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Why C major and A minor are Not the Same
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- Опубліковано 17 сер 2024
- This one is all about relative keys. If two keys have all the same notes in them, how are they different? I also talk a about the whole tone scale, the harmonic minor scale, and a bit about modes.
This video is pretty beginner-friendly, but it does assume you're at least familiar with the idea of major and minor scales. Here's a couple videos to get you up to speed if you're not:
How Basic Chords Work - • How Basic Chords Work ...
Major and Minor Keys - • Major and Minor Keys (...
Introduction to Modes - • Introduction to Modes
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Your videos sum up four years of basic theory in about two hours, which blows my mind
Thanks
Everything about this video was fantastic. 15 minutes breezed by without ever thinking, get on with it. Gets into complex topics in a way that even beginners can understand. Throwing in the metronome and the whole tone scale to demonstrate the way your brain works made it so much more than the countless sites and videos that just tell you what the major and minor scales are.
You said it!
This is game changing for me! and yeah, the metronome was an awesome example... Changes everything!
Wish my music teacher explained it to me like this about 10 years ago.
@J Thorsson ok boomer
I know this is five years ago... But man I have devoured these videos. I have been playing guitar (poorly) for a decade. From the beginning I have played this chord progression with finger picking that is moody and interesting. I have developed it and worked on it literally for a decade but just couldn't find where to go to expand it. I want to listen to more of this music but the only way to get it is to make it. These videos have really given me the tools and knowledge to do that.
Thank you. Alot. Thank you for making this accessible. It will literally change my life.
Just stumbled across this video and I'm so glad I did.. I have been playing guitar for more than 50 years.. entirely by ear... I have been blessed with the ability to solve just about any mechanical problem ever confronts me.. I love math because of how it all works on a mutli-dimensional level, and never breaks the rules.. I have always been able to design things to solve problems for people, because I am able to visualize the problem and the solution in my mind...
But music.. music has been an enigma to me.. Not so much in playing, but understanding what I'm playing and why.. The concept of minors and majors (and modes) has baffled me.. Because I know that music is mathematical... It's physics... So I could never understand the relationships in the circle of fifths, why modes are the same notes just stacked along the fretboard, but somehow sound completely different.. As a result, I couldn't 'use' any of that knowledge.. It made no sense..
In fact, the way I learned to solo was by trying to learn about modes.. I wanted those dark and exotic sounds in my playing that I heard all the greats do.. But I never could understand how all these things stacked together.. So I heard "Oh, this guy plays in dorian mode, and this guy plays in phrygian mode" So I set out to learn those modes.. But they were just patterns that I quickly discovered that if you leanred them all and how they overlapped, you could move up and down the fretboard and stay in key.. Over time, they became second nature, and I could fly all over the fretboard with ease, but I still wasn't getting those exotic sounds.. I was basically just playing major scales all over the fretboard.. I also 'sorta' learned that you could move the same patterns on some songs four frets or whatever and now be playing in minor over the major or something like that.. I had no clue...
I've been searching high and low for several years now trying to unlock this mystery relationship between major, minor, and the modes.. I play much of this stuff, but have no idea what I'm doing..
But you my friend, just revealed something very very important, that I think will finally unlock all of this for me... Having a mathematical visualizing the problem mind, I always thought that theory was about exactly that.. mathematical relationships, and unfortunately, music is often taught exactly that way... For many if not most who are not 'blessed' (sarcasm here) in the same way as I am, this might not be an issue as they aren't naturally looking at it all as an engineer would, but rather they're just accepting things at face value..
But 'you' just pointed out something very critical to me that I had never considered before... The difference between all of these modes and relationships is not just mathematical (at least not primarily), but 'emotional' It's about 'perception' .. not pure math/reality...
I know this is kind of long (I tend to do that), but I just wanted to say thanks, because 'finally' something just 'clicked'.. I've been looking for that 'click' for a very long time, and now I feel I might be on the verge of finally being able to 'visualize' it all in my mind, and finally understand the 'relationships'... I have never been one who was content to just 'monkey see, monkey do' things.. I always want to know 'why' because that's how I build my own stuff... my own way...
Anyway, I rarely comment on anything on UA-cam, and I guess I've been storing it up because I just wrote a novel.. LMAO..
So thanks for the new way of looking at things... Now that I understand it's just a trick of the mind, that it's about 'emphasis,' I have a way of moving forward.. Why weren't you around 4 decades ago???
Subscribed! Gonna go see what else you got out there...
Finally a teacher that has the answers to my questions, instead of answers to all the questions I never asked...
I'm kinda excited right now... I knew it had to be something simple that was standing between me and the truth..
Awesome!
I just want to add... You have a serious gift for teaching, my man!
I think this video is answered prayer....
Hope my comment blessed you!
Made your day, even!
(your video did mine)
Mark
I had precisely the same struggle and precisely the same reaction to this video.
wonderful that he added the psycho-acoustical aspects of the keys. Yes the brain is adaptive, and our hearing locks onto the base note of the key. a fascinating aspect that explains what otherwise would seem quite arbitrary
A key is a "relationship" of notes. Two keys may share the same notes, but that doesn't mean the relationships between the notes are the same for those keys. Your mom might also be a family member to me. But that doesn't mean she is also my mom. Same person - different relationship.
Let me guess, mouthpiece200. You’re related to his mom because you’re his dad. Trying to roast him?
Yeah, i have a pretty good relationship with your mother.
Rob williams, could you review the pentatonic scale?
Um
@@user-pf8hs7nv6z ouch
Thanks man I'm still figuring out the music theory part of music making and this was very helpful.
Why hello there
Surprising to see you here
@@sushi6097 Well I'm surprised to see *you* here. :)
What’s up umami, reminder that you made this comment. Love your interface series, keep it up man
u m a m i on a Michael New video is a nice sight
This is super interesting, and you talk about it so clear. Thanks man, you rock!
You explained something in 10 minutes in a way I can understand it after learning it for years. Especially comparing the wholetone scale was really insightful.
it took me so long to unterstand this concept, i wish i had this video back then. your explanation is very very clear and well thought out. i loved the introduction with the whole tone scale
thank god I just watched this video. this maybe so simple but surprisingly they never seem to talk about this in music classes. The amount of time I've wasted trying to figure out what scale I'm actually playing in! Turns out I'm using these notes but treating some other note as the tonic.
You can generally figure out what key you are playing in by looking at the last note of the tune.
Your lesson on modes helped me understand this - the notes are the same, but the intervals between the tones changes, for instance 7-8th being a whole tone in Am instead of a half tone as in C. That idea of the “instructions” you explained in the video was immensely valuable and explains everything better than anywhere I’ve ever found.
Sometimes there's a confusion between those eg. A minor vs C Major.
But sometimes a song/piece is obvious that it's a minor or otherwise.
Great explanation! This is the only video I found explaining "why A minor when there's already C major", while most videos are demonstrating how to infer minor scale notes from major scale notes (which made no sense to me until this video). Thank you.
2:55 Joke's on you, I counted "1 2 3" in 4/4 time without even thinking about it:
"1 2 3 1
2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3"
1231231231231212 or 12312312 is quite a common patter in 4/4 time, so it might be somewhat natural.
@@randomguy-tg7ok Yes, that second pattern is the rhythm for the piano in "clocks" by coldplay so I know what you're referring to, but in that pattern the emphasis is on each "1" beat whearas in my pettern the emphasis is on "1" then "2" then "3" then "1" again (hence why I laid it out the way I did.) I wish I could clap to show you, but alas this is the internet.
@@FlamingZelda3 It's called a 3 against 4 polyrhythm 👍🏻
Cameron Saliba Drums that’s not a 3:4 polyrhythm, because it’s not a consistent amount of triplets, and even then, it would have to resolve in 1 bar to be a polyrhythm. The original poster is talking more about polymeter, which resolves over a multiple amount of measures.
Cameron Saliba Drums my first point is in regards to random guys comment, my bad.
By jove I think I have it! Let's make two cakes. You will need Butter, Flour, Sugar, Eggs, and Vanilla. The First Cake. If I emphasize the use of Butter, I may end up with a Pound Cake.
Second Cake. In this cake I don't use as much Butter previously, but instead choose to use a lot more Vanilla, the result is a Vanilla Cake. Thus, I got two cakes using the SAME ingredients, but varied the proportions to get two very different tasting cakes. One was in the major key of Butter, and the other was in a minor key of Vanilla. I could even make Sugar my tonal or "tasting" center and get yet another different tasting cake, all from the "same scale."
I guess the moral of the story here is that although the C Major scale and the A Minor scale have the same "ingredients," they are cooked with different recipes which yields different results. C Major scale as the name would imply is made with a cup of C, and teaspoon of A, while A Minor scale is made with a cup of A and a teaspoon of C. These latter scales however, are a lot less fattening than the above!
Basically, what I am understanding is that music is in the ear of the listener - it is in the hearing. Just like colours are in the human mind, which is built from the eye to the brain to perceive or even invent colours and their relationships to one another, so is music. They are frequencies - vibrations - that in themselves have no qualities and relations, but the mind perceives them as colours and notes that combine and distinguish themselves in different patterns and aesthetic relations. We all perceive individually, yet we share the common perception. We perceive music out of sound frequencies. The octave is a conception of the mind, and the modes are relations of notes in the mind via the ear and the brain using that range.
We self-identify with certain genres or families of music as our cultural identity, and we distinguish ourselves from other genres or families of music. Music through our perception and tribe becomes our identify. With music comes rhythm, and with rhythm movement and dance, to which we add colours, symbols and clothing. Humanity is a cultural collection of different dance choirs moving in their own circles around their family fires to their own language and song, drifting part and colliding and merging together.
''Haters will see you walk on water and say it's because you can't swim.'' - Absolutely Excellent Explanation and Presentation.
Always great material here!, keep it up!
This is, by far, the best explanation of music theory I have ever heard! Good job, keep going and tnx!
As a music major who has studied music theory for 2 years ago far, I gotta say, good job!
Lots of stagnant years on piano (24-29) but people like you are helping end the rut. Can't wait to play with this more when I'm off work. Thank you!
Such a clear presentation of the concepts.. well done
I've just got a keyboard for Christiams and this is one of the best video's on music therory I've seen. Thank you very much!
heyy, nice how you doin?
@@smoothlikebutter3977 Pretty good I'd say. I've downloaded one of the many piano learning apps, Simply Piano. It's been hepful so far. I've also started to write some music with Noteflight which is going decently.
@@BlueEagle-yk6dg that's a good way to start, I'm starting with this alfreds all in one book lvl 1
Just wanna let you know. I'm your newest no1 fan. Please don't stop making videos. You explain so clearly i can't believe you're not making a fortune out of this. Cheers from Thailand.
you are a kick ass teacher. you make everything accessible without making it sound like it was made for toddlers.
Thank you - as Miles Davis said you can play anything so log as you remember where home is. I have a better understanding now of how to use the Spanish Phrygian (flamenco timing)
This is an excellent way to explain many basic notions in music theory because it explains it all on the basis of patterns, rather than just presenting names to memorize and relating everything to chord forms and piano.
I like the way you articulated the difference by relating it to counting with the metronome. I'll keep that in mind moving forward.
I have to explain this to people all the time. Good video mate.
A really simple but elegant explanation of tonal centre - thanks very much.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It is the clearest articulation of an issue I've wrestled with for ages - finally it makes sense, and has put in place for me several other pieces of the music theory jigsaw at the same time! Billiant. Thanks!
This is incredibly useful! I have sung Alto voice in choirs all my life, but really do not know my music theory. The 5 years of violin when I was really young - that music leaning for some reason did not stick. I held on to the bare basics, and then I started wanting to learn basic music theory all over again, and landed on your video, this one in particular. You answer the question super well!! Thank-you 🙂
Thanks, Michael, this has helped me understand more scales and modes. Yes, like many people I had concluded that modes were just the same as the major/Ionian but just starting from a different note, which has some truth but is not the whole picture obviously.
When I was a begginer, I actually found out about the Major Scale when I was unknowingly playing on A Minor and saw that if I resolved in C, it would create this wholesome happier sound.
That blew my mind
.
And then I realized if I played the Minor Scale in F#, I was actually playing the A Major Scale
if I resolved in A.
hi there professor. i just wanted to thank you for all your videos and i'm just saying that i will watch all of them my whole life from now on. thanks again... wait for more!~ /cheers
thank you for the great explanation! what was half expecting was that it would also have to do with somehow the relationships with 1,3,7 or something
Another view of it is ..... play the C major scale - starting from middle C, and then go up to the next C, and then go down the scale back to middle C. And then play the A minor scale starting from A. The pitches are obviously different between the C and A minor scale. That's in 'addition' to what Michael was mentioning about key centres.
Harmoninic minor is so beautiful. Self teached rocking guitar for years and understanding and making use of it opend a whole new world
This is so informative, it solved some of my major confusions about music. Thanks a lot
Great question and superb answer. You have a gift for explaining things concisely.
Yeah ... he's an awesome teacher isn't he ???
That’s so interesting, when he played the Whole Tone scale my mind immediately went to a scene in a campy movie where a character transformed into some magical creature. Music is neat.
This video chnged my life thank you Michael New
Yeah, I feel like I just stumbled onto the fountain of youth or something! lol
I could play other people's music theory lessons in half the speed and still wouldn't get it. I am playing yours in double speed and still getting the most of it. Thank you so much for being such a great teacher.
I have a suggestion, I'm a newbie to music theory and music playing, I always get confused when I want to play music I always try to only play the notes in the scale which I have chosen and have a phobia of pressing any keys out of the scale, so my suggestion is doing a video showing ways of playing other notes while still being in a signature, starting with the simplest examples going onto discovering more complex stuff... thanks for ur videos, they're awesome!
yea fo shizzle!!
+Ehsan Kamran Ya. When and how to play notes out of the key and what effect that has would be a good video topic.
+Ehsan Kamran As long as it sounds good it is. Use your ears while playing.
Gustav Gynt cool thanks for the tip
+Ehsan Kamran When you play notes outside the key you are taking a liberty. The test is whether the note sounds out of place. One common use of notes outside the key is as approach notes, notes that are played quickly with the obvious intention of landing on a note in the key. In the key of C play F, F#, G with accent on the G. You can also use chords outside the key to slide into a chord that's in the key. See video "The blue side of jazz" with Joe Pass on youtube. Start watching at 10:45. (The whole video might be interesting.)
I know you weren't talking about modes... but this video just helped me understand modes clearer than I ever have!!!
I just had this question arise this week while playing in A minor and felt this differences in perception.
Thank you so much for this explanation it really helped me understand better what was happening.
My best wishes :)
Wow impressive. Straight to the point, easy to understand. Always wondered why there's a relative minor when all the notes where the same. Good job
You explain this stuff better than anyone else I've seen on UA-cam. Keep it up.
And in jazz, they seldom use a key signature, they just add the accidentals everywhere. Excellent video.
@ 5:24, I describe this phenomenon as modulating pitch function. Basically, the same note functions or sounds different across multiple keys.
The B note in the key of C major, functions as kind of a "weak" or "dissonant", but in the key of A minor, it has a totally different function, even though C major and A minor are relative keys.
+TheCrimsonIdol987 I like the phrase "modulating pitch function".
+TheCrimsonIdol987 You might say B is 'mode-sensitive between C and A minor' meaning its sound changes more than that of other notes according to the mode in which it is use. I don't like 'modulating pitch function.' For one thing the pitch doesn't matter. It could be a middle B or high B or tuned higher etc.
DucksDeLucks In the sense of pitch function, I literally mean note.
I used pitch because within the range of human hearing, all B notes sound the same except in higher and lower frequencies.
You can think of a note having a certain frequency, and if you half that frequency, or double it, you get a new note that sounds the same except in a higher or lower range.
That is the very definition of an octave anyways, if any note's frequency is halved or doubled, it's the same note again, and harmonically, serves a particular function in a key, which changes (ie "modulates") depending on the key.
So modulating note function basically.
No matter how high the frequency the note is within the range of human hearing, the B note in the key of C major will feel unsettling and "dissonant" to the listener, whereas in the key of A minor, it sounds totally different, and in the key of E minor or major, the note functions differently.
Pitch in this sense doesn't refer to the frequency of the notes, because if you pick a higher or lower frequency B, that note will serve the same function in the key of C major.
+TheCrimsonIdol987 the reason for this, is that "B" is arbitrary. the INTERVAL is what your ear hears. B is the second interval in "a min" but the seventh interval in "c maj". THAT'S why it sounds different. its not a phenom. you cant apply an arbitrary term across two diff platforms and expect it to function the same.
theodore peters A phenomenon can be used as a synonym for observation, which is the context I used.
And you're right, B is arbitrary, we may as well name notes after colors and the same event would occur.
Essentially, a single note can function many different ways depending on what particular interval it lies.
The term I used is not necessarily referring to theory per se, but more of how the note "feels" in a given key. What it sounds like, getting used to what the intervals feel like is a much better way of teaching music theory in my opinion.
Most students I've had couldn't give a shit less what a dominant chord is, yet they can identify it by how it feels.
That was amazing. You are a born teacher. Thank you so much. More power to your elbow. .as we say in the UK!
I love you videos. I listen to them a lot and your voice is so soothing that I can put them on when I go to sleep.
Very informative video that I stumbled upon by searching "how to tell Am from C" in confirming the key of one of my own songs! I think I got my answer! Thank you, and I subscribed!
You explained all this really well Michael.Thanks a lot.
OMG!! That was SO helpful!! I am a beginner piano player and some of this music theory I find interesting, but it can be very confusing. UNTIL I saw your video! That was, by FAR the best, most easily understood explanation. Thank you so much!
This is a really good description! Only when you established a tonal centre at A and played a B, it also sounded like it had a tenseness to it. It wanted to resolve to A, which leads into the whole area of stable and unstable notes, which I find quite interesting.
8:53 you kind of talked in the same note you played
I noticed your Misaki pfp and read your channel description. This way you know this interaction happened and your description is appreciated :)
@@Ploist Woah I did make this comment 7 years ago. Thanks for letting me know! It's always nice when people mention it. Nuclear Throne is pretty cool too, I love Vlambeer games.
Here's a suggestion for a video: If I can transpose a song from one key into another key by preserving all the relative pitches, what contribution does any particular key actually make to a song? In other words, why not just write all songs in the same key? Or put another way, what considerations go into the composer's decision to choose one key over another key?
+beneficial how are you? I want to share some insights about what I feel about it. And I can be totally wrong because I'm stupid about theory. If you pay attention, every note has it own feeling. Im not sure how to explain but I can everyone associate different feeling to different notes through experiences in life or music you hear and assimilate. This works for me, and you can give a try: Get a song that really speaks to your soul. A song you really identify as expressing things that you feel right now. If you play the songs by ear, you will notice that you are way more likely to hit the the exact first note of the song on your instrument. And as I study about music theory I learned that this has to do a lot to what they call the "perfect pitch" and how people achieve this. There is also another factor, that physically, every note has its own frequency. I play a lot the bass, and I think I can feel way louder those vibrations/frequencies in my body. Our body is mainly made of water and there are numerous of studies about how frequencies/music change the shape of the water crystals...just food for thought.... ps: I'm not high :-)
+beneficial That's a very good question, and I think the responses you've gotten so far are really pretty good. I would definitely like to do a video on that at some point.
From a band perspective, Some keys are easier to play on certain instruments. G is really easy on a saxophone but Ab isn't. Bb is really easy on a flute but B-natural isn't. It just depends on how instruments are made.
Check out Adam Neely's video called "Which key is the saddest?" It offers a bunch of possible explanations, and is just an excellent video all around. Very enlightening
@@NoshuHyena Quote: "“It’s part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I’m working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don’t know why.”"
ew.com/article/2011/11/11/spinal-tap-nigel-tufnel-day
;-)
This is amazing! Your video has answered and explained so many of my sticking points. Why can’t other music “teachers” explain so well? I’ve struggled to understand Modes for years and you have done a better job of explaining it, almost as a side note. I think one of the problems with other “music teachers” is that they know a lot of things and they assume that other people know them because to them it’s self evident, or they deliberately use terms to show off their knowledge and feel superior because they know the learners don’t know it. Great work man. Keep it up. Thank you. 👍🏻
I disagree....they're the SAME KEY signature.
I can PUSH DOWN from C MAJOR towards C minor...as well
as A minor towards A Major.
Plus songs dont need to start on the TONIC all the time.
I can play....E phrygian....A aeo B loc...as a sort of I, IV, V...
other songs starts on the V, IV, I ( such as sweet home alabama)
b3, b6, b7 are just the second arpeggio of the I, IV, V chord...
some people said sub to parallel Major or min...( it works)
but I can also simply subsitute the I chord to a min..
But Im still in C MAJOR..
The process works that in Harmonic MAJOR...
b6 = Harmonic MAJOR
C Maj F min G7
C min F Maj G7 ( I turns into a min) ...Im not in C min.
I could be....But If just subs that chord once as cadence.
it's just easier to leave it in C MAJOR.
Amin D min E7 ( A Harmonic min ....yes?)
A MAJ D min E7 ( A Harmonic MAJOR)
Sometimes wanna play C# dim as a passing note/chord into the D min chord.
but If I stack the A note below it..it's just A7 into D min E min FMaj
it'll be as if I played D melodic min.lmao....But Im still in C MAJOR/Amin
I can even do this......D harmonic min b2...
D min.... Eb Maj to C min....G min F min E7 into the A minor chord again.
Im still in C MAJOR/A min
I can even do this.....A dim B dim into C MAJOR...
Anyways....I can ply these 10 different scales..in different ways...
UNTIL....I shift to a DIFFERENT KEY....I will tell you or MAKE side NOTES....
Other than that,,,Im just Modulating using the different scales
Whether you call it C MAJOR or A min... Count both ways
The KEY SIGNATURE are the same.....
its' still in C MAJOR/Amin...Im going to use all 7 of those MODES
and MORE ( 10 scales =70 Modes) Im going to play ALL 12 notes
in DIFFERENT combinations..it is best that I dont mind FU%$#K myself.
First and foremost.
The MAJOR scale INTERVAL is just REFERENCE.
b6 = Harmonic MAJOR
b3 = Melodic min
b3, b6 = Harmonic min
b3, b6, b6 Natural min
b2, b3
b2, b3, b6
b3, b5
b3, b5, b6
b3, #4
b3, #4, b6
#6
........................................
Or I can go like this.....Im still in whatever the PARENT KEY
Lets say I was in C MAJOR/Amin....
Im simply play those 5 BLACK KEYS too....( just in different combinations)
aeo maj7 Harmonic min
dor maj7 Melodic min
phry maj7 Harmonic min b2
loc maj7 Ion #6
dor b2 maj7 Melodic min b2
dor b5 maj7 melodic min b5
dor #4 maj7 melodic min #4 ( lydian b3 IV of Harmonic MAJOR)
aeo b5 Maj7 Harmonic min b5
aoe #4 Maj7 Harmonic min #4
mix Maj7 Ion
hi micheal, i'm writing from Italy and i want to tell you that your way to explain music theory is very very clear and i like it a lot. I know almost everything you explained in your videos, but you make it more comprehensible and i found new inspiration watching your clips.
like someone other said before i'd like to hear something more about chords progression and making songs in general.
i will be also very pleased to know how and when to use different scales in composition or improvisation: something like pentatonic, blues scale, whole tone scale and diminished ones.
thank you again and greetings from Italy! ;-)
Amazing. Your videos are very easy to understand because of how clearly you convey your thoughts. I now know why C major and A minor are different despite having the same notes.
UA-cam suggestions aren't that bad! I had this same question this morning and it was hard to find a good answer for it when i googled. Now when i am visiting UA-cam just to test if my headphones are working, i found this video and i couldn't resist but to watch it.
Really helpful, thank you! :)
I only just started watching your videos and so far, I think you are doing great . I'm not here to judge you or the way you explain things , I'm here to learn as much about music as I can . I studied theory when I was learning to play guitar (30'plus years ago), and never really understood what it was about . I believe everyone should have some knowledge of theory to apply to any instrument that you are playing and also for playing with others. Keep up the good work Michael and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for the explanation. Closer to mastery than before I heard your video.
In any diatonic major key, the 'relative minor' is always a minor third below. You can play the same melody over either chord and it will always "fit". Just pick up a guitar and strum a C chord and sing some notes you make up that sound okay to your ear. Then switch your strumming to an A MINOR (its one finger different, just lift your 3rd finger and play the 5th string OPEN, not fretted) and sing the same melody over the top. Hear the difference? Keep singing the same melody over and over while strumming those 2 chords back and forth (C major//A minor//C major//A minor) back and forth. When you hear how the same melody notes feel different depending on which chord is underneath, you've got it. Its a VERY common device in writing. (Hint: Go to F major next....) You can do it on a piano too, its EASY.
Incredibly helpful nugget of a video this!
man you are the teacher I need right now. I can play but I do not understand the WHY. you have a damn good understanding and conveying power. carry on! :D
Excellent! I've watched 2 of your videos so far and I think I learned more from them than I did watching a month's worth of other videos on UA-cam. Thank You!
I've been asking myself this question for so long. Watching this video feels like an itch being scratched. Thank you!!
Both are modes over the gamut of "white keys only." "C Major" is Ionian mode over bespoke gamut, and "A Minor" is Aeolian mode over4 bespoke gamut. Furthermore, when picking, I use a "C-6th" (C, E, G, A) as a tonicc chord, even if you may call i9t an "A Minor 7th." Doing so is part and parcel of "swing." The idea of "chord substitution" took me a while to learn and use for fun.
This was an interesting and useful video, particularly the last few minutes when you properly explain modal keys and how "key signatures" do not contain all the information. I'd kind of figured a wo rking set of rules out enough to put together big arrangements derived from what sounded good on guitar, but I have lost count of the number of times I've butted heads with the singer and guitarist/violinist i work with regularly. They are both "classically trained" so they keep telling me, and both quite talented performers and composers within their own domain, which is nice when things head in a neoclassical metal kind of direction. Friction occours when I write the structure of a piece, which might sound thereabouts minor but the chances are it's phrygian or dorian, then either switch to the relative major for a bridge or chorus part entailing no change of "key signature" but very obviously some kind of mood and key change. More devious is an phrygian -> mixolydian change, or actually changing key, for example E phrygian to G Aeolian because it just fits better. This tends to catch performers out (including myself as I don't really do this consciously) unless I make notes on score / in the DAW, and explain carefully what I've done. Only then I have to sit through a lecture on "modes are only for guitarists working out how to fake a lead" or "classical theory does away with all that, this is not plainsong" followed by the "but there's a key change, I can hear it" or "i thought you said there was a key change" which turns into some very painstaking dissection of my synth or guitar part followed by a very detailed dissection of the several layers of backing parts I fed to the DAW. It's worse that I don't read score very fast and the others have hatred of piano roll.
My point is you're talking the nuances of theory I've been trying to express, and I'd have an easier life if more classically trained performers (I dread dealing with "i've got my grade 8 in {instruments} who are you to tell me about theory" types) had this kind of theory explained. I picked it up from studying what was going on in the music that spoke to me, the back page of a scale book someone left in my gigbag and some chats about how to improvise or fake a part with with a few (former) jazz influenced housemates and in recent years a few books. Plenty to get by on and compose consitently, but talking to people who havent worked this out as it tends to be avoided, glossed over or badly explained in books.
One thing I've noticed, is how the perceived key of a melody, can be decided by what key the bass is in. So, say I wrote a melody using the notes A, B, C, D, E and G (I skip F, because it usually clashes), the very same melody will have a different feel depending on whether the bass beneath is continuously playing in A or C or F.
+pointPi That's very true; the bass note is a very strong driver for the key center.
Love your videos. You do a fantastic job in the way you explain theory.
Cool video. I think it's easier and quicker (for me at least) to think about popular music using the relative major. A lot of popular music, even if it's in a minor key, behaves almost like it's in the relative major anyway. It's way easier to shout in rehearsal, "so it starts on the six, then goes to the five, then to the four," instead of "so it starts on the one, then goes to the flat seven, then to the flat six," and so on. Plus, when you get into minor 9 and 11 chords, it's pretty much behaving like the major anyway. Or, at least, the main colour is still major.
Anyway, just the way I like to think about it, as a piano player. You're totally right though. Technically, that's the way to think about it.
Thank you Michael for these brilliant explanations...the manner in-which you produce these videos with clarity and simplicity, whilst also providing a high level of detail and depth is, for me, a highly rewarding learning experience... 👍👍👍
This was insanely useful, thank you. I've been struggling for weeks now with what the heck the difference is between C major and a minor. Like A major and a minor? No problem! But using the same notes, it made no sense at all. You finally explained this in a way where it all falls into place, so thank you a thousand times over.
Re 13:37. Some of the jazz and pop tunes we played in high school, actually had a proper dorian key signature. Where the root chord was minor but the key signature was "missing" one flat.
During the first minute watching your video I wasn't able to grasp what you were talking about.
Then, the "A-ha" moment: I studied Solfeggio for more than one year, albeit a lifetime ago; as of today if I have an unknown part, I start with solfege it before actually trying to play it.
It's hard to explain if you call the notes C-D-E, etc instead of calling them Do-Re-Mi etc. but the solfege (sol - fa) of a part, when you actually "call" the downs and ups of each note within its measure, make for a natural understanding of what key you are solfegging.
Thanks for the video! Upvoted.
Thanks for your lessons, I got totally understand what it's going, like specific scale vs floating feeling mood.
Thank you Michael so very much for this video! I've been trying to wrap my head around modes for the last couple months, and this was the the most helpful video I have seen thus far.
Thank you,this made mode identification a lot easier to understand.
I particularly liked the quick info that the key signatures really only tell you which group of notes you are using instead of it meaning a particular key. When I took Music Theory in high school, this was not explained.
Great video. Nothing new to me, but cool to hear it from a different perspective. I think it's worth noting that you can very easily switch between A minor and C major (or any other relative keys) by simply switching the focal point in your playing, even in the same song. Many songs have a verse in minor and a chorus in major or the other way around for example.
I really appreciate all of your work Michael. Thank you for your guidance.
Excellent video, finally feel like I understand the difference between a Major and its relative minor key!
Hey Michael, I'd like to suggest a subject for a future video - and that is Chord Progression. It would be great to hear your explanation of the logic behind the most used Chord Progression and maybe present some sort of chart that we could use when composing. Thanks and keep up the great work!
+Sugar Puppies Agreed. A video on building chord progressions is way overdue.
Great quality stuff. Thanks for such good content!
Superb. Thank you Michael.
I wish I find these videos 5 years ago. Great info.
Why wouldn't anyone just explain this like you did? it is very simple yet had my brain boiling in confusion whenever I thought about it.
It's amazing to me that the difference is how you HEAR it, in context.
My goodness, this teacher is so good, why didn't I find you before? Loved your videos, congratulations and keep the good job
Your approach, explanations, examples and presentation is excellent. Keep it coming as it has helped me a lot. I refer people to your vids a lot. Thanks very much for sharing your hard work. Cheers from Canada!
Great video, hope this gets to more people who are starting to learn music - this is really confusing at the beginning.
great stuff man! Im trying to expand my songs. Im self taught and watching your videos really helps me to tie it in all together so it makes a perfect harmony of knowledge!
Thanks man!
Thank you!! Like all video's of you I've seen this was super helpful and really clear. You're my new favorite music theory teacher. Gonna bingewatch the entire music theory playlist now :)
the best music lesson I ever had in my whole life. .. thanks a lot. please keep uploading more videos . . thank you so much my friend
fantastic video man. Glad I found it now. Thanks.
Easy way to think about it: what note do you start on? That would be the tonic, root note & key. Another easy way: if the bass plays the root note, a pedal bass, everything you play above that will 'relate' to that note. You could play a pedal C on the whole tone scale & it would sound different than if you played the exact same melody over an E or F# pedal (with the whole tone scale).
So yes, it's about relationships of all the notes, so where you begin is absolutely important. I'm surprised he didn't give a nod to that idea. It's so simple.