@@DavidBennettPiano I've always found it easy to figure out what chords singularly are being played, but recognizing the entire chord progression itself as it's own "color" is far more efficient. Giving names to all of these familiar sounds is helping my ear training a lot. Thank you David !! 😊
many people often try to frame common chord progressions like they're automatically bad because they're common, and i think it's great that this video doesn't do that. these progressions are common for a reason
Yea they’re certainly not automatically bad, but a lot of these great songs use those progressions, but use others in the song as well. Whereas a lot of cheap pop songs that come out consist of only a standard 1/4/6/5 or whatever the entire song, no creativity
“The combination of these 3 chords (I, IV, V) gives us 3 shades of tension, allowing for that sense of movement.” Best description of the purpose of chord progression! I am a elementary music teacher and always wonder how to explain that to my students. Thank you!
Sup, guys! When he plays that Aeolian vamp progression he presses g natural after a natural. Are we talking about the HARMONIC minor scale here, not the natural one? He would have pressed g-flat in a natural minor scale, yeah?
I studied music theory, music production, and I've been a musician for a long, long time. I stumbled on this video and I just want to point out this is one of the most brilliant ways to explain chord progressions. Entertaining, with perfect examples and explanations. Congratulations!
did you know, there is a gender that involves music theory. and nobody is inventing new genders, just finding new names for ideas that existed for thousands of years
That Mixolydian vamp (I-bVII-IV-I) is such a timeless and effective chord progression. It was especially prominent in the circa 1967-1975 classic rock era. It's dramatic and lends itself to a bluesy inflection very well.
In the Air Tonight is a great example of the Aeolian Vamp. It just lingers around until the drum fill halfway through that still blows me away after hearing the song a million times.
0:25 I - V - vi - IV ("Axis") 3:47 vi - IV - I - V 6:29 i - ♭VII - ♭VI - V (Andalusian cadence) 8:32 i - ♭VII - ♭VI - ♭VII ("Aeolian vamp") 11:05 I - vi - IV - V ("Doo-wop / 50s") 13:31 I - vi - ii - V ("Blue moon") 14:21 I - IV - V 14:15 I - V - IV - V 16:41 I - ♭VII - IV - I ("Mixolydian vamp")
Thank you for this David: As an old man who let his instruments sit idle because he had an ear but no drive to learn the basics, this short lesson reminded me of something I didn't want to do when I was 15: *actually learn and practice scales*. At the time, it seemed more useful (or perhaps just enjoyable...) to learn songs and licks. This small demonstration reminded me that 15 year me was a dafty, and those licks are worthless if you can't fit them into the key you're playing in. If you find yourself in Edinburgh, I owe you a coffee/beer at the least.
'Let It Be' is probably the perfect example to use at 2:48, as its words mirror its chord progression perfectly as based on your explanation: I - 'When I find myself' - Something incomplete. It could be the whole story, but that would be incredibly boring. V - 'in times of trouble' - The introduction of tension. vi - 'Mother Mary' - A partial resolution, but still something incomplete. IV - 'comes to me' - A total and complete resolution of the idea that leads perfectly into the next phrase.
Would be great if that was true, but the I chord is the most complete in a major progression, and the IV is not complete, it's unresolved. But it sounded good.
Showing examples of songs using those chord progressions was genius. It gives you a good idea of how that chord progression sounds and what emotions it evokes.
I'm speechless! I've been looking for this video for ages, just no way to know how to "find it" online. I love how you gave us the most common, described how they worked together w tension and resolve and boring vs less boring and played them as examples songs that we've all heard and loved before. Thank you for taking a very "overly academic" subject like music theory, and breaking it down to 5yr old level understanding and no analysis paralysis. Perfect balance keep it up! Edit: In another video, could you break down the "strumming"/"vamping" on how to take a given chord and strumm/vamp properly? So I could apply these chord changes, Love the roman numerals the explanation of the flat 7s and the tension/resolve I think you touch on all of the essentials wo overcomplicating it in a good balance!
Your explanations really inspire me to try things in my own musical explorations. I think your “secret sauce” is that you focus on the way chords and progressions translate into *feelings*. Music is all about making people feel things, and yet many people who try to explain theory focus very little on the emotion. Thank you!
Oh, that was just absolutely brilliant. I can't believe all that had just passed me by all the years I've been playing. These videos are fantastic, David - thanks very much indeed.
Love the mixolydian one. It's basically a cheat code to writing music that sounds 'anthemic'. It just makes people want to shout along with it. Primal Scream and that newer Lorde song a great examples, too.
it feels like the hero’s journey. The comfortable beginning, the inciting incident that turns the hero’s world upside down, the comeback of the hero, and finally, the triumph over the villain
I was actually doing some work, and accidently fell into this rabbit hole. Some times rabbit holes just steals your time away, but this was actually quite soothing and enlightning. Thanks David - best rabbit hole all day 🙂
David makes even the most complex themes and theories crystal clear - this is an easier example, but the crystal clarity is still there. Perfectly explained and illustrated.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least three books of the Bible, Genesis, Mathew, and one of personal choice. As you do practice forgiveness. This is an important key step. To be forgiven we must forgive. You must do the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Start by forgiving your parents. They’ve loved you. They should be easiest. Look inside for those grievances we all build up and genuinely within your heart, forgive. Mean it. That’s they key. This step is crucial. Breaking down before Jesus Christ and asking for forgiveness really only works once you’ve put his teachings into practice in your life. Please trust me. Jesus Christ is the way truth and life
@@jamesmayle3787 What on earth has that got to do with either this upload or my comment? . . . Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This is a perfect example of zealotism flying in the face of all rationality or reasonableness. Pointless and irrelevant for anything at all to do with David's upload.
Some more interesting 4 chord progressions: JPop / Anime progression: IV-V-(major)III-VI Another pop progression: I-(major or minor)III-VI-IV More melancholic: I-VI-II-IV Get Lucky: II-IV-VI-V Melancholic variant: I-V-II(with 7)-IV Modern Pop: VI-I-V-IV Some other pop variant: VI-IV-(major)II-(major)III
A while ago I listened to some anime songs thinking "what's the "anime" ingredient in there?" as chord progression couldn't be the only thing. If some of you have more insight on this one I'll be glad to listen.
@@MisterL777 Adam Neely has a good video on it that might help answer that question ruclips.net/video/gFXcwv9XISc/видео.html . it might also be the type of instruments used, or that it uses more extensions to be jazzier
Long time ago, right after i finished high school, I went off to college on my own. I got a new laptop that had this chord progression playing in the background as I did the initialization process. It had this kind of airy, hopeful, yet melancholic feel to it. I've always thought fondly of that simple tune that is inextricably linked to a landmark moment in my life. The final progression in this video instantly made me think of it, because it was that progression exactly. I've always wondered about it. Thank you for solving a mystery for me.
Thank you so much for this. I wrote music for decades and then had a nervous breakdown and just stopped. I couldn’t find creativity anymore. This formula helps me understand through multiple genres and multiple examples that these work on all levels. I think I can get to writing again now ❤
Dude that's so interesting! Fascinating how all the songs with the same chord progressions are so different on the surface but actually sound pretty similar when you pay attention
I was surprised that you didn't include the Pachebel Canon progression. You can hear it or (something close to it) in Green Day's "Basket Case," Blues Traveler's "Hook," Fastball's "The Way," Oasis's "Don't Look Back in Anger," Spacehog's "2nd Avenue" and a bunch of others.
Actually I was surprised David stayed from the 1950's and forward. I kept expecting music from further back to pop up to show that Musical Generations ARE connected to each other. Personally I think he lost a great chance to show that.
I know I saw a video somewhere showing all those comparisons, and most of them are different in musically significant ways. Don't look back in anger, transposed into d for example is: D A Bm F#7 G A D Bm A vs canon: D A Bm F#m G D G A Sure, the first 3 chords are the same, but then Oasis goes to 7th chord instead of a minor, which has a very different sound, and then the rest of the progression is not all that similar. You could argue that the A and Bm are just passing chords, which is fair enough, it's a small difference, but then we also don't hit the G chord, which gives a very different feeling to looping back to the start. When you add up all those small differences, you essentially just have a song that happens to also start with I-V-vi , which I think is not that unusual.
Man, I went through like three of these videos looking for my beloved 1-b7-4 progression. My absolute favorite thing in the world is banging out some 1-b7-4 with my buddies. Like half the songs my band play use that progression and every time I hear a song with it it makes me happy.
Amazing... Even the old workhorse of the bunch - the 1/6/4/5, the progression that launched a decade of great music, isn't spent. Dolly Parton can still go straight to the heart with "I will always love you." Creativity is infinite. Great video, as usual, David.
The Mixolydian vamp is why I always say that harmonically, mixolydian is wayyyy brighter and happier sounding than Ionian major. Every song that uses that progression makes me feel dreamy and happy.
Interesting. A Major7th chord always sounds nostalgic and sort of sad/dreamy to me. Never thought of ionian like that, though. But yeah, mixo can be very bright.
I have my own interpretation of musical theory. I don't think any other modes aside from the Ionian and Aeolian actually exist, as the music pulls you back to the Ionian/Aeolian tonic anyways if you accidentally mis-emphasize the chords. For example, notice how in that last song David played, it's much easier to think of the IV as the tonic, rather than the I. Interpreting it this way, the progression just becomes V-IV-I-V, or I-V-IV if you rearrange it, which is related to the I-V-vi-IV progression, but since it's all major chords, it's actually very happy, and THIS I believe is the root of that happy sound you were referring to. The reason why I think those other modes do not exist is because of the vii° chord, which can pull you back to the I chord if you add the 5th scale degree (thus transforming it into V7, i.e. BDF -> GBDF), or to the vi if you add the 6th degree (BDF -> BDFA). But this vii° can NEVER pull you back to any other scale degree, because it just won't sound resolved. This is the reason why in mode theory, people often talk about "avoid chords", which are chords that one must avoid if one wants to stay in a given mode, because again, modes present false/unstable tonics.
This was really one of your best videos, in my opinion. Playing multiple songs back to back was an extremely effective method of illustrating the chord progressions. I really hope you take up the suggestions here to do other videos illustrating other chord progressions in this manner!
This is a fantastically useful video. Your explanations of music theory are the clearest I have ever come across. The relevant examples you give, and your demonstrations are just spot on. As a life long guitarist, I have often struggled to work out the cord progressions of songs I am trying to learn by ear, but having started taking the piano more seriously, I am able to see more clearly how the chords relate to one another, and this video is a great tool to help me understand how the progressions work. I have placed this in my RUclips Keep list, and I'll be referring to it again and again, and taking copious notes ... oh, that pun snuck up on me, but I like it!
The Bible is truth. Please read at least three books of the Bible, Genesis, Mathew, and one of personal choice. As you do practice forgiveness. This is an important key step. To be forgiven we must forgive. You must do the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Start by forgiving your parents. They’ve loved you. They should be easiest. Look inside for those grievances we all build up and genuinely within your heart, forgive. Mean it. That’s they key. This step is crucial. Breaking down before Jesus Christ and asking for forgiveness really only works once you’ve put his teachings into practice in your life. Please trust me. Jesus Christ is the way truth and life
May I propose an update for the chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:22 I V | vi IV the Axis Progression 3:46 vi IV | I V the OTHER Axis Progression 6:29 i bVII bVI V (on aeolian!) the Andalusian cadence 8:32 i bVII bVI bVII(on aeolian!) the Aeolian vamp 11:05 I vi IV V the Doo-wop changes 14:22 I V IV V the Major Scale vamp 16:38 I bVII IV I (on mixolydian!) the Mixolydian vamp Whoops or maybe not. I just see now what I may call didactically errors. Why the heck ya changing the reference point for you scale degree? ... and doing so without explicitly mention ! Okay I better create another comment for that.
Nice job! helps explain why a lot of pop music sounds so similar when the progression is simply looped over and over with out breaking out of it with more bridges and choruses. Also, just interesting in general, and the best thing you did were the examples of well known songs while highlighting the progression. Thanks!
You could add "D'you know what i mean?" to that list, Oasis ended up using the same main chord progression for that song that they'd used in Wonderwall.
Was wondering if that one's been bugging anyone but me. Btw there is a super famous mashup called Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Wonderwall vs Boulevard) by someone way more well known than me... I decided last year to extend it to a bunch more songs. ruclips.net/video/Yds95Pbsx5k/видео.html (though I like my more recent circle of 5ths progression compilation mashup even more. :))
A former brass player years ago, now old and trying to learn piano and your videos have explained so much about the foundations of music that I simply never learned with many years of playing brass. It almost makes me mad because these missing understandings limited my playing potential a lot back then. Great content.
Great video! For guitar players: one thing that really helped me was visualize chords numbers via simple notes on the 6th and 5th string. When you're on the top string, one string down on the same fret is the 4th chord and when you're on the 5th string one string up is the 5th chord. In other words, say you're doing an A5 power chord, on the same fret just below is the D5 chord so the 4th chord. From there it's easy to count up or down one chord (the 5th is two frets later to get your E5 chord). And let's say you're doing a C5 chord, if you go above on the same fret it becomes the 5th chord with your G5.
One the best videos for illustrating music theory I’ve seen. David, you are a genius. You make understanding music so accessible. And your presentations are so charming and matter of fact. Love your videos. Thank you. Oh, and you are a great musician too.
I've been a music educator for 40 years. This is excellent. Wish I'd had this 50 years ago, but you would've had to have had a Delorean and Christopher Lloyd. Brilliant demonstration.
I took piano for many years, never really had formal music theory, but some things stick in your head. I love watching your videos because you elucidate what my mind subconsciously understands and recognizes. AND I start listening to favorites songs and music in sort of a new way.
Honorable mention to the Ōdō or "Royal Road" progression, IV△7-V7-iii7-vi, which is ubiquitous in Japanese popular music. It's associated with the 1950s enka style, but is used in practically everything from '60s-'70s bubblegum to modern synth-heavy hip-hop-influenced pop, like if the doo wop progression had never fallen out of fashion. It perfectly balances major and minor chord qualities, and is sometimes described as sounding "floaty", possibly because it avoids the tonic. The name "royal road" implies that it's the path to guaranteed success (a more idiomatic translation might be "easy street"). It's less common in Western pop but there is an example that shows how reliable it is: it's never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.
A recent use of this progression is Leave the Door Open by Silk Sonic. Also in western music it was quite common in 70s soul music. But it is indeed in Japanese music that it is the most frequent.
What does the triangle represent ? Anyway I feel this progression is weak. Going 4 to 5 is strong. But 5 to 3 minor is definitely weak. And 3 minor to 6 minor is weak also. No strength of direction. If the 3 chord was major it would be strong.
@@NagoyaHouseHead The triangle is the symbol for major. The IV chord is a major 7th. Honestly I think the lack of strong resolution may be part of the point. It just kinda hangs out, avoiding the tonic for 8 or so bars (sometimes nearly the entire tune), until the songwriter brings it home with a ii-V-I or IV-V-I.
That piano piece you played at the end over the Patreon names really gave me a Sims 1 OST vibe - a warm sound with just a single piano playing. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it sounded great! Love your videos and look forward to the next one!
I always instantly click these videos, doesnt matter if ive learned the topic its about to any extent before, theres always something to gain from them, if nothing else a thorough refresher.
Dude, the flat 7 chord in the context of the last chord progression, just made things click in my brain. New song writing abilities unlocked. THANK YOU BRO!
Some more I - V - vi - IV that I've found: 5SOS "She Looks So Perfect" in E Adele "Easy On Me" in F Aerosmith "Cryin" in A Alanis Morissette "Head Over Feet" in C Alicia Keys "No One" in E Blink 182 "Feeling This" in E Christina Aguilera "Just A Fool" in G John Legend "So High" in D Jonas Brothers "When You Look Me In The Eyes" in D Jordin Sparks "Tattoo" in D Kanye West "Runaway" in E Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone" in A NSYNC "Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays" in F One Direction "Perfect" in D P!nk "Please Don't Leave Me" in Db Taylor Swift "Love Story" in D Taylor Swift "Wildest Dreams" in Ab The Script "Man Who Can't Be Moved" in Bb Few more vi - IV - I - V Adele "Hello" in Ab Avril Lavigne "My Happy Ending" verse in D Beyonce "If I Were A Boy" in Gb Coldplay "The Scientist" in F Enrique Iglesias "Bailando" in G Kelly Clarkson "Stronger" in C Sia 'Bird Set Free" in Ab
I've never really been interested in music theory, I'm more of a hands on type learner when it comes to that, but the way you explain things is so intriguing and now I wanna know more!
There’s also one established progression and it’s gotten a bit of a resurgence in recent releases which is the ii-IV-I-V (and it’s rotational variant I-V-ii-IV). Excellent video, by the way!
@@DavidBennettPiano It's also from the verses of "Mad world", and the rotational variant is from the chorus of "Love really hurts without you" by Billy Ocean. Also, thank you for another amazing video!
Coming from a guitar/bass background only playing by ear for the last 35 years and now wanting to understand composition a lot more this has been the most useful thing I've seen online in the past 5 years. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome video. I love that you embraced the semi modular with the DAW marring them together. This is what I always thought should happen. Not like a lot of these people wanting to throw out the DAW for live looping. Thanks and keep up the great work. Really innovative. Stay creative!!
Love this. Always enjoyed the 'study' of chord progressions and identifying them myself. I predicted a lot of your examples prior to them playing. :) I always think it's amazing too how these underpin SO MANY different songs, yet many can sound so different despite having the same backbone.
I give a lot of credit to producers for making a hit out of something that would otherwise be one of a hundred similar songs--something that people would otherwise be bored with the week it came out. They come up with inversions and extensions of chords, tweak effects, add overdubs, bring in just the right guy to mix it, etc. It's an art form all its own.
Amazing video. So we’ll presented. It’s actually presented in a way where I can learn. I love that you show the chords on screen, say why they work, and give multiple examples. So good. New subscriber here
My friend just gave me a guitar, saying, "I bet you'd like playing--you should learn." I don't know any music theory. I've never played an instrument in my life. My last music class was 30 years ago. But, I'm immersing myself in RUclips and trying to teach myself. I came across your videos and just can't get enough. Even though I still need to research what you're talking about some of the time (why do chords have numbers???), you make the concepts you discuss interesting and accessible for complete novices like me. I appreciate your efforts! Keep up the great work! Liked and subscribed!
I always come away from these smarter than when I started. You're an excellent teacher and have definitely made me a better songwriter. Thanks a million.
One feature of the Dr. Demento radio show was to string together a medley of song snippets that all used the same chord progression like these songs do.... It's great to hear how versatile a few chords can be.
This progression can even be rotated to form 6/4/5/1, sort of a minor version of it. Three examples are: the chorus from "Nobody's Fool" by Cinderella, "Defenders of Legacy" from the Bloody Roar OST, and the chorus from "An Angel Came Down" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I think my best example of I / VIIb / IV / I is 'Werefolf from London". That one is crystal clear about it's musical intentions. Absolutely lovely. Thanks for all the hard work mate!
One of the best things I did as a musician was to dive into the chords and modes of other parent scales (Double Harmonic Major, Harmonic Minor, etc.). These give so many interesting and different creative options.
Interesting that G major has the same notes as D mixolydian, and that both "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Werewolves of London" use this with the "mixolydian vamp" to sit between these two tone centers. The 1662 tune "Gott ist getreu" by Johann Rudolf Ahle is even more audacious. It walks up G lydian from G to C# (pausing on a tritone), then resolves to D, after which it goes down back to G, then back up to pause on D. In this movement from G to D, some settings have chords that one finds in Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". After doing this whole thing twice, the Ahle tune changes its time signature and stays solidly in G major. Oddly enough, this latter part of the tune has similarities with the verses of "Sweet Home Alabama", even as the earlier part was similar to the chorus. It seems that G major and D mixolydian can be expressed via two tone centers in the same tune. Some modern liturgical pieces also ascend in lydian and descend in either major or mixolydian, depending on where the point of reference might be in the scale. This produces an ebb and flow, like breathing or waves. Ahle's tune was used first for the funeral hymn "Es ist genug", a kind of "I'm tired and want to lay my body down" song, the cessation of breathing. It was then used for "Ich habe g'nug, mein Jesus lebet noch", which is an Easter hymn that celebrates the resumption of breathing. Whether one wants to call this modal interchange is up to the interpreter, but it seems less than major/minor interchange.
Keys are just PITCH....Free bird is in G MAJOR/Emin. The F Maj chord is aka N6 of E min..or b7 chord degree of a MAJOR scale. ( it's common it's in millions of songs) WilD Horse ny rolling stones such as Live Forever by oais In Babe I love your way....it's just a F7 Burning Heart By Vandenberge I personally play the F Maj....barr at the 5th fret...as if Im barring a D min chord. while finger picking it... but play the F Maj at the 1st fret to more thump V IV III into vi...is typical spanish ( III is the phrygian dominant) If you use E melodic min...it's just E min A7.....B7.....C# dim...D# dim E min the next less common is the b6 chord degree...Eb maj or maj7 chord You'll hear it as cadence in Just between you and me..by aprail wine. It's also in What a wonder World by louis Armstrong in F MAJOR/Dmin.. (Db Maj or maj7 chord) Not as common...the b3 chord ....Bb from G MAJOR. Longer by Dan FoGelbrug G Maj C Maj Dsus9 C Maj ( 2 times) Bb Maj...A min G Maj......C Maj D sus9 For the Bridge just pretend you're in Ab MAJOR ( V, IV, I or Eb maj, Db maj Ab Maj ) In a nut shell you could INSERT b2......b3.......b5........b6....b7 of a Major scale as in type of Chords. Maj is the EASIEST...but not only. Lets go to D Maj/B min Show me the way by frampton D Maj...D Maj7 B min Bb Maj....C Maj ( Bb = b6.....C Maj = b7) Just the way you are...... by Billy Joe ( D MAJ/Bmin) D Maj E7 B min G min .....G Maj7 G min B min A7 D Maj Then E7 is borrow from B melodic min ( E lydian dominant or Mix #4) The G min...i personally think it's G lydian b3...barrow from D Harmonic MAJOR because it's DESCENDING Bb to A ( A mix b2) NOT A# into B ( G lyd #2 of B Harmonic min.) Lets NOT split hairs..The D MAJOR BEBOP has #5/b6 as OPTION/passing note. Sort of like....the SLIDE GUITAR part in SLEEP WALK...it's descending Ab to G note ( G mix b2) C MAJ/Amin ( I, vi, IV, V) Anyways...during the Bridge of Just the way you are....the Bb maj and C Maj D Maj G Maj F# min B min E min A7 D Maj Bb Maj ..C Maj F# min B min E min A7 D Maj I personally dont have a problem playing A min Gb min C min Eb dim G7 into C MAJOR.lol full dim intervals........before playing G7 into C MAJOR..as predominant.lmao You could VAMP...Full diminished H/W... You could stack MAJOR, min, dominant or dim chords every b3 intervals. If you Vamp it over the V chord ( COMMON) G7........Bb........Db........E7 .............Bb........Db ............are the N6 chords. Some people call them tritone subs. I just vamp it over the vi or I chord. becuase I can do whatever i damn please.lmao The Gb/F#....note would be #4/b5....chord degree of C MAJOR . That would be the C#/Db Note you're referring to while in G MAJOR I dont have a problem playing. A min Bb7 into Eb Maj Ab min G7 into C MAJOR A min Bb maj7 into Eb min Gb Maj G7 into C MAJOR
I mean, all the modes of a key share the notes, it just comes down to how much you "force" something to be your "I" or "i". The major/minor dichotomy is limiting for sure, though helpful because it covers a large majority of music.
@@seejayjames very true.....it's the same thing with N6 chords. I just list different modes for the Bb of A min Bb lyd #6, lyd #5, #6, Lyd #2, #6...or even Ion #6 ( no tritone) In a nutshell any type of chords as I damn please. Lets put that into practice/application CMaj7 F min Bb min Db dim/A D min G7 into C min Eb Maj7 Ab min Db dim B min E7 into A MAJ Bb dim G7 into C MAJOR.lmao well....A MAJOR....Bb dim B dim/G into C MAJOR... God forbid I play diminished chords a semi tone apart...lmao Then..... Eb dim Ab min D Maj7 E7 into A min :-p
I just think that when we start learning music, everyone is wanting us to know "the rules", especially with classical. There are those who want all music to conform to "the rules", yet I can find especially Renaissance and Baroque church and secular tunes that are not just neat and tidy examples of rule templates. Both Adam Neely and Rick Beato are good for showing how medieval and early modern music could get real interesting. And yet in the 19th and early 20th centuries, I have seen examples of especially Protestants taking complex, rhythmic music like original tunes used with Isaac Watts lyrics and others, and replacing them with very "tidy" Victorian settings that are fairly boring and tedious. To combat that, some modern church musicians have gone the other way to make grossly ornate and tunes that one can hardly sing. Or they just regurgitate the most banal and pedestrian of pop music. The fact that a tune can be singable and still have layers of complexity, drawing on deep roots, is something that the folk and rock musicians of the 1960s understood, and it's why their work is so powerful. I like how David Bennett breaks it down and makes it accessible.
This is a fantastic video, I've heard these progressions in music before but it was awesome to see them broken down and analyzed in such a careful and well explained way
What makes this video so great is it shows that endless diversity possible among songs sharing the same chord progression (and why “copyrighting” chord progressions is not possible). The melody and the groove are what gives a tune a distinctive feel, not the chord progression.
My english is very bad so i'm sorry but i would like to say thank you. I'm a classical pianist and I just start to try modern composition (rock, blues,...). During years and years I've eat musical theory without understand the aim. You're bringing order in my musical and theorical mess. Thanks and please, continue :)
Found this trying to track down why “Dear Maria” fits so well with anime openings, I think I’ve decided the reason is that vi IV I V has a similar vibe to the Royal Road progression, where, while we do get resolution with the V, there is this ability to kind of revolve through the chords over and over.
The I-IV-V progression (what I refer to as the "Louie Louie" progression) is the basis of the majority of the three-chord bangers of earlier rock and roll. I love the way you put all this into perspective without the professorial pomp I associated with confusing university teachers who really didn't want to be teaching you.
@@igotobakeries That may be so, but we listened on Lo-Fi record players back in the '60's, and a single flatted note might easily have been lost in the scratchy hiss. No wonder urban legends arose over the "dirty lyrics"!😁
@@stevenskorich7878 Our band played it but I didn’t know the lyrics so I just mumbled incoherently with the amps turned up and we got away with it - until that night on a radio feed when the engineer dialed in the vocals - but that’s another story for an old rocker lol!
@@morrisgentry8624 That's one way to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. Mumbling is a time-tested strategy - "When in charge, ponder. When in trouble, delegate. When in doubt, mumble." I'm not sure anyone knew the lyrics, and thousands of bands knew the song.
i'm only at progression no. 2 but gotta say that it's such a great and informative video. i would really like to encourage you to talk even more about progressions that _don't_ start on the I chord. this opens up an entirely new world of creating music imho (that i feel i haven't entered yet). edit: also please talk about progressions of only 3 chords or more than 4. it annoys me that all of us focus so much on 4 chord progressions and always starting on the I. 😅
Great video. A very simple and educative way to explain most common chord progressions. İt explaines the structures of the songs we liked and listened for hundresds of times. İts like having just for letters to create a sentence but you re able to tell many different stories.
One progression I hear very often (and also one that I love) is I - V - II - VI - just 4 major chords going up in 5ths (or down in 4ths). It’s also common to start on the 3rd one and get I - V - bVII - VI, which is very similar to the Mixolydian vamp, but has an added V.
I watched this video, studied music theory for a couple months, then came back, and whoa it all makes sense now. I didn't pay attention as a saxophonist to a lot of the chord stuff, but I'm glad I picked it up now. Thanks for the video.
I loved this lesson. One additional thing you may like to know: the Andalusian cadence was formerly known as a "lament bass line" when talking about figured bass in the euro tradition.
There's a famous example of an andalusian cadence looping for almost four minutes non-stop, going all the way back to the early 16th century. It's Monteverdi's "Lamento della Ninfa". Give it a listen. It sounds surprisingly modern.
Brilliant, nothing more to say, I really understand all that theoratical stuff. But now I can feel it much more, thank you very much and also for your other videos. Greetings from Augsburg
I feel another one that is less common but still used is IV-V-iii-vi. It can’t be used for an entire song though because it never has any sense of resolution, but it can propel a song during a section (the IV can also be a ii or you could make it like IV-V-iii-vi-ii-V-I)
I have truly been enjoying your videos, extremely well researched and presented. As a private music teacher your videos are so informative to remind me of so many things that I learned in music school on music theory and history. THANK YOU! Keep posting!
Thank you for mentioning the DooWop changes. That's one I've noticed being used almost as much as the Axis Progression (particularly in music from the 50s and 60s). Another common chord progression I've noticed, not so much used anymore but it was the basis for a lot of 50s rock music, is the 12 bar blues progression.
This is a really well done breakdown of these progressions and I love all the examples you gave for each. I'm definitely sharing this with my music students. Thank you for creating this video!
These progressions are a great template for writing new songs. I used to just get lost on the keyboard, hoping to find chords that sounded "right". Learning some theory really gives me new motivation to sit at my keyboard and put some melodies down using these progressions.
What a fantastic Playlist this would be to listen to each song all the way through! Great examples of some cool songs. Neat examples of chord groups. I will be trying them out of my piano.
This is a great video. I think it will be extremely useful to music theory beginners who just need some examples to make the concepts really click. One chord progression I am very surprised you didn't include is the classic country chord progression (I IV I V). It's wonderful writing ground, and I think that most people could identify it pretty quickly, even if they aren't familiar with music theory or composition.
Ssshhh. If you told everyone they could write a song with simple chords, they just might. Downsides: We have heard them all before. Upsides: People might manage to utilize them to say something new and interesting. Yeah, it's a mixed bag.
2 года назад
1964 was a great year for the Beatles! ruclips.net/video/36yUuAPWXFA/видео.html
If I were seeing this when I first started, I'd be doing my best to avoid all of these progressions, because I was very bent on ending the hegemony of V7-I and busting up the idea of Western Music Theory when I was first starting out. Since I didn't have this handy guide, I have to wonder how many of these I used without knowing how common they are. I did recently start a song with the Axis chords but then started changing it up each time through to throw the listener off, but I usually don't come in with a musical strategy like that at all. I just play something that feels good and start singing until some words stick. It's all very stream of consciousness and unpremeditated most of the time. Very smooth editing between the songs that I see you've pitched to be all in the same key. Keep on keeping on. :D
What are your favourite common chord progressions?
Pancakes or waffles?
@@nethercreature1624 pancakes
@@DavidBennettPiano ooh ok personally i prefer waffles but i respect your opinion 🧇🧇🧇
@@DavidBennettPiano I've always found it easy to figure out what chords singularly are being played, but recognizing the entire chord progression itself as it's own "color" is far more efficient. Giving names to all of these familiar sounds is helping my ear training a lot.
Thank you David !! 😊
@@nethercreature1624 : It's just mean to ask that question in the first place. 💔😭
lols
many people often try to frame common chord progressions like they're automatically bad because they're common, and i think it's great that this video doesn't do that. these progressions are common for a reason
Totes.
Facts
Yea they’re certainly not automatically bad, but a lot of these great songs use those progressions, but use others in the song as well. Whereas a lot of cheap pop songs that come out consist of only a standard 1/4/6/5 or whatever the entire song, no creativity
@@oblivionpro69 a lot of those cheap pop songs put a lot more emphasis on the actual production rather than the harmonic structure of the song.
They're definitely not bad but they're not as interesting as other progressions. You can get tired of them faster.
“The combination of these 3 chords (I, IV, V) gives us 3 shades of tension, allowing for that sense of movement.”
Best description of the purpose of chord progression! I am a elementary music teacher and always wonder how to explain that to my students. Thank you!
This was the best video I've seen regarding chord progression right!
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I don't think Take On Me is 156m7.
And if you want to go super easy, just switch between I and V, they just want to jump to each other.
Sup, guys! When he plays that Aeolian vamp progression he presses g natural after a natural. Are we talking about the HARMONIC minor scale here, not the natural one? He would have pressed g-flat in a natural minor scale, yeah?
I studied music theory, music production, and I've been a musician for a long, long time. I stumbled on this video and I just want to point out this is one of the most brilliant ways to explain chord progressions. Entertaining, with perfect examples and explanations. Congratulations!
completely agree. Incredible how many different songs nd melodies are made out of the exact same chords.
I also agree. Well done. I am musically illiterate, even though I play. Beautifully done. I just wish I could understand what it all means.
Agree
did you know, there is a gender that involves music theory. and nobody is inventing new genders, just finding new names for ideas that existed for thousands of years
@@mfrench711 What didn't you understand?
That Mixolydian vamp (I-bVII-IV-I) is such a timeless and effective chord progression. It was especially prominent in the circa 1967-1975 classic rock era. It's dramatic and lends itself to a bluesy inflection very well.
as told by ginger anyone? anybody see that one chris cornell video? no? ok
In the Air Tonight is a great example of the Aeolian Vamp. It just lingers around until the drum fill halfway through that still blows me away after hearing the song a million times.
It also has an under appreciated bass line.
This is such a great video. You don’t just list of the most used chords. You also give examples and tell us what we feel in this chord and why.
😊
Thanks!
I'll second that! Why did "San Francisco" surprise me ? Brilliant video David, bravo !!!
I agree! Really practical and useful approach to dissecting the emotion behind particular progressions, using familiar examples. Perfect, really!
Love all the examples but this must have been sent into copyright hell!
It’s incredible that you can use Beatles music in almost every music theory video!
It’s not difficult to do 😊
@@DavidBennettPiano Right?
Same with taylor swift!
Melissa Etheridge said "The Beatles wrote _all_ the songs. We are just rewriting them."
@@michaeleaster1815 the Beatles and taylor swift are my 2 favorite bands/artists!
0:25 I - V - vi - IV ("Axis")
3:47 vi - IV - I - V
6:29 i - ♭VII - ♭VI - V (Andalusian cadence)
8:32 i - ♭VII - ♭VI - ♭VII ("Aeolian vamp")
11:05 I - vi - IV - V ("Doo-wop / 50s")
13:31 I - vi - ii - V ("Blue moon")
14:21 I - IV - V
14:15 I - V - IV - V
16:41 I - ♭VII - IV - I ("Mixolydian vamp")
I clicked translate to english and it still has roman numerals? RUclips translate is broken.
@@johnelder3978 That's because the Roman numerals in the comment are English characters.
@@Mabbdaa Why doesn't he write them in the original latin then? Lazy.
@@bobdobbs7828 You should know what Roman numerals are. Especially if you're a musician. If not, learn them now, it's extremely easy to understand.
@@Mabbdaa Why should I? I don't speak no foreign language and I use google translate with anything that is written in one.
This kind of stuff is what RUclips was made for.
Thank you for this David: As an old man who let his instruments sit idle because he had an ear but no drive to learn the basics, this short lesson reminded me of something I didn't want to do when I was 15: *actually learn and practice scales*.
At the time, it seemed more useful (or perhaps just enjoyable...) to learn songs and licks. This small demonstration reminded me that 15 year me was a dafty, and those licks are worthless if you can't fit them into the key you're playing in.
If you find yourself in Edinburgh, I owe you a coffee/beer at the least.
Terrific.
I love seeing the chords changing in real time with on screen graphics, makes it stick better.
Great job dude
'Let It Be' is probably the perfect example to use at 2:48, as its words mirror its chord progression perfectly as based on your explanation:
I - 'When I find myself' - Something incomplete. It could be the whole story, but that would be incredibly boring.
V - 'in times of trouble' - The introduction of tension.
vi - 'Mother Mary' - A partial resolution, but still something incomplete.
IV - 'comes to me' - A total and complete resolution of the idea that leads perfectly into the next phrase.
Wow I never realised that!
Would be great if that was true, but the I chord is the most complete in a major progression, and the IV is not complete, it's unresolved. But it sounded good.
I was thinking of that song when he played the chords the first time. It was very obvious. Love the Beatles
@@bencleners6655 Probably cause it was only used for one line and every other song in this list flogged it for 3 and a half minutes!!
theres ii used slightly after IV. but they are almost identical chords
David's videos are a masterclass in music theory. He ties so many loose ends together that things start to make sense.
Showing examples of songs using those chord progressions was genius. It gives you a good idea of how that chord progression sounds and what emotions it evokes.
Yes. Excellent video. I agree.
I'm speechless! I've been looking for this video for ages, just no way to know how to "find it" online. I love how you gave us the most common, described how they worked together w tension and resolve and boring vs less boring and played them as examples songs that we've all heard and loved before. Thank you for taking a very "overly academic" subject like music theory, and breaking it down to 5yr old level understanding and no analysis paralysis. Perfect balance keep it up! Edit: In another video, could you break down the "strumming"/"vamping" on how to take a given chord and strumm/vamp properly? So I could apply these chord changes, Love the roman numerals the explanation of the flat 7s and the tension/resolve I think you touch on all of the essentials wo overcomplicating it in a good balance!
Your explanations really inspire me to try things in my own musical explorations. I think your “secret sauce” is that you focus on the way chords and progressions translate into *feelings*. Music is all about making people feel things, and yet many people who try to explain theory focus very little on the emotion. Thank you!
Oh, that was just absolutely brilliant. I can't believe all that had just passed me by all the years I've been playing. These videos are fantastic, David - thanks very much indeed.
Love the mixolydian one. It's basically a cheat code to writing music that sounds 'anthemic'. It just makes people want to shout along with it. Primal Scream and that newer Lorde song a great examples, too.
I see mixolydian as the "rock and roll" one (read that somewhere), so it makes sense.
@@MisterL777 ACDC!
If you like Mixolydian, then I'm sure you love Mixolydian/b6. It's like an automatic connection between bright-ish Rock and minor-sounding phrases.
That flat major 7 is all over classic rock.
@@MisterL777 -- really it's the blues one first, with I7, IV7, V7, rock drew from that.
I love the Doo Wop or stand by me progression. It’s so soulful
it feels like the hero’s journey. The comfortable beginning, the inciting incident that turns the hero’s world upside down, the comeback of the hero, and finally, the triumph over the villain
@@rashotcake6945 the vi chord is way too comfy to be the incident. I would say Hero at home, hero begins his journey, inciting incident, triumph
I love it as well. After listening to a lot of doo wop you get that progression subconsciously ingrained in your mind
I remember my dad watching this and I was so hooked, one of my memories of him before he passed. Now I am an EDM music creator and striving to be a DJ
I was actually doing some work, and accidently fell into this rabbit hole. Some times rabbit holes just steals your time away, but this was actually quite soothing and enlightning. Thanks David - best rabbit hole all day 🙂
same here! it showed up in my recommendations and I had to click it. awesome.
David makes even the most complex themes and theories crystal clear - this is an easier example, but the crystal clarity is still there. Perfectly explained and illustrated.
The Bible is truth.
Please read at least three books of the Bible, Genesis, Mathew, and one of personal choice. As you do practice forgiveness. This is an important key step. To be forgiven we must forgive. You must do the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Start by forgiving your parents. They’ve loved you. They should be easiest. Look inside for those grievances we all build up and genuinely within your heart, forgive. Mean it. That’s they key. This step is crucial. Breaking down before Jesus Christ and asking for forgiveness really only works once you’ve put his teachings into practice in your life. Please trust me.
Jesus Christ is the way truth and life
@@jamesmayle3787 What on earth has that got to do with either this upload or my comment? . . . Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
This is a perfect example of zealotism flying in the face of all rationality or reasonableness.
Pointless and irrelevant for anything at all to do with David's upload.
Some more interesting 4 chord progressions:
JPop / Anime progression: IV-V-(major)III-VI
Another pop progression: I-(major or minor)III-VI-IV
More melancholic: I-VI-II-IV
Get Lucky: II-IV-VI-V
Melancholic variant: I-V-II(with 7)-IV
Modern Pop: VI-I-V-IV
Some other pop variant: VI-IV-(major)II-(major)III
A while ago I listened to some anime songs thinking "what's the "anime" ingredient in there?" as chord progression couldn't be the only thing.
If some of you have more insight on this one I'll be glad to listen.
@@MisterL777 Adam Neely has a good video on it that might help answer that question ruclips.net/video/gFXcwv9XISc/видео.html . it might also be the type of instruments used, or that it uses more extensions to be jazzier
@Zeffo Thank you
imma pitch in vi-iii-IV-I
Long time ago, right after i finished high school, I went off to college on my own. I got a new laptop that had this chord progression playing in the background as I did the initialization process. It had this kind of airy, hopeful, yet melancholic feel to it. I've always thought fondly of that simple tune that is inextricably linked to a landmark moment in my life. The final progression in this video instantly made me think of it, because it was that progression exactly. I've always wondered about it. Thank you for solving a mystery for me.
Thank you so much for this. I wrote music for decades and then had a nervous breakdown and just stopped. I couldn’t find creativity anymore. This formula helps me understand through multiple genres and multiple examples that these work on all levels. I think I can get to writing again now ❤
Dude that's so interesting! Fascinating how all the songs with the same chord progressions are so different on the surface but actually sound pretty similar when you pay attention
I was surprised that you didn't include the Pachebel Canon progression. You can hear it or (something close to it) in Green Day's "Basket Case," Blues Traveler's "Hook," Fastball's "The Way," Oasis's "Don't Look Back in Anger," Spacehog's "2nd Avenue" and a bunch of others.
Actually I was surprised David stayed from the 1950's and forward. I kept expecting music from further back to pop up to show that Musical Generations ARE connected to each other. Personally I think he lost a great chance to show that.
Could do a whole clip on that
@@peterkelley6344 He did the Andalusian Cadence, which goes back as far as Baroque music.
And most recently in Maroon 5's Memories. (Transposed to B.)
I know I saw a video somewhere showing all those comparisons, and most of them are different in musically significant ways. Don't look back in anger, transposed into d for example is:
D A Bm F#7 G A D Bm A
vs canon:
D A Bm F#m G D G A
Sure, the first 3 chords are the same, but then Oasis goes to 7th chord instead of a minor, which has a very different sound, and then the rest of the progression is not all that similar.
You could argue that the A and Bm are just passing chords, which is fair enough, it's a small difference, but then we also don't hit the G chord, which gives a very different feeling to looping back to the start.
When you add up all those small differences, you essentially just have a song that happens to also start with I-V-vi , which I think is not that unusual.
Probably one of the best chord analysis videos I've seen on YT. Thanks for this bro!
Thanks! 😀
Man, I went through like three of these videos looking for my beloved 1-b7-4 progression. My absolute favorite thing in the world is banging out some 1-b7-4 with my buddies. Like half the songs my band play use that progression and every time I hear a song with it it makes me happy.
Amazing... Even the old workhorse of the bunch - the 1/6/4/5, the progression that launched a decade of great music, isn't spent. Dolly Parton can still go straight to the heart with "I will always love you." Creativity is infinite. Great video, as usual, David.
It's amazing how the same progression can sound so different in different hands!
The Monster Mash is my absolute favourite 1/6/4/5
The Mixolydian vamp is why I always say that harmonically, mixolydian is wayyyy brighter and happier sounding than Ionian major. Every song that uses that progression makes me feel dreamy and happy.
Interesting. A Major7th chord always sounds nostalgic and sort of sad/dreamy to me. Never thought of ionian like that, though. But yeah, mixo can be very bright.
Isn’t Fire and Rain Mixolydian? At least I could hear it during the piano outro David did.
@@user-oy7gz5bf2h Exactly it`s a blues scale a flat 7th of the major scale !
I have my own interpretation of musical theory. I don't think any other modes aside from the Ionian and Aeolian actually exist, as the music pulls you back to the Ionian/Aeolian tonic anyways if you accidentally mis-emphasize the chords. For example, notice how in that last song David played, it's much easier to think of the IV as the tonic, rather than the I. Interpreting it this way, the progression just becomes V-IV-I-V, or I-V-IV if you rearrange it, which is related to the I-V-vi-IV progression, but since it's all major chords, it's actually very happy, and THIS I believe is the root of that happy sound you were referring to. The reason why I think those other modes do not exist is because of the vii° chord, which can pull you back to the I chord if you add the 5th scale degree (thus transforming it into V7, i.e. BDF -> GBDF), or to the vi if you add the 6th degree (BDF -> BDFA). But this vii° can NEVER pull you back to any other scale degree, because it just won't sound resolved. This is the reason why in mode theory, people often talk about "avoid chords", which are chords that one must avoid if one wants to stay in a given mode, because again, modes present false/unstable tonics.
Yeah, the major 7th has a sadness to it. Minor 7th comes to party
This was really one of your best videos, in my opinion. Playing multiple songs back to back was an extremely effective method of illustrating the chord progressions. I really hope you take up the suggestions here to do other videos illustrating other chord progressions in this manner!
This is a fantastically useful video. Your explanations of music theory are the clearest I have ever come across. The relevant examples you give, and your demonstrations are just spot on. As a life long guitarist, I have often struggled to work out the cord progressions of songs I am trying to learn by ear, but having started taking the piano more seriously, I am able to see more clearly how the chords relate to one another, and this video is a great tool to help me understand how the progressions work. I have placed this in my RUclips Keep list, and I'll be referring to it again and again, and taking copious notes ... oh, that pun snuck up on me, but I like it!
The Bible is truth.
Please read at least three books of the Bible, Genesis, Mathew, and one of personal choice. As you do practice forgiveness. This is an important key step. To be forgiven we must forgive. You must do the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Start by forgiving your parents. They’ve loved you. They should be easiest. Look inside for those grievances we all build up and genuinely within your heart, forgive. Mean it. That’s they key. This step is crucial. Breaking down before Jesus Christ and asking for forgiveness really only works once you’ve put his teachings into practice in your life. Please trust me.
Jesus Christ is the way truth and life
May I propose an update for the chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:22 I V | vi IV the Axis Progression
3:46 vi IV | I V the OTHER Axis Progression
6:29 i bVII bVI V (on aeolian!) the Andalusian cadence
8:32 i bVII bVI bVII(on aeolian!) the Aeolian vamp
11:05 I vi IV V the Doo-wop changes
14:22 I V IV V the Major Scale vamp
16:38 I bVII IV I (on mixolydian!) the Mixolydian vamp
Whoops or maybe not. I just see now what I may call didactically errors.
Why the heck ya changing the reference point for you scale degree?
... and doing so without explicitly mention !
Okay I better create another comment for that.
Thank you so much man , i was thinking of reading writing this down from the video but you made it easier for me 👍👍
Nice job! helps explain why a lot of pop music sounds so similar when the progression is simply looped over and over with out breaking out of it with more bridges and choruses. Also, just interesting in general, and the best thing you did were the examples of well known songs while highlighting the progression. Thanks!
As a music teacher, I find your material brilliant and useful. Please keep up the good work!
Cool video!
The 'Axis Progression' is also known as the Optimistic Progression, and the 'other' is also known as the Pessimistic Progression.
Also the "Sensitive Female Progression"
@@SelfPropelledDestiny indeed
I'm thinking of another one: i-bIII-bVll-IV.
"Wonderwall", "Mad World", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "New Divide", "Pumped Up Kicks", etc.
You could add "D'you know what i mean?" to that list, Oasis ended up using the same main chord progression for that song that they'd used in Wonderwall.
I was also thinking of that! It's also used in "Not Too Late for The Wine" and "Vilse i skogen".
Was wondering if that one's been bugging anyone but me. Btw there is a super famous mashup called Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Wonderwall vs Boulevard) by someone way more well known than me... I decided last year to extend it to a bunch more songs. ruclips.net/video/Yds95Pbsx5k/видео.html (though I like my more recent circle of 5ths progression compilation mashup even more. :))
This is one of the greatest pieces of musical theory I’ve ever learned. This should be the very first thing they teach. Thank you for providing this.
A former brass player years ago, now old and trying to learn piano and your videos have explained so much about the foundations of music that I simply never learned with many years of playing brass. It almost makes me mad because these missing understandings limited my playing potential a lot back then. Great content.
Great video! For guitar players: one thing that really helped me was visualize chords numbers via simple notes on the 6th and 5th string. When you're on the top string, one string down on the same fret is the 4th chord and when you're on the 5th string one string up is the 5th chord.
In other words, say you're doing an A5 power chord, on the same fret just below is the D5 chord so the 4th chord. From there it's easy to count up or down one chord (the 5th is two frets later to get your E5 chord).
And let's say you're doing a C5 chord, if you go above on the same fret it becomes the 5th chord with your G5.
One the best videos for illustrating music theory I’ve seen.
David, you are a genius. You make understanding music so accessible. And your presentations are so charming and matter of fact. Love your videos. Thank you. Oh, and you are a great musician too.
Amazing lesson. I'm gonna watch over and over. I don't think I've ever done a piano lesson this informative, especially in 21 minutes.
I've been a music educator for 40 years. This is excellent. Wish I'd had this 50 years ago, but you would've had to have had a Delorean and Christopher Lloyd. Brilliant demonstration.
I took piano for many years, never really had formal music theory, but some things stick in your head. I love watching your videos because you elucidate what my mind subconsciously understands and recognizes. AND I start listening to favorites songs and music in sort of a new way.
Honorable mention to the Ōdō or "Royal Road" progression, IV△7-V7-iii7-vi, which is ubiquitous in Japanese popular music. It's associated with the 1950s enka style, but is used in practically everything from '60s-'70s bubblegum to modern synth-heavy hip-hop-influenced pop, like if the doo wop progression had never fallen out of fashion. It perfectly balances major and minor chord qualities, and is sometimes described as sounding "floaty", possibly because it avoids the tonic. The name "royal road" implies that it's the path to guaranteed success (a more idiomatic translation might be "easy street"). It's less common in Western pop but there is an example that shows how reliable it is: it's never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.
A recent use of this progression is Leave the Door Open by Silk Sonic. Also in western music it was quite common in 70s soul music. But it is indeed in Japanese music that it is the most frequent.
What does the triangle represent ? Anyway I feel this progression is weak. Going 4 to 5 is strong. But 5 to 3 minor is definitely weak. And 3 minor to 6 minor is weak also. No strength of direction. If the 3 chord was major it would be strong.
@@NagoyaHouseHead The triangle is the symbol for major. The IV chord is a major 7th.
Honestly I think the lack of strong resolution may be part of the point. It just kinda hangs out, avoiding the tonic for 8 or so bars (sometimes nearly the entire tune), until the songwriter brings it home with a ii-V-I or IV-V-I.
😂 I can’t believe I just got rickrolled in the comments. Nice. And I’m still singing it in my head.
What's the name of this one
IVMaj7 - III7 - vi - v?? (EG. JUST THE TWO OF US) very similar...
That piano piece you played at the end over the Patreon names really gave me a Sims 1 OST vibe - a warm sound with just a single piano playing.
Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it sounded great! Love your videos and look forward to the next one!
This kind of sound (to my untrained ears at least!) ruclips.net/video/Bs5QGN-zhwM/видео.html
i thought exactly the same thing!
ruclips.net/video/IJMds3jT7c8/видео.html
I was thinking "Night Moves".
Almost “The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby”
I always instantly click these videos, doesnt matter if ive learned the topic its about to any extent before, theres always something to gain from them, if nothing else a thorough refresher.
Dude, the flat 7 chord in the context of the last chord progression, just made things click in my brain. New song writing abilities unlocked. THANK YOU BRO!
You always make your videos "for all" with the variety of examples you give. Great vid
Some more I - V - vi - IV that I've found:
5SOS "She Looks So Perfect" in E
Adele "Easy On Me" in F
Aerosmith "Cryin" in A
Alanis Morissette "Head Over Feet" in C
Alicia Keys "No One" in E
Blink 182 "Feeling This" in E
Christina Aguilera "Just A Fool" in G
John Legend "So High" in D
Jonas Brothers "When You Look Me In The Eyes" in D
Jordin Sparks "Tattoo" in D
Kanye West "Runaway" in E
Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone" in A
NSYNC "Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays" in F
One Direction "Perfect" in D
P!nk "Please Don't Leave Me" in Db
Taylor Swift "Love Story" in D
Taylor Swift "Wildest Dreams" in Ab
The Script "Man Who Can't Be Moved" in Bb
Few more vi - IV - I - V
Adele "Hello" in Ab
Avril Lavigne "My Happy Ending" verse in D
Beyonce "If I Were A Boy" in Gb
Coldplay "The Scientist" in F
Enrique Iglesias "Bailando" in G
Kelly Clarkson "Stronger" in C
Sia 'Bird Set Free" in Ab
I've never really been interested in music theory, I'm more of a hands on type learner when it comes to that, but the way you explain things is so intriguing and now I wanna know more!
There’s also one established progression and it’s gotten a bit of a resurgence in recent releases which is the ii-IV-I-V (and it’s rotational variant I-V-ii-IV).
Excellent video, by the way!
I love that progression… I think it’s the progression from the outro of “I Know The End” by Phoebe Bridgers.
@@DavidBennettPiano It's also from the verses of "Mad world", and the rotational variant is from the chorus of "Love really hurts without you" by Billy Ocean. Also, thank you for another amazing video!
@@DavidBennettPiano it’s the progression for the middle section! The outdo is i-bVI-IV in the parallel minor to the key used in most of the song
I-V-ii-IV will always be the Closing Time progression to me, no matter how many times Taylor Swift uses it
@@wyssmaster great song!!
Coming from a guitar/bass background only playing by ear for the last 35 years and now wanting to understand composition a lot more this has been the most useful thing I've seen online in the past 5 years. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome video. I love that you embraced the semi modular with the DAW marring them together. This is what I always thought should happen. Not like a lot of these people wanting to throw out the DAW for live looping. Thanks and keep up the great work. Really innovative. Stay creative!!
I will watch this video , superbly well made, many times David. Chord progressions, indescribably beautiful. So enjoyable ! Alan
Cheers Alan!
LOVE the Mixolydian Vamp. I've always been calling it "the one flat seven four progression". Thanks for putting a name to that!
I've been calling it the Hey Jude progression....
I was calling it the "Back In Black." To me, "Mixolydian Vamp" would just be I-bVII.
Love this. Always enjoyed the 'study' of chord progressions and identifying them myself. I predicted a lot of your examples prior to them playing. :) I always think it's amazing too how these underpin SO MANY different songs, yet many can sound so different despite having the same backbone.
I give a lot of credit to producers for making a hit out of something that would otherwise be one of a hundred similar songs--something that people would otherwise be bored with the week it came out. They come up with inversions and extensions of chords, tweak effects, add overdubs, bring in just the right guy to mix it, etc. It's an art form all its own.
Amazing video. So we’ll presented. It’s actually presented in a way where I can learn. I love that you show the chords on screen, say why they work, and give multiple examples. So good. New subscriber here
My friend just gave me a guitar, saying, "I bet you'd like playing--you should learn." I don't know any music theory. I've never played an instrument in my life. My last music class was 30 years ago. But, I'm immersing myself in RUclips and trying to teach myself. I came across your videos and just can't get enough. Even though I still need to research what you're talking about some of the time (why do chords have numbers???), you make the concepts you discuss interesting and accessible for complete novices like me. I appreciate your efforts! Keep up the great work! Liked and subscribed!
I would call the Myxolidian vamp the Stadium Anthem Vamp, judging from the songs you used as an example. Great video, gives a lot of insight, thanks!
"The Bozo Vamp" :-)
Stadium Anthem Vamp... Love it.
It may be the best mode for audience participation/sing-alongs - making everyone feel happy
I always come away from these smarter than when I started. You're an excellent teacher and have definitely made me a better songwriter. Thanks a million.
One feature of the Dr. Demento radio show was to string together a medley of song snippets that all used the same chord progression like these songs do.... It's great to hear how versatile a few chords can be.
The doo-wop chord progression (1/6/4/5) is also referred to as the "ice cream change". Seventy five years and still used in current pop music.
I love 1645!!
"In the Still of the Night" is the prototypical doo-wop song to use this progression.
This progression can even be rotated to form 6/4/5/1, sort of a minor version of it. Three examples are: the chorus from "Nobody's Fool" by Cinderella, "Defenders of Legacy" from the Bloody Roar OST, and the chorus from "An Angel Came Down" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
The most over-done progression of them all. Best example (maybe): Please Mr. Postman
@@kdeggraham895Too much black plague for me, but to each their own.
I think my best example of I / VIIb / IV / I is 'Werefolf from London". That one is crystal clear about it's musical intentions. Absolutely lovely. Thanks for all the hard work mate!
One of the best things I did as a musician was to dive into the chords and modes of other parent scales (Double Harmonic Major, Harmonic Minor, etc.). These give so many interesting and different creative options.
Interesting that G major has the same notes as D mixolydian, and that both "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Werewolves of London" use this with the "mixolydian vamp" to sit between these two tone centers. The 1662 tune "Gott ist getreu" by Johann Rudolf Ahle is even more audacious. It walks up G lydian from G to C# (pausing on a tritone), then resolves to D, after which it goes down back to G, then back up to pause on D. In this movement from G to D, some settings have chords that one finds in Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". After doing this whole thing twice, the Ahle tune changes its time signature and stays solidly in G major. Oddly enough, this latter part of the tune has similarities with the verses of "Sweet Home Alabama", even as the earlier part was similar to the chorus. It seems that G major and D mixolydian can be expressed via two tone centers in the same tune. Some modern liturgical pieces also ascend in lydian and descend in either major or mixolydian, depending on where the point of reference might be in the scale. This produces an ebb and flow, like breathing or waves. Ahle's tune was used first for the funeral hymn "Es ist genug", a kind of "I'm tired and want to lay my body down" song, the cessation of breathing. It was then used for "Ich habe g'nug, mein Jesus lebet noch", which is an Easter hymn that celebrates the resumption of breathing. Whether one wants to call this modal interchange is up to the interpreter, but it seems less than major/minor interchange.
Keys are just PITCH....Free bird is in G MAJOR/Emin.
The F Maj chord is aka N6 of E min..or b7 chord degree of a MAJOR scale.
( it's common it's in millions of songs)
WilD Horse ny rolling stones
such as Live Forever by oais
In Babe I love your way....it's just a F7
Burning Heart By Vandenberge
I personally play the F Maj....barr at the 5th fret...as if Im barring a D min chord.
while finger picking it...
but play the F Maj at the 1st fret to more thump
V IV III into vi...is typical spanish ( III is the phrygian dominant)
If you use E melodic min...it's just E min A7.....B7.....C# dim...D# dim E min
the next less common is the b6 chord degree...Eb maj or maj7 chord
You'll hear it as cadence in Just between you and me..by aprail wine.
It's also in What a wonder World by louis Armstrong in F MAJOR/Dmin..
(Db Maj or maj7 chord)
Not as common...the b3 chord ....Bb from G MAJOR.
Longer by Dan FoGelbrug
G Maj C Maj Dsus9 C Maj ( 2 times)
Bb Maj...A min G Maj......C Maj D sus9
For the Bridge just pretend you're in Ab MAJOR
( V, IV, I or Eb maj, Db maj Ab Maj )
In a nut shell you could INSERT
b2......b3.......b5........b6....b7 of a Major scale as in type of Chords.
Maj is the EASIEST...but not only.
Lets go to D Maj/B min
Show me the way by frampton
D Maj...D Maj7 B min Bb Maj....C Maj ( Bb = b6.....C Maj = b7)
Just the way you are...... by Billy Joe ( D MAJ/Bmin)
D Maj E7 B min G min .....G Maj7 G min B min A7 D Maj
Then E7 is borrow from B melodic min ( E lydian dominant or Mix #4)
The G min...i personally think it's G lydian b3...barrow from D Harmonic MAJOR
because it's DESCENDING Bb to A ( A mix b2)
NOT A# into B ( G lyd #2 of B Harmonic min.)
Lets NOT split hairs..The D MAJOR BEBOP has #5/b6 as OPTION/passing note.
Sort of like....the SLIDE GUITAR part in SLEEP WALK...it's descending
Ab to G note ( G mix b2)
C MAJ/Amin ( I, vi, IV, V)
Anyways...during the Bridge of Just the way you are....the Bb maj and C Maj
D Maj G Maj F# min B min E min A7 D Maj
Bb Maj ..C Maj F# min B min E min A7 D Maj
I personally dont have a problem playing
A min Gb min C min Eb dim G7 into C MAJOR.lol
full dim intervals........before playing G7 into C MAJOR..as predominant.lmao
You could VAMP...Full diminished H/W...
You could stack MAJOR, min, dominant or dim chords every b3 intervals.
If you Vamp it over the V chord ( COMMON)
G7........Bb........Db........E7
.............Bb........Db ............are the N6 chords.
Some people call them tritone subs.
I just vamp it over the vi or I chord. becuase I can do whatever i damn please.lmao
The Gb/F#....note would be #4/b5....chord degree of C MAJOR .
That would be the C#/Db Note you're referring to while in G MAJOR
I dont have a problem playing.
A min Bb7 into Eb Maj Ab min G7 into C MAJOR
A min Bb maj7 into Eb min Gb Maj G7 into C MAJOR
I mean, all the modes of a key share the notes, it just comes down to how much you "force" something to be your "I" or "i".
The major/minor dichotomy is limiting for sure, though helpful because it covers a large majority of music.
@@seejayjames very true.....it's the same thing with N6 chords.
I just list different modes for the Bb of A min
Bb lyd #6, lyd #5, #6, Lyd #2, #6...or even Ion #6 ( no tritone)
In a nutshell any type of chords as I damn please.
Lets put that into practice/application
CMaj7 F min Bb min Db dim/A D min G7 into C min
Eb Maj7 Ab min Db dim B min E7 into A MAJ Bb dim G7 into C MAJOR.lmao
well....A MAJOR....Bb dim B dim/G into C MAJOR...
God forbid I play diminished chords a semi tone apart...lmao
Then..... Eb dim Ab min D Maj7 E7 into A min :-p
You are so smart!
I just think that when we start learning music, everyone is wanting us to know "the rules", especially with classical. There are those who want all music to conform to "the rules", yet I can find especially Renaissance and Baroque church and secular tunes that are not just neat and tidy examples of rule templates. Both Adam Neely and Rick Beato are good for showing how medieval and early modern music could get real interesting. And yet in the 19th and early 20th centuries, I have seen examples of especially Protestants taking complex, rhythmic music like original tunes used with Isaac Watts lyrics and others, and replacing them with very "tidy" Victorian settings that are fairly boring and tedious. To combat that, some modern church musicians have gone the other way to make grossly ornate and tunes that one can hardly sing. Or they just regurgitate the most banal and pedestrian of pop music. The fact that a tune can be singable and still have layers of complexity, drawing on deep roots, is something that the folk and rock musicians of the 1960s understood, and it's why their work is so powerful. I like how David Bennett breaks it down and makes it accessible.
This is a fantastic video, I've heard these progressions in music before but it was awesome to see them broken down and analyzed in such a careful and well explained way
What makes this video so great is it shows that endless diversity possible among songs sharing the same chord progression (and why “copyrighting” chord progressions is not possible). The melody and the groove are what gives a tune a distinctive feel, not the chord progression.
My english is very bad so i'm sorry but i would like to say thank you. I'm a classical pianist and I just start to try modern composition (rock, blues,...). During years and years I've eat musical theory without understand the aim. You're bringing order in my musical and theorical mess. Thanks and please, continue :)
Found this trying to track down why “Dear Maria” fits so well with anime openings,
I think I’ve decided the reason is that vi IV I V has a similar vibe to the Royal Road progression, where, while we do get resolution with the V, there is this ability to kind of revolve through the chords over and over.
The I-IV-V progression (what I refer to as the "Louie Louie" progression) is the basis of the majority of the three-chord bangers of earlier rock and roll. I love the way you put all this into perspective without the professorial pomp I associated with confusing university teachers who really didn't want to be teaching you.
The actual "Louie Louie" progression, at least the one made famous by The Kingsmen, is I-IV-v-IV (minor v!), which is relatively rare in rock & roll.
@@igotobakeries That may be so, but we listened on Lo-Fi record players back in the '60's, and a single flatted note might easily have been lost in the scratchy hiss. No wonder urban legends arose over the "dirty lyrics"!😁
@@igotobakeries Exactly. We played it in G. G /// C// Dm/// C//
@@stevenskorich7878 Our band played it but I didn’t know the lyrics so I just mumbled incoherently with the amps turned up and we got away with it - until that night on a radio feed when the engineer dialed in the vocals - but that’s another story for an old rocker lol!
@@morrisgentry8624 That's one way to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. Mumbling is a time-tested strategy - "When in charge, ponder. When in trouble, delegate. When in doubt, mumble." I'm not sure anyone knew the lyrics, and thousands of bands knew the song.
i'm only at progression no. 2 but gotta say that it's such a great and informative video. i would really like to encourage you to talk even more about progressions that _don't_ start on the I chord. this opens up an entirely new world of creating music imho (that i feel i haven't entered yet). edit: also please talk about progressions of only 3 chords or more than 4. it annoys me that all of us focus so much on 4 chord progressions and always starting on the I. 😅
Great video. A very simple and educative way to explain most common chord progressions. İt explaines the structures of the songs we liked and listened for hundresds of times. İts like having just for letters to create a sentence but you re able to tell many different stories.
this guy showed me how much i actually know about music and i had no idea at all. up till now i only payed attention to tempo
Great job. I especially like the song examples from different genres and eras which clearly illustrate the chord progressions.
Thank you for this video, this channel is so useful and amazing. Best wishes from Argentina!
Thanks!!
One progression I hear very often (and also one that I love) is I - V - II - VI - just 4 major chords going up in 5ths (or down in 4ths). It’s also common to start on the 3rd one and get I - V - bVII - VI, which is very similar to the Mixolydian vamp, but has an added V.
I watched this video, studied music theory for a couple months, then came back, and whoa it all makes sense now. I didn't pay attention as a saxophonist to a lot of the chord stuff, but I'm glad I picked it up now. Thanks for the video.
I loved this lesson. One additional thing you may like to know: the Andalusian cadence was formerly known as a "lament bass line" when talking about figured bass in the euro tradition.
There's a famous example of an andalusian cadence looping for almost four minutes non-stop, going all the way back to the early 16th century. It's Monteverdi's "Lamento della Ninfa". Give it a listen. It sounds surprisingly modern.
Brilliant, nothing more to say, I really understand all that theoratical stuff. But now I can feel it much more, thank you very much and also for your other videos. Greetings from Augsburg
I feel another one that is less common but still used is IV-V-iii-vi. It can’t be used for an entire song though because it never has any sense of resolution, but it can propel a song during a section (the IV can also be a ii or you could make it like IV-V-iii-vi-ii-V-I)
🤯You are 100% right! The trick is you need the 2-5-1 progression in there to resolve it. More simply, the V chord always can resolve to the I.
I have truly been enjoying your videos, extremely well researched and presented. As a private music teacher your videos are so informative to remind me of so many things that I learned in music school on music theory and history. THANK YOU! Keep posting!
13:44 that cut made it look like Marty McFly was looking at a photo of the Beatles. 😆
Thank you for mentioning the DooWop changes. That's one I've noticed being used almost as much as the Axis Progression (particularly in music from the 50s and 60s). Another common chord progression I've noticed, not so much used anymore but it was the basis for a lot of 50s rock music, is the 12 bar blues progression.
Yes, I was surprised that he did not mention this progression.
This is a really well done breakdown of these progressions and I love all the examples you gave for each. I'm definitely sharing this with my music students. Thank you for creating this video!
Great to hear Muse's Citizen Erased mentioned, it's a banger of a song.
These progressions are a great template for writing new songs. I used to just get lost on the keyboard, hoping to find chords that sounded "right". Learning some theory really gives me new motivation to sit at my keyboard and put some melodies down using these progressions.
What a fantastic Playlist this would be to listen to each song all the way through! Great examples of some cool songs. Neat examples of chord groups. I will be trying them out of my piano.
this is a brilliant video!!! all the passion you put into your work should absolutely be rewarded more, love love love.
Thanks!
This is a great video. I think it will be extremely useful to music theory beginners who just need some examples to make the concepts really click. One chord progression I am very surprised you didn't include is the classic country chord progression (I IV I V). It's wonderful writing ground, and I think that most people could identify it pretty quickly, even if they aren't familiar with music theory or composition.
Ssshhh. If you told everyone they could write a song with simple chords, they just might. Downsides: We have heard them all before. Upsides: People might manage to utilize them to say something new and interesting. Yeah, it's a mixed bag.
1964 was a great year for the Beatles! ruclips.net/video/36yUuAPWXFA/видео.html
1:16 The reason for this, I think, is that vi IV I V has become extremely popular in the 2010s. The minor variant has kind of replaced the major.
Probably the best chord tutorial I’ve seen!!!! Amazing work
One of the most useful and informative videos for musicians anywhere. Nicely done and well worth watching.
Thanks!
Great video as ever. You've inadvertently summarised why I like some songs and not others, based on their progressions!
So what are you favourite ones based on?
If I were seeing this when I first started, I'd be doing my best to avoid all of these progressions, because I was very bent on ending the hegemony of V7-I and busting up the idea of Western Music Theory when I was first starting out. Since I didn't have this handy guide, I have to wonder how many of these I used without knowing how common they are. I did recently start a song with the Axis chords but then started changing it up each time through to throw the listener off, but I usually don't come in with a musical strategy like that at all. I just play something that feels good and start singing until some words stick. It's all very stream of consciousness and unpremeditated most of the time.
Very smooth editing between the songs that I see you've pitched to be all in the same key.
Keep on keeping on. :D
WOW! What an informative video. Thank you for including videos where I got to see the actual application of the chord progression.
Thanks Kevin!
🤯 Thank you so much for this...I learned quite a lot and gained some CRAZY insight into what can make a song a song. Keep this going man!