How to recognise Minor key chord progressions by ear

[@cerealdude890]

Ill need to rewatch these videos a few times, but they’re exactly what I need right now to play at the next level. You’re helping make higher level music accessible for the masses and I commend you for it.

[@Wakeofchaos25]

I completely agree

[@TheFootSoldiersHarper]

Your videos being music education to so many people who wouldn't have it otherwise

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you! 😁

[@R.Akerman-oz1tf]

...can barely keep up. Coming back 2 it. Thanx so much.@@DavidBennettPiano

[@SongSecretsMomNeverTaughtYou]

Rare intervals I'd love to see in a future sequel to this video is the bVIIm, especially found in Glass Onion by The Beatles and Love Street by The Doors! Another one is the VIm found in I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Come Together

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Good idea! Another good example is “Hey You” by Pink Floyd 😊

[@flwhorence]

@@DavidBennettPianoplease talk about pink floyd more!! 🥹 you are such a valuable resource. thank you for aiding me in my journey through music and life. this video and it’s’ major counterpart are genuinely two of my f a v o r i t e videos you’ve ever made

[@odarting]

This might be my favorite video of yours yet. And it just reinforces what a treasure you are for the world’s understanding of music moving forward. No snobbiness, no prizing of lofty concepts over crowd-pleasing pop devices. You just break everything down into such relatable pieces that it makes me enjoy thinking about music theory. Now I’ll finally be able to hear a piece of music in a film and go - that sounds spooky, they’re [maybe] going from the minor tonic to the minor six chord! Thank you 🙏 EDIT after being humbled by the quiz at the end: I still have a lot of work to do but am grateful for the examples to study 😅

[@jesusalejandrogutierrezsul9625]

Sir, that quiz at the end is a big PLUS to your already fantastic videos. Thanks for making my ear more professional from video to video!

[@panosmosproductions3230]

In the Latin jazz classic Trofeo de Bolos, literally the second chord you hear is a diminished chord. The song switches back and forth between C minor and C major, and starts in C minor. The first 2 chords in this song are C minor, and D diminished.

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

Your set of videos on chords, scales, keys, inversions, slash chords and examples of how each is used is a tremendously informative and accessible information resource! I find them both entertaining and informative, and always point my students towards them when they ask questions on these topics! Thank you for your hard work, David!

[@althealligator1467]

Trying to guess which song you're going to use as an example is a hell of a lot of fun, and I'm... scarily good at it.

[@tobyalan8874]

You are one of the best teachers. So glad I found you.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@weepingscorpion8739]

While IV may not be as common as V, it is common in Doric contexts. I mention this because you brought up Dorian in another context. bII may be borrowed just do avoid a diminished chord, so in Hocus Pocus by Focus when Thijs goes up the scale towards the end of each "verse", he always does bII. In terms of functional harmonics, I remember that we used to use the term "parallel tonic", in major it'd be vi and in minor bIII, which is why bIII feels like home in a minor setting, it's the parallel tonic. (it's in the "same but opposite" position in the circle of fifths). Lastly, Picardy third, in my ears, a recent use of the Picardy third (and the IV chord as the song seems to flirt with Dorian a lot), is Australia's 2023 Eurovision entry "Promise" by Voyager. The last 3 chords are bVI - bVII - I, so an æolian cadence ending on a Picardy third.

[@kippsguitar6539]

There's always one

[@rome8180]

That last progression was super cool. I might use it but would modify that final bVI chord to a V to make a more definitive turnaround.

[@KeejMEdia]

David, I truly appreciate your videos, both educational and entertaining. Keep it up.

[@gabrielevolgarino9138]

I'm a simple person: I see Muse in the thumbnail and I click. Nice video David!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@OtisNotibrus]

That Gorillaz art in the thumbnail is fanart by Glowrillaz btw. Just felt it was important to give credit.

[@gamestopholdmusic]

whos that

[@SaluteToTheLost]

rather opinionated gorillaz fanartist

[@OtisNotibrus]

@@SaluteToTheLost Not that that's a bad thing.

[@BasedMando]

This information does nothing to improve on my musical knowledge.

[@gamestopholdmusic]

@@BasedMando who said it was supposed to

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Learn piano or guitar for FREE with Timbro: timbroguitar.com/davidbennett 🎹🎸

[@aptudo]

It's funny how familiarity can make a rare chord progression feel normal. Today, "Enjoy the Silence" just sounds to me like a super catchy pop song. It did stand out to me when it first came out though.

[@wellurban]

I think Martin Gore has a bit of a knack for that: chord changes that can feel quite striking on first listen, but that quickly come to sound “natural”.

[@frtzkng]

In _Lolita_ by Lana Del Rey, you can see both fifth chords next to each other to create a smoother cadence: the chorus ends with v-V-i, repeated twice. Also, right before that, tension is built by alternating between the minor tonic and a diminished tonic: i-i°-i. So we switch from Minor into Locrian for a brief moment. The same thing is done in the pre-chorus of _Off To The Races_ and it's what gives both songs a really dark, haunting vibe.

[@ToddSmith2]

Congratulations on the 1 mil subscribers!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@P1984-z5i]

Im loving the Mario mushroom sound to power up the minor 5 to a major 5 😂

[@Paulnap]

Wich I think is a really fast arpeggio of bVI -> bVII -> I

[@King_Change]

Yeah lol, doesn’t fit the tone at all, made me laugh so hard

[@cmc47834]

Another good example of the major 2 part that’s also in d minor is Not Ready to Die by Avenged Sevenfold Instantly what I heard in my head when you played the chords Very helpful video thank you

[@teacherofteachers1239]

I get a lot out of these free lessons especially as they push me. I'm not young, been getting back to music, and definitely I've needed to work on this basic skill. One thing I made myself do to learn chord progressions by ear better is to learn them at the piano from listening to simple songs, without sheet music. I'll put a song on repeat and make myself find how it goes in terms of chords just by trial and error. It can take a while. So far I can only do this with really simple stuff (guitar-based popular music is helpful because it tends to narrow down the keys used). These lessons here make me learn the sound of less common music, and that also expands my own creativity. Very nice.

[@danielo174]

Please do a deeper dive on options for the ii chord in minor. REally great content my man.

[@gnoelalexmay]

That was a REALLY good one! I always enjoy your videos, but that was excellent and useful. Thanks David 🙏

[@Guitar_Wolf]

David this is the musical brain food we all love and need in our lives! 🎵 🧠 There's a sense of peace and joy in every session and it's so refreshing to gain knowledge in such a fun and inspiring way Thanks ever so much for the experience 😊

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊

[@Bearbytez]

7:37 to around 9:40 (whenever the ad starts) encompasses all of my professional work from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford to modern Disney Star Wars...

[@ZackMester]

Got all of them except the last one but I was close. I'm surprised I did better on the minor chord quiz than the major chord quiz but I think my ear has just sharpened from your major chord video! Also, I love the popular examples you use to help internalize these chord progressions 😄

[@mine2012abl]

Don't speak was the song that came to mind, paused to check before you mentioned I

[@althealligator1467]

My favourite example of the ii chord in minor (which I'll maintain is the same thing as vii in major) is from a French song called Du côté de chez Swann, which is based on Marcel Proust's novel of the same name (Swann's Way in English). It happens several times in the chorus, and you really feel its sort of dreamy whimsical edge. As a side note, the chorus also uses the James Bond progression. Edit: and for the II chord in minor, my favourite example is from Those Were the Days. Or maybe Arabian Nights, I'm not sure, both are super cool.

[@panosmosproductions3230]

The chord progression heard early on in the Yoshi’s Island Castle theme (which uses the double harmonic scale with the occasional flat 7 here and there) has a major 2 chord in it.

[@PFDarkside]

Absolutely love this series David! I hope it continues with identifying extensions and identifying inversions. The major one was a piece of cake, the minor one, well I need more practice outside of i bIII, bVI and bVII!

[@johnjohannes5954]

Good job man! Just to point out that you are referring to the "natural" minor scale. If it was the ditonical : the 2nd and 7th are diminished and the 3rd is a augmented cord . For instance on A minor the III is an augmented C - E - G# (used in Mozart Requiem intro) which is actually rare in classical music

[@fredhystair5789]

Yours videos are gems, always !

[@jakejaffe9706]

This was was tricky! Will need to rewatch.

[@anime5h_m1shr4]

This was incredibly helpful. Heartfelt thank you!! 🙌🏼

[@TigerRogers0660]

Excellent informative video David!! Enjoyed!!

[@MichaelTrentColvin]

FIVE STAR LESSONS !!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 One of the very few people onkine that knows what they're talking about 😮

[@MichaelTrentColvin]

Thanks for ignoring my typo... I like to study music theory, not so much English. We get learnt gooder here in the USA 😆

[@ric8248]

A nice chord is the Neapolitan chord, which is the bII in 1st inversion. That is, in the key of Am it would be Bb/D. This chord appears a lot in the Moonlight Sonata, and has a very sweet sound.

[@radiozelaza]

the Muse example of a major II after a bVI is also an example of a secondary dominant use of major II, because the major II leads immediately to a major V (which is the primary dominant of the minor i chord in this song). I would rather see an example where there is a vamp of i-II , but can't think of any pop song using that right now. It just begs the i-II-V resolution ;)

[@datooch]

Much respect to you. I enjoy your teachings. Thank you for the sharing of your knowledge.

[@christopherfryda]

Solid video, I love this channel, thank you!!!

[@JoshPaterson]

Extremely useful information. Thank you!

[@annelouisemaclellan485]

The verses in Nirvana’s Pennyroyal Tea have that i-bVII movement going on. About a Girl’s verses are I-bIII back and forth. It’s interesting but in the chorus both songs seem to go somewhere else and outside of that. And I’m pretty sure I’ve also heard Silverchair used that bV. A song like Black Tangled Heart possibly? Their albums Diorama and Young Modern became more harmonically sophisticated and melodic than their earlier heavy riff based sound. The ending of And I Love Her is another good example of ending a minor song on a major tonic.

[@JasonKing1970]

Holy moly I got the first exercise progression correct - that's amazing, thanks David Bennett!

[@user-vi7ip9dx6skirjdidndbsaha]

thank you so much! What a great video!

[@royalex21]

The last got me. I think I’ll give myself 3/5

[@leonardocefalo2931]

Another case of major II is in Exit Music by Radiohead, the verse "You can laugh, a spiness laugh" etc Edit: it's still mentioned at the end, but for another reason :)

[@darrylem6157]

These were some awesome alternative chords and examples of melodies w their use! But what about using these chords in the context of songs not written for them? As borrowed chords? Would u be able to do a vid showing their applications in these scenarios? Sorry if I'm asking too much.

[@william2496]

Brilliant video! as usual, well done and thankyou! Some common themes amongst the chord progression and even your scale videos have been contrasting darkness and brightness, and functional harmony. Is it possible if you could do a video or two on Axis Theory and Negative Harmony?

[@predatorx8081]

My mind: This video is sponsored by hook theory 😂 These videos are amazing man... You literally taught me music theory in the most simple way - all these years 👍🏿💙

[@zzzaphod8507]

The fact that the major version of the V chord appears in both major and minor keys makes it a good pivot chord for people writing music--if you're in a minor key and you want to modulate to the major key, you can end up on the major V chord and then go the major I chord and continue in the major key, or similarly in the other direction.

[@Jesus_H._Tap-DancingChrist]

I do the fretboard equivalent of button bashing but still come out with some decent riffs. Love these videos all the same

[@johnmac8084]

I found this much harder than the major one, I'm going to have to work some more on this one

[@kippsguitar6539]

Of course it is and less familiar

[@opietaylorpiano]

Thx for breaking down the two different naming systems. Thought for a moment there was an editing mistake and was scratching my head in much confusion.

[@panosmosproductions3230]

The bV chord may be rare in the minor key. But there are 2 songs where I’ve heard it used. And they’re both by Metallica. You can find the bV chord in both Wherever I May Roam, and Harvester of Sorrow by Metallica. And it’s kind of interesting because although it’s borrowing from the parallel Locrian scale. I feel like they were using it as an alternative to the regular 5 chord which would actually be a diminished chord in the Phrygian mode.

[@user-yk4gd1fl4z]

I’m those songs I hear them as power chord passing chords so it dosent really matter that much in the end.

[@nicolamorales5665]

A good example of i directly to II is “the vampire of times and memory” by queens of the stone age!

[@TigerRogers0660]

David, i was confused with your chord progression quiz - as you used some inversions!!

[@R0guemetal]

I’ve loved your videos for years. Thank you for the content and the effort involved in making them

[@vincentl9877]

Great video as always! As a beginner, I was wondering if you know by heart all the (minor) keys, or if you use the relative major. For example, when you play D minor, do you go through the relative major (F) in order to know there is a B flat ? Or do you « instinctively » know there is a B flat ? I find it easier to learn the sharps and flats for the major keys, and then make a connection with the relative minor, but do you manage to know all the keys without thinking too much about it when you’re experienced ?

[@kippsguitar6539]

I screwed up at the end( mostly) and supposed to be a songwriter haha, great stuff and rude awakening how lazy ive been, brilliant thought provoking stuff

[@thegothaunt]

Fantastic video. I'd forgotten so much of this with the written notation. It still confused me sometimes, I definitely need to keep brushing up. 💜 (Timbro, your logo damn near gave me a headache 😂 oof)

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I was expecting an explanation of Harmonic and Melodic Minor chords. I know David has done this before, but it is a way to educate people to the roots of todays' music. I enjoyed this, and realize that I need to devote the time to ear training.

[@powertools.studio]

THANKS DB

[@Jgreen2794]

Having a genetic condition which renders me incapable of hearing intervals, I never get these right. I do enjoy watching these videos, and find them very educational. Thanks!

[@tzoreehandler9163]

Another chord is the minor chord built on the sharp 6th degree of the scale, so if we're in A minor, that chord would be F#m. A famous example of it is the verse of Light My Fire, which vamps on Am-F#m.

[@SongSecretsMomNeverTaughtYou]

Weird youtube glitch, this reply is appearing as a response to two different comments from two different people haha: "The verse of Light My Fire is actually vamping between the minor Vm7 chord and minor IIIm7 of it's major key until the chorus where it finally resolves with a IV - V - I ("come on Baby light my fire"), Am7 - F#m7 - ... - G - A - D (home key of D, ignoring the song being tuned a half step lower). Though it does use a borrowed E chord to get back to the verse which could be considered a type of modulation between D and A minor"

[@SorooshMhs]

Gotta love chromatic mediants

[@theopinson3851]

I’ve always found minor keys more inspiring to write in. That switch to a major V creates such a satisfying resolution…and if you pair it with a secondary dominant II it’s even better. Major keys just feel…dull most of the time.

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

ii Pink Floyd's Cymbaline is a great example.

[@robertdavis100]

clint eastwood was taken from a preset on a synth

[@5pp000]

I found these much harder than the major ones. I wish you had played them all twice or even three times before revealing them.

[@AlobytesOgniddove]

The end pf Astronomy domine of Pink floyd is D minor and D major....

[@arijitnandi3688]

LinkinvPark's Final Masquerade uses the repeated loop: i -> bIII

[@niratomata]

can you cover more nuanced modes like Dorian and Lydian?

[@herebarian]

minor i and major IV are also the chord progression for Earth song by MJ

[@hello_kitty_is_my_religion]

i got all the progessions right omg! i didnt think i could do it. thanks for making these kinds videos, it really motivates me to learn more:)

[@NicholasRead-q5p]

I’m surprised you don’t mention that the bvi in the minor key is a chromatic mediant, and quite distant from the minor key. The Imperial march is a great example. But it also occurs in the refrain of Bowie’s “The man who sold the world”, which seems to be in D minor, and e.g. at the words “the man who sold the…” Bb minor occurs--the bvi!

[@tobfos]

I only got the one stepping up the diatonic scale 😅😅

[@pfdavidz]

Great video.

[@13thdukeofwybourne]

Superb video again David. Thanks very much. The best music theory anywhere. If only I’d had these 35 years ago. Still, I’m enjoying catching up now. 👍

[@radiozelaza]

bVII - i , now that's the Child In Time progression. A much more vivid example than with Stairway To Heaven...

[@niarudle]

Again, 0 points on the quiz. 😢

[@davidsummerville351]

Ear training will humble you! 😅😎🤓

[@havenprice]

When you tell us to guess at the end, i assure you i am purely guessing 😂 but still a very useful video that i revisit as i improve

[@amrajdhami9293]

I absolutely love these videos. Does anybody know if there is a similar style of material for guitar?

[@nomnom112]

These are music theory concepts so there's no reason it would be different for guitar

[@tominoakachudak]

FINALLY!!! I understand almost nothing from your videos, but u mentioned DM, therefore I'll be sharing this one to the whole to me known world!

[@LUCKYDUCKIES]

Habemus mgnum magistrum musicae et suarum progressionum accordorum musicalium. Congratulationes!

[@NelaInTheSky]

Just out of curiosity: Why are you writing in Latin?

[@LUCKYDUCKIES]

​​@@NelaInTheSkysalve Nelalnus Coelum. Because this guy deserves a high quality comment compared to his class. Latin is that language. And the Google Translate can show you the meaning. I like to get amusement writting in latim. Sorry if I borred you. Perdona me!

[@NelaInTheSky]

I know a little Latin, so I don‘t need a translator. No, you didn‘t bore me. On the contrary, I had fun reading your comment as my Latin lessons were a long time ago, so I was happy to be able to translate it by myself 🙂 I just was curious as I can‘t remember seeing another comment in Latin here on yt.

[@LUCKYDUCKIES]

@@NelaInTheSky My native language is portuguese, a romance language derivated from Vulgar Latin or "Sermo Vulgaris". I'm the vocalist of the LUCKY DUCKIES vintage band and my name is derived directly from latin. I'm Marco António from Marcus Antonius.

[@AlobytesOgniddove]

Wonderful videos ❤ (Is difficult for me read THIS mode of transcription chords)

[@bodanerius]

Great video. Theres also the i minor going to an I major in order to resolve to a iv minor. Can be heard in folk songs from the Balkans, some Fado songs etc

[@matsetizar65]

There are many metal and rock songs in minor keys that blow the roof off and don’t sound sombre at all.

The classic "i v i v" for me is the intro of Hmm hmm by The Crash Test Dummies.

[@B0K1T0]

4:53 don't do that too fast though, or you might get demonetized by Dr Dre ;)

[@mikl2345]

Th G sharp *is* in the (harmonic) minor though? I was taught (in rather inadequate music theory lessons when I was a kid) that the harmonic minor was the 'real' minor scale, at least that's the impression I was left with, at the time. (playing violin, not piano).

[@DavidBennettPiano]

It’s the natural minor scale which is the default one. The harmonic minor is a commonly used modification. That’s why the G# of the harmonic minor isn’t present in the key signature but instead has to be added as an accidental.

[@NomeDeArte]

Totally get Amy's

[@stereo123]

what if i really sucked at the exercise? how to improve?

[@mezu-e]

is there a better glyph to differentiate V and v?

[@jacoposcalzi1929]

Very interesting video

[@robertyboberty]

I find Dm is really the saddest of all keys

[@NelaInTheSky]

I always thought that too. Though I still don’t know why …

[@ljdobles8104]

Buenísimo

[@Gwens42]

What exercise do you recommend doing everyday to get better at reckognising chords ?

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Pick a song you know and love, attempt to work out the chords by ear, experiment at your instrument to see if you’ve got them right, trial and error. Then look up the chords online to see how close you were 😃

[@Gwens42]

@@DavidBennettPiano Ok !! 👌 I wasn't sure something that straightforward would bring results, but if you say so, I need to try to make it a routine and finally get better , Thanks David 😀

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

bVII Deep Purple's Child in Time

[@jcarty123]

What no _Stairway_ in the progression quiz? "i - V+ - bIII - IV - bVI - VII - i"

[@shipsahoy1793]

bVI and vi need to be specifically stated so there’s no debate, ever. Theory is typically referenced to the major scale, so this should be a no brainer for the musically educated. Upper and lower case roman numerals need to be used to signify major and minor harmony.

[@sweenstr9490]

Another example of one to three is “video games” by Lana Del Rey