DR. B, aka Dr. Christopher Brellochs (educator & saxophonist) has taught collegiate music theory for 23 years! He teaches saxophone at Vassar College and is Dean of the School of Music at SUNY Schenectady. He received his doctorate in music from Rutgers University, masters from New York University, and bachelors from Ithaca College. This channel maintains playlists: "Dr. B Music Theory," "Dr. B Ear Training," and "Music of the Gilded Age." Current projects include the research and performance of music from late 19th century America in the actual mansions of that time; he was involved in HBO's filming of the new series, "The Gilded Age."
I don't understand the use of the Circle of 5ths at the very beginning of this lesson. Dr B states he like the circle turned a specific direction with the flats going down the clockwise direction because the move in perfect 5ths. I have always count a 5th like this C(1), D(2), E(3), F(4) & G(5). What we are looking at on his circle is C to F clockwise and C to G counter clockwise. Can someone enlighten me?
Dr. B…while we await the return of HBOs The Gilded Age. I noticed you haven’t posted any of your “Ask Dr. B” videos. Why I respect that you’re quite busy with your professorship and consulting on “The Gilded Age.” I have a question about the disregard of avoiding consecutive parallel 5ths or Octaves, which seems to be a musical dilemma (please smile…I am.) The solution I stumbled upon to avoid the consecutive parallel 5ths or Octaves is to play-what I call “Chords within chords”-to create my my version of extended chords. By “chords within chords” I play the 7th chords listed over the triad chord progression chords (or vice versa) in major or minor keys: • vi7 over I • iii7 over v • ii7 over IV • V7 over vii° • IV7 over vi • viiø7 over ii • I7 over iii Moreover, I sometimes substitute these chords for the chords in my chord progressions. As I am not a music professor…(or musician…my musicality is from being a quasi-DJ) nor do I play any instrument…can you please explain (in harmonic musical terms) why this-chords within chords stacking or substitution works-in diatonic chord progressions, and modal chord progressions…thanks. DjNivekone
I love these formulas so much. Before these vids I'd imagine shifting the circle of 5th to derive the minor keys from the major keys. I like this way more.
Would kill to listen to you analyze a song like In Bloom by Nirvana or a Beatles song if you’re into that and How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead. Love these videos!
I have been writing my Major Scales and doing the step by step process for almost a year now it’s like magic everything make sense Triad Chords and 7th Chords pretty much everything. Thank you Dr.B!
Dear Dr.B ,I can’t Thank you enough for your kindness to spread knowledge for free to all of us. You make music theory so much fun and nourishing to the soul like the great music theorists and Philosopher Al-Farabi said “ and through knowledge one can achieve happiness” Thank you 🙏🏻
25:45 this is the most replayed (therefore, most misunderstood) part of this video, which is the explanation of applying the Descending Melodic Minor formula. It’s the only part I also didn’t understand. I think it’s because Dr B. left the Ascending Melodic Minor scale there, and didn’t start from scratch again with writing out the Gb Major Scale that we are applying the formula to. For anyone else confused, just rewind to 23:36, and pretend to apply the Descending Melodic Minor formula (lower the 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes), and then you can go back to 25:45 and it will make more sense. Dr. B, I still don’t understand why, at 26:42, you chose to work backwards to explain “on the way down”, but I’m happy to leave that, and I’m sure I’ll understand it after learning more. Many thanks for these videos!
Hi @JaydenLawson, I appreciate the detailed evaluation. I'm always looking for the best way to explain music theory with the least chance of misunderstanding. You make a good point and thanks for offering a way that might help other viewers understand. Best wishes, Dr. B
@@ChristopherBrellochs thank you, and your dedication to these replies, after so long, is truly inspirational. I wish you great joy and success from all the effort!
The descending melodic is just the natural minor scale , played on the way down. So melodic scale: play lowering only the 3rd on the way up. Play the natural minor( lower 3-6-7) on the way down.
Yes, it is. I had so many students think they understood this material during class but got stuck when they went to do the homework. That's one of the reasons I made this video - it often takes a couple times to hear this info before it makes sense. I also recommend playing the scales and intervals on a keyboard so you can see and hear it at the same time. Best wishes, Dr. B
Seven years ago! lol, I just found this and you explained it so well! Thank you. I really like how you are whiteboarding and writing these out as real lessons. Thank you so much.
Awesome to hear you talk about punk rock! Would love for you to check out the albums My War by Black Flag and Fun House by The Stooges. And the Buzzcocks compilation album Singles Going Steady is pretty great! 🙏🏼
Melody harmonization can be very tricky. At the most basic level you only need three chords to harmonize ANY diatonic melody: I - IV - V. For "traditional" classical music you'd avoid V going to IV but everything else is fair game. Try some exercise with that, or take a common melody like "Happy Birthday" and see what sounds "right" just using I, IV, and V. Also, keep watching my videos (in order), including my "Ask Dr. B" series as there may be a few things that help you in them. Best wishes, Dr. B
@@AViationMusikGroup Not usually since I have so many projects: Dean of the School of Music at SUNY Schenectady, saxophone professor at Vassar College, consulting on historic music projects, and performing! Every now and then I do online private lessons but my rates are pretty high. Email/message me directly if you want more info. Thanks, Dr. B
I love my students (both online and in-person) and want them to achieve all their musical dreams. I'm so happy you're finding my videos useful. Best wishes, Dr. B
It’s easier if you use Fat Cat system so you don’t have to memorise the scales. It’s a much better tool and easier to use quickly. Same with BeadGCF. Happy to share the concept
I think my issue understanding this is how on earth did people ever figure this stuff out? I can memorize, but it's so crazy how music just works like this so visually simple but mathematically complex
For me it makes think there had to be a God who made us, it's all too complex to have just happened. The Bible even talks about God singing: Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
@@NathanJosiahOfficialstfu. You’re looking at thousands of years of human knowledge and figure out stuffs and saying we’re too dumb to come up with this. You’re the dumb one who can’t comprehend these concepts.
