Songs that use the Aeolian mode

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Aeolian is the 6th mode of the major scale. It is also a scale in its own right, often referred to as the "Natural Minor Scale". Aeolian has a particular solemn, serious, mournful sound to it and is perhaps the most common minor tonality that you will encounter in pop and rock music.
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[@DavidBennettPiano]

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[@thedankestmemes1116]

David, I cannot express how much your channel has changed my life. I’ve always wanted to become a musician, but being from a small town with no music program and no access to instruments, I thought I’d missed my opportunity long ago. Watching your videos for the past few months has reinvigorated my passion for music, and in response I purchased my first guitar. Though I’m definitely a beginner, watching the way you break down these complex concepts has made musical theory approachable and understandable, whereas before I found it too intimidating to attempt to learn. You are an excellent teacher, and the hard work you have gone through to make these videos available to learners like me (for free!) is greatly appreciated. I wish you success in all your future endeavors. Thank you, and keep rocking!

[@formigamusicfactory6614]

I fell Almost the same! David bennet is a great musician educator and game changer in the music education :)

[@chuckcrunch1]

i'm poor and live in a small town , i wanted to be a guitarist when i was 16 so i bought a guitar . i did see the lack of money or access as an excuse to not to do what i wanted .

[@bernardthedisappointedowl6938]

Enjoying your tune at the end - quite epic sounding - though also like yer watch, ^oo^

[@judemartinez2271]

Could not have said it better myself.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you so much for your kind comment! It really does impassion me to keep going when I read comments like this! Thank you for your support. I’m glad I can help 😊😊

[@thepostapocalyptictrio4762]

Sultan of Swing has the (in)famous "Andalucian cadence" too. You should make a video on that one. It's everywhere.

[@d.c.8828]

Spanish Phrygian is 🔥🔥🔥

[@llll-lk2mm]

ooh sounds interesting

[@MrSpedo]

I usually prefer harmonic minor. I just love the amount of tension I can create in it.

[@jessevandendoren]

Major minor scale is great too

[@Arycke]

@JessevdV I couldn't find any information on major minor scale. What do you mean? Harmonic major 1 2 3 4 5 b6 7? Mix b6 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7?

[@jessevandendoren]

​@@Aryckeit's aeolian with a raised 3rd in C for example: c d e f g ab bb c

[@gerben880]

@@jessevandendoren that's just mixolydian b6 (fifth mode of melodic minor)

[@DrSamE]

Actually IMO all of the songs here that are originally natural minor, sounded better on harmonic minor.

[@TheMister123]

It's funny... Many times when I think I'm using the natural minor scale, I'm actually using Dorian. I just "naturally" raise the 6th.

[@jeffgoblue]

Great video as always. One suggestion (and maybe this is just me, so take it with a grain of salt). I find that scale and modal examples (when you’re showing the scales on screen) are easier to process as a learner when you use C as the base. It becomes really obvious which scale degrees are altered (as compared to major).

[@mebamme]

Nice to see R.E.M. and Red Hot Chili Peppers getting some screentime in the thumbnail. :)

[@emmbeesea]

Next video: "Songs that use the Ionian Mode". Jokes aside, nice explanation of the difference for the flat and raised 7ths.

[@bobsala7780]

Came here to make the same joke. You beat me to it.

[@reillywalker195]

That could actually be a good video topic if it were about songs that don't sound like they're in the Ionian mode but actually are.

[@bradhickox8285]

Every conversation surrounding the Beatles always seems to include some reference to them not really knowing anything about music theory. Which always kind of blows my mind.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

I love your composition at the end of this. It felt like rain.

[@Dennis-cj5oc]

Fr

[@mirondelpero5592]

That last piece being 5/4 is just chef’s kiss

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😀😀

[@robertoladrondeguevara3873]

Do song that sounds in minor but are in a major key!!! Like the scientist by Coldplay, sounds sad and everything but it is in F major

[@valentinch0]

Huh

[@Bacopa68]

There are plenty of sad songs in major and many many more energetic songs in minor.

[@radiozelaza]

Rick Beato often uses the term "Aeolian" to describe frequent use of the minor sixth in a melody or chords, which indeed gives the sound a distinct flavor as compared to major sixth minor scales like Dorian or Melodic

[@Arycke]

Thats what gives Aeolian it's sound. For major scale modes, the notes which have the tritone between them are the characteristic pitches. I.e. in A Aeolian, A B C D E F G, the 2 (9) and b6 are the characteristic tones for this scale/mode. D Dorian D E F G A B C F and B, b3 and nat6 give Dorian it's vibe E Phrygian E F G A B C D F and B, b2 and nat5 Give the sound F Lydian F G A B C D E F and B Root and #4 G Mix G A B C D E F B and F, major 3rd and b7 B Locrian B C D E F G A B and F, root and b5, Give the sound and differentiate it from major modes C Ionian C D E F G A B F and B 4th and 7th Give the sound With all these the third gives the major minor vibe, but just wanted to share this.

[@cakemartyr5794]

Thank you very much for explaining *why" things sound how they do. I particularly like your tune at the end.

[@weepingscorpion8739]

I remember using the term Æolian cadence in high school. It'd usually be about a song which used the chord progression bVI - bVII - i, where as a "normal" cadence would be IV - V - I.

[@sika5908]

that ‘s most popolar progression

[@bbqsnag8381]

That 5/4 baseline in your song at the end is really cool.

[@loudog3453]

I knew as soon as I saw the title what Radiohead example was going to be used

[@AndreaCangeri]

The verse of "Sultans of swing" is actually based on a Phrygian cadence (I - VII - VI - V), which is a remain of the modal system (Renaissance music) in the tonal system (from Baroque onwards). The VII is a passage chord, not functional, with an unaltered 7th (C), while the V chord is functional and dominant, with a raised 7th (C#).

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

As a guitarist, I can assure you that C Major is the third mode of A minor. lols

[@HerrGene]

I'm a self-taught pianist and learned chord relationships using A minor as my starting point. I only started consciously learning about music theory in the last year, and I really do see Aeolian as the first mode. Makes it hard to keep up when people name chord progressions by number, as I essentially have to transpose it from the relative minor key that I'm used to. In short - I relate to your comment!

[@Bacopa68]

I agree. Aeolian is the "real" scale. With no sharps or flats it starts on "A", the first letter of the alphabet. Ionian starts on "C", the third letter of the alphabet. It is thus clearly the third mode.

[@Bacopa68]

@@HerrGene Finally someone learned piano the right way.

[@CharlesIsPerfect]

Duuuude the piece you composed is straight fire

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

Your own composition at the end reminded me of a great track to illustrate the Aeolian mode - Dave Brubeck's "Take Five".

[@TheMister123]

11:17 - I notice that you don't actually hit the Bb in your piece at all, at least not in the part that shows you playing. So it could just as well be in D-Dorian. :-) (If there is a part of the song later in which you do hit that Bb, then never mind. :-) ) EDIT: Oooh, you hit it with your left hand toward the end of the phrase. As I said, never mind. :-D

[@jakeupsmith2217]

i agree everything you show us is easy to understand and makes sence

[@FarhanAmin1994]

Lovely video as always :D Especially heart the song at the end that you made. I will share this vid with my amigos. One small observation. At 8:00 we have Jolene by Dolly Parton. If I am not mistaken, it doesn't _exactly_ use the Natural Minor mode but a subset of it, i.e., there is no sixth flat note in the song. As an aside, if anyone is interested in sampling the Indian versions of the minor scales, the approximate equivalents for the natural are called Jaunpuri and Darbari while that for the harmonic goes by Keervani.

[@Novemberbridges]

Dude you have no idea what your channel means to me. I am a amateur musician and i have learned a lot of music theory without having any kind of formal lessons, but your channel is like my home. A resting place. I found you out from Adam Neely's video and all i do is wait for your next video. Please never change!

[@lukebradford]

Well, if anything, I learnt that I can't tell the difference between natural and harmonic minor by ear. They sound pretty much the same to me, even with the Losing My Religion/Ain't No Sunshine examples. I understand the slight difference theory-wise, but my ears just don't pick it up.

[@chloemchll3774]

I’m surprised, since you used Street Spirit and talked about the difference between aeolian and the harmonic minor that you didn’t use it as the example to demonstrate the difference. The very last instance of the E chord (under the second “immerse your soul in love”) in the outro, they change out the G for a G# (making it a E major chord instead of E minor; it is E minor). This turns this very down minor key progression into something with a glimmer of hope- it is suggesting using musical rhetoric to suggest that if you immerse your soul in love, you can avoid the defeated depressing nihilism that the bulk of the song implies is inescapable (lyrics like “rows of houses are bearing down on me” demonstrate this sense of being trapped). It is a really subtle, easy to miss difference, but it is a significant part of what makes the song so brilliant, and it also so perfectly fit your video’s concept that not mentioning it feels like a missed opportunity.

[@simonharwood8488]

What about Caffeine by Faith No More? Unbelievable tension and resolution when they move to harmonic minor at the end of the choruses.

[@plweis7203]

Wonderfully informative and entertaining! Thank you so much.

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

I was worried when you said your sponsor was "Vegas" that you would be promoting an online Casino site 😁 "A special offer, 10 free spins if you can identify a harmonic minor"

[@rumbuzz1]

Most Flamenco is in the natural and harmonic minor. The song form of Bulerias has this theme thru and thru. It is in the Phrygian key of A/Dm typically. Chano Dominguez CD "Hetcho a Mano" is a killer disc.

[@djangohick]

I heard somewhere that D aeolian is the saddest of all modes. Is that true?

[@riverw4721]

Ideas about the "saddest" or "happiest" keys came about before equal temperament, when transposing something to a different key would give it an entirely different quality.

[@joannpelas5101]

I'm just starting to learn piano at 54 years old. ( trying to stave off dementia) I felt that learning a little bit about music theory would be helpful. Since I've been watching your videos no music sounds the same. It's like when I learned how to oil paint; the whole world is seen in brush strokes.

[@hussammusab9556]

Luv ur channel

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@coming_up_roses]

mmmmmmm i love me some sauce made of garlic, salt, olive oil, and often egg, and found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Andalusia to Calabria

[@Mary-bq1yw]

I love your song at the end. Beautiful.

[@PNT-gh3kv]

I really love the originals at the end. They really drive it home as something new to listen to--kind of knowledge sight reading. And they sound great :)

[@sebastian6736]

Is David's way of pronouncing sixth (as "sicth") a common thing, or just a David thing?

[@badmen1550]

It's an English fing, mate

[@michelefoucault4315]

sub-title in FRENCH is possible , please ? Because I am very interesting with your vidéo, but english is difficult for me , ans the subject of this vidéo is difficult also ...

[@Lefty7788tinkatolli]

Just Ionian and now this series is complete!

[@ButzPunk]

I'd love to see you talk about the double harmonic scale. It's my favourite for just messing around on a keyboard

[@Aniblasfemus]

David a question: is the song the Bells of Notre Dame from the Disney animation movie dorian or aeolian? The "epic" part can be either dorian or aeolian since does not use the 6th, the rest sounds very medieval but also a bit dark at times.

[@thiagofigueiredo2976]

It's a good question

[@v8jellu555]

To me aeolian scale emphasizes the b6 of the scale. Perhaps that's just a jazz thing because dorian is more common in jazz.

[@larrykhulmann6262]

Almost every song in psychobilly for the last 20 years is in the aeolian mode

[@adrewster]

Yay you used an REM example

[@pemil8470]

Great way of using 5/8 in the last song!

[@TheBuglemouthBass]

Sir, you are a gift to the online world. Your videos are fascinating and I especially enjoy these modally focused ones. Keep doing what you do. You are an incredibly talented musician and teacher. I wish KZbin had been around when I was learning the modes as videos like this are far more effective than just pattern memorization (guitarist speaking here). You explain the hows and whys in an easy to follow way.

[@LuisPellicano]

I just love those vids. For real. They're helping me big time with understanding the intentions of the songs. My composing might improve soon, I hope. Thanks!

[@theemraldwolf5874]

I love these videos so much!! Keep up the great work :)

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!!!

[@theemraldwolf5874]

@@DavidBennettPiano No problem mate! I seriously do love them though. I've been watching for ages now ^^

[@thedankestmemes1116]

Have a good day

[@galagasjay6544]

You too!

[@llll-lk2mm]

the gap between the 7th and 8th being longer helped so much with understanding how it wants to resolve. great editing on your part.

[@boomerbear7596]

I prefer the Aeolian mode to the ever-popular harmonic minor. I can definitely see the more relaxing feel; it is my observation that certain types of relaxing music tend to avoid harmonic minor and stick to Aeolian if they are in a minor key. I was thrilled to see that "Ain't No Sunshine" was included as it was literally the first song I thought of when I saw what mode you were covering in this video. "A Time for Us"/"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" almost counts too although it sort of breaks it by including a B-flat major chord in the key of A minor.

[@helixtant3]

Me too. For me it sounds a little bit cringy

[@adrianhepton9362]

The Aeolian and the Ionian had a baby and named it Dorian

[@mellowfellow6816]

I sometimes have Aeolian with my hot chips

[@LouisSerieusement]

What about the characteristic note of aeolian ? It should appears in a modal Aeolian chord progression In the R.E.M example, there is no flat 6 and if this is aeolian or natural minor is very debatable

[@reillywalker195]

"Losing My Religion" contains the minor sixth in its harmony, just not in its melody.

[@LouisSerieusement]

@@reillywalker195 not in the example shown at 1:13 but I did not analysed the whole song so I don't know. In any case I think he should have use "natural minor" rather than "aeolian" to describe what he was explaining, especially since he talks about the harmonic minor in the video. Aeolian supposed more a modal approach, based on the tension of the flat 6th (the characteristic note) rather than relying on functional harmony.

[@GigaBrowser]

You're an awesome teacher. Glad you get to do what you love

[@alecfowler2261]

Mm I actually LOVE your piece at the end. I want to hear more

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@frankzelazko]

Thank you David! BTW When I write songs, I tend to mix harmonic and natural minor scales

[@markriggs5441]

I have to say I very much enjoy your videos. Music people used to tell me I have the type of mind that would relish all things music theory, but my brain's automatic reaction would be to turn on the huge and bright NOPE sign in my head. Why? Because I would remember hearing someone describing the melodic minor years prior and how it made my brain short-circuit. I mean, what if you're wanting to sort of loopity loop around the 6th and 7th degree area, changing direction on one of those two? Do you base it on where you're going to or where you're coming from? Add to this the fact I was very young when this was explained and probably assumed that "melodic minor" meant these were the notes I would HAVE to use for writing a melody in a minor key, and I was like, "This is a mess. No. With a capital hell." But, y'know, a younger version of that last bit. I had one semester of music theory in college, and I am sure we never got to modes that semester, as your videos on modes have been the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle my brain has been trying to complete for DECADES. Thank you!

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

6:10 Just for the sake of argument, I'd say dorian is the other more widely used minor scale in music. If you exclude classical music that is. Also, since they are modes based on the same scale, you could argue they are not really two different scales, I guess, but that's pedantic if you ask me.

[@eloureirotubeyou]

Thanks also for your own songs at the end of this and other great videos.

[@seanharrington6014]

Great as usual......

[@KarlBonner1982]

I was just thinking about this a few days ago, "when is David going to cover the Aeolian mode?" 😅

[@jackhaynes8084]

The Lick: Me: I see yoooou

[@vspatmx7458]

priceless data. loved it. And that music towards the end Spcly that rhythm.. beyond superbly exotic. blew my mind

[@Yupppi]

That one note at the end of Ain't No Sunshine before the resolution sounds fantastic in harmonic minor. Such a hook. And Sultans of Swing would sounds so weird if it was only in either of the minors.

[@GabrieleCannata]

I like the transpositions you make to another "mode" to let us appreciate the difference. I wonder if that could become a kind of videos on their own...

[@Em4gdn1m]

Not enough Radiohead.

[@steffski1946]

QUESTION 3rd example, the trick, the "f" (if it is the raised 7th degree it would have to resolve to g flat instead of g) - PLEASE EXPLAIN AND how could f be lowered to f flat, because f flat = e ?

[@longschlongsilver7628]

I thought I considered myself a reasonably well-versed man in the world of music theory, but until now, I had never heard of the term "Aeolian cadence". I really liked the piece at the end, by the way, it sounds like something you'd listen to in a game

[@frankjuggaloheathen1035]

What's interesting about "Jolene" is that even though it contains the b7, at no point in the song is the 6th degree ever sung or played. In addition to the b7, the b6 is also a defining note in the Aeolian mode. With that missing 6th, there is no way of knowing if "Jolene" uses the Aeolian mode or the Dorian mode... it's clearly in C# minor, but is it a mode of E Major or B Major? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@wolfrayet25officialfilms]

I overuse that musical scale lmao. I didn't use a major scale in my life.

[@AntiZoophileOvergunner]

Aeolian is my favorite of the 7 modes, nearly all songs in that mode sound SO GOOD 🔥

[@tomerko99]

Do you actually have an examples of a songs/ classical piece which uses all three: natural, harmonic and melodic minor? looking for one for a while

[@hexed8749]

Wow..... The minor/harmonic minor resolution bit.... Mind=blown

[@resynthesizer4565]

I spot a Casio MT--68 or MT-100 in the background :)

[@vismaykedilaya1318]

i have no idea how or why but i just don't like the major scale. the minor scale can do almost everything the major scale can do, and some stuff the major scale simply can't do. it can make a sense of sadness that's way stronger than anything the major scale, but it can also do happy or fun (cantina band). i guess this is why when i compose music, i have to fight really hard against my impulse to create a minor sound to make a major sound, and it hasn't really worked.

[@gpeddino]

In "My Terracota Heart" by Blur, the chorus switches between "Am F G Em" and "Am F G E7". So I can say that the song is switching between different minor scales?

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

Most minor pop songs. I'm commenting before I watch, so we might be saying the same thing. But aolian is the bread and butter of pop music.

[@lolmazz966]

please do one video in: How to change keys and modes properly

[@TrainsAreBetterThanDriving]

You should do a video about the Ionian mode called 'Songs that use the Ionian mode.

[@TheMister123]

What would you call Dorian with a raised 7th? "Harmonic Dorian"? It's a rather "natural" sounding key, if you get my drift, since despite being a minor-ish key with a raised 7th, all the notes of the scale are a half-step to a whole-step apart.

[@DaedalusYoung]

Dorian with raised 7 seems to be the same as ascending melodic minor. Melodic minor is 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Dorian is 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, ♭7, 8

[@poke-champ4256]

We call such a scale "melodic minor". It sounding "natural" is its purpose, since harmonic minor has a minor 3rd interval between the 6th and 7th degree, the melodic minor scales purpose is to "fix" that. Its very common in classical music

[@fkaparkppl]

Yeah harmonic dorian. It isn't like melodic minor as that has different notes descending

[@AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69]

I'm confused so does Aeolian not really cadence that much or you can keep going without having to have a sense of resolution with Aeolian?

[@jdaklsoi3h2ueicdnsjkxz]

Thank you for produceing this video.

[@ccaa7674]

There's two THE LICC modes, this and Dorian 😎

[@Intertayne]

I believe you but if you were lying that all these songs had something in common, this video would not change for me

[@Leitmotif01]

Great work please make a video about extended chords

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I’m actually making a video about upper chord extensions in a few weeks time 😊😊

[@ned__schneebly]

@@DavidBennettPiano poggers

[@auldthymer]

@@DavidBennettPiano May I point you to "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees. iirc they use an Gb/Ab, with F appearing in the melody, but it is NOT written as Ab13.

[@auldthymer]

@@DavidBennettPiano PS: also a LOT of our favorite disco songs

[@monkberriedelight3225]

Very helpful - thanks David

[@Quadr44t]

nah I don't see that. But the 1-semitone interval is very clear. So I could hear it.

[@artman40]

What is that scale called that is like natural minor but leaves out the characteristic 6th note?

[@septemberwalk]

i never understood the point of calling it aeolian when its just minor and minor is way more commonly understood

[@Mark95876]

Wasn't John Lennon the first pop composer to use the Aeolian cadence?

[@BoSong]

wow. natural minor with a different name. in fact, modes are in fact different scales.

[@Double0Zero]

Hi David, I know you’ve done the Aeolian mode in terms of brightness but where would you put that harmonic and melodic minor on this list?

[@fkaparkppl]

Melodic (ascending) brighter than harmonic, harmonic brighter than natural

[@RafaelTourinhoRaymundo]

Ain't no Sunshine in the harmonic minor sound like a Cabaret song.

[@ericwixom7898]

@David Bennett Piano Do you have a video on how to learn the chords is a scale/mode?

[@skyscratcher4264]

Minor - Aeolian Harmonic Minor - Haeolian Melodic Minor - Maeolian

[@robinleebraun7739]

It's what I order when I want mayo instead of ketchup on a Whopper.

[@jameskrakenguitars2351]

None of these songs are in aeolian. All of these songs are in major. Lol

[@NanaYawAforo]

i don't like mayonnaise on my sandwich but I do enjoy a bit of aeolian.

[@Crocodile29292]

Are there harmonic major scale and melodic major scale?