Remember to check out my books - How To Really Play The Piano, Seven Studies In Pop Piano and An Introduction To Cocktail Piano! Links here: www.billspianopages.com/how-to-really www.billspianopages.com/cocktail www.billspianopages.com/seven-studies
Seriously man this was frickin incredible! So many things I’ve been searching for. I absolutely loved it. Thank you for doing this and going deep, I’m so sick of people never going into theory because they think people don’t want to hear it. I’m so glad you did. And also great composition, I feel like I can use a lot of these little theory nuggets for my own stuff. Thank you again !!
No problem Brandon - I'm glad you like the approach I'm using here. There's quite a good community of people who are pretty interested in music theory around here, so I'm going to keep producing stuff like this from time to time :)
No problem Brandon - I'm glad you like the approach I'm using here. There's quite a good community of people who are pretty interested in music theory around here, so I'm going to keep producing stuff like this from time to time :)
Feels good to understand what this was all about, considering that 18 months ago I could not play a note and didn't know what a scale is. A slow but steady tool what the human brain is, yeah. Power to all the starting musicians out there!
Whoooo-eeeeee! My wee brain is blown! The subject is so huge and complex.....function.....cadences.........tritones, etc. I need to dig deeper into each of these to actually grasp them! Another nice video, thanks Bill!
There are 19 dislikes (at the time of writing)... I honestly cannot understand why. This was a very well described demonstration of functional harmony and song writing in general. More to the point, if there is one over-arching take-away from this well-presented lecture, it's this: it takes hard work and practice. Bravo Bill.
Thanks Tony! The big lesson of RUclips is that you'll never ever ever work out how to please everyone - I'm just glad that plenty of people do seem to like my stuff. Thanks again for the kind words, and I'm glad you found it useful!
Great explanation, Bill. Thanks. This brings together exactly what I have been looking for for the last couple of years: how to make 'musical sense' out so many non-diatonic chords. And I'm impressed at how deep your music theory knowledge is!
Brilliant. As a piano player who has stopped taking lessons and continues to practice on my own, music theory is one thing that is not so easy to learn without a teacher. Really appreciate these types of videos. Quality content as always!
I've been playing guitar for 30 years, but only started learning music theory 18 months ago. Thanks largely to Jake at Signals Music Studio (his YT channel is worth a look of you're a guitarist) I've got a good grounding on basic music theory and song writing tips. Stuff like Mediant Thirds / Picardy Thirds / Plagal shifts from a maj 4th to a min 4th and such like. But this video is a game changer, for me. A proper game changer. All of the stuff I've previously learned with regard to music theory, I can now apply creatively. I can not thank you enough. Liked and subscribed.
All of my life as a musician I have been searching for this video, an explanation for "how music actually moves" and how what I was producing sounded good or bad and why.... Thank you for making it!
I know that some people may think this was a little too technical, but for someone li me who has been playing the piano for over 20 years, this is exactly the type of thing I have been looking for. I already have the technical knowledge, so this type of functional info is a really good refresher for me. Thanks man, all your videos are top notch. I like that you make vids for all levels as opposed to just beginner stuff
This video was the perfect mix of jumping in there and going full speed without loosing the passengers. Thank you for such a great explanation of some more complex subjects and I hope to see more videos like this!
You probably get lots of praise but I am so grateful that I found your videos. I was just a standard scales man playing very basic melodies (not even with chords), but now, you have unlocked my potential. Diatonic and harmonic functions are everything in this trade. Liked, commented and subscribed, you're the best Bill Hilton!
Thanks very much - really glad you like my stuff. Do keep practising those scales, though - they make all the difference. And give me a shout if you have specific questions about anything :)
This is such a good explanation of non diatonic chords for folks with a basic knowledge of music theory, perhaps a beginner composer (me), but looking to for some spice in their song writing
Amazing! I can understand the Tonic-Subdominant-dominant part just as I play C-F-G on the ukulele. This is the first time ever that I get to know why the chords work. Many thanks! You are my master
Bill, thanks so much for crystallising almost all of the class curriculum that I've been made to take this quarter in school! I didn't understand it much before watching this video. Definitely saving this for reference!
You are the Vsauce of music theory! As a beginner, I did have to rewind a lot to really internalize everything. But you were incredibly concise and articulate in your explanation, and made it super easy to grasp, with fantastic examples. Thank you, sincerely!
I just subscribed to your channel simply because you explained the diminished seventh chord in a way I can understand. 😄 Looking forward to more of your theory- explained videos.
Each RUclips video on chords has it's way of highlighting certain points. Bill, yours is great to cover from basic to 'colourful' chords. Colour is the term and reason I would say is why we go boldly [and often too briefly] into another dimension or key, mode etc. Using the simplest chord progressions can sound 'bland'. 'Vanilla' - another term I like. I replayed section. You mentioned the leading note [US-tone] from B into C. Yes, because of the great invention of the equal-tempered piano keyboard, I find it similar as to how you say it, our hands will naturally find pleasing note combinations on the keyboard, as with the In a friend's music studio many years ago, I was drawn to the language used to describe musical phenomena between the composer and the sound engineer. That was more about 'texture'. Things could be 'muddy', or 'too thin'. In musical composition - as well as with chords - I'm learning to be more 'Japanese' and leaving out what isn't needed. With Oliver Prehn's RUclips video, I was astounded that chords could even be 'rootless'. This RUclips has been really helpful in integrating some concepts that make more sense when explained in one video. Thanks.
You're welcome, Alain! Yes, I remember being a bit blown away the first time I discovered rootless voicings. It's amazing what you can make a chord do just by manipulating the context around it!
@@BillHilton, I came home from Queensland - crossing a border now requiring a [covid] permit to go back into Queensland, and purchase musical gear I couldn't get as I was indoors with illness. And your RUclips opens at the same point where you go from the D♭7 to the D♭ maj7. It again has an 'emotional' effect on me, and I feel I must get my keyboard plugged in. I definitely think that a good piano timbre makes it sound more consonant. Both the intervals in a chord's inversion, and how it progresses to the next chord - are now more on my mind for composition. [I'm sorry, I have some neural damage affecting memory etc. but not sensation and musical appreciation. It may be more appropriate to feel a chord, than think of the theory, but I may have to make notes and file them clearly - if I want to reproduce the sensation.]
@@alaindubois1505 I think note taking and feeling your way are both perfectly good ways of doing it! Sorry to hear about the neurological problems: I hope the music helps. I imagine you may have come across Oliver Sacks' book "Musicophilia"? There are many interesting stories in there of neural problems and the way they interact with music and musicality.
I think these diminished and other "in-between" chords that I didn't understand when I was younger were what I began to call "transitional" chords. I first encountered them long ago in a Beatles song book and my simple mind simply said, "What on earth is that chord?", Playing it slow sounded out of tune because I was going so slow just learning the chord that I didn't understand its context. So I thought, "Well I won't be tackling that one" for my teen band and just stuck with "Gloria" etc. I think your great verbalization of their purpose really clarifies their use in a way that extends beyond music theory in a way that enlightens us musically by justifying their use in a way that perhaps is beyond music theory's capability to do so. You must be a genius. I'm a guitar player learning piano and have seen these chords more frequently in what I am learning for piano. Sometimes I do find it possible to eliminate some of these chords so I can make it simpler to play smoothly, especially if there are other instruments or vocals I'm playing with.. They seem to really shine the most for solo performances like Joe Pass' jazz guitar tunes because solo music can get boring to me really fast if there's not something very special going on. But playing pieces with these chords demands that you play them flawlessly otherwise it can really be awful sounding.
I'm glad you liked it! "Transitional" is a good description of them, actually - the fact is that things like diminished chords are so tonally unstable that they HAVE to be a transition between chords of relatively greater stability. Playing around with them can be really interesting, as you've found!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I am a music major/piano teacher but am classical and contemporary, no jazz. I start glazing over when playing with those who play by "ear" because I have no idea what they are doing, especially during a "jam" session. I do know about the blues riff and how it progresses but this explains all the other strange chords I've seen on a chord chart! I would love more videos about theory and composition. Hope to return to college some day and take those classes! I love teaching what I do know about theory to my students so they have a better foundation than I did!
Bill, always learn from your sessions. I found it extremely enlightening. Major point being that first comes the improvisation followed by the theoretical explanation of why it works. I always wondered how jazz musicians retained all of that theory and applied it while improvising. LOL Greater understanding of theory than I had before I viewed this. Thanks once again. Love to listen to you talk.
Thanks Chuck! I think many musicians *do* retain the theory as they play, but it's kind of submerged - not exactly in the subconscious, but neither are you making constant fully-conscious decisions. I think a lot of it is tied up with flow states. We probably need to ask a neuroscientist...
the diminished 7th part at 23:00 is nerve-racking, so much tension, hehe amazing lesson, such enlightening explanations. the way you call a chord progression a journey away from home and back again. and that a dominant chord is just the V and the vii put together. so many breakthroughs in my muddled theory knowledge. thank you!
Dim7s are mad, really: they feel like they can go anywhere and everywhere. Anyway, glad you like the lesson, Jennifer. The problem with theory is that it becomes a muddle so easily if you try to think about it using language, or even in the abstract. Make it concrete on a keyboard (or whatever instrument) and it all immediately becomes a lot clearer...! That's what I've always found, anyhow.
Thank you for the video! Please do more videos like this. This stuff is easy to understand once you are familiar with the function of basic chords. I might be at the moment at an intermediate-ish level of harmony and had never heard of secondary dominants or resolutions of diminished 7th. This video has straightforwardly enrichened my improvisation a lot. Please more vids at this level!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Carlota, and thanks for the feedback! That's actually really useful, and it seems to be the message I'm getting from quite a few people. I'll plan accordingly, so you can definitely expect to see more like this over the next few months.
Bill - many thanks. I've listened to a great variety of music from many cultures over the decades, but never really had a systematic exposure to the 'explanatory theory' of any. Your video really helps to pull lots of fragments together, in my head. I was amused by yr reference to 'rocket science' at the end - I did it for a living! And love theory - physics, math, music, anything - as it gives a structure and guide for understanding - and experimentation based on that. Better to choose to break a rule, than not even know it's there! Thanks again. I'll be back!
Just finished watching this tutorial. Wow, man. AMAZING, you rock! I’m 13 and I don’t have much musical theory knowledge, most stuff I’ve done is just from ear and it’s pretty basic compared to your compositions, man! You rock! And to tell you that I’ve really only watched your other video on basic piano chords last night AND this one tonight, and I understood them all! You’re a WONDERFUL teacher! And yeah, they’re both like 20 minutes long, but I maybe took some easy 1-2 hours learning each. It’s totally worth it. May this be an example for those who want to achieve something but don’t feel like working for it. And yeah, I’ll be definitely be buying your book soon! 👍🏻💪🏼🤙🏼 🎹
Like I said, Victor - really glad you're finding this stuff useful! The thing you need to watch out for is that you keep your physical keyboard skills in line with your theoretical knowledge. Basically, the brain handles the two in different ways: knowledge you can absorb pretty quickly, especially if you're highly motivated (as you seem to be) but the actual fine motor skills of playing take a bit more time to develop, because they need your brain to lay down more complex neural networks. What I'm saying is, if you find yourself in a situation in which you're saying to yourself "arrrgggh, I understand all this stuff, why won't my fingers do it!?" then don't worry about that - it's completely what you would expect. (You may already have really good piano/keyboard skills, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway....!)
Bill Hilton Yeah, I was I had a keyboard. I apply this knowledge with music production. I don’t really play the piano, but I can play a bit of BoRhap. I’m sure that when I get a keyboard it’ll be hard but worth it! Thanks again and keep it going!
Holy smack, I've been doing this through trial and error since I started playing music but I never understood its theoretical underpinnings. I always thought of it as "jazz it up", along with randomly adding sevenths and ninths. This will save me a ton of time since I don't have to sit there randomly mashing chords anymore. Subbed! :)
this is the best explanation i've seen! thank you. I particularly liked the reference to virtual particles, this will surely make playing music more enjoyable.
Thanks Bill! I've been trying to wrap my brain around substitutions for a while; this cleared it up so nicely. I've just stumbled across your channel, but I really look forward to watching more videos.
Sir your tutorials are really well and very easy to understand. I am getting better in playing jazz chords and progressions only by learning from your videos... Sir keep uploading videos on some bebop progressions and more jazz chords...
Bill, I really appreciate that you made this video. It inspired me to look deeper into different kinds of chord progressions because I like to label what the chord progressions are in my fake book songs that I'm learning, in order to memorize and understand them better. Also, I'd like to be able to alter and/or substitute chords in those songs as well and it will help me with that too!
Before I have my cream of wheat in the morning, I wake up to Bill Hilton. Seriously, you’re more important than breakfast. Thanks for teaching me how music works.
Totally didn't a physics analogy when watching a music theory video, but it was radical. I appreciate the fact that you are treating theory proper, and not as something that isn't "cool" or "fun" to learn,
Great explanation! Now I suddenly understand a lot of stuff and terms that I've heard about in some videos that analyze different pieces. I'm definitely going to try and improvise some chord progressions with the information I got here to better get it in my mind. This was just the video I was looking for :)
Nice, thorough, succinct, multiple interpretations. It's not my style of progression but I realise that wasn't the point - it was very educational and a tour-de-force of info.. I don't often add subscriptions but if this is the usual standard then I'm in! Great stuff.
Thanks for this! A super helpful refresher... it's been a while since my college theory days. I LOVE THIS STUFF! If you have more in depth theory tutorials, I'm looking for that!
Thanks Hannah - it always amazes me that people are into this stuff (I don't know why - *I'm* into it, after all...) so yes, there'll definitely be more like this!
Where/how do I actually study this? After years of fiddling around with keys and strings, I know more or less "if I do this, the sound will be happy/sad/yense/epic.." but how do I acquire a systematic knowledge like yours?
My brain is fried lol This tutorial is amazing, I play guitar and new to piano but It has really helped my understand why I was doing various chord progressions on the guitar just happening naturally. I am so glad I have found you. Thanks John
Thanks for another great video. I find myself moving back and forth from these and guitar videos and finding something useful in both. One trick I believe will help me step into other keys easier is using WWHWWWH to find the right notes I need in a major key. Next stop, Key of D. I believe the composer Andrew Zimmer said he writes in D.
Thank you for mentioning that although theory is a mind opener, what's important first is the spontaneous character of the composition /musical performance. This point is often forgotten by theorists ;) great and complete lesson thanks!
Man this has been SO useful. One of my favorites album is "Euphoria Mourning" by Chris Cornell, which was written along with two great musicians as Alain Johannes (guitar) and Natasha Schneider (keys). In that album there is a lot of this "freak chords". I have learned to play most of the album, but never knew why or how these chords were put in there. This gives a very good explanation. Thank you very much for your time. Is there any other of your videos referred to this topic? Already subscribed to your channel. Thanks.
I never really understood what tritones or tritone substitutions, or its function was all about! Only knew it was 6 half steps from the tonic note with an eg: C and F# played together, and also it can be used to create a dark sound (makes pple feel uncomfortable due to the dissonant sound it creates) and can be used in addition to a moody (or sad) song to bump up the miserable feeling. lol. (So I read somewhere online-that's it!) However, I now have a clearer understanding as to its function and how it's built-Thanks alot! 🙂
Gonna have to watch this video again. I started to get lost a little with the words, but when you use examples on the piano it makes it a little clearer. Plenty to digest here though and I feel like this is building on knowledge that I can use in the future. I think in the end though there is no substitute for experience and playing around and ultimately composing some music. Once the composition is done then look at it from a theoretical point of view, which is what you explained usually happens, rather than using theory as a starting point for composition. I'm composing something in E minor....really wishing I hadn't picked that key as it seems to be particularly troublesome!
It’s doing the troublesome stuff that helps you learn the fastest, Col, so I’d grit your teeth and go for it, even if it’s frustrating. The one tip I would give you is always to try theoretical concepts on the piano as soon as you can. This stuff sounds like crazy rocket science when it’s put into words, but if you listen to it and play around with it for yourself, it all winds up making sense a lot quicker - that’s what I’ve always found, anyhow. Hit me up with any questions...!
There's a seemingly strong chromatic motion in the I -> Idim7 -> IIm there with the 3 and 5 of the one stepping down for the dim 7 and then stepping down to be the 1 and 3 of the IIm, Unless I got that wrong. Sounds really cool in practice.
Remember to check out my books - How To Really Play The Piano, Seven Studies In Pop Piano and An Introduction To Cocktail Piano! Links here:
www.billspianopages.com/how-to-really
www.billspianopages.com/cocktail
www.billspianopages.com/seven-studies
Where is the Harmonic Minor Circle of 5ths?
gr8 video
@@ragingoracle6239 Thank you!
The links aren't working on my Mac.
@@gswilde7 Sorry to hear that! I've just checked and all seem to be working now - could you tell me what error message you're getting?
Im just 13 minutes in and already feel like einstein of music theory thanks bill stay the way you are
Thanks very much indeed - glad it helps!
@@BillHilton damn you are still replying. What a god
beware of dunning krueger
Seriously man this was frickin incredible! So many things I’ve been searching for. I absolutely loved it. Thank you for doing this and going deep, I’m so sick of people never going into theory because they think people don’t want to hear it. I’m so glad you did. And also great composition, I feel like I can use a lot of these little theory nuggets for my own stuff. Thank you again !!
No problem Brandon - I'm glad you like the approach I'm using here. There's quite a good community of people who are pretty interested in music theory around here, so I'm going to keep producing stuff like this from time to time :)
No problem Brandon - I'm glad you like the approach I'm using here. There's quite a good community of people who are pretty interested in music theory around here, so I'm going to keep producing stuff like this from time to time :)
That jump from C to E7 to Am7 wooow 🤩 that is magical 🧙🏻♂️🦉💣🔥🌚🌝
Glad you liked it Paul!
Feels good to understand what this was all about, considering that 18 months ago I could not play a note and didn't know what a scale is. A slow but steady tool what the human brain is, yeah. Power to all the starting musicians out there!
Whoooo-eeeeee! My wee brain is blown! The subject is so huge and complex.....function.....cadences.........tritones, etc. I need to dig deeper into each of these to actually grasp them! Another nice video, thanks Bill!
You're welcome, Cathie!
Love this!
There are 19 dislikes (at the time of writing)... I honestly cannot understand why. This was a very well described demonstration of functional harmony and song writing in general. More to the point, if there is one over-arching take-away from this well-presented lecture, it's this: it takes hard work and practice. Bravo Bill.
Thanks Tony! The big lesson of RUclips is that you'll never ever ever work out how to please everyone - I'm just glad that plenty of people do seem to like my stuff. Thanks again for the kind words, and I'm glad you found it useful!
1700 to 30 is a damn exceptional thumbs up ratio!!
People often press the dislike button accidentally, especially if listening with phone in pocket.
Great explanation, Bill. Thanks. This brings together exactly what I have been looking for for the last couple of years: how to make 'musical sense' out so many non-diatonic chords. And I'm impressed at how deep your music theory knowledge is!
Thanks Phil - really glad it was useful! I had to dredge some of this stuff up from college days...!
Brilliant. As a piano player who has stopped taking lessons and continues to practice on my own, music theory is one thing that is not so easy to learn without a teacher. Really appreciate these types of videos. Quality content as always!
Thanks very much indeed Matthew - glad you're finding my stuff useful!
I've been playing guitar for 30 years, but only started learning music theory 18 months ago. Thanks largely to Jake at Signals Music Studio (his YT channel is worth a look of you're a guitarist) I've got a good grounding on basic music theory and song writing tips. Stuff like Mediant Thirds / Picardy Thirds / Plagal shifts from a maj 4th to a min 4th and such like. But this video is a game changer, for me. A proper game changer. All of the stuff I've previously learned with regard to music theory, I can now apply creatively. I can not thank you enough. Liked and subscribed.
It's a pleasure - really glad to have been of help with this one!
wasn't expecting quantum mechanics in a piano tutorial :D great stuff!
All of my life as a musician I have been searching for this video, an explanation for "how music actually moves" and how what I was producing sounded good or bad and why....
Thank you for making it!
No problem - and thanks!
Exactly.
I know that some people may think this was a little too technical, but for someone li me who has been playing the piano for over 20 years, this is exactly the type of thing I have been looking for. I already have the technical knowledge, so this type of functional info is a really good refresher for me. Thanks man, all your videos are top notch. I like that you make vids for all levels as opposed to just beginner stuff
Thanks very much indeed - glad to hear I'm making the right things!
This video was the perfect mix of jumping in there and going full speed without loosing the passengers. Thank you for such a great explanation of some more complex subjects and I hope to see more videos like this!
You probably get lots of praise but I am so grateful that I found your videos. I was just a standard scales man playing very basic melodies (not even with chords), but now, you have unlocked my potential. Diatonic and harmonic functions are everything in this trade. Liked, commented and subscribed, you're the best Bill Hilton!
Thanks very much - really glad you like my stuff. Do keep practising those scales, though - they make all the difference. And give me a shout if you have specific questions about anything :)
This is such a good explanation of non diatonic chords for folks with a basic knowledge of music theory, perhaps a beginner composer (me), but looking to for some spice in their song writing
Glad you liked it!
This video helped me soooo much.
I've been searching for videos on non diatonic chord progressions for soo long.
Glad it helped!
Amazing! I can understand the Tonic-Subdominant-dominant part just as I play C-F-G on the ukulele. This is the first time ever that I get to know why the chords work. Many thanks! You are my master
Bill, thanks so much for crystallising almost all of the class curriculum that I've been made to take this quarter in school! I didn't understand it much before watching this video. Definitely saving this for reference!
Haha! Thanks Matt - delighted to have helped!
This video is EXACTLY what I've been searching for, thank you so so much!!
You're welcome, Sarah - glad to have been of help!
Thanks for the fundamental particle analogy. I was quite confused until you said that
This guy is underrated! He is brilliant!
Thank you!
Dope lesson brah, way heavy with the 7 diminished sauce
You are the Vsauce of music theory! As a beginner, I did have to rewind a lot to really internalize everything. But you were incredibly concise and articulate in your explanation, and made it super easy to grasp, with fantastic examples.
Thank you, sincerely!
Thanks for the kind words - I'm really glad you found it so useful!
I just subscribed to your channel simply because you explained the diminished seventh chord in a way I can understand. 😄 Looking forward to more of your theory- explained videos.
Thanks Jeannine - if there's any topic in particular you're interested in, give me a shout and I'll suggest a tutorial!
Each RUclips video on chords has it's way of highlighting certain points. Bill, yours is great to cover from basic to 'colourful' chords. Colour is the term and reason I would say is why we go boldly [and often too briefly] into another dimension or key, mode etc. Using the simplest chord progressions can sound 'bland'. 'Vanilla' - another term I like.
I replayed section. You mentioned the leading note [US-tone] from B into C.
Yes, because of the great invention of the equal-tempered piano keyboard, I find it similar as to how you say it, our hands will naturally find pleasing note combinations on the keyboard, as with the
In a friend's music studio many years ago, I was drawn to the language used to describe musical phenomena between the composer and the sound engineer. That was more about 'texture'. Things could be 'muddy', or 'too thin'. In musical composition - as well as with chords - I'm learning to be more 'Japanese' and leaving out what isn't needed. With Oliver Prehn's RUclips video, I was astounded that chords could even be 'rootless'.
This RUclips has been really helpful in integrating some concepts that make more sense when explained in one video. Thanks.
You're welcome, Alain! Yes, I remember being a bit blown away the first time I discovered rootless voicings. It's amazing what you can make a chord do just by manipulating the context around it!
@@BillHilton, I came home from Queensland - crossing a border now requiring a [covid] permit to go back into Queensland, and purchase musical gear I couldn't get as I was indoors with illness.
And your RUclips opens at the same point where you go from the D♭7 to the D♭ maj7. It again has an 'emotional' effect on me, and I feel I must get my keyboard plugged in. I definitely think that a good piano timbre makes it sound more consonant. Both the intervals in a chord's inversion, and how it progresses to the next chord - are now more on my mind for composition. [I'm sorry, I have some neural damage affecting memory etc. but not sensation and musical appreciation. It may be more appropriate to feel a chord, than think of the theory, but I may have to make notes and file them clearly - if I want to reproduce the sensation.]
@@alaindubois1505 I think note taking and feeling your way are both perfectly good ways of doing it! Sorry to hear about the neurological problems: I hope the music helps. I imagine you may have come across Oliver Sacks' book "Musicophilia"? There are many interesting stories in there of neural problems and the way they interact with music and musicality.
I think these diminished and other "in-between" chords that I didn't understand when I was younger were what I began to call "transitional" chords. I first encountered them long ago in a Beatles song book and my simple mind simply said, "What on earth is that chord?", Playing it slow sounded out of tune because I was going so slow just learning the chord that I didn't understand its context. So I thought, "Well I won't be tackling that one" for my teen band and just stuck with "Gloria" etc.
I think your great verbalization of their purpose really clarifies their use in a way that extends beyond music theory in a way that enlightens us musically by justifying their use in a way that perhaps is beyond music theory's capability to do so. You must be a genius.
I'm a guitar player learning piano and have seen these chords more frequently in what I am learning for piano. Sometimes I do find it possible to eliminate some of these chords so I can make it simpler to play smoothly, especially if there are other instruments or vocals I'm playing with.. They seem to really shine the most for solo performances like Joe Pass' jazz guitar tunes because solo music can get boring to me really fast if there's not something very special going on. But playing pieces with these chords demands that you play them flawlessly otherwise it can really be awful sounding.
I'm glad you liked it! "Transitional" is a good description of them, actually - the fact is that things like diminished chords are so tonally unstable that they HAVE to be a transition between chords of relatively greater stability. Playing around with them can be really interesting, as you've found!
Thank you for this video. Really great!
Thanks Nils - glad you like it!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I am a music major/piano teacher but am classical and contemporary, no jazz. I start glazing over when playing with those who play by "ear" because I have no idea what they are doing, especially during a "jam" session. I do know about the blues riff and how it progresses but this explains all the other strange chords I've seen on a chord chart! I would love more videos about theory and composition. Hope to return to college some day and take those classes! I love teaching what I do know about theory to my students so they have a better foundation than I did!
You're awesome, Bill! I bought your book and am really enjoying it. These videos are a great complement. Keep 'em coming! Thanks!
Grazie, Aroldo! Really glad you like them, and thanks for buying the book - I hope you find it useful!
Bill, always learn from your sessions. I found it extremely enlightening. Major point being that first comes the improvisation followed by the theoretical explanation of why it works. I always wondered how jazz musicians retained all of that theory and applied it while improvising. LOL Greater understanding of theory than I had before I viewed this. Thanks once again. Love to listen to you talk.
Thanks Chuck! I think many musicians *do* retain the theory as they play, but it's kind of submerged - not exactly in the subconscious, but neither are you making constant fully-conscious decisions. I think a lot of it is tied up with flow states. We probably need to ask a neuroscientist...
the diminished 7th part at 23:00 is nerve-racking, so much tension, hehe
amazing lesson, such enlightening explanations. the way you call a chord progression a journey away from home and back again. and that a dominant chord is just the V and the vii put together. so many breakthroughs in my muddled theory knowledge. thank you!
Dim7s are mad, really: they feel like they can go anywhere and everywhere. Anyway, glad you like the lesson, Jennifer. The problem with theory is that it becomes a muddle so easily if you try to think about it using language, or even in the abstract. Make it concrete on a keyboard (or whatever instrument) and it all immediately becomes a lot clearer...! That's what I've always found, anyhow.
You are amazing Bill. I loved how you compared decondary dominants to temporary fundamental particles!
Thanks Michael - glad you liked it!
Excellent explanations. Complex theory explained in a straightforward way.
This is amazing! Thank you. You are so eloquent in your description-very clear and build very carefully.
Glad it was helpful Ruth!
Thank you for the video! Please do more videos like this. This stuff is easy to understand once you are familiar with the function of basic chords. I might be at the moment at an intermediate-ish level of harmony and had never heard of secondary dominants or resolutions of diminished 7th. This video has straightforwardly enrichened my improvisation a lot. Please more vids at this level!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Carlota, and thanks for the feedback! That's actually really useful, and it seems to be the message I'm getting from quite a few people. I'll plan accordingly, so you can definitely expect to see more like this over the next few months.
Thank you, I really needed to see that, and just learn more about using non-diatonic chords, and basic chord functionality.
Good talk...it takes me back to my music theory days with my best teacher.
Bill - many thanks. I've listened to a great variety of music from many cultures over the decades, but never really had a systematic exposure to the 'explanatory theory' of any. Your video really helps to pull lots of fragments together, in my head. I was amused by yr reference to 'rocket science' at the end - I did it for a living! And love theory - physics, math, music, anything - as it gives a structure and guide for understanding - and experimentation based on that. Better to choose to break a rule, than not even know it's there! Thanks again. I'll be back!
It's a pleasure, David - you're welcome!
i've been out of music education for a few years now and this was fantastic to help me reunderstand everything!
You're welcome - glad to have helped!
@@BillHilton 😊
Wow, that was really useful, I was wondering for a while many things you explained, rlly appreciate your work Bill. Thanks for sharing!
No problem - thanks very much for watching, and I'm glad you found it useful!
Thank you so much.....no one explained this better than you and those progressions where soo meltingg✨✨
You're welcome - I'm glad you liked it (and the progressions!)
Just finished watching this tutorial. Wow, man. AMAZING, you rock! I’m 13 and I don’t have much musical theory knowledge, most stuff I’ve done is just from ear and it’s pretty basic compared to your compositions, man! You rock! And to tell you that I’ve really only watched your other video on basic piano chords last night AND this one tonight, and I understood them all! You’re a WONDERFUL teacher! And yeah, they’re both like 20 minutes long, but I maybe took some easy 1-2 hours learning each. It’s totally worth it. May this be an example for those who want to achieve something but don’t feel like working for it. And yeah, I’ll be definitely be buying your book soon! 👍🏻💪🏼🤙🏼 🎹
Like I said, Victor - really glad you're finding this stuff useful! The thing you need to watch out for is that you keep your physical keyboard skills in line with your theoretical knowledge. Basically, the brain handles the two in different ways: knowledge you can absorb pretty quickly, especially if you're highly motivated (as you seem to be) but the actual fine motor skills of playing take a bit more time to develop, because they need your brain to lay down more complex neural networks. What I'm saying is, if you find yourself in a situation in which you're saying to yourself "arrrgggh, I understand all this stuff, why won't my fingers do it!?" then don't worry about that - it's completely what you would expect. (You may already have really good piano/keyboard skills, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway....!)
Bill Hilton Yeah, I was I had a keyboard. I apply this knowledge with music production. I don’t really play the piano, but I can play a bit of BoRhap. I’m sure that when I get a keyboard it’ll be hard but worth it! Thanks again and keep it going!
Holy smack, I've been doing this through trial and error since I started playing music but I never understood its theoretical underpinnings. I always thought of it as "jazz it up", along with randomly adding sevenths and ninths. This will save me a ton of time since I don't have to sit there randomly mashing chords anymore. Subbed! :)
Thanks Parker - glad to have been of help! :)
this is the best explanation i've seen! thank you. I particularly liked the reference to virtual particles, this will surely make playing music more enjoyable.
Glad it was helpful Jimmy!
This is really really really great to listen to. Thanks so much. Diffusing the confusion!
Thanks Jeremy - glad to be of help!
Thanks Bill! I've been trying to wrap my brain around substitutions for a while; this cleared it up so nicely. I've just stumbled across your channel, but I really look forward to watching more videos.
Thanks very much for letting me know - really glad you liked it!
Great explanation as always Bill. As mentioned by various others, your video addressed many issues I've been facing, thanks a bunch!
Thanks Dean - glad to have been of help!
Sir your tutorials are really well and very easy to understand.
I am getting better in playing jazz chords and progressions only by learning from your videos...
Sir keep uploading videos on some bebop progressions and more jazz chords...
Thank you Rishav, I will!
This was fantastically helpful in numerous places. Thank you!
No problem, Simeon - glad you like it!
Now this was truly good.
Glad you liked it, Tom!
Bill, I really appreciate that you made this video. It inspired me to look deeper into different kinds of chord progressions because I like to label what the chord progressions are in my fake book songs that I'm learning, in order to memorize and understand them better. Also, I'd like to be able to alter and/or substitute chords in those songs as well and it will help me with that too!
Glad it was useful, Rachel! Given the favourable response I'm probably going to be doing more stuff on chord theory, so watch this space!
Absolutely wonderful instructional video! Also, I finally understand tritone substitution. Thank you!
No problem, Craig - glad to be of help!
You are brilliant. There has to be a part 2 for this video!
Before I have my cream of wheat in the morning, I wake up to Bill Hilton. Seriously, you’re more important than breakfast. Thanks for teaching me how music works.
It's a pleasure, Patrick - really glad you like my stuff! (Don't neglect the breakfast cereals, though: most important meal of the day...!)
loved the way you explained this. Thanks Bill!
No problem Julian - glad you liked it!
Totally didn't a physics analogy when watching a music theory video, but it was radical. I appreciate the fact that you are treating theory proper, and not as something that isn't "cool" or "fun" to learn,
Great explanation! Now I suddenly understand a lot of stuff and terms that I've heard about in some videos that analyze different pieces. I'm definitely going to try and improvise some chord progressions with the information I got here to better get it in my mind. This was just the video I was looking for :)
Glad it was helpful!
Nice, thorough, succinct, multiple interpretations. It's not my style of progression but I realise that wasn't the point - it was very educational and a tour-de-force of info.. I don't often add subscriptions but if this is the usual standard then I'm in! Great stuff.
Thanks Johannes - I hope the rest of my stuff lives up to your expectations!
This was exactly what I was searching for such a long time, thanks man🙏 great job👏👏
No problem Karon - glad you found it useful!
Thanks for this! A super helpful refresher... it's been a while since my college theory days. I LOVE THIS STUFF! If you have more in depth theory tutorials, I'm looking for that!
Thanks Hannah - it always amazes me that people are into this stuff (I don't know why - *I'm* into it, after all...) so yes, there'll definitely be more like this!
Where/how do I actually study this? After years of fiddling around with keys and strings, I know more or less "if I do this, the sound will be happy/sad/yense/epic.." but how do I acquire a systematic knowledge like yours?
I just watched the video "ya" and I'd like to say brilliant job, and thank you.
Fantastic lesson! some great new concepts to explore and very well explained.
Thanks Rick!
Thanks Bill! Really appreciated this thorough deep explanation.
No problem, glad you liked it!
I learned sooo much from this lesson! Wish I could thumbs up 100x. Thank you sir!
You're welcome, Mark!
Great video. You did a great job explaining all that.
Glad it was helpful!
You're great! You explain music theory so well. Thank you! This helped me a lot.
Thanks Kent - glad it was useful!
So much theory...new pianist... cannot handle... the power *head explodes* ;)
Thanks for your vids.
My brain is fried lol This tutorial is amazing, I play guitar and new to piano but It has really helped my understand why I was doing various chord progressions on the guitar just happening naturally. I am so glad I have found you. Thanks John
No problem John - glad to be of help!
Superbly explained! Thank you!
You're welcome!
Great tutorial. Thanks.
Very helpful tutorial! Well done
Thank you, Giovanni - glad it was useful!
Outstanding. Thanks Bill. Well done.
appreciate your work mr. hilton
Thanks for another great video. I find myself moving back and forth from these and guitar videos and finding something useful in both. One trick I believe will help me step into other keys easier is using WWHWWWH to find the right notes I need in a major key. Next stop, Key of D. I believe the composer Andrew Zimmer said he writes in D.
This video was awesome thanks for sharing your talent
You're welcome - thanks for watching!
Thank you for mentioning that although theory is a mind opener, what's important first is the spontaneous character of the composition /musical performance. This point is often forgotten by theorists ;) great and complete lesson thanks!
No problem at all - glad you liked it, and thanks for taking the time to say so!
Oh man...I’m gonna have to rewatch this a few times 😅 Love your accent, Bill!
Such an amazing lesson! Thank you so much for your generosity!
No problem Justin!
Bill, you are addressing the EXACT questions I've had the last few months. THANK YOU!
Cool - glad to hear you found it useful!
Man this has been SO useful. One of my favorites album is "Euphoria Mourning" by Chris Cornell, which was written along with two great musicians as Alain Johannes (guitar) and Natasha Schneider (keys). In that album there is a lot of this "freak chords". I have learned to play most of the album, but never knew why or how these chords were put in there. This gives a very good explanation. Thank you very much for your time. Is there any other of your videos referred to this topic? Already subscribed to your channel. Thanks.
No problem at all, Vicente - really glad it helped!
I was literally thinking that thing about particle physics a moment before you said it! :D
Great minds...!
Great explanation, my brain is not even overheating. I understood everything!
Thanks Sara - glad it was useful!
This is exactly what I need thank you! Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub Ian!
Grocked about 80% of that, but was a great mind stretch. Thank you.
You're welcome Ram!
I really like it. Thank you so much.
I never really understood what tritones or tritone substitutions, or its function was all about! Only knew it was 6 half steps from the tonic note with an eg: C and F# played together, and also it can be used to create a dark sound (makes pple feel uncomfortable due to the dissonant sound it creates) and can be used in addition to a moody (or sad) song to bump up the miserable feeling. lol. (So I read somewhere online-that's it!) However, I now have a clearer understanding as to its function and how it's built-Thanks alot! 🙂
You're welcome, Mishio - glad to have helped your understanding!
Gonna have to watch this video again. I started to get lost a little with the words, but when you use examples on the piano it makes it a little clearer. Plenty to digest here though and I feel like this is building on knowledge that I can use in the future. I think in the end though there is no substitute for experience and playing around and ultimately composing some music. Once the composition is done then look at it from a theoretical point of view, which is what you explained usually happens, rather than using theory as a starting point for composition.
I'm composing something in E minor....really wishing I hadn't picked that key as it seems to be particularly troublesome!
It’s doing the troublesome stuff that helps you learn the fastest, Col, so I’d grit your teeth and go for it, even if it’s frustrating. The one tip I would give you is always to try theoretical concepts on the piano as soon as you can. This stuff sounds like crazy rocket science when it’s put into words, but if you listen to it and play around with it for yourself, it all winds up making sense a lot quicker - that’s what I’ve always found, anyhow. Hit me up with any questions...!
@@BillHilton Thanks a lot for the advice Bill, I appreciate it. I'll give you a shout with any questions, thanks!
@@coloaten6682 You're welcome!
Thank you so much for this i actually play guitar but this made me consider a lot of other aspects to apply on soloing and chord progression
Very clear and informative.... Thank you!
Thanks very much - glad you liked it!
Super well explaned!
Thanks Johannes - glad you liked it!
Thank you so much for explanation! This gave me a lot!
No problem - glad it was useful!
That progression sounds like it could make a good Christmas carol .
Great video. I see the Dbmaj7 as a modal modulation to C Phyrgian for what it's worth.
Ploughman Studios yessss
Your a legened bill, I need theory like this to help me improvise
No problem Gregory - glad to have been of help!
Splendid! I enjoyed this one.
There's a seemingly strong chromatic motion in the I -> Idim7 -> IIm there with the 3 and 5 of the one stepping down for the dim 7 and then stepping down to be the 1 and 3 of the IIm, Unless I got that wrong. Sounds really cool in practice.
Brilliant! Thank you.
You're very welcome, James!
This was amazing! Thank you!!
You're welcome, Kalee!
Great stuff sir!