREAT
I thought for sure you were playing "Bad Guy" when you were actually playing "Bury a Friend". Shows how much a functional chord progression can do to our ears.
They are really similar songs! Just different enough though to make it hard to notice on first listening.
When You're Strange by the Doors
That's actually a part borrowed from People Are Strange by The Doors
This is why unfunctional harmony is better.
Stuart Moss ya i iv V progressions are really complex huh
You should make a video about songs that end with tension. Things like ending with a harmonic minor, 7th major chord, tritone, or any other chord that supposedly needs resolution.
The leading-tone seventh chords... :)
rain song by led zeppelin is a cool one that has a flat 5 chord in the outro.
me halfway through the vid: That's weird, he hasn't mentioned the Beatles yet
David Bennet Piano: A good example of this is Girl by the Beatles
lmao fr
This is patrick
Damn, i still have no clue what you were talking about, but I feel like I appreciate those songs even better now. More power to you,sir.
Thank you!
Can’t forget about Sultans of Swing. Classic song in harmonic minor
What a perfect song. So good!
did u know that they copy the riff of smoke on the water from an old brazilian song?
@@cheirinhodepacoca oh, cool, what song?
@@GMacAttack5 Carlos Lyra - Maria moita (1964)
zeus thanks, I’ll take a look.
It’s fascinating how many classic artists stole things wholesale, like led zeppelin and a number of blues artists, and Elvis and a few black rock and rollers.
David Bennett: Uses a cover version of a Muse song to avoid copyright
Also David Bennett: Plays the original version of a Beatles song
I know absolutely nothing about music but i still love these videos
thanks!
Well if you knew "nothing" you now know "something"!!! :)
I love so much this scale. I mean, I dont care what genre might a song be, if it is written in harmonic IS MY FAVORITE.
You should do a video on how the Beatles used really complicated musical techniques without realising it.
Edit: Not that that takes anything away from them, they were still geniuses and probably the best band ever.
That is actually a video that I've already half written! It will be coming out in the next few months.
@@DavidBennettPiano Ooh yay, thank you!
David Bennett Piano which one?
@@oldbird4601 Not a video that is out, a video that is yet to be made 😉
I think they key to understanding how The Beatles used "Modes" without understanding what modes were is that they simply used chords that were outside of the actual Major/Minor keys and they used notes in those chords. I actually find it easier to think of "modes" in this way myself, I just experiment with different chords and if the melody in those chords work I use them
A new example- If i'm not mistaken, much of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto uses the C harmonic minor scale. It uses G major chords instead of G minor. The melody uses both B-flats and B naturals.
Who downvotes this?! This channel is a goldmine
😊😊😊😊😊
R/IhaveRedditToo
@@vertiboi8225 r/foundthemobileuser
Bro this is stuff I learned in my first month of my high school music theory elective class. He ain’t some master music theorist
R/whyamievenusingaredditlinkoutsideofreddit
This channel helps me so much in my own songwriting and explain why some songs sound so great.
Now I know why Bury a Friends sounds so, brilliant. I knew there was some kind of tension in the chord progression and harmonics but I couldn't figure out why.
Deep Purple's Jon Lord almost always uses the harmonic minor scale in his organ solos. It gives it a Arabic sound to it and they're very emotional and beautiful. He was such a great keyboard player>
Fellow bandmate Ritchie Blackmore also used it many many times (Stargazer, Gates of Babylon, Eyes of Fire).
Unless I missed something, it's interesting that most of the examples (safe for the final guitar note in Plug-in Baby) tend to approach the harmonic minor as a semitone "dip" from the root, instead of approaching the root from below to accentuate the three semitone jump.
'Girl' approaches it from below, but I do see what you mean. Resolving up from the 7th note to the 8th note is so satisfying a resolution that I guess that is why it appears in melodies so often
When approached from below, the sixth degree of the scale is traditionally raised as well to prevent the awkward leap of an augmented second. I think the distinction between harmonic, melodic, and natural minor is somewhat misleading. Classical composers would have regarded it as simply “minor” with alterations added to the sixth and seventh degrees as needed to produce a dominant cadence.
I like how the intro in Plug in baby (the main riff) breaks the harmonic minor scale when it bends on that G# note to an A natural, which both aren't in harmonic minor, but are in Dorian.
@@LoganAlbright73 Could always approach it from as far below as the dominant. At least to me, that's one of the most beautiful scale constellations I've ever heard, and that augmented second is its fundamental pillar.
@@LoganAlbright73 this. There is only one minor mode.
The feel you get when letting the chords ring on Bury a Friend. Excellent
The Billie Eilish song sounds like/resembles part of “People Are Strange” by The Doors...
true
Odysseas Dano 👍
The rhythm is pretty similar.
Same rhythm, both using the i, iv, and V of they’re respective keys.
I was about to say you were wrong and then the instrumental played and I was like, shit is that Ray Manzerek's keyboard?
YESSSS I saw John Lennon on the cover and harmonic minor in the title and I was like oh pls talk about Girls AND THERE IT IS!!! I love that harmonic minor line so so so very much that I played it over and over again on the piano and just enjoyed the goosebumps it gave me. It’s such a surreally beautiful line.
Alternative Rock loves harmonic minor (PatD, Fratellis, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, etc.) Great video!
Good examples. Cheers!
When I think of harmonic minor I immediately think of Hysteria by Muse. It practically hits you with a 2x4
a lot of them also cite classical musicians as inspirations, for example Matt Bellamy the singer of muse always talks being inspirited by Rachmaninoff and Bach
"People are strange"-Doors, that,s what i it seeems here.
@Conner Stewart I mean the first two chords are Am to E, sounds fairly harmonic minor to me.
Wow, just wow. I’m a complete novice when it comes to music theory, but you have just helped me reach a critical understanding of how some music is written. I’ve never had the functions of Tonic, sub-dominant & dominant chords in a scale explained to me in such a digestible way. I honestly just play guitar for a hobby but I’m amazed how suddenly, years of trying to understand music theory has just clicked. Thank you so much for your videos. They are an endless source of music knowledge I am slowly piecing together. Honestly, just had a eureka moment 💡
I discovered your channel two weeks ago and I can't tell how much I'm learning just by watching your videos. Thank you so much, David!
Thank you!
all this time I've been writing music in a Harmonic Minor scale without know that it's not the default version of minor. Thank you for enlightening me
For Muse, it’s easier to list their songs which *don’t* use harmonic minor. Most of the songs on Simulation Theory feature it in one form or another. Break It to Me and The Dark Side both use Phrygian dominant, the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale.
“Blend the harmonic minor with the natural minor”
This is exactly how I use harmonic minor, and I often use the major V chord resolving to the i chord. I also like to crawl up from the minor 7th to the 1st degree by semitones, hitting the major 7th, if it were c minor the notes would be Bb-B-C. Very well explained video and does a very good job of teaching how the harmonic minor can be used.
It ain’t a David Bennett video without either Radiohead or the Beatles! I still don’t understand most of this stuff cause I know absolutely nothing about music theory, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Scout ²³
I’ve got a music degree. Music theory came easy to me in college but was always boring. David does a great job making it relevant.
Samee
@@Ohgreatcj. so what jobs does a music degree get? Do you just sell music?
Gammer Games
I’m a music teacher at a public school. Most people around me either teach and/or play gigs on the weekends. Honestly, you don’t even need the degree to play gigs. Just experience will do. The music degree is practically worthless unless all you want to do is teach.
@@Ohgreatcj. ok
My piano teacher made me start out with harmonic minor chords when learning the minor scales... but now I’m glad she did because these are so cool!!
i love how much effort and detail you put into your videos! you always end up making the most informative and well edited videos and i really appreciate it! 😁
Thank you! I really appreciate that 😊
@@DavidBennettPiano i dont know why i still watching your videos, i dont even understand how note works
I must say that music theory is so interesting to see in action, is complex to understand and yet so simple, I miss chorus classes sometimes. I'm in to this content because I love music so much.
Maybe leave this for your next Q&A: Are there any topics that you want to do but can't for one reason or another? Maybe you don't think it'll be popular, or maybe it'd be too hard to properly research or explain it etc.
Good question. Generally, when I think of a topic I want to cover, I will find a way to do it! However, the two most common setbacks are (a) lack of research and (b) copyright strikes!
As for research... some topics I find hard to explain (like the recent 'Polyrhythm' video). It can takes me weeks and weeks to research and write a script that I'm happy with... often because that particular topic is pushing the limits of my own knowledge!
As for copyright... if I want to talk about a song, I need to find a way to recreate it in a way that can get past the copyright content ID system. You may have noticed that all of the songs in this video were either isolated vocals set to my own piano playing or a live version. If I can't think of a good way to recreate a song that I want to talk about, I can't really talk about it!
@@DavidBennettPiano Well you did great on that polyrhythm video! (omg that word is a nightmare to spell as a non-native speaker).
I love harmonic minor. Definitely my favourite!
Still, confused about the difference between the minor scales? Here is a different perspective on the same topic: ua-cam.com/video/pIENvxr7i1A/v-deo.html
I really appreciate your efforts, thanks for visually representing everything you say, it makes everything simpler and more understandable.
thanks! It takes a long time to put together so I'm glad that it is worth it!
The gravity falls opening theme is in D harmonic minor. The very beginning is a
i -> V -> i. In the melody, it uses a c natural once, and a c sharp 4 times (3 of which were at the very end).
Good old harmonic minor. Always the most fun to play when practising scales 🙂
Also, "It's A Sin" by the Pet Shop Boys is another example of a song that toggles between the natural & harmonic minor (the verse is predominantly in C (natural) minor, but has a G major borrowed from the harmonic minor to lead into the chorus) 🙂
Are you by chance a saxophonist?
@@pawa303 - no, not at all! I've only ever attempted to play one a few times & every time I've tried it was distinctly more flatulent than melodic! Vocals, keyboards & guitar (and some blues stylophone) are more my thing : )
there’s always a radiohead example and i absolutely love you for this
every one of his videos have got one...
i mostly just come for the radiohead examples too
Not watched the video yet but just commenting to say I'm looking forward to watching it
tonight
classic meme
Speaking of memes, I know it's not music related but what about a little video on OK Boomer?
Now I know why I love all of the songs that you gave here as examples of using the Harmonic Minor.
The part of "Bury a Friend" you played, sounds a lot like "People Are Strange" by the Doors. They both use i, iv, V chords, with i being a harmonic minor.
Hey, here's another thought - in "Girl" (Beatles), that first G7 could just as well have been a Gm; and the 2nd measure could be split in half, with Cm followed by C7, suggested by that Bb, and forming a perfect cadence to the following chord, Fm. This would be an alternative way to cover the song, don't you think?
Fred
They also share the fact that they are both in 12/8
@@ale305z People are Strange isn't 12/8. The first verse is exactly 8 bars of 4/4... doesn't get more basic time signature
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
@@urwholefamilydied you can think of it in 4/4 too, but you'd have to use triplets, same with Bury a friend
I was just saying that they're both ternary (is that the right word?) rhythms
@@ale305z
In the case of People Are Strange I can't hear the difference between 4/4 in triplets and 12/8 time. Not sure there is one, in practice.
I've often thought the Cm in Girl could go to a C7 in places, too. Maybe Lennon considered it to be old fashioned, or maybe he didn't consider it at all. It would have worked nicely, though.
I just want to give you the credit you deserve to get. It's amazing how you make the video's and explain it so good. Also the things I learn from this channel are amazing! Keep it going my friend!
That really means a lot! Thank you. 🙂🙂
Another excellent video! I always love the “but this is what it would sound like if...” segments - so cool!
But that ain’t no minor third! That’s an augmented second! A technical point which admittedly doesn’t typically matter much in the real world, but I think it’s worth at least a mention in any discussion of the harmonic minor scale. And speaking of that interval, it occurs in the very last line of Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”, another good example of a mixture of minor scales.
Believe you me, it does matter in the real world, as soon as we start talking about the notes, rather than just playing them and hearing them.
سلام من
Just the best elaboration I have ever seen! Inspires confidence about the subject😁
Thanks Rob!
I did this recently and I thought oooh I wonder what scale this is, I bet David Bennett would know and then POW, you do a video on it. Cheers amigo!
I read your mind like piece of sheet music
@@DavidBennettPiano hahahaha. Get out of my head, bro!
I love your explanation.
Thanks 🙏
It’s always a pleasure to listen to your informative videos, sir. Always straight to the point and interesting, with clever examples. Bravo!
🙏 thank you
Loved that mate!! Stay strong
That Eilish chord progression reminds me of the middle-8 from "Here, There and Everywhere." I mean the notes used, not the progression itself. "Here, There and Everywhere" quickly goes from D to Eb to Bb, but then goes from Gm to Cm to D, back to Gm.
Reminds me so much of 'People Are Strange' by The Doors.
@@portcullis5622 It is such a basic chord progression. A lot of songs use it.
I began my study of music late in life and only now am I able to appreciate the music of the Beatles. It's fun to pick a song apart, looking for the music theory behind the chord changes, the use of modes, scales, etc. They probably weren't even aware of what they were doing...just writing down the noises they heard in their heads!
First time, long time. Each example supports your teaching objective enhancing understanding. I look forward to future posts. Thank you.
Thanks!
Excellent. Thanks for explaining this. I wasn’t allowed to do music at high school as “not enough students opted” so I left high school unable to do music at college. I’ve been a semi pro singer for many years but never got anywhere. I think I finally understand why... you need some formal music training and a full understanding to be able to build on for a professional future just like any other career. And loads of talent of course! Unless you’re lucky and win a competition! Great post.
1:25
"Barry, a friend" by Billie Eilish...
but thats how you pronouce it. also "i dont wanna be barry, in a pet sematary"
Barry B. Benson you mean
adiPrene how else is one supposed to pronounce it?
I may fail, because im a self-taught person in music, but i believe Yngwie Malmsteen's entire musical career it's based on this scale. Best wishes from Spain, beautyfull channel my friend.
Thanks David. Excellent video. Lots of useful info.
Thank you Nelson 🙂
The thing that's so cool about Sweet Dreams is that the melody and main synth line, which acts as the bass line, are consistently in natural minor, while the chord progression is always in harmonic minor, and then it switches to c Dorian mode in the breakdown in the middle, which is why it sounds so dramatic.
I think if I had had a teacher for music theory like you, I might have stuck with it. Great stuff! Might start playing the piano again after several decades away.
The guitar solo to Sweet Child O’ Mine is very cool because it starts in harmonic minor before switching to the minor pentatonic scale in the second half.
When Johnny Comes Marching Home is another well known song that switches between natural and harmonic minor
Thanks for all you videos... I love that you talk of flavour or emotion and not rant about a double sharp is not the same as a double flat. Brilliant for my middle school students to wrap their heads around scales as an emotional or flavourful 😉 concept rather than a theoretical construct.
The guitar part right before the verses in The Offspring "Come out and play" is in harmonic minor.
I think it might be in Phrygian Dominant.
The band Agent Orange used it first.
Nice idea using the vocals only tracks and adding piano etc. - a good way to hear what's really going on in the song while getting the right melody (and the vocals we love) from the vocalists.
thanks!!! this helped me so much with my BTEC music course :)
You’re welcome Freddie!
The blend between harmonic and natural minor always sounds amazing in my opinion. I've always loved it in songs or just piano, guitar/bass and violin solos
7:00 was about to comment that it resembled plug in baby
MUSEE
Your videos are amazing
Glad I found this channel! Impressed with the way you explained things and the music genres used in the example is 👌👍❤️
Thank you! 😄😄
Was looking for some inspiration for using harmonic minor and of course David has a video on it ❤ Thank you past David for your efforts so I can enjoy this today!
always a joy to see a new video from you!
Thank you!!
I have no idea why this video was recommended to me but I couldn't stop watching
Great! Thank you
You're a brilliant man and teach me a lot! I have a lot to learn! thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thanks 😃😃
maaaaaannnnnn, I love you're videos. music theory has been helping with a lot and I come back cause you explain it so well
Thank you!!
I learn a lot from your channel. Thank you.
Thank you !
what your introducing to us in this beautiful visual way is huge, you deserve to be the best
6:18,
I would make the argument that "Girl" never actually steps into natural minor. The occurance of the Bb is simply a use of melodic minor (for, as the name implies, melodic purposes) which has the minor scale descend in it's natural form. The Bb was simply to bridge the melody from C on the syllable "sto" to Ab on the word "All." If you sang a B-natural on the syllable "ry," it wouldn't sound quite right, especially because of the rest between that note and the Ab on "All."
For the song to be "in" natural minor (or aeolian) it would imply an entire harmonic switch, not just a melodic choice that was made, and that the song would either have to be a.) modal (such as Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower") or b.) contain a minor v chord so as not to have a perfect authentic cadence (such as America's "Horse with no Name") which could also be argued as modal.
But, funnily enough, they later descend the scale using the B natural to Ab in the words "came to stay." If you sung that B as either natural or flat, they would work melodically. My guess is that particular choice was made because the augmented second is a very clashy interval to sing, and may spark a level of interest, and because that B natural was used as a neighbor note on the syllable "bout," not long before. But, as I said before, that choice would work much less at the point where they DO use the B-flat on the syllable "ry."
Thanks David, as always very informative and understandable. Using the different minor keys over the years by ear and now I understand why it works
Excellent explanation. Thanks.
Congratulations on passing 160,000 subscribers. Your site has excellent content and 4 inventive keys continue to grow. Well done.
Sounds like quite a common blues feature: St James' Infirmary (so sweet, so cool and so fair), House of the Rising Sun (and God, i know I'm one), and many others.
I love the oriental flair that harmonic minor gives a melody if you make full use of the scale, as in 'Paint it Black' by the Rolling Stones, or in 'Karate' by Babymetal, which has the verse / pre-chorus in E harmonic minor, and then switches to a major key for the chorus.
awesome vid my guy
Thank you my guy!
It makes it all the more amazing that Adrian Belew was right there with Fripp on the original. This piano rendition is fantastic! Thank you.
I love me some good ol Harmonic Minor. I love Muse's use of the scale, especially in Matt Bellamy's piano playing which has a very classical sound to it, e.g. New Born, Apocalypse Please, Space Dementia, etc. I'd love if you could do a follow up of sorts on Melodic Minor. I see it all the time in classical music, but I don't see it nearly as much in more modern, popular music.
Yes. Muse go ham on harmonic minor
Ghost Town by the Specials is one I think. Modulates to major for the line 'Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?' - a switch to a 'happy' key for happy memories
I see Radiohead, I click.
That explains a lot.
what's radiohead? isnt that from katy perry?
The music freezing to show the function of the chord is a vrey very good idea. Brilliant,
Love your videos! Always very informational. Thanks!
Thank you!
I know absolutely nothing about music theory and don't have a single musical bone in my body but my gosh you're videos are always so fascinating and engaging!
Keep up the awesome work!
bringing heat as usual. I'm glad this channel exists.
thanks!!
Hey man don’t want to blow thing too much but you helped understand so so much more of musical theory. My passion has always been music and I just not few again learning that music theory is what mostly drives the music (imagine how much of a beginner I am) and Im so glad youtube recommenced you. I’m 18 years old so I’m glad I found at this point of my life. Thanks again!
love your teaching. truly thank you!
Ip Ken thanks! 🙂🙂
Great work, interesting and informative. I really enjoyed the analysis.
Thank you!
Wow, thank you SO much for this video. I am currently studying for a Music Degree but I have had to study from home now because my university has been closed due to the coronavirus. Your videos have answered a lot of questions and settled many frustrations that my anxiety simply wasn't answering for me. So, thank you so much for your videos! You have seriously helped out so much.
Girls: You don’t even know how Billie makes her songs sound so sad
Me:
? When would someone ever say that? 😂
Leighann Ott I think that’s the joke...
Alfredo Paris She makes songs for people who like good music
Alfredo Paris Perhaps people would take you seriously if you could spell properly.
@@ohwellwhateverr >billie eilish
>good music
pick one
i havent listened to muse in a while and you including the plug in baby intro made me happy :)) it used to be my favorite favorite band but radiohead is now, but i still love it :)
improvising with harmonic minor scales are amazingly fun, I'd suggest any musician to try it
(I use 1, 4, 5, 1 chord progression which makes the music sound somewhat Russian mixed with Turkish)
The raised note was called Musica Ficta in Renaissance times. They raised the penultimate note a semi tone for singers when singing up the scale, thus becoming the the melodic minor scale.