The "Djent" Chord!!! (Prog Metal Chord Lesson)

[@potatotaxi]

I just call this the Mark Holcomb/Sentient Glow chord. The djent chord is a 4 note chug. Easily my favorite chord it's so nice

[@TheProgSchool]

@@potatotaxi that’s a fair description of the chord!

[@Kevin2341]

This guy talking about chords and I'm like "ah yes, I know some of these numbers and letters"

[@TheProgSchool]

@@Kevin2341 haha, honestly that’s all you really need to know

[@bobbymccrary6107]

First theory vid in a long time where I learned something. Many thanks

[@TheProgSchool]

@@bobbymccrary6107 you’re welcome!

[@Kharnimani]

Ah yes my favorite chord, I love moving it around and seeing where it takes me

[@TheProgSchool]

It's a good one!

[@Scafidi616]

Dude your content was on spot, I've been searching for stuff like this for months! Thanks for this wonderful knowledge

[@TheProgSchool]

You’re welcome! Lots of other videos in this vain if you enjoyed this.

[@travislee9662]

Wow really glad this popped up in my feed, this video alone is a veritable masterclass…subscribed!

[@TheProgSchool]

Thank you, and welcome! I have dozens of videos in this vein if you enjoyed this one!

[@travislee9662]

@@TheProgSchool​​⁠yeah I see you’ve got a long list of videos and been at this for years. The chords in this video have already sparked a couple of ideas, I’m definitely going to be working through your other videos.

[@modernmetal89]

Thank you so much. I really wanted to know the music style I wanted, but thanks to the algorithm, I enjoyed it.

[@TheProgSchool]

You're welcome!

[@SamBrockmann]

I really enjoyed you properly defining the modal context. So many people, when referring to modes, act like a mode is just another scale or another key. No, modes are modes. They're their own thing. And you treated modes that way. :)

[@TheProgSchool]

Yep, modes are their own sound!

[@Zyborggian]

Wow would you look at that. The moment 1:04 hit and you showed the pitches and I played em on piano I was like "oh shit... woulda never realized on my own probably that djent uses the FUCK out of first inversion Maj9s." Probably because I tend to only do harmonic analysis when a super unique chord or spicy modulation hella hella piques my interest lol. Also thank you for this video because I have been composing prog metal for years but never formally learned guitar and so I had no idea it was so ridiculously easy to grab a major 9 in standard or drop tuning LMFAO I will now use this shape for Maj9s on guitar (I shoulda looked it up sooner but Im lazyyyyy). Seems like it would maybe work well as a sweep shape too :) And hell yeah I definitely would use Lydian to come up with melodies over major based chords generally. Idk it sounds less dissonant and more heavenly and uplifting and less hokey than Ionian to me. But no like... When I started the video I swear I thought it was going to be this SUPER similar MINOR 9 chord shape which is easy to grab (in drop) E: 5 B:6 G:7 D:8 A:5 D: 5 Its used in that INSANE modulating section (sorta like you did when you started chromatic medianting at 9:59 ... not random at all seems like you definitely knew what you were doing there by moving in thirds and its fun to do that when composing for sure ;) ) but yeah the minor 9 shape is used right after the deviny pitch screams in Omega by Periph and I THINK but don't quote me its also in Planetary Duality title track moving in similar intervals. I have ripped those sections off with this chord when jamming around so many times lmao. The shape is EXTREMELY similar to yours Im noticing because for example Im noticing the chord I just tabbed is the relative minor to the "djent chord" Maj9 which is barred on the same fret. Which I suppose makes sense. Idk I never learned the fretboard Im way better at keys :^) LMAO With keys the C has a certain shape and position and so does a Ab... Fretboard is all just rectangles maaaaaan and I am big dumbdumb (and lazy). Also I feel like I should join your discord. I have semi advanced harmony concepts I want fellow metal nerd friends to geek out with about and very few people who speak the language and Ive felt lonely on this topic for years :( Anyway long autistic ramble over now. P.S. yes I used chromatic mediant as a verb earlier and you can't stop me :^)

[@turian1moose]

Djent is probably the best thing to ever happen to prog metal.

[@TheProgSchool]

😆😆

[@staatsanwaltschaftemskirch4709]

Amen

[@greedo69]

worst*

[@Reakerboy]

I think the prog heads have taken on Djent as another heavier option. Classic djent ain't Prog. I like both but not too keen on the watered down djent prog metal stuff.

[@Ike_AW]

"worst*"​, said the zoophile @@greedo69

[@grahamlong5969]

Love your channel and learning new stuff. I'm looking forward to getting into more of your videos. You were right about the way tabs were written, don't know what I was thinking in my precious comment. Sorry about that

[@TheProgSchool]

No worries, I remember tabs being confusing myself for a a while

[@creepymccreepers]

Found a kool new channel today 😊

[@TheProgSchool]

Welcome!!

[@jellytroid]

Great video! I always thought of this as a “pretend to be Allan holdsworth” chord.

[@TheProgSchool]

That’s a fair assessment haha

[@leigor6020]

1:45 I think I heard that chord from an Erra song

[@TheProgSchool]

That wouldn’t surprise me at all

[@Jimmy.Williams]

Nice job, very articulate with the explanations, but in a very digestible manner.

[@TheProgSchool]

Thank you!

[@scotttan1738]

quick question: when we use a drop A 7-string guitar how do we do the minor 11 chords?

[@TheProgSchool]

@@scotttan1738 Dm11 as an example starting with the low A would be 5 5 8 5 5 5 You could even play 5 on the high string if you wanted all 7 strings. Pretty simple

[@scotttan1738]

@ thank u so much!! I was having fun with this chords. Looking forward to use it in my songwriting practice💪🏻

[@jacobryanjosephmorrison]

Fuck yes i needed this lesson

[@TheProgSchool]

@@jacobryanjosephmorrisonglad to help’

[@dek86s]

Nice lesson!! what do you think of tesseract? and the one note picking (like the outro of nocturne)... that acle is well know for!!

[@TheProgSchool]

I really enjoy a lot of Tesseract, especially One and their latest album. I’ve done a couple of Tesseract lessons on the channel already.

[@dek86s]

cool!! another band that is so good is IHLO they use 6 string in the track Coalesence.. an it has an ouitro as good as nocturne!!

[@mikiresa2892]

Thx man

[@TheProgSchool]

@@mikiresa2892 you’re welcome!

[@deadSalesman_GD]

Doesn’t make sense to call it a m7(#5) in the first place because the natural fifth is at the top of the voicing. It would make more sense to call it m7(b13) if you want to insist the lowest note is the root.

[@TheProgSchool]

For sure, another reason I would never call it that

[@Yoursoulismine814]

How do you memorize all those chord shapes? I always have to sit down and write out chord progressions and look up how to play them.

[@TheProgSchool]

Lots of repetition and practice. It also helped me to try and use some of these chord shapes in my own music.

[@Justin-ax]

Just subbed I like the channel

[@TheProgSchool]

Thanks, and welcome!

[@thepagesaretorn]

Great vid! One note: I didn't catch immediately when you dropped D and when you went standard, so I got so confused when you said Dm11 with an open 6th string. Maybe I missed it? After looking at the standard notation, I kept aware for later when you were talking about the Ebmaj9/G

[@TheProgSchool]

I did mention I was dropping to D. Although maybe I should have mentioned when I alternated between the tunings. Though that should hopefully be easy enough to figure out based on the sound.

[@josku5]

@@TheProgSchoolIt is easy for me and you but maybe for someone who doesn’t as good of an ear it could prove to be a hinderance.

[@thenoobasaurus7840]

@@TheProgSchool It may be a good idea to mention that sort of thing, as the type/quality of the chord does change depending on the tuning. Plini always uses drop Db as his tuning for example, and on the onscreen tab for his section he was playing the bottom 5 strings for the chord shape. This does indeed change the chord to a Min11 chord, as the notes then become F C Ab Bb Eb. Mark Holcomb also played all 6 strings in the very first clip you had in the section showing the chord in use by various artists, and in that guitar world video you included he was tuned to drop C. In fact, most of the artists in that montage were in some sort of drop tuning, except for Aaron Marshall of Intervals, but in his clip he still used it to transition from a iii chord to the IV chord in that song as a standard Maj7 shape on the E string. Of these artists, Aaron is one of the few that plays in standard tuning as opposed to a drop tuning. There was one guy I don't recognize who was playing an Abasi in there too who may or may not have been playing standard tuning as well. That aside, the lesson is great, but the vast majority of the prog/djent artists you listed use this chord in its Min11(sometimes with the 9th if they include the high e as well) rather than its major inversion counterpart you spent the majority of the lesson on. To those reading this, its the same as if you were to play 3 5 5 5 on the D G B and E strings yields an Fmaj7 chord, but if you play 5 3 5 5 5 on the A, D, G, B, and E strings you now have a Dmin9 chord -- one note being misheard or misrepresented can change the identity of the chord completely.

[@TheProgSchool]

@@thenoobasaurus7840 You're right that I probably should have spent more time on the m11 version of this, but I wanted to start small and add more as I went. Also not everyone will be in a dropped tuning all the time so I wanted to start with a shape that was possible in standard tuning. As far as alternate tunings go it's tough to not make it super confusing. I prefer to stick in standard for the sake of teaching as all of these concepts work no matter how far the tuning is dropped. I also don't gear my lessons towards beginners. If someone is wanting to learn a more advanced topic like this and can't tell by listening whether I'm in dropped D or standard than there are probably other things they should learn first. I really appreciate the detailed comment though, it's never my goal to purposely confuse anyone!

[@Adiyat_Coto]

Hi Morgan, the intro song is sick! What's the song name btw? Thanks!

[@TheProgSchool]

@@Adiyat_Coto that’s my Prog School theme song. That’s basically all of it

[@Kitty-dv3mk]

What songs are the demo clips at the start from

[@TheProgSchool]

@@Kitty-dv3mk I don’t remember exactly. Lots of random tunes

[@rydermendelson7506]

Hi, I think you could say that the chord as you play it can function as a major 9 (although I am not sure I agree that it can ONLY function as such, as I believe it is certainly possible to use very tense, unstable voicings on the tonic, just look at jazz). However, perhaps you address this in the video but I do not have time to watch all of it right mow, but the way Plini and Mark Holcomb use it in the montage you showed, I think it is a different chord entirely, albeit with a similar shape. It looks and functions just like a minor 11 chord, in Plini’s case for example, an F minor 11.

[@rydermendelson7506]

Also, if you were to use it as a “sharp 5,” it would be more accurate to refer to the chord as “13” or “flat 13” depending on whether you assume by default that 13 refers to a major 13.

[@TheProgSchool]

I do talk about the m11 chord later in the video

[@joeaquilino19]

Is that dom7 sharp 13

[@TheProgSchool]

I explain in the video exactly what chord it is. Either a maj9 chord in first inversion, or a minor 11 chord depending on how it's used

[@ryanellis02]

This is sometimes called the mu chord popularized by Steely Dan

[@TheProgSchool]

The mu chord doesn’t typically have the major 7 like this chord does. The mu chord is an add9 chord voiced in a specific way. They are pretty similar though

[@rambache]

Maybe i missed it in the video but what is the tuning he is using?

[@TheProgSchool]

I go between standard and dropped d, but I’m mostly in standard here. I mention the tuning in the video, but I probably should have specified when I switch between them. If you have specific questions let me know!

[@I_Will_Just_Be_Honest]

The djent chord is actually 0-0-0-2 in drop tuning

[@TheProgSchool]

@@I_Will_Just_Be_Honest how dare you question my clickbait title!! You’re not wrong though

[@fredquevillon3727]

For like 18 years I barely played in drop D or else. I played standard tuned 7 string alot. 6 years ago I discovered the djent chord and now I play 6 string drop D,C#,C…way more than before.

[@TheProgSchool]

It’s a fun chord to play!

[@fredquevillon3727]

Thanks man I like your video. I was searching for the name of that chord for a long time!

[@TheProgSchool]

@@fredquevillon3727 glad I could help!

[@dngrouscrgo]

Double perfect fifth is “the” djent chord not this one. In fact the word djent was invented as an onomatopoeia of the sound of the double perfect fifth Source: Herman Li’s interview with Misha Mansoor on the origin of djent

[@TheProgSchool]

I always think of the double perfect 5th as being the ‘Prog Rock Power Chord’, but it is super common in Djent as well. I just picked a super common chord in this genre for this lesson. If Misha said that then that’s probably more correct!

[@MrOscyn]

Allan Holldsword used that chord.

[@TheProgSchool]

Allan Holdsworth used every chord haha

[@stickmanbrains]

Isn't it just a m6

[@TheProgSchool]

not exactly, watch the video to find out!

[@4004karp]

is it just "dJazz metal" chords?

[@TheProgSchool]

@@4004karp basically

[@VioletSky115]

I've been using this chord forever and I've always just called it a min7b13 because that's what an app told me it was Yeah don't ask me heck if I know

[@TheProgSchool]

@@VioletSky115 that isn’t technically wrong, but doesn’t best describe this particular chords sound and characteristics

[@JacobGorban]

Oh my, I discovered this chord and progression by chance (by ear) a couple of years ago, which eventually led to this mixed fusionish/prog metal song: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fILVZGSria-Bm6M I never quite knew how to articulate what the name of the chord is (well, not #5, for sure), or I've forgotten since then. So, to have this theoretic foundation from the lesson and learning that's actually called a "djent chord" is a welcome revelation.

[@TheProgSchool]

Glad to help! I’m not sure everyone calls it the Djent chord though, that might just be me haha

[@K_R_N.]

Why not just call this minor 7 with an added flat 6

[@TheProgSchool]

@@K_R_N. watch the video for the answer. It doesn’t function like a minor chord

[@gregarmstrong2500]

Came to this video just to see the dumpster fire of a comment section. It didn't disappoint.

[@TheProgSchool]

@@gregarmstrong2500 honestly it’s not as bad as it could be haha

[@gregarmstrong2500]

@@TheProgSchool Yeah actually, the further down I read, the more disappointingly civil it became. I guess KZbin just likes to bring all the pointless argument threads to the top.

[@TheProgSchool]

@@gregarmstrong2500 My comment sections tend to be pretty chill, but yeah YT likes to push the arguments up

[@ethanperrodin6012]

Can anyone recommend me a video for guitar music theory that you don’t already have to work at NASA to understand?

[@TheProgSchool]

@@ethanperrodin6012 there are some channels out there that do a good job with the basics. Signals music is one I often recommend. This channel is definitely not geared towards beginning music theory, but I appreciate you watching anyway!

[@Darkdimensionrift]

Im lost 😅

[@TheProgSchool]

@@Darkdimensionrift honestly I’m lost most of the time myself haha

[@SgtSuissie]

this is not what meshuggah sounds like, why is called djent chord

[@TheProgSchool]

@@SgtSuissie I’m talking more about the modern ‘Djent’ scene here. Obviously very different from Meshuggah

[@SgtSuissie]

@@TheProgSchool I see. Interesting because djent to me is what meshuggah is. Maybe this should be called post-djent or something

[@TheProgSchool]

@@SgtSuissie I don’t think Meshuggah would even call themselves Djent. The phrase was coined by Misha of Periphery, which is much more in this vein.

[@JawnCoffee]

Beautiful chord... I fuckin hate it

[@TheProgSchool]

@@JawnCoffee 🤣🤣

[@muninpulse8396]

Sry... thats to much music theorie 4 me.^^

[@TheProgSchool]

@@muninpulse8396 that’s fair, but lots of people find it helpful

[@Sphereal]

Djent is probably the worst thing to ever happen to prog metal.

[@TheProgSchool]

I’m not the biggest Djent fan, but I enjoy some of the elements it’s added into Prog. Specifically from a rhythmic perspective.

[@eliteleaf5305]

You know djent is incredibly good when it’s hated a lot by boomers

[@Adiyat_Coto]

But it's the best thing to ever happen to Jazz.