6 Chromatic Mediant chord progressions [music theory & songwriting tips]

[@LearningMusicSkills]

For more Songwriting, Composing and Music inspiration ► kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKLRep-cfLONjJI

[@epweiland]

Explained very well. Thank you.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're welcome! I'm very happy to see that after all these years this video is still found to be helpful😃

[@monkberriedelight3225]

Very good content. Well done.useful!!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you and you're welcome!

[@unexpected8166]

I've never seen/ heard such good demos in my life before!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Rock on :-) Thanks a lot for telling me! I really enjoyed making them as well. So it's great that they come across in a good way. Join the group if you like. I just started it, but it will be a place for all kinds of music content! Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@lukaivicevic]

Love the graphics, clear and easy to understand

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you for telling me! Happy to hear that.

[@friendlyplayer92]

Yea!

[@danking1172]

I love the 2nd progression so much

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Any plan for using this (chromatic medians) in your music?

[@danking1172]

@@LearningMusicSkills my favourite genre is house, and I prefer making songs in the minor scale. But in this video I thought the major examples had a greater effect and seem easier to recognise… like at the end of a movie. So depending on the mood I think I could definitely fit it into a bridge or ending :) The minor scale would be a bit harder to practice and execute IMO, but maybe i’m wrong and it fits in almost anywhere…

[@OKI-the-beep-boop]

@@danking1172 chromatic mediants are common in house. one example is like Em9-Gm9-Am9-D7

[@danking1172]

@@OKI-the-beep-boop I’ve not been paying enough attention 🥲

[@Chilajuana]

Awesome tutorial!!!!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're welcome Jeff! It's great for practically any style.

[@thenetizenmasstige]

You're great, man. Thank you for making this and providing me some direction

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Cheers Brad! You're welcome, I'm very glad to hear it.

[@CyrilBellem]

Great, the examples are very good :-) Thank you!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thanks a lot and thanks for watching! I really enjoyed making them.

[@musicfundamentals9938]

I love your videos. Thank you!!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're most welcome! It's amazing to hear that these videos are still useful to people 😃 thank you for sharing this with me

[@ComposerRocks]

I especially appreciate the examples -- it's one thing to know the "what," but you show the "why," which is helpful for writing music.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Stephen, thanks a lot for sharing this. It makes me happy to hear that!

[@cicerodm]

This. The content that should be more acknowledged by the algorithm. Knowledge for knowledge, music for musicians. Man you should be so much more appreciated for this insights on composing, simple yet vital to a great song. Sometimes only knowing power chords can go haywire and nowhere. It's not magic, it's talent and dedication, like everything in our lives. Great content!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Cicero thanks a lot for your friendly comment and feedback. Comments like yours really make the work worth it! So thank you and I'm happy my video was useful. You also play guitar I assume from your comment? :-D By sharing a video/playlist you like or the channel you can already help the channel out a lot. So if you ever feel like it, then I would be very greatful. Cheers!

[@cicerodm]

@@LearningMusicSkills Yes, I do play guitar :D (and "can" play other instruments as well haha). I loved the video, shared it with some friends who also play some music. Keep the great work!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thx man! I appreciate it😃 next week a video about the mixolydian mode coming up!

[@JustWriteMusic]

That Ab was indeed dope. Your voice leading there is really effective too. It's got this gorgeous chromatic contrary motion with the E moving to Eb and the G moving to Ab. Contrary motion is always a win in my book! Great video. Looking forward to the next one!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thanks! I really liked the last example as well. Actually I now realise that there is a mistake in the score in that section. What you hear in the playback is full contrary motion but in the score it is only from bar 1 to 2.

[@JustWriteMusic]

@@LearningMusicSkills Oh no! It happens to the best of us. When making these video solo, it's so easy for little things like that to slip by. Nature of the beast; I wouldn't worry about it :) I really dig that give all these examples in different styles and instrumentations

[@DaBeatsFreak]

Omfg. U just opened a new pandorabox for me in my music production skills. Dope ass video 👌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😍💙💙💙💙

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Haha well you're welcome 😁!

[@Downthebayou]

Thank you. I'm curious. Why do to label the penultimate chord as Bmb5/D instead of Bø7/D. (B half-diminished seventh.) Just from my years of reading chord symbols before more training, when I see an accidental in a chord symbol (other than associated with the root), it's always denoted a chromatic note, mostly for extend chords. For example, in the key of F major, a harmony consisting of C-E-G-Bb-Db ... C7b9. So the flat is a quick signal to use a chromatic note. Is is common to use the flat 5 instead of 1/2 dim? Thanks.

[@HAZARDOUS88]

This is awesome. Thank you!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're welcome 😀

[@ryanknox2624]

Hey thanks so much for this video you taught me a lot. Really helped me connect some “dots” so to speak. I have been trying to find my sound and you have helped me to make some realizations.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Ryan, I'm very glad to hear that. Chromatic mediants are fantastic for experimentation and finding your own sound. When you have some results be sure to share it with the people here!

[@leonardosales526]

great info!!! suscribed!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Leonardo I hope it was useful! Chromatic Mediants really are amazing. Thanks for watching and subbing!

[@josegoncalvesribeiro8568]

Amazing

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you! I hope it will be useful for your music :)

[@helgeschneider5423]

Great video, thanks!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're most welcome 😃

[@chrischadson3836]

Hi Xander, great channel! I was a bit confused in example 5 when the Abm showed up. So far we had only changed major vs minor (I think, I'm sleepy) but then I think I understood. Did I get this right? For any give chord I can go [up or down] by a [major or minor] third and make a [major or minor] chord on that note, for a total of [2 ]x[ 2] x [2] = 8 mediant chord for any given chord. Two of those would be diatonic, and the rest chromatic. Sound about right? Subbed and will check out your channel, great stuff man!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Sorry for the late reply. I did not see your comment. Yes exactly! You've got it right. It's super easy and a lot of fun right?

[@chrischadson3836]

@@LearningMusicSkills Awesome! It definitely spices up my chord progressions!

[@helgeschneider5423]

Thanks Chris, your answer sums it up very nicely! This is definitely the way to see it, when applying it in composing or improvising.

[@chrischadson3836]

@@helgeschneider5423 Grüße gehen raus nach Mühlheim!

[@weeeBloom]

Thanks for your lessons and tips. Really good quality content!! Of course, i am subscribed, and recomended to my friends

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You are most welcome and thank you very much for your support! Thank you for sharing!

[@apollodesign]

Good work dude! Out of curiousity are you familiar with Neo-Riemannian theory? - he made an entire method of analysis that's very similar to your categories of common tones (and also referenced similar composers as examples).

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thanks! And no actually I'm not but it sounds quite interesting. Do you have any link or book that you can recommend?

[@dreamhack123]

Thanks!

[@tompengelly8030]

Examples 2 and 4 are giving me strong final fantasy XII vibes (with 4 I'm specifically thinking sohen cave palace theme). Gonna look more into this, thanks!!!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're welcome. They can sound quite magical right?

[@RedCloudServices]

Excellent!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thanks!

[@danking1172]

That’s so cool….

[@LearningMusicSkills]

It definitely is. And the great things is that it is easy and usable in any genre!

[@alexandrelevy3916]

Really high level quality!!Thanks! One observation,if I may, is that it would be perfect if we could see your hands on the piano...

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank a lot. Really great to hear!

[@friendlyplayer92]

Great stuff! Subbed 8)

[@xaviergauthier7177]

Hi Xander, I'm new to your channel and I find the content very interesting, I subscribe! I have a suggestion: could you add the degrees when you deal with chord progression please?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Xavier thanks a lot for watching and subscribing 😀 I'm glad you find the videos interesting! Unfortunately not all progressions make sense in the roman numeral system. But I will take your suggestion for next videos when it does apply :-)

[@GabrielleDriessen]

Amazing! If I'm working in C# minor how should I make the progression to have a similar effect?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

So the diatonic mediants from C# minor are E major and A major. Chromatic mediant connections would be: C#m to Em, C#m to E#m(or Fm), C#m to E# (F) C#m to Am, C#m to A#m, C# to A#

[@GabrielleDriessen]

@@LearningMusicSkills thank you so much!

[@TheAtheistworld]

Good vids, mate! So, chr mediants have a relation of up or down by min3 or maj3 interval between them. So between any neighbouring chords (ex. C A Csharp E C)?? And I can also insert a chr mediant after or before any chord as a kinda insertion/spice (Am C ‘Eb’ G )?? So theoretically all what matters is a relationship between a chr mediant and neighboring chords?? Or is there other theoretical ways of using these fukkkers?? Thnx❤.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Yes you got it right. It's incredibly simple and highly effective and they sound great if you ask me!

[@MsWillzy]

Pls kindly add a visual keyboard for your lessons because not all of us can read music staff to learn. thanks

[@arpeggioblues5924]

in the case of the Abm : Ab Cb Eb.. if I want a chromatic mediant, I can use the 3rd, build a chord from it to, say C: C E G, but Cb is also a B, so why not Abm->B, or Bm? is that still a chromatic mediant?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

When it comes to enharmonic writing it can become a bit confusing. But at the end of the day as long as the root note connection is a minor or major third, it is considered a mediant connection. And personally I prefer to rename chords like B# to C. Abm to B i would call G#m to B. But not everybody agrees with me on this.

[@drbilldc]

How did you get to the Fm chord? Example: Cm->>Em-Abm->Fm

[@LearningMusicSkills]

I am not sure if I understand your question. Because I cannot find any example with the chords Cm - Em - Abm - Fm. Can you give a timestamp? If you mean the example in Cm then it is an Ab going to Fm, which are both part of the key Cm. The movement is in thirds. Hope this helps!

[@berserker2551]

Sounds like Cinematic Armonie 2:34

[@adieuparis33]

Deepeche Mode utilisent beaucoup cette technique

[@LearningMusicSkills]

I did not know that. Very nice! Do you know a song of them that you could recommend?

[@berserker2551]

And why it always the mediant cromatic is the second chord of the progression?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

If that's the case in this video it's just a coincidence. You can place them anywhere you like in your music!

[@berserker2551]

@@LearningMusicSkills aaaaaa ok,thats make more sence to me Ty :)

[@-Dominique]

Like cooking, just taste it

[@musicappreciate]

Chromatic mediant changes sound like the end of an old 50s or 60s movie with a sad or shocking ending.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Yes definitely. Very powerful.

[@crdrost]

Since I started watching Paul Davids now anybody who talks about music theory with a Dutch accent sounds like they know what they are talking about 😂

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Haha I'll take that as a compliment :D. Paul Davids is the best. Clear, entertaining and educational!

[@dummag4126]

???

[@allinthemind2006]

I find it odd how many views you have on your videos but you only have 6k subscribers

[@LearningMusicSkills]

I don't push that hard for subscribers or likes during my videos. It feels strange to do. This might be the reason. Of course more subscribers are always welcome 😃

[@allinthemind2006]

@@LearningMusicSkills well you deserve more. Content is great. Im spending a lot of time here lately. Ive got multiple vids saved to my playlists

[@anderssvensson3894]

This sounds more like borrowed chords ( Modal Interchange) than Chromatic Mediants Here's Borrowed Chords kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHuzloGPgJucfc0 Here's Chromatic Mediants kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3rZh2ptqbF-b8U

[@OutandaboutWalking]

You are right this is modal interchange

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Anders thanks for commenting! Are you sure that you watched my video? Because the video that you give as the correct example literally says the same as I do (kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3rZh2ptqbF-b8U). The only difference is that he does not give that many real life examples as I do. Music theory is not that black and white, especially when it comes to borrowed chords, chromatic mediants and modal interchange. Chromatic mediants can be approached as being borrowed chords from other modes. So you could be rightby saying that they are borrowed chords. But saying that the examples in this video are not chromatic mediants is incorrect. Chromatic mediants can have multiple functions and multiple applications. Thanks for watching and joining the discussion!

[@ЕтанДрешковка]

You look like Trevor Noah in the Thumbnail lol

[@LearningMusicSkills]

I just had to Google him. I did not know him, but he's quite famous 😝

[@Cromanea]

"White Trevor Noah"... Great Job buddy!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you! Cheers 😀