I get asked these questions a lot, and I though I'd answer them. 1 - I made something up that I don't understand, is that cool? 2 - Why do you always teach things in random keys? That's so dumb. 3 - Is a scale the same thing as a key?
Hello Micheal New! I teach "Intro To Jazz Theory" at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA, and I love the way you explain this. You are an awesome teacher, thank you for posting this! I'm going to share this with the students in my class!
My calc teacher always made a point to not always give us problems in the form y=f(x). Sometimes it'd be x(t), g(x) or i(t) or whatever. It's so that we wouldn't get stuck in in easy pattern, like you're saying. When you get into physics and engineering, equations aren't usually y as a function of x. It's usually stuff like distance as a function of time or current as a function of voltage or some such. It's important to be able to think in more than one mode.
I hate it when teachers/professors do that. Just because their subject is something they have personal interest in and may have pursued outside of class doesn't mean that it is for the students. Chemistry is cool and everything, but it's not something I have much interest in outside of the classroom. The reason I'm there is because I lack knowledge in the subject and am seeking to learn about it from someone who knows their way around. Not everyone who takes a chem class wants to be a chemist or has the curiosity, time or desire to do a lot of digging around to find extra stuff. There are almost certainly people who are struggling to grasp the baseline concept. Why make their lives even harder by acting like "Oh, you don't spend your entire life reading about chemistry? Why are you even here?"
Aw man, lucky! I went to one of the LA Shows and they had an after event to go to unfortunately so I didn't get to meet them. Glad to hear he uses the same method I do lol
C Major isn't bad, it's just a piano happens to be visually locked to C Major (as well as A minor), which can confuse a lot of beginners. All chords have multiple names because you can set each note of the chord as the root. Take an open G major chord on a guitar for example. It's also a Bm(#5)/G and a Dsus4add13(no5)/G. We just call it a G chord for ease and because we are more familiar to the sound of standard major chords.
@@oysteinsoreide4323 That is not true. It is definately harder to suddenly have to find a black key in the middle of a song (or a white key if you're playing a pentatonic scale).
Your videos are incredible. It's like you entered my mind and found the deepest musical philosophies and questions I've grappled with for years and couldn't find the "answers" to no matter where I turned or who I asked. You have a very special ability and talent. Please never stop.
I'm always fascinated by these kinds of questions. I find it hard to imagine the mind of someone who would ask "I played a chord and I don't know the name of it; should I just not use it?", who would seriously anticipate an answer of "no, you should never use it", and who would then stop using it thereafter. Not just one person, but enough different people that you actually had to address it as an FAQ.
Doing arpeggios are more difficult when it only involves the white keys, since there are no "mapping" for where you are going. This is especially difficult for marimba players. eg. C maj, G maj etc. So I think getting use to keys involving black keys are essential if you are going to compose or arrange a piece.
I've seen quite a few posts from piano players about this and it's weird because I find the opposite harder. The C and G keys always seem to stand out for me and allow me to easily map anything in C. When playing in other keys I'm always having to remember where the keys are and keep hitting bum notes.
On a small scale everything you can come up with (in the field of tonal music) falls under certain theory concepts or rules. Of course there are different traditions and genres of music and something common in one could be seen as peculiar or original in the other. It's a matter of combining, structuring and composing the musical elements that brings interest, not necessarily inventing new concepts and sounds. In any case the more you know about how and why things work, the mechanisms behind music, the better and deeper understanding you will get out of it, it's capabilities and it's universe, which gives you a definite control over the phenomenon called music.
this video was the breakthrough I needed last year. "just because you don't know it, doesn't mean there isn't a name for it" this statement led me to start studying what makes each chord what it is. now I have virtually no trouble identifying any chords whatsoever. :)
Thank you so much for publishing this. The funny thing is that i am a basso buffo and tend to linger around C major and A minor but my favorite instrument is the 6/6 cross harp which has whole note scales on each side of the string x. So the fingerings are the same shape in each key, just you have to get off on the right starting place.
Thank you Michael for all of your awesome videos. I am an intermediate guitar player, and I find your piano lessons more educational than most guitar lessons I've had in the past (albeit, not many). Thank you!
Scale vs Key: Key is what you hear as "tonic" or "do", as well as a sound (major vs all forms of minor). A scale could be a lot of different things. You could play a G pentatonic scale in the key of C for instance.
lol. Just found you today. Love your videos. I have cleared up a few confusing issues lingering around my brain -- in less than an hour... oh... and I'm in my senior year in college, about to graduate with a BM in commercial composition and arranging.
Addition to number 3: a note can be in a key that isn't necessarily in a scale. For example: F♯ isn't in the C major scale, but it can be in a song played in C major. Transposed to C♯ major, the note becomes an F double sharp, or F𝄪. Chopin uses them in his Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, for example.
I think theory is best illustrated in C. Some of us are guitar players - not keyboard players. We don't care about the color of the piano keys. We care about the idea of the notes, 1st, 4ths, 5ths, etc
So true. Because the concept of chord building and scale is not based on white or black key. But rather on whole steps and half steps; on major and minor seconds or thirds; on fourths and so on ...... Thank you so much
The difference between scale and key? Well, a scale is just a collection of notes. A key is a bigger concept. A key has a tonic - the note that everything is centered around. A key gives all the 12 notes their functions. What I mean with this is that in the key of G, a B note sounds completely different than in the key of C. But B in the key of G sounds the same as E in the key of C. This is because the notes have the same function - they are both major thirds when compared to the tonic. Also, you can be in the key of G major, but the scale you use is not necessarily the G major scale. For example you could use the D altered scale over a D7 (that resolves to G major), and you would still be in the key of G major. Key is about harmony. In a key you feel certain kind of pull (created by harmony) towards the tonic. What that tonic is is what defines the key. It really doesn't matter what the other notes are. As long as your tonic is G, you are in the key of G. Whether it's major or minor is about the tonic triad - if the tonic triad is major, you are in a major key and if it's minor, you are in a minor key. So a key doesn't necessarily use only the 7 notes in the "key scale" (for example G major scale if we are in the key of G major). A lot of songs use a lot of chromatics but they still have a clear tonic. And key is all about the tonic.
Which pitches are noted might be important especially when you initiate a C# or f natural cause you could effect modulation to a nearby key change. Also, what idea do you reference by altered D? I got lost there. I say this cause even thought. D7 is a D7...it's still the dominant of the key so it could expectedly resolve if you follow the rule.
I.C. P D altered scale is a scale that you can use over dominant chords. It's a common choice for dominant chords with a flat or a sharp 5. The notes of the altered scale in relation to the chord are root, b9, #9, major 3rd, #11/b5, #5/b13 and b7. My overall point was that being in the key of D doesn't mean you need to use the notes in the D major scale. You are in the key of D as long as your tonic is D. Of course if you are in the key of D major, most of the notes that you will use are in the D major scale. But D major scale and D major key are a bit different things. My whole point was explaining what makes the D major key and the D major scale different. Scale and key are just different concepts.
Dude your videos are awesome! I love how in depth you are with all your topics. Music Theory is something I just started learning about, and it can be overwhelming. A lot of resources I find just don't cut it for me. But yours are pretty much the only videos I watch now. I appreciate all you do. Thanks so much!
A better explanation (in my opinion) for the difference between "keys" and "scales": A song in the KEY of G major is not necessarily restricted by the NOTES in a G major SCALE. By incorporating musical effects such as modal interchanges and tritone substitutions you can end up with a song that is in a specific KEY without being bound by the notes in that SCALE.
Michael, your method of explaining is Golden. You're my favorite ever. To the few who are complaining~ idk what to call them, since I'm not that exceptionally smart so they... may be worse~ you're explaining things beyond perfectly. C Maj is a hard example since it's a very isolated key~ it's deceptively simple but it's like 1st Grade, if you use it as an example, it will be difficult to apply it to other chords/notes and it'll be tough for us to advance unless there's someone like you to clarify using other chords, and explain it in a way that beats my 4-years of learning music from various sources.. school, professional pianists, books, even my dad 😶. Thank you. You're one in a billion. Honestly.
I always laughed at myself when I got frustrated at you for using stuff other than C major. I knew why you were doing it, and even if you were doing it without intent I still knew that you did it the right way because of the pitfalls that come with C major.
At first I thought this video was going to be ragging on the C major chord and I was like "what?" But once I actually watched it, I totally agree regarding the key of C as an easy pattern which lures keyboardists (including myself) into using it too often.
I think i get it. as a self thought piano amateur i've noticed that i love playing jazzy music on the E note, as it has 2 black notes that sound ABSOLUTELY awesome, so i learned to perfection all the notes in that jazzy scale on E and now i can just freestyle back and forth and it sounds amazing, way better than A or C. Can't believe i'm actually talking about keys now, wow, never thought i'd make it so far, but BY GOD am i happy with what i've learned.
Michael you r da bomb!!!! I am always so very thankful that you don't you don't use The note, key or any form the C chords as examples. It's like this tutorial I looked up on an Evanescence song that I wanted to learn & I found it to be wonderful because the teacher just simply played the piece & listed the chords to be used throughout the song & she didn't talk because it was unnecessary. I read some of the scathingly horrible comments & I felt really annoyed & put my own comment down. I preceded to say : I don't understand the lack of respect in theses negative comments because at this stage of the game, (as the song was difficult & in the key of Cmin), it should be like copying someone else's homework because you're too lazy to figure it out yourself. This kind soul has provided you with instructions - be. Kind You are the MOZART of teachers Michael & my appreciation for your gift of knowledge is huge, thanks again:D
I've been tinkering about with music on keyboards for years but I've nearly always reverted to CMaj purely because it IS easy - held me back no end. If I'd had THESE videos 20 or 30 years ago I could have been a global superstar by now ! (Anyone think of a recent pop song written PURELY in CMaj with no key changes etc? - that's a rhetorical question by the way lol) I'm just starting again (at the tender age of 51) on an alto saxophone and decided I really ought to be able to read music...which made me think of music theory...which led me here...to Michael's music theory playlist...which although it (so far) hasn't taught me how to read music, has captivated me in a hundred different ways and has re-ignited my passion to play! (In a different key to CMaj lol) BTW I decided to learn the saxophone as part of my pension plan - I haven't invested so I'm going to have to do some gigging to make ends meet, lol Good work Michael, I hope that whatever you're doing now is paying well - you most certainly deserve it!
Dude seriously, your videos are some serious shit ! You're explanation are clear as crystal. Thanks for sharing and carry on please. World of music needs you ! ;)
Some music actually is in a scale rather than a key. The most common is Indian classical music. If you look at a standard raga in written form, Instead of a key signature, you might see a two-octave scale indicating the notes you'll be improvising on, with some passing tones allowed. In the standard performance form, you'll hear the soloist slowly introduce the scale tones in the beginning of the piece over a drone (root & 5th) that never changes.
To use your words, if you ask, "what are the notes in a G major scale?", then an equivalent question would be, "what are the chords in the key of G major?" A scale describes the material out of which to build melodic progressions and a key describes the material out of which to build harmonic progressions.
I generally agree that intervals are more vital to understanding chord relations, especially in something like PC set notation. My contention with the idea that C major is "bad" comes from teaching chord spellings, in particular where enharmonic equivalency can become confusing to beginners. It also seems to me that modes are easier to teach in C given the visual representation on piano, and the lack of accidentals as they relate to the respective key signatures.
Doing something in one key is exactly the same as doing it in any other. Your start point reference is just in a different place but the distance that separates everything from each other once that first reference point is placed is exactly the same. Music is really, really, really, really, really easy. Piano took me 15 minutes because it's so much less abstract than the guitar and even that is absurdly easy. I find stuff like flutes and trumpet really hard but only for the mouth part, not the music - the music never changes no matter what key you put it in, what instrument you play it on Keys and strings are just the easiest manipulators but 'music' is built into all humans from birth onward. It couldn't be easier.
This is a good video. I don't know what's wrong with the comment section today, but people seem to think that just because they're online they're anonymous, and therefore can be unnecessarily rude. If the content is good, then leave a nice comment. If not, respectfully tell them why, or just click on a video you're actually interested in. Don't harass people that are exposing themselves just to help you.
points well stated regarding how 'easy' the C 'Scale' might 'look' at first glance because all notes are of the same color ... but *playing* in the C "Key" is not as easy really! in fact, i personally find it more difficult improvising in the C Key than in other Keys where more 'black' notes are available too, which make it kind of easier to play in those Keys due to the visual appearance of the Scales! ; - ) by the same token, the A Scale might look easy at first but is not as easy to play in the A Key as it looks as a Scale ...
I think that's a good habit, that'll help some people for sure. Appreciate a lot what you are doing, man. Your videos have motivated me to finally get the grips with basic theory and instead of getting scared on page 15 of some music theory book (been there, done that) - understand the logic and mechanics of things. Still a lot to keep in my head and I keep forgetting stuff, but at least i know that i can get back to one of previous videos and refresh it. All that left is just a lot of practicing. I'm actually not even playing music anymore but still curious of how it works. Keep up a great job!
Simon O Ha, sure thing. Books are inherently flawed, because 1) they have to show you everything through notation, which is painful and slow to read, and 2) you can't hear anything. Not surprised you had trouble; so did I. Really glad to hear I've been able to help. Hope you get around to practicing some day :)
Thanks for this video and all of your other great lessons. I would love to see you make a lesson explaining how chords that are outside of the key of the song can work in a progression. This seems to be something that happens a lot and it has always been a mystery to me. For instance, how can a progression have both a Cmaj and a Cm chord in it? I understand that jazz progressions often change key but I don't think that's the answer. In Radiohead's Creep, how does the Bmaj chord sound good when the song is in Gmaj? How do these non-diatonic chords work? Thanks again
A song being in the key of G, really means that it can utilize all the notes and chords of that scale but can also utilize any cross-related, side-related chord and sale material that chromatically relates back to G. For instance it might be centered around G but have a IVm chord where the melodic minor scale based off the 4th is related, you might have a bVII9 chord where the exact same melodic minor scale is used, the one based off of the 4th. You might have an altered V7 chord where (in C) G Super Locrian (AKA Ab Melodic Minor) relates. But all off that chromatic material is designed to push and pull us toward a resolve to G. That's what it means to be in a key. You can write a song entirely within a scale (all too common) and it's still in that key. It's just kind of...in black and white, so to speak. I think the stupid thing is that we aren't supposed to say that we've written a song in the key of A Dorian. Somehow, only major and minor modes are allowed to be called their own keys. So a song that's clearly Dorian mode based with a Im7, a IV or IV7, a Vm7, etc, we're expected to pretend that it's based on the A Minor scale and say that it's in the key of A minor but has some weird chromatic stuff going on with the chords. EVEN IF it's totally diatonic to A Dorian. It's because people are slackers and don't want to actually learn all of the relevant modal relations. It's a shame because it's a very clear and easy picture to understand once learned. Great video, by the way. Keep up the good work.
Well that’s not exactly useful right? I could write something in G, use all sorts of various scales centered around that and it’s not going to be particularly useful information to other musicians that I’m “in G”
Hi Michael In that first given example with G chords, I do understand that in the first chord examples, the last one has all the elements of an Em, but if I wanted the root to be G, and included the note E, wouldn't this just equate to a G6?
C-major may seem simplistic, unimaginative, or rut-like, but it sounds beautiful and many great songs are in C-major. Also if properly studied, C-major can be like an easy pattern for learning the other majors/scales/keys.
"There is no theory. You have only to listen. Pleasure is the law. I love music passionately. And because l love it, I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it. It is a free art gushing forth, an open-air art boundless as the elements, the wind, the sky, the sea. It must never be shut in and become an academic art." Claude Debussy. Debussy and Michael are right. Theory doesn't confine you. If you're doing it right, theory should free you and allow you to express yourself more adequately.
let's do a few comparaisons. 1. C major sounds "easy" cause the "white white white white white white white" stuff. ok, i get it. piece of cake, there's a guitar, have fun. or a violin, or a flute, that only AND ONLY works for a piano dude. which is fine since you're talking for a piano, but you're focusing it "wrong" cause music is not "piano". if you don't want people to focus on "white white white" you should clarificate that in the Major Chord explaining what is an interval. I - Tonic (base) II - SuperTonic ( 1 tone difference) III- Mediant ( basically 1 tone difference for Major and 1/2 tone for minor (most probably natural) IV- Subsominant (basically 1/2 tone for Major Chord) and 1 tone for Minor (most probably natural) ... and you will make sure no one enrages cause the "extra difficulty that feels that you add" and they get the difference. 2. (imagine i give you a sword) there's a sword. you move your arm up and down swinging it (white white white comparation). now go there and beat Miyamoto Musashi (probably the best swordmaster of the history of japan) (this is over doing it difficult which is what does it feel)
Almost every chord can be chopped up to being some extension and inversion of a cmajor13 chord, unless it’s a non-chord tone, in which case we just call it jazz
That first inversion E minor chord (G, B, E)that you said isn't a G chord, is. It's a G6 chord. Think of a ii-V-I progression that ends in that chord (Amin-D7-G6)... sure sounds like a G chord to me.
You don't know what clickbait is. Look at the word "bait." It's a tool used to attract fishes. And what's so special about this bait? The fact that it looks like food but it really isn't. There's not much significant difference between clickbait and real bait. In short, a clickbait is a misleading title and thumbnail used to attract attention.
Ha ha, you'd probably hate me because my method is the exact opposite to yours - I've been playing keyboard for 30 years and I have only ever played in C major and A minor! Though I should point out why - I'm not interested in learning music theory, or performing, I am just a composer and that's all I want to do. So for me it has been invaluable to remain in the same key my whole life because it means I have 12 times as much experience of my key than people who spread their experience out across 12 keys. It also helps me visualize chords and sequences better since everything is oriented around the same physical notes. Well, you might disagree with my technique but I am very happy with it - I love my own music more than anyone else's. :)
Reading the title I thought this was gonna be about how C Major is bad for composition, I thought I was going to hate it but turns out I was wrong good video man
As a programmer I'd say a Key is a kind of a wrapper object that contains a Scale and other stuff. The scale is of course the set of notes in their order from the root up. It's general. Your comment "play a key" makes no sense, but "play all the notes that are in the key of ___" does make sense, and in which case, you could just define "__ scale" as "all the notes in the key of ___".
Hey man, I found this very interesting. I'm a casual musician, self taught, don't know how to read music. I found this quite easy to grasp. I've always wanted a channel like this, well suited to music theory discussion but not in hard terms that I cant grasp. I like to turn on my keyboard and just jam to whatever sometimes, or look at tutorials on how to do video game piano covers. Somehow by doing this, I learned how to compose simple things, but I don't know how to make myself be better. The theories in this channel are nice. I'm gonna sub to see more.
awesome video as usual Michael. I've watched all your vids and they have been the best I've found on youtube. is there anyone else you or anyone else would recommend that teaches music theory and keyboards/piano on youtube? understand if you don't want to send traffic to other channels but i'm hungry to learn! ;)
Jody Clark No, I don't mind at all, although I'm not that familiar with the other YT teachers. Here's the only two suggestions I can come up with: Paul Barton is really fantastic, but he's very advanced and most of his lessons revolve around classical music performance. So that may or may not be a good fit for you. Karen Ramirez has some very approachable and entertaining lessons, but, in my opinion, she tends to oversimplify a bit. So she's great to watch, but I'd make sure that she isn't you only source. Honestly if you find anyone you really like let me know. Part of the reason I started doing these kind of videos in the first place was because I thought YT had a serious lack of good music theory instruction. But that was a long time ago, and I'm sure that's changed at least to some degree.
Thanks for the speedy and helpful reply! I'll check those suggestions out and if i find anyone that seems good (in my limited experience) i'll be sure to let you know. Keep up the good work mate! :)
No see, I have two keyboards. The tiny one you see here, and a giant one that I can’t fit into the camera frame. I what I need is a medium-er keyboard.
re "random keys", i do gilbert and sullivan and for some reason sullivan had a Thing for EbMaj in his music, at least with gilbert so i basically just think in EbMaj these days
I've been playing piano for over 2 years and I always play in Bb or Eb when i'm just playing randomly, I rarely go to the sharps as i'm not as used to it
No. The chord at 2:00 IS mostly G. G 13 or 6 to be precise. The way you can reverse it does not matter. The bass matter to determine the chord. If you play a bass of G while playing this chord, it will definetly sound G 13. If you play a bass of E, it will sound E minor. Proof of concept: in jazz band the piano almost never play the tonic and the Fifth in chords, because there is always the bass, giving to the musicians and the public the key of the current chord. No need to play the 5 and the 1 on top of that.
Chords only rely on three notes (or more), and that is it. I can play the lowest E-flat and the highest C and the G below that, and it is still a C-minor chord. Likewise with F-G-D-B, being G7.
I respect your point of view, but the way it sounds is more important than the theory from my point, and for a lot of non-classic improvisers. CF voicings in Jazz.
I'd have to disagree with you, as I can distinctly hear the E-minor. I think viewing the chord as a G 13 minus three other notes and the 13th dropped an octave would be taking an unnecessarily harder route. But then again I'm looking at it from a classical perspective and not a jazz one.
