Let me tell you about chord planing

[@OscarUnderdog]

Find Oscar's video courses here: courses.underdog.brussels 🖤🖤🖤 Join the Underdog Discord channel: discord.gg/z5N9CTA 👾👾👾 Sign up to the mailing list here: tinyurl.com/yy92sx5u 💌💌💌 Pledge to the Patreon: ​ www.patreon.com/underdogmusicschool 🌱🌱🌱

[@thelateraledge]

This is a little off topic but here's a little tip when it comes to sampling chords. When you sample the chord, sample it being played using the higher octave range, then play it back on your sampler at the correct octave range. Sampling at the higher octaves then playing at the correct octave once sampled will create some nice lofi artifacts and grit in the chord. Back in the day people did this because of the limited sample time available on samplers and the work around was to sample at higher octaves which created a shorter overall sample time length thus saving them vital storage space. They would also do this when sampling from record, if the record was 33 they would sample it at the 45 speed, then play it back at the correct speed once sampled. If you're trying to recreate those "good life" type chord stabs, using this method of sampling makes a huge difference and gives a much more "era authentic" feel to the chords. Sometimes truncating a little of the start of the chord helps so it's triggering slightly into the waveform, this is nice if you want a more of a sharper sound as you are also extending the original ADSR parameters when pitching the sample back down. This technique also works really well for pad sounds that have some kind of modulation as it stretches out things like lfo lengths to odd timings or lengths beyond what the original synthesizer was capable of. It takes a little bit more time to do, but if you sample a chord using both methods and then compare the two you will hear the difference. The higher up the octave you play the original chord before sampling, the more lofi the sampled sound will be, so there is a bit of experimenting to find the sweet spot.

[@OscarUnderdog]

This is a freaking amazing comment, super super helpful tips :)

[@thelateraledge]

@@OscarUnderdog No probs man, glad to give something back to the channel, sharing is caring 😜

[@bornshamir7792]

Yes! Aliasing is gold!

[@darkskinwhite]

yeah it's not a necessity anymore but you're really just downsampling.

[@foxchevyslumarietta1211]

@@thelateraledge Thank YOU!!!!!!

[@LestatAlone]

I know that this video is 2 years old, but the message is so important. Theory is a tool, not the law.

[@VeziCaEu]

1st video that i can begin to understand the theory... 2 thumbs up... big fan of this channel!!!

[@schlechtestergtaspielerdek3851]

"Once you free your mind about the concept of harmony and of music being correct, you can do whatever you want". Amazing Video!

[@jnny7182]

You are a gifted, exceptional teacher.

[@vulvaether5169]

Thanks maatje your a great teacher! Keep up the great work. Love from Somalia, one day inshallah I will make Somalian techno thanks to your YT channel. Bismillah

[@krnflks]

Another important thing about that Donna Summer track is that the sequence of chords ends on the E major chord, which will lead the ear back to the A major. It's like they took a base sequence in A minor (the A - C - D - E root notes) and spammed major harmony over it. Could also say they took a I - III - IV - V sequence in A major and just played it as A minor for the middle two chords. That's why theory is a lot of fun to understand, you can view one thing a few different ways and use any of these interpretations to craft a more interesting piece.

[@craig7810]

Oscar you are an excellent teacher.

[@kookiespace]

Some of the gatekeeping around music theory reminds me of linguistics. Actual linguistics is the descriptive study of language. There's very few things that are linguistically wrong. It's always about trying to explain why people might be speaking a certain way and how concepts are connected between languages. But that's not the view of it you'd get in some corners of the internet. With music theory it feels very similar: music theory is the descriptive study of music. There's very few things that are music theoretically wrong. It's about trying to explain why certain kinds of music sound a certain way, and to compare concepts. Maybe that's a comparison you can use too. Feels like a lot of people look at music theory as this beast that's telling them what to do when it's really just an analytical framework

[@kookiespace]

also wow good face at 0:00 :D

[@OscarUnderdog]

This is a super good comparison, mega thanks for suggesting it! 🤘

[@deepanshusingal9207]

Thanks Actually this principle works with other things too 👍

[@anthonyparks505]

It's not just an analytical framework, it can give you options when you don't know where to go. It also can help you improvise. I don't claim to use theory all over the place in my music, but it does help me go to new directions with chord progressions. A VST plugin like Scaler2 set to Modal Interchange mode can show you the creative power of theory.

[@Didier.75018]

Cannot agree more. As you say, and like any other theorytical or software/hardware knowledge, tool, a lot of people think it will be a "game changer" and something you must follow. It helps to understand a lot of things, it helps to create, compose, but it only helps (eventhoug it can do a bit more 😅).

[@sagsounds4509]

Thanks Oscars for your kind sharing!

[@user-MrsYT]

"the tool dictates" - thats why i love to use the TB-303/TD-3 sequencer: the "fuzzyness" while you basicly program in your mind without a display, the outcome is always very refreshing and it gives a feeling of "we both playing/creating together" instead of its just me who program the sequences

[@flipperpitstudio]

“The tool has priority over the theory.” I’m saving that one. 😎👍 Awesome vid! Thx!

[@Cybercowboy_69]

You have the greatest music production channel. Please keep up the great work! And thank you!

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Akshay, thanks for saying that!

[@leoouellette3835]

WOW! thank you soooo much for this video. I have been into electronic music for 30+ years as a dj, producer, dancer, and fan. You have unveiled some heavy, masterful secrets with this video. Thank you so much.

[@huntingghosts]

Very interesting! I do play the guitar so I already knew the concept without knowing it has a name, but I never made the transfer of how it would apply it to electronic music. One thing I'd like to add is that when you play open Chords on a guitar in that way you transpose the notes on the strings that your left and presses, while the open strings maintain the same note. This can lead to some very interesting harmonics.

[@travisbasso6496]

I am loving these videos and your overall approach to teaching! And I really love "let's try not to gatekeep this topic too much" -- wow! What great framing that really points to how music theory can be exclusionary, but also being very western oriented it denies other approaches and paradigms around what music can be.

[@snidedj]

Awesome, thanks for this. I get bogged down in the theory a lot and it slows down my process, this has been useful to remind me to play around with sound more

[@peterelfman]

The impact this video just had on me in incalculable. Chord planing is not talked about in my music theory travels as a baby producer, and I wonder if that has to do with the fact that most entities that champion Music Theory are really pushing a very specific outlook towards music, which a lot of modern music genres and creation methods eschews. I will definitely be playing with chord planing in my future productions. Thank you SO MUCH for putting this video out.

[@dismalwanderer]

The theme of this video once again confirms that you need to allow yourself to do what you like and even a little above the rules. Quite usefull stuff good job!

[@StuSiney]

Needed to hear this.. I am not musically trained and naturally was chord planing... then started thinking about chord theory... started to get very restricted.. now I know I was doing it right for my house and rave music.. ty

[@djsarumawashi]

WICKED!!! Thank you for Sharing. Greetings from Cabo Verde Islands. Cheers

[@Normandy_Mike]

What's amazing about this channel is the breadth of insight it provides.

[@lifeispower]

Maravilloso tutorías oscar, muchas gracias por ayudarme a soltar el miedo a jugar con los parámetros de mis máquinas y dejarme guiar por ellos :) Un abrazo desde Valencia, España

[@pingking1310]

thank you man! you helping young producers to not stick their head so much into theory and do what they like to do!!!

[@da5idblacksun]

Incredibly insightful. This is so cool.

[@fraicheness]

Going through all the videos! This one‘s super useful

[@OscarUnderdog]

Yeah it felt like a bit of a magic trick when I discovered it!

[@jetset808]

This is something i've been thinking about a lot but could never put it into words.. thanks.. this really really helped me a lot

[@ChristinaCxo]

This helped a lot. I was thinking too much inside of a box and was so confused when I tried to do chord planing. Now I feel unstuck :D Thanks!!

[@mrllex0070]

excellent. u helped me to understand what tricks they use to create hits escaping the music theory

[@alandunphy6746]

Great stuff Oscar gonna try those principles

[@martinparidon9056]

Yes this was very helpful, thank you very much!

[@difflocktwo]

This video is amazing for noobs. I had to watch it twice to catch most things, but it answers a lot of questions.

[@AUTOSAD777]

My comment will now be buried in the overflow of subscribers that Underdog has gotten in the last few months. Either way, great job, Oscar! Wishing you well, and thanks for all your help!

[@AUTOSAD777]

@@arcadepiano I'm sorry you feel that way. But, I am a myself am a former alumni of the Underdog Electronic School, so I can speak firsthand. And, I gained more from the experience (technically, AND philosophically) then I did with a 30k ticket at college for audio engineering. So, by cherry picking this video, it seems you haven't perused the wealth of knowledge that Oscar has offered up in his past catalogue. He's covered all the important basics already, and so I support Oscar and Underdog and always will. His repertoire speaks for itself. I'm proud of him and what he's done, and he also so happens to be a real decent fellow as well. Not sure why you took the time out to even make such a negative comment. Perhaps, there are more personal reasons? I won't guess. Perhaps, your OWN channel is a better representation of whatever it is that it "missing" here. Please, by all means, share with us what you think is GREAT information. And also, didn't anyone suggest to you about what you might consider doing if you have nothing nice to say? 🤷‍♂️ Have a nice day, brother. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for.

[@AUTOSAD777]

@@arcadepiano Bro. I get it. I studied music theory too. I know the same stuff. I understand diatonic, and non-diatonic chord progressions, and "borrowed" chords, and the circle of fifths (John Coltrane's Giant Steps), and on and on. I even have every scale memorized. I've been a ,serious musician (guitarist/singer) for 25 years. And yet, I still benefitted greatly from Underdog. Oscar has fantastic philosophical approaches, technical approaches (for the ADSR, LFO, VCO, and synth stuff), as well as great compression, mastering, EQ, and MANY other processing tips. PLUS, Oscar is not the only teacher at Underdog, but you don't see that. All I'm saying is, you might be being a little nit-picky over ONE video. And so, yeah, I'm gonna jump to the guy's defense, because he's one of the few really decent, honest and humble teachers out there. He never claimed to be THE AUTHORITY on music. He's just sharing what he knows. And trust me, he has a lot of knowledge. Don't be so hard on people. KZbin can be a great place to pick stuff up from beginner thru advanced. And I'd say, that THROUGH Underdog and other channels, I've become an advanced producer. I wouldn't be where I am now without Oscar's help. Give the man a break. Maybe you could start your own channel, and I'd check it out. I'm not even being sarcastic. For real. We don't need to tear each other down today. Have a good day, brother.

[@krysidian]

Really cool approach to creating chords and melodies and wonderfully explained. It really has this ostinato effect to it where repetition and patterns really help when using notes that would be in an unusual or nonexistent key. This technique also really frees you up when you are stuck in music theory! ^^

[@arawncronnis3112]

ive always thought bout how they created those house chords and i discovered it myself after doing some experimental stuff...but i never found a video addressing those stuff....now i finally got a detailed explanation thank you man,u r the best there is

[@HB3YIW]

Oscar, I really like your teaching. You are always calm and explain very well. I learned so much from your channel. Other channels are too much hyper in their presentation. Hopefully your channel grows big 👍

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Benjamin :) :)

[@PeterPauz]

Great Video Oscar! Thanks for constantly teaching me new stuff in a great and understanable way

[@Osax-music]

Thank you, suddenly music theory makes sense now

[@OKtunes]

As a guitar player, I can also attest to the “shape theory”. Many 90’s grunge or alt would take a standard chord shape and simply slide it up around the neck, letting the open strings continue to ring out. The chord names would look like the craziest thing ever, but it’s actually very easy to play on a guitar. The ringing open strings would really fill out a sound and give it a distinctive sound. I used to think guitar players knew all these chords, but quickly realized that they just played around with chord shapes and what sounded good. Same thing with repeating pedal tones. Great videos, I’m learning a ton and really enjoying it.

[@maxgindt]

Oscar, that was a really nice message on keeping the communication kind! Your videos rock and we are all getting better because of you. Education at its best. Dank u well!

[@kewk]

Hey Oscar! Great video brother. Honestly, I think I like this one the most as it's depth goes beyond just teaching how to do something. It is in my opinion that far too many people learn how to do "this" and don't understand the fundamentals of how or even why. This video really helps with both of those. I also like how eloquently you pre-emptived the nerds :)

[@OscarUnderdog]

Haha cheers Kewk 😁🙏 i appreciate this.

[@ArmoredMeat]

I was going to say the same thing. Of all the videos I have watched so far I really enjoyed this one. A little theory, a dash of song analysis with a pinch of pushing the “guidelines” of music.

[@DrClocktopus1]

Always saw things like the "chord memory" on something like a juno and thought 'why, it isn't in key?' now I understand!

[@OscarUnderdog]

Yeah, exactly! That's a great example of how this concept manifests itself. Similar to the Ableton "chord" midi device: you create one shape, and don't adjust it to any scale, and it gives those kind of results. At first I also thought this limitation was a real problem as I was thinking diatonically, but with planing it opens up other perspectives :)

[@stefanocolannino4910]

beautiful man! your videos really go to the heartof music, giving so much inspiration. And your way of seeing music theory in my opinion matches also with Giorgio Moroder himself..when he says: once you free your mind about the concept of art and music being CORRECT, you can do whatever you want. Keep it up man, and thanks! :)

[@Strages_Powers]

you are one of the best teachers on youtube.

[@Cold_War_Warriors]

Another quality tutorial Oscar. The best on KZbin.

[@OscarUnderdog]

💚

[@mmilerngruppe]

love your explaining, man!

[@lucminax]

Awesome, thank you Oscar

[@Crunkjuice7878]

another good one! Thank u Oscar!

[@Flux_One]

Love your videos. You explain everything so well

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Scotty :) :)

[@robotussin_synths]

Love this. Just found this channel and love the style and delivery. Not too slow, not too basic but really human. Nice work!

[@rayderrich]

A lovely video that almost makes me want to travel to Belgium to get some one-on-one education. Thank you for spending your time on teaching others.

[@robertodellavalle7884]

It's common to make the iii grade of the scale into major in order to modulate to the minor vi grade of the scale

[@elusivemite]

Great to see someone talking about his. I had no theory when I started and always worked by ear. Planing was second nature. Always interesting content

[@elvisojeda5600]

Amazing man, great content, thank you very much.

[@nicklausmusic]

Single-handedly learn more from this channel than anywhere else. Great job as always

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Nicklaus :) :)

[@johnarmstrong6523]

I've always struggled with the theory, thank you for showing this video, I now sort of understand my own mind and the processes it goes through to create.

[@chrishaake8126]

A great video! Another way I explain these chord transpositions are through relative/parallel keys and secondary dominants. For instance the first progression in G, going to B, I would consider that B as the dominant of Em the relative scale to the home key G. The second progression in A, going to C, I would consider that C borrowed from the parallel key of A Minor which does contain the C Major. Using certain instruments is a great way to experiment and discover these cool sounds from another angle though and a great tool to experiment with in composition.

[@johnmoumouris7342]

exactly, this is why it's sounds good, it is a chord borrowed from its related minor scale (to explain in a simple way) and gives a feeling of unexpected to the progression , but I think it is difficult to be fully understood by someone who doesn't know the basic Harmony Theory...

[@chrishaake8126]

@@johnmoumouris7342 agreed, I know like he said in the video these chords used to perplex the hell out of me but eventually it became more clear. This is why shifting chord shapes like bar chords on a guitar or with a sequencer like mentioned in the video are a great way to find these, as you said, unexpected yet interesting sounds before fully comprehending why they still work.

[@abetusk]

Can you point to some resource (video, blog post, book, etc.) that explains this further? Is this related to "borrowed chords"? I know Signals Music Studio had a video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXrHpaesf7iYmsk ...

[@hvatalnik]

@@abetusk Check out Rick Beato's videos How To Use Modulations Part 1 and Part 2. He explains about a dozen different ways you can use to make your progressions more interesting. This particular "trick" is called chromatic mediant.

[@chrishaake8126]

@@abetusk yeah that video by signals looks good and should be all about this topic. Borrowed chords being borrowed from parallel and relative keys most often.

[@chosko__]

Awesome tutorial Oscar. Thank you.

[@RomaBelykh]

Thank you so much! It’s very helpful lesson.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Roma :)

[@jackbylsma3426]

the chord in the pixies songs you can also look at it as its in the key of #f its just inverted. The 7ths are usually the notes in the scale to help move the key in the song. In the key of f# it would be a major chord but since were in G it would sound diminished.

[@RemyLuciani]

I'm more a prog/jazz guy with the head full of theory, able to improvise (at a modest level) and struggling to be creative. "Let your tools guide you" is such an interesting tip and the example you share illustrate it perfectly. Theory brain: "mmmh interesting choice of chord, how did they come to that!?". Music brain: "use a sequencer/sampler, I don't care, it sounds!". Quite a contrast for me. I'm training myself using synth and tools around, I appreciate the tips on the sampling! Reminds me electro/dance of the 90's I listened to with my brothers and from old PlayStation games back in the day. Thanks for the nostalgia. ;) And to add something about theory with positivity: using a III major instead of minor is one of the choice of _Chromatic Mediants_. Chromatic mediants are often used in contemporary scores and if someone reading this does not know it, I think Ryan Leach made a good video about it. :) Enjoy!

[@DaveSweetmiller]

Great video as always! 👍🏼

[@dubdelay]

Really helpful video dude. Thank you.

[@cjpizzixbmc]

Extra 👍for referencing The Pixies!

[@breathinginpizza]

Thanks Oscar i really love your channel. Composing is always challenging for me, now i'm a lot more inspired

[@BigFknRobots]

I love videos like this, sent this to a student of mine who has a masters of classical music but is just getting started in Ableton Live / Electronic music production. You explain the concepts very well for a wide range of skill levels and backgrounds, eg. people with not a lot of music theory background but are delving deeper into electronic tools and helping them understand some ideas behind what they are doing. or people who actually have a lot of music theory background but are starting out with electronic music tools and the differing approaches they can have to your music (along with an over view of historical context!) Any many people in between! One other example I don't think you mentioned that I think also applies, (alongside resampling chords / rave stabs and sequencer/programmable arp tricks) is tuning oscillators of a synth to a fixed interval. I think this is how I first came across this idea on some presets for a Korg MS2000 I had in the 2000's, and probably Native Instruments old Pro-53 Vst. Just tuning osc 1 to normal and osc 2 to +7, +4 or +3 semitones (the 5th, major 3rd or minor 3rd) I found you can get some very prodigy sounding lead lines really easily with this!

[@OscarUnderdog]

Ah yes, that's such an excellent point, I wished I had included it in the video!!!

[@GabrielCalarco]

This was really REALLY useful and informative, thank you!!!

[@JamesRamboPearce]

I love to just try adding a major instead of the minor of a chord (or vice versa obviously) to see if it's more interesting! Very much agree "if it sounds good, it is good!" No rules needed

[@nomorel7884]

Thank you for this! You have solved a riddle that has gone on in my mind since beginning production. I couldn't understand it. So well explained!

[@paropticVision]

Fantastic. I'd always wondered how that was really done. I didn't have a sampler so the nearest I could get to it was using Chord Memory on one of my synths. Some of the Korgs and Rolands from the 80s had it. You could record a chord and then play it with one note. I used to think it was probably born out of using hardware to assist when a musician didn't have much musical training. Then I guess it was probably adopted by others and became a characteristic sound. Really interesting how it fits with music theory.

[@max6419]

I am using that trick ralatively often and always wanted to understand that, thank you so much!

[@IKUCHI-TRIBE-ICUICY]

Great vid. Reminds me that it can be good to learn the rules to break the rules.

[@FreddyKBassman]

Great vid! I learned quite a few things. Thanks!

[@distantcomets]

Great video. I’ve been using these techniques for ages but have never seen them explained this simply. When it comes to hip hop and dance music the techniques and the features of the gear used to make them always went hand in hand. “Chord mode” on certain synths and sampled chords made this music feel fresh and surprising compared to the “by the rules” chord theoretical or classical approach. So fun!

[@RosssRoyce]

This chord shift to me musically signifies that they gave the melody a Spanish nuance at this spot, it can be either a result of such an intention or like you say result of shifting a chord shape down on the guitar - in any case, these Spanish progressions are played just like that: sliding the same chord shape up a semitone, a whole tone, then same reverse down. I can think of a song El Diablo by Grace Slick (is on KZbin) that has this lovely vibe! Thanks for your amazing videos! If you have time, make one day one about vocal line phrases composition in techno and trance, they are not long but hit the target usually!

[@Letzal]

in fact, in flamenco, a very common resolution is to make G, F, E, all major.

[@iangomes]

Thanks - This was just the level I needed to learn this at.

[@andrefarrell4463]

That was so informative. Thank you once again Oscar!

[@russellsteel2346]

great knowledge content, very impressed, thanks for the video

[@rxdk]

I loved that tip for sampling chords! As always great content

[@grb321]

Great video! I think it's useful to point out that if you play a C major triad sample over an A, then you're hearing an A minor 7 chord, so at some level you can change the major sample to a minor sample -- it's just no longer the entire chord.

[@djfishnz]

Thank you brother that was a really good video, I am still learning my chords and get lost whe nyou started talking 3's and 7s and what not but it made sense :) ill check out your video courses

[@andycordy5190]

Lightbulb moment! Thank you! I never bothered with theory at all until recently and I've been writing songs for decades😱. I've used "Chord planing" because I often write on the guitar and also with sequences (I learned with pro 24 in the mid 80's) but the essential, pounding repetition of house and techno was a real barrier for me and has remained so. Recently I have come to understand the circle of fifths and the conventions of harmony and I would like to apply this new knowledge to add a dimension to my writing that was missing, without falling into the formulaic patterns acceptable in pop culture. Your examples here are so well chosen. They are all in very different ways iconic pioneering musical ideas. One thing that really surprised me was how you got from the root notes of the "I feel love." chords to the sequencer riff. I'm going back to it to see if I can understand how, initially, they sound like harmony when you played them on the piano but plugging them into the sequencer they sounded scrunchy and inharmonic. It's that minus 5 and minus 2 moment. I'll get there. Thanks again.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Sweet comment, thanks :)

[@nothingmemorable486]

Another great vid thanks Oscar..... Now I feel much better about my Uber low level chord plaining/guitar barchording and sampling techniques. Cheers

[@joshuaalexzander7578]

I love this video in how you explained chord planning in a way that wasn’t over the top in music therapy. extremely helpful in my work planning and production progression. Please keep making videos for beginner like myself. Cheers.

[@nicolaswitczak560]

Fascinating and inspiring! 💫 Thx Oscar!

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers Nico 💚!

[@fano72]

Finally you explained the principle of house music. Love it 🎧

[@darrenelkins5923]

Great teachi, as always.

[@williammindreaders1029]

Hello this is a good one and I like the way you approach the parallel chords (it can also be one finger chords by synthesis design) I would love to watch another one explaining music harmony and switching mode in the context of a track construction. Cheers and Thanks

[@gradymartin8615]

Nice video. For the Pixies, I believe that the fact that the B Major is the V of the G relative minor (E minor) and it resolves to a chord (C major) that belong to both scale (VI of E minor and IV of G major) also helps to glue the two scales together. That create a nice tension/release in a short 4 chords sequence.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Hey Grady! Yeah I definitely see that. I think major II and major III are relatively common due to their strong relationships as you describe! Thanks for sharing!

[@skyetalon9750]

This was super helpful! Thanks, your videos are awesome

[@cookieintune]

Really nice video about chords , and it is nice to always have a better understanding why things work the way they do in music

[@ggandthemix]

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to make this video, Underdog :)

[@sebastianpasso7271]

Thank you Oscar, is always a pleasure :)

[@mattbukovski92]

B-major chord is just a dominant to e-minor which is a parallel scale to G-major (the key of that song). Not sure if it's "chord planing" or rather a secondary dominant :) and if you actually switch your thinking to e-minor for a moment, it's resolved in form of a "deceptive cadence" V -> VI (B major to C major) as an irregular resolution.

[@ResetRobot1]

Excellent video!! Love this channel!

[@bitmaster2000]

Thanks again for your wisdom.

[@fugue6904]

always such good videos! thanks for your knowledge

[@wiidlbeetle3857]

Really cool video! Very well explained!

[@ZUKUNFTbe]

we're in luv w/ur tuto!

[@OscarUnderdog]

🤗