Songs that use the Aeolian mode 

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David, I cannot express how much your channel has changed my life. I’ve always wanted to become a musician, but being from a small town with no music program and no access to instruments, I thought I’d missed my opportunity long ago. Watching your videos for the past few months has reinvigorated my passion for music, and in response I purchased my first guitar. Though I’m definitely a beginner, watching the way you break down these complex concepts has made musical theory approachable and understandable, whereas before I found it too intimidating to attempt to learn. You are an excellent teacher, and the hard work you have gone through to make these videos available to learners like me (for free!) is greatly appreciated. I wish you success in all your future endeavors. Thank you, and keep rocking!

I usually prefer harmonic minor. I just love the amount of tension I can create in it.

That last piece being 5/4 is just chef’s kiss

Sultan of Swing has the (in)famous "Andalucian cadence" too. You should make a video on that one. It's everywhere.

It's funny... Many times when I think I'm using the natural minor scale, I'm actually using Dorian. I just "naturally" raise the 6th.

I love your composition at the end of this. It felt like rain.

That 5/4 baseline in your song at the end is really cool.

Thank you very much for explaining *why" things sound how they do. I particularly like your tune at the end.

Every conversation surrounding the Beatles always seems to include some reference to them not really knowing anything about music theory. Which always kind of blows my mind.

I remember using the term Æolian cadence in high school. It'd usually be about a song which used the chord progression bVI - bVII - i, where as a "normal" cadence would be IV - V - I.

Rick Beato often uses the term "Aeolian" to describe frequent use of the minor sixth in a melody or chords, which indeed gives the sound a distinct flavor as compared to major sixth minor scales like Dorian or Melodic

You are doing an outstanding job illustrating the scales and modes with famous examples and intelligent own analysis. No one else has managed to do this anywhere what I have come over. Brilliant!

I just love those vids. For real. They're helping me big time with understanding the intentions of the songs. My composing might improve soon, I hope. Thanks!

Sir, you are a gift to the online world. Your videos are fascinating and I especially enjoy these modally focused ones. Keep doing what you do. You are an incredibly talented musician and teacher. I wish RU-vid had been around when I was learning the modes as videos like this are far more effective than just pattern memorization (guitarist speaking here). You explain the hows and whys in an easy to follow way.

Great video as always. One suggestion (and maybe this is just me, so take it with a grain of salt). I find that scale and modal examples (when you’re showing the scales on screen) are easier to process as a learner when you use C as the base. It becomes really obvious which scale degrees are altered (as compared to major).

Your method in this channel is so good. I'm vastly more of an audiophile, a music lover of almost all music, and occastionally an engineer. I do play guitar, but not enough to remember and apply anything close to the music theory that you teach on your channel. But, the song examples in all of your videos are so excellent. I can easily hear the difference between these two scales from your examples in this video, so I can absorb exactly what you're talking about just from listening. Your design of these totorials to work for both audible learners like me (and perhaps John Lennon, based on the quote of him near the end of this video) and people who study and can apply music theory, is brilliant! Please, keep it up David! Thank you. ✌️

Duuuude the piece you composed is straight fire

Lovely video as always :D Especially heart the song at the end that you made. I will share this vid with my amigos. One small observation. At 8:00 we have Jolene by Dolly Parton. If I am not mistaken, it doesn't _exactly_ use the Natural Minor mode but a subset of it, i.e., there is no sixth flat note in the song. As an aside, if anyone is interested in sampling the Indian versions of the minor scales, the approximate equivalents for the natural are called Jaunpuri and Darbari while that for the harmonic goes by Keervani.

Wonderfully informative and entertaining! Thank you so much.

Dude you have no idea what your channel means to me. I am a amateur musician and i have learned a lot of music theory without having any kind of formal lessons, but your channel is like my home. A resting place. I found you out from Adam Neely's video and all i do is wait for your next video. Please never change!

the gap between the 7th and 8th being longer helped so much with understanding how it wants to resolve. great editing on your part.

You're an awesome teacher. Glad you get to do what you love

i agree everything you show us is easy to understand and makes sence

The verse of "Sultans of swing" is actually based on a Phrygian cadence (I - VII - VI - V), which is a remain of the modal system (Renaissance music) in the tonal system (from Baroque onwards). The VII is a passage chord, not functional, with an unaltered 7th (C), while the V chord is functional and dominant, with a raised 7th (C#).

priceless data. loved it. And that music towards the end Spcly that rhythm.. beyond superbly exotic. blew my mind

I really love the originals at the end. They really drive it home as something new to listen to--kind of knowledge sight reading. And they sound great :)

Your own composition at the end reminded me of a great track to illustrate the Aeolian mode - Dave Brubeck's "Take Five".

Love these videos! Thanks for all your hard work finding the modern music examples. One small point, the difference between mode and scale is that scale pitches have a harmonic function, whereas mode pitches do not. This makes the modes much more flexible and more contrapuntal. The first note of a mode is the Final and is much more fluid than the term Tonic which implies a specific harmonic chord rather than just a resting place. Love your original compositions at the end of these videos - they are magical.

Next video: "Songs that use the Ionian Mode". Jokes aside, nice explanation of the difference for the flat and raised 7ths.

I knew as soon as I saw the title what Radiohead example was going to be used

Great explanation David. Your videos are educational even to the professional musicians. Love your channel...wait for other videos...❤

Thank you for this wonderfully produced and informative content!🇨🇦

I love these videos so much!! Keep up the great work :)

this is a great video, thanks so much for the info and demonstrations

Another excellent video, brilliant, David, thank you.

Very tasteful use of 5/4 on the ending piece! Bravo

so helpful, as always! thanks David!

Happy to hear you not talking over your composition during the "credits". They're always a nice ending and this way it is far more enjoyable, even if some of your patreons might feel a little less appreciated this way.

Love your vids! Thanks for all you do!

thank you david for these videos! ❤️

Just Ionian and now this series is complete!

I thought I considered myself a reasonably well-versed man in the world of music theory, but until now, I had never heard of the term "Aeolian cadence". I really liked the piece at the end, by the way, it sounds like something you'd listen to in a game

Thanks also for your own songs at the end of this and other great videos.

those panels at the back added so much contrast to the room somehow. looks great!

I love these videos, and I use them as a tool and as inspiration for my writing.

Great way of using 5/8 in the last song!

I love your song at the end. Beautiful.

Very helpful - thanks David

Thanks, I always enjoy your explanatiions about harmony

I'm just starting to learn piano at 54 years old. ( trying to stave off dementia) I felt that learning a little bit about music theory would be helpful. Since I've been watching your videos no music sounds the same. It's like when I learned how to oil paint; the whole world is seen in brush strokes.

Nice to see R.E.M. and Red Hot Chili Peppers getting some screentime in the thumbnail. :)

This would have been a great video to talk about the Andalusian Cadence and songs that use it like “Hit the Road, Jack!”, “Runaway”, “Good Vibrations” and “Comfortably Numb” and many others. None the less, I love the video and hope we get songs that use the Major scale and a revamped version of songs that use the Locrian Scale (or songs that use the b5 quite a lot). Love it!

I'd love to see you talk about the double harmonic scale. It's my favourite for just messing around on a keyboard

I was just wondering about this to myself randomly in the car the other day. Glad this video popped up.

Love your videos, David.

Lovely piece at the end.

Most Flamenco is in the natural and harmonic minor. The song form of Bulerias has this theme thru and thru. It is in the Phrygian key of A/Dm typically. Chano Dominguez CD "Hetcho a Mano" is a killer disc.

Amazing lesson ❤

That one note at the end of Ain't No Sunshine before the resolution sounds fantastic in harmonic minor. Such a hook. And Sultans of Swing would sounds so weird if it was only in either of the minors.

I prefer the Aeolian mode to the ever-popular harmonic minor. I can definitely see the more relaxing feel; it is my observation that certain types of relaxing music tend to avoid harmonic minor and stick to Aeolian if they are in a minor key. I was thrilled to see that "Ain't No Sunshine" was included as it was literally the first song I thought of when I saw what mode you were covering in this video. "A Time for Us"/"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" almost counts too although it sort of breaks it by including a B-flat major chord in the key of A minor.

this is such an insanely amazing video

I like the transpositions you make to another "mode" to let us appreciate the difference. I wonder if that could become a kind of videos on their own...

Thank you David! BTW When I write songs, I tend to mix harmonic and natural minor scales

As a guitarist, I can assure you that C Major is the third mode of A minor. lols

Great as usual......

Man, the harmonic minor “Losing My Religion” sounds much more tortured to me.

Thanx! 😂 Great teaching! ❤

Luv ur channel

Neat 5/4 solo at the end

Excellent

Good video, but I kept waiting for you to talk about the effect of the raised 7th ton the III chord (making it augmented) or the VII chord (making it diminished). You did mention songs that only use the raised 7 on the V chord, which seems common, but I would be interested in finding songs that use the full harmonic mono progression. Perhaps another video?

Thanx!

That 'out track' is gorgeous. You should release it before I steal it!

Wow..... The minor/harmonic minor resolution bit.... Mind=blown

most enlightening

Mm I actually LOVE your piece at the end. I want to hear more

U got a subscription today bud

Very interesting

I have to say I very much enjoy your videos. Music people used to tell me I have the type of mind that would relish all things music theory, but my brain's automatic reaction would be to turn on the huge and bright NOPE sign in my head. Why? Because I would remember hearing someone describing the melodic minor years prior and how it made my brain short-circuit. I mean, what if you're wanting to sort of loopity loop around the 6th and 7th degree area, changing direction on one of those two? Do you base it on where you're going to or where you're coming from? Add to this the fact I was very young when this was explained and probably assumed that "melodic minor" meant these were the notes I would HAVE to use for writing a melody in a minor key, and I was like, "This is a mess. No. With a capital hell." But, y'know, a younger version of that last bit. I had one semester of music theory in college, and I am sure we never got to modes that semester, as your videos on modes have been the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle my brain has been trying to complete for DECADES. Thank you!

Do song that sounds in minor but are in a major key!!! Like the scientist by Coldplay, sounds sad and everything but it is in F major

One of my favourite modes to compose in creates a really dark tense sound

Hey amazing vídeo, loved it. Is the intro of Janis Joplin's Summertime in aeolian too??? Sounds like it

The first 4 or 5 notes of the Aeolian scale are those of the piano in the Stones’ She’s a Rainbow.

Good video

Sicksth!

@David Bennett Piano Do you have a video on how to learn the chords is a scale/mode?

Last video i‘d expect xD

What about the songs that use the Im bIV bIII bVII progression? (e.g. Am F C G; it also has the "Aeolian Cadence" at the end.) Do you consider them aeolian or major? Or does this depend on the song? If so, which of them for example would you include as aeolian?

He is better on this channel than that pedal show; these vids are amazing

In "My Terracota Heart" by Blur, the chorus switches between "Am F G Em" and "Am F G E7". So I can say that the song is switching between different minor scales?

Great stuff mentioning the infamous exotic bird, the aeolian cadence. So you think it's just another name for the deceptive? I've always figured it was referring instead to the movement from G to Em at the end of the song. I-vi. Could it also be that? Since it was de facto invented by the critic... why not? :) great work anyway, love your channel.

Have a good day

thnx buddy

Yay you used an REM example

For your piece at 11:15, I would suggest adding octaves to the left hand bass to intensify the melody. Otherwise, nice job explaining the Aeolian mode.

Do you actually have an examples of a songs/ classical piece which uses all three: natural, harmonic and melodic minor? looking for one for a while

If a piece of music is in Am, is Am still considered a minor 6th (iv) or can it be considered as a minor root (i)? I can't warp my mind around it.

I was just thinking about this a few days ago, "when is David going to cover the Aeolian mode?" 😅

11:17 - I notice that you don't actually hit the Bb in your piece at all, at least not in the part that shows you playing. So it could just as well be in D-Dorian. :-) (If there is a part of the song later in which you do hit that Bb, then never mind. :-) ) EDIT: Oooh, you hit it with your left hand toward the end of the phrase. As I said, never mind. :-D