Not to be dramatic but it was actual divine intervention that I saw this video today! I have a degree in music and this fully explained a huge missing piece I’ve been struggling with in trying to write my musical. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
That's just the UA-cam algorithm. They're literally spying on you and then recommending videos based on your data. Please don't compare big tech to God. It's the opposite.
The level of educational value here, God damn. The visuals, the charts, the examples being played, the simple yet effective delivery and the potent ideas... Such a great channel, we are blessed by this resource!
Lots of great advice in this video, thank you!! I've been struggling with learning to write chord progressions, and even when I've tried to not be fancy and just use the very standard progressions, I end up just strumming or picking in patterns I've already learned from other songs that use the same ones. The concepts of colors to paint these songs with the slight modifications is exactly what I needed to hear. 😊
Wow, this was fantastic. In the first half of the video I was thinking, "yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all of this already" but I still decided to watch the entire video because always learnt something from your videos. I am so glad I did! I love playing borrowed chords, but only stuck to familiar ones. Now you've given me a good system to experiment with now. Thanks!
I chucked "one of the remaining 5" into a song once. However, because I had no idea about theory I was just like, "Whoa, what was that?" and never managed to do it again.😂
This couldn't have dropped at a more perfect time. I'm beginning my exploration into borrowed chords these past few days and this flows nicely with learning the way to implement it into music.
Brilliant, thanks. Is there by any chance a link to a tutorial on diminished chords? They’re a bit more difficult to get my head round, especially on guitar. Many thanks. 🙏
Excellent and efficient chord substitution system, simplifying theory. Use of Chromatic Mediants, Secondary Dominants (Otis' V/V, where he plays A major instead of D major), and more are easily detailed for quick reference.. Cheers! 🍻 Just subscribed.
Great education and inspo here😊 I’ve naturally used borrowed chords (albeit rather haphazardly!) here and there without understanding what I was doing, basically because I was/am a huge Radiohead fan and have always loved throwing in a minor-major chord transition for feel😂 With more understanding I can be more deliberate and write more interesting progressions though. Thank you
Nice lesson on borrowing, thanks. Great classic examples as well. I think in Step II considerations there is a mistake on the Gm in the on screen writing. You went from a G (V) to a Gm (v) but the notation on screen shows vi (6m).
Superbe vidéo ! J'ai découvert votre chaine hier et ai déjà regardé +20 vidéos ! Je comprend mieux pourquoi mes amis aiment tant quand je joue Nobody Knows You (when ur down). Une amie m'a dit que la musique moderne était construite sur 3 accord dominants : comme dans un blues. Mais je ne comprends pas bien ce que ça veut dire
I liked the video and gave it a thumbs up. Tell me if I'm wrong but @14:45 when you said the BbMaj doesn't exist in the key of D technically it does exist in the key of D because it's a borrowed chord from the D minor scale. I understand what you're saying though
Great info once again! Watching other "borrowed" videos... it seems they all rely on "parallel keys" to show where the chords come from and how they relate to the key you're in. Seems like your take is "use anything that you can make sound good"? As I try and harness this stuff I'm trying to discover the method to the madness... as they say. Thanks
A lot. It is often used as a passing chord to release a lot of tension as soon as it resolves. In “Road Tripping” from RHCP they use the Triade in all its three inversions
In common pop music - quite seldom, I would say. They are rather substituted by V7 (Dominant Seventh) chords, because diminished chords alone sounds quite unstable. However, there are a couple of examples... like "Smooth" by Carlos Santana (each third line of the verses has a diminished chord, I guess).
It's probably worth clarifying that "Borrowed chords" typically only refers to chords that are diatonic to a parallel scale or mode (one with the same tonic or root note as your home key). There are plenty of other ways to derive non-diatonic chords, such as secondary dominants and chromatic mediants.
@@Oleg_K. 1: Tonicization - not a full key change, but briefly treating a targeted chord as if it's a new key for 1-3 chords leading up to it. This is most commonly done by preceding the target chord with its V7 or viiº, but other options are available. This can even be done iteratively to successive chords, as we see in the example song with A7 tonicizing the D7 which itself tonicizes G. Chromatic mediant - move from your current chord to a non-diatonic chord whose root is up or down by a third. The quality of the chord stays the same if the root is diatonic and changes if the root is not. There's an example of a chromatic mediant provided in the video as the second chord in the "Creep" progression. This can also be done iteratively, like in Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights." Tritone substitution - A dominant 7 chord provides such effective tension and resolution because its 3rd and 7th degrees are a tritone apart and both resolve by semitones. If the root and the 5th of the chord are moved away by a tritone, those two notes stay the same and so does their resolution. Common tone - Follow a stable major or minor chord with a non-diatonic diminished 7 chord that has 1 or 2 tones in common. The common tones provide enough continuity to make it less jarring than sudden non-diatonic diminished 7 chords would otherwise be. This can resolve to a major or minor chord a semitone above any tone in the diminished 7th chord since its symmetrical nature allows any note to function as the root. Alternatively, you can resolve to a different common-tone chord, although this is less common. Even less common, try using an augmented chord instead of the diminished 7!
Should have a degree symbol ° on the diminished chord … it has a b3, but diatonically, it’s not a minor triad (nor would it be a minor tetrad/seventh etc, diatonically)? This is a great lesson, though - especially for beginners … Wow. 🙂
You guys are awesome, but isn’t this just a complicated way of saying that within a given key: - There are ways to work in any of the chord types, based on any root note, into a song’s chord progression in a way that sounds good. - Learn from & build off songs that use some less common chords.
Why do you keep playing a full diminished seventh chord on the 7th degree? This chord has a G sharp in it… Clearly not native to the key of C major for example. In every example, you play triads (NO 7th) all the way up to the seventh degree, then you switch to a seventh chord (??) In the key of C, yes… B is a diminished TRIAD (which you never played even once), but the SEVENTH chord is B-7(b5)otherwise known as B HALF diminished which has a G natural not a G sharp.
Not to be dramatic but it was actual divine intervention that I saw this video today! I have a degree in music and this fully explained a huge missing piece I’ve been struggling with in trying to write my musical. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Wait, we're not supposed to be dramatic in youtube comments.?!....this is Life Shattering and Absolutley Devastating news!
That's just the UA-cam algorithm. They're literally spying on you and then recommending videos based on your data. Please don't compare big tech to God. It's the opposite.
This is by far the best video I have ever seen you guys make.
I was just thinking the exact same thing!
The level of educational value here, God damn. The visuals, the charts, the examples being played, the simple yet effective delivery and the potent ideas... Such a great channel, we are blessed by this resource!
Lots of great advice in this video, thank you!!
I've been struggling with learning to write chord progressions, and even when I've tried to not be fancy and just use the very standard progressions, I end up just strumming or picking in patterns I've already learned from other songs that use the same ones. The concepts of colors to paint these songs with the slight modifications is exactly what I needed to hear. 😊
This filled in so many gaps in my understanding of how to apply this to songwriting. Thank you!
Wow, this was fantastic. In the first half of the video I was thinking, "yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all of this already" but I still decided to watch the entire video because always learnt something from your videos. I am so glad I did! I love playing borrowed chords, but only stuck to familiar ones. Now you've given me a good system to experiment with now. Thanks!
A huge thank you for these helpful resource material that is available in your learning site,,,I'm from Philippines 🇵🇭
I chucked "one of the remaining 5" into a song once. However, because I had no idea about theory I was just like, "Whoa, what was that?" and never managed to do it again.😂
Amazing! Best video on chord progressions I've seen! Thank you for sharing it! 😊
This couldn't have dropped at a more perfect time. I'm beginning my exploration into borrowed chords these past few days and this flows nicely with learning the way to implement it into music.
Wow! This is great information. I struggle all the time with my songs sounding the same and this will definitely help solve that problem. Thanks!
This is gold!
Really great lesson!
So relieved! Finally an explanation for how Bb major to E minor can work!!!! Thank you 🙏🕊️
So so useful, I'll be trying out a bunch of these techniques next time I write
You guys are great!
Excellent video. Wish I'd seen it 15 years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of time!
Brilliant, thanks. Is there by any chance a link to a tutorial on diminished chords? They’re a bit more difficult to get my head round, especially on guitar.
Many thanks. 🙏
David Bennett has a great vid on using diminished chords in popular songs, but I'd also love to see a specific video on HTWS channel as well!
Excellent and efficient chord substitution system, simplifying theory. Use of Chromatic Mediants, Secondary Dominants (Otis' V/V, where he plays A major instead of D major), and more are easily detailed for quick reference.. Cheers! 🍻 Just subscribed.
Just Wow❤️❤️
Thanks so much, I actually smiled and nodded while watching, as everything starting falling into place in my head ❤
First time here. That was excellent information!
Great education and inspo here😊 I’ve naturally used borrowed chords (albeit rather haphazardly!) here and there without understanding what I was doing, basically because I was/am a huge Radiohead fan and have always loved throwing in a minor-major chord transition for feel😂 With more understanding I can be more deliberate and write more interesting progressions though. Thank you
That was so clearly presented and useful! Thanks!
Nice lesson on borrowing, thanks. Great classic examples as well.
I think in Step II considerations there is a mistake on the Gm in the on screen writing. You went from a G (V) to a Gm (v) but the notation on screen shows vi (6m).
Thank you for sharing this 🙏🏼
Excelente!!!
Brilliant, thank you both. 🏆
As comprehensive as it can get. Thank you!
Another tool in the belt… thx so much!
Thanks, it's really interesting!
Thank you
Superbe vidéo ! J'ai découvert votre chaine hier et ai déjà regardé +20 vidéos ! Je comprend mieux pourquoi mes amis aiment tant quand je joue Nobody Knows You (when ur down). Une amie m'a dit que la musique moderne était construite sur 3 accord dominants : comme dans un blues. Mais je ne comprends pas bien ce que ça veut dire
Really like this video and many others. I think the VII degree in C is B half diminished (B D F A) = B7b5
Thx 🙏🏻
Very informative 👍
I liked the video and gave it a thumbs up. Tell me if I'm wrong but @14:45 when you said the BbMaj doesn't exist in the key of D technically it does exist in the key of D because it's a borrowed chord from the D minor scale. I understand what you're saying though
Great info once again! Watching other "borrowed" videos... it seems they all rely on "parallel keys" to show where the chords come from and how they relate to the key you're in. Seems like your take is "use anything that you can make sound good"? As I try and harness this stuff I'm trying to discover the method to the madness... as they say. Thanks
Babe, wake up! There's a new 'How to Write Songs' video out!!!
Awesome video. How often are diminished chords used in popular music?
A lot. It is often used as a passing chord to release a lot of tension as soon as it resolves.
In “Road Tripping” from RHCP they use the Triade in all its three inversions
In common pop music - quite seldom, I would say. They are rather substituted by V7 (Dominant Seventh) chords, because diminished chords alone sounds quite unstable. However, there are a couple of examples... like "Smooth" by Carlos Santana (each third line of the verses has a diminished chord, I guess).
David Bennett has a video showing lots of great popular songs using diminished chords!
@ThiagoSFFranco spot on! Frusciante is a big fan of using 'Borrowed Chords'. He spoke about in a recent interview with Rick Rubin.
@@scianteblues for sure! Takes sensibility to choose theses ones wisely and Frusciante surely is that kind of musician
I remember song from JET LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE , from chord C but threse A# & G# chord whyyyyy ???
It's probably worth clarifying that "Borrowed chords" typically only refers to chords that are diatonic to a parallel scale or mode (one with the same tonic or root note as your home key). There are plenty of other ways to derive non-diatonic chords, such as secondary dominants and chromatic mediants.
What are some other ways to derive non-diatonic chords?
@@Oleg_K. 1: Tonicization - not a full key change, but briefly treating a targeted chord as if it's a new key for 1-3 chords leading up to it. This is most commonly done by preceding the target chord with its V7 or viiº, but other options are available. This can even be done iteratively to successive chords, as we see in the example song with A7 tonicizing the D7 which itself tonicizes G.
Chromatic mediant - move from your current chord to a non-diatonic chord whose root is up or down by a third. The quality of the chord stays the same if the root is diatonic and changes if the root is not. There's an example of a chromatic mediant provided in the video as the second chord in the "Creep" progression. This can also be done iteratively, like in Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights."
Tritone substitution - A dominant 7 chord provides such effective tension and resolution because its 3rd and 7th degrees are a tritone apart and both resolve by semitones. If the root and the 5th of the chord are moved away by a tritone, those two notes stay the same and so does their resolution.
Common tone - Follow a stable major or minor chord with a non-diatonic diminished 7 chord that has 1 or 2 tones in common. The common tones provide enough continuity to make it less jarring than sudden non-diatonic diminished 7 chords would otherwise be. This can resolve to a major or minor chord a semitone above any tone in the diminished 7th chord since its symmetrical nature allows any note to function as the root. Alternatively, you can resolve to a different common-tone chord, although this is less common. Even less common, try using an augmented chord instead of the diminished 7!
🤞
Should have a degree symbol ° on the diminished chord … it has a b3, but diatonically, it’s not a minor triad (nor would it be a minor tetrad/seventh etc, diatonically)? This is a great lesson, though - especially for beginners … Wow. 🙂
You guys are awesome, but isn’t this just a complicated way of saying that within a given key:
- There are ways to work in any of the chord types, based on any root note, into a song’s chord progression in a way that sounds good.
- Learn from & build off songs that use some less common chords.
Next up. Parallel Chords.
If you want to write a song, you have to start with a melody. The chord structure sits somewhere in the melody.
Without it, you have no song at all
Why do you keep playing a full diminished seventh chord on the 7th degree? This chord has a G sharp in it… Clearly not native to the key of C major for example. In every example, you play triads (NO 7th) all the way up to the seventh degree, then you switch to a seventh chord (??) In the key of C, yes… B is a diminished TRIAD (which you never played even once), but the SEVENTH chord is B-7(b5)otherwise known as B HALF diminished which has a G natural not a G sharp.