It never ceases to amaze me how the great mathematician of music finds the most profound human qualities: grief, empathy, tenderness and comfort, just from a progression of chords. Played beautifully, this seemingly simple piece can keep you on a knife edge between its logic and its passion.
My first song on piano. At age 64, during the COVID lockdown, with a mask on, I purchased a Yamaha digital piano at Walmart and with Piano for Dummies in one hand and internet in the other, I learned this piece. Obviously composed as a teaching song for children like me. Thank you for the guided tour of the progression, and making it more magic that is already is.
Bach was an absolute master of harmony. He was in complete control when it came to creating harmonic tension and then beautifully resolving that tension. His status as greatest composer might be up for debate, but not for me. I adore his music.
You're quite welcome. I'm glad the video was helpful. Check out this video of the great guitarist Christopher Parkening playing this piece: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cJEm8P4zFYI.html
Likewise! I use them but have never known what people meant when they used that term ha! This was actually quite clarifying. Hearing/Seeing it on piano and not guitar hit me!
I've learned it from a video here on YT that is tabbed, it's easy except for 2 diminished chords and BIG stretch D chord (I think it is)that I think I'll never be able to play fluidly..
Love this tune. I bought an electric piano many years ago just because I wanted to play it. I bought an acoustic guitar just because I wanted to play Blackbird.
Well done!! One of Bach's most compelling compositions. Short but full of wonderful harmonic movement. And VERY beautiful. I remember where I was when I first heard it. Unforgettable.
This "child's practice piece" is so incredibly advanced in spite of (and because of) its simplicity. No one else writes music this way, and it's amazing to think this is over 300 years old. I think Chopin perhaps got the closest, with his E minor Prelude - simple and easy but WOW amazing harmonies.
I'm glad to find this channel. Explanation of the C Prelude is satisfying -- I first became serious about piano when I discovered this piece 62 years ago. It never gets old. It feels like the invitation of a wizard to step into his world, and I gladly yield.
Just did this harmonic analysis myself. Yet it was a pleasure to watch your walk-through. As if I had done my homework and now watched a beloved teacher explaining it all to the class.
I just learnt to read the music and play it. The music is so hypnotic that it gets under your skin and it was an enjoyable journey. Maybe this is why Schubert's Ave Maria was written over it. Listen to the music and you will only hear a beautiful combination of Bach and Schubert
Bach's music definitely opens doors to certain styles of music and I've seen keyboardists playing his pieces more than any other master of the genre. Oscar Peterson himself was a fan of his music and recommended Bach's Art of the Fugue to all serious pianists.
Bach has certainly inspired musicians from just about every genre of music. Oscar Peterson was certainly influenced by Bach! One of my favorite videos is the Oscar Peterson Trio playing "Salute to Bach." ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RPPQLzwCosI.html
I love when a good teacher helps me understand classical with the help of chord symbols and roman numeral analysis and a great explanation. This is one of the most clear and useful lessons I've seen on Bachs work. Really inspired now. Instant Subscriber. Thanks
Apparently JS Bach initially wrote this Prelude as an instructional piece for his son, Wilhelm Friedmann, who was then 11 in about 1721! JS Bach then expanded the concept by composing additional works in all of the other keys to form his collection of works 'The Well Tempered Clavier' incorporating both a Prelude and a Fugue in each key. The Fugues in particular are an order of magnitude greater in difficulty requiring, as the Fugue form requires, the simultaneous voicing of different, concurrent melodies. Thank you for such a clear and concise explanation of what initially appears to be such a simple piece and helps explain its timeless appeal some 300-years later!!
Not only are you a great musician but I'd say also a top-notch educator -the music teacher we wish we'd had in our classrooms when we were kids. Inspiring, knowledgeable, passionate about his subject, and who shares this love with his students. Thanks for this wonderful lesson. Can't wait to watch more videos in your channel.
Nice analysis. I come from a rock/jazz theory background but love to see what the classical guys did. The originals so to speak. Bach wasn't messing around! he really was showing his sonic sense. Just imagine listing to this back then, before radio and music be so ubiquitous.
Thank you for the beautiful video. This is one of the greatest compositions ever, to me. I feel it as the melody is the arpeggio going on, this is why, to me, he made those note choices, to keep up with the melody as the song goes on. So beautiful, Glenn Gould made me love this.
Such sublime music. Any one of those chord changes would make me happy as a composer. This reminds me of watching a brilliant chess match: you can feel the strategy in Bach's composition, carefully setting things up not just for the next chord but numerous moves ahead. Not that I can claim any great understand of either chess or music!
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This is a wonderful breakdown - thank you! Very useful in viewing an ancient genius through modern eyes and ears. You have a great way of explaining his motivation. Marvellous!
Thank you very much for your explanation! I don't know much about music and music theory, and I'm not able to play any instrument, but I love music. You've been talking about Bach taking us on a journey, and yes, that's a perfect description of what he did. Many years ago, when I first listened to another famous piece from Bach, I had exactly this word in my mind, but the journey was much, much longer: The Goldberg variations. Since then, I'd listened to it again and again, and every time, when this masterpiece comes to it's end, it feels like coming home again.
Ah, the Goldberg Variations! I congratulate you on your taste in music. The music of Bach was, and continues to be a major part of my ongoing music education. I may have made my living as a professional musician, but you never stop learning!
That was a beautiful video presentation, thank you so much. I just found this on RU-vid and had to subscribe to your channel. I am a guitarist, so only play piano a little for fun, but I love music theory and your presentation of the chords in this was so insightful. Thanks again.
Hello from the Republic of Ireland!!!! LOVE the video....I'm currently learning this and your explanation is very helpful. Keep doin' what you're doin'....and come to Ireland for the Guinness and the Irish music.
....I didn't realise that lol... And I've played this song a million times. I actually went to my keyboard and played the song and stopped every time one of the five black keys was played and made a note of which one it was, and by the end of the song, all five had been played at least once. The C Major scale has no accidentals so having the all of the black keys played in a single song in this song in the key of C was something I didn't realise before. There are some more complex pieces that have two or three accidentals at most.
Great content about true chord progressions. One of my favorites especially w melody line added by Charles Gonoud creating the famous Ave Maria. A lovely version using the extra melody line by Charles Fox. Bravo maestro...this is being forwarded to my students.
It is. Note how it slowly but steadily descends. Register of bass gives it a functional power that is sometimes overlooked. If you liked this aspect of the piece, give the D Minor prelude from this book (I) a listen.
In addition to the chord progression, Bach make the notes of the chords form some kind of interleaved melodic progression, which is one characteristic which makes this piece so beautiful and unique.
Bach has always been my favourite, and there's no point in arguing that he is the apotheosis of something that cannot be transcended and has inspired legions of musicians to the present day and will continue to do so in the future. Loved how you presented Bach's illusively "simple" introductory prelude that hits all the basic jazz chords, all the 7ths you pointed out. I will rewatch and get the theory right into my fingers. I want to see in the sheet music what's notated above, obviating the necessity for same. Thanks!
I love that you used the term "chord journey". I thought I coined that term and couldn't be more pleased that you think of progressions in that way. Pat Metheny is famous for writing in this manner. I love writing in this manner. This method is ripe for chord surprises which births truly enjoyable music.
I remember hearing Sting, in an interview with Rick Beato, say that if he's listening to a piece of music that is new to him, and is not surprised in the first few bars, he stops listening.
This was the first piece I learned (at 38) and it made me feel like I was a pro. Silly me. However, it was great to have it as a piece to reference when I was learning the fundamentals of piano at the very beginning. Your video just added even more value to learning this great piece. Thanks!
The reason why Bach's chords progressions are so rich and complex is because he was thinking in a contrapuntal way. Bach was hearing each notes as an independent melody. When you think in term of chord, you're not as meticulous and you focus on the destination instead of how to get there.
@@danielabilez3619 Each note of every chord has his its own direction. You could stack up each arpeggio into chords and see it as a choral with bass, tenor, alto, soprano etc, for instance. In this particular case, it's a 5 part harmony. You would need 5 instruments or singers to faithfully play each melody independently.
The music of the greatest composers will never die. Long after people have forgotten the names of the latest rock star, or pop music star, or the Beatles or Elvis, the music of Bach, and all of the great composers from that great period in history will still be taught in universities the world over.
I am not sure about this. The Beatles (for better or worse) have attained a level of academic attention as well as popular acclaim , saturation in the culture etc. that probably mean their position in the canon of western music is assured. Like folk music they probably will endure.
Excellent down-to-earth analysis. I've always considered this Prelude to be an absolute teaching masterpiece. Bach cleverly hides all kinds of clues and messages inside it. One can easily imagine him encouraging his students to improvise on these chords, but also to develop the crucial 3-way connection between ear, musical memory and structure (chord structure in the case of this Prelude). I bet JSB was a sly old fox when it came to getting his students to use as many of their brain functions as possible.
It'd be nice to have this harmony analyzed with functions (tonic, dominant, etc). Even with Roman numerals. It's even more interesting to see the connections in between the chords, the pivot chords, the modulations, and more.
Your love of music is clearly evident in all your tutorials but esp. so in this one. What a delightful intro to a brilliant work! I've never attempted classical music but I'm looking forward to sitting at the keyboard and reveling in these chords. BTW, are you familiar with the Netherlands Bach Society's "All of Bach" videos? They are some of the best video performances ever recorded.
Thank you for introducing me to the Netherlands Bach Society's "All of Bach" videos. What a treasure trove! I will certainly be visiting this channel often. I played a lot of Bach during my years of classical training, and there's nothing like playing Bach to help keep your fingers in shape!
@@athomewithmusic8698 - Yes, "keeping those fingers in shape". For me it was playing Charlie Parker lines [saxophone, linear] on guitar. And as such, I subsequently concur with @danielo 174's post on the usefulness of "chord symbols and roman numeral analysis" in your great explanation. Thanks.
He set it up beautifully. Until then it is light and airy, and then it touches deep in your soul. He was always creating maximum emotional effect. Puts a lump in your throat
