Thanks. I might add that Neil Young really liked to use minor 4ths. Also the Beatles "She Loves You", going into the chorus. Actually, that may be a minor sixth, which is an extra level of coolness.
Saying "minor sixth" is redundant. A six chord is minor by default. And I think the best example of a band (often) using a minor 4 is Radiohead. I could list half a dozen songs that feature that relationship.
MasterP48HD yup, and Turn My Head by Live, Creep by Radiohead (basically the same song lol), She's All I Ever Had by Ricky Martin. Many others. Once you hear it, you can't not hear it in songs when it's done.
I hate it when that happens. You should have played a suspended chord, then you wouldn't have this major problem of bringing up a minor. I'm sure the problem will be diminished over time.
For a semi-begginer, a chord that changes everything is defenetly a diminished chord. I remember how impressed I was when I discovered that you can put a dim between any two neighbour chords from scale.
An altered chord is not limited to those intervals and extensions. It can be any chord with one or more raised or lowered pitches which subsequently changes its function in a given key.
He is talking about a chord is being altered, you are talking about THE ALTERED CHORD, people should know the difference otherwise if they play a score and see ALT chord they would do strange things and making minor a dominant chord, that is where we could normally see them.
I kind of had the same thought, but I understand his thought process. A more accurate term would be "Borrowed Chord" because he's referring to a concept called Modal Interchange. The term alteration is generally reserved for specific chord tones like Scott mentioned. The bottom line is that I think he provided enough context to establish that he wasn't referring to an actual altered chord (in the sense that a lot of cats are familiar) and also mentioned that it's his personal label for borrowed chords. Doesn't mean it wasn't confusing for a second, but I ended up getting the gist of it. All-in-all, neat video. Keep it up!
Not true. An "altered" chord is formally a dominant chord with fifth or ninth raised/lowered. It does not apply to just any chord. He was being a bit loose in his video and probably should mention he is using "altered" in an informal way and should not be confused with the real deal. Personally I would have used a different word to describe his non-diatonic chords to beginners. Also, kudos to a decent lesson otherwise (although the teaser is a bit much). :)
No, an "altered chord" is a specific type of dominant chord. And also, when you played the diatonic triads at the beginning, you played the wrong dim triad, introducing a G#, which isn't in C.
Now the real info: It's not an altered chord as this guy calls it (altered chords are a different thing): it's a borrowed chord. In minor keys the "formula" (actually called diatonic chords) goes "im7 iim7b5 IIIM7 ivm7 vm7 VIM7 VII7". He's borrowing a chord from the parallel minor (C minor): iv of C natural minor is F minor. It has this unique character. It's like you changed tonality to the parallel minor for a bar, and then went back to the major tonality. IMHO he's doing wrong trying to hide the complexity of music theory behind magic names. It makes it harder for students to google for more information and is not simpler in any way. It's also pretty much confusing if the terminology is wrong: if a guy comes to me saying "altered chord" the last thing I'm gonna think of is a borrowed chord.
imma say this: there’s not of a point to explain all of music theory. whether you know theory or not, all u need is a direct application of a chord. the magic name is needed no matter what with or without knowledge of theory. u might need theory once, but once it’s explained, it works. the most important part is the application and you can’t go through all that theory when playing. it’s simple, the iv chord just works when resolving to I. there’s a chromatic tension between the Ab and the G. the rest, besides extensions, is all in key and follow a normal IV to I progression. u dumb flip
@@skrobie half the reason to learn theory is to be able to effectively communicate musical ideas to other people. You really can't do that if you don't use the agreed-upon names for things.
This is actually a concept called "modal borrowing", "modal mixture", "mode mix", or "modal interchange" (depending on which theorist or music professor you ask). As many have also said, an altered chord is something very different than the concept described above. The reason theorists call it "modal borrowing" is because each substituted chord briefly creates a sound from another mode. In the Lydian mode, the II chord is major. So playing a D major chord in the key of C borrows from the C Lydian tonality. A iv (F minor in the key of C) borrows from the parallel minor (also known as the Aeolian mode). Additionally, you can borrow, for example, an Ab major chord in the key of C (which is built off the 6th scale degree in C minor), and this would be abbreviated as bVI, because its root is a half-step below what it would normally be in the C major mode. Also, one more important clarification: when referring to chords built off scale degrees, it's not kosher to call them "third" or "fourth" chords, et cetera. A chord built off the third scale degree in any key is the "three" chord (abbreviated as iii or III). In music theory, we use the suffixes "-th", "-st", "-rd", and so forth only when referring to intervals. A "major third" is defined concretely as two notes that are exactly 4 half steps apart. A "major three" chord is what he played near the end of the video, also abbreviated as III. Consistent nomenclature is important because music theory is confusing enough without mixing up our terms. My apologies for the "excessive" quotation marks. It was a conscious choice for the purpose of clarity.
HC chords are: Bm,F#,A,E,G,D,Em,F#.........The Bm progression chords are Bm,C#dim,D,Em,F#m,G,A. So the "borrowerd" chords (from the parallel key -minor or major scale with the same tonic) are F# MAJOR and E Major.
Please note: Red Walrus is correct and his example is great, but the one borrowed chord Tyler is talking about here is not present in Hotel California. In Hotel California, the IVmin would be G minor. I don't mean to sound annoying, I just didn't want you to search for a G minor that isn't there
Interesting, I've been listening to Oasis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out, which is also in B minor and borrows the E Major (also has the E Minor, but no F# Major).
It's a shame you have to apologize for music theory. If only people would be willing to put in the time to learn it (or realize that they are learning music theory), they would see how much easier life gets for a musician.
Kent Shin The problem is when you really heavily on the theory or the technical side of things. Anyone can learn to paint a picture of a bird or a tree, and it basically marginalizes naturally talented artists even though its pretty obvious who is a natural artist and who just took lessons and learned howto memorize and imitate.
JackstandJohnny People don't really care how much or how little lessons the creator had to take. People only care about the end product. All natural talent is is a small headstart. However, for people who constantly work with other musicians, it becomes insanely irritating (not to mention time consuming) trying to get them to do something. When the people you work with know theory, everything suddenly becomes so pleasant and a joy.
All of these guys have a good understanding of music theory. They may not study it as a specific subject but they have learnt it. Members of The Beatles even went as far as to learn non-western scales. This idea of the top players all being "pure feel" is bullshit. Pure feel is internalised knowledge. They learnt first, then they understood and only then did they innovate.
I'm not a huge theory guy, but altered chords are a huge part of my songwriting process. I always just called them non diatonic, or just "wrong" chords before watching this. Great info as always.
Thanks so much for this video, I found it particularly meaningful, as my musical sensibilities are firmly rooted in that 60s British/Beatles sound that makes use of that back to back IV Major/IV minor chord change. Noel Gallagher of Oasis, a primary musical hero and inspiration of mine, has put it to much good use in his classic songs.
I think I recently encountered this chord in Hozier's "Someone New", when he sings, "Honey, there is no right way." The chord falls on the word, "there". I didn't know exactly what was going on until I started learning the chord progression in that song. I remember thinking, "How did he think to use that chord there? I wouldn't have thought of doing that." But it sounds so cool, especially considering that chord is a major every other time in that song. So cool to be learning these little tricks here and there. Gonna be adding this one to the repertoire. Thanks for the vid!
Yeah, the verse goes like this. A > E > F#m > A7 > *D > Dm* > A The song is in A, so the 4th is D. It goes from *D to D minor*. That song was my first experience with this tonality, closely followed up with Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day.
Reminds me of green day for some reason. edit: Wake me up when September ends is in Gmajor but uses a Cmaj to Cmin change very often. They might have some other songs with it in.
I can remember stumbling upon the "Minor IV" in a Major Scale some years ago and falling in love with it instantly. Now I don't want to sound like a Know-it-all, but here he's actually playing a "Minor IV 7"-Chord, which is IMHO not the typical sound for the chord that changes everything - try a Minor IV Chord with a major 6 or major 7 for that effect. Of Course, in a more "jazzy" context, IV minor 7 combined with the bVII Dom7 makes for a great backdoor-progression!
People learning to play guitar now thinking a Dmaj is an altered chord are gonna have a lot of troubles in the future. Other people comment's are right, these are borrowed chords...you can also view them as part of modal interchange, but calling them altered chords... Don't get me wrong, musically speaking, this "lesson" can be very helpful to a beginner, he will find new ways to create new music as well as identifying those chord changes in other songs. I know that the important thing is the music, not the names, but still...for example, for me, calling the VII chord of a major scale a diminished chord is wrong...i know where you are going, but its just a Xmin5b, a diminished chord has a 7bb, and that note (in C it will be a Gb) doesn't even belong to the major scale. Again, i don't want to be an ass (i know i am being one though), but beginners need their facts to be accurate. Sorry
Sergio, in traditional theory, the VII TRIAD is considered diminished because it is made up of two minor third intervals. You are definitely right that the seventh chord on that step of the scale is minor 7 with a flat 5 (Bmin7b5), but it is also called half diminished because the lower 3 notes form a diminished triad. If we lower that seventh by a half step, it becomes a fully diminished 7th chord (B-D-F-Ab), with a each consecutive interval being a minor third. There is some disagreement between jazz and traditional names of certain things in music theory, but the three note chord (B-D-F) is diminished, the four note chord (B-D-F-A) is minor7(b5) or half diminished. As far as altered chords are concerned, anyone who calls a simple D triad an altered chord needs a slap upside the head!
Sergio Dominguez It wouldn't be Gb, it would be Ab. Don't forget ypu make up chords from their root, not what key you're in. A 'B major seventh' is A sharp (strictly speaking it can't be a B flat, though enharmonically it is), minor 7th is A, dim7th is Ab. I wouldn't call them borrowed chords but chromatic chords, as opposed to diatonic chords.
Couldn't resist commenting because this chord progression explained has always been my favourite. Before even knowing it theorically, it produced sadness on me no matter what was the song like (even in some fast-tempo ones such as Spanish bombs by The Clash). It started being used in Romantic music (XIX century's classical compositions) so you'll here it often in Chopin or Liszt. Nowadays, supposes an alternative to the standard progression I- IV- V by substituting V with IVminor. Can be heard clearly in songs like Creep, Last Night On Earth by Green Day or Nobody home by Pink Floyd. I repeat, it automatically makes me feel sadness and nostalgia with no reason, and hopefully I'll get to know why. Have a nice Day everyone
Those are called borrowed chords specifically because they're borrowed from a different scale or mode, typically the minor scale. An altered chord is a more generalized category of borrowed chords. Usually when someone says altered chord, it means that the 5, 7, 9, 11, or 13 (or any combination thereof) has been moved up or down a semitone. However, borrowed chords are also a legitimate example of altered chords.
thats a good one, because the song creep does use the major to minor progression on the line I don't belong here.. BUt im not sure why this guy thinks that that specific thing changes everything.
Truly one of my favorite chord structures is changing from a major V and a diminished vii chord to having a minor V with a major VII. So if you have a song in C minor for instance, throwing in the min V and Maj VII adds and beautiful effect. Bands like Red use it as well.
Not altered, but borrowed. In C, a D major is just the V of V. Altered implies beginning with a regular chord, say a major 11th, but altering it to include a flat 9 or flat 5, or sharp 11, and so on. A minor point (get it?) but terminology is important. Nice tone, by the way.Edit: I guess I should have read the comments first. Looks like this has all been said already many times over.
Statement at 2:30 is wrong. Chords outside the major scale are not necessarily "altered" chords. They are simply, NON-DIATONIC. They can be (and often are) simple normal chords. Altered chords are those with alterations to the 5 or 9. There are only two notes that can be called "altered" and only two ways to alter any note. ( sharp or flat) SO, there are only four possible alterations: b5 ( same as sharp 4 or # 11) #5, b9, and #9. The term altered refers to any chord that has b5, #5, b9 or #9. Since it is cumbersome to write more than one or two "alterations. we sometimes see the abbreviation "Alt" for any chord with two or more alterations. Chords built strictly from inside the major scale (or any of its modes) are "diatonic." Chords with notes outside the major scale or its modes are NON-diatonic.
Tyler, I don't know you personally, but I want to take a minute to thank you for all the hard work you do. You put so much effort, personality, and knowledge into each one of your videos. And you do it with such a friendly charm that makes your videos fun to watch every time. I don't speak for everyone in the "online guitar community" but I do know that many of us are very thankful for your channel and your brand. Keep up the great videos! :)
I find this kind of information to be (A) useful and (B) useless. Play whatever chords you want that way it's not contrived. The best place for the rule book is firmly out the window. Jandek anybody?
Good post ... Curt Cobain is one that comes to mind on going outside the box a lot with his rhythm playing ... Theory is okay , and I understand it , but my rule is there are no rules ... If it sounds good to you , that's fine ... most players know when something doesn't sound good or make sense. I saw an interesting YT video today with George Lynch talking about purposefully going outside the scale box just to make things unique , interesting & his own.
I agree to an extent, theory is helpful, but it's not a strict guideline. A lot of music these days feels contrived (especially metal) because it's written by fresh out of college music graduates, the underdog always made more interesting art.
You seem to have a common misunderstanding of what music theory is considering it is nothing more than a language used to describe the practices and possibilities of music. The only reason you think there's a rulebook is because you and everyone else just assumes that the most popular traditions of music theory are the only ones that matter. The whole point of music theory is to realize that there is and never will be a rule book. There are merely sounds to be arranged, and theory is an incredibly effective language used to communicate musical ideas. Think of theory like the way a poet would think of grammar. Just remember that while you're talking about throwing the rulebook out the window, the very concept of a note (and calling a certain frequency a vibration a certain note) and any chord built with any combination of those notes are inherently a part of music theory. You cannot create music outside of theory. You can only not know how to express your music using the language of theory. There are many more traditions in music theory than the standard Bach-style approach that has remained the most popular in Western culture for the past few centuries. Jandek never once threw theory out the window. The project just crafted its own idea of music outside of tradition, but if you were to analyze it closely enough, you could begin to map out things even more experimental and bizzare than Jandek.
gaiusgrdn I used Jandek as an example. I never said he was the ultimate in experimental music. I was merely getting at the fact you don't need theory to come up with something original. A lack of theory would more than likely see the creator move towards a sound rather than something they already know which would therefore make it contrived. That's why prog rock generally sounds like shit to me. It's contrived and only seems to be heralded by music students.
Of course this is a great and popular harmonic shape used in rock and pop music, go for the minor 4th, and more often it is a a switch from major to minor 4th as a phrase closes (e.g. C-> Cm-> G). You could alternatively call it a use of the major and the minor 6th single note, as the one changing in the example is E to Eb, which are the respective 6ths in the key of G. Perfect examples of songs using this shape that leap to me mind are: -Wake Me Up When September Ends: at the moment when "When" (:P) is sang.-All I Want For Xmas Is You: When the backing vocals hold the "aaaaaah", second Line of the verse.-Crazy by Aerosmith: He sings "What can I do, I feel like the colour blue" on the hold of Word "blue".Many brilliant and genius composers, like The Beatles, had used among other "harmonical games" this bitter-sweet tasting and evoking a feel of "glorious and volumous ending" progression...
You're so good at what you do and I can't thank you enough, since finding you and watching your vids my playing has really started to come along again after a long hiatus. Thankyou!
An "altered chord"? If your gonna be doing a video containing theory, please use the real terms. Calling a secondary dominant chord an "altered chord" is condescending to your audience and it makes me feel like you think we are stupid. Using simplistic fake names for a concept is like what teacher do when they think you are too stupid to understand the real thing. For everyone watching this video, "altered chord" is a made up fake term. These chords are called secondary dominant chords because they function as the dominant chords to other keys. For example, when the ii chord is major, you would write the Roman numeral as V/V (sounds like "five of five") because a major 2 chord in any key functions as the five chord to the five chord of the key you are in, effectively making the five chord sound like a one chord. If you do this briefly (say for less than a whole verse, so a phrase or measure) it's called tonicization. Please don't condescend your audience.
slapmyfunkybass This is correct but it's not what he is referring to. An altered chord is a real thing but he's not talking about jazz extensions. He's talking about secondary dominance. So he is using the wrong term for something completely different reinforcing his lack of musical credibility.
clockWorks10 Well you did say an altered chord "is a made up fake term". Technically they're not Jazz extensions either, they're natural intervals that have been altered, and can be used in any style. Impressionism for example uses a lot of complex altered harmony.
I agree with what you're saying about terminology, but he's talking about a minor IV chord, which isn't a secondary dominant. The people here who are talking about borrowed chords and mode mixture have it right. But your basic point--"altered chord" already has a meaning, don't use that expression for other concepts--is spot on.
It really depends on the genre. The minor iv is an interesting addition to a few genres although I wouldn't want to overuse it. The major II is an interesting alternative during a 6-2-5-1 pattern. My favorite is the dominant 11th chord in Southern Gospel. It's like combining 4-1 and 5-1 cadences at the beginning of a statement. You will often find charts write it this way, In the key of C, for example: F/G where the 7th, 9th, and 11th are emphasized in the chord. In quazi-jazz arrangements of non-jazz pieces, I see a lot of chord substitutions that are a 3rd off. Those tend to produce diminished 5th intervals that resolve nicely in what would otherwise be a circle of 5ths progression.
the major to minor variation of the 4th chord is the same as playing the chord while doing variations in the notes of the chord (in this case 3rd to flat 3rd). This concept really attracts the ear while the tension of the chord is being diminished. It is very common, while we may see the same thing happening while we move from a sustain 4 chord to a major chord(it is common in many chord progressions)
The minor 4 chord is what made "Sleep Walk" such a hit for "Santo & Johnny". I notice you're playing "around" that song, as well as "In My Life" by the Beatles (Lennon). Another good example is a song by Joe Walsh titled "Midnight Man" in which the minor alternate is only used once, but to wonderful effect. It is a really cool alternate when used the right way, cool lesson.
Another great example is "Since I Don't Have You," by the Skyliners. The basic chord sequence is C Am Fm G7 (or I vi iv V7). The Fm has a really mysterious effect in my opinion.
A good example of this is the progression in "I Will Follow You Into the Dark". Instantly recognizable. For anyone with experience with theory this is a no brainer, but it was a nice video with a clear presentation.
Altered Chords are chords like V7(b9) V7(#5) or just V7alt. Altered chords are chords with altered extensions. The chords you call "altered chords" are actually called Secondary Dominants. Just wanted to throw that out. Otherwise, great lesson! Cheers! //Emanuel
Dude you just helped me write a song that I've been working on for a few months. Thanks for the inspiration and a visual explanation of chord construction.
A very similar sound has traditionally been accomplished by using the Neapolitan chord (a bII chord in first inversion that is also called the "Phrygian II", bII6, or N6). So, while iv in C is spelled F-Ab-C, the Neapolitan chord would be spelled F-Ab-Db. It usually functions as a predominant chord, especially in minor keys, where it replaces the subdominant (iv) chord. bII is also used as a tritone substitution for the dominant chord, especially in ii-V-I progressions (leading to strong chromatic motion as the harmony moves ii-bII-I). Borrowing the minor iv chord sounds nice, but the Neapolitan is more striking, IMO.
This minor 4th chord exists in the song "Creep" by Radiohead. It's also in "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri, and "Wake me up when September Ends" by Green Day.
Okay, a couple of things: - The 7th chord in a major key is NOT a diminished chord, it's a half-diminished chord. A diminished chord are minor thirds stacked on top of each other, meaning that you get a flat 7th (sounding like a major 6th) instead of a minor 7th, thus rendering the chord non-diatonic. A B diminished chord would, as such, contain the notes B D F Ab, the Ab not a part of the key of C major. The 7th chord in the key of C major is Bm7b5, containing the notes B D F A. This kind of chord is called half diminished. - What you are demonstrating are called altered chords in classical music. In jazz, using that term will get you gutted. Altered chords in jazz are dominant (major chords with a minor 7th) chords, where 5th, 9th or 13th are altered either up or down by a semitone, so for example a G7#5, or a G7b5. More than one of the notes can be altered, for example G7#5b9. - Look up the term "borrowed chord". - The major II and major III chords are not altered chords, they usually function as dominant chords, where the D major (in C major) functions as the dominant of the dominant, or double dominant (where the D leads to a G leading to a C, like The Streets of London, by Ralph McTell), and the E major usually functions as a dominant to the A minor chord, bringing the relative harmonic or melodic minor scale into play. These are usually when played as 7th chords, in jazz and pop, refered to as V7/V and V7/vi respectively. - If you say that you are playing a C major, don't play a Cmaj7, because it's another chord. - If you want people to pay attention to how a chord sounds, lay of the whammy, it doesn't help.
In many songs, there's a coda of the type (assuming we're in the key of C): C-C7-F-fm-C. Instead of the minor 4 chord (fm) try Bb9#11... Sounds really cool (with the fingering 6-5-6-5-5-x, low to high; I bar the chord on the 5th fret and don't play the e1 string).
the Fminor comes from when the Cmajor keys Aminor becomes an A harmonic minor...when the Chords are built from an A harmonic, you can have either or both FMAJ and Fmin as there are A and Ab notes....so really the 'altered chord minor'' is from A harmonic.... ;)
This is just an example of modal interchange where you borrow chords from the minor scale. It's not only limited to minor fourth chords though, you can substitute any chords from the minor scale like the flat six major (that's a really good one). If the song is in minor, you can substitute chords from the major scale too. If you want to expand beyond borrowing from minor scales and major scales you can search up church modes to borrow from, which gives more options of color in the chords.
Maybe it changes everything for people who only play three or four chords anyway, but there is a huge tonal range and this is just one of the many chords outside the scale that you can use, and IMO doesn't sound much more shocking in a C major scale than a major II or III (leading to a major V or a minor iv respectively). Especially once you get into extended chords and different voicings there are a great many ways to go out of the scale or out of traditional chord progressions, so I think this title is a bit misleading.
The fact that you had the name of the chords you were playing in the screen was a great help! You should do that more often, really makes the lesson click imo.
My girlfriend and I were watching this and from the title alone were hoping it would be the minor IV. Massive thumbs up for you! We call it the Beegees chord! 😂
I know nothing about theory but as far as "hearing" what he's referring to, I can think of a few songs that use this chord and/or transition at the end (it's extremely popular). Please correct me if I'm wrong tho... 1) Beetlebum (chorus) - blur 2) Wake me up when september ends (the part when these words are sang in the song) - green day 3) Creep by radiohead?
Ah! This is such a great video. Never really considered just how much a min4 can make a chord progression so much more dynamic. I've used it before, but never really placed an emphasis on it. These kind of songwriting techniques elevate the amateur to the expert. So much soul!
The diatonic chord vii of a major key is actually semi-diminished not diminished, if you used diminished you're technically modulating or altering the key already.
Nice tip, I'll bet this little alteration can be found in some McCartney songs if I scratch around a bit. I like it. Why does it work? Maybe because it brings the third of the IV down to within a half step of the fifth of the tonic, increasing the downward pull that a maj IV has to the I, since its tonic is a half step above the fifth of the I, and it's fifth is the root of the tonic. The minor IV changes the mood and is ready to practically melt into being a tonic, by lowering two of its three notes by the minimum amount possible in classical western intervals. This could also be the devil's injection of a little melancholy into the heavenly "amen cadence", IV-I.
Your guitar sounds really great and your finger technique is quite clean. Good for you man. I like your chord choice - it's cool because it acts like a SUS chord but in the minor tonality. It causes the music to hang for resolve without making it too obvious and provides that minor tone which can push back the lister into being unsure where its going to resolve, but at the same time, expecting it to. I love that chord. One of my favorites songs, where I heard it first was "Mat Wertz - All I Know".
This trick with borrowed chords was used in many hits: "Sleep Walk" by Santo and Johnny Farina or "Since I Don't Have You" by Skyliners (awesome cover by GNR on last LP).
But why is the D minor in the key of C major? (I can't remember things I don't understand). Triads are 1-3-5 -- 1st, 3rd and 5th in the scale. C scale: C(1) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(5) A(6) B(7). The "3rd" determines if a chord is major or minor. C-E-G. E is four frets above C, it's a major interval. So in that C scale, a D chord would be D-F-A. Pretend the D is the 1, then F would be the 3rd, A would be the 5th. F is three frets above a D, a minor interval. E-G-B, also minor. F-A-C, major. G-B-D, major. A-C-E, minor. B-D-F, diminished. B to D is a minor interval... B to F is a flat 5th (only six frets apart, as opposed to a normal 5th that's 7 frets apart). So if U play a D major chord while U're in the key of C major - U either just changed key which is totally cool, or U were actually in a C Lydian mode (a different major scale, where the F is sharp) which sounds beautiful, or U're saying F the rules I do what I want, which is also fine by me (no sarcasm there, F the rules is cool).
so yea, the chord progression at 4:00 -- playing that IV min is a game changer because it's changing the key (then going right back). I Maj (C-E-G), then VI min (A-C-E)... so far only C, E, G, and A have been played, so who knows what mode we're in, but safe enough to assume regular C major. Then comes the IV min (F-Ab-C). So we had that A (6th in the scale), then it went to an A-flat. Which could mean a key change. That thing at 5:05 isn't a key change, but some extra spice to make things interesting... F-A-C, then F-Ab-C, then back to C-E-G. So that Ab is like a bridge between the A in the Fmajor chord and the G in the Cmajor chord. (not talking bad about U, Music is Win. details like this would make the video longer and too much extra, and U did say check out Ur site for more music theory. I'm just saying, to anyone who doesn't already know)
Oasis / Noel Gallagher's "Don't Look Back In Anger" does exactly this - There's an F major chord at the end of the chorus but for the outro, he swaps it with an F minor to give it a sense of finality. Definitely changes the mood. Thanks for the video, really interesting! I've been playing guitar for 20 years but only just getting into the theory as a beginner again really.
Btw, this is called parallel chords, not altered chords.Parallel being from the Cmin key. If you take any chord from any other key in C while playing in CMaj, that key is called parallel, because the tonic is C but the intervals between the notes are different.
The major three chord in a major key is a chromatic mediant. There are many types of chromatic mediants and they can really add a lot to a chord progression. I definitely recommend working them in whenever you can. :D
Yeahh good lesson. Always love chord harmonics. like the 1st and 2nd can be dominant 7 too during turn arounds. But doing all this may change the key of your scales and singing keys. So be cautious. Like from 1st then goes to the 5 change to minor so its like C, Gminor etc. it sounds cool too
I think that instead of thinking it as a minor 4th, everything is just in the key of G instead of C. So the progression would be: 4maj - 2minor - 1maj - 4maj. Correct me if im wrong...
A really good example of this in the bridge of a song is Oasis's "Don't Look Back in Anger" Like he describes, the C major tonality is really well established in the verse. Then in the bridge "I'm gonna start a revolution from my bed..." you get F-Fm-C Neat little lesson for folks, though I think that the Major III7 is more audible and recognizable to beginners
yeah i learned to pop in that Fminor bar by playing david bowie space oddity...its a kind of 60s sounding thing and you kind of need to use your second finger assist to fret it
Dude, your vids are amazing. And the reason is because it does what no other video (that i have seen) does, which is show the viewer how to actually use the things that they may or may not already know. Case and point - examples! if you show a cool new concept, you show how to implement it in various ways. This also helps, at least me, to get us thinking in other ways how to use the concept. I always struggle with, gee i wonder how i can make this progression more awesome? this is how! thanks man
John Lennon used this 'trick' in In My Life i guess. Playing the D major and after that a D minor (when in the scale of A major). I must say it sounds great and changes the song in the lets-thing-about-life mood. Great song!
These Days by the Black Keys (one of my favorite songs) does this. At the end of the chorus, it plays C, Cm, and then back home to G. Beautiful sound. I believe Space Oddity by Bowie does it too constantly in its verse!
They do fit into a formula, the formula of the melodic minor of that particular key. If they don't fit the melodic minor (or harmonic minor), they're considered to be borrowed from another key (usually nearby on the circle of 5ths) Great vid though gets the brain working!
After 4 straight semesters of college-level theory classes, I basically saw the title of this video and went "it's either going to be a V7/V (or a "five-of-something" at least), or a IVmi." Excellent lesson, and thanks for making me feel like college has taught me something for all the money I've spent on it. XD
They are more like secondary dominant chords, only he doesn't play 7th in them, than altered chords. Altered usually refers to dominant chords with sharpened or flattened 5th and 9th. Big fan of the 4mi myself Sleepwalk is a classic use of it.
I've always been fascinated by the Maj4 to Min4 sound. It just has this dreamy quality and is sort of a cheap trick to evoke emotion. The final progression he plays is basically "Sleepwalk" which exemplifies this. Another cool "Altered chord" progression I like is using the Maj7 for the one chord, or from the one chord, works really well with the Maj4 to Min4 as well. Try C-CMaj7-F-Fmin. Throw in G, Em7, and Am, then build off Dmin for the bridge and you can just crank out nice melodic folky songs.
Great, I already had experimented with that fourth minor, but it is good to know that someone had also heard that kind of harmony, also i suggest to try with fourth major, fourth minor and tonic, sounds nice :')
You are a perfect blend of music theory and basic instruction. Have you heard of Marty's guitar lessons on youtube? Id say he is like the intro guitar teacher, kind of dumbing it down. You sir are the more advanced lesson
I usually find the cord that changes everything is the one that connects my guitar to the amp....
glennaldosf underrated comment
glennaldosf lol you killed me
I would go with the power cord
lmao
This comments actually wins over the guitar chord to the amp comment. Well done sir. well done
Saving everybody some time: He played a (IV) chord and made it minor. So, in the key of C, this would be an Fminor
Thanks. I might add that Neil Young really liked to use minor 4ths. Also the Beatles "She Loves You", going into the chorus. Actually, that may be a minor sixth, which is an extra level of coolness.
Saying "minor sixth" is redundant. A six chord is minor by default. And I think the best example of a band (often) using a minor 4 is Radiohead. I could list half a dozen songs that feature that relationship.
When did Neil use them? Can you give some examples?
J M Beatles use it a lot too
J M thank you
is this the secret chord that david played and pleased the lord?
MasterP48HD definitely
MasterP48HD hallelujah!
MasterP48HD yup, and Turn My Head by Live, Creep by Radiohead (basically the same song lol), She's All I Ever Had by Ricky Martin. Many others. Once you hear it, you can't not hear it in songs when it's done.
HAHAHA I thought the same exact thing
No,I believe that goes: The first, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.
Instructions unclear; girlfriend now pregnant.
Dave you followed the instructions perfectly
Dave as a side effect you'll fertilize any egg in the vicinity when you play this good.
Dave well...it's the chord that changes everything, so you did something right
I hate it when that happens. You should have played a suspended chord, then you wouldn't have this major problem of bringing up a minor. I'm sure the problem will be diminished over time.
Dave here's the next part of the instructions.... run. don't stop.
Ur right... the chord changed my dog into a bird
lol
Hey, that's weird... The chord changed my bird into a dog. Wanna trade? :-D
dude..you should teach your dog to sing ...or your bird to bark....relentlessly...(don t know if it s corect the last word ..)...haha
Crysis Music You need to lay off the drugs dude!
Crysis,
LMAOOOOOOOOO!!!
For a semi-begginer, a chord that changes everything is defenetly a diminished chord. I remember how impressed I was when I discovered that you can put a dim between any two neighbour chords from scale.
Crazy drummer ooh I don't know. I remember when I first played a sus4. Wow!!
add9 and add6 minor chords man
I like augmented chords as well...LOL
Crazy drummer - I didn't know that, can you give us an example?
If you have progression C Dm Em for example, you can play C C#dim Dm D#dim Em.
Be careful with your terminology. An "altered" chord is a very specific thing: a 7(b9b5), 7(b9#5), 7(#9b5), or a 7(#9#5)
An altered chord is not limited to those intervals and extensions. It can be any chord with one or more raised or lowered pitches which subsequently changes its function in a given key.
He is talking about a chord is being altered, you are talking about THE ALTERED CHORD, people should know the difference otherwise if they play a score and see ALT chord they would do strange things and making minor a dominant chord, that is where we could normally see them.
I kind of had the same thought, but I understand his thought process. A more accurate term would be "Borrowed Chord" because he's referring to a concept called Modal Interchange. The term alteration is generally reserved for specific chord tones like Scott mentioned. The bottom line is that I think he provided enough context to establish that he wasn't referring to an actual altered chord (in the sense that a lot of cats are familiar) and also mentioned that it's his personal label for borrowed chords. Doesn't mean it wasn't confusing for a second, but I ended up getting the gist of it.
All-in-all, neat video. Keep it up!
Not true. An "altered" chord is formally a dominant chord with fifth or ninth raised/lowered. It does not apply to just any chord. He was being a bit loose in his video and probably should mention he is using "altered" in an informal way and should not be confused with the real deal. Personally I would have used a different word to describe his non-diatonic chords to beginners. Also, kudos to a decent lesson otherwise (although the teaser is a bit much). :)
No, an "altered chord" is a specific type of dominant chord. And also, when you played the diatonic triads at the beginning, you played the wrong dim triad, introducing a G#, which isn't in C.
- clicks Music is Win video
- thumbs up it
- procedes to watch the video
every time..
same here mayne ^^
lol.. i listen to nirvana and i play them.. xD
That guitar playing that demonstrates the minor 4th is relaxing as heck ❤😂😂
This is such a simple way to make boring chords more interesting. Such an awesome lesson dude!
Now the real info:
It's not an altered chord as this guy calls it (altered chords are a different thing): it's a borrowed chord. In minor keys the "formula" (actually called diatonic chords) goes "im7 iim7b5 IIIM7 ivm7 vm7 VIM7 VII7". He's borrowing a chord from the parallel minor (C minor): iv of C natural minor is F minor. It has this unique character. It's like you changed tonality to the parallel minor for a bar, and then went back to the major tonality.
IMHO he's doing wrong trying to hide the complexity of music theory behind magic names. It makes it harder for students to google for more information and is not simpler in any way. It's also pretty much confusing if the terminology is wrong: if a guy comes to me saying "altered chord" the last thing I'm gonna think of is a borrowed chord.
imma say this: there’s not of a point to explain all of music theory. whether you know theory or not, all u need is a direct application of a chord. the magic name is needed no matter what with or without knowledge of theory. u might need theory once, but once it’s explained, it works. the most important part is the application and you can’t go through all that theory when playing. it’s simple, the iv chord just works when resolving to I. there’s a chromatic tension between the Ab and the G. the rest, besides extensions, is all in key and follow a normal IV to I progression. u dumb flip
@@skrobie half the reason to learn theory is to be able to effectively communicate musical ideas to other people. You really can't do that if you don't use the agreed-upon names for things.
OMG is it triads again?
Lol
This is actually a concept called "modal borrowing", "modal mixture", "mode mix", or "modal interchange" (depending on which theorist or music professor you ask). As many have also said, an altered chord is something very different than the concept described above. The reason theorists call it "modal borrowing" is because each substituted chord briefly creates a sound from another mode. In the Lydian mode, the II chord is major. So playing a D major chord in the key of C borrows from the C Lydian tonality. A iv (F minor in the key of C) borrows from the parallel minor (also known as the Aeolian mode). Additionally, you can borrow, for example, an Ab major chord in the key of C (which is built off the 6th scale degree in C minor), and this would be abbreviated as bVI, because its root is a half-step below what it would normally be in the C major mode.
Also, one more important clarification: when referring to chords built off scale degrees, it's not kosher to call them "third" or "fourth" chords, et cetera. A chord built off the third scale degree in any key is the "three" chord (abbreviated as iii or III). In music theory, we use the suffixes "-th", "-st", "-rd", and so forth only when referring to intervals. A "major third" is defined concretely as two notes that are exactly 4 half steps apart. A "major three" chord is what he played near the end of the video, also abbreviated as III. Consistent nomenclature is important because music theory is confusing enough without mixing up our terms.
My apologies for the "excessive" quotation marks. It was a conscious choice for the purpose of clarity.
I am altering the chord. Pray I don't alter it any further.
I have heard them called "Borrowed chords"...Hotel California's progression shows it off good.
Red Walrus which hotel california chords are these altered chords?
HC chords are: Bm,F#,A,E,G,D,Em,F#.........The Bm progression chords are Bm,C#dim,D,Em,F#m,G,A. So the "borrowerd" chords (from the parallel key -minor or major scale with the same tonic) are F# MAJOR and E Major.
Please note: Red Walrus is correct and his example is great, but the one borrowed chord Tyler is talking about here is not present in Hotel California. In Hotel California, the IVmin would be G minor. I don't mean to sound annoying, I just didn't want you to search for a G minor that isn't there
Interesting, I've been listening to Oasis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out, which is also in B minor and borrows the E Major (also has the E Minor, but no F# Major).
Red WalrusTM NC52 ддшгн гдл
It's a shame you have to apologize for music theory. If only people would be willing to put in the time to learn it (or realize that they are learning music theory), they would see how much easier life gets for a musician.
too many fake guitarists out there that wanna get good quick, doesn't work like that
Kent Shin The problem is when you really heavily on the theory or the technical side of things. Anyone can learn to paint a picture of a bird or a tree, and it basically marginalizes naturally talented artists even though its pretty obvious who is a natural artist and who just took lessons and learned howto memorize and imitate.
JackstandJohnny People don't really care how much or how little lessons the creator had to take. People only care about the end product. All natural talent is is a small headstart.
However, for people who constantly work with other musicians, it becomes insanely irritating (not to mention time consuming) trying to get them to do something. When the people you work with know theory, everything suddenly becomes so pleasant and a joy.
+Bytrusted Hendrix, Clapton, slash are fake ? Didn't know. Not to mention the beetles.
All of these guys have a good understanding of music theory. They may not study it as a specific subject but they have learnt it. Members of The Beatles even went as far as to learn non-western scales. This idea of the top players all being "pure feel" is bullshit. Pure feel is internalised knowledge. They learnt first, then they understood and only then did they innovate.
I'm not a huge theory guy, but altered chords are a huge part of my songwriting process. I always just called them non diatonic, or just "wrong" chords before watching this. Great info as always.
Thanks so much for this video, I found it particularly meaningful, as my musical sensibilities are firmly rooted in that 60s British/Beatles sound that makes use of that back to back IV Major/IV minor chord change. Noel Gallagher of Oasis, a primary musical hero and inspiration of mine, has put it to much good use in his classic songs.
I think I recently encountered this chord in Hozier's "Someone New", when he sings, "Honey, there is no right way." The chord falls on the word, "there". I didn't know exactly what was going on until I started learning the chord progression in that song. I remember thinking, "How did he think to use that chord there? I wouldn't have thought of doing that." But it sounds so cool, especially considering that chord is a major every other time in that song.
So cool to be learning these little tricks here and there. Gonna be adding this one to the repertoire. Thanks for the vid!
That progression reminds me of Beatles' In My Life
Yeah, a little bit
Yeah, the verse goes like this.
A > E > F#m > A7 > *D > Dm* > A
The song is in A, so the 4th is D. It goes from *D to D minor*. That song was my first experience with this tonality, closely followed up with Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day.
reminded me of the old classic sleepwalking. similar anyway
I'll Be Back does that "major to minor" change too
Nico Blaziken It's a classic Beatles move.
Your guitar tone, and the way you played your chords gives me joy.
Reminds me of green day for some reason.
edit: Wake me up when September ends is in Gmajor but uses a Cmaj to Cmin change very often. They might have some other songs with it in.
exactly
Jay Pickard Coming from a huge Green Day fan, Wild One and Last Night On Earth use this aswell.
G#minor is used instead of G#major in christina pery's song jar of hearts also
Crazy, by Aerosmith, also uses this. It changes from D to Dm, but I feel it is much more recognizable because the song is in the key of D major.
Deathcab for cutie- into the dark. F -then I'll follow- Fm -you into the- C -dark
I can remember stumbling upon the "Minor IV" in a Major Scale some years ago and falling in love with it instantly.
Now I don't want to sound like a Know-it-all, but here he's actually playing a "Minor IV 7"-Chord, which is IMHO not the typical sound for the chord that changes everything - try a Minor IV Chord with a major 6 or major 7 for that effect. Of Course, in a more "jazzy" context, IV minor 7 combined with the bVII Dom7 makes for a great backdoor-progression!
People learning to play guitar now thinking a Dmaj is an altered chord are gonna have a lot of troubles in the future. Other people comment's are right, these are borrowed chords...you can also view them as part of modal interchange, but calling them altered chords...
Don't get me wrong, musically speaking, this "lesson" can be very helpful to a beginner, he will find new ways to create new music as well as identifying those chord changes in other songs.
I know that the important thing is the music, not the names, but still...for example, for me, calling the VII chord of a major scale a diminished chord is wrong...i know where you are going, but its just a Xmin5b, a diminished chord has a 7bb, and that note (in C it will be a Gb) doesn't even belong to the major scale.
Again, i don't want to be an ass (i know i am being one though), but beginners need their facts to be accurate.
Sorry
Sergio, in traditional theory, the VII TRIAD is considered diminished because it is made up of two minor third intervals. You are definitely right that the seventh chord on that step of the scale is minor 7 with a flat 5 (Bmin7b5), but it is also called half diminished because the lower 3 notes form a diminished triad. If we lower that seventh by a half step, it becomes a fully diminished 7th chord (B-D-F-Ab), with a each consecutive interval being a minor third. There is some disagreement between jazz and traditional names of certain things in music theory, but the three note chord (B-D-F) is diminished, the four note chord (B-D-F-A) is minor7(b5) or half diminished.
As far as altered chords are concerned, anyone who calls a simple D triad an altered chord needs a slap upside the head!
Thanks for the answer! I didn't know the VII triad was diminished in traditional theory...there's always stuff to learn, eh? :=)
Sergio Dominguez It wouldn't be Gb, it would be Ab. Don't forget ypu make up chords from their root, not what key you're in. A 'B major seventh' is A sharp (strictly speaking it can't be a B flat, though enharmonically it is), minor 7th is A, dim7th is Ab. I wouldn't call them borrowed chords but chromatic chords, as opposed to diatonic chords.
Couldn't resist commenting because this chord progression explained has always been my favourite. Before even knowing it theorically, it produced sadness on me no matter what was the song like (even in some fast-tempo ones such as Spanish bombs by The Clash). It started being used in Romantic music (XIX century's classical compositions) so you'll here it often in Chopin or Liszt. Nowadays, supposes an alternative to the standard progression I- IV- V by substituting V with IVminor. Can be heard clearly in songs like Creep, Last Night On Earth by Green Day or Nobody home by Pink Floyd. I repeat, it automatically makes me feel sadness and nostalgia with no reason, and hopefully I'll get to know why. Have a nice Day everyone
click bait makes the world go round
Those are called borrowed chords specifically because they're borrowed from a different scale or mode, typically the minor scale. An altered chord is a more generalized category of borrowed chords. Usually when someone says altered chord, it means that the 5, 7, 9, 11, or 13 (or any combination thereof) has been moved up or down a semitone. However, borrowed chords are also a legitimate example of altered chords.
but I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
what the hell I'm i doing here...
thats a good one, because the song creep does use the major to minor progression on the line I don't belong here.. BUt im not sure why this guy thinks that that specific thing changes everything.
I DONT BELONG HERE
You are here learning guitar. That is what you are doing here.
Truly one of my favorite chord structures is changing from a major V and a diminished vii chord to having a minor V with a major VII. So if you have a song in C minor for instance, throwing in the min V and Maj VII adds and beautiful effect. Bands like Red use it as well.
The first song I thought of was Sleep Walk.
Yep. Sleepwalk.... Santo and Johnny. Love it
Not altered, but borrowed. In C, a D major is just the V of V. Altered implies beginning with a regular chord, say a major 11th, but altering it to include a flat 9 or flat 5, or sharp 11, and so on. A minor point (get it?) but terminology is important. Nice tone, by the way.Edit: I guess I should have read the comments first. Looks like this has all been said already many times over.
people who dislike these videos are either deaf or just salty that they can't play as well as you do
Ignister Prominence, The Blasting Dracoslayer or, they wanna be a dick and have that one dislike
Alexander Edwards too edgy for me
Or they know some music theory and realize he's getting it wrong.
Statement at 2:30 is wrong. Chords outside the major scale are not necessarily "altered" chords. They are simply, NON-DIATONIC. They can be (and often are) simple normal chords. Altered chords are those with alterations to the 5 or 9. There are only two notes that can be called "altered" and only two ways to alter any note. ( sharp or flat) SO, there are only four possible alterations: b5 ( same as sharp 4 or # 11) #5, b9, and #9. The term altered refers to any chord that has b5, #5, b9 or #9. Since it is cumbersome to write more than one or two "alterations. we sometimes see the abbreviation "Alt" for any chord with two or more alterations.
Chords built strictly from inside the major scale (or any of its modes) are "diatonic."
Chords with notes outside the major scale or its modes are NON-diatonic.
That's borrowing chords from its parallel minor aye?
Yep. The minor iv chord anyway.
Actually, that is the negative harmony version of a G7
Tyler, I don't know you personally, but I want to take a minute to thank you for all the hard work you do. You put so much effort, personality, and knowledge into each one of your videos. And you do it with such a friendly charm that makes your videos fun to watch every time. I don't speak for everyone in the "online guitar community" but I do know that many of us are very thankful for your channel and your brand. Keep up the great videos! :)
Reminds me of No surprises by Radiohead
Yeezak Thought the same!
you should deff do more theory based stuffff aside from the super system stuff
I've done tons of music theory videos. Check out the Music Theory playlist on my channel: ruclips.net/p/PLyv8ypjHOdWHYZr1iaqzNha1yDp1RRaDM
Yeah Ty....gimme some fresh ones ehh
if you're hanging around in this realm (Using Fm in C) also check out C augmented. Fm has an Ab, Caug has an Ab. fun stuff.
I find this kind of information to be (A) useful and (B) useless. Play whatever chords you want that way it's not contrived. The best place for the rule book is firmly out the window. Jandek anybody?
Good post ... Curt Cobain is one that comes to mind on going outside the box a lot with his rhythm playing ... Theory is okay , and I understand it , but my rule is there are no rules ... If it sounds good to you , that's fine ... most players know when something doesn't sound good or make sense. I saw an interesting YT video today with George Lynch talking about purposefully going outside the scale box just to make things unique , interesting & his own.
I agree to an extent, theory is helpful, but it's not a strict guideline. A lot of music these days feels contrived (especially metal) because it's written by fresh out of college music graduates, the underdog always made more interesting art.
You seem to have a common misunderstanding of what music theory is considering it is nothing more than a language used to describe the practices and possibilities of music. The only reason you think there's a rulebook is because you and everyone else just assumes that the most popular traditions of music theory are the only ones that matter.
The whole point of music theory is to realize that there is and never will be a rule book. There are merely sounds to be arranged, and theory is an incredibly effective language used to communicate musical ideas. Think of theory like the way a poet would think of grammar. Just remember that while you're talking about throwing the rulebook out the window, the very concept of a note (and calling a certain frequency a vibration a certain note) and any chord built with any combination of those notes are inherently a part of music theory.
You cannot create music outside of theory. You can only not know how to express your music using the language of theory. There are many more traditions in music theory than the standard Bach-style approach that has remained the most popular in Western culture for the past few centuries. Jandek never once threw theory out the window. The project just crafted its own idea of music outside of tradition, but if you were to analyze it closely enough, you could begin to map out things even more experimental and bizzare than Jandek.
gaiusgrdn I used Jandek as an example. I never said he was the ultimate in experimental music. I was merely getting at the fact you don't need theory to come up with something original. A lack of theory would more than likely see the creator move towards a sound rather than something they already know which would therefore make it contrived. That's why prog rock generally sounds like shit to me. It's contrived and only seems to be heralded by music students.
Nonetheless I think it is good to learn the rules, if only so that you can understand better the reasons you have to break them.
Of course this is a great and popular harmonic shape used in rock and pop music, go for the minor 4th, and more often it is a a switch from major to minor 4th as a phrase closes (e.g. C-> Cm-> G). You could alternatively call it a use of the major and the minor 6th single note, as the one changing in the example is E to Eb, which are the respective 6ths in the key of G. Perfect examples of songs using this shape that leap to me mind are: -Wake Me Up When September Ends: at the moment when "When" (:P) is sang.-All I Want For Xmas Is You: When the backing vocals hold the "aaaaaah", second Line of the verse.-Crazy by Aerosmith: He sings "What can I do, I feel like the colour blue" on the hold of Word "blue".Many brilliant and genius composers, like The Beatles, had used among other "harmonical games" this bitter-sweet tasting and evoking a feel of "glorious and volumous ending" progression...
Clickbaity.
Changing the IV chord to minor, that's all there is.
You're so good at what you do and I can't thank you enough, since finding you and watching your vids my playing has really started to come along again after a long hiatus. Thankyou!
An "altered chord"? If your gonna be doing a video containing theory, please use the real terms. Calling a secondary dominant chord an "altered chord" is condescending to your audience and it makes me feel like you think we are stupid. Using simplistic fake names for a concept is like what teacher do when they think you are too stupid to understand the real thing. For everyone watching this video, "altered chord" is a made up fake term. These chords are called secondary dominant chords because they function as the dominant chords to other keys. For example, when the ii chord is major, you would write the Roman numeral as V/V (sounds like "five of five") because a major 2 chord in any key functions as the five chord to the five chord of the key you are in, effectively making the five chord sound like a one chord. If you do this briefly (say for less than a whole verse, so a phrase or measure) it's called tonicization. Please don't condescend your audience.
True but "altered chord" is still a real thing/term - an altered dominant chord.
clockWorks10 An altered chord is very much a real term. C7 (b9, sharp5th) is an altered chord.
slapmyfunkybass This is correct but it's not what he is referring to. An altered chord is a real thing but he's not talking about jazz extensions. He's talking about secondary dominance. So he is using the wrong term for something completely different reinforcing his lack of musical credibility.
clockWorks10 Well you did say an altered chord "is a made up fake term". Technically they're not Jazz extensions either, they're natural intervals that have been altered, and can be used in any style. Impressionism for example uses a lot of complex altered harmony.
I agree with what you're saying about terminology, but he's talking about a minor IV chord, which isn't a secondary dominant. The people here who are talking about borrowed chords and mode mixture have it right. But your basic point--"altered chord" already has a meaning, don't use that expression for other concepts--is spot on.
It really depends on the genre. The minor iv is an interesting addition to a few genres although I wouldn't want to overuse it. The major II is an interesting alternative during a 6-2-5-1 pattern. My favorite is the dominant 11th chord in Southern Gospel. It's like combining 4-1 and 5-1 cadences at the beginning of a statement. You will often find charts write it this way, In the key of C, for example: F/G where the 7th, 9th, and 11th are emphasized in the chord. In quazi-jazz arrangements of non-jazz pieces, I see a lot of chord substitutions that are a 3rd off. Those tend to produce diminished 5th intervals that resolve nicely in what would otherwise be a circle of 5ths progression.
the major to minor variation of the 4th chord is the same as playing the chord while doing variations in the notes of the chord (in this case 3rd to flat 3rd). This concept really attracts the ear while the tension of the chord is being diminished. It is very common, while we may see the same thing happening while we move from a sustain 4 chord to a major chord(it is common in many chord progressions)
I've found adding the minIV like so makes it a much more festive kinda sound. It's one of my favorite things to do, good job spreading it!
The minor 4 chord is what made "Sleep Walk" such a hit for "Santo & Johnny". I notice you're playing "around" that song, as well as "In My Life" by the Beatles (Lennon). Another good example is a song by Joe Walsh titled "Midnight Man" in which the minor alternate is only used once, but to wonderful effect. It is a really cool alternate when used the right way, cool lesson.
John Gerson Sleepwalk exactly. That iv minor chord is borrowed from the major harmonic scale. ;)
Another great example is "Since I Don't Have You," by the Skyliners. The basic chord sequence is C Am Fm G7 (or I vi iv V7). The Fm has a really mysterious effect in my opinion.
+Tanguy Delooz Thanks for your reply!
+Rod Johnson Not familiar with that one by title, but I'll check it out. Thanks for your reply and suggestion.
A good example of this is the progression in "I Will Follow You Into the Dark". Instantly recognizable. For anyone with experience with theory this is a no brainer, but it was a nice video with a clear presentation.
Altered Chords are chords like V7(b9) V7(#5) or just V7alt. Altered chords are chords with altered extensions.
The chords you call "altered chords" are actually called Secondary Dominants.
Just wanted to throw that out. Otherwise, great lesson!
Cheers! //Emanuel
The iv chord in a major chord progression is a "borrowed chord" (mode mixture)
Dude you just helped me write a song that I've been working on for a few months. Thanks for the inspiration and a visual explanation of chord construction.
A very similar sound has traditionally been accomplished by using the Neapolitan chord (a bII chord in first inversion that is also called the "Phrygian II", bII6, or N6). So, while iv in C is spelled F-Ab-C, the Neapolitan chord would be spelled F-Ab-Db. It usually functions as a predominant chord, especially in minor keys, where it replaces the subdominant (iv) chord. bII is also used as a tritone substitution for the dominant chord, especially in ii-V-I progressions (leading to strong chromatic motion as the harmony moves ii-bII-I). Borrowing the minor iv chord sounds nice, but the Neapolitan is more striking, IMO.
This minor 4th chord exists in the song "Creep" by Radiohead. It's also in "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri, and "Wake me up when September Ends" by Green Day.
Okay, a couple of things:
- The 7th chord in a major key is NOT a diminished chord, it's a half-diminished chord. A diminished chord are minor thirds stacked on top of each other, meaning that you get a flat 7th (sounding like a major 6th) instead of a minor 7th, thus rendering the chord non-diatonic. A B diminished chord would, as such, contain the notes B D F Ab, the Ab not a part of the key of C major. The 7th chord in the key of C major is Bm7b5, containing the notes B D F A. This kind of chord is called half diminished.
- What you are demonstrating are called altered chords in classical music. In jazz, using that term will get you gutted. Altered chords in jazz are dominant (major chords with a minor 7th) chords, where 5th, 9th or 13th are altered either up or down by a semitone, so for example a G7#5, or a G7b5. More than one of the notes can be altered, for example G7#5b9.
- Look up the term "borrowed chord".
- The major II and major III chords are not altered chords, they usually function as dominant chords, where the D major (in C major) functions as the dominant of the dominant, or double dominant (where the D leads to a G leading to a C, like The Streets of London, by Ralph McTell), and the E major usually functions as a dominant to the A minor chord, bringing the relative harmonic or melodic minor scale into play. These are usually when played as 7th chords, in jazz and pop, refered to as V7/V and V7/vi respectively.
- If you say that you are playing a C major, don't play a Cmaj7, because it's another chord.
- If you want people to pay attention to how a chord sounds, lay of the whammy, it doesn't help.
Ha! You beat me to it. I pretty much just said all of this a few hours ago. I hadn't seen your reply from a day earlier.
In many songs, there's a coda of the type (assuming we're in the key of C): C-C7-F-fm-C. Instead of the minor 4 chord (fm) try Bb9#11... Sounds really cool (with the fingering 6-5-6-5-5-x, low to high; I bar the chord on the 5th fret and don't play the e1 string).
the Fminor comes from when the Cmajor keys Aminor becomes an A harmonic minor...when the Chords are built from an A harmonic, you can have either or both FMAJ and Fmin as there are A and Ab notes....so really the 'altered chord minor'' is from A harmonic.... ;)
This is just an example of modal interchange where you borrow chords from the minor scale. It's not only limited to minor fourth chords though, you can substitute any chords from the minor scale like the flat six major (that's a really good one). If the song is in minor, you can substitute chords from the major scale too. If you want to expand beyond borrowing from minor scales and major scales you can search up church modes to borrow from, which gives more options of color in the chords.
Maybe it changes everything for people who only play three or four chords anyway, but there is a huge tonal range and this is just one of the many chords outside the scale that you can use, and IMO doesn't sound much more shocking in a C major scale than a major II or III (leading to a major V or a minor iv respectively). Especially once you get into extended chords and different voicings there are a great many ways to go out of the scale or out of traditional chord progressions, so I think this title is a bit misleading.
The fact that you had the name of the chords you were playing in the screen was a great help! You should do that more often, really makes the lesson click imo.
Both major 3rd chord and minor 4th chord contains that note (G# in C major/A minor). It belongs to harmonic minor so that is why it is so special.
Right on! Hey, this sort of thing has been my OBSESSION for years! Nice to find someone else making a fuss about such an important point.
My girlfriend and I were watching this and from the title alone were hoping it would be the minor IV. Massive thumbs up for you! We call it the Beegees chord! 😂
Well, this is one of those guitar lessons that pretty much upends my brain and blows my mind.
I know nothing about theory but as far as "hearing" what he's referring to, I can think of a few songs that use this chord and/or transition at the end (it's extremely popular). Please correct me if I'm wrong tho...
1) Beetlebum (chorus) - blur
2) Wake me up when september ends (the part when these words are sang in the song) - green day
3) Creep by radiohead?
Ah! This is such a great video. Never really considered just how much a min4 can make a chord progression so much more dynamic. I've used it before, but never really placed an emphasis on it. These kind of songwriting techniques elevate the amateur to the expert. So much soul!
The diatonic chord vii of a major key is actually semi-diminished not diminished, if you used diminished you're technically modulating or altering the key already.
Nice tip, I'll bet this little alteration can be found in some McCartney songs if I scratch around a bit. I like it. Why does it work? Maybe because it brings the third of the IV down to within a half step of the fifth of the tonic, increasing the downward pull that a maj IV has to the I, since its tonic is a half step above the fifth of the I, and it's fifth is the root of the tonic. The minor IV changes the mood and is ready to practically melt into being a tonic, by lowering two of its three notes by the minimum amount possible in classical western intervals. This could also be the devil's injection of a little melancholy into the heavenly "amen cadence", IV-I.
Absolutely agree. It's so overused nowadays, but that is just more to your point and I still love to hear it in a CP.
Your guitar sounds really great and your finger technique is quite clean. Good for you man. I like your chord choice - it's cool because it acts like a SUS chord but in the minor tonality. It causes the music to hang for resolve without making it too obvious and provides that minor tone which can push back the lister into being unsure where its going to resolve, but at the same time, expecting it to. I love that chord. One of my favorites songs, where I heard it first was "Mat Wertz - All I Know".
Sleepwalk is a good example of this. The melody puts this idea into practice in a scalar format too. Good lesson
This trick with borrowed chords was used in many hits: "Sleep Walk" by Santo and Johnny Farina or "Since I Don't Have You" by Skyliners (awesome cover by GNR on last LP).
But why is the D minor in the key of C major? (I can't remember things I don't understand). Triads are 1-3-5 -- 1st, 3rd and 5th in the scale. C scale: C(1) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(5) A(6) B(7). The "3rd" determines if a chord is major or minor. C-E-G. E is four frets above C, it's a major interval. So in that C scale, a D chord would be D-F-A. Pretend the D is the 1, then F would be the 3rd, A would be the 5th. F is three frets above a D, a minor interval. E-G-B, also minor. F-A-C, major. G-B-D, major. A-C-E, minor. B-D-F, diminished. B to D is a minor interval... B to F is a flat 5th (only six frets apart, as opposed to a normal 5th that's 7 frets apart).
So if U play a D major chord while U're in the key of C major - U either just changed key which is totally cool, or U were actually in a C Lydian mode (a different major scale, where the F is sharp) which sounds beautiful, or U're saying F the rules I do what I want, which is also fine by me (no sarcasm there, F the rules is cool).
so yea, the chord progression at 4:00 -- playing that IV min is a game changer because it's changing the key (then going right back). I Maj (C-E-G), then VI min (A-C-E)... so far only C, E, G, and A have been played, so who knows what mode we're in, but safe enough to assume regular C major. Then comes the IV min (F-Ab-C). So we had that A (6th in the scale), then it went to an A-flat. Which could mean a key change. That thing at 5:05 isn't a key change, but some extra spice to make things interesting... F-A-C, then F-Ab-C, then back to C-E-G. So that Ab is like a bridge between the A in the Fmajor chord and the G in the Cmajor chord.
(not talking bad about U, Music is Win. details like this would make the video longer and too much extra, and U did say check out Ur site for more music theory. I'm just saying, to anyone who doesn't already know)
It's called the Diatonic series. And the IV minor famously appeared in the instrumental hit "Sleepwalk," by Santo & Johnny.
iv was the first chord function my ear could recognize (in the common IV-iv context). i trained my ear to recognize the rest from that starting point
Oasis / Noel Gallagher's "Don't Look Back In Anger" does exactly this - There's an F major chord at the end of the chorus but for the outro, he swaps it with an F minor to give it a sense of finality. Definitely changes the mood.
Thanks for the video, really interesting! I've been playing guitar for 20 years but only just getting into the theory as a beginner again really.
Btw, this is called parallel chords, not altered chords.Parallel being from the Cmin key. If you take any chord from any other key in C while playing in CMaj, that key is called parallel, because the tonic is C but the intervals between the notes are different.
minor IV = beatles awesomeness and awesomeness in general. I totally agree with the minor IV stuff. Great shit bud
yes ...i guess the min 4 is used in the intro of the song Wake me up when september ends by Green Day...jst guessing..may be im wrong...
The major three chord in a major key is a chromatic mediant. There are many types of chromatic mediants and they can really add a lot to a chord progression. I definitely recommend working them in whenever you can. :D
Yeahh good lesson. Always love chord harmonics. like the 1st and 2nd can be dominant 7 too during turn arounds. But doing all this may change the key of your scales and singing keys. So be cautious. Like from 1st then goes to the 5 change to minor so its like C, Gminor etc. it sounds cool too
I think that instead of thinking it as a minor 4th, everything is just in the key of G instead of C.
So the progression would be: 4maj - 2minor - 1maj - 4maj.
Correct me if im wrong...
A really good example of this in the bridge of a song is Oasis's "Don't Look Back in Anger"
Like he describes, the C major tonality is really well established in the verse.
Then in the bridge "I'm gonna start a revolution from my bed..." you get F-Fm-C
Neat little lesson for folks, though I think that the Major III7 is more audible and recognizable to beginners
yeah i learned to pop in that Fminor bar by playing david bowie space oddity...its a kind of 60s sounding thing and you kind of need to use your second finger assist to fret it
This reminded me a bit of several ELO songs, and now I see people mentioning The Beatles, who were a big influence on Jeff Lynne. Makes sense.
Dude, your vids are amazing. And the reason is because it does what no other video (that i have seen) does, which is show the viewer how to actually use the things that they may or may not already know. Case and point - examples! if you show a cool new concept, you show how to implement it in various ways. This also helps, at least me, to get us thinking in other ways how to use the concept. I always struggle with, gee i wonder how i can make this progression more awesome? this is how! thanks man
John Lennon used this 'trick' in In My Life i guess. Playing the D major and after that a D minor (when in the scale of A major). I must say it sounds great and changes the song in the lets-thing-about-life mood. Great song!
I love the way your guitar sounds. That's gorgeous
These Days by the Black Keys (one of my favorite songs) does this. At the end of the chorus, it plays C, Cm, and then back home to G. Beautiful sound. I believe Space Oddity by Bowie does it too constantly in its verse!
They do fit into a formula, the formula of the melodic minor of that particular key. If they don't fit the melodic minor (or harmonic minor), they're considered to be borrowed from another key (usually nearby on the circle of 5ths)
Great vid though gets the brain working!
After 4 straight semesters of college-level theory classes, I basically saw the title of this video and went "it's either going to be a V7/V (or a "five-of-something" at least), or a IVmi." Excellent lesson, and thanks for making me feel like college has taught me something for all the money I've spent on it. XD
This is where it gets interesting for me.I'd recommend using V MAJ in the Minor Scale too. Love that sound to build up tension for the drop
I always loved the Am in the chorus of "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, it really changes everything.
They are more like secondary dominant chords, only he doesn't play 7th in them, than altered chords. Altered usually refers to dominant chords with sharpened or flattened 5th and 9th.
Big fan of the 4mi myself
Sleepwalk is a classic use of it.
Thanks dude, I'm gonna go write a song using an IV -> iv move, it sounds great! Well presented material, quite enjoyed it.
I've always been fascinated by the Maj4 to Min4 sound. It just has this dreamy quality and is sort of a cheap trick to evoke emotion. The final progression he plays is basically "Sleepwalk" which exemplifies this. Another cool "Altered chord" progression I like is using the Maj7 for the one chord, or from the one chord, works really well with the Maj4 to Min4 as well. Try C-CMaj7-F-Fmin. Throw in G, Em7, and Am, then build off Dmin for the bridge and you can just crank out nice melodic folky songs.
I love using a minor 4 because I love the sound. Like in sleepwalk santo and johnny which I think changes the full tonality of it in a good way
This is great, I saw/heard this done a lot in jazz songs
AAAAAAND this will now inevitably be included in every one of my songs. Thanks a lot, man ;)
Great, I already had experimented with that fourth minor, but it is good to know that someone had also heard that kind of harmony, also i suggest to try with fourth major, fourth minor and tonic, sounds nice :')
The song Creep by radio head uses the minor 4. While I like the sound of it, it does give a kinda dark tone to the music.
You are a perfect blend of music theory and basic instruction. Have you heard of Marty's guitar lessons on youtube? Id say he is like the intro guitar teacher, kind of dumbing it down. You sir are the more advanced lesson