Chord Inversion Philosophy & Voice Leading | There's Nothing to Remember!
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2018
- The funny thing is, you can already play inversions and voice leading is something already possible to implement. How? If you know the major scales and the template for the chords in root position. It is that simple. Voice leading is a kind of conservation of movement from one chord to the next and usually involves an inversion in at least one of the chords involved, or both.
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Instead of jumping all over the place to play chords in root position, one is often obliged (in composition or improvisation, at least, or with a lead sheet telling you the chord but not where or in which inversion to play it) to use inversions. You simply cannot do this if you don't know the root position template and you can't know that if you don't know the major scales. It is that simple.
In this video, (with my broken upper C note which - sorry, it plays louder than the other notes and distracted me a little too much so I need to check the contacts inside... fun!), I'm basically saying: start by at least playing the following chord types in their inversions in the most popular keys first, without neglecting all the 12 keys because you really can't escape them: Major and minor triads with dominant and Major 7th, 6th, augmented (#5), whole and half diminished and sus4 chords.
One exercise I did not do but I do like, and have demonstrated in many other videos, is to play as blocks and move over different octaves. I'm happy to make a video detailing exercises for chord inversions if enough people ask!
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inversions in connection with other chords made clear even to a beginner. Thank you very much
I picked up a second hand keyboard on an urge to learn, and in two weeks with only your tips on how to think and what to focus on in practice, and a minimal knowledge of theory from guitar; I've got the major scale set as second nature, chord shapes are showing themselves more easily, and my hands are starting to ignore my thoughts and do it properly on their own. It's great to learn from someone who understands what they're teaching so well, thank you for the lessons.
Hello SP and welcome to my channel. Thank you for your positive comment. Very very glad to read that you have the major scales down. That is so important it's beyond words (but I try!) I wonder if you might consider this video next? ua-cam.com/video/B6pk8RyAvek/v-deo.html
Best,
Dan
Only 2 weeks ? Alright,
GOOD 4 YOU*. REALLY !! 🌟💪🌟.
I've shared your identical passion to passionately study YT Spanish since Feb 2021; by comparison I HAVE HARDLY MADE A DENT - ""UGGGH !!"". 🙃
I say to you; "Never lose your Desire and Passion for Anything !!"I
✔️🌟🌟💪🌟🌟✔️
Dan always goes straight to the heart of the matter, for example, right here, in seven words: "Modal theory is just major scales inverted." Minute 09:03
An amazingly memorable aphorism.
Instead of moving around to different teachers the last 4 years on piano I should have just stayed with you oh my goodness this is so easy with practice 🙄
You're the best, thanks for sharing these brilliant tips, love from Brazil.
Thank you likewise for watching and welcome to my channel :)
Be sure to read the description boxes for each video... there always more goodies :)
Best,
Dan
Once more I feel the need to say, thank you Dan! This is another great video that managed to make inversions look easy as never before.
I really can't believe it's been only two months back when I discovered your channel and bought your e-books! Before that, I couldn't improvise at all and given how difficult piano seemed, I didn't expect to be able to improvise anytime soon. It was quite demotivating. Now, I regularly come to work late, because once I start improvising, my inspirational source just won't shut up. Even my friends are fairly impressed already.
Not only is improvisation finally fun, but also is an exciting way to learn new things. Every single day I just add something small - a new chord, new note outside of the scale, change my left hand pattern a bit, use a different time signature - whatever comes to my mind that day. Just one small easily digestable thing per day, and it adds up like a snowball.
I consider myself very lucky to live in a universe in which you're teaching everyone, who's willing to learn, your philosophy. Thank you!
Hello Zaxik, thanks for your positive comment :) Always a pleasure to see that someone 'gets it' thanks to my little efforts.
Thank you for purchasing my eBooks. Your contributions do help. I'm more glad, however, of their positive effects! I am sure others are inspired by your comment, too! I hope your boss won't blame me for any disciplinary action required!
It's great how you're letting your inspirational source do its thing. How are your major scales?
Your finally comment is supremely too kind for me... please note that I am nothing without others such as yourself.
Best,
Dan
Thanks for asking about my major scales! I have to confess, quite shamefully, that I cannot play the C major with both hands across more than 1 octave! My fingers just kinda "get drunk" and I never finish on the fingers I'm supposed to. It should be the "easiest" scale, but to me it's really the most difficult, because it's the only one that has no pattern at all. I honestly don't know how to overcome this.
All other scales are just fine, my brain is anticipating the patterns and fingers just follow naturally. It's all burned in my brain as it's one of the things I've been practicing furiously during the times when I was stuck.
I think you are just too humble. Most teachers on youtube teach piano as if they were all reading the same textbook, but none of them will tell you about the internal piano, conscious interference etc... You're the only one I know who is really aiming a spotlight at the REAL foundations of being a pianist, and you're doing it for free (or just a few bucks for the e-books). You deserve every single kind word aimed at you.
Thanks for this.
Dan is the best teacher on the web, no question.
Piano is the beautiful physics of sound; all mathematic. I love your philosophical videos on piano, its something I naturally picked up and its cool seeing you talk about it :D .
On a side note, what really intrigues me is why these discrete combinations of frequencies are inherently appealing. Its like its in our genes to enjoy specific vibrations and feel emotion respectively (despite social constructs i.e movies).
🤔 Just another beautiful wonder of life.
Hello Yung LIng, thank you for your positive comment and welcome to my channel. I'm delighted to be a little part of your destinationless journey. It seems you 'get it' - you will achieve much.
I know what you mean.. I'm working on my podcast series at the moment and I have recently finishing writing about this very topic!
Best,
Dan
piano-jazz.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-word-in-your-ear.html
Thanq very much for your time and effort. Greetings from Holland
Thank you kindly and welcome :)
If you haven't seen my blog, I recommend this article: piano-jazz.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-pianists-checklist.html - and this playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PL4cPpP-Ua6NWl43cy2XiArwodqSmWBOzC.html - Feel free to keep me updated with your progress and be sure to read the descriptions of each video!
Best,
Dan
Wonderful teaching style, refreshinglay free of complexity, and loaded with intelligent and thoughtful commentary, Dan. Coming from being classically trained in my teens, ignoring (out of frustration from rigid practice regimens and - yes, truth - no theory) to finally re-embracing the keys 40 years later, I thank you for these videos. I am a major ANDq minor master with my scales now, something I never thought possible, as I struggled with them my entire life. Shape. Framework. Order. System. You’re speaking my language!
One practice technique I’d like to offer to others (apologies in advance if you already teach it; it just came naturally one day from thinking freely of new ways to practice) is playing my scales in all modes. I start with X Major or minor and then play the Dorian, Phrygian, etc. scale, on up. It is truly amazing how my natural (proper, as you say!) fingering falls into place, no matter what strange modal scale I’m doing. I don’t even need to think about it. I see the shapes instantly in any key and any mode.
Keep sharing your knowledge and wisdom. It’s truly appreciated.
Wonderful video lesson, thanks Dan. You often make a complicated theory simply enough to comprehend. I notice recently the first inversion of any minor 6 scales has the same figure shape. For example if I play Eb-G-A-C and that is Cm6/Eb, if I play F-A-B-D and that is Dm6/F so on an so forth. You are right there is no much to memorize. Great job, Dan
Hello Andrew, sorry for my delay. I've been distracted with a few other things! Finally working through all the comments this evening :) I'm glad this video simplified things and that you understand there is very little to memorise (there is also very little in terms of technical exercises, of course, since we only have ten fingers and 12 notes! but that's another topic).
Yes, you have discovered one of quite a few 'overlaps'... others exist for extensions such as the major seventh shape is the m9 of whatever the root is the minor of: FACE... DFACE :)
New videos soon.. just working on this podcast and my poem-novels!
Best,
Dan
(My podcast work-in-progress, for those who are unaware: piano-jazz.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-word-in-your-ear.html)
Oh, Dan, just brilliant, so much explained in one video. Thank you!
Thank you Lady M! Nice to see a comment from you. I hope this video gave you something to play around with. I'm feeling another video coming in which I provide technical exercise examples for the content of this video so watch this space.
I trust you're well...?
Best,
Dan
Strangely kinda being doing this recently. I was trying to work out how you made jumping around the octaves look so simple and was that just eons of practice.... anyway, it seems not as just a little practice of jumping around and your hands do seem to just work it out. ( ONE note on that that I don't think you have covered but please correct me if you have. I find as I moved away from the centre of the keyboard my finger accuracy decreased, it took me quite a while for my wrist to find the correct angles to enable my fingers to present perpendicular to the keys at anywhere on the keyboard. ) so for me both the physical movement and the inversions were a bit of a challenge. Another thing that my brain initially said no to was playing the chords broken highest to lowest key. Playing all notes together and ascending seemed straight forward, but thinking of playing descending and my fingers were not jumping to the correct notes. Also what I find with your method Dan, is that once the skill is mastered in one key it rapidly becomes available in all other keys also with my left hand... which is odd as it is a mirror of the right. Amazing. Oh! one last thing... have you ever worked with stroke victims who have lost the use of one of there arms. This method must have a place in stroke recuperation, it would be like imagining yourself better.
Thank you for this informative comment. I hope it encourages others, too. Yes, your mention of moving away from the 'centre' is critical. You must make sure you sit in the same place every time you sit at any keyboard. For me, Middle D points at my belly button. My arms, precision and internal piano are all absolutely rooted to that position. Be sure you find yours. Also, don't sit too close or too low, so as to avoid 'energy puddles' at joins. Power must flow from the shoulders to the fingers unimpeded, with the next joint being a tiny bit lower than the previous.
Yes, of course, there are no keys so your ability with accuracy and theory is instantly applicable anywhere, anytime.
I have not worked with such individuals but some of the teachings apply very much such as not having two hands but ten fingers (or five!) or that the LH/RH don't ONLY do things which are 'on the left' or 'on the right' of the piano... they can (and must) blend. I have a video or two where I play a piece with one hand (both, but alone)... you wouldn't know if you didn't look that only five fingers were playing. I demonstrate the opposite, too: 1 finger from each hand plays... you wouldn't have any idea unless you looked... and I encourage others to do the same :)
Best,
Dan
Best teacher ever!
Thank u boss
This is great, thank you! As a year 3 player I wish I had been practicing at least with my left hand. Maybe a preference question, but do people play inversions on the left and block chords with the right?
Thank you for watching. First of all, it's dangerous territory when you start thinking about left hand does this, right hand does that. Do aim, at all times, to be able to play chords and scales and all technical exercises with both hands together, eyes closed as often as possible... then such a question will not even exist. Second, the word 'block chord' is not defined by which hand plays it; a block chord is just two hands playing notes to make a chord - it could be lower in the register or up high. It could be 3 notes in the left and two in the right or one in the left and 4 in the right! All variations exist. The same goes for inversions so be careful not to confine them to hands/areas. Hope this helps!
Best,
Dan
@@danthecomposer this does help Dan, thank you! I meant triad vs. 'Blocks but I totally, totally get your point. Thank you for the thoughtful response!!
Dan,
If I want to communicate with you regarding questions that come up into my mind from time to time, should I use your email or always post my questions here in youtube?
Thanks :)
Upvoting this video :)
Hello Ahmed,
Feel free to use both but if you think your question could be useful to other readers and is not so personal, a video comment would be more beneficial :)
Glad you liked the video!
Best,
Dan
I will vote for video comments too indeed. And Dan, liking your videos in my opinion is the least thing you deserve. Truth must always be told. When someone is dedicating his time, effort, concentration, and soul to produce such rich lessons, he should receive an award. You've tremendously contributed to my skill improvement, Big Time. I am getting better everyday when applying your theories. I recently bought a Yamaha Genos because of these lessons. :)
Keep up the great work. (thumbs always up)
I do know the major scales degrees and everything but I can't see the inversions fast enough. I feel the only way to play them instantly is to memorize the shapes.
No no no :) If you know the major scales truly, then the note values will be instantaneous. All you need is ONE template (for the chord type you need) and then you can find those note values within the major scale in any inversion.... very quickly. There's chords I've probably never played but would play them instantly based on wherever my fingers are/whatever the melody forces because I'd know the chord type to come (say m7), know its template (1 b3 5 b7), know the key (say G) and then see the major scale of G and know G, Bb, D and F are the notes to play, anywhere, however I want and in whatever order... the shape memorisation will happen passively for the ones you use more often, sure, but is not the 'way' to mastery.
Best,
Dan
Hi Dan! Great video!!
I do have the same problem of not seeing the inversions fast enough😢
Am i correct if i say that if you had to play e.g. the 2nd inversion (with given template 1 b3 5 b7 of chord type m7)of above mentioned chord, that in your MIND you are actually playing the degrees/ values of the G minor scale namely 5-b7-1-b3 and NOT D-F-G-Bb. (You see the scale as an arrangement of NUMBERS from 1-7) If that‘s the case that would mean that it‘s crucial to learn the note values/ degrees of a scale so as to be able to play inversions effortlessly? Knowing the degrees by heart would also help immensely when it comes to adding 9th (the 2), 11th (the 4), 13th (the 6)of chord, no?
Best,
Mike
What are you saying? I don’t follow. You don’t need to remember inversions because you can memorize them and besides there aren’t as many as you think because some chords are the same as other chords but notated differently
HI, thanks for your question and for watching. Let me show you a calculation to highlight why you don't need to 'remember' inversions, you just know them inherently because you know the chord template: Let's say there's 10 chord types you'd do well to master the template of.. most are 4 notes so that's 4 positions.. and there's 12 keys.. so you get 10 x 4 x 4 x 12 = 1,920. This could be higher if you add some more chord types. Or, you can remember 10 templates and find the inversions in any key instantly thanks to major scale mastery...
Sure, sometimes a shape is two chords or three, depending on what key you decide to apply to it but each will feel totally different once it's in its own key.
Your choice my friend!
Best,
Dan
@@danthecomposer But what is the template, say for a Maj7 chord? Is it some combination of the 1-3-5-7 of a major scale. If that is what you mean then I understand, I just assumed, maybe incorrectly, that is how everyone understands it. You still need to commit some sort of brain image/muscle memory of the note patterns to storage to recall them on command don't you?
I’m about to upload a video to explain this. I’ll post the link here when it’s done 🙋♂️🎶🎹
you're right.This is an example:
m.ua-cam.com/video/cY4B0m9A0Nc/v-deo.html
the chord progression is Fm7(11),#Am7(11),#Dm7(11) however the #Dm7(11) is absolutely different inversions which suitable for the advacing melody and gives the chord sophisticated feeling without losing the melody.Remember,minor 9th and minor7 11th is very similar.And different voicing is optimize the harmonization.You can't say that it requires no memory.Yes all jazz musician must systemize the chords,i develop all minors types base on simplest minor chord.However i must pratice to play them smoothly.
i have to admit that i need to remember several inversions of a same chord,at least 4 include the basic form(basic chords are the chords that you can play with just your left hand)But we also have a trick.C and F always share the same fingering and shape whatever the chord you play.
When He said NOT in the Key of C because its far over used I subscribed str8 away...Tired of teachers teaching wit C MAJOR.!!
Glad to hear it! Welcome :)
OK,... This is definitely not a video for beginners or probably even intermediate either "Bouncing around on the keys faster than a woodpecker can tap "Whew".
Hopefully you understand I can't make only beginner videos all the time and need to do some more advanced things for people who are ready for it? This video is achievable if you have major scale mastery since all chords come from major scale tones. Perhaps begin with this playlist and come back to this? ua-cam.com/play/PL4cPpP-Ua6NUAnf54mQbk1xjbc4xDfu4K.html
?? I've followed this Vid the best that I could, but really, Dan - TMI. "UgGH !" 😱 🤪 😱
😫 I’m happy to make a simplified version? Or to expand on one point in a shorter video? If you try to explain what you think you’ve understood, it may show up the theory holes…