Upper Structure Triads and Seventh Chords - Explained 

Mr Beato I just wanted to congradulate you (if I may) and thank you for the informative quality of your videos! There are many people out there trying to "educate" others but very few of them really know what they are talking about in depth. You are obviously one of those few "music educators heroes".

Back to the dense stuff! My favorite part of any day when I see one of these kinds of uploads from you! You are changing my life!

Seattle WA here, Thanks Rick, thanks Rhett for talking him into doing this. Rick you have by far the best music education channel I've seen anywhere; which I only just discovered and have only seen a small fraction of so far. I'm a 30 year professional musician with a degree in music from Portland State U and spent some time in the Mt Hood CC music program (at a time when their music program mattered to them.. :P ) Anyway, I feel like I'm doing years of catch up just after your first bebop melody line video, because with all the advanced rules and concepts I learned in college music theory, counterpoint, and jazz improvisation, you would think that *someone* would stress a melodic concept as simple as chord tones on the beats, connecting material in between. My deep appreciation to you for giving these master classes in so many areas of my musical interest. Thank you!

I would like to thank you rick. the way you present musical concepts is another one your talents that has helped me visualize music with so much more color and security. you really understand the psychology behind learning and that is what I really like about.

I can't thank you enough Rick, for all the things you've taught me. I wish to be like you 🙏

Thanks Rhett for convincing Rick to put up videos on RU-vid. He's an amazing teacher. I feel so fortunate to have discovered his channel, even though I'm losing a lot of sleep trying to catch up on all his videos.

Hello Rick I have been following your videos for about a week now and I am blown away! Just paid for the book and waiting for the link :). For me, you are filling in the blanks on all the vast theory I have learned over the years. Not only that, your lessons are inspiring me to be the best musician I possibly can. The most important thing to me is how you give detailed examples that fully explain things with theory and sound in a PRACTICAL WAY. I look forward to a lifetime of learning and ready for a quantum leap in musicianship :)

The Cmin 7th upper structure sounds a lot like the intro to “Love’s In Need of Love”. Beautiful! Plus, help with grasping the chord extensions and such. Kudos🥂

Awesome lesson!!! Thank you so much Rick. Great way for a beginner to learn chords and extensions. You're amazing Rick...love your videos!!!

Excellent video Rick. You do a great service to musicians worldwide. Keep on the good work.

GREAT video! I love the way you break things down.

I think a lot of people would love to hear you break down and explain some of the dirty loops covers. Especially those types of approaches to re harmonisation, taking pop melodies and creating crazy textures underneath. There's a lot of scope to go crazy with that, even since your chatting with folk like steve via. I love your lessons and lectures all the information is perfectly explained. I think personally there is a lot of potential for you to break down compositions and explain why composers might have harmonised in specific ways. Even simple things like horn lines or string lines. The live videos are great and it would be great to see you do live videos of applying this theory to a melody. I would pay to see that every week and I'm sure lots more people would too. Thanks you for all you do, especially since this content is free, its a lot of hard work you put into this channel. All the best from Scotland.

Great video! Always interesting to hear different ways to think about chords and extensions! Thanks - from Melbourne, Australia

Love your videos, Rick! So informative, creative, and helpful.

Hello from Bucharest Romania! You are great, we learn so much from you (me and my son). Tanks for sharing! ;)

Thank you, Rett.

This is GOLD!!! THANKS Mr beato for this great videos

Rett....can't even thank you enough.....you Rock........thank you ..Rick

New appreciation for Rhett's contribution: I never before grokked that it was his overall sense of production syllabus/trajectory/ ?, probably, that first decided Rick to dye his inner hairdo black and get to truckin' - a great good day for us all. I've been a fan then bookS-owner for at least 3 years; am now truckin' in higher gears on more open roads.

Hi, Rick, I learned a lot from your video! Hope there are some videos about harmonic in classical music.

Thanks, Rick! YOU are my educator. You really speak to my mind.

Hi Rick! thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. When it comes to composing, i can only do it in major and minor scales. could you do a video which teaches us to break from this common stereotype? Also if you could sort your videos in an order of which they should be learned? It will be very helpful.

Double huge thumbs up to Red for encouraging you to be a "RU-vidr"! :) :) I asked my self. How did that happen? I need this at this time, exactly and you started a year ago leaving an amazing database for me now to dig in. I am so grateful.

i am portuguese .thanks for your information ,FANTASTIC

such a great video, I have come back to this at least 10 times

Rick, I love the variety of content. Can you share some polychords for guitar or maybe do a video on your favorite guitar chords? As for your music consumption question, I primarily use iTunes and RU-vid

I've come back to this lesson so many times. Always happy to see your success! I love the layout of the beato book. Will you be making any videos in how to approach tackling it?

Dover, NH by way of Jersey City. Thanks for the Vai interview.

Good. And i think in diminished scales, the example about F#, F#m and Gdim can also work in all the minor third apart chords such as [F#->A;C;Eb]；[F#m->Am,Cm;Ebm]；and every cell of the scale is dim chord.

Is funny how the best youtuber in the world once thought that youtube was not for him...

Maravilloso. Muchas gracias. Muy buen aporte.

you are the world musical upper structure. keep it up bye from italy

It would be great to see a video on spy/ noir and or spaghetti western guitar or orchestration/ composition . Haven't been able to find much info out there on those subjects. Thanks for the great vids!

Excellent content Excellent delivery ........as always.

I'm from Serbia, and I wanted to ask you if you're ever gonna make a video talking about video game soundtracks for example WoW , Elder Scrolls and many more the same kind of way you did with film scores. I love when you deconstruct melodies and theoretically explain them :D Love you

Fantastic!

Yet another great presentation. Just thought I might mention that Rhett's voice sounded really good, and I think it's because he spoke near the mic. I might suggest adjusting the microphone placement for these videos. The content is great no matter how you record it anyway.

Finland / Music consumption: RU-vid, radio, cd, dvd, library, concerts. + I listen to a lot of self development audio books (Anthony Robbins, Gregg Braden, Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, Earl Nightingale... MP3 or CD)

Nice! I wish you would do something similar for guitar, though it's much more limited. Maybe do a practical application in blues guitar changes.

I would comment about it, some 50min videos and etc , would be better as a podcast . . we can download the audio from the video etc but its easier, THANKS ! :D Your work is great Hugs from Brazil / Rio

Thank you for this vid! I am from Tel Aviv

Rick--the C Altered Scale is just the jazz melodic minor scale a half step up. C-Db-Eb-E-Gb-Ab-B-C. Or Db-Db, just played from the 7th degree to the 7th degree.

I´d like to see an interview with Adam Rogers, with you going through what makes him a top contemporary jazz guitarist..

thank you so much for another great lesson i love your chanel

Thanks Rhett

Thanks Rick! I'm from Russia. Can You make a video about triad pair and how to practice on the guitar?

Another Great Lesson Rick!! As soon as i heard your Cm11 Chord at 40:45 i though of the Song, No Quarter by Led Zeppelin:-) Thnx again. Amedeo, from Hamilton,Ontario... ( just a few hours away from your Hometown ) ps did you ever hang out at House of Guitars in Rochester??... Great Store and Great Guys!!

Wonderful

I know Berklee taught upper structure many years ago -- but who first developed the idea? Steve Mashburn, retired school band director, Cumming, GA

dude , you are the greatest ❤

Amazing Video. Thanks Rick. Why didn't you include the E minor triad in the C Major upper structures example?

I'm from Germany and I mainly use RU-vid and CD's and occasionaly Spotify to listen to music.

Hey Rick love your videos. I had a question about building triads using the E minor gypsy scale. there is one triad that is weird based off the 4th degree of the scale A#. It's kind of a 1st inversion C7 without the 5th. What is it. Thanks for the info.

great video, hello from uk and thanks for your time!, my question was could you do a overview of commonly used upper structure voicing such as A/C7(shell) to make dom13b9 you talk about alot of good ones such Bb/C , D/C , Bbaug/c but its also kinda useful to think about how you can have these with voices that function in a progression , in summary "upper structures in reharminising standards?"

Time travel??? I'm a time traveler..I've gone back in time three years to watch this lesson ...and it was worth the effort ...time travel is fantastic

Hello Rick, I have a question. How would you approach polychords on a regular guitar with all its limitations when compared to a piano? Greetings from Brazil.

Rick, discovered you last month. you are GREAT. have you done an episode on the Lydian Chromatic Concept?

Rick, I love your videos. I am wondering: when you say, for example, "D, Dorian," are you referring to the scale based on D from the key of C major, or are you referring to the scale based on E from the key of D major? Thanks for clearing this up.

I'm gonna make you a t-shirt that says "Beautiful Sound!" lol Big hugs from Brazil.

im here just to ask: what was the beautiful tune you were listening in the very beginning of the video? haha thanks for the always great content!

Just happen to be studying Upper Structures when caught this lesson. Can you recommend scale exercises for this? Thx.

San Antonio TX, more "what makes your song great."

You could demonstrate this for production of guitar tracks.

heya ive only just started to watch your videos I'm doing a music theory grade 6 with abrsm I'm stuck on figured bass where can I find your videos for that ? p.s I'm in the uk !!!

Dear Mr Beato, which scale is the last one? I've never heard of that, its like a locrian mode but with the fourth flat? its called altered scale???

What triad can be used in place of a 7th#5#9? In a particular song I've been listening to the piano uses a G7#5#9 on the 1st pass and an upper structure substitution in that spot on the 2nd pass.

I'm following this 2 years later! Can you explain 25:32 why that scale is C mix # 11 instead of #4? That's new to me. Thanks!

In the altered dominant scale (35:16), I was wondering: what about the #9? If you put an Ab triad over the C7chord, would that give you a C7(#9#5)? Love this video!

Thanks Rick. Hello from northern California.

Hello my name is jackie , i m french but i live in china . A question : at the beginning of your vid , you develop a C triad with a 9 (ok ) and a sharp 11 ???? it is a kind of bi tonal thing and i do not understand why you do not choose a 11 ? thanks for your huge knowledge !

Whats the song that plays at the beginning of the video? If anyone knows, I´d appreciate if you could tell me

Definitely heard "Rhett". Don't worry Rick, 50 is the new 20

Hi Rick,, i can not see a good picture, it is not sharp, resolution? related?

At precisely min 12:00 why isn't that A flatted? IOWs, why isn't the the D chord diminished? Cmin has C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C. Is one assuming a Melodic Minor vs. a Nat minor upon which these third chords are built? Thx.

The Lord only knows why, but I've always loved the C major scale. I've never wanted to admit it, because it seems like a cop out - like liking instant coffee when all your friends are drinking Americanos and double shot lattes, etc. But at 7:15 when you started playing those chords based off the C major scale - they just sounded righteous. Or I'm weird - that is an acceptable answer :)

structure. The "C" is yellow. (too obscure?)

@25:43... Is that the Pink Panther chord?

Why do we ignore the 3-9 triads?

In the 'classical' world a 'Major / Minor' chord is called a 'False Relation'.

❤

good call rhett

Lol I said beautiful sound at the same time with him

What piano is that?!

Oops! I was impatient. You just answered it.

And E- and E-7?

hi rick. =D

Hi Mr Rick, I would like to hear your analysis of the melodies of Pat Metheny as it has some very beautiful and interesting! Even his chord progressions. Saludos desde Venezuela.!

Somehow you removed Dm from the C tonality! ???

Pennsylvania and music minor :D

Why not e,g,b over c,e,g or e,g,b,d over c,e,g,b?

Re "consuming" music--I listen to RU-vid and CD's.

Why don't you count the E- and E-7 chords?

Rett, hi

the single most erudite discussion of upper triads ever

You forgot E minor and it's 7th.

your melodic minor needed an F#, otherwise it's harmonic?