More like: Levels one to three: Popular music Levels 4-7: movie music Levels 8-10: nobody can ever possibly enjoy this because it sounds like absolute trash
Level 1: I've had two years of piano lessons Level 2: I went back to the piano as a teenager Level 3: I got into music school but flunked out. Level 4: Pro musician, Broadway, Opera Chorus, Standard repertoire Level 5: Chopin is God! Level 6: Film Scoring Level 7: What? Level 8: Arvo Part, Taverner, Gorecki, Late Barber, Late Poulenc & I just got out of rehearsal with the Philharmonic... Level 9: I don't really know what you are doing, but I like it. Level 10: Shoenberg, Berg and Webern all came to my first symphony premiere but left early to go practice more.
funny thing is: the deeper you go into complex chord structures, the closer you get to just hitting random notes. same with complex rhythms and odd time signatures. it all just happens in your head, all you're doing is educating yourself to accept the unknown. :-)
The truth of this is dead on. Eventually you become a little Joe Pass about it and you only play the bottom notes, occasionally throwing in the bass note for funsies
not just less and less like Despacito...less and less like music (more and more like noise)...let me go analyze Despacito to find out about chords that really ARE useful
Man the theoretical expansion doesn't compute for the average ear but following everything you're saying and listening to how they change from the original progression is awesome cause even though the chord progressions may not be something that you could use every time you play, you could take something like this and keep it in your pocket for that time you decide to throw everyone for a loop because they aren't expecting you to break their pre-programmed musical ears and expectation. I love this!!! Definitely have to watch it multiple time to fully grasp it all.
And if ya take the half/whole diminished and add a one-and-a-half anything to it you'll end up in a New Jersey swamp trying to remember who you are and how you got there..
I was talking about the fact that most people other that Adam and I don't have extra keyboards with Meantone, Pythagorean or Just intonation just lying around our studios :)
@@bug2k4 The Lydian/Maj chord is just a regular Maj7 but with 11#. It’s comes from the Lydian scale built on the larger chord BbMaj13 11#, this is explained by the basics of the Chromatic Lydian Concept of Tonal Organization. And the same goes for the Bb Lydian which is just a regular triad but with 4# which derives from the concept aforementioned.
🙏🎹👍 Probably the only great music channel with 1 million+ subscribers who actually talks about great subjects like harmony and voice leading. In France, we had Debussy, Fauré, Ravel and Messiaen. Sadly they are not there to talk about that anymore but they were good at it as well :-) Rick Beato, you are the Nadia Boulanger of modern music! Long life to your channel !!!!!
Without a melody on top of the chord progressions, it’s hard to really put any context around how different each new level sounds compared to the last level. By level 5 or 6, it sounds like a completely different piece of music.
The Lydian/Maj chord is just a regular Maj7 but with #11. It’s comes from the Bb Lydian scale built on the larger chord BbMaj13 #11, this is explained by the basics of the Chromatic Lydian Concept of Tonal Organization. And the same goes for the Bb Lydian which is just a regular triad but with #4 which derives from the concept aforementioned. I hope that explains the Lydian stuff. And the Bb Maj 7#5 comes from the same concept but applied to the 3rd mode of G harmonic minor, which is Ionian #5 AKA Bb major but with an augmented fifth.
The fifth level is a variant of the 4th level. An odd one i might add because its weird to do a tritone sub on the ii degree of the scale, but remember it’s still possible. Remember what Jacob Collier says “There no wrong notes, only weak and strong decisions”. The decision of doing a tritone sub on the ii whilst weird, it can be justified by using the concept of tonal grades which are the I IV and V. The ii is related with the IV by two common tones therefore making them belong to the same harmonic group within the major scale (in this case that’d be the sub dominant group) The ii is a modal grade but its related with a tonal grade which is related with the V grade therefore the ii is related with both the IV and V even though it has a different harmonic function than the V. Hence a tritone sub of the ii grade of the scale is possible
Then the contrary motion one is simply using a bass line which descends and a top chord which ascents within the Bb scale to finally resolve to the V chord of G melodic minor (Dm7b6), G is the relative of Bb, i think the minor/major relative part is obvious but it’s necessary to specify nevertheless
The ninth and tenth levels are too advanced for me but maybe at the end of the semester after i learn some 20th century harmony and some more advanced jazz harmony i might be able to explain those really interesting levels
Because we should be able to apply this in any key, but even allowing for a simpler key could easily be Bb as it’s probably the most common key in jazz.
Like so many others of your videos, this is one that I will watch over and over again. And like so many others, some of this I knew (maybe from you years ago) and much of it I don't even if I recognize the sounds. You have a way of making something that we might dismiss as "math" back into music. Thanks for another of those videos. Keith
I remember when I was actively investigating and learning every scale, its derivative modes and the resulting chords and harmony. This is great work,it opens one's ears and mind and ultimately widens one's musical horizon and vocabulary. Sure above level 3 not much left for pop music and culture but it gets richer the higher you go and you get to exit your comfort zone. Phenomenal ear expanding work from a grand mentor. Totally useful to me. Thanks Rick.
I'm assuming songwriters (as opposed to film composers or jazz geeks) dropped out after a couple of levels. Don't leave! I certify even the first few levels can yield a hundred new songs! Thanks for keeping it real Rick!
Thanks for the video I like how you organize it into discrete levels. Similar to how they teach it at Berklee- For me personally (discreetly) I always found it hard to keep track of all that while playing though. I finally got clued in by going to Barry Harris class where he simply approaches all harmony linearly divided into tonic areas and dominant areas so you can instantly color your chords by “borrowing” one from the other. Great when in the heat of the moment! For example: every major 6 is also a minor 7h thus Bb IS Gm. Eb IS Cm etc. So instead of playing 4 things you’re really playing 2. This frees you up to use some “linear” embellishments you can’t even imagine. After 8 years of going every week and having the good Dr. Harris coach me playing for the singers (whip and all!) it’s finally starting to click and feel really free, and sounds amazing if used judiciously. I’ll post a short video on “borrowing” later today cause it’s easier to show it than describe it!
When we get to the two consecutive 7b5b9 chords, that's where it stops working for me, especially when what we then "resolve" to is a lydian chord...I enjoy spicy chords when doing the thing where you alternate between tensions (dissonance) and releases (consonance). when a b5b9 does not resolve, however, it just sounds annoying to me.
Level 6 to Level 8 were a bit tough to listen to, but that level 9 inner note movement part made me get up and head for the piano. Maybe try adding a melody over the progression next to really show what happens... scratch that, I'm gonna try that out for myself. Excellent video!
Great classes Professor Beato! Just a thing here in 4:19, you´re writing one of the esample chords (F7b9b5) using B natural, it could seem a bit confusing (I know it is the same enharmonically) at lest for beginners, because 5th degree is actually Cb, so, please let me know if it is what it is, in pop music writing, or if it was really a mistake okay....by the way, love your classes always, you´re a fantastic musician !
I'm going to have to listen to this several times to wrap my ears and head around it...and that's a good thing. Anyone willing to make a video with melodies atop these progressions?
The first 4 or so sounded like they could be pop songs but after that it was sounding more and more like something you would only really hear in a movie or experimental music.
Really nice video. I'm seriously considering buying the Beato book, I'm just wondering if it contains topics as reharmonization of melodies and chords. Can you help me?
I love the model mixture when I first learned about that everything changed I started adding chromatics that sounds great rater then weird or off. Composers like Bach used it a lot too if you look at any of the chromatic notes they can almost always be analyzed as mode mixture. Keep up the great content Rick!
@@ejb7969 if used correctly in a full piece it could sound good even to an undeveloped ear. And getting used to more complex harmonies would make it sound good by itself. That doesn’t make it any better than more basic things though it’s just different.
@@matthewreese7710 Depends what you mean by "correctly". But most of the levels sound awful, regardless of whether they can be technically justified. I love dissonance and complex harmony. I listened to Stravinsky when I was 5, Varese when I was 10 and Stockhausen at 15. And I played some of it too. (On the piano.) I'm musically well trained. I premiered student composers' music in college. I got into jazz when I first heard Cecil Taylor. Anthony Braxton is another favorite. I yield to no-one in my openness to dissonance and my interest in and enjoyment of complexity in music. However, that doesn't mean that every combination of notes sounds equally good/interesting/exciting/original/unlike random mush that leads nowhere and sounds aimless, boring, unmemorable, undistinguished, and ... well, like crap. Most of the "levels" in this video sound musically worthless to my experienced ears and fingers. (60 years and counting.) Nobody should feel inadequate if they don't understand anything in the upper levels in this video. There's nothing there worth the effort.
if one is trying to capture/ convey the entire spectrum of the human experience these type of modes can sound like: confusion, loss, abject terror, bewilderment, deep and all consuming yearning, anything gut - wrenching, Hans Zimmer in his master class talks about music as question and answer. with these types of progressions, there maybe no answer - or the answer is disguised or hidden. in my life there are complexities that morph into nightmare- ish proportions. in composition if one creates soundscapes that defy convention, by contrast, an earth - shaking hook can be very sonically satisfying and emotionally strong. I really like this stuff and look forward to every episode. thanks Rickster. Ü ♫
Rick, I love the content of this video, this is one which I need to listen to more than once and I probably need a pen and paper for it. Learning the theory is easy (if someone presents it to you), learning what you feel with different interavals/chords is easy, getting those two connected (go for a certain feeling, know immediately which intervals and chords to use) is tough. I speculate that only a lot of repetition and just using it will get you there.
I'm going back and watching this video in small bits in an effort to try and understand all the substitutions. I feel like levels 3-10 each deserve their own video. This is some deep stuff!
Wow. You just showed me WAY more chords and substitutes at my disposal than the teeny-bopper few I once knew! If this doesn't extend my "color palette" I don't know what will! And it came so unexpected. I sort of felt like I found myself watching a master geneticist presenting all the unknown potential species of strange and fascinating creatures that can arise and transmogrify once you apply a few sound DNA tools, just like a good alien would. And so through your clear presentation we can now see that these vibrational alien creatures with alpha-numeric designations can produce quite an amazing expressional range of moods and fab far-out sounds - something that I would love to have in my music! Before watching this video, I never heard these creatures' voices, or knew their exact names, I never knew that they even existed or that I could even conjure them up at my fingertips! So thanks. I'm impressed.
I used to do a lot of this as a kid...only it was just, “What does it sound like when I press THESE keys at the same time??” No actual awareness of chords or progressions or anything. Watching videos like this makes me wish I had stuck with my studies and gotten more than just a silly Associates degree. This stuff is GOLD, Rick! Keep it up! 👍👍👍
I did an experiment, I read all the comments first then watched the video. Maybe because I played piano in a big band for many years, all the chord extensions/subs, etc. etc. I could hear what was going on through all the levels and the string patch did not bother me at all. Not sure why folks think it is "shrill." It does take time and immersion in dissonant styles of music to hear and also enjoy. I did some reharms that I just found in an old file that I did in my 20s (in my 50s now) and they were more "outside" than I would do now, which was weird to see. Thanks for this video Rick, love what you are doing. Be kind to us out here in the peanut gallery who are learning, it is a pretty steep curve.
Excellent! Harmony- a lesson for humanity... "The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord." -Abdul-Baha, Paris Talks
We are so incredibly lucky to be able to view these music theory master classes from an outstanding music professor - - from the comfort of our homes. Rick's major graduate school professors at the New England Conservatory include the great composer and conductor, George Russell, who is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of jazz, right up there with the likes of Ellington, Davis, Coleman, Monk, Jarrett, you name it (Gershwin, Brubeck, etc., etc.). That is the nature of Rick's pedigree.
May not be random but sorry to say sounds like it to me. As a Kansas City Conservatory of Music graduate I learned all this but I always felt like the one who noticed the emperor has no clothes. Though I dare not confess for fear of ridicule. The academic group think was palpable. But it is all noise to me. Though noise can be useful, like in Carl Ruggles’ Marching Mountains, very alarming. But then it’s supposed to be. I guess I’m just 3 level guy.
Rick Beato you are correct. I never heard chord substitution referred to as “levels” of harmony. I meant no offense. It’s just my perception. At some point the distinct emotions evoked by the different harmonies lose their flavor. But just because I can’t feel it doesn’t mean no one can.
@@caryjulietate Listen to Claus Ogerman. He was one of the biggest Jazz arrangers of the 1960-70s and a composer as well. This was common vocabulary in the 60's. It' sad that people have no knowledge of music history. Claus was the biggest Jazz arranger for over 30 years. Check out Frank Sinatra "A Certain Mr. Jobim" record. These harmonies are all over it.
Ikr. I was to young and stupid to delve into the structure of how the music is made. Instead we were thought how to play it and that's it for the most part..
@@7AKV7 My dad gave me lessons. But he was too busy with other jobs to really keep up with teaching me. He would make me just sit and play scales. C and Dm. That's as far as I got. Might have taught myself F and G. But he never taught me anything beyond that. Because I never practiced enough.
To the untrained ear (like mine), level 10 (and earlier) sounds like random noises thrown together. Makes me believe you could write progressions that sound just as interesting by throwing together random chords. And based on that, I now feel comfortable continuing to know bugger all theory.
Try listening to each level 1 time a day for 4 days, your ear will begin to recognize the movement/resolution, learn the theory later if you want. Once your ear recognizes the sound your brain may thirst for the knowledge...or maybe it will be happy with recognizing a cool new sound. John Williams will never sound the same again :)
Maybe you should get your hearing checked? It’s far easier to hear a sustaining sound. String sounds are square waves and very similar to distorted guitars. They have much more harmonic content than a piano. That’s why they’re easier to hear.
It’s probably just my untrained ear. I just hear the sum of the sound as a feeling rather than the individual elements that are different to discern the differences out the different levels.
Play the chords yourself with a string sound and then take turns with each note taking them out and adding them back in to the chord. I guarantee you'll be able to hear the separate pitches that way.
I am not one for beefs on who know more in music. Music is a Positive . Never should be used as a Negitive. Rick . I for one am thankfull for you sharing this video and appreciated. Man you know your stuff. Ounce you understand the Math or the theory of it . Everything falls into place. Personally, I would like to have heard it without the Synthasizer sound on it. It was getting hard to tell the difference of the blending of your chords. To hear it clearly. Maybe it's me or my sound I'm getting isn't that good. But some points it sounded very hisssy and I couldn't get some of the tonnel changes from one chord to the other. You could hear it after a second. Your chords were on. it's just the connections . Maybe because you were at one point almost yelling what you were doing. It was hard to hear the changes correctly. But I knew exactly what you were doing was right and good. Thanks for that Tutorial. Allways interested in more. Thanks Professor Beato!!
Thank you for referencing the book again and giving context to each level. Also when he calls a chord a “Phrygian or aeolian chord” what does he mean? I hear people reference chords by using the mode but can’t find a video explaining it.
Level 10 came around to sounding almost harmonious again after 4 levels of hiding in a wardrobe from Creepy McKnighmare. It's amazing how something sounds right in context because your mind is following the lines but if you squeeze out a chord out of sequence it sounds about as musical as somebody throwing cutlery at some mating foxes. (They're doing that outside my window right now, I'm not joking.) Did anyone think The Simpsons theme was in there at one point?
I totally appreciate the effort but I'm just not ready for this. I'm gonna come back to this after doing my theory homework. Keept it up Rick! I really appreciate what you put out and i'll try to support it
Just a suggestion from a neophyte: Playing this in C major would make it so much easier to follow, in terms of alterations/deviations from the key. I know we want to avoid the "C major trap", but at this level of difficulty why not use the levelest playing field possible?
@@RickBeato Hi Rick! Thank you for replying. I just meant that, yes, it's important to be able to play in as many keys as possible, but for a lesson this complex it would really help to see it in C major. The "trap" I mentioned refers to becoming too reliant on playing in C, because it's easy. Love your channel and your depth of knowledge, BTW.
Between 2:50 and 3:00 there is so much detail lost, that it's hard to comprehend. To clarify: he started with Bb Gm Eb F progression (why did he not use the same thing in C ? ) which is I vi IV V then he went for a substitution of the vi with a ii of the same Scale ( Gm to Cm) in LVL2 In LVL3 he substituted the already substituted vi and took the V7 of the ii which is G, he then also did the same with all other chords: Eb to Bb and F to C, found in 2 seconds at 2:59 If you don't get it, go another round and if then not, take a step back to what numerals are etc. No need to take everything from this great yet compressed clip. Also: Everything after LVL4 is for professionals or hardcore lovers and starts to be for entertainment purposes. Polytonality is out there, but hard to use for the average viewer.
I know people always say to use your ears, and I totally agree with that. However, I've also been told countless times to not put extensions below the basic/butter notes of a chord (particularly the 3rd and 7th). In one of the examples in the video, the relationship between the #9 and the 3rd is a minor 9th interval with the #9 on the bottom. I think this is a cool sound and is reminiscent of the voicings I liked to hear from Allan Holdsworth. Are there any guidelines as to when this is more or less appropriate. One of the logical issues I find with putting extensions lower in chords is that it often changes the chord itself. For instance, a Gmaj7#11 with the #11 in the bass could sound quite like a C# half diminished. More to the example in the video, often I tend to find that major thirds above minor thirds tend to sound accidental or like a mistake, but sometimes they can sound interesting as they do here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sorry if this has already been mentioned-- Correction at 6:49, the B(add9) chord on the printed chart bottom of the screen is missing its slash, altered bass.... But super good vid!
Incredible!! Maybe next time could u use a piano sound instead of organ..? I get the feeling the complexity of the harmonies get a little lost on the organ. Thanks again!
this means war
I meant to add “dedicated to Adam and Nahre” :)!!!!!
Get him Adam Neely
That's hysterical.
😂😂🤜🏼💥🤛🏼
Three levels higher than you
He looks down on you
Rick “and resolve to Lydian” Beato
Honestly surprised his daughter isn't named lydia
His son is named Dylan, a combination of dorian and lydian...close enough
That was funny
Level 1: Root Position Triads
Level 2: Substitutes (triadic)
Level 3: Secondary Dominants (2:49)
Level 4: Tritone Substitution (3:23)
Level 5: Different Tritone substitution (3:47)
Level 6: Different Substitutes (modal?) (4:28)
Level 7: Substitute for the ONE chord (6:20)
Level 8: Added note Triads in Contrary Motion (as substitutes) (7:48)
Level 9: Inner Note Movement (9:19) and Modal Mixture
Level 10: Polytonal (11:18) or, chord over chord
Please leave a comment with corrections ;)
This should be top comment tbh.
Thanks, this helps
@@shaggythehybridinglolingog9971 was just about to say. this needs to be tagged to top!
10 Polychords
Hello Rory! Thank you so much for this! It really helps.
Below Level 5 = Popular Music
Above Level 5 = Movie Music
More like:
Levels one to three: Popular music
Levels 4-7: movie music
Levels 8-10: nobody can ever possibly enjoy this because it sounds like absolute trash
Levels below 1: Popular music.
@@markdavidofficial4274 I disagree.
The more dense hamony just takes getting used to.
Cero Balam and you’ve achieved “non-common” status?
@@markdavidofficial4274 Jacob collier says otherwise but it has to be used tastefully imo
Level 1: I've had two years of piano lessons
Level 2: I went back to the piano as a teenager
Level 3: I got into music school but flunked out.
Level 4: Pro musician, Broadway, Opera Chorus, Standard repertoire
Level 5: Chopin is God!
Level 6: Film Scoring
Level 7: What?
Level 8: Arvo Part, Taverner, Gorecki, Late Barber, Late Poulenc & I just got out of rehearsal with the Philharmonic...
Level 9: I don't really know what you are doing, but I like it.
Level 10: Shoenberg, Berg and Webern all came to my first symphony premiere but left early to go practice more.
funny thing is: the deeper you go into complex chord structures, the closer you get to just hitting random notes. same with complex rhythms and odd time signatures. it all just happens in your head, all you're doing is educating yourself to accept the unknown. :-)
Interesting point.
The truth of this is dead on. Eventually you become a little Joe Pass about it and you only play the bottom notes, occasionally throwing in the bass note for funsies
After a while it started sounding less and less like Despacito.
He probably shoulda kept the original instrumentation.
😂 I wanna hear a Despacito level 10 mashup now.
not just less and less like Despacito...less and less like music (more and more like noise)...let me go analyze Despacito to find out about chords that really ARE useful
I am crying. Funniest comment ever
@@proverbalizer despacito was analyzed here. It was level 1
Listen to Rick's voice, the more complex it gets the more it sounds like he'll break out into an evil laugh
haha nice one
I expect all you pop song producers to start using this stuff.
@Joe Villa That'll be the day . . .
Okay so the Billboard charts would have come up with a different guide to transcribe and explain the music
They never will unfortunately 😔
Man the theoretical expansion doesn't compute for the average ear but following everything you're saying and listening to how they change from the original progression is awesome cause even though the chord progressions may not be something that you could use every time you play, you could take something like this and keep it in your pocket for that time you decide to throw everyone for a loop because they aren't expecting you to break their pre-programmed musical ears and expectation. I love this!!! Definitely have to watch it multiple time to fully grasp it all.
And if ya take the half/whole diminished and add a one-and-a-half anything to it you'll end up in a New Jersey swamp trying to remember who you are and how you got there..
I like that this was more than one thought and funny. From looking back on unwanted music lesson years passed?
“These are the 10 levels of harmony that you can ACTUALLY use”
Checkmate! Adam Neely!
I find this area the most interesting of all the topics Adam and Rick cover.
Joseph Ballerini same here man 👍Both Rick and Adam are a great source for musical knowledge and inspiration!
I was talking about the fact that most people other that Adam and I don't have extra keyboards with Meantone, Pythagorean or Just intonation just lying around our studios :)
Nobody get's the david504 refference lmao
Rick Beato OKAY Rick 😉
That one quickly turned into Resident Evil soundtrack
Alexander Milovanov right?
I was waiting for Chris Redfield to enter the room
After level 4 it feels like I’m in a Zelda dungeon trying to find the boss key
LOL
That'd be the lydian stuff :)
@@bug2k4 thats why lydian is one of my favorite modes hahaha
@@bug2k4 The Lydian/Maj chord is just a regular Maj7 but with 11#. It’s comes from the Lydian scale built on the larger chord BbMaj13 11#, this is explained by the basics of the Chromatic Lydian Concept of Tonal Organization. And the same goes for the Bb Lydian which is just a regular triad but with 4# which derives from the concept aforementioned.
I thought there were only 7 circles of hell.
🙏🎹👍 Probably the only great music channel with 1 million+ subscribers who actually talks about great subjects like harmony and voice leading. In France, we had Debussy, Fauré, Ravel and Messiaen. Sadly they are not there to talk about that anymore but they were good at it as well :-) Rick Beato, you are the Nadia Boulanger of modern music! Long life to your channel !!!!!
Without a melody on top of the chord progressions, it’s hard to really put any context around how different each new level sounds compared to the last level. By level 5 or 6, it sounds like a completely different piece of music.
Play the original progression over each mode and you'll see.
"There's actually a hundred levels, that I could come up with, or anyone could come up with." Thanks Rick, I'll get right on that.
This is how I always felt during math classes.
By level 6 it’s sounds like you are going to hell 😂😂😂
Ten steps to hell
Highhhwayyy to helll
Getting strong 1st Resident Evil (1996) vibes...
Definitely less pretty
Hahaha!
Harmony and Melody are both equally extremely important to making excellent and and memorable music I believe! Really informative as always!
Level 1-4:"Ok that makes sense"
Level 5-10:"Excuse me wtf"
The Lydian/Maj chord is just a regular Maj7 but with #11. It’s comes from the Bb Lydian scale built on the larger chord BbMaj13 #11, this is explained by the basics of the Chromatic Lydian Concept of Tonal Organization. And the same goes for the Bb Lydian which is just a regular triad but with #4 which derives from the concept aforementioned. I hope that explains the Lydian stuff. And the Bb Maj 7#5 comes from the same concept but applied to the 3rd mode of G harmonic minor, which is Ionian #5 AKA Bb major but with an augmented fifth.
The fifth level is a variant of the 4th level. An odd one i might add because its weird to do a tritone sub on the ii degree of the scale, but remember it’s still possible. Remember what Jacob Collier says “There no wrong notes, only weak and strong decisions”.
The decision of doing a tritone sub on the ii whilst weird, it can be justified by using the concept of tonal grades which are the I IV and V. The ii is related with the IV by two common tones therefore making them belong to the same harmonic group within the major scale (in this case that’d be the sub dominant group) The ii is a modal grade but its related with a tonal grade which is related with the V grade therefore the ii is related with both the IV and V even though it has a different harmonic function than the V. Hence a tritone sub of the ii grade of the scale is possible
Then the contrary motion one is simply using a bass line which descends and a top chord which ascents within the Bb scale to finally resolve to the V chord of G melodic minor (Dm7b6), G is the relative of Bb, i think the minor/major relative part is obvious but it’s necessary to specify nevertheless
The ninth and tenth levels are too advanced for me but maybe at the end of the semester after i learn some 20th century harmony and some more advanced jazz harmony i might be able to explain those really interesting levels
Great lesson! Q: why not do this in key of C? Was there a reason for using B flat as you key? Thanks and respect!
Geordie McCallum I was thinking the same thing. I would have loved this in C major. Maybe for Brass / Woodwinds instruments ? I don’t know :)
Because we should be able to apply this in any key, but even allowing for a simpler key could easily be Bb as it’s probably the most common key in jazz.
Because people like to take shortcuts in C Am etc.
Because there are four left hand spread triads in the key of Bb that are G, C, F and Dm in the key of Bb.
Like so many others of your videos, this is one that I will watch over and over again. And like so many others, some of this I knew (maybe from you years ago) and much of it I don't even if I recognize the sounds. You have a way of making something that we might dismiss as "math" back into music. Thanks for another of those videos.
Keith
I remember when I was actively investigating and learning every scale, its derivative modes and the resulting chords and harmony. This is great work,it opens one's ears and mind and ultimately widens one's musical horizon and vocabulary. Sure above level 3 not much left for pop music and culture but it gets richer the higher you go and you get to exit your comfort zone. Phenomenal ear expanding work from a grand mentor. Totally useful to me. Thanks Rick.
I'm assuming songwriters (as opposed to film composers or jazz geeks) dropped out after a couple of levels.
Don't leave!
I certify even the first few levels can yield a hundred new songs!
Thanks for keeping it real Rick!
You just taught us all in ten minutes what it takes university three years to waffle through. Thanks again.
Thanks for the video I like how you organize it into discrete levels. Similar to how they teach it at Berklee- For me personally (discreetly) I always found it hard to keep track of all that while playing though.
I finally got clued in by going to Barry Harris class where he simply approaches all harmony linearly divided into tonic areas and dominant areas so you can instantly color your chords by “borrowing” one from the other. Great when in the heat of the moment! For example: every major 6 is also a minor 7h thus Bb IS Gm. Eb IS Cm etc. So instead of playing 4 things you’re really playing 2. This frees you up to use some “linear” embellishments you can’t even imagine.
After 8 years of going every week and having the good Dr. Harris coach me playing for the singers (whip and all!) it’s finally starting to click and feel really free, and sounds amazing if used judiciously.
I’ll post a short video on “borrowing” later today cause it’s easier to show it than describe it!
I'll have to use this at the next blues jam. 😢
I can imagine faces of "feeling" pentatonic three-notes-phrases guys.
Blues jams lol so much fun 🤣
I’ll be honest; you lost me on level 5 lol
Level 3 here
same!
not specially pretty
You lasted about three levels longer than I did, man!
Me too.
Level 10 is wonderful. Doesn't sound dissonant to my ears. Sounds rich and glorious.
I feel like this is a troll. I'm going to proceed in my head as if it is. Well played
Haha!!!!!
I'm taking this as confirmation lol
This is the greatest channel! Not all of us were lucky enough to study under George Russell, but Rick Beato delivers so much awesome information!
This is gold !
Level 10 is like scary,giant,ravishing beauty of the nature. (i dunno how can i describe it in eng.)
When we get to the two consecutive 7b5b9 chords, that's where it stops working for me, especially when what we then "resolve" to is a lydian chord...I enjoy spicy chords when doing the thing where you alternate between tensions (dissonance) and releases (consonance). when a b5b9 does not resolve, however, it just sounds annoying to me.
Level 6 to Level 8 were a bit tough to listen to, but that level 9 inner note movement part made me get up and head for the piano. Maybe try adding a melody over the progression next to really show what happens... scratch that, I'm gonna try that out for myself. Excellent video!
2:00-2:50 blew my mind. Never knew this was a thing, and it’s wonderful! Now I’ll get back to the video :)
Yes, other people *have* done videos like this, but I appreciate all the different perspectives! And this seems super practical.
Awesome content, Rick...you always amaze me with your musical knowledge...thank you so much!!! 💗💗💗
Thanks Shauna!
I really liked this version of the “levels of harmony”. Great theory and chord function information. Well done, Rick! 👌🏻
Level 7 is huge in K Pop.
At Operating Level 8, you actually meet Xenu.
Great classes Professor Beato! Just a thing here in 4:19, you´re writing one of the esample chords (F7b9b5) using B natural, it could seem a bit confusing (I know it is the same enharmonically) at lest for beginners, because 5th degree is actually Cb, so, please let me know if it is what it is, in pop music writing, or if it was really a mistake okay....by the way, love your classes always, you´re a fantastic musician !
I'm going to have to listen to this several times to wrap my ears and head around it...and that's a good thing. Anyone willing to make a video with melodies atop these progressions?
Is this space jazz?
He knows ALL the chords..
😂
Guitar George?
I'd get fired if I played these levels of harmony with the band
Next up: "Adam Neely - It's over 9000!!! Levels of Harmony"
I just play around with the guitar and piano for a hobby, but I really appreciate Rich spreading his wisdom like this.
Wow Rick, I am amazed at how little I know. I do know greatness when I cross it’s path. Love your stuff.
The jump each level takes in digestibility is staggering. I sat down with my guitar to practice these and my head is spinning!
Could you just replay these with piano? I want to get it and hear what you are hearing, and a more neutral sound might help.
You can play them. The notation is right on the screen.
@@RickBeato consider yourself Beato'd 😎
The first 4 or so sounded like they could be pop songs but after that it was sounding more and more like something you would only really hear in a movie or experimental music.
My nose started bleeding around level 6 👍🤧🤘 Cheers Rick!!
I doubt you would be able to work backwards from these upper levels to recognize the original progression.
I came back to this after college level theory and it’s making a bit more sense now
Really nice video. I'm seriously considering buying the Beato book, I'm just wondering if it contains topics as reharmonization of melodies and chords. Can you help me?
Yes. These are all in it.
I love the model mixture when I first learned about that everything changed I started adding chromatics that sounds great rater then weird or off. Composers like Bach used it a lot too if you look at any of the chromatic notes they can almost always be analyzed as mode mixture.
Keep up the great content Rick!
yes but is not. it's for avoid augmented intervals.
I'm going to read every comment here.
Sorry in advance
Did u read mine..Treven Russell.....yup I'm reading every comment too ...
"These go to eleven."
I just realized that I'm not even a half-assed musician anymore...
Don't use this to decide. Harmonically, most of this sounds like crap. It looks complicated but musically it means very little.
@@ejb7969 if used correctly in a full piece it could sound good even to an undeveloped ear. And getting used to more complex harmonies would make it sound good by itself. That doesn’t make it any better than more basic things though it’s just different.
@@matthewreese7710 Depends what you mean by "correctly". But most of the levels sound awful, regardless of whether they can be technically justified.
I love dissonance and complex harmony. I listened to Stravinsky when I was 5, Varese when I was 10 and Stockhausen at 15. And I played some of it too. (On the piano.) I'm musically well trained. I premiered student composers' music in college. I got into jazz when I first heard Cecil Taylor. Anthony Braxton is another favorite. I yield to no-one in my openness to dissonance and my interest in and enjoyment of complexity in music.
However, that doesn't mean that every combination of notes sounds equally good/interesting/exciting/original/unlike random mush that leads nowhere and sounds aimless, boring, unmemorable, undistinguished, and ... well, like crap.
Most of the "levels" in this video sound musically worthless to my experienced ears and fingers. (60 years and counting.)
Nobody should feel inadequate if they don't understand anything in the upper levels in this video. There's nothing there worth the effort.
if one is trying to capture/ convey the entire spectrum of the human experience these type of modes can sound like: confusion, loss, abject terror, bewilderment, deep and all consuming yearning, anything gut - wrenching, Hans Zimmer in his master class talks about music as question and answer. with these types of progressions, there maybe no answer - or the answer is disguised or hidden. in my life there are complexities that morph into nightmare- ish proportions. in composition if one creates soundscapes that defy convention, by contrast, an earth - shaking hook can be very sonically satisfying and emotionally strong. I really like this stuff and look forward to every episode. thanks Rickster. Ü ♫
Rick, I love the content of this video, this is one which I need to listen to more than once and I probably need a pen and paper for it. Learning the theory is easy (if someone presents it to you), learning what you feel with different interavals/chords is easy, getting those two connected (go for a certain feeling, know immediately which intervals and chords to use) is tough. I speculate that only a lot of repetition and just using it will get you there.
I'm going back and watching this video in small bits in an effort to try and understand all the substitutions. I feel like levels 3-10 each deserve their own video. This is some deep stuff!
Wow. You just showed me WAY more chords and substitutes at my disposal than the teeny-bopper few I once knew! If this doesn't extend my "color palette" I don't know what will! And it came so unexpected. I sort of felt like I found myself watching a master geneticist presenting all the unknown potential species of strange and fascinating creatures that can arise and transmogrify once you apply a few sound DNA tools, just like a good alien would. And so through your clear presentation we can now see that these vibrational alien creatures with alpha-numeric designations can produce quite an amazing expressional range of moods and fab far-out sounds - something that I would love to have in my music! Before watching this video, I never heard these creatures' voices, or knew their exact names, I never knew that they even existed or that I could even conjure them up at my fingertips! So thanks. I'm impressed.
I don’t know what it is, resolving to Lydian just doesn’t feel like a resolution to me. Cool video though
Indeed. That's like the home of the parallel universe !!
it absolutely can, rick doesn't ever really make his musical examples sound good tbh
@@dardsdards I don't think he is. I like the resolution.
I used to do a lot of this as a kid...only it was just, “What does it sound like when I press THESE keys at the same time??” No actual awareness of chords or progressions or anything. Watching videos like this makes me wish I had stuck with my studies and gotten more than just a silly Associates degree. This stuff is GOLD, Rick! Keep it up! 👍👍👍
So that's how it's done... I'm going to go through that one thousand more times.
I did an experiment, I read all the comments first then watched the video. Maybe because I played piano in a big band for many years, all the chord extensions/subs, etc. etc. I could hear what was going on through all the levels and the string patch did not bother me at all. Not sure why folks think it is "shrill." It does take time and immersion in dissonant styles of music to hear and also enjoy. I did some reharms that I just found in an old file that I did in my 20s (in my 50s now) and they were more "outside" than I would do now, which was weird to see. Thanks for this video Rick, love what you are doing. Be kind to us out here in the peanut gallery who are learning, it is a pretty steep curve.
Excellent! Harmony- a lesson for humanity... "The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord." -Abdul-Baha, Paris Talks
We are so incredibly lucky to be able to view these music theory master classes from an outstanding music professor - - from the comfort of our homes. Rick's major graduate school professors at the New England Conservatory include the great composer and conductor, George Russell, who is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of jazz, right up there with the likes of Ellington, Davis, Coleman, Monk, Jarrett, you name it (Gershwin, Brubeck, etc., etc.). That is the nature of Rick's pedigree.
May not be random but sorry to say sounds like it to me. As a Kansas City Conservatory of Music graduate I learned all this but I always felt like the one who noticed the emperor has no clothes. Though I dare not confess for fear of ridicule. The academic group think was palpable. But it is all noise to me. Though noise can be useful, like in Carl Ruggles’ Marching Mountains, very alarming. But then it’s supposed to be. I guess I’m just 3 level guy.
As a Kansas City Conservatory of music grad I guarantee you you didn’t learn this. No offense :)
Rick Beato you are correct. I never heard chord substitution referred to as “levels” of harmony. I meant no offense. It’s just my perception. At some point the distinct emotions evoked by the different harmonies lose their flavor. But just because I can’t feel it doesn’t mean no one can.
@@caryjulietate Listen to Claus Ogerman. He was one of the biggest Jazz arrangers of the 1960-70s and a composer as well. This was common vocabulary in the 60's. It' sad that people have no knowledge of music history. Claus was the biggest Jazz arranger for over 30 years. Check out Frank Sinatra "A Certain Mr. Jobim" record. These harmonies are all over it.
Rick Beato wow rick you are so cool and smart and knowledgeable
Hi Rick Beato, could you explain what Brian Wilson as the composer was doing on the song "The Warmth of the sun"? And why it works so well??
Rick Beato: here are 10 levels of harmony that you can actually use
Jacob Collier: What about the other 9,990 other levels?
Mind blown once again. Thanks to YOU, Nahre Sol, Adam Neely, and Sound Field, it's becoming a permanent state of mind. Thank you again!!
How would you apply to the guitar? Thanks for the video.
Using lots of altered dominant voicings, they’re actually not uncommon tbh.
But can you do lofi hiphop with this?
You? No.
lol, micro-tonal chord substitutions, now my head hurts
There's one point where the harmony starts to sound like *DRAMA MUSIC*. Felt like I was watching a Televisa soap opera... 😂
Really wish I had studied music theory when I tried to learn piano.
Ikr. I was to young and stupid to delve into the structure of how the music is made. Instead we were thought how to play it and that's it for the most part..
@@7AKV7 My dad gave me lessons. But he was too busy with other jobs to really keep up with teaching me. He would make me just sit and play scales. C and Dm. That's as far as I got. Might have taught myself F and G. But he never taught me anything beyond that. Because I never practiced enough.
@@mattfoley6082 I wonder if learned music theory now could I write a song. For example is music theory all you need in order to compose.?
To the untrained ear (like mine), level 10 (and earlier) sounds like random noises thrown together. Makes me believe you could write progressions that sound just as interesting by throwing together random chords. And based on that, I now feel comfortable continuing to know bugger all theory.
If you have an undeveloped ear I would imagine they do all sound random. Improve your ear and they won’t. I promise!
Try listening to each level 1 time a day for 4 days, your ear will begin to recognize the movement/resolution, learn the theory later if you want. Once your ear recognizes the sound your brain may thirst for the knowledge...or maybe it will be happy with recognizing a cool new sound. John Williams will never sound the same again :)
Lvl 1-3, can be used in pop music. Lvl 4-5 jazz, however the rest I can imagine as a background in movies. Lvl 10 blew my mind, literally!!!😁
Does using pads really help? I feel like I can’t pick out the differences as easily with the airy sounds rather than just a basic piano sound.
Maybe you should get your hearing checked?
It’s far easier to hear a sustaining sound. String sounds are square waves and very similar to distorted guitars. They have much more harmonic content than a piano. That’s why they’re easier to hear.
It’s probably just my untrained ear. I just hear the sum of the sound as a feeling rather than the individual elements that are different to discern the differences out the different levels.
Play the chords yourself with a string sound and then take turns with each note taking them out and adding them back in to the chord. I guarantee you'll be able to hear the separate pitches that way.
You blew my mind on level 2. I never thought of a vii chord as having a dominant function. I don't understand why we are doing level 5
I am not one for beefs on who know more in music. Music is a Positive . Never should be used as a Negitive. Rick . I for one am thankfull for you sharing this video and appreciated. Man you know your stuff. Ounce you understand the Math or the theory of it . Everything falls into place. Personally, I would like to have heard it without the Synthasizer sound on it. It was getting hard to tell the difference of the blending of your chords. To hear it clearly. Maybe it's me or my sound I'm getting isn't that good. But some points it sounded very hisssy and I couldn't get some of the tonnel changes from one chord to the other. You could hear it after a second. Your chords were on. it's just the connections . Maybe because you were at one point almost yelling what you were doing. It was hard to hear the changes correctly. But I knew exactly what you were doing was right and good. Thanks for that Tutorial. Allways interested in more. Thanks Professor Beato!!
Thank you for referencing the book again and giving context to each level. Also when he calls a chord a “Phrygian or aeolian chord” what does he mean? I hear people reference chords by using the mode but can’t find a video explaining it.
Level 10 came around to sounding almost harmonious again after 4 levels of hiding in a wardrobe from Creepy McKnighmare.
It's amazing how something sounds right in context because your mind is following the lines but if you squeeze out a chord out of sequence it sounds about as musical as somebody throwing cutlery at some mating foxes. (They're doing that outside my window right now, I'm not joking.)
Did anyone think The Simpsons theme was in there at one point?
I totally appreciate the effort but I'm just not ready for this. I'm gonna come back to this after doing my theory homework. Keept it up Rick! I really appreciate what you put out and i'll try to support it
Just a suggestion from a neophyte: Playing this in C major would make it so much easier to follow, in terms of alterations/deviations from the key. I know we want to avoid the "C major trap", but at this level of difficulty why not use the levelest playing field possible?
I don’t know what Trap you’re talking about? A good musician shouldn’t be able to play and learn in any key.
@@RickBeato Hi Rick! Thank you for replying. I just meant that, yes, it's important to be able to play in as many keys as possible, but for a lesson this complex it would really help to see it in C major. The "trap" I mentioned refers to becoming too reliant on playing in C, because it's easy. Love your channel and your depth of knowledge, BTW.
it would be very interesting to see how do you approach these triads over chords on the guitar
Level 9 was so pretty, i am so excited to dive into modal interchange
Between 2:50 and 3:00 there is so much detail lost, that it's hard to comprehend. To clarify:
he started with Bb Gm Eb F progression (why did he not use the same thing in C ? )
which is I vi IV V
then he went for a substitution of the vi with a ii of the same Scale ( Gm to Cm) in LVL2
In LVL3 he substituted the already substituted vi and took the V7 of the ii which is G, he then also did the same with all other chords: Eb to Bb and F to C, found in 2 seconds at 2:59
If you don't get it, go another round and if then not, take a step back to what numerals are etc. No need to take everything from this great yet compressed clip.
Also: Everything after LVL4 is for professionals or hardcore lovers and starts to be for entertainment purposes. Polytonality is out there, but hard to use for the average viewer.
Rick Beato is so badass that he can teach us harmony while simultaneously fighting SHARKS with his feet. Sharks are no match for Rick Beato.
Sharks with laser beams mounted on their heads!
I know people always say to use your ears, and I totally agree with that. However, I've also been told countless times to not put extensions below the basic/butter notes of a chord (particularly the 3rd and 7th). In one of the examples in the video, the relationship between the #9 and the 3rd is a minor 9th interval with the #9 on the bottom. I think this is a cool sound and is reminiscent of the voicings I liked to hear from Allan Holdsworth. Are there any guidelines as to when this is more or less appropriate. One of the logical issues I find with putting extensions lower in chords is that it often changes the chord itself. For instance, a Gmaj7#11 with the #11 in the bass could sound quite like a C# half diminished. More to the example in the video, often I tend to find that major thirds above minor thirds tend to sound accidental or like a mistake, but sometimes they can sound interesting as they do here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sorry if this has already been mentioned--
Correction at 6:49, the B(add9) chord on the printed chart bottom of the screen is missing its slash, altered bass....
But super good vid!
Thanks! Great lesson. I will review (several times) and look it up in the book for further study.
Wow! This video really has a lot of information, I'm going to play this one over and over. Thank you Rick!
my brain dropped off from head.... I need time for Understand this. This Sound, this harmony is so beautiful. Tks man!!
A flat major seven suspended two over G flat five
really sounds like I should invest in the Beato Book haha
can you play a melody over each of the harmonies to show how it still fits over each of the harmonies?
Incredible!! Maybe next time could u use a piano sound instead of organ..? I get the feeling the complexity of the harmonies get a little lost on the organ.
Thanks again!
Very good video. Love the _visual_ effects. Gorgeous voicings, once again!!! ♥