Why C major and A minor are Not the Same 

Your videos sum up four years of basic theory in about two hours, which blows my mind Thanks

Wish my music teacher explained it to me like this about 10 years ago.

Just stumbled across this video and I'm so glad I did.. I have been playing guitar for more than 50 years.. entirely by ear... I have been blessed with the ability to solve just about any mechanical problem ever confronts me.. I love math because of how it all works on a mutli-dimensional level, and never breaks the rules.. I have always been able to design things to solve problems for people, because I am able to visualize the problem and the solution in my mind... But music.. music has been an enigma to me.. Not so much in playing, but understanding what I'm playing and why.. The concept of minors and majors (and modes) has baffled me.. Because I know that music is mathematical... It's physics... So I could never understand the relationships in the circle of fifths, why modes are the same notes just stacked along the fretboard, but somehow sound completely different.. As a result, I couldn't 'use' any of that knowledge.. It made no sense.. In fact, the way I learned to solo was by trying to learn about modes.. I wanted those dark and exotic sounds in my playing that I heard all the greats do.. But I never could understand how all these things stacked together.. So I heard "Oh, this guy plays in dorian mode, and this guy plays in phrygian mode" So I set out to learn those modes.. But they were just patterns that I quickly discovered that if you leanred them all and how they overlapped, you could move up and down the fretboard and stay in key.. Over time, they became second nature, and I could fly all over the fretboard with ease, but I still wasn't getting those exotic sounds.. I was basically just playing major scales all over the fretboard.. I also 'sorta' learned that you could move the same patterns on some songs four frets or whatever and now be playing in minor over the major or something like that.. I had no clue... I've been searching high and low for several years now trying to unlock this mystery relationship between major, minor, and the modes.. I play much of this stuff, but have no idea what I'm doing.. But you my friend, just revealed something very very important, that I think will finally unlock all of this for me... Having a mathematical visualizing the problem mind, I always thought that theory was about exactly that.. mathematical relationships, and unfortunately, music is often taught exactly that way... For many if not most who are not 'blessed' (sarcasm here) in the same way as I am, this might not be an issue as they aren't naturally looking at it all as an engineer would, but rather they're just accepting things at face value.. But 'you' just pointed out something very critical to me that I had never considered before... The difference between all of these modes and relationships is not just mathematical (at least not primarily), but 'emotional' It's about 'perception' .. not pure math/reality... I know this is kind of long (I tend to do that), but I just wanted to say thanks, because 'finally' something just 'clicked'.. I've been looking for that 'click' for a very long time, and now I feel I might be on the verge of finally being able to 'visualize' it all in my mind, and finally understand the 'relationships'... I have never been one who was content to just 'monkey see, monkey do' things.. I always want to know 'why' because that's how I build my own stuff... my own way... Anyway, I rarely comment on anything on RU-vid, and I guess I've been storing it up because I just wrote a novel.. LMAO.. So thanks for the new way of looking at things... Now that I understand it's just a trick of the mind, that it's about 'emphasis,' I have a way of moving forward.. Why weren't you around 4 decades ago??? Subscribed! Gonna go see what else you got out there... Finally a teacher that has the answers to my questions, instead of answers to all the questions I never asked... I'm kinda excited right now... I knew it had to be something simple that was standing between me and the truth.. Awesome!

wonderful that he added the psycho-acoustical aspects of the keys. Yes the brain is adaptive, and our hearing locks onto the base note of the key. a fascinating aspect that explains what otherwise would seem quite arbitrary

I know this is five years ago... But man I have devoured these videos. I have been playing guitar (poorly) for a decade. From the beginning I have played this chord progression with finger picking that is moody and interesting. I have developed it and worked on it literally for a decade but just couldn't find where to go to expand it. I want to listen to more of this music but the only way to get it is to make it. These videos have really given me the tools and knowledge to do that. Thank you. Alot. Thank you for making this accessible. It will literally change my life.

Thanks man I'm still figuring out the music theory part of music making and this was very helpful.

A key is a "relationship" of notes. Two keys may share the same notes, but that doesn't mean the relationships between the notes are the same for those keys. Your mom might also be a family member to me. But that doesn't mean she is also my mom. Same person - different relationship.

This is super interesting, and you talk about it so clear. Thanks man, you rock!

2:55 Joke's on you, I counted "1 2 3" in 4/4 time without even thinking about it: "1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3"

it took me so long to unterstand this concept, i wish i had this video back then. your explanation is very very clear and well thought out. i loved the introduction with the whole tone scale

You explained something in 10 minutes in a way I can understand it after learning it for years. Especially comparing the wholetone scale was really insightful.

thank god I just watched this video. this maybe so simple but surprisingly they never seem to talk about this in music classes. The amount of time I've wasted trying to figure out what scale I'm actually playing in! Turns out I'm using these notes but treating some other note as the tonic.

Always great material here!, keep it up!

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It is the clearest articulation of an issue I've wrestled with for ages - finally it makes sense, and has put in place for me several other pieces of the music theory jigsaw at the same time! Billiant. Thanks!

Thank you Michael so very much for this video! I've been trying to wrap my head around modes for the last couple months, and this was the the most helpful video I have seen thus far.

Your lesson on modes helped me understand this - the notes are the same, but the intervals between the tones changes, for instance 7-8th being a whole tone in Am instead of a half tone as in C. That idea of the “instructions” you explained in the video was immensely valuable and explains everything better than anywhere I’ve ever found.

great stuff man! Im trying to expand my songs. Im self taught and watching your videos really helps me to tie it in all together so it makes a perfect harmony of knowledge! Thanks man!

As a music major who has studied music theory for 2 years ago far, I gotta say, good job!

By jove I think I have it! Let's make two cakes. You will need Butter, Flour, Sugar, Eggs, and Vanilla. The First Cake. If I emphasize the use of Butter, I may end up with a Pound Cake. Second Cake. In this cake I don't use as much Butter previously, but instead choose to use a lot more Vanilla, the result is a Vanilla Cake. Thus, I got two cakes using the SAME ingredients, but varied the proportions to get two very different tasting cakes. One was in the major key of Butter, and the other was in a minor key of Vanilla. I could even make Sugar my tonal or "tasting" center and get yet another different tasting cake, all from the "same scale." I guess the moral of the story here is that although the C Major scale and the A Minor scale have the same "ingredients," they are cooked with different recipes which yields different results. C Major scale as the name would imply is made with a cup of C, and teaspoon of A, while A Minor scale is made with a cup of A and a teaspoon of C. These latter scales however, are a lot less fattening than the above!

Lots of stagnant years on piano (24-29) but people like you are helping end the rut. Can't wait to play with this more when I'm off work. Thank you!

hi there professor. i just wanted to thank you for all your videos and i'm just saying that i will watch all of them my whole life from now on. thanks again... wait for more!~ /cheers

I just had this question arise this week while playing in A minor and felt this differences in perception. Thank you so much for this explanation it really helped me understand better what was happening. My best wishes :)

This is, by far, the best explanation of music theory I have ever heard! Good job, keep going and tnx!

This is so informative, it solved some of my major confusions about music. Thanks a lot

This is an excellent way to explain many basic notions in music theory because it explains it all on the basis of patterns, rather than just presenting names to memorize and relating everything to chord forms and piano.

I love you videos. I listen to them a lot and your voice is so soothing that I can put them on when I go to sleep.

I really appreciate all of your work Michael. Thank you for your guidance.

I have to explain this to people all the time. Good video mate.

Excellent! I've watched 2 of your videos so far and I think I learned more from them than I did watching a month's worth of other videos on RU-vid. Thank You!

You explained all this really well Michael.Thanks a lot.

Basically, what I am understanding is that music is in the ear of the listener - it is in the hearing. Just like colours are in the human mind, which is built from the eye to the brain to perceive or even invent colours and their relationships to one another, so is music. They are frequencies - vibrations - that in themselves have no qualities and relations, but the mind perceives them as colours and notes that combine and distinguish themselves in different patterns and aesthetic relations. We all perceive individually, yet we share the common perception. We perceive music out of sound frequencies. The octave is a conception of the mind, and the modes are relations of notes in the mind via the ear and the brain using that range. We self-identify with certain genres or families of music as our cultural identity, and we distinguish ourselves from other genres or families of music. Music through our perception and tribe becomes our identify. With music comes rhythm, and with rhythm movement and dance, to which we add colours, symbols and clothing. Humanity is a cultural collection of different dance choirs moving in their own circles around their family fires to their own language and song, drifting part and colliding and merging together.

I only just started watching your videos and so far, I think you are doing great . I'm not here to judge you or the way you explain things , I'm here to learn as much about music as I can . I studied theory when I was learning to play guitar (30'plus years ago), and never really understood what it was about . I believe everyone should have some knowledge of theory to apply to any instrument that you are playing and also for playing with others. Keep up the good work Michael and thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Thank you!! Like all video's of you I've seen this was super helpful and really clear. You're my new favorite music theory teacher. Gonna bingewatch the entire music theory playlist now :)

You explain this stuff better than anyone else I've seen on RU-vid. Keep it up.

This is incredibly useful! I have sung Alto voice in choirs all my life, but really do not know my music theory. The 5 years of violin when I was really young - that music leaning for some reason did not stick. I held on to the bare basics, and then I started wanting to learn basic music theory all over again, and landed on your video, this one in particular. You answer the question super well!! Thank-you 🙂

Great explanation! This is the only video I found explaining "why A minor when there's already C major", while most videos are demonstrating how to infer minor scale notes from major scale notes (which made no sense to me until this video). Thank you.

Really useful stuff, man. Great delivery. Keep it up.

OMG!! That was SO helpful!! I am a beginner piano player and some of this music theory I find interesting, but it can be very confusing. UNTIL I saw your video! That was, by FAR the best, most easily understood explanation. Thank you so much!

thank you for the great explanation! what was half expecting was that it would also have to do with somehow the relationships with 1,3,7 or something

Amazing. Your videos are very easy to understand because of how clearly you convey your thoughts. I now know why C major and A minor are different despite having the same notes.

Thanks, Michael, this has helped me understand more scales and modes. Yes, like many people I had concluded that modes were just the same as the major/Ionian but just starting from a different note, which has some truth but is not the whole picture obviously.

Love your videos. You do a fantastic job in the way you explain theory.

Sometimes there's a confusion between those eg. A minor vs C Major. But sometimes a song/piece is obvious that it's a minor or otherwise.

Harmoninic minor is so beautiful. Self teached rocking guitar for years and understanding and making use of it opend a whole new world

thank you michael! i love your videos because you explain very well how the music should feel!

Your approach, explanations, examples and presentation is excellent. Keep it coming as it has helped me a lot. I refer people to your vids a lot. Thanks very much for sharing your hard work. Cheers from Canada!

Wow impressive. Straight to the point, easy to understand. Always wondered why there's a relative minor when all the notes where the same. Good job

Such a clear presentation of the concepts.. well done

This was really awesome! I can FINALLY understand modes. Thanks so much!

One of your best vids (so far), I learnt LOADS. Thank you! :)

Thanks for this and for the question itself. I wondered about that myself, but had not actually put it into words. Like getting the answer to a question you didn’t know you could ask.

Thank you so much for helping me get through Music Theory AP! You’re a great teacher!

I'm just starting to watch this one, but wanna say, I love your videos! and thank you for your time!

''Haters will see you walk on water and say it's because you can't swim.'' - Absolutely Excellent Explanation and Presentation.

Great quality stuff. Thanks for such good content!

Incredibly clear explanation. Thank you. Much appreciated.

I like the way you articulated the difference by relating it to counting with the metronome. I'll keep that in mind moving forward.

Thank you Michael for these brilliant explanations...the manner in-which you produce these videos with clarity and simplicity, whilst also providing a high level of detail and depth is, for me, a highly rewarding learning experience... 👍👍👍

RU-vid suggestions aren't that bad! I had this same question this morning and it was hard to find a good answer for it when i googled. Now when i am visiting RU-vid just to test if my headphones are working, i found this video and i couldn't resist but to watch it. Really helpful, thank you! :)

Thank you. I'm a fan of your videos, and you really help clear out simple misunderstandings that I have with theories.

Thanks for your lessons, I got totally understand what it's going, like specific scale vs floating feeling mood.

This video chnged my life thank you Michael New

Dude really thanks! You've answered a question for many years I've been looking for

Great video, always great info and easy to understand.

This is the explanation I've been looking for! Cheers!

the best music lesson I ever had in my whole life. .. thanks a lot. please keep uploading more videos . . thank you so much my friend

GREAT JOB, KEEP IT UP! Thanks god with gifts like yours, who put it to good use.

Great video! Loved learning about the whole tonic scale.

A really simple but elegant explanation of tonal centre - thanks very much.

Thanks man. It's amazing how much I've learned from your videos.

That was amazing. You are a born teacher. Thank you so much. More power to your elbow. .as we say in the UK!

Duuuude, what a video! Veeery eye-opening for me, thanks a lot!

Dude, that just blew my mind. You're awesome!

Excellent! Thank you for your help. This was exactly explained the way I had hoped. Very helpful. It was so hard to find a simple and effective answer to this question.

This is amazing! Your video has answered and explained so many of my sticking points. Why can’t other music “teachers” explain so well? I’ve struggled to understand Modes for years and you have done a better job of explaining it, almost as a side note. I think one of the problems with other “music teachers” is that they know a lot of things and they assume that other people know them because to them it’s self evident, or they deliberately use terms to show off their knowledge and feel superior because they know the learners don’t know it. Great work man. Keep it up. Thank you. 👍🏻

Thanks for doing these videos, really appreciate them :)

Very very very interesting and your teaching of music is just the best.Thanks for the time you take....it's greatly appreciated.

Wow thank you! I’m glad that you get straight to the point and really easy to understand !!

fantastic video man. Glad I found it now. Thanks.

Thank you,this made mode identification a lot easier to understand.

hi micheal, i'm writing from Italy and i want to tell you that your way to explain music theory is very very clear and i like it a lot. I know almost everything you explained in your videos, but you make it more comprehensible and i found new inspiration watching your clips. like someone other said before i'd like to hear something more about chords progression and making songs in general. i will be also very pleased to know how and when to use different scales in composition or improvisation: something like pentatonic, blues scale, whole tone scale and diminished ones. thank you again and greetings from Italy! ;-)

Incredibly helpful nugget of a video this!

I've been asking myself this question for so long. Watching this video feels like an itch being scratched. Thank you!!

Hey man. Your videos have helped me out SO DAMN MUCH. You're a great teacher.

Very informative video that I stumbled upon by searching "how to tell Am from C" in confirming the key of one of my own songs! I think I got my answer! Thank you, and I subscribed!

Great question and superb answer. You have a gift for explaining things concisely.

This was insanely useful, thank you. I've been struggling for weeks now with what the heck the difference is between C major and a minor. Like A major and a minor? No problem! But using the same notes, it made no sense at all. You finally explained this in a way where it all falls into place, so thank you a thousand times over.

My goodness, this teacher is so good, why didn't I find you before? Loved your videos, congratulations and keep the good job

Crystal clear explanation.Thanks so much.

I've just got a keyboard for Christiams and this is one of the best video's on music therory I've seen. Thank you very much!

Excellent video, finally feel like I understand the difference between a Major and its relative minor key!

Superb. Thank you Michael.

Just wanna let you know. I'm your newest no1 fan. Please don't stop making videos. You explain so clearly i can't believe you're not making a fortune out of this. Cheers from Thailand.

you are a kick ass teacher. you make everything accessible without making it sound like it was made for toddlers.

You explain things very well. Thank you!

Very informative and helpful! Thanks for your work

That’s so interesting, when he played the Whole Tone scale my mind immediately went to a scene in a campy movie where a character transformed into some magical creature. Music is neat.

man you are the teacher I need right now. I can play but I do not understand the WHY. you have a damn good understanding and conveying power. carry on! :D

Thanks for the explanation. Closer to mastery than before I heard your video.

Another great video! Subscribed! 👏👍