Composition 103: Mediant Chords

[@TonyThomas10000]

We wait for you because you are a really great instructor and provide great examples!

[@wingflanagan]

If no one has recommended his work, yet, I would like to put in a word for Alan Belkin. He is a retired professor of composition and an excellent composer, himself. He has a KZbin channel with lengthy, multipart videos on things like counterpoint and harmony, along with exercises and loads of examples. He wrote a very practical textbook on composition called _Musical Composition: Craft and Art,_ which focuses on a lot of things that composition books don't usually cover.

[@rgallitan]

I second the recommendation for Alan Belkin. His content is a lot drier than Anne's to be sure, but very enlightening and thorough. In a totally different vein I've also been getting a lot from Charles Cornell recently. It isn't exactly a composition channel really, more music appreciation, but his ability to drill down into what's happening and instantly reinterpret it on the piano makes each video a fun little snippet of score study.

[@yannschwab8816]

that's exactly what I was going to say. Alan Belkin's serie on counterpoint is the best that can be found on online videos. His other series are excellent too, but since Anne talks a lot about counterpoint on her ending message, it's the best place to start online. The other guy that everyone should know about regarding orchestration training is Thomas Goss, of course. He has done so much already, and is building such an amazing community on "orchestration online" ...

[@BirdYoumans]

I just found you a couple days ago but realized immediately that you are special. You have a gift for music, but you also have a gift for teaching. Yes, there are books, scores and tons of videos, but few distill it into a useable product so to speak like you do. I've known music theory for 50 or more years, but you bring a neat perspective to it. It's one thing to know what a "hammer and nail" are, but it's another thing to learn to be a carpenter. I've made a living in music all my life and the one thing I have learned above all is that, you never know all there is to know about music. Why? Because just like the infinite variations we can derive from twelve tones and rhythm, there are infinite ways to "look at" it. I went thru the number system in collage but did not fully grasp it's power until I saw Bernstein explain it one day in a 5 minute segment of one of his children's concert series that I just happened to catch one Sunday afternoon on PBS. Back then we only had a few stations we could get and no internet at all. But there was my life in music before that 5 minutes and there was my life in music after that. Bernstein was also not only a great composer/conductor, he was a great musicologist and teacher. In your own way, you have that same teaching skill that he had. I just want to encourage you to make as many of these as you can. You probably have no idea how important you will be to many "newbies" and us "old dogs" as well! You just have an incredible grasp of how to simplify what in a book would seem complicated. You are indeed special!

[@DraconisMusic]

Hey Anne, great content as usual! I'm not one of those who complained about something, in fact I am super grateful for what you're doing, but I will share my opinion about this topic, because I think it's a big problem for beginners: I can hear/feel when something is "off" in my compositions, but often enough I can't figure out what the actual problem is. Yes, in theory I could look it up somewhere (YT tutorial, book, online course etc.), but that assumes that I can name the problem... Thing is, when I don't even know that a certain "thing" or concept exists, I can't look it up and that's exactly where your videos come in very handy and are helpful. You not only introduce beginners to concepts they've never heard of, you also show them what it's actually about plus you show examples of how and why it's used. One huge mistake I see many beginners (including myself) do is they look up mixing tutorials for how to clean up their muddy mix, because they heard somewhere that it's probably a mixing problem, when in fact the problem can be the arrangement itself. Realizing that was an eye-opener for me and so I started to look up how to write better arrangements. But finding the problem was difficult, because as a beginner you don't even know what mistakes you're making...😅 All you have is this underlying feeling that something is wrong... The sheer mass of music education content that's available on YT today can be overwhelming for beginners and they can get lost quickly and start to confuse one problem with another and look up the "wrong" solution. At least that's my experience haha... Conclusion: I consider your videos to be of the best and most helpful in the field of music education/film scoring. And also your personality and the way you teach are very pleasant. That's probably what makes people wait for you to upload a new video. Please excuse the wall of text.. 😅 All the best, Chris

[@garysalyers7611]

I have only watched a few of your videos, but I have gotten TONS of information I “knew” but never heard explained like you do. Simply incredible information that makes hungry to compose! That’s rare for me. You have a gift!

[@gregwatkins5980]

Sometimes it is those simple, honest comments from a gifted artist that makes all the difference. Thank you for sharing not only your profound knowledge, but your delightful authenticity.

[@emmavandick1]

Hey Anne! You know, self-taught musicians currently use a lot this type of content. This video and your channel are a great find for me, thank you!

[@IgorMuller]

Thats the thing about being a good teacher, you teach something that is already a common knowledge but for some reason you do it very well and people follow you because of that. And you are a great teacher!

[@-KAIYULEE-]

This is actually very interesting. I’ll be incorporating this into my compositions. I appreciate these videos!

[@johnhoekstra8979]

I found myself mentally singing the opening phrase of “Dock of the Bay” to these progressions for some really interesting results! Thanks for the lesson!

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Ground Control to Major Tom ....

[@ferencercseyravasz7301]

You're right about the multitude of resources. But here's the thing: you explain these things way better and make things much clearer than most. I know, because I'm a teacher and one of the things I teach is Musical Illustration to Digital Media majors, that is students who normally have never really studied music. So I know how difficult it is to select the relevant information which they can understand and which will get them going (assuming that if they will decide that they need more, they can learn everything that I cannot possibly teach them about studio work and musical creation in the course of a short semester). So thank you, you really reinforce the idea that - as Kodaly put it - music belongs to everyone.

[@martifingers]

It's amazing how you present material so clearly without dumbing down. Perfectly judged delivery. Thank you.

[@BellXllebMusic]

Yesss this lesson taught me exactly what I've been wanting to learn but didn't know what it's called

[@duncanthompson957]

I’m a new AKD channel junkie! I’ve learnt so much, or rather gathered so much inspiration, in the last week of bingeing. Thank you so much! You’re great. Brilliant! Thank you.

[@jonasherzog4805]

Thank you so so much! I've been searching for such a long time to find a good video like this one!

[@paulstatezny4185]

I'm familiar with so many of these progressions but as a non-professional I wasn't aware they were encapsulated in the term "Mediant Chords". Thanks! Great stuff!

[@bookstuart]

Excellent overview! Danke Anne-Kathrin for the work you put in these videos.

[@jayhunthuntcreative]

You make it easy to listen and learn. We all appreciate your wisdom on this and it helps a lot.

[@adamsmiddy]

Yes! This is a great example of "Show Don't Tell". Love it. Can continually rewatch the vid for references. Thanks for putting it together.

[@juozasg]

Great series - thank you!!

[@marklarm]

Anne you are special treat. I love watching your videos because you DON'T cover typical mainstream material/concepts. I have a diploma in Jazz from 1992 and it's been ions since i've even thought about this topic when writing. It's just ingrained in me now. But i've enjoyed thoroughly listening to you cover this. It's rekindled my urge to explore this concept in my own writing - but actually THINK about it more in depth and with intention. Thank you VERY much for being you and NOT blending into the crowd out here on the interwebs. KUDOS!

[@Birdy8441]

I love Anne's videos. She is so bright and intelligent.

[@kaeleb1968]

Another informative video! We appreciate all that your do, Anne!

[@AeGeR97]

You have a very good point in the fact that there's so much information out there. It's hard not just to find what you're looking for, but also finding a source that can explain it so that you, the individual can digest it. I have utilized different sources on the same subject to come out with a new perspective each time . Also, sometimes, in our unguided journey, we stumble upon things that might be a few steps ahead of our understanding and don't realize it. It's easy to get discouraged. You're providing little guideposts. Thanks dude!

[@matswessling6600]

You are really inspirational! you make it simple!

[@J.SebastiánCollao]

I would like to highlight the example at minute 10:56 when he adds the sixth flat to the arpeggio, that resource added to the movement by thirds is instantaneous magic.

[@DJKennethA]

This is great. I always appreciate any information you impart from videos like this. It's really helpful to see and hear it in action. Thank you!

[@dannuttle9005]

Thanks for the addition to my musical toybox. I will have a lot of fun playing around with these ideas.

[@stewartkingsley]

Thanks for the Mediant Chords Appreciation video. Helps to be aware of things so that they become something that can be further investigated.

[@theparadoxist6514]

I have to say, you are utterly fantastic at taking compositional topics and making them relatable and approachable. Funny enough, I explored what I now understand to be mediant chords in my recent compositions without realizing it until you demonstrated it here! The music of Howard Shore and Ramin Djawadi are deeply ingrained into my musical palate, and I was so glad to see you bring up the Lord of the Rings soundtrack in the examples at the end. I now have a better understanding of this technique that I always loved the sound of, but never had a name to give it. All that to say, I find your videos highly relatable and you keep inspiring me to grow my music in new directions. Thank you so much for all you do!

[@freyatilly]

1st time here... Having learnt basic theory (plus history) its nice to have a fresh look at this. My tutor was so good at conveying the rudimentaries that it was like going leaps and bounds with ease. Well done Anne-Kathrine for such a clear easy to follow mini class.

[@jaseyn]

I guess most of the people here are exatly the ones who watched hundreds of KZbin videos before they found your channel. And those who understand that your vision and explanation are exactly what they were looking for.

[@peterclote3689]

Sie sind wahnsinnig begabt. Vielen Dank für die klare Einleitung. Fantastic!

[@Guitarpima]

I used to practice my scales in fourths. Now I do it in fifths. Now, I am going to do them in thirds.

[@kappabravomusic2101]

Yet another great video. Thank you for such great explanation and advice.

[@borregof]

Happy Birthday Anne! Hope it's a great one! Love your videos!

[@igor.cherny]

Thanks! It’s always nice to see you in the morning! Great beginning of the day! This video is very nice structured even if I knew this before, but you putted it in order.

[@ddemassy]

Thank you to make me discover and understand median chords ! It's very useful for me to hear the chords the way you do it !! 😄

[@pihoihoi]

Love your videos, so inpsiring to try and compose my own music. Thank you so much! Lots of love from the Netherlands ♥

[@Arch5280]

I'm enjoying watching your KZbin videos, so far just the one on mediants. You too seem to be having a great old time explaining all this. And you're good at it! I'm amazed that you give away these ideas for free; I picked up most of the ideas you presented by fooling around on kbd instruments, e.g. pipe organs, but my training never moved into improvisation, so it's startling to hear it presented this way. Arch

[@ericdanielmeyer]

lol’d at the berklee ad before your vid. THIS CHANNEL IS WHY I DONT NEED YOU ANYMORE BERKLEE! but for real, thanks for these deep-dive theory bits. Love it…and very useful!

[@Moignet-Y]

I love to watch your videos before a composition session. It’s very inspiring, clear and helpful to structure my workflow, as a beginner. :-)

[@WichyBaldwin]

I like so much your content. It's like, I don't know where to start because in every video I learn a lot. I hope you get to be the composer you aspire of.

[@golfmanbil]

WOW, I'm just a low life guitar player but these examples have really inspired me to break out the midi keys and load up some Kontakt soundscapes. Really great demos and expertise. Thank You Anne-Kathrin

[@richardcasey7521]

The Harvard Dictionary of Music is a wonderful resource. You are providing a wonderful musical service.

[@TheSoundConnoisseur]

It’s actually crazy that I know so much theory. And I’m very proficient in my writing. But your videos break something down that is very game changing. Thank you 👏👏

[@Studio_Coda]

I really like it! you haven't made simple things easy for listeners, excellent, keep it up.

[@supernerdinc5214]

I think you underestimate how accessible you make this information.

[@adampeters9684]

Thanks for this, you just helped me power through a long plateau in my understanding of theory, like stuff I already kinda knew but you put it together in a way that’s never crossed my mind, fantastic content!

[@GMAtheory]

I really enjoyed this video. Your comments at the end reminded me of the story of Bach, I think, sneaking out of bed to copy scores by candlelight.

[@MusicalWizardryMarcoIannello]

I have always loved this technique, mediant chords are amongst my favourites ❤

[@FrederickLewisDeAngelis]

Brilliant and inspiring demonstration. Thank you.

[@vonStahlhelm]

Thank you a lot! That was a very clear, helpful an logic presentation of those concepts.

[@wmb5907]

Awesome! We need more of these lessons!

[@GillisGil]

Love you videos. Also love your intro's!

[@peev2]

Wow , you are amazing! Please keep up the good work!

[@TomStrahle]

These are so great, Love the examples.

[@christophermartin2842]

Counterpoint is very fascinating I love the theory behind the counter pointing

[@zvenx]

Once again thank you so much for doing these... I have a comment on your final words :)... You are underestimating how fantastic and effective a teach you are.. yes the info is out there... I myself have probably ten books on orchestration...none of them I find as informative and effective as you doing it in one of these tutorials... thanks again.. rsp

[@zvenx]

but point taken.. the info is indeed there...

[@radred609]

I know you point it out multiple times in the video... but i still can't over how many of these chord changes are just *so damn evocative* of the LotR score. there were only maybe two of them that didn't instantly just scream LotR to me. The strings patch you were using probably helped a lot though x'D

[@NikolaiMusicChannel]

Thank you for another great video, mediants are awesome for evoking emotion and mood 🙂 I think the reason for a lot of the comments and wishes for you to make more videos on specific subjects is that a lot of people here really like the way you explain things, and most have probably already sifted through a lot of videos and articles that didn't resonate with them, so take it as a compliment ;-) That being said, I think books are a kind of "forgotten" information source for our generation when google and youtube is so readily available, and we tend to be kind of spoiled in terms of getting the information we want immediately - at least I'm guilty of that 😛 That said, I have started to buy some books on composing and orchestration the last year (Adler, Belkin, Persichetti etc), and the information contained in books is of course so much denser then one can put in a YT-video, for obvious reasons. Also the topic of counterpoint is a huge undertaking, and as you said, really has to be practised over and over to get a grasp on, preferably with feedback on your homework from a teacher or something, at least if you want to do it like they did hundred of years ago. But some core principals of counterpoint that are more applicable to modern music and scoring would be a cool video/series to see 🙂

[@mycar4321]

I laughed when you gave the first example. When played I said, "Ooh Enya", then you said Radio head. Very different genre's but sounds great just the same. And yep, almost every soundtrack uses this wonderful technique Thanks for walking us through it.🙂

[@don4476]

"Mr. Frodo. I can't carry the ring, but I can carry you." Great lesson!!!! You just doubled my music theory knowledge. 😉

[@lieciorodriguez]

fabulous!!!

[@pauloluisdemoraespereirape9484]

Thank you!!!

[@elipsis1]

Thanks 🙏 for this! Very good inspiring stuff!

[@joewhitfield6316]

Well, we wish it was possible for YOU to cover every conceivable and relevant musical subject. But, let me just say, there are teachers and there are teachers. They are NOT all created equal. Many teach but very few can masterfully "get it across" or as we used to say "plainly lay it out for you". This includes many of the master class presenters. Thank you for all you do from your soothing scenic video intros to your last word. And know that whatever you choose to present, there are those of us who are eagerly waiting to be glued to our seats in receipt of your explanations and examples.

[@RikMaxSpeed]

That was really eye-opening, looks easy to use for improvisation.

[@elierouhana1181]

Thank you 💐💐

[@TheSoundConnoisseur]

My goodness. You make the chords sound very rich

[@AEM_Cinematic]

Thank you 🙏

[@cactusowo1835]

Thank you, a lot.

[@fretnesbutke3233]

I've found that mediant progressions are a little easier to conceptualize if you think in terms of the parallel major + minor relationship. C major and C minor have the same tonic,yet their key signatures are minor 3rd apart. With the two keys and their relative major and minor,you have 4 keys: C/Am,Cm/E flat. Each of these 4 keys has their own subdominant and dominant. Choosing chords between these four keys results in really rich,expressive harmony while still firmly in the Common Practice style. Imo,the past 20 years or so of popular music has really been ignoring the expressive possibilities of harmony,and mediants are one of the richest sources.

[@korkenknopfus]

That is a very interesting topic and you explained it very well, thank you!

[@Kerphelio01]

I think what makes videos like yours valuable for many people (including myself) is that in books, all examples are written on paper. Which is to say that you have to either be a reasonably good piano player who can sight read fairly effortlessly, or you have to have your ear training up to a point where you can just "visualize" in your minds ear what's on the page. If you don't have those skills, it becomes very difficult to actually understand what the book is teaching, as you can't hear it. I can read music, but I'm not a piano player and I'm not good at sight reading, so figuring out even the tiniest example in, say, Korsakoffs book takes me forever. That said, I'm also a proponent of the "do a mockup" school of thought - just like I love to do cover versions of songs because it's IMHO the best (and most fun) way to learn more about songwriting. In any case, your videos are great and very helpful, thanks for sharing!

[@Tekl]

I like how she elegantly says "Don't be lazy. Seek and practice"

[@jamisondonald384]

Thank you for making these

[@didamello]

Thank you so much! Excellent content!! When you come to Brasil I'll invite you for a coffee hahahah

[@djrbfmbfm-woa]

Hi Anne-Kathin. I hear so many "themes" from well established writers just in your examples. excellent work!!! j.

[@joegrint6280]

Another great tutorial - thank you!

[@iancurrie3763]

Thank you, Anne!

[@poladelarosa8399]

Thank you for an _outstanding_ tutorial.

[@AlexeyFilippenkoPlummet]

Haha, I told about the magic of chromatic meidants in your previous video about harmonic planing, and now there's a video about them! Thank you :)

[@gustave1928]

Very clear, very helpfull, i just can say : thank you !

[@turtlewithanegg1561]

This composition 101, 102 ect ect series is really awesome

[@braxtonerowe]

Thanks!

[@cameloalbino6799]

BROOO thankyou so much, this really helped and the tutorial was really easy to use as well :)

[@pierbover]

Would be great if you made a video about your recommended books, courses, etc.

[@pierbover]

Great video Anne! Very helpful.

[@DaveBessell]

I think people who are trying to find a way into this also get overwhelmed by the amount of info out there. So to have someone like yourself pick out relevant topics is very helpful for many. Once they have a foothold its probably easier to find relevant material in books and scores because then they have some idea what they are looking for. I studied music in a conservatoire but had to wade through an awful lot of things that were not really related to the music I was trying to write. I suppose all knowledge is good but the process could have been more targeted. Keep up the good work.

[@georgebielous1881]

Thanks!

[@WilliamThomas2040]

This was great, thank you!

[@sebastiandudek4016]

Thanks a lot 👍

[@diamondknightstudios]

Thanks for taking the time to make these videos! I’m also a lord of the rings fan, it’s going to be interesting to see what Shore/McCreary do with The Rings of Power.

[@Excellentness]

Thank you

[@croissant2024]

Great video!

[@Nightowl427272]

Jerry Goldsmith's Basic Instinct Main Theme...Mediant Chord heaven.

[@paultorbert6929]

Subscribed, notification on....! Thanks, this is super helpful !!!! I’m a self-taught-by-ear guitarist turned to the “dark side”, I bought some synths 😀.... I’m hoping to learn music-stuff by watching videos like this one and using charts like the “circle of fifths/fourths” chart.... Obviously, I’m getting a late start.... THANKS again !!!!!!!

[@You4Final]

I agree with Tony Thomas, we wait for you! I guess even if you play C maj alone it sounds fantastic :))

[@apisdude]

Good video and description of sounds I'm familiar with but didn't know their relationships. As a guitarist I'll work it into my practice routine