Songs that use the Neapolitan Chord

[@DavidBennettPiano]

📌TYPO: at 0:03 the D flat note in blue should be a D natural. Sorry for any confusion caused. Thank you to the commenter who brought it to my attention.

[@asfdirt]

📌ERROR: en 0:03 la nota de re bemol en azul debería ser un re natural.

[@STORMX97]

Can you do an in depth video on Pink Floyd?

[@VelocityRecordingStudio]

Where do you get your examples from?

[@DJBiermann]

Did you spell "Langauge" wrong @ 17:50 on purpose, b/c it's funny either way

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@ it was a typo by my editor, but yes very ironic!!

[@bodhibeats8257]

Saw the thumbnail and thought “maybe I’ll finally know what the hell the difference between a Neo chord and a tritone sub is.” Bennett delivered! 😁

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😍

[@IBHID]

@@DavidBennettPiano Very similar story - I heard this term years ago and started using it to describe bII chords in general, then eventually found out that wasn't right but never really rectified what Neopolitan chords/sixths actually are!

[@kenthebean6619]

Yeah..we were all bustin to know..now the pratt has delivered...rest easy world.

[@MariUSukulele]

… to no surprise 😊

[@stephenforsyth7883]

I think you're the only channel attempting to explain music theory to a wider audience I've seen who actually explains properly that music theory is descriptive and not prescriptive. It's academic analysis after the fact to explain things we intuit through experimentation, and applying western tonal harmony to everything is not always productive, I think you did a great job communicating that concept here.

[@auldthymer]

I agree.

[@UmutKursawe]

8 bit music theory is also good at it.

[@stoatystoat174]

I agree, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and if we all only created music within the borders of our music 'knowledge' rather than trusting our ears and taking chances music would be less fun/varied/surprising etc.

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

You don't even have to venture into "foreign" musical frameworks either like everyone always seems to (*cough* Adam Neely) when presenting this argument; pop/rock theory is a pretty niche thing and only just started to be taught in university courses and such. Before that it was all western tonal harmony, and because it *juuuuust about* fits for analysing pop/rock, they'd just treat it as such when a lot of the terminology is being abused because it was created to describe *classical* (i.e. CPP) music, and just because the terminology sort-of fits doesn't mean you should rampantly use it, or neglect coming up with alternative theoretical models for other (western) kinds of music. One example, though I can't remember the term or where I heard about it, is just building major chords off of the minor pentatonic scale: C - Eb - F - G - Bb. That's such a common set of chords for (more blues-inspired) rock music, and the movements are mostly modal, just going back and forward between the tonic and another chord, or you can have a "cadence" (another abuse of classical terminology) via the Bb, often preceded by the F, giving a "double plagal" (yet another term that abuses classical terminology) cadence F->Bb->C. You rarely *ever* actually cadence using the G chord, which *blatantly* flies in the face of the western tonal harmony "model". In this context, the perfect cadence sounds *super* passé and stands out like a sore thumb. You're much more likely to find it used to prepare the IV chord! The roles have switched, possibly owing to the V - IV turnaround from the blues. Importantly, this fits quite well with how the composers probably conceptualized it, just moving the common major barre-chord shapes around using notes of the minor pentatonic, possibly the most common scale in rock. "You Really Got Me" is a good example where I think this model fits better than trying to give a (western) tonal analysis. The difficulty often arises due to the fact these songs still use a lot of the "assumptions" of classical music (building triadic chords from thirds, having a key centre, having a homophonic texture etc.) so it can be ambiguous, or make it so you have to use several different "models" to analyse a single composition.

[@oravlaful]

check out 12tone!

[@jasonremy1627]

Beatles. ✔️. Radiohead. ✔️. Must be a David Bennett video.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😀

[@ashtangaxashtangapranayama8526]

​@@DavidBennettPiano my friend told me to suggest adding some Elliot Smith, Earth Wind & Fire, and Terry Reid in there sometimes 😅🫶🏽 either way im a lifelong subscriber and fan of your talented sonic senseiship

[@morkovkinn]

bonus points for Muse

[@jackthesmoltangerine]

I didn’t realize that Radiohead or the Beatles would be in here because I didn’t think they used this chord, I was less shocked with the Beatles example because now that I think about it, I have no idea how I didn’t notice that. The Radiohead example caused me to react like how Dawko the Fnaf KZbinr reacts to five nights at Freddy’s things… but sadly, unless you consider the G minor chord that’s in that chord progression in between the Eb and A a voicing of Eb maj7 with no root, it is sadly not a Neapolitan chord, sorry for geeking out lol 😅

[@Oswlek]

Funny because I spent the first 10 minutes wondering why David kept avoiding the obvious "Exit Music" Radiohead example. But then I figured out why. 🙂

[@AlessandraHudson]

At this point I am *absolutely convinced* that David is simply studying every single detail of every Radiohead song and that's how he stumbles upon music theory concepts for his videos.

[@RoiOfTheSuisse]

About Nightmare before Christmas, I've heard a theory about Jack and Sally actually singing in Phrygian, whereas the other Halloween town's villagers sing in minor, symbolizing the fact that they don't quite fit there, and also that Sally understands what Jack feels.

[@oshuhua]

Oh good catch! 😊

[@pup64hcp]

I really love how in every video you emphasize a descriptivist approach to notation and terminology, as opposed to prescriptive. Too many people seem to think of music theory as this rigid thing that music has to either follow or not follow, but it's really a toolbox to describe music that people have already made.

[@sebastianschweigert7117]

It's a false dichotomy. You can't "follow" or "not follow" it. If you don't follow one concept, you are still following something, whether it has a name or not. The destinction between prescriptive and descriptive doesn't really exist. Notice all these examples are tonal and use 12 TET - so they all rigidly follow some sort of "theory."

[@sebastianschweigert7117]

Basically, you are defining "music theory" too narrowly. Like saying "music theory means you always have to play within the key." No, you can play outside of the key and there's a name for that. Music theory is way bigger than it might seem

[@MaggaraMarine]

I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding of what prescriptive and descriptive music theory would be. There are correct and incorrect descriptions of concepts. For example if a classical piece uses the Neapolitan 6th and you call it a tritone sub, you are describing it incorrectly. And similarly, if you call a root position bII the "Neapolitan 6th", you are describing it incorrectly, because the "6th" in "Neapolitan 6th" has a specific meaning. This is still descriptive, because you are describing what happens in a piece of music, and not saying "the way this piece uses this concept is correct, whereas the way this piece uses this concept is incorrect". Descriptivism doesn't mean all descriptions are correct. It simply means you focus on describing the music, and not on judging whether the music is "correct". Descriptivism is actually the reason why the bII chord has different names in different contexts. These names describe how the chord is behaving in a specific context. Descriptivism doesn't make these names arbitrary - it is actually the argument for making a distinction between these labels. Neapolitan means something different from tritone sub or Phrygian bII. Prescriptive theory about the Neapolitan chord would be to say "this is how you are supposed to use the chord, and this is not how you are supposed to use it". For example if a pop or rock song used the bII chord in a different way that classical uses it, and you called it "incorrect" because it doesn't follow the textbook definition of how the Neapolitan chord "should" be used, then that would be a way of using prescriptive theory. (A descriptivist approach would recognize that actually it probably isn't a Neapolitan chord at all, and it should be called something different.) Then again, prescriptive theory isn't always bad either. If you want to learn how a specific style works, there are certain things that will sound correct/incorrect. There are no universal rules, but idiomatic writing in a style does follow rules. For example if you want to use the Neapolitan chord in the 18th century context, then there are in fact only certain uses of it that will sound idiomatic to the style, and other uses will simply sound wrong in that style. But this kind of a prescriptivist approach only works for imitating an already existing style (BTW, it doesn't have to be classical - it could also be 1980s pop or whatever). When you start creating something new, then it's your own decision whether you want to follow certain conventions or not.

[@jackmartinleith]

@@MaggaraMarine Excellent. Thank you.

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

@@sebastianschweigert7117 I don't think your premise and conclusion follow from each other. Being tonal and using 12-TET describes a metric *fuck tonne* of music, with *vastly* different conceptual frameworks. Steve Reich, The Beatles, Beethoven, The Sex Pistols. You're essentially just saying "all western music" and then trying to imply this means that they all use the same underlying framework, now referring to their *musical* content, or you could say compositional, rather than just "they all use the same 12 notes with the same tuning and have a 'central' pitch". You're muddling up concepts which is leading you to strange conclusions. It's honestly a pretty meaningless distinction, and a very flimsy foundation for this "false dichotomy" conclusion of yours. Music theory is, and should be, descriptive imo; but even if that's not true, I don't think your reasoning holds.

[@rossmar4609]

I'm Neapolitan myself, been following you for a long time. So nice to see a piece of my home in the video of one of my favourite KZbinrs!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@rossmar4609 😀😀

[@bm6w]

Another cool aspect about the Neapolitan Chord is that it can act as a pivot chords between two foreign key signatures. For example, in Schubert's piece Schwanegesang, Schubert switches from D minor to Ab minor by using a Eb major chord (in the context of D minor, Eb major is the flat second). This Eb major chord not only acts as the flat second in D minor, but also as the fifth in Ab minor. Because of this, Schubert was able to switch from D minor to Ab minor by using the flat seconded in the key of D minor.

[@JovanLJH]

So it almost functions like a secondary dominant chord, but like the Neapolitan vs Tritone Sub, the Secondary dominant is a predominant function, and your example functions as a Dominant itself! That's really amazing how everything seems so interconnected like that!

[@glamethyst9144]

Mind blown! I'm so used to augmented sixth chords being the chromatic pivots that I never thought you could do that with a Neapolitan cord. I have to try that right now [scrambles to find keyboard under messy bed].

[@heatherfyffe3618]

Huge N fan. One crucial detail about it that I don't think you touched on in the video - more than the N leading to the V, the lowered 2nd note (what I sometimes just call the N note) leads specifically to the leading-tone, which then leads to the tonic. Those 2 notes are a half step above, and a half step below, the tonic. The two work together to create an extra strong leading tendency on either side of the tonic. This is similar to how the Augmented 6th chords "surround" the dominant note. The difference being that the 2 tendency tones occur within the one chord, whereas with the N-V-i progression it's more horizontal. But this half step tendency on either side of the goal tone, in either case, is what gives the progression its extra power. The half step is always powerful.

[@Pandamasque]

5:27 so that's why the Millionaire theme sounds like Matt Bellamy trying to write a James Bond song on a Casio synthesizer.

[@daviddavidson9098]

Love this

[@trippythecat1113]

I was looking for this exact comment

[@Smudger654]

Excellent, well researched, produced, presented and comprehensive video. Particularly liked that you dealt with the difference between Neapolitan chords and bII chords in other contexts. Really helps to clarify a potentially confusing subject. You obviously put a lot of thought and work into this (as with all your videos) and is much appreciated.

[@vitalepitts]

This is one of the theory concepts I have found the hardest to grok, appreciate the thorough explanations

[@NomeDeArte]

Same. Don’t no why though

[@althealligator1467]

To WHAT

[@andersjjensen]

@@althealligator1467 "to grok" is late 90s early 2000s slang for "to understand".

[@althealligator1467]

@@andersjjensen huh. I've never heard that thx

[@ateneaflorescastillo]

@@andersjjensenhahaha, thank you for the translation!

[@tom_4615]

I was literally noodling with my friend on the piano yesterday and we found out that if you resolve to the b2mj7 before you resolve to the 1mj it sounds absolutely GORGEOUS and now you’ve come out with this video which is a VERY similar concept

[@bodhibeats8257]

Try it with a dominant 7th too. 😁 Both bIIMaj7 to IM and bII7 to IM are delicious! (By David’s explanation, I think it’d be called a Neo chord with the major 7th and a tritone sub with the b7.)

[@maxwellclark2345]

I just want to point out that there's a comment about "noodling" right after a comment about Neapolitan being chords with marinara sauce and cheese. Coincidence? I think not. 🧐🤌

[@Win090949]

Sounds a lot like Tritone substitution

[@tom_4615]

@@Win090949 my understanding was that a tritone sub is always a diminished 7th chord? I might be wrong though

[@tom_4615]

@@bodhibeats8257 I’ll check it out.. we were resolving to the I in the melody though so with the harmony being a bII7 you get the rub of the (in our case) F# and G. Whereas doing the b2mj7, the mj7 was a G, which is what we played in the melody

[@thegothaunt]

where was this video when I was in music school? lmao! You just have such a clear way of explaining things, paired with your memorable examples AND visuals! THIS is my learning style (I find out 10 years too late) -- I can imagine a new wave of music theory and ear training teachers utilising your videos in the classroom!!

[@Jonathanclear]

I studied this for half a term in music school, and never understood it as well as I do from watching this video. Bravo!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😁😁😁😁

[@noahshighlightreel]

YESSS I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!! Now if you haven’t maybe a video on Major songs that borrow the flat 3 and flat 6 chord from Minor.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks! Perhaps my video on “Modal Interchange” is what you’re looking for kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGHVkqp7pc90maMsi=4SXMb4rV8Mlmm5Lp

[@ChrisMuellerMusic]

That was the most understandable, simple and to the point explanation I ever saw. I dare say I only now understood Neapolitan chords. Thanks!

[@AnSmith-w2z]

For improvising, this will be very helpful -- just take the iv triad in a root position and raise the top note a half-step and voila, a N6 (if pre-dominant function). Thank you for a very clear explanation.

[@wolfrayet25officialfilms]

I've been waiting for this video man. The Neapolitan chord seems so underrated.

[@blerdyaheard]

It's amazing how many concepts we stumble across serendipitously, simply by following what sounds interesting to our ears. I've been messing around with a Cm-Db progression for months-albeit, sans the predominant function-not realizing it was part of a larger tradition. And the more I played it, the more I realized I'd heard it before, but none of the examples you provided were what I had in mind. Rather, it was "This House Is Full of Noise" by Editors, in which the i-bII harmony informs the verses. 🙂

[@iportfoliopromotions8595]

I remember when it showed up in my Music Theory class in college, wondered what all the fuss was about and when were we getting to Stravinsky. That took some scrapping to find so many modern examples. You got me by waiting so long to mention the 1st inversion, it’s not the kind of detail you’d miss, I reckoned but I wondered. Kudos for your consistently enlightening videos and to any hidden members of your team.

[@WhiteSpatula]

This newest textual and notational transitioning is primo! I literally felt my brain understand more. Cheers!

[@joshhamilton4887]

such a great explanation, I’ve read that term repeatedly over the years and never quite understood what it meant, thank you

[@michaeleaster1815]

Early on, I thought I might have a witty or insightful comment (e.g. ice-cream, tritone sub, etc) and David anticipated each of them... an outstanding video: thank you!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😀😀😀

[@sylf_leafatutorials6464]

David. You have helped me understand music theory in such a digestible way that I now honestly understands music

[@rebeccastadie5772]

I love these in-depth music theory videos. Please keep them coming!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@vijaydaniels6768]

I’ve clearly being paying attention to your videos sufficiently David as I was able to predict Muse and then Radiohead just before you mentioned them! Keep up the great work!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Excellent! 😀

[@williamcaine5446]

I love the Neapolitan chord! When I was first getting back into composition I heard Adam Neely mention the Neapolitan chord in an instagram Q&A and as one of my first "neat things I learned about music theory" it stuck with me forever.

[@glamethyst9144]

Y'all this chord is so fun to write with, especially the sixth. Just the juxtaposition between the tritone of the flat two and the five with the closeness of the four (the root of the Neapolitan sixth) and the five gives me chills every time.

[@opjoe1]

“It WasAVery Good Year” is another great example of a song utilizing the b2 major chord. Great video, as always.Cheers from Nashville, TN! 🎹😎✌

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Yes! Thank you!

[@MattSoave]

Really interesting video, thank you! One piece of feedback: I found it quite hard to hear the sound of the Neapolitan chord (or lack thereof) in the examples that started midway through a phrase in the song. The examples like Moonlight Sonata where there was enough lead-in to establish the key made the Neapolitan chord's sound really stand out and were more effective IMO.

[@gordonpobar-gk3kz]

How can such a young man have so much in depth and intricate knowledge? Absolutely fabulous information

[@Zero_Ego]

I spotted it as being odd then David comes along and unveils for all. Thanks David. 10/10

[@DavidBennettPiano]

❤

[@tamboresdomundo8156]

Loved your song "Blue" in the end!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@arielgioino]

As always, amazing content David!

[@Heightsomethinghuman]

Thanks for MUSE’s The Globalist example. It helps me understand why the song is so beautiful, since I can’t read music. Your display tracking the song, lyric and music is very helpful! Thanks!

[@jonassoderberg6817]

New subscriber here. I love music theory. It makes it possible to explain WHY I love a song. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater was always a favourite, but I couldn't tell why until I studied the function and useage of chords. You are teaching millions to express and communicate their love for music. Maybe go for the "Tristan chord" next?

[@aa23music]

YOYOYOYOYOYOYO I STUDIED THIS IN GRADE 8 MUSIC THEORY A WHILE BACK AND YOU JUST REMINDED ME OF IT

[@okbruh]

Renato Carosone in Tu Vuo Fà L'Americano, precisely on the verse: "Ok napolitan!" It's B flat - E7 - Am. 😁Beautiful song of yours! 💙

[@GemistosPlethon]

Congratulations on beating me to the punch! It might help to explain that in Carasone's song, the singer is poking fun at an acquaintance who acts like an American all the time. The singer points out that this person was in fact born in Italy, specifically in Naples, and is therefore a Neapolitan. Precisely at the moment the singer calls him a “Neapolitan,” Carosone underlines the word with the Neapolitan chord. Brilliant!

[@effeilensucre]

Never noticed the Millionaire theme song sounded so much like a Muse song ahahah

[@hibbiea8841]

And it also sounds like - My Soundalike: Aiming For Nymburk from Tom Clancys Jack Ryan by Ramin Djawadi

[@curtvona4891]

Pretty composition, David.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@curtvona4891]

@@DavidBennettPiano 👍

[@jdalexander69]

This concept had me so mixed up in my music theory class back in the day. After so many years I finally think I understand it. Thanks for the clear examples and explanation. I wish my music teacher had used more modern music instead of classical and hymnals, I think it would have been more relatable. The Beatles seem to have every trick in the book when it comes to music theory.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊

[@MrPaulOfield]

This one has been so complete! Every aspect has been studied! Thank you so so much!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Glad it was helpful!

[@actuallythepie]

exit music not mentioned in a david benett video? no way :D this is a great collection man. i hadnt noticed a lot of them before.

[@NationDixon]

Really great video. I liked your commentary about the use of music theory to better understand music

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@NationDixon thanks 😊

[@oliverwhawell]

Very well presented :-) While My Heart is Still Beating has this chord progression as chorus: Dm6 Cmaj7 Bb E Leading to Am It’s also worth noting that the Neapolitan chord is used heavily at the end of 12 bar blues. In this case, say Db7 to C7, the Db7 contains the same enharmonic tritone as G7 so I would argue that Db7 to C functions as a perfect cadence. My own song, Haunted, by the Strawberry Thieves is in E minor and uses the F major chord heavily. Edit Should have watched to the end before commenting. 10/10 David.🎉

[@zorgus2002]

best explanation of a N chord I've heard. Thanks David!

[@MichelAzevedo29]

What a coincidence. Last Tuesday I discussed this chord with my piano teacher. The algorithm really is amazing. By the way, great content as usual. It is really clear now

[@EANNE1000]

I learn so much from watching your videos. Your song at the end is gorgeous!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!!

[@AlexPDudley]

Came for the Raiders Theme. This has always been my go-to example of a Neapolitan chord

[@daartiz01]

Well, about the song Because, Lennon told that he got the idea from Moonlight Sonata , but if one take a look at Chopin's Fantasy Impromptu's left hand , the real inspiration can be found which was copied note by note.

[@jeremypayne6307]

Australian here. A good very blatant example of this comes right off the bat in the Aussie classic Come Around by Mental as Anything; first line is I - IV - N - V and is repeated numerous times throughout.

[@TigerRogers0660]

Great explanation David!!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@TigerRogers0660 thanks 😊

[@andylanger7742]

I would argue that the Neapolitan is actually on the 4th scale degree, and instead of a 5th, the chord has a lowered sixth, its third must always be in the base which happens to be the on the 4th scale degree (f). For instance, in c-minor the 4th scale degree is f-minor (f-ab-c) , the Neapolitan is f-ab-db which is an inverted Db-Major chord, however, the root note cannot be presented in the base. (Classical Music) Challenge for anyone: play the Neapolitan in all minor and Major keys (: Base progression is i-iv-V-i ) (Tonal functions: tonic, subdom with a lowered 6th instead of a 5th, Dom, and back to tonic)

[@KarstenJohansson]

Eye opener. I use the Phrygian scale a lot, so I never really understood why the N or N6 was exceptional enough to get its own name. It's when taken *out* of Phrygian that it becomes more clear. Also, I noticed that the pop songs nearly unanimously got there by emulating Moonlight Sonata. Just make it groups of 4 and call it a different song.

[@theflashisme2737]

So glad this came out right at the same time we started studying the Neapolitan in my college music theory class

[@Flobyby]

I love that last part about music theory being a descriptive science only, it is no hard rule. One of my favorite uses of a bII is in Sunny at the end of the verse. When it comes it's unclear if it's gonna serve as a tritone substitution or a sub dominant chord. Then it shifts to ii7b5 (only the root changes) then to the super dominant V7#5 (augmented). The result is very surprising yet completely logical

[@TenThumbsProductions]

It’s rad that the Beatles did Neapolitan chord with that mandolin tremolo, giving Canzone Napoletana vibes.

[@jonathanwingmusic]

16:20 Another thing I would add here is when in doubt about function, always look for root motion or chromatic bass motion. While it's totally correct to call that Moody Blues song as using the Phrygian Scale, in general with chords that do not possess a clear function (or go against their typically described function), it can be helpful to view the alternative function of simply being that of stepwise motion, whether diatonic or chromatic. In other words, a passing linear chord to connect the dots. In which case they chose a Phrygian scale / chromatic step to do it which adds a nice touch of dark color, so the "function" is mostly to smoothly descend, and by lowering the second degree they create an even more intense (and dark) downward pull to the tonic.

[@ljdobles8104]

Otro gran video 👌🏻

[@renny1712]

I love the N6! One of my favorite score I can think of is: Chopin's first Nocturne Op9.N1 in Bb minor. The N6 is futured in the midsection in the key of Bb min we have i - b||-V7- i or (Bbmin - Cb - F7 - Bbmin). The N6 is futured again before the ending of the peace. I love those suspensions over the F7 as well. And the modulation between Bb minor & DMaj Db Major. But the surprise Picardy Cadance is Bb Major. 🌞

[@radiozelaza]

Moody Blues mentioned. Thumbs up!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😃

[@inf0phreak]

5:07 for the phrygian stank note (if you know, you know :D)

[@juckorules]

Sideways!!!

[@jorgneumeier3027]

Wow, der Neapolitaner , einfacher und besser kann man es nicht erklären. Vielen Dank, ich liebe deine Videos. 👍👍👍

[@lxiaspb]

Dear David , considering the example of "nights in white satin" maybe it could be the third possibility of resolving the Neapolitan chord: directly to the first degree. You could read that in the book of harmony of Crotch from 1812. This resolution was common also in the southern Italian folk music. A further example could be the famous song: "a casa di Irene". Many thanks, great video

[@robcerasuolo9207]

Thanks for that clarification. I often use a flat-2 just to spike in a touch of disruptive drama, but I never used it as an according-to-Hoyle Neapolitan chord cuz I actually rarely use traditional V-I or V-i resolution when I write. So, I didn't know I wasn't doing it right! 😂

[@thiscommenter180]

I like how clean some of the animations are now on the sheet music

[@annamariaisland1960]

Enlightening analysis on this rich chord progression! The last two chords of the 2nd movement of Brahms' 4th symphony are also a Neapolitan sequence, from an F major to an E major. So it's not an N6 chord, and for me what I hear is the chromatic movement of the F to E, the A to G# and the C to B. Maybe it's just a chromatic slide, similar to the last two chords in the Beatles' "Oh Darling."

[@ric8248]

13:12 A minor detail, but l think that D#m7 at the bottom is supposed to be a D# half diminished. Fantastic video. This chord really has a special taste and is very recognisable when you hear it.

[@sinesquared2309]

missed exit music as an example, as it's in b minor, and it uses a C major that leads to an F# major

[@christopherecatalano]

One of my favourite uses of it is on Bryan Ferry's Windswept from Boys and Girls. It is an otherworldly beautiful track with an equally beautiful guitar solo played by either Mark Knopfler pretending to be David Gilmour or vice versa as both of them played on the record but controversy over who played on what has persisted to this day. Almost like there was some intentional mimicry of each other's tone and style going on there, and album credit sources vary. Windswept is loosely speaking Fm, DbM, GbM, CM throughout the song except for a perfect little mini break before the solo. Because of the G dropped to an Gb, I always thought of it as a Phrygian progression, but there is something weightier going on for sure. The most darkly romantic song on the ghostliest album of haunted love songs ever made😂 I am going to be digging more deeply into the Neapolitan way! Thank you for the insights...

[@althealligator1467]

Arthur's Theme is a pretty iconic use of a Neapolitan chord followed by a Picardy third. My favourite song Le jour le plus froid du monde by Dionysos also features one. It also features a downward keychange by a semitone at its climax if you're still looking for more of those

[@FredWooo]

Seeing that this chord can be written as an N instead of bII blew my mind! I didn't think any chord could be so outrageous as to do that!

[@heatherfyffe3618]

Wait until you meet the It Fr and Ger6 chords...

[@Taschenschieber]

This video should have been sponsored by an ice cream manufacturer. Big missed opportunity there.

[@gassug2]

im surprised exit music for a film isn't here. i'm fairly sure there's a bII (C major chord in B minor) leading to a V (F# major) during the "we hope your wisdom and rules choke you" bit

[@CptSaturn]

A learning experience! Thank you.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@CptSaturn thanks!

[@adrianhepton9362]

Great mix of classical and pop references, topped off with a nice philosophy of music theory conclusion.

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

I think there's a fourth option: bVII of the relative major. In a lot of the examples you gave - even the ones that moved to V - I didn't hear the chord as a Neapolitan; I heard it as bVII being borrowed from the relative major. I'm willing to bet money that's *exactly* how bands like The Moody Blues thought of the chord: "Oh, we're in Em, so that's like G, and you can use an F in G. It usually goes to G, but Em can be used where a G goes so that should work" sort of thinking. Same goes for "A Day In The Life" which has that distinctive F->Em movement in a song that vacillates between G and Em. I guess in a way you can see this is a variant of your Phrygian option, as the Mixolydian of the relative Major is "the same" scale (at least in terms of notes). However, I actually *hear* it as a bVII chord, and again would *heavily* argue that this is exactly how bands like The Beatles and The Moody Blues conceptualized it; at least in the songs I'm referring to here. It's no coincidence I think that this movement occurs in songs that vacillate between relative keys like G/Em (Nights In White Satin and A Day In The Life, specifically.)

[@declanjoyce3063]

Fantastic stuff. Thanks, DB!

[@principals16842]

Possibly the most stunning N6 chord I can think of is near the end of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor. Everything comes to a brief halt on that stunning D flat major chord before the piece concludes.

[@kingsleys.1319]

„Our lips are sealed“ by the Go-Gos uses a Neapolitan Chord resolving to a major chord, quite unique for such a pop song

[@MichaelMichael-zu4kg]

Do a video on the chord progression of wicked game or i VII IV!! I've never seen anyone talk about this while it's a very common progression and a beautiful one

[@brianwarner308]

cool song at the end man!!!

[@andrebordeleau8682]

Regarding "Because" : D dim is also G# dim and can thus be viewed as (almost) a V chord.

[@irenecamargomacedo6626]

Here's another example: "Everybody Knows" (originally by Leonard Cohen and covered by Sigrid - Cohen's version is in D♭m, while Sigrid is in Bm). Both versions use the Neapolitan progression at the end of each verse: Cohen's version goes "D - A♭7 - D♭m", while Sigrid's goes "C (the piano plays an arpeggio of C7) - F♯7 - Bm".

[@jackmartinleith]

At 1:01, the A chord is ♭VI, not VI. Major and parallel minor Roman numerals are the same, so the I is C#. In the key of C#, the VI chord is A#. Therefore A is ♭VI.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@jackmartinleith it can be labelled either way actually. Generally speaking, in Roman numeral analysis of classical music, if it is clear that the key is minor then you won’t put flats before VI and VII etc

[@jackmartinleith]

@@DavidBennettPiano "Major and parallel minor Roman numerals are the same" I'm pretty sure I learnt this from one of your videos. However, if we use Roman numerals for the key of E rather than C#m, then the VI is C#m. Please explain how this VI chord is A, as it's still not clear to me. Thanks David.

[@TH-zr7yo]

@@jackmartinleith that’s because when you build chords using the notes of a minor scale, in classical music, you have to use the harmonic minor scale. If we were in the key of A minor, the chord built on the VI would be an F major, and that’s because the A minor harmonic minor scale has a natural VI, which is F natural. If we used the altered 6th (therefore using the melodic scale), the chords on the II and the IV would also change

[@ak47dragunov]

Why have I never noticed that the Who wants to be a Millionaire theme would work great in a JRPG

[@Caddrel]

One of my favorite sounds in music. It seems like film score composers love to vamp on flat II - V, or maybe just major chords a tritone apart even if they don't fall on those scale degrees. Evangelion Rei I does that a lot, between B and F major though the key is A minor.

[@tdesq.2463]

So, we're basically toggling the Natural Minor (Aeolian) to the Dominant Minor ((Phrygian), which is my favorite Mode of all). Having done this, we have essentially modulated to the incumbent SubDominant, Thus, if in A Minor, we flatten the B, we modulate to the Key of D Minor (or F Major). Cool Stuff! Thx! 🎼TD

[@jacksonsay37]

The writer of the songs for Mulan has called “I’ll make a Man Out of You” a “very odd pop song”. I can see why he said that. The part beginning with the line “I’m never gonna catch my breath” is especially unusual, as it is either a bridge that occurs before the first chorus, or it is a pre-chorus that only appears once. Just thought I’d share something interesting that you could talk about in a future video. Doesn’t have to be the subject of the whole video, just something brought up in passing.

[@Roberto-o2c1h]

Very interesting although I was hoping for some example of NC on some Neapolitans classic songs such as these following six famous examples: O Sole Mio, Torna a Surriento, Santa Lucia, Funiculì Funiculà, Reginella, Core ‘ngrato.

[@Domingojazz]

In the famous song Lacreme napulitane written by Libero Bovio you can find the neapolitan sixth and also the italian augmented sixth.

[@pensivepenguin3000]

This chord change seems to be engineered to induce anxiety, which I don’t need more of right now. Lol. Really great video

[@sebastianvega4576]

i was waiting for a radiohead example. was not disappointed!

[@pierre.faller]

Neapolitan Chord was used a lot by Django Reinhardt. There is a lot of versions of some of its pieces (like "minor swing", "douce ambiance" and so on) where he used it and where he didn't use it.

[@hihihihihihi05]

will you make a video on augmented sixth chords? particularly the Italian, French, German?

[@mr88cet]

Hey, great video, David! Thanks. 6:15 - Perhaps I’m just remembering wrong, but my recollection is that it’s not called a “Neapolitan 6th chord,” but a “Neapolitan 6 chord.” The 6 here comes from the figured bass for a first-inversion triad. My recollection is that it’s notated “N6” in the same sense that, for example, a first-inversion chord on the fourth degree (minor key) would be notated “iv6.” It’s also, arguably at least, preferable not to call it a “6th chord,” to help distinguish it from Italian, German, and French 6th chords, which are a completely different topic, and are also (for no obvious reason) named after European locations. (Ah, continuing with the video, I see that you mentioned the “N6” notation later in the video.)

[@cakemartyr5794]

Great video. I happen to be learning the Moonlight sonata, so good explanation of that moment in the tune. At 17 minutes in or so, when you had the speech bubbles, would have been funny if you did what The Tim Traveller does, and have the mouths open and speak in funny accents.

[@ray-piano9326]

Superb music education for anyone interested in composition. Thanks!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊