I grew up listening to Western and Japanese music and learned these chords by ear by playing music from my childhood on guitar. I started to see patterns and I started gravitating toward “Japanese chord progressions.” Although I never learned music theory, it’s super interesting to see what is going on. I’ve heard people call the Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” or Franki Valli’s “ Can’t Take My Eye’s Off of You” chord progression the “Royal Road” progression. I’ve also noticed lots of Japanese songs use Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” progressions as well. I think Jpop was heavily influenced by Eurobeat, especially in the late 80s through the 90s, and they pulled influences from 60s rock bands like the Beatles, as well as jazz.
Eurobeat basically evolved from Japanese people dancing to high-nrg and italo-disco (amongst other genres) music in the eighties, the european producers making that stuff created eurobeat as a response to their tastes
IV-V-iii-vi was already ubiquitous in Japanese pop at least as far back as the 1940s. It is to enka what I-vi-IV-V is to doo-wop. It just never really went out of style in Japan the way the '50s progression did in America.
having grown up listening to so much modern japanese music, my ear naturally tends to lead me to these kinds of musical devices when composing, and i’m very thankful for that because they’re absolutely breathtaking.
As a composer with a background in European genres, I am actually thankful I don't tend towards Japanese progressions. Much as they make decent music in and of themselves, they are very shallow devices, and very few Japanese composers earn my respect as able to break the mold of these hardcoded chords. That being said, I would definitely recommend people familiarise themselves with and learn Japanese pop music, as at least on the surface it's more diverse than Western pop music. If you play guitar or something, it's nice to get a comp going.
Modern Japanese chord progressions can trace their roots to the pentatonic scale used in traditional Japanese music. Modern Japanese chord progressions are essentially an evolution of the traditional Japanese pentatonic scale. Japanese musicians combined that with Western instruments and blues, classical, jazz and rock influences along with modern Japanese electronic synths. And the result is modern Japanese music.
THis is really exactly what I wanted to learn! I'm not sure if I'm at the stage of composing my own music, but I'm learning music theory on my own to try and grasp the basics of music composing.
As a jazz musician, I've always been so fascinated by this particular style of Japanese music composition. It makes you wonder how much of it is based on jazz music and how much of it is the other way around.
I'm very glad I clicked on this as I am not an anime fan, but everything in this video gave me a lot to work with in my "midwest emo" mathrock in 4/4 guitar playing.
I'm currently working on my composition (final project) for AP music theory. I incorporated some of the stuff you mentioned in this video. Big thank you Gavin because this was very informative and helpful.
Anime Rules! I think a lot of that R&B flavor can be achieved with choosing soulful voicings of these chords. Sus chords like F/G (which I have a whole video about btw) can help there. ruclips.net/video/anbQ4I3gFUY/видео.html I'd also see some of Jeff Schneider's early videos on the subject. Particularly his voicings of maj7 chords where he hammers on the 7 or 3rd late. ruclips.net/video/zuHtyBNNngU/видео.html I'm a sucker for that kinda thing. Glasper does it pretty frequently too.
10:45 listened to fox capture plan and lots of other contemporary Japanese jazz fusion groups for years but did not expect to see them in this video since they’re relatively obscure! Lol
J pop chorus chord progressions 101 (Uppercase letters are Major chords, Lowercase letters are Minor chords. Each line represents one bar) I V, III vi, v, I IV, V III, vi II V
I noticed this too... there is a lot of variation , but I think the most important aspects are the v-I-IV in your 4th and 5th line (which is really a ii-V-I leading into the IV), and also the viiø-III-vi (or a minor iiø-V-i into the iv chord) in your 2nd and 3rd line
In general for chord theory. If you say play 6th chord, it is implied minor because of how modes work. Look up the different scale modes. Theres Ionian or 1, Dorian or 2, Phrygian or 3, Lydian or 4, Mixolydian or 5, Aeolian or 6, and Locrian or 7. 1 is major, 2 is minor(flat 3 and flat 7), 3 is minor(flat 9, flat 3, flat 13, flat 7), 4 is major(sharp 11), 5 is major(flat 7, this is also called dominant 7 chord), 6 is natural minor(this means that u flat the 13 as well as 7 and 3), 7 has diminished chord, but not diminished scale(flat 9, flat 3, flat 5, flat 13, flat 7).
Toe is one of the greatest bands ever. The drummer, the electric guitars and bass, the acoustic, the keys, every little thing about their sound is done so well.
Although I am brazilian, I also grew around japanese stuff since I'm half japanese myself. I always had this ease of improvising bossa nova by accident, even if I didn't really listen to it at all, now I realise there's a reason for everything.
Brazilian here. Mostly of MPB(popular Brazilian music)Samba and such has these type of progressions. As musician , I could say Jpop is literally part of my life.
For future reference, I suggest analysing these in minor keys, rather than major. The progressions IV - V - vi and IV - III - i should really be VI - VII - i and VI - V - i respectively - it makes much more harmonic sense that way. Otherwise, great video!
Yeah, I was kinda surprised by how far down I had to scroll to find this comment. To be fair, the key can be ambiguous in some of these tracks or change... though with the specific chord progressions he went over, these are definitely minor progressions when analyzed in a vacuum. I suppose when writing specifically anime music which often resolves in major, looking at them as IV - V - vi and IV - III - iv can be a more effective way to go about it -- maybe this is a little advanced for the scope of the video but some mention of modulation/key pivoting would've been helpful to alleviate that ambiguity for some people. Great video overall and I love the way he synthesized with what he found.
I find its just easier to have one way to think about it. I don't wanna remember that a IV in the major sounds like what a bVI(??) in the relative minor its the same notes. Simpler to always view of it from the lens of the relative major, or the minor if you've learned it like that. There's not really a point to learning it twice
@@boots4snootin571 There is a point though... the whole purpose of functional analysis (i.e., the Roman numerals) is to show the relationship between chords and their functions. Those relationships get lost when you analyse something in the wrong key. For example, V - i in a minor key, when analysed in its relative major, becomes III - vi. This makes no harmonic sense, because III is not a dominant function chord, and vi, while it is technically a tonic function chord, doesn't really serve the same purpose as the i chord. Analysing a minor song in its relative major makes about as much sense as analysing something in C major as though it were in G major.
I wish this was made sooner. I kinda took the long route to being able to write these kinds of progressions. You know how some people say that the music you listen to tends to come out in your playing? That's what inevitably happened in my case. I listened to Japanese music so much, that one day while just messing around, I hit the right chord and it all started falling into place. It took me about 4 years before that sound started coming out. Now every time I play with friends who strictly listen to western music, I have to consciously make myself play differently. One said that these progressions sound too random, that she can't find a melody and it sounds like smashing random chords together.
It's interesting, I feel like the lack of 1 chord really gives the sound a sense of 'journeying' which is great for an anime opening and great for a video game soundtrack where we are never reaching our destination, we are leading the ear to keep expecting more music (since it's likely a loop.)
I always saw that {bVII} as a work-around for the pesky (vii)min7(b5) by changing the root note a half-step down. In my mind, that was a modulation down a fifth, just for a split second. For example, in C major: Cmaj7 (I chord) / (Bb)maj7 (IV chord of F major) / Amin7 / etc. I also find that #11 quite amusing, but I view it as part of a Lydian chord (in the example, Bb Lydian), with a #4.
FYI, Sakamoto's gorgeous "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" is an instrumental version of an even more beautiful song "Forbidden Colours" with David Sylvian (of the band Japan) on vocals. Sylvian wrote the touching lyrics and sang them in a way that only he can. And if you haven't seen this Oshima's film, it stars David Bowie, Takeshi, and even a 30-year-old Sakamoto :)
This is a really interesting and well-researched approach to this style of topic. One thing I would have been interested to see would be a dissection of the mood those chords create, with specific attention to the movement of the lead melodic interval. This video also has me thinking about musical techniques as 'devices' and wondering how much study is put into these type of tricks and conventions.
I thought so too, but Again has a completely different chord progression (in standard classical harmony too). Dm: im7, iio, VII7 (V7/III), III, v, im7 The Japanese progressions don't seem to put as much emphasis on the root (but seem to love the iii->vi resolution) and seem to be way more diatonic in progression.
IV V7 iii Vi an easy way to remember this is it's basically _similar_ to Hallelujah (it goes like this: the 4th, the 5th, the minor fall, the major lift) EDIT: i put the word "similar" in italics for a reason
this is one of the most insane videos on music theory ever, its like the 3rd chord and secondary dominants actually exist in music, this is so eye opening how music can actually work with something else other than I,V,vi and ii or IV
Was looking for this exact comment! One can only imagine the temptation of wanting to hear that song after a friend points it out, yet also not wanting to have uninspired influence take over an original!
Clicking this video: What is this BS? Watching this video: This is amazing. Really great job, as a music nerd I love it, and as a Japanese music fans, your examples were great! Uchu Combini, Fox Capture Plan, amazing... Subscribed!
I personally feel the "Seal progression" as a bVI - bVII - I instead of a IV - V - VI. Loved your video though, this is by far one of my favorite topics in music. Also thanks for introducing me to these great bands!
Your video was a revelation for me. I always had a love for the OOT ocarina melodies and Sakamoto's Mr. Lawrence, but I didn't think they had anything in common. Fast-forward 15 years and I'm getting into Anime in a big way, discovering new favorite works from Hisaishi, Yokoyama and Ushio, among others. Now I hear you casually mention relatively obscure bands who's sound I've recently fallen in love with (as part of my general discovery of Math Rock) like Toe, Chon and Uchu Conbini? You blew my mind. I only know the name Fox Capture Plan because they were attached to an anime OST recently; judging from the clips in your video, though, it sounds like I'm going to dig their music too. I guess I'm just a sucker for the cord progressions in your video. Thank you - It's so satisfying to have something tangible to explain why I like all these seemingly disparate pieces of music, instead of the opaque "I just like how it sounds". As far as suggestions go, listen to George Yanagi's Weeping In The Rain. I'd love to know how the melody manages to have a soulful 70's-esc sound while retaining an asian flavor.
Wow, so glad this was of so much use to you! This is precisely what excites me about making these videos in the first place. Oh wow, I didn't know they did an OST. Are you talking about Seishun Buta Yarou? I'll give that George Yanagi tune a listen and let you know! If I'm able to figure it out and communicate it in a minute, I'll post in on my insta (@leapah) for you. I also don't know Yokoyama. What should I check out?
@@gavinleepermusic I am indeed talking about Seishun Buta! I haven't had a chance to sit down and listen to the OST yet though. Masaru Yokoyama is a pretty prolific composer - I think his best anime works are the Your Lie in April and Scum's Wish OSTs. He's not purely an anime composer, though; he's done plenty of scoring for live action works. One of my favorite compositions is his theme to the NHK show Family History: ruclips.net/video/XVDMdg_zh1o/видео.html I think it's a real showcase of his style. I don't know any music theory to tell you what aspects of the composition are distinctly his, but his use of short string notes and melodically complex piano rhythms are a Yokoyama staple, I think. While I'm recommending live action soundtracks, the Begin Japanology theme blends traditional Japanese instrumentation with a pretty modern-sounding arrangement; I've always dug it: ruclips.net/video/ReliEoSYidA/видео.html Look out for Hiroko Sebu - originally a singer, she's gotten into scoring and composition lateley. Her live action OST's are solid (though hard to find online), and she's started doing Anime very recently. Lastly, Taku Takahashi's pieces on the Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō OST, who (bringing it back to composers for Anime), had some of the best tracks on the Space Dandy OST - an anthology OST, which is an entire conversation in and of itself.
Finally! a video where there is someone that is concentrated on “music theory” Instead of cringy video edits made for a quick laugh and cheap thrills Bravo! for your work and studying the chord progressions, I was actually thinking of doing a video myself discussing the music theory behind it
I think it comes from the traditional Japanese scale A B C E F (I don't know the name). The common chord sequence Fmaj E(power chord) Am have only the notes A B C E F in them.. Even though they use westernized melodies in these examples, the melodies and chord tones resolve naturally to these tones of the traditional Japanese scale, it's their traditional musical instinct I believe. The last progression Bbmaj Am cycle is a modulation from D E F A Bb to A B C E F, a common modulation in western music because there is only one note difference in these transposed scales, which offers for a smooth change. The western scale equivalent is D minor (=relative minor of F major) to C major, they are the neighboring tones on the circle of 5ths, and is the most common used modulation in western music. There is another explanation for this sequence, that is tritone substitution, Bbmaj is a substitute for the Emaj chord, but it makes more sense in a dominant to tonic resolution. Your example has a Fmaj Bbmaj Am which is a substitute for Fmaj E Am, which again is the same common progression in your first example.
Gavin, would you ever do a video breaking down Triste or common musical devices found in Samba music? Your channel looks pretty focused on Japanese, progressive rock, and neo jazz prog rock etc type styles. Which is super cool, just wondering if you're planning any other "genre specific music theory break downs" of commonly used musical ideas in other styles as well? You did an excellent job on this video and I'd love to see how dissect other styles as well. Thanks!
know this progression from comment section in a chon songs, and I found this video and what that hell.... this content contain chon songs hahahahaha nice !!
This is such a great video! I love how you take time to break it down into small steps, use music examples, show piano chords and finally make it yours with an awesome creation. I learned so much within only 15 minutes and will definitely rewatch it a lot to get more from it. Hope you'll keep on this great work, thank you!
After watching this video I tried looking at some of the japanese tunes I like the most, especially those that feel more "typically japanese": Driver's High by L'arc-en-ciel has the IV-V-iii-vi progression (often throwing a 6th in the chords), and also substitutes the VIsus and VI7 a couple of times throughout the song. Also Yokan by Dir-en-Grey uses the VI V vi progression a lot.
@@gavinleepermusic and yet they are so elusive! Thank you for pointing them out! One thing that I've noticed about the sound choices (and it looks like you have incorporated into Mint Chip) is the bright overdriven guitar, and I've noticed it is often paired with very "crunchy" chord voicings. Some examples are the aforementioned Driver's High, but also Crawl by Veltpunch (Nabari no ou opening). I couldn't really figure out the voicings (I'm fairly new to this kind of analysis, I'm formerly a bass player so I usually care about the root alone :P ), it'd be cool if you could elaborate on that, if you care to!
IV V vi (vi/I) is so common in touhou music (which is hugely prolific) that some people have started calling it zun's default emotional chord progression
So awesome! My favorite ending song from One Piece called "Shining ray" uses the first progression (which I knew) but each verse also ends with the picardy third (which I didn't know till now!) thank you for the awesome vid & new tools!
I think there is a lot of history behind this sound. I felt a very big influence from Ravel and Debussy and Messiaen in Japanese composers. You can hear this in Takemitsu and Sakmoto. In the 50s and 60s it was very ubiquitous in serious music as well as in film and television music. The Enka sound developed separately. Something I would add, although there is a lot of rubbish, there are a lot of very skilled musicians in Japan, including amateurs. Extraordinary attention to detail.
Thanks for the super clear explanation, you've been well analysing those scores and songs! Was always wondering how they got their sound! Will try to incorpore some of those progressions in my compositions! Cheers
IMMACULATE This is so well explained, removing all the confusing concepts, and focusing what is necessary to understand a concept without confusing the viewer! Major props, and thanks for the content
Nice work. You forgot to talk about the *-ii-V-I resolution (e.g. I - viiø - V7/vi - vi - ii - V - I , which Marthy Friedman often uses). In fact, in your introduction, I suspect you cut your first example (0:24-0:33) on it.
Yeah I guess I thought I wouldn't include cadences which end these progressions like ii-V-I or IV-V-I, since I see those as just more general music theory concepts (I do mention it briefly around 4:45 in terms of ii of IV, V of iv to lead back to IV, but not anything about actual ii-V-I cadences, which I'm assuming some basic knowledge of. Perhaps I should explicitly tough on them at some point). Does Marty present that whole progression as one unit? Where should I find his stuff? Is that from his Samurai Music Theory book? I've had trouble finding places where he talks about this stuff in specific terms, and am curious to learn more since I now know how much of an expert he's considered on this.
Now this is an underrated video! Japanese songs seem very Lydian-ish especially that maj7#11 is a defining feature of lydian, and a focus on the 4th degree in progressions. Many songs are Ionian with Lydian tendencies.
Close! The progression from "Kiss From a Rose" is Eb - F - G, so if you take the song to be in G major, it would be bVI - bVII - I. This video's analysis treats the song as though Eb and F are IV and V resolving to VI, a common practice for pieces in minor keys.
![[Chon et. al] - Common Japanese Chord Progressions Part 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ne_9UnKcSb4/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Chon et. al] - Common Japanese Chord Progressions Part 2](/img/tr.png)
When he started playing I was like "WAIT ISN'T THAT THE INTRO FOR [insert every anime I've ever seen]"
thought the same😂
at 2:15 it sounded like bungou stray dogs s2 ed
Also almost the same melody as "Captain Awkward" by Moron Police
It would fit with airman ga taosenai really well
While my brain was going, "No matter what I do, all I think about is you, Even when I’m with my boo..." [edit] Oops, I see someone else did too
I’ve been looking for something exactly like this for such a long time
Collin Bryson Glad I could help!
@@gavinleepermusic Man, you are fuckin brillant! Thanks for your time studying, practicing and making this video!
Me too!
Same here
Me too!
Japanese composers LOVE using secondary dominants in their progressions, it sounds so colorful
Sometimes they write these secondary 2-5-1s, such as vii°-V7/vi-vi (Bdim-E7-Am) and v-V7/IV-IV (Gm-C7-F)
@@Kyubiwan can we agree that 2 5 to the IV is the best 2 5?
@@JoseSantos-hb4nx Yes. How about 2 5 to the vi, with the diminished vii° chord?
日本人だけど言われてみればそうだわ
They are also use chromatic progression
I grew up listening to Western and Japanese music and learned these chords by ear by playing music from my childhood on guitar. I started to see patterns and I started gravitating toward “Japanese chord progressions.” Although I never learned music theory, it’s super interesting to see what is going on. I’ve heard people call the Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” or Franki Valli’s “ Can’t Take My Eye’s Off of You” chord progression the “Royal Road” progression. I’ve also noticed lots of Japanese songs use Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” progressions as well. I think Jpop was heavily influenced by Eurobeat, especially in the late 80s through the 90s, and they pulled influences from 60s rock bands like the Beatles, as well as jazz.
Eurobeat basically evolved from Japanese people dancing to high-nrg and italo-disco (amongst other genres) music in the eighties, the european producers making that stuff created eurobeat as a response to their tastes
Jpop did get its start in Jazz when soldiers were stationed there, as well as karaoke i believe 😊
IV-V-iii-vi was already ubiquitous in Japanese pop at least as far back as the 1940s. It is to enka what I-vi-IV-V is to doo-wop. It just never really went out of style in Japan the way the '50s progression did in America.
Pachelbel's cannon, was built on an already heavily used progression. It's down 4 up 1 repeat till you get back to tonic.
You completely skipped over my favorite part: 70s Jazz Funk babyyyyyy
Finally found an answer to japanese songs
What was your doubts?
having grown up listening to so much modern japanese music, my ear naturally tends to lead me to these kinds of musical devices when composing, and i’m very thankful for that because they’re absolutely breathtaking.
EXACTLY
As a composer with a background in European genres, I am actually thankful I don't tend towards Japanese progressions. Much as they make decent music in and of themselves, they are very shallow devices, and very few Japanese composers earn my respect as able to break the mold of these hardcoded chords. That being said, I would definitely recommend people familiarise themselves with and learn Japanese pop music, as at least on the surface it's more diverse than Western pop music. If you play guitar or something, it's nice to get a comp going.
@@___xyz___ do you want a cookie
@@___xyz___ What do you mean by "shallow" and why is it supposedly significant in the context of comparing Japanese and Western chord progressions?
@@___xyz___ honestly this reply feels hateful and dishonest
Modern Japanese chord progressions can trace their roots to the pentatonic scale used in traditional Japanese music. Modern Japanese chord progressions are essentially an evolution of the traditional Japanese pentatonic scale. Japanese musicians combined that with Western instruments and blues, classical, jazz and rock influences along with modern Japanese electronic synths. And the result is modern Japanese music.
THis is really exactly what I wanted to learn! I'm not sure if I'm at the stage of composing my own music, but I'm learning music theory on my own to try and grasp the basics of music composing.
Great to hear! I'm glad this was helpful :)
As a jazz musician, I've always been so fascinated by this particular style of Japanese music composition. It makes you wonder how much of it is based on jazz music and how much of it is the other way around.
This is amazing! Very eye-opening stuff.
DCBeats Glad you think so!
"one cadence to weeb them all"
thx!!
This blew my mind and boosted the quality of my random improvisations, I wish I found this 2 years earlier...
dude establishes an admiration for nintendo music, studio ghibli, AND chon in the first thirty seconds of the video. fastest sub ever ;3
Wasn't expecting to see Chon when I clicked this. Ive seen the live twice. Such a great band
I'm very glad I clicked on this as I am not an anime fan, but everything in this video gave me a lot to work with in my "midwest emo" mathrock in 4/4 guitar playing.
I'm currently working on my composition (final project) for AP music theory. I incorporated some of the stuff you mentioned in this video. Big thank you Gavin because this was very informative and helpful.
Katievent Amazing! Glad you found this helpful. I'd love to see your project when you're done, if you're comfortable sharing : )
Anime Rules! I think a lot of that R&B flavor can be achieved with choosing soulful voicings of these chords. Sus chords like F/G (which I have a whole video about btw) can help there.
ruclips.net/video/anbQ4I3gFUY/видео.html
I'd also see some of Jeff Schneider's early videos on the subject. Particularly his voicings of maj7 chords where he hammers on the 7 or 3rd late.
ruclips.net/video/zuHtyBNNngU/видео.html
I'm a sucker for that kinda thing. Glasper does it pretty frequently too.
Feel free to DM me a link to your project on Instagram! I'm @leapah.
10:45 listened to fox capture plan and lots of other contemporary Japanese jazz fusion groups for years but did not expect to see them in this video since they’re relatively obscure! Lol
J pop chorus chord progressions 101
(Uppercase letters are Major chords, Lowercase letters are Minor chords. Each line represents one bar)
I
V, III
vi,
v, I
IV, V
III, vi
II
V
I noticed this too... there is a lot of variation , but I think the most important aspects are the v-I-IV in your 4th and 5th line (which is really a ii-V-I leading into the IV), and also the viiø-III-vi (or a minor iiø-V-i into the iv chord) in your 2nd and 3rd line
In general for chord theory. If you say play 6th chord, it is implied minor because of how modes work. Look up the different scale modes. Theres Ionian or 1, Dorian or 2, Phrygian or 3, Lydian or 4, Mixolydian or 5, Aeolian or 6, and Locrian or 7. 1 is major, 2 is minor(flat 3 and flat 7), 3 is minor(flat 9, flat 3, flat 13, flat 7), 4 is major(sharp 11), 5 is major(flat 7, this is also called dominant 7 chord), 6 is natural minor(this means that u flat the 13 as well as 7 and 3), 7 has diminished chord, but not diminished scale(flat 9, flat 3, flat 5, flat 13, flat 7).
@@Pacey_ iv → vi
"Wait, so it's all the same chord progressions?"
"Always has been."
"I'm only 4 on the weeb scale" proceeds to ja-ne peace sign his way out of the video
Yeah he's not fooling anyone 😂
4 out of 5
Toe is one of the greatest bands ever. The drummer, the electric guitars and bass, the acoustic, the keys, every little thing about their sound is done so well.
Damn dude i was looking for this for so long
I love the visuals you use it really helps me understand
Glad they help!
Although I am brazilian, I also grew around japanese stuff since I'm half japanese myself. I always had this ease of improvising bossa nova by accident, even if I didn't really listen to it at all, now I realise there's a reason for everything.
Ryuichi Sakamoto had a trio with Jacques and Paula Morelenbaum playing Brazilian music about 20 years ago.
You guys are extremely common lol there's so many Japanese ppl in Brazil I'm not surprised there's a lot of mixed ppl there
@@Ewang2727 There's actually a Brazillian population in Japan funny enough
Japanese chord progression sound so freaking awesome, relaxing, sad, happy and more
Brazilian here. Mostly of MPB(popular Brazilian music)Samba and such has these type of progressions. As musician , I could say Jpop is literally part of my life.
This was super interesting and I'll probably incorporate it into my own songwriting. Also, thanks for introducing me to a bunch of cool new bands.
Wow... I'm blown away! This is music composition at its best. Nothing like that I IV V stuff (yuk)
For future reference, I suggest analysing these in minor keys, rather than major. The progressions IV - V - vi and IV - III - i should really be VI - VII - i and VI - V - i respectively - it makes much more harmonic sense that way. Otherwise, great video!
Yeah, I was kinda surprised by how far down I had to scroll to find this comment. To be fair, the key can be ambiguous in some of these tracks or change... though with the specific chord progressions he went over, these are definitely minor progressions when analyzed in a vacuum. I suppose when writing specifically anime music which often resolves in major, looking at them as IV - V - vi and IV - III - iv can be a more effective way to go about it -- maybe this is a little advanced for the scope of the video but some mention of modulation/key pivoting would've been helpful to alleviate that ambiguity for some people. Great video overall and I love the way he synthesized with what he found.
I want someone to explain the scale a lot of Kpop Japanese releases have idk they sound similar and have this cool scale
Yeah these songs are all minor
I find its just easier to have one way to think about it. I don't wanna remember that a IV in the major sounds like what a bVI(??) in the relative minor its the same notes. Simpler to always view of it from the lens of the relative major, or the minor if you've learned it like that. There's not really a point to learning it twice
@@boots4snootin571 There is a point though... the whole purpose of functional analysis (i.e., the Roman numerals) is to show the relationship between chords and their functions. Those relationships get lost when you analyse something in the wrong key.
For example, V - i in a minor key, when analysed in its relative major, becomes III - vi. This makes no harmonic sense, because III is not a dominant function chord, and vi, while it is technically a tonic function chord, doesn't really serve the same purpose as the i chord.
Analysing a minor song in its relative major makes about as much sense as analysing something in C major as though it were in G major.
this is one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive tutorials on what gives anime "THAT" sound. . .I can't thank you enough my dood.
I'm so glad and honored to help you understand this music!
I wish this was made sooner. I kinda took the long route to being able to write these kinds of progressions. You know how some people say that the music you listen to tends to come out in your playing? That's what inevitably happened in my case. I listened to Japanese music so much, that one day while just messing around, I hit the right chord and it all started falling into place. It took me about 4 years before that sound started coming out. Now every time I play with friends who strictly listen to western music, I have to consciously make myself play differently. One said that these progressions sound too random, that she can't find a melody and it sounds like smashing random chords together.
バカ兄貴 Welcome! Glad this helps, and I know what you mean.
please more videos with actual examples pulled from real music! it was great and really illustrated the points youre making!!
It's interesting, I feel like the lack of 1 chord really gives the sound a sense of 'journeying' which is great for an anime opening and great for a video game soundtrack where we are never reaching our destination, we are leading the ear to keep expecting more music (since it's likely a loop.)
Finally found a legitimate answer to what I was wanting to know! Holy crap mate, THANK YOU!!!
great your video, i have been looking for this class for a long time thanks
I am artist on the spotfy looking for me " A Branca e o preto on the spotfy there are my compose
So much of my favorite music and bands in one video wow
I appreciate your vibe. Sometimes theory videos make my eyes gloss over but you kept it grounded.
I SPENT A MONTH LEARNING MUSIC THEORYYYY I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS TALKING ABT FINALLY.
I always saw that {bVII} as a work-around for the pesky (vii)min7(b5) by changing the root note a half-step down. In my mind, that was a modulation down a fifth, just for a split second. For example, in C major: Cmaj7 (I chord) / (Bb)maj7 (IV chord of F major) / Amin7 / etc. I also find that #11 quite amusing, but I view it as part of a Lydian chord (in the example, Bb Lydian), with a #4.
Excellent and well broken down. Thank you so much for this. Subscribed!
6:30 the Seal Progression is also sometimes referred to as a Mario Cadence, which I think is brilliant.
Great video! Keep up the great work! Have an awesome day!
Loved this video!, thanks so much! I really liked that you included a ton of prior art for each talking point. Very research oriented! 😁
Alain Galvan Thank you! Yeah this one actually required quite a bit of research
I love this!! 😃 So many memories hearing these chords! I am with you on the bVII. It's so transformative 🦸🏽♀️
FYI, Sakamoto's gorgeous "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" is an instrumental version of an even more beautiful song "Forbidden Colours" with David Sylvian (of the band Japan) on vocals. Sylvian wrote the touching lyrics and sang them in a way that only he can. And if you haven't seen this Oshima's film, it stars David Bowie, Takeshi, and even a 30-year-old Sakamoto :)
This is a really interesting and well-researched approach to this style of topic. One thing I would have been interested to see would be a dissection of the mood those chords create, with specific attention to the movement of the lead melodic interval. This video also has me thinking about musical techniques as 'devices' and wondering how much study is put into these type of tricks and conventions.
4:58 reminds me of your lie in april ost
I thought so too, but Again has a completely different chord progression (in standard classical harmony too).
Dm: im7, iio, VII7 (V7/III), III, v, im7
The Japanese progressions don't seem to put as much emphasis on the root (but seem to love the iii->vi resolution) and seem to be way more diatonic in progression.
thanks now im cutting onions again lmao
IV V7 iii Vi
an easy way to remember this is it's basically _similar_ to Hallelujah
(it goes like this: the 4th, the 5th, the minor fall, the major lift)
EDIT: i put the word "similar" in italics for a reason
this is one of the most insane videos on music theory ever, its like the 3rd chord and secondary dominants actually exist in music, this is so eye opening how music can actually work with something else other than I,V,vi and ii or IV
Third eye opening
Rarely does one get EXACTLY what was on their mind explained in a RUclips video. This is insanely good, thanks man!
Your modern japanese stylized guitar riff sounds like “Dilemma” by Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland
I dig it.
Alex Ketner Haha yes, a friend made me well aware of this in draft stages. Good ear!
this is literally all I could hear lol
I knew it sounded super familiar lmao. Thank you for reminding me what song
my thoughts exactly haha
Was looking for this exact comment!
One can only imagine the temptation of wanting to hear that song after a friend points it out, yet also not wanting to have uninspired influence take over an original!
Wow...thanks a lot. Now i can try ro make a music composition with a japan modern style of progression. Thanks a lot dude.
Clicking this video: What is this BS?
Watching this video: This is amazing.
Really great job, as a music nerd I love it, and as a Japanese music fans, your examples were great! Uchu Combini, Fox Capture Plan, amazing...
Subscribed!
Awesome analysis! Thanks for the info. Mint sounded rad, too.
I personally feel the "Seal progression" as a bVI - bVII - I instead of a IV - V - VI. Loved your video though, this is by far one of my favorite topics in music. Also thanks for introducing me to these great bands!
Same, i was kind of confused why he was analyzing it as C major
Wow, so many comments of exactly what I was thinking. You've helped me find a sound I didn't know I was chasing for so long. Thank you
Your video was a revelation for me. I always had a love for the OOT ocarina melodies and Sakamoto's Mr. Lawrence, but I didn't think they had anything in common. Fast-forward 15 years and I'm getting into Anime in a big way, discovering new favorite works from Hisaishi, Yokoyama and Ushio, among others. Now I hear you casually mention relatively obscure bands who's sound I've recently fallen in love with (as part of my general discovery of Math Rock) like Toe, Chon and Uchu Conbini? You blew my mind.
I only know the name Fox Capture Plan because they were attached to an anime OST recently; judging from the clips in your video, though, it sounds like I'm going to dig their music too.
I guess I'm just a sucker for the cord progressions in your video. Thank you - It's so satisfying to have something tangible to explain why I like all these seemingly disparate pieces of music, instead of the opaque "I just like how it sounds".
As far as suggestions go, listen to George Yanagi's Weeping In The Rain. I'd love to know how the melody manages to have a soulful 70's-esc sound while retaining an asian flavor.
Wow, so glad this was of so much use to you! This is precisely what excites me about making these videos in the first place. Oh wow, I didn't know they did an OST. Are you talking about Seishun Buta Yarou? I'll give that George Yanagi tune a listen and let you know! If I'm able to figure it out and communicate it in a minute, I'll post in on my insta (@leapah) for you. I also don't know Yokoyama. What should I check out?
@@gavinleepermusic I am indeed talking about Seishun Buta! I haven't had a chance to sit down and listen to the OST yet though.
Masaru Yokoyama is a pretty prolific composer - I think his best anime works are the Your Lie in April and Scum's Wish OSTs. He's not purely an anime composer, though; he's done plenty of scoring for live action works. One of my favorite compositions is his theme to the NHK show Family History:
ruclips.net/video/XVDMdg_zh1o/видео.html
I think it's a real showcase of his style. I don't know any music theory to tell you what aspects of the composition are distinctly his, but his use of short string notes and melodically complex piano rhythms are a Yokoyama staple, I think.
While I'm recommending live action soundtracks, the Begin Japanology theme blends traditional Japanese instrumentation with a pretty modern-sounding arrangement; I've always dug it:
ruclips.net/video/ReliEoSYidA/видео.html
Look out for Hiroko Sebu - originally a singer, she's gotten into scoring and composition lateley. Her live action OST's are solid (though hard to find online), and she's started doing Anime very recently.
Lastly, Taku Takahashi's pieces on the Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō OST, who (bringing it back to composers for Anime), had some of the best tracks on the Space Dandy OST - an anthology OST, which is an entire conversation in and of itself.
@@Burningrush Thank you for all of this! I'll start checking things out.
this is pure gold, I cannot highlight enough how much I enjoyed this video! you gave me a huge composing boost!
This video deserves a million views, great work !
this was a bit confusing the first time i watched.. but after doing alot of google work, it becomes alot more clear, thanks bro
Finally! a video where there is someone that is concentrated on “music theory” Instead of cringy video edits made for a quick laugh and cheap thrills
Bravo! for your work and studying the chord progressions, I was actually thinking of doing a video myself discussing the music theory behind it
..do it!🥼🎹🎵
I think it comes from the traditional Japanese scale A B C E F (I don't know the name). The common chord sequence Fmaj E(power chord) Am have only the notes A B C E F in them.. Even though they use westernized melodies in these examples, the melodies and chord tones resolve naturally to these tones of the traditional Japanese scale, it's their traditional musical instinct I believe. The last progression Bbmaj Am cycle is a modulation from D E F A Bb to A B C E F, a common modulation in western music because there is only one note difference in these transposed scales, which offers for a smooth change. The western scale equivalent is D minor (=relative minor of F major) to C major, they are the neighboring tones on the circle of 5ths, and is the most common used modulation in western music. There is another explanation for this sequence, that is tritone substitution, Bbmaj is a substitute for the Emaj chord, but it makes more sense in a dominant to tonic resolution. Your example has a Fmaj Bbmaj Am which is a substitute for Fmaj E Am, which again is the same common progression in your first example.
Gavin, would you ever do a video breaking down Triste or common musical devices found in Samba music? Your channel looks pretty focused on Japanese, progressive rock, and neo jazz prog rock etc type styles. Which is super cool, just wondering if you're planning any other "genre specific music theory break downs" of commonly used musical ideas in other styles as well? You did an excellent job on this video and I'd love to see how dissect other styles as well. Thanks!
Tying together Chon and Elis Regina. You are a man of culture indeed.
know this progression from comment section in a chon songs, and I found this video and what that hell.... this content contain chon songs hahahahaha nice !!
This is such a great video! I love how you take time to break it down into small steps, use music examples, show piano chords and finally make it yours with an awesome creation. I learned so much within only 15 minutes and will definitely rewatch it a lot to get more from it. Hope you'll keep on this great work, thank you!
Jordan Caussat aww thank you Jordan!! Follow up video in the works!
thank you so much for this!!! this helped a ton, plus you made my find my new favorite song ( pyramid )
After watching this video I tried looking at some of the japanese tunes I like the most, especially those that feel more "typically japanese": Driver's High by L'arc-en-ciel has the IV-V-iii-vi progression (often throwing a 6th in the chords), and also substitutes the VIsus and VI7 a couple of times throughout the song.
Also Yokan by Dir-en-Grey uses the VI V vi progression a lot.
Alessandro Rumbo yayy! They're super commonly used devices aren't they?!
@@gavinleepermusic and yet they are so elusive! Thank you for pointing them out!
One thing that I've noticed about the sound choices (and it looks like you have incorporated into Mint Chip) is the bright overdriven guitar, and I've noticed it is often paired with very "crunchy" chord voicings.
Some examples are the aforementioned Driver's High, but also Crawl by Veltpunch (Nabari no ou opening). I couldn't really figure out the voicings (I'm fairly new to this kind of analysis, I'm formerly a bass player so I usually care about the root alone :P ), it'd be cool if you could elaborate on that, if you care to!
Alessandro Rumbo I'll have a listen!
I was looking for Driver's High in the comments!
Thaaaank you soo much for amazing explaination! I always wanted to break down Japanese music theory and this lesson was sooo good
:)
IV V vi (vi/I) is so common in touhou music (which is hugely prolific) that some people have started calling it zun's default emotional chord progression
This video is AMAZING. What ive been trying to research for a long time now. Subbed!
Also ty for explaining the concept of borrow chords. It's an excellent explanation that NOBODY pinpoints.
Good ideia man! I just did this when I first started listening to CHON, they totally got me into learning guitar and music theory in general!
Thank you for explaining. It's been bugging me for so long and I've felt like it all sounds the same. Now I know why! Goddangit
So awesome! My favorite ending song from One Piece called "Shining ray" uses the first progression (which I knew) but each verse also ends with the picardy third (which I didn't know till now!) thank you for the awesome vid & new tools!
Jon Aschalew Music Correct! Glad you found this useful.
I was about to start researching on this and found out you had done most of the work already. Thanks dude!
as a mediocre musician who is a big fan of anime this helps a lot thank you very much
Amazing video! Looking forward to your future videos!
*hears the first bits of the "Orange" ED from Toradora*
*begins crying*
Second time you said "Triste", the pronunciation was perfect!
Thanks a lot for the video. Greentinfs from Brazil
I think there is a lot of history behind this sound. I felt a very big influence from Ravel and Debussy and Messiaen in Japanese composers. You can hear this in Takemitsu and Sakmoto. In the 50s and 60s it was very ubiquitous in serious music as well as in film and television music. The Enka sound developed separately. Something I would add, although there is a lot of rubbish, there are a lot of very skilled musicians in Japan, including amateurs. Extraordinary attention to detail.
Agreed! Esp about Debussy!
Still watching this in june 2020, This is helping my A level Music composition so much, If you see this Gavin, Thank you
Amazing video, your explanations are so clear! thank you :)
Reaching here 2 years later, but man! Thank you so much! Great video and very clear explanation! Helped a lot!
Thanks for the super clear explanation, you've been well analysing those scores and songs! Was always wondering how they got their sound! Will try to incorpore some of those progressions in my compositions!
Cheers
MichaelBogaMusic Glad you liked it! Do share anything you make. I'd be curious to hear. I'm @leapah on insta. You can DM me there if you like :)
Super informative yes! Haven't really tried yet but i will i'll let you know! Cool i'll follow you on IG then and let's chat!
Cheers
thanks so much for this video
Yoasobi has used IV V iii vi IV V vi v I7 IV V III vi ii V I as their signature in almost every songs they write
Finally!! I have been looking for ever for a video like this! I would love more like this!
Shouting out chon!!! Mmmm tasty jams
@Ryan yeah man, chon just dropped a self titled album 2019. this song called "peace" is out for the tasting rn.
I've been looking for a video that explains these concepts for so long, and I finally found this one. Thank you for your hard work.
That iii/IV is such a nice sound, I'll have to keep it in mind for this kind of harmony.
also, mm mm, that toradora feature.
Thanks a lot. I knew there was something distinct in japanese songs. This is good to know.
The castle in the sky theme use a sort of the spanish cadence if you look closer
IMMACULATE
This is so well explained, removing all the confusing concepts, and focusing what is necessary to understand a concept without confusing the viewer!
Major props, and thanks for the content
So glad it was helpful for you!
Chon is the bomb
Thank you adam neely 2
Hahaha he indeed is a big inspiration for this channel :)
Nice work. You forgot to talk about the *-ii-V-I resolution (e.g. I - viiø - V7/vi - vi - ii - V - I , which Marthy Friedman often uses). In fact, in your introduction, I suspect you cut your first example (0:24-0:33) on it.
Yeah I guess I thought I wouldn't include cadences which end these progressions like ii-V-I or IV-V-I, since I see those as just more general music theory concepts (I do mention it briefly around 4:45 in terms of ii of IV, V of iv to lead back to IV, but not anything about actual ii-V-I cadences, which I'm assuming some basic knowledge of. Perhaps I should explicitly tough on them at some point). Does Marty present that whole progression as one unit? Where should I find his stuff? Is that from his Samurai Music Theory book? I've had trouble finding places where he talks about this stuff in specific terms, and am curious to learn more since I now know how much of an expert he's considered on this.
I'm making a follow up that actually addresses those first examples, so please stay tuned :)
Didn't you forget the IV between I and vii°...?
Now this is an underrated video! Japanese songs seem very Lydian-ish especially that maj7#11 is a defining feature of lydian, and a focus on the 4th degree in progressions. Many songs are Ionian with Lydian tendencies.
i know it sounds so inanely redundant and obvious, but as soon as Butterfly Effect started playing, I immediately thought "yep thats anime"
watched part of the video stoned yesterday, that little bit of sleepy tea was just too good, I had to go and listen to it, today I return to the video
6:38 isn't the 'Seal progression' VI-VII-I (modal interchange for i)?
Close! The progression from "Kiss From a Rose" is Eb - F - G, so if you take the song to be in G major, it would be bVI - bVII - I. This video's analysis treats the song as though Eb and F are IV and V resolving to VI, a common practice for pieces in minor keys.
@@WhatAreDrums729 'Kiss from a Rose' is in G minor but it often uses 'picardy third' on I.