Do those codes line up when you change modes? Like going from Natural Minor to Harmonic Minor? Because I know you have to raise the 7th by a semitone. So would that not screw up all the seventh chords in harmonic minor mode? For example in E Harmonic Minor you got the D# on the 7th. But in E Minor is just D. So the codes would not line up right?
Let's not talk about tuning because that adds another level of complexity. Also sharps and flats on different acoustical instruments don't necessarily line up either.
Great video! I personally still think traditional theory is helpful in a lot of ways to study, even if I do agree with most of what was presented in the video. Tl;dr, scale degrees shouldn't be discredited, even if chord codes are super helpful. I agree that voice leading is really cool. Breaking scales and things of the sort is normal music theory stuff. And sound design is related to music theory in some ways but is not the same For one, I think scale degrees are super helpful, and should be learned. However, I do agree that focusing and only learning those is bad. Also, when I was learning theory by myself, the language confused me and I couldn't figure out what was what. That's why I say it's imperative to learn the different between the little nuances. I do agree though, that using semitones is generally easier than counting scale degrees unless you have them memorized (which may take a while). And, if I could add another side thing, the concept of going out of scale is a common concept in music theory: modal mixture. Although on another note, learning to always start on the 1 chord is a complex issue. For one, you need to understand the concept of tonality and "home base", but relying too much on it can limit creativity. So he does have a point there. And as for why the C major scale has to be the main example, no one really knows. I need to research the history on it all. But if it wasn't going to be C major, or Ionian, then it would've just been anything else we see as regular. It's good to have a general basis of understanding for something as deep and complex as music, in my opinion. And I agree fully in voice leading. It's far more important than just playing chord types. Using different voicing you can create a whole unique progression using just like, 3 chords. It's really cool. And focusing on chord types (surprisingly not a lot anyways) is unimportant And I also agree with the last bit. However, that's not something that's taught in traditional music theory because that's sound design. Sound design is its own beast (as I'm learning). Much like how mixing and mastering aren't apart of music theory. So to compare sound design to music theory is a bit much, but at the same time, they are all interconnected, so understanding both can be helpful with seeing the bigger picture Sorry for the long comment, this was way longer than it should've been
