The Db chord is normally referred as neapolitan sixth chord when you use it with the third (F) in base. Sounds great especially placed before a V chord.
By accident I had noticed that I love the sound of D half dim7 chord in when playing in C major (kind of Led Zepplin sounding). Looking for new sounds, I wondered what would that turn into under negative harmony--the answer is G7 chord in C minor, which is expectedly a great chord. Then it hit me, the resolution Ab to G note in C major corresponds in negative harmony to the resolution B to C note in C minor. The harmonic minor scale exists because 18th century composers refused to relinquish the wonderful B to C resolution even when composing in minor. So in a sense, the emotion of the b6 to 5 resolution in major is just the negative harmony analog of the harmonic minor scale... I lost sleep last night thinking about this... :)
Yes these are such good chords they have such a pull towards the tonic. D minor7b5 (or F minor) sounds like it’s falling down to C major and a G7 sounds like it’s lifting up to C major. Both great emotional effects that feel mirrored
Oh yes, it doesn't even sound weird. I started composing last year, and before I knew any advanced music theory I composed a song with the progression Cm G# G F C G# Bb C, and it just sounds great.
@@skan5728 I messed around with your progression. I liked it, but changed the F to a Ddim and the first Cmaj to Cm. I also made the Bb a Bbsus2 briefly before the C goes up to D to resolve to the Cmaj at the end.
@@jeffgarnes8171 I don't know about the Ddim, but the Bbsus2 is a good idea. Also, using a Gsus4 sounds great instead of the Gmaj. I also love the intro to the song, it goes (on the guitar, arpeggiated): X8X768 to X6X546 to X3X213, three times, with some variations, then later F G C, three times also, then in goes to "that" progression
For some reason, and knowing far less than you do about music theory, once I'd noticed that the root note of C Maj is the 3rd in the Ab triad, I started using the Ab chord to harmonise with C.
I suggest you look into min6 chords (minor chords with a major sixth). The tritone between the b3 and 6 has a dominant-like function. It is the voice-leading equivalent to a perfect cadence with the seventh but inverted. For a while I have been experimenting with "secondary" min6 chords. Much like with dominants, you can form a "chain", but moving down by fourths instead of fifths.
@Later Activity - I tried it and my synth was giving me horror film like tension. Min6/maj7th going down a ladder of 4th jumps. Not sure if I'm doing it right.is that what you ment?
I loved the C Dm7/b5 C progression, thanks for letting it ring a bit longer than all those F options! I would have appreciated some more explications on that Fb chord!
"Modal Interchange" (or borrowing chords from a parallel scale) in a nutshell. Think about it - Ab maj is the 6th chord in Cm, Fm is the 4th chord, Dm7b5 is nothing but Fm6 (Fm with a major6th)...etc
@@kukumuniu5658 If that were the case, then the Ab chord formed from that scale would be Ab aug (Ab-C-E), as opposed to Ab maj (Ab-C-Eb) which clearly violates diatonicity
I was confused until you got to the part about using Ab as the 3rd as in the plagal cadence IV-iv-I. This is one of my favorite cadences and is used in many of my favorite songs. John Lennon's In My Life is a great example. Fantastic...and...SUBSCRIBED!
Your videos are so concise and explain way better than any other channel I've found! The whiteboard+soundclip approach makes it easy for us newbies to absorb what is being taught. You hardly ever say a chord without having it play, it's awesome
Ab is also present in the C melodic major scale. As for harmony, it is often used as intensification of the subdominant function with the strong subdominants, borrowed from the parallel minor (F minor and D dim) and phrygian minor (Neapolitan). Other uses are the diminished 7th VII chord as dominant and the augmented 6th chords (Italian, German, French) built on Ab which function as predominants (typically resolving to the V or K6/4). This is its most common uses in classical theory. PS: Most of these cases are demonstrated in the video but I thought someone may be interested why and how those chords work and where they come from.
The flat 6th resolving on maj chord has a Name, it's called 'moll-dur' (german terms meaning 'flat-sharp' or 'minor-major': in Germany were the ultimate scientists of harmony). It comes from intermodulation of a note borrowed from a chord of the minor scale (say Fm triad upon CMaj scale) upon a the major scale. This is what great Dutch pianist Udo Boven taught me. Yours is a series of practical or pragmatical applications of this principle of Harmony.
An Ab chord in C major is a borrowed chord from C minor scale because that is bVI major. Fm to C is called a minor plagal cadence because a major plagal cadence is a IV major to I major. Minor plagal cadence is a iv minor to I major. This works nicely because Ab resolves nicely to G. Db major, if you put it in first inversion (it means you put the fifth as the bass instead of the root), you will get a Neapolitan Sixth chord which is a chord used often by a school named Neapolitan and the olden times. Its function is a pre-dominant which means it come right before a dominant chord, in this case, G.
Note my comment. I pointed out how many tunes use F G A, F G Am, C D E, & C D Em. Ab Bb C & Ab Bb Cm is too awkward for most "guitars & drums" rock bands!
Yes yes yes, as soon as I saw the title I thought Ab! Absolutely love that iv-I movement. So cool seeing someone else explain my musical perception so well
This reminds me of Bohemian Rhapsody the ending of it , when the song be in Eb major scale : nothing really matter anyone can see , nothing really MATTER ( comes this note which is B natural or to be accurate its Cb ) with a Ab minor chord , very amazing and emotional....💔
Your theory videos really help spice up my songwriting! Always used out of key chords playing by ear, but understanding how they work and how to build and transition with them really expands the creative palette! Much appreciated
I found this channel yesterday and already feel it's good. I have been experimenting with this Japanese philosophy about building scales and it's a lot of fun to me. It's like Pandora's box opened and all kinds of unsuspected creatures came out. This is exactly what I am looking for! Thanks!
Ab is the upper leading tone of the note G. It's also the reciprocal of B, lower leading tone of the note C. With B you are approaching the tonic chord, CM or Cm, or the 1st degree from below, from the dominant region. With Ab, you are approaching the tonic chord from above. or the 5th degree, from the subdominant region. The tonic triad is the synthesis of 1st and 5th degrees with an added determinant, 3 or b3, and so 7 and b6 move to this place of rest from opposite directions. These approaches can be combined in the chord Bdim7, viio7, which strongly resolves to either CM or Cm and contains both dominant and subdominant information. GM and Fm, V and iv, essentially have the same function from this perspective with GM natural to the Ionion mode and Fm natural to the Aeolian mode. DbM is completely on the reciprocal side, it is a Phrygian approach to the tonic. I could go on, but that is basically how I like to think of the b6th.
When I read the title of this video, my first thought is he's going to choose something outside the key of C. However, despite that I thought for a moment and tried to answer for myself in Key. I chose D. I really like Dm and it's a very melancholy type sound. Then I watched the video and you chose Aflat which is ok. You chose the passing note in the Dm blues scale so I understand the reasoning. Nice video as always.
Honestly, if he hadn't said Ab I would've assumed he'd say A. The sixth--both major and minor--always tends to resonate with me emotionally. Probably because it has kind of the guiding feeling of a third, but with much more space between the notes. Minor 6th is a good pick
If you see it as modal mixture, Fm is the 4th borrow chord from the minor C scale, and Ab is the 6th, and Dm7/b5 is as well as the more basic Ddim is the 2nd. You're essentially going from the C major to the C minor scale temporarily, and these chords in particular are good candidates. Db is the phrygian 2nd chord, and you can look at it the same way.
I’m finding these videos helpful although I’m not a guitarist. The more advanced theory you are teaching leads to more interesting chord progressions and melodies. Thanks.
I see it as part of A harmonic minor respectively C harmonic major. It's the configuration I instinctively go for all the time. I am not a genius so I need to imagine it as part of a scale. If you look at it from different perspective it's part of the Bizantine scale/Hungarian Gypsy scale. I imagine alternating between C# Hungarian and and A harmonic minor. The whole idea is to find patterns that overlap and create melodies based on mixing scales. Chords wouldn't be much of a problem since you know what scale you are in at the moment.
oslo, we can interpret the Ab sound as coming from a parallel scale - C harmonic major, which is a great scale with interesting modes, even if used for such "scale mixtures"
I have felt the same way for the past two years. That augmented 5th is really sadder than the minor sound in my opinion. C--Fm sounds great C--C+ sounds great even Cmaj7add6 -- Fdim7/C sounds great. I love the way it sounds in the relative minor as well if you use your notes right and have some Bach-ish counterpoint in Am it’s definitely a good idea to to throw in the #7 to give a darker sound. Great video man definitely gonna subscribe!
@@ofdrumsandchords Haha, Thanks. Yeah but I don't get to use theory as much as I'd like to. These videos help to keep my mind focused for the times when I do need some theory.
McCartney used f fm to c in the chorus of hello goodbye then used f to Bb7 to c. The Ab note is the 7 in Bb dominant 7th chord( why you say goodbye I say hello)
Several of these progressions can be used in harmonic major as well, since harmonic major is just the major scale with a flat 6, which would be Ab in the key of C.
That was a trick question but a good lesson. An arranging teacher once told me to think of notes as PEOPLE (each with their own personality & relationships) eg in C Maj, B = leading note & wants to go home. F is not happy stuck between E & G because he = sub dominant. He will resolve down to E to keep the peace (sus 4). Of course the teacher was talking relationships not the note called C or G absolutely. (in G Maj C becomes the 4th). Like people in a situation, "What's my job here? How do I fit in? Hey, if we change key I could be the boss." Ok, that's another way of trying to understand WHY some notes want to do things & others are content to be a common tone. What do you think?
in my opinion the perfect 4, so f, is the most emtional note. the major 11 arpeggio, a sus 4 or a c major 7 add 11 chord is just beautiful, even though you have the dissonance.
That would be awesome and even better explanation if you make the analogy with notes and chords as INTERVALS AND GRADES. Also as I understand this resource, as Ab is b6 of C, you are talking about modal interchange or borrowed chords between Ionian C and Aeolian C, where Ab, the flat 6 is, right? This is a great one, thank you!
Easier way to think about these : This is just modal interchange. Fm and Dm7/b5 are taken from C minor, while Db is just the Neapolitan chord when the F is in the bass, or in the case of Db7, a tritone sub.
Emotional can be a person, it'd better to say "the most moving, or exiting note" probably (some English speaking guy could help here in transating better, as I'm italian too). The flat 6th is the sound and flavour of the flat9 of the V7 (if we are in C, the sound of G7b9) and this generates a dim.7 chord, which can resolve both on C Maj and on Cm (the relative min.of Eb Maj) because each note of the Dim.7 (b d f g#) is a leading note to 4 different tonalities, in italian we call them "note sensibili" (the sensitive notes). These 4 notes can be - roughly said - "tonal sensitive" if they go up in semitone, or "modal sensitive" if they go down, as in this case they define the Maj or the minor mode. So, there you are!!.ab note is the modal sensitive pretending to resolve in Eb yet it goes to relative minor Cm or to CMaj. Flat6th resolving on maj chord has a Name, it's called 'moll-dur', german terms meaning 'flat-sharp' or 'minor-major', for in Germany there were the ultimate scientists of harmony). It comes from intermodulation of a note borrowed from a chord of the minor scale (say Fm triad, or Ab triad upon CMaj scale) upon a the major scale. You can have also Abm7 and Db. It's just tritone substitution of G7: just one of the 4 modulations the Dim.chord can lead to. This is what great Dutch pianist Udo Boven taught me. Things presented in video are a series of practical or pragmatical applications of this principle of Harmony.
@@FernieCanto I admit you're right - in theory. But since we live in the era of well-tempered tuning your ears can't tell if it's G# or Ab when I'm hitting that nasty key. ;-)
@@dreistein without context your ears wont hear any difference, But in Musical context your brain pitches the Tone higher or lower to the frequency Which is meant, in this case a Flat or g sharp
He’s strictly talking about Ab in the context of being the most emotional note of C major. And G# evokes entirely different kind of emotions than Ab, hence why chords containing G# can’t be used in this context.
Interesting choice. Claude Werner's thesis talks about an octatonic scale where the G# = Ab (which he also calls Q) is included with the major scale. The most immediate benefit is that the relative minor now has a leading tone, so we don't have to worry about harmonic minors/melodic minors, etc. BTW, at 1:07, you say (something like) "Ab resolves down to the G note, not up to the B note." I think you mean "A" here.
I can live with your idea, but I would like to suggest to borrow from the blues scale. Use an Fdom7 chord . . . that brings an Eb tone. Blends very well with C major scale.
It may not be an emotional chord, but Bb (bVII) can also sound very good in C major, definitly in combination with Ab. Ab - Bb - C (bVI - bVII - I) might be my favorite cadence in major.
Love you MATE. LOVE the way you explain theory. Just when you THINK you know TONS of THEORY ( which l love); l definitely have heard of all this, but THERE’S just the way you explain it; BRILLIANT! 👊🏾 l used to feel like a deer in headlights with some teachers. I’d get what they were sayin after a month 😂, but you do it in 10 Minutes!! Wish l new those old dudes now. BRAVO TOMMASO 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🎸💚👊🏾💞m
That would work too, but the note will sound different. Ab is the minor 6th in C major and resolves down. G# is the augmented 5th and resolves up. Even if they are enharmonic (their frequency is the same) their 'meaning' in the context of the key is different. It will still sound good - you are not 'wrong' in suggesting that - it will just sound different.
I don't understand why you eliminate the E from the chords including Ab, in our tempered system Ab is also G#. There is a problem of translation. Emotionnal doesn't work in french, émotive or émotionnel means a person who is impressionnable. Sensitive is sensible in french, it means the major seventh of the scale so it's confusing. You have to use at least two words, emotionnally charged or something like that. And it would'nt even be accurate, as it is in fact just chords progression. What really moves people is melody. In a melody, some notes are more moving than others, depends of their place in the chord. I think that the third in a chord is the most interesting in this matter, and speaks to the largest amount of listeners. The 11# or the 13b are repulsive for non trained ears and don't talk to everyone !
Context is king. maj7#11 will be recognized by the average person as the "hollywood chord" as it is frequently used in films. 11# and 13b can absolutely be appreciated by average people if done right.
Not understanding where you came up with the (A-Flat), its not in the "C" Scale. Is it a borrowed Note/Chord? Also How did you arrive at the 3rd & 5th? Trying to figure it out, even in the Key of (A-Flat Maj Scale) the notes, the 3rd would be "C" & the 5th would be (E-Flat). Unless I missed something you never said how you arrived at selecting the (A-Flat) to begin with? Seems like you magically just pulled (A-Flat) out of the air. Now I have used the (A-Flat) to G chord before, especially in endings to Blues songs etc. Just not sure how you got to (A-Flat) to begin with, then of course the 3rd & the 5th. Please Explain???? Thx ElectricEddie
Huh, I thought it would be B because that’s the leading tone.. 😅 another point on the Ab chord is that it’s the chromatic mediant of C, so it naturally works quite well. I think it’s the movement between notes and harmonies that makes the feeling, rather than just the notes themselves (i.e. the context). For example, DM after am sounds hopeful, but DM after gm sounds quite dark/minor
Great Video! If you were to stay in C and not borrow, the answer would be D, IMHO. Like in I9, IV6, V. Emotional but more heroic than sad like 1b or 6b.
What would the equivalent be in minor scales? For A minor, the Gb seems to have a different feel than it does in C, which is weird because they’re relative. I think F# and Eb are both sound *great* over Am. Are they functioning similarly to the Ab in C or do they work because they’re both part of a diminished relationship between A and C?
Ab is of course part of the flatted 5th harmonic sequence of the transmogrified differential of C /ouch my brain just exploded kappa/ love your theory videos ty for posting!
Misleading. You are not referring to an isolated note in C major - you are referring to the emotional response to a chord progression - quite different.
Emotional response is the main point of relevance. And the note has to framed in the context of a relevant and fitting chord progression for it to have any musical usefulness. It's the most emotional note (when you're) in the key of C ;)
@@OdaKa His argument is that Ab always resolves down to G. Has he ever heard of the "Super Mario cadence"? Ab - Bb - C. Not to mention the idea that a *note* can be "emotional". How indoctrinated do you have to be to think *one note* has "emotion"?
But wait a secound, when you use an Ab-Major, then the quinte (5th) is a Db - no? But that Db Note would be then another non harmonic note, no? Maybe somebody knows it better, I just start to follow this here, but is very interesting.
What is wrong with using the E major chord? Sure, technically it doesn't contain an a flat but a g# which doesn't resolve to g but to a. But E is the V/vi, after all (a commonly used secondary dominant). For example C - F/C - E /B - A/C is a very smooth progression in my opinion.
![The 'Forgotten Chord' And How To Use It In Your Songs [Music Theory, Chord Progressions]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zetUCdduqQY/mqdefault.jpg)
![The 'Forgotten Chord' And How To Use It In Your Songs [Music Theory, Chord Progressions]](/img/tr.png)
The Db chord is normally referred as neapolitan sixth chord when you use it with the third (F) in base. Sounds great especially placed before a V chord.
Make it a dominant Db major and you get a tritone substitute. Then ise it to replace the V7
@@BeN-bn5yb Especially in a ii-V-I
By accident I had noticed that I love the sound of D half dim7 chord in when playing in C major (kind of Led Zepplin sounding). Looking for new sounds, I wondered what would that turn into under negative harmony--the answer is G7 chord in C minor, which is expectedly a great chord.
Then it hit me, the resolution Ab to G note in C major corresponds in negative harmony to the resolution B to C note in C minor. The harmonic minor scale exists because 18th century composers refused to relinquish the wonderful B to C resolution even when composing in minor. So in a sense, the emotion of the b6 to 5 resolution in major is just the negative harmony analog of the harmonic minor scale...
I lost sleep last night thinking about this... :)
YES!
Yes these are such good chords they have such a pull towards the tonic. D minor7b5 (or F minor) sounds like it’s falling down to C major and a G7 sounds like it’s lifting up to C major. Both great emotional effects that feel mirrored
Oh yes, it doesn't even sound weird. I started composing last year, and before I knew any advanced music theory I composed a song with the progression Cm G# G F C G# Bb C, and it just sounds great.
@@skan5728 I messed around with your progression. I liked it, but changed the F to a Ddim and the first Cmaj to Cm. I also made the Bb a Bbsus2 briefly before the C goes up to D to resolve to the Cmaj at the end.
@@jeffgarnes8171 I don't know about the Ddim, but the Bbsus2 is a good idea. Also, using a Gsus4 sounds great instead of the Gmaj. I also love the intro to the song, it goes (on the guitar, arpeggiated): X8X768 to X6X546 to X3X213, three times, with some variations, then later F G C, three times also, then in goes to "that" progression
For some reason, and knowing far less than you do about music theory, once I'd noticed that the root note of C Maj is the 3rd in the Ab triad, I started using the Ab chord to harmonise with C.
I love how the F# note feels over a C major chord when I'm soloing
love that Fm to C; used it to much tough. It really has a feeling of sadness, or longing. Great video.
beatles chord
"...making all his nowhere plans for nobody." :-)
I suggest you look into min6 chords (minor chords with a major sixth). The tritone between the b3 and 6 has a dominant-like function. It is the voice-leading equivalent to a perfect cadence with the seventh but inverted. For a while I have been experimenting with "secondary" min6 chords. Much like with dominants, you can form a "chain", but moving down by fourths instead of fifths.
@Later Activity - I tried it and my synth was giving me horror film like tension. Min6/maj7th going down a ladder of 4th jumps. Not sure if I'm doing it right.is that what you ment?
Sounded dramatic for sure.
A flat(or really G#) can also be used in a E chord, which is very common and creates a lot of emotional power
I find the mediant chord is the most emotional to lean on when making chord structures. Very melancholy
I loved the C Dm7/b5 C progression, thanks for letting it ring a bit longer than all those F options!
I would have appreciated some more explications on that Fb chord!
B half diminished and Dm3b5 have a lot in common 7dim iim
You should try a Dm7b5 followed by a G7(b13)
"Modal Interchange" (or borrowing chords from a parallel scale) in a nutshell.
Think about it - Ab maj is the 6th chord in Cm, Fm is the 4th chord, Dm7b5 is nothing but Fm6 (Fm with a major6th)...etc
Dm7b5 would be the borrowed ii° from the parallel minor!
C harmonic major: cdefg a-flat b,no interchange and borrowing :)
simple diatonic.
@@kukumuniu5658 If that were the case, then the Ab chord formed from that scale would be Ab aug (Ab-C-E), as opposed to Ab maj (Ab-C-Eb) which clearly violates diatonicity
@@DebasishDas-bi4bo I think he meant diatonic to the C *harmonic* major scale
I was confused until you got to the part about using Ab as the 3rd as in the plagal cadence IV-iv-I. This is one of my favorite cadences and is used in many of my favorite songs. John Lennon's In My Life is a great example. Fantastic...and...SUBSCRIBED!
Your videos are so concise and explain way better than any other channel I've found! The whiteboard+soundclip approach makes it easy for us newbies to absorb what is being taught. You hardly ever say a chord without having it play, it's awesome
Ab is also present in the C melodic major scale. As for harmony, it is often used as intensification of the subdominant function with the strong subdominants, borrowed from the parallel minor (F minor and D dim) and phrygian minor (Neapolitan). Other uses are the diminished 7th VII chord as dominant and the augmented 6th chords (Italian, German, French) built on Ab which function as predominants (typically resolving to the V or K6/4). This is its most common uses in classical theory.
PS: Most of these cases are demonstrated in the video but I thought someone may be interested why and how those chords work and where they come from.
It works very well as b9 in a G7b9 chord (G B D F Ab), that resolves to C (C E G).
Matias Vazquez Amazing chord, it's Betterware for my ear resolving maj7 or maj9
@@JoAn-mq4gi Any variation of C works well as long as have tonic function.
Omg YES love it
Or alternatively a G7b6(?) chord (G, B, Eb, F). I'm not sure if that's the right name for it but that flat six wants to resolve to a D.
The flat 6th resolving on maj chord has a Name, it's called 'moll-dur' (german terms meaning 'flat-sharp' or 'minor-major': in Germany were the ultimate scientists of harmony). It comes from intermodulation of a note borrowed from a chord of the minor scale (say Fm triad upon CMaj scale) upon a the major scale. This is what great Dutch pianist Udo Boven taught me. Yours is a series of practical or pragmatical applications of this principle of Harmony.
An Ab chord in C major is a borrowed chord from C minor scale because that is bVI major. Fm to C is called a minor plagal cadence because a major plagal cadence is a IV major to I major. Minor plagal cadence is a iv minor to I major. This works nicely because Ab resolves nicely to G. Db major, if you put it in first inversion (it means you put the fifth as the bass instead of the root), you will get a Neapolitan Sixth chord which is a chord used often by a school named Neapolitan and the olden times. Its function is a pre-dominant which means it come right before a dominant chord, in this case, G.
Note my comment. I pointed out how many tunes use F G A, F G Am, C D E, & C D Em.
Ab Bb C & Ab Bb Cm is too awkward for most "guitars & drums" rock bands!
Yes yes yes, as soon as I saw the title I thought Ab! Absolutely love that iv-I movement. So cool seeing someone else explain my musical perception so well
This reminds me of Bohemian Rhapsody the ending of it , when the song be in Eb major scale : nothing really matter anyone can see , nothing really MATTER ( comes this note which is B natural or to be accurate its Cb ) with a Ab minor chord , very amazing and emotional....💔
Your theory videos really help spice up my songwriting! Always used out of key chords playing by ear, but understanding how they work and how to build and transition with them really expands the creative palette! Much appreciated
I have one word for this: _subscribed._
Same here! And I just sent this to my student!
Plagal minor
I found this channel yesterday and already feel it's good. I have been experimenting with this Japanese philosophy about building scales and it's a lot of fun to me. It's like Pandora's box opened and all kinds of unsuspected creatures came out. This is exactly what I am looking for! Thanks!
D°⁷ (D, F, A♭, B) also works really well as the ‘b’ leads nicely into the ‘c’ of the next chord.
Ab is the upper leading tone of the note G. It's also the reciprocal of B, lower leading tone of the note C. With B you are approaching the tonic chord, CM or Cm, or the 1st degree from below, from the dominant region. With Ab, you are approaching the tonic chord from above. or the 5th degree, from the subdominant region. The tonic triad is the synthesis of 1st and 5th degrees with an added determinant, 3 or b3, and so 7 and b6 move to this place of rest from opposite directions. These approaches can be combined in the chord Bdim7, viio7, which strongly resolves to either CM or Cm and contains both dominant and subdominant information. GM and Fm, V and iv, essentially have the same function from this perspective with GM natural to the Ionion mode and Fm natural to the Aeolian mode. DbM is completely on the reciprocal side, it is a Phrygian approach to the tonic. I could go on, but that is basically how I like to think of the b6th.
"Dissonance is drama." I like that!
When I read the title of this video, my first thought is he's going to choose something outside the key of C. However, despite that I thought for a moment and tried to answer for myself in Key. I chose D. I really like Dm and it's a very melancholy type sound. Then I watched the video and you chose Aflat which is ok. You chose the passing note in the Dm blues scale so I understand the reasoning. Nice video as always.
Love your approach to theory. Re the Dm7b5 - you could use a full diminished 7th as well... the B note resolves nicely up to C
Thanks for this. It has set me off on a new voyage of exploration. I can't understand why anyone ever "dislikes" a video like this
Honestly, if he hadn't said Ab I would've assumed he'd say A. The sixth--both major and minor--always tends to resonate with me emotionally. Probably because it has kind of the guiding feeling of a third, but with much more space between the notes.
Minor 6th is a good pick
Major 6th in the context of a minor chord aka Dorian is my personal favorite.
a nice chord progression is C major to Ab major to C major again with some nice melody.
Or just shred in C harmonic major.
If you see it as modal mixture, Fm is the 4th borrow chord from the minor C scale, and Ab is the 6th, and Dm7/b5 is as well as the more basic Ddim is the 2nd. You're essentially going from the C major to the C minor scale temporarily, and these chords in particular are good candidates.
Db is the phrygian 2nd chord, and you can look at it the same way.
Very transferable to the piano. ty sir.
I’m finding these videos helpful although I’m not a guitarist. The more advanced theory you are teaching leads to more interesting chord progressions and melodies. Thanks.
I see it as part of A harmonic minor respectively C harmonic major. It's the configuration I instinctively go for all the time. I am not a genius so I need to imagine it as part of a scale. If you look at it from different perspective it's part of the Bizantine scale/Hungarian Gypsy scale. I imagine alternating between C# Hungarian and and A harmonic minor. The whole idea is to find patterns that overlap and create melodies based on mixing scales. Chords wouldn't be much of a problem since you know what scale you are in at the moment.
Fb major (aka E major) works really well in the key of C! It can be used as a secondary dominant going to Am.
Ah nice, and we can complete this concept with your video about Harmonic major !
oslo, we can interpret the Ab sound as coming from a parallel scale - C harmonic major, which is a great scale with interesting modes, even if used for such "scale mixtures"
I agree 100%, Ab is the most expressive note in C major, and it’s not even in the scale.
Edit: the m7b5 is the most beautiful chord to my ears.
I have felt the same way for the past two years. That augmented 5th is really sadder than the minor sound in my opinion. C--Fm sounds great C--C+ sounds great even Cmaj7add6 -- Fdim7/C sounds great. I love the way it sounds in the relative minor as well if you use your notes right and have some Bach-ish counterpoint in Am it’s definitely a good idea to to throw in the #7 to give a darker sound. Great video man definitely gonna subscribe!
Excellent lesson, thanks very much
You can use the C harmonic major scale to solo using the Ab as a replacement for the A note. The b6 note being Ab
Without watching video yet OR reading comments I’m going to say “A”. That Major 6th interval really hits you.
I'm a drummer, but I also like to compose. This is very helpful. Thank you.
You are not a drummer, you are a musician ! (joking).
@@ofdrumsandchords Haha, Thanks. Yeah but I don't get to use theory as much as I'd like to. These videos help to keep my mind focused for the times when I do need some theory.
McCartney used f fm to c in the chorus of hello goodbye then used f to Bb7 to c. The Ab note is the 7 in Bb dominant 7th chord( why you say goodbye I say hello)
No words for the tutor... hats off sir... you are the best music teacher in the world ....👍And also already subscribed.... 😊
"GOD OF MUSIC "....
Well done, Tommaso!
Totally in love with this channel !
Several of these progressions can be used in harmonic major as well, since harmonic major is just the major scale with a flat 6, which would be Ab in the key of C.
Shout out to the minor plagal cadence at 3:20. Nice vid :-)
I wasn't sure about your style, but now I know u r the best :D
That was a trick question but a good lesson. An arranging teacher once told me to think of notes as PEOPLE (each with their own personality & relationships) eg in C Maj, B = leading note & wants to go home.
F is not happy stuck between E & G because he = sub dominant. He will resolve down to E to keep the peace (sus 4).
Of course the teacher was talking relationships not the note called C or G absolutely. (in G Maj C becomes the 4th).
Like people in a situation, "What's my job here? How do I fit in? Hey, if we change key I could be the boss."
Ok, that's another way of trying to understand WHY some notes want to do things & others are content to be a common tone.
What do you think?
I was clicking on the video thinking that if he doesn’t say Ab he’s in for it. Luckily he said the correct one.
I was thinking the B because its a strong note pulling to the tonic and maybe the E because the third reflect the mood of the scale.
G# lmao
finally somebody brought up the third
I was think the tritone f# but then the b6 was my second pick
in my opinion the perfect 4, so f, is the most emtional note. the major 11 arpeggio, a sus 4 or a c major 7 add 11 chord is just beautiful, even though you have the dissonance.
Once I saw “Ab” I thought for sure it would be used in the transition from G(V) to Am(vi), and with the note used in root position: Abdim!
Great Lesson, thankyou!
One of your best videos!
Nice work!
INDEED IT IS....
That would be awesome and even better explanation if you make the analogy with notes and chords as INTERVALS AND GRADES.
Also as I understand this resource, as Ab is b6 of C, you are talking about modal interchange or borrowed chords between Ionian C and Aeolian C, where Ab, the flat 6 is, right?
This is a great one, thank you!
perfect as always
I also would like to know why the E-major chord was eliminated
Shifts the tonal center as it shifts to the third. C and E share too many notes.
because the Ab will turn into a G# which wants to resolve up.
Always bringing the tastiest goodness. Thanks for sharing your wisdom Tommaso.
As ever, a great video. It's people like you that make the internet so amazing.
5:04 - Dm7b5: The Christmas chord?
"Hello internet! It's A me, Mario!" Great job with all your videos, very educational! Thank you! Keep up the good work!
Fantastic lesson as always!
@3:08, would it be correct to say its a minor plagal cadence?
Also, Ab in C major is flat 6th so can we say its a C maj to C min modulation/borrowing
Easier way to think about these :
This is just modal interchange. Fm and Dm7/b5 are taken from C minor, while Db is just the Neapolitan chord when the F is in the bass, or in the case of Db7, a tritone sub.
Fantastic lesson! Adds some great emotion!!!
Some more Chords:
C- CAug(add9) *sounds beautiful*
D- Db or Dm7b5
E- E7
F- Fm
G- G7(b9)
A- Ammaj7
B- Bdim7
You can use Ab as a seventh .... the dm7b5 sounded really good in that progression.
Emotional can be a person, it'd better to say "the most moving, or exiting note" probably (some English speaking guy could help here in transating better, as I'm italian too). The flat 6th is the sound and flavour of the flat9 of the V7 (if we are in C, the sound of G7b9) and this generates a dim.7 chord, which can resolve both on C Maj and on Cm (the relative min.of Eb Maj) because each note of the Dim.7 (b d f g#) is a leading note to 4 different tonalities, in italian we call them "note sensibili" (the sensitive notes). These 4 notes can be - roughly said - "tonal sensitive" if they go up in semitone, or "modal sensitive" if they go down, as in this case they define the Maj or the minor mode. So, there you are!!.ab note is the modal sensitive pretending to resolve in Eb yet it goes to relative minor Cm or to CMaj. Flat6th resolving on maj chord has a Name, it's called 'moll-dur', german terms meaning 'flat-sharp' or 'minor-major', for in Germany there were the ultimate scientists of harmony). It comes from intermodulation of a note borrowed from a chord of the minor scale (say Fm triad, or Ab triad upon CMaj scale) upon a the major scale. You can have also Abm7 and Db. It's just tritone substitution of G7: just one of the 4 modulations the Dim.chord can lead to. This is what great Dutch pianist Udo Boven taught me. Things presented in video are a series of practical or pragmatical applications of this principle of Harmony.
Ab can also be a major third in E7 which leads to am, using the C major scale, too.
That would be a G#, though. And not, they aren't "the same".
@@FernieCanto I admit you're right - in theory. But since we live in the era of well-tempered tuning your ears can't tell if it's G# or Ab when I'm hitting that nasty key. ;-)
Yeah, really surprised that this isn't mentioned in the video, as it's really common
@@dreistein without context your ears wont hear any difference, But in Musical context your brain pitches the Tone higher or lower to the frequency Which is meant, in this case a Flat or g sharp
He’s strictly talking about Ab in the context of being the most emotional note of C major. And G# evokes entirely different kind of emotions than Ab, hence why chords containing G# can’t be used in this context.
Great video thank you
This is the technique they used to get that amazingly emotional sound in the song "porch" in infinity war when thanos has won.
Interesting choice. Claude Werner's thesis talks about an octatonic scale where the G# = Ab (which he also calls Q) is included with the major scale. The most immediate benefit is that the relative minor now has a leading tone, so we don't have to worry about harmonic minors/melodic minors, etc.
BTW, at 1:07, you say (something like) "Ab resolves down to the G note, not up to the B note." I think you mean "A" here.
タイトルの自動翻訳「Cメジャーで最も感情的なメモは何ですか？」が変。「メモ」←”note”の訳語だろうけれど、正確には「音(音程)」の事でした💦
No that you have mentioned it, I guess Ab is the most emotional note in C but you left out its function as the b2 of the G which i think sounds best.
I can live with your idea, but I would like to suggest to borrow from the blues scale. Use an Fdom7 chord . . . that brings an Eb tone. Blends very well with C major scale.
Very cool! Thank you!
It may not be an emotional chord, but Bb (bVII) can also sound very good in C major, definitly in combination with Ab. Ab - Bb - C (bVI - bVII - I) might be my favorite cadence in major.
Amazing explanation!
Great video!!
Great video, thanks a lot
Thanks!
LOVED it...
Love you MATE. LOVE the way you explain theory. Just when you THINK you know TONS of THEORY ( which l love); l definitely have heard of all this, but THERE’S just the way you explain it; BRILLIANT! 👊🏾 l used to feel like a deer in headlights with some teachers. I’d get what they were sayin after a month 😂, but you do it in 10 Minutes!! Wish l new those old dudes now. BRAVO TOMMASO 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🎸💚👊🏾💞m
Amazing..... it's like a musical mad scientist
Tomazzio, how about using E major, since Ab is enharmonic with G#?
That would work too, but the note will sound different. Ab is the minor 6th in C major and resolves down. G# is the augmented 5th and resolves up. Even if they are enharmonic (their frequency is the same) their 'meaning' in the context of the key is different. It will still sound good - you are not 'wrong' in suggesting that - it will just sound different.
Is rob scallon :0
G# is actually the most emotional note for me
I don't understand why you eliminate the E from the chords including Ab, in our tempered system Ab is also G#.
There is a problem of translation. Emotionnal doesn't work in french, émotive or émotionnel means a person who is impressionnable. Sensitive is sensible in french, it means the major seventh of the scale so it's confusing. You have to use at least two words, emotionnally charged or something like that.
And it would'nt even be accurate, as it is in fact just chords progression. What really moves people is melody. In a melody, some notes are more moving than others, depends of their place in the chord. I think that the third in a chord is the most interesting in this matter, and speaks to the largest amount of listeners. The 11# or the 13b are repulsive for non trained ears and don't talk to everyone !
Context is king. maj7#11 will be recognized by the average person as the "hollywood chord" as it is frequently used in films. 11# and 13b can absolutely be appreciated by average people if done right.
Not understanding where you came up with the (A-Flat), its not in the "C" Scale. Is it a borrowed Note/Chord? Also How did you arrive at the 3rd & 5th? Trying to figure it out, even in the Key of (A-Flat Maj Scale) the notes, the 3rd would be "C" & the 5th would be (E-Flat). Unless I missed something you never said how you arrived at selecting the (A-Flat) to begin with? Seems like you magically just pulled (A-Flat) out of the air. Now I have used the (A-Flat) to G chord before, especially in endings to Blues songs etc. Just not sure how you got to (A-Flat) to begin with, then of course the 3rd & the 5th. Please Explain????
Thx
ElectricEddie
Very cool Tommaso!
DUDE I totally had "Ab" in my head when I read the title, but I was like, "nah, he's gonna pick a note in the actual scale."
Mixolydian b6 is a very emotional scale...the emotional cousin for the Major Scale
Huh, I thought it would be B because that’s the leading tone.. 😅 another point on the Ab chord is that it’s the chromatic mediant of C, so it naturally works quite well. I think it’s the movement between notes and harmonies that makes the feeling, rather than just the notes themselves (i.e. the context). For example, DM after am sounds hopeful, but DM after gm sounds quite dark/minor
Hi!
What do U think about this chords sequence: C - Gm - Am - Ab - Fm - Ab - Gm ?
And this one: Abm - Db - Dbm - Em - Ebm - Dbm - Ebm - Dbm - F# - E ?
Great Video! If you were to stay in C and not borrow, the answer would be D, IMHO. Like in I9, IV6, V. Emotional but more heroic than sad like 1b or 6b.
oh, and subscribed =)
What would the equivalent be in minor scales? For A minor, the Gb seems to have a different feel than it does in C, which is weird because they’re relative. I think F# and Eb are both sound *great* over Am. Are they functioning similarly to the Ab in C or do they work because they’re both part of a diminished relationship between A and C?
Ab is in the key of C harmonic major: cdefg a-flat b.
Sounds like Man of the World by Fleetwood Mac at 3.20. Nice video, thanks!
Ab is of course part of the flatted 5th harmonic sequence of the transmogrified differential of C /ouch my brain just exploded kappa/ love your theory videos ty for posting!
LMFAO!!!
Before this video : I think it's A
*_It's Ab_*
Close enough.
Misleading. You are not referring to an isolated note in C major - you are referring to the emotional response to a chord progression - quite different.
Emotional response is the main point of relevance. And the note has to framed in the context of a relevant and fitting chord progression for it to have any musical usefulness. It's the most emotional note (when you're) in the key of C ;)
@@OdaKa His argument is that Ab always resolves down to G. Has he ever heard of the "Super Mario cadence"? Ab - Bb - C.
Not to mention the idea that a *note* can be "emotional". How indoctrinated do you have to be to think *one note* has "emotion"?
@@OdaKa I would go as far as saying that Ab is "in" C the same way G# is "in" A minor.
@@FernieCanto I'm not sure I follow you
Jake Lizzio at Signalsmusic studio explains the same thing but better. How to sound sad in a major key
But wait a secound, when you use an Ab-Major, then the quinte (5th) is a Db - no? But that Db Note would be then another non harmonic note, no? Maybe somebody knows it better, I just start to follow this here, but is very interesting.
Ab major is made by the notes Ab, C, Eb. Yes, the note Eb is another 'out of scale' note, but it still works.
Nice !
What is wrong with using the E major chord?
Sure, technically it doesn't contain an a flat but a g# which doesn't resolve to g but to a.
But E is the V/vi, after all (a commonly used secondary dominant). For example C - F/C - E /B - A/C is a very smooth progression in my opinion.