Chords: Beginner's Guide
Music expert Eli Krantzberg presents comprehensive video tutorials on chord theory for beginners, without the need for reading music! If you've ever wanted to learn how chords work - both on their own and within a chord progression - this video series is the one to watch! Eli starts at the beginning so that no one is left behind, explaining the core concepts of music theory with plenty of examples along the way. Even if you've never learned to read music before, you'll come out with a solid footing on the language of chords. These videos are for those with little or no music theory knowledge.
Videos
• The Foundation (04:24) - Learn the basics of note pitches, how they?re named, and how they?re laid out on the piano keyboard.
• Intervals (03:22) - Explore how intervals, the distance between notes, are defined and described, including the number and quality associated with each.
• Scales, Key Signatures & The Cycle of Fifths (05:45) - Discover the basic recipe for major and minor scales and how they relate to key signatures. Also, learn the relationships between key signatures and their related chords in the cycle of fifths.
• Triads & Chord Names (05:50) - In this video, Eli describes the four different types of triads and where they naturally occur in major keys.
• Triads & Roman Numerals (02:51) - Explore how Roman numerals are used to identify triads built on scale tones as you work through the sharp keys in the cycle of fifths.
• First Inversion Triads (07:06) - In this video, discover the two variations in how triads are constructed and voiced. Hear the difference in sound between closed and open voicings. And explore the use of first inversion voicings, in which the 3rd of the chord is used as the lowest note of the chord instead of the root.
• Second Inversion Triads (02:56) - Explore the sound of triads that are voiced with the 5th degree as the lowest note in each chord.
• Triads in Action (06:20) - Hear multiple variations of simple triad-based chord movement, each using different inversions and voicings.
• Chords in Minor Keys (05:49) - Take a look at how triads are constructed in minor keys and hear a couple of examples of minor key chord progressions using triads and inversions.
• Seventh Chords (06:49) - Learn how chord extensions are added to triads, as we examine the different types of naturally occurring seventh chords found in four-note chords built from the major scale.
• Seventh Chords in Minor Keys (05:50) - Discover the qualities of seventh chords built on various degrees of the natural minor scale, as well as those built on the naturally occurring harmonies in the ascending form of the melodic minor scale.
• Sixth & Seventh Chords in Action (04:56) - Explore the sonic variations resulting in adding a 6th degree to major and minor triads. Hear a few examples of them combined with seventh chords.
• Chord Review & Suspended Chords (06:53) - Here, Eli presents a quick review of all the different chord types studied so far in this series. He also demonstrates suspended chords and illustrates how they resolve naturally.
• Chord Progressions (08:58) - In the final video, review some best practices when voices within a chord move from one chord to another. Also, get a jump start on some commonly used chord progressions in various styles of popular music.