Roman numerals are used to designate chords instead of numbers because Roman numerals can be written in both lower case and upper case form to ease distinction between the minor chords and the major chords of a scale, or key. For example, C major scale chords would be arranged or categorized as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C D E F G A B Maj min min Maj Maj min min*dim But using roman numerals we get better distinction: I ii iii IV V vi vii*dim C D E F G A B Maj min min Maj Maj min min*dim I ii iii IV V vi vii*dim C D E F G A B*dim E - G - B - D G - B - D - F Upper case Roman numerals being Major chords and lower case Roman numerals being minor chords. If I see a iii chord and a V chord it’s immediately understood that I have a minor chord and a Major chord, respectively. But if I’m given those very same chords written numerically as a 3 chord and a 5 chord I’ll find it impossible to tell which is the minor chord and which is the Major chord unless I’m very familiar with the seven degrees of a scale that designate the chords of that scale. Hope this doesn’t confuse and rather helps and clarifies the reason for and use of Roman numerals instead of numbers for chord degrees of a scale for those who are curious, or confused.
Also isn't that to distinguish chords from harmony? For example, you can say V7 with the 7 in superscript. We know that it's not the VII chord, it's a 7th interval from the root note (actually a minor 7th). If someone were to just write "IN THE KEY OF C 1, 3, 5" on a chalk board and ask me what that was I would say it was a C major chord, not a chord I, iii, V progression.
@@CaseyVan For a beginner, it’s easier to see and know that, I iii V represents a major, minor, major chord progression due to the large and small letters, or Roman numerals, respectively. But for that same beginner, although the numbers 1, 3, 5 might represent the 1 3 5 chord progression of the C major scale to them, that person, being new to the game, may forget and become confused that the progression follows the major, minor, major pattern, respectively, because there’s no distinction made through the use of numbers. A number is just a number, sort of speak. But with Roman numerals, they’re large and small letters so that an upper case letter represents a “major” chord and a lower case letter represents a “minor” chord. And that makes life a whole lot easier! The whole idea is to avoid confusion and ease operation. When you’re new to it, if you saw 1 3 5, you’ll be hard pressed to know which are the major chords and which are the minor chord in the progression. Whereas with, I iii V it’s almost immediately clear that you have a major, minor, major chord progression because you have an upper case, lower case, upper case letter progression, respectively. Makes life simple!
I don't know how is that in your countries, but at least in Poland they don't teach us harmony in public music schools, only classic music and playing notes. It's horrible, because knowing the mathematics of harmony would give the musicians so much power from their early years of learning :( at least we have TH-cam. Thank you!
Very interesting post. So: you are saying.... that in Poland, they teach only what has been written.... but with knowing harmony you can write and play new music.... is this correct?
aha ! music nazis ! so desperate for classical robots , yes the oppression of expression and individual free thinking for fear of having people play the much feared jazz or even the venomously despised rock n roll
In China neither. I'm in my 30s and am re-studying music theory for playing guitar.I find this video so helpful and regret having the pathetic music lessons I had when I was a kid.
I can't believe how fantastic this woman is. She is an absolutely amazing teacher. Completely knows how to connect with other human beings to teach music in a way I've never seen before. She's a gift from God!
Also, in order to understand it, you need to be comfortable with: 1. Major chord 2. Minor chord 3. Scale (specifically Major Scales) 4. Key 5. Intervals (specifically semitones and tones)
Nice video, but I do have to disagree with the last part where she lists what chord goes to what chord. It music were that simple all music would sound the same. For example, the 5 chord doesn't have to go to 1 - it can also go to 6, then 6 can go 4, then to 5, and finally 1. At the end of the day, it's best to use your ear to determine what sounds good and not be limited by a formula.
Roy Maya yeah, that’s true, and 1,5,6m,4 is another really standard one. I think based on her other videos she’s trying to get you to play well known songs without music...so rules of thumb to play well known songs quickly by ear. So a list of educated guesses
Ah, yes, 5 can go to 6 because we learned in college that one can interchange the 6 and the 1. That is why many a song will start with 6 rather than the tonic.
The 5th is 50% higher in frequency (A=440hz E=660hz) which is why it sounds good to the ear. (only thing that sounds better or more in sync or in harmony- is an octave which 100% higher). What is called the 4th can be thought of as a minus 5th as it also has a 50% relationship to the tonic (F is the 5th below C just as G is the 5th above C).
This lady is nothing less than awesome. I stumbled upon her while researching the 16251 progression. Talk about getting more than what you asked for! I wish I could find an instructor like Mrs. Ramirez in my hometown.
@@JS45678 well yea I understand... But if you play live music by ear you have to really know how to play ...where I come from at concerts they sing and you have to figure it out on the way .....well it all depends on what u plan to do, can get away on composing but its worth it.
Key and scale do not mean the same thing though they are used interchangeably. Key simply means Tonic. Scale is the subsequent pattern of notes from the Tonic. There is no such thing as a C scale. C is the key, major is the scale. As you may also have C minor, C dorian, C whatever.
I literally came to the comments when she said that, it does sound like shes teaching children and trying to keep it simple but telling them things which arent true probably wont help
U can use any note of the key of C as a tonic to use another scale, like playing the Em scale over the Em chord in the key of C. Its just to confusing to explain newcomers, she wanted to keep it simple.
You are an absolute wizard to have worked out the ground rules of playing music without score. Wished I watched your a video decades ago. This would have saved me over a half century of struggling. Thank you from glued reader of printed music.
you're kidding man , theres nothing new here other than it being very clearly explained on a yt vid all very available in books , especially those on jazz theory
Im positive this woman knows what she is talking about but what always baffled me about chord progressions was that how is it everybody follows the same chord progression like 1-6-2-5-1 for example and get different sounding results..Wouldnt everybody's music sound the same, playing the same chords in the same pattern?
exactly! lol half way through i said wow...this is how i got lost years ago in college....taking real private piano lessons with a teacher and learning the circle of fifths one key at a time is the real way to understand this. talk will only confuse the hell out you!
Hey! I love the way you teach......Your my kind of teacher.......I never had lessons, but When I was 17, I bought my first organ and started playing around with it, and within a month I was playing in church and loving every minute of it....the way you teach is somewhat how I learned to play.....I did teach myself how to read some notes just so I could learn the melody of a song....but sad to say, I haven’t sat down to an organ for 26 yrs....I do miss it.......
interesting points ,if anyone else needs to find out about best piano courses try EasyPianoLessons5.blogspot.com Ive heard some interesting things about it and my work buddy got great results with it.
I have played guitar for many years but I learned to play by ear. I have never understood music theory and i have always wanted to know more about music theory when i stumbled onto Karen's lessons. I have really enjoyed her lessons . Karen has a beautiful personality and it shows that she really enjoys teaching. Thank you so much for these wonderful lessons Karen they have brought me a great deal of enjoyment. Most sincerely, George Nourse Caldwell, Idaho
To people complaining, I think this is a simple course, following conventions and rule of thumb for learning musicians. Its not the be all end all of music theory and I dont think its supposed to be.
The reason people complain about the basics is because they think that they know more than what they actually know. If they knew as much as they thought they knew, they would be more humble and not complain. The knowledgeable never complain about hearing the basics because every so often, they are reminded of something they forgot. He who complains about the basics of his craft, will be too limited to perfect his craft.
AMAZING!! I’ve known that music could be played with numbers for years, but never could find anyone to teach me about it.. So clear and easy to understand. Thank you so much.
Song at 1:10 -- Heart and Soul. Did you know that Hoagy Carmichael wrote the music? I've been playing jazz piano for over 50 years and I just discovered that recently. And, it has a bridge -- I never knew that. Yes, that 1-6-2-5-1 is very common.
The dominant chord V is so important because the 5 note of the scale that is one octave higher has a harmonic resonant frequency to the 1 note of the chord. That is, when you strike middle C, the G string in the next higher octave also vibrates. So you can see now why it seems "natural" to play I-V-I.
Michael J. Ludowise Sr. My friend had a wife that tried to teach her daughter how to play the piano. When the daughter made a mistake, she slapped her daughter’s knuckles with a wooden spoon. The daughter did not like that. She eventually gave up trying to learn how to play the piano.
this channel is great,the information is so deep,ave been following this tutorials for about one month or so and I cant lie ave improved alot with the piano,Probably one of the best PIANO teachers that ave come across on the internet.GOD BLESS you for the great work you are doing,it really helps alot
the reason they use roman numerals is so you can denote weather or not it is major or minor. .the minor chords of the scale are usually shown in lowercase roman numerals. I ii III IV V vi VII
+Jack Anderson also to tell the difference between the chord and the degree of the scale for example V7 - which is the fifth Chord with the 7th degree of the scale - Which would be 57, which could be confusing potentially.
Howard SIX , ungrateful bitchy commentor as we still say , all mouth and no brain ...so shut up and post up your wonderful lesson as if you'd do any better
I feel like I know her personally. She has the GIFT of sharing. She does wonders for the TH-cam Community. Thanks Karen and whoever posted all of the videos. God Bless!
Oh Karen you are so gifted! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, youtubers! I'm learning so much, I thought I would never be able to learn because I can't afford private lessons and at this season of my life, so crazy busy( 4 children, husband, money issues, fatigue etc) It's been a blessing to come to your channel and feel I can achieve this dream of mine at my own pace. May the Lord bless you all.
It took me a while to find it. She first talks about what she calls "bisquick chords" in her "First Aid Chord Kit - Lesson 2" th-cam.com/video/lCCSWZbZZwg/w-d-xo.html
Hi , just looking through all the past posts ,going back years ,I lot of people have said thay cart see the board, and the formula for the cords, I'm wondering why Karen has never said what is it's,, does she or anyone monitor this page ? Still she has help 100s of people inc myself over the years ,, she is a good teacher ,,
Thanks. But I will have to watch it again an again to get it. I’m all ready dong it I never thought about it before. I had a bad music teacher in school. Of course I’ve been a musician all my life. And made good money. Funny.
it's clear to me till 8:11 . i'll appreciate if someone could help me understand this "chord n°1 can go anywhere etc...". why is that ? Is this some kind of rule coming from nowhere (like in maths)? I don't see the logic there ? anyway mucho simpatico !
Don’t put too much thought into it. If you REALLY want to discover the truth behind that rule, just go to a piano and start in C Major, and play a 1 chord (C E G) and then play a 2 chord (D F A). Try playing a 1 chord and a 3 chord now. Now a 1 chord and a 4 chord. Keep going until you play all the combinations (if you’re going in order, then the last combination will probably be a 1 chord and a 7 chord). It’s hard to explain why, since we all interpret music differently, but hopefully, if you try this discovery exercise, you’ll be able to realize why the 1 chord can go to any other chord. If you really want to hear an interpretation of why 1 chord can go to any other chord, imagine the 1 chord is your house, and the other chords (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are your friend’s houses. You can go to any of their houses, but you can’t go to your own house because you’re already there. It’s true that you can visit any of your friends, but most people like to visit their best friends, and they live at the 4 house and the 5 house. Most people go to their best friend’s houses (4 and 5) because it’s easy, but most people won’t take the time to visit their other friends to get to know them a little bit better (2, 3, 6, 7). So, 1 usually goes to 4 or 5. Another option is to play 7 after 1. Well, perhaps after the 7 chord you can play a 6. Then maybe a 5, then 4, then back to 5, then back home to 1. Well, if you play this pattern on the piano, you may find that it’s quite recognizable, and you’ve probably heard this pattern before if you listen to music regularly. I hope this helped - I’d be curious to know if this helped to make some sense for you.
@@Doxsein Hello , first thanks for your answer . Second i will try this exercise on my guitar and will be back towards you in a while , i haven't got any piano or keyboards at home . English is not my first language so it'll take me a while for answering you in a proper way , so much to say . For the moment your "house" example doesn't speak to me a lot but i have to focus and maybe it will. I noticed that you picked up the 4 and 5 degrees as most used and this is the basic Blues progression , and precisely i'm here to "get out" of this Blues thing (wich i like very much anyway) and try to evolve . I've got an anarchic and small knowledge in music theory but i know my degrees and intervals as well as chords embellishments and inversions. When i saw this course i was thinking it could help me evolve in some ways and then life matters took me away from music theory , it was 11 months ago and since i reconsidered my priorities in terms of music : i won't be a composer and the music i love and want to play is not initially written, so i came to the fact that i will trust my ear and that all the notes availables to improvise are already in the chord or the melody but as i love music very much i want to understand and make all the nebulous points clear (a bit too much " don't put too much through it " ha ha it sounds like you already know me ), moreover i have to admit that i'm not a very patient guy . If you agree i will contact you after the exercise ( could take a while ) and i thank you again and sincerely for taking the time to answer me , not enlighted me yet but maybe soon to come , and for this share .
Had a guitar workshop instructor that started the workshop by writing 4736251 on the board. WOW.... after getting over that it was my ex-girlfriends telephone number, he went on to talk about the circle of 4th's/5th's and how to use it in Jazz/Blues songs. Then, we covered one or two different songs each day that demonstrated how to use it.... Then, the next year's workshop covered the Grateful Dead and how often they used this. Way cool.
😐 Its a Roman numeral because IV is uppercase and iv is lowecase, where IV is a major 4th and iv is a minor 4th. So you don't have to put M or m over the numbers like she did. She's knows this, there is no way she doesn't. 😂 9:50 "🎶 we're caught in a trap, we can't walk out, because I love you too much baby 🎶"
But wait, the key is C but the scale is the major scale(or minor, or harmonic minor, minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, etc.) Then of course you have the different modes... Am I wrong?
Honestly, the rule is way too limited, it only allow for 6 progressions - 141,1451,151,136251,16251 and 1251. Good to know these popular options but definitely need to explore others.
"We're only going to adress it in the key of C right now because piano players that's the key they play in, guitars and other instruments might be different" Yeah, because everyone knows that every single one of us guitar players are well known for our music theory knowledge, way more than you piano players 😂 I guess piano players only play in C major. Half of us guitar players: "dude, you don't need to know notes"
The idea that there are rules for chord progressions is ludicrous - play whatever you like. There are conventions , cliches , norms etc - such as ii - V - I in jazz - e.g Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 . If you want to write a pop song use I , IV & V +/- vi . (Roman numeral system - the lower case e.g ii means MINOR chord (see above sequence) . No _rules_ .
Roman numerals so in a Major Key, the Major chords would be identified as Capital I, IV, V & minor/diminished chords as lower case: ii, iii, vi, vii...as a visual short hand. You missed a “teaching moment” opportunity instead of an eye-roll moment to put down classical teaching.
Can anyone explain theory from 8.12 where she explain the 6 numbers from 1 can go anywhere and 2 go to 5, 3 to 6 and 4 to 5 or 1 , 5 to 1 and 6 to 2..??? why and where is the logic behind here i still don't get it?
Why didn't I have someone like this hammering this info to me this clearly when I was 13 whatever. maybe I was too dumb back then go understand the simplicity of this
I can tell you what I understood. The key means the scale that the piece is in. eg. written in C, notes of C major scale, ie. C D E F G A B C So, when they're forming major triad chords (3 notes, I, IV, V), they have to change the second note of the triad, to fit in the scale. *There are no sharps in C*. They change the second tone by bringing it down one semitone. eg. D major triad - D, F#, A F# isn't in C major scale, hence, we bring it down one semitone to F.
I like this gal a lot. Great personality. If my piano teacher would have been her when I was 5 I might have stuck with lessons. Mine was so stuffy that I dropped out and learned guitar, steel guitar , banjo, mandolin and harmonicas by ear. I didn't stick with my lessons, so Iguess I will never amount to nothing. I didn't learn about the circle till I was fourty five.
I'm sorry to say that approaching 6 min in, I don't get it. I have no idea what she's talking about. Now I'm at 8:03 and we shall see. Can she pull a rabbit out of a hat? Maybe I should go to the Bisquick??? lesson she mentioned?
Can someone please help me to understand the Diatonic harmony short cut that was taught a couple of years ago, determining the chords in a song? When I use the sequence I was taught, I keep coming up one chord short of what is in the song, I’m using the key of A, A being my first chord, Bm is my 2nd chord which in the video tells me that the 2nd chord in the song should go to the 5 th chord which is Emaj, then I should go to the first chord which is A, but in order for the song to sound right, should go to the 4 th chord which is D, and then to the 5th chord, E7. What am I missing.if noone understands what I’m talking about, please watch Karens video on determining the chords in a song. Thank you
Amazing over 6000 likes and literally hundreds of musicians praising her for opening their eyes(with one video) after years of not getting it. And still people on hear saying this is worthless, tonic this and dominate that. You poor people would try describe a sunset with words like refraction and thermo dynamics and correct and belittle someone for simply pointing and saying beautiful. You obviously do not get it. There are literally a handful of "secrets" that unlock freedom on any instrument and can be taught from zero in a matter of weeks. That is what this woman is doing. Years spent on lessons or school represent a huge waist. If you can't play without a piece of paper with dots on it you are entitled to compensation, not correcting people who can.
I must have missed something but I don't understand how songwriting can be so simplified?There are a sea of songs I know that don't necessarily follow this pattern,like a simple song I have at hand right now goes G / C / Em / D, it's in the key of G so that's 1-4-6-5. Are there many more sequences?
I was thinking the same exact thing. But she keeps referring to these progressions as "blues progressions" so that might explain it. Every song made by Zedd breaks these rules.
Dear Karen, I have tried for years to play piano. Can't read music, I am slow my nature. But after following your lessons, I can now play and truly enjoy it. Thank you so very much for your help. I took lessons for a year and still couldn't play. Now I play with groups that come to out town and play along with them. Again, Thank you so very much. Glenn Nolan
Not all musicians can be a music teacher and not all music teacher can be a good musician but you seem to have the both qualities...a professional musicians and a professional music teacher. congratulations
This is in my opinion a good lesson for entry level chord structures. But don't get it confused with "rules." This is a great tool and teaches many fundamentals. The sky is the limit with chord structures, don't confuse this for rules. I am pretty sure the teacher doesn't mean this to be a rule book, but more of a guide to help young students easily navigate chords. These are not the only directions chords can go. 4-6 is often a sequence that happens and there are more, but this is helpful for beginners none-the-less.
A really good explanation for the chords and I'm still working on just having fun with learning and playing without thinking because I'm still new and I'm having a good time with all this wonderful information Thank you Karen!
long time didn't follow the session , since that time my music theory improved a lot . always yours teaching were too advanced to me . lets see how good student l'm now ? always enjoy your class !!!!
I've been playing keyboard by ear all my 45 years, and have just started trying to learn theory. Even if this lesson is not 100% accurate - - as I suspect it's not - - it seems like a good, mostly followable introduction into theory. As long as I take notes, flag the questionable parts, and don't get too bogged down in "why this, why that?"
It is 100% accurate - as far as rules of harmony. Without the knowledge to know better - why would you doubt? Knowing music theory give you the tools to be intentional and make musical choices based on knowledge (as well as your ear.) Great composers and improvisors are steeped in this knowledge. Just like great writers/communicators have deep knowledge & command of their language. The great innovators knew these rules first and then broke them with intention and creativity.
She is talking to folks who are betting the basics, and sometimes it is better to be understood than to be totally accurate from the start. Start out with complex stuff, and you discourage the newbie.
Its pretty accurate like how ignorant do you have to be to doubt that when dont know anything about it like I'm in highschool and know a good bit of theory even if i didnt i wouldn't be ignorant enough to doubt what she said just because you dont understand something doesnt mean its wrong
This is how you teach. So encouraging and supportive and direct.
Roman numerals are used to designate chords instead of numbers because Roman numerals can be written in both lower case and upper case form to ease distinction between the minor chords and the major chords of a scale, or key.
For example, C major scale chords would be arranged or categorized as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C D E F G A B
Maj min min Maj Maj min min*dim
But using roman numerals we get better distinction:
I ii iii IV V vi vii*dim
C D E F G A B
Maj min min Maj Maj min min*dim
I ii iii IV V vi vii*dim
C D E F G A B*dim
E - G - B - D
G - B - D - F
Upper case Roman numerals being Major chords and lower case Roman numerals being minor chords. If I see a iii chord and a V chord it’s immediately understood that I have a minor chord and a Major chord, respectively. But if I’m given those very same chords written numerically as a 3 chord and a 5 chord I’ll find it impossible to tell which is the minor chord and which is the Major chord unless I’m very familiar with the seven degrees of a scale that designate the chords of that scale.
Hope this doesn’t confuse and rather helps and clarifies the reason for and use of Roman numerals instead of numbers for chord degrees of a scale for those who are curious, or confused.
Thanks I wasnt aware of that.
Also isn't that to distinguish chords from harmony? For example, you can say V7 with the 7 in superscript. We know that it's not the VII chord, it's a 7th interval from the root note (actually a minor 7th). If someone were to just write "IN THE KEY OF C 1, 3, 5" on a chalk board and ask me what that was I would say it was a C major chord, not a chord I, iii, V progression.
also on piano a number distinguishes the octave of the note... like C6 or C8 or whatnot
@@CaseyVan
For a beginner, it’s easier to see and know that, I iii V represents a major, minor, major chord progression due to the large and small letters, or Roman numerals, respectively. But for that same beginner, although the numbers 1, 3, 5 might represent the 1 3 5 chord progression of the C major scale to them, that person, being new to the game, may forget and become confused that the progression follows the major, minor, major pattern, respectively, because there’s no distinction made through the use of numbers. A number is just a number, sort of speak. But with Roman numerals, they’re large and small letters so that an upper case letter represents a “major” chord and a lower case letter represents a “minor” chord. And that makes life a whole lot easier! The whole idea is to avoid confusion and ease operation. When you’re new to it, if you saw 1 3 5, you’ll be hard pressed to know which are the major chords and which are the minor chord in the progression. Whereas with, I iii V it’s almost immediately clear that you have a major, minor, major chord progression because you have an upper case, lower case, upper case letter progression, respectively. Makes life simple!
@@1stTHINGS1stZINX yeah that's convenient. You can't make a small and big number.
I don't know how is that in your countries, but at least in Poland they don't teach us harmony in public music schools, only classic music and playing notes. It's horrible, because knowing the mathematics of harmony would give the musicians so much power from their early years of learning :( at least we have TH-cam. Thank you!
Very interesting post. So: you are saying.... that in Poland, they teach only what has been written.... but with knowing harmony you can write and play new music.... is this correct?
aha ! music nazis ! so desperate for classical robots , yes the oppression of expression and individual free thinking for fear of having people play the much feared jazz or even the venomously despised rock n roll
Absolutely. Theory has taken me up a level in musicianship.
In my school in England we weren't even taught anything about classical music. It was just doing covers of songs and essays on marketing etc 🙄🙄
In China neither. I'm in my 30s and am re-studying music theory for playing guitar.I find this video so helpful and regret having the pathetic music lessons I had when I was a kid.
I can't believe how fantastic this woman is. She is an absolutely amazing teacher. Completely knows how to connect with other human beings to teach music in a way I've never seen before. She's a gift from God!
Also, in order to understand it, you need to be comfortable with:
1. Major chord
2. Minor chord
3. Scale (specifically Major Scales)
4. Key
5. Intervals (specifically semitones and tones)
Nice video, but I do have to disagree with the last part where she lists what chord goes to what chord. It music were that simple all music would sound the same. For example, the 5 chord doesn't have to go to 1 - it can also go to 6, then 6 can go 4, then to 5, and finally 1. At the end of the day, it's best to use your ear to determine what sounds good and not be limited by a formula.
You have to start with the basic formula before you can put in the twiddly bits that actually make it musically interesting.
Roy Maya yeah, that’s true, and 1,5,6m,4 is another really standard one. I think based on her other videos she’s trying to get you to play well known songs without music...so rules of thumb to play well known songs quickly by ear. So a list of educated guesses
Ah, yes, 5 can go to 6 because we learned in college that one can interchange the 6 and the 1. That is why many a song will start with 6 rather than the tonic.
@@shamanbeartwo3819 deceptive cadence
@@stevestringer7351 lol, I admit I had to look up that term:))
The 5th is 50% higher in frequency (A=440hz E=660hz) which is why it sounds good to the ear.
(only thing that sounds better or more in sync or in harmony- is an octave which 100% higher). What is called the 4th can be thought of as a minus 5th as it also has a 50% relationship to the tonic (F is the 5th below C just as G is the 5th above C).
She's right. I watched this vid 2 years ago, and still remember her. Now all I need is a Wurlitzer!
This lady is nothing less than awesome. I stumbled upon her while researching the 16251 progression. Talk about getting more than what you asked for! I wish I could find an instructor like Mrs. Ramirez in my hometown.
I must be really stupid, but I have absolutely no idea what she just said.
@@JS45678 weak musician....wined up with poor compositions.
@@JS45678 well yea I understand... But if you play live music by ear you have to really know how to play ...where I come from at concerts they sing and you have to figure it out on the way .....well it all depends on what u plan to do, can get away on composing but its worth it.
It's worth learning
man....im gonna figure it out if it kills me.I know nothing but by ear and memory. this seems logical but i aint quite sure why. idk.............sigh.
@@thedoobiesistersandsackbla5718 try with psychology
Key and scale do not mean the same thing though they are used interchangeably.
Key simply means Tonic.
Scale is the subsequent pattern of notes from the Tonic.
There is no such thing as a C scale. C is the key, major is the scale. As you may also have C minor, C dorian, C whatever.
I literally came to the comments when she said that, it does sound like shes teaching children and trying to keep it simple but telling them things which arent true probably wont help
U can use any note of the key of C as a tonic to use another scale, like playing the Em scale over the Em chord in the key of C. Its just to confusing to explain newcomers, she wanted to keep it simple.
Should have said in the key of C major or Ionion mode to avoid confusion.
Nice, thanks for the information. I usually say, "in C major, A minor, D Dorian," not "in C scale." Nonetheless, nice information.
You are an absolute wizard to have worked out the ground rules of playing music without score. Wished I watched your a video decades ago. This would have saved me over a half century of struggling. Thank you from glued reader of printed music.
you're kidding man , theres nothing new here other than it being very clearly explained on a yt vid
all very available in books , especially those on jazz theory
Im positive this woman knows what she is talking about but what always baffled me about chord progressions was that how is it everybody follows the same chord progression like 1-6-2-5-1 for example and get different sounding results..Wouldnt everybody's music sound the same, playing the same chords in the same pattern?
exactly! lol half way through i said wow...this is how i got lost years ago in college....taking real private piano lessons with a teacher and learning the circle of fifths one key at a time is the real way to understand this. talk will only confuse the hell out you!
I’ve watched tons of theories but this lady explained it way much better than any of this money making bloggers.
Hey! I love the way you teach......Your my kind of teacher.......I never had lessons, but When I was 17, I bought my first organ and started playing around with it, and within a month I was playing in church and loving every minute of it....the way you teach is somewhat how I learned to play.....I did teach myself how to read some notes just so I could learn the melody of a song....but sad to say, I haven’t sat down to an organ for 26 yrs....I do miss it.......
interesting points ,if anyone else needs to find out about best piano courses try EasyPianoLessons5.blogspot.com
Ive heard some interesting things about it and my work buddy got great results with it.
Who's the genius that decided not to move the camera until the 6 minute mark?
Thank you William, I was yelling at the doofuss on the camera to zoom out for 6 minutes
Whatever you would have just seen CDEFGAB
Yes. I really love the tune. "Heart and Soul" it is! Now, I can get the sheet music. Thank you very much!
I have played guitar for many years but I learned to play by ear. I have never understood music theory and i have always wanted to know more about music theory when i stumbled onto Karen's lessons. I have really enjoyed her lessons . Karen has a beautiful personality and it shows that she really enjoys teaching. Thank you so much for these wonderful lessons Karen they have brought me a great deal of enjoyment. Most sincerely, George Nourse Caldwell, Idaho
To people complaining, I think this is a simple course, following conventions and rule of thumb for learning musicians. Its not the be all end all of music theory and I dont think its supposed to be.
The reason people complain about the basics is because they think that they know more than what they actually know. If they knew as much as they thought they knew, they would be more humble and not complain.
The knowledgeable never complain about hearing the basics because every so often, they are reminded of something they forgot.
He who complains about the basics of his craft, will be too limited to perfect his craft.
Ya there is no way to cheat theory it takes most people a life time
AMAZING!! I’ve known that music could be played with numbers for years, but never could find anyone to teach me about it.. So clear and easy to understand. Thank you so much.
Karen's teaching is so clear and simple!! She's amazing!
Song at 1:10 -- Heart and Soul. Did you know that Hoagy Carmichael wrote the music? I've been playing jazz piano for over 50 years and I just discovered that recently. And, it has a bridge -- I never knew that. Yes, that 1-6-2-5-1 is very common.
This fills a lot of gaps in my music theory knowledge. Thank you. You are a great teacher!
The dominant chord V is so important because the 5 note of the scale that is one octave higher has a harmonic resonant frequency to the 1 note of the chord. That is, when you strike middle C, the G string in the next higher octave also vibrates. So you can see now why it seems "natural" to play I-V-I.
hey she didnt confuse me or slap my hand for miss keying....oh Karen where were you in 1977?
Michael J. Ludowise Sr. My friend had a wife that tried to teach her daughter how to play the piano. When the daughter made a mistake, she slapped her daughter’s knuckles with a wooden spoon. The daughter did not like that. She eventually gave up trying to learn how to play the piano.
@@thomaspick4123 YEAH, I WENT TO CATHOLIC SKEWL AS WELL...LOL.
FYI- IM A RECOVERING cATHOLIC NOW
this channel is great,the information is so deep,ave been following this tutorials for about one month or so and I cant lie ave improved alot with the piano,Probably one of the best PIANO teachers that ave come across on the internet.GOD BLESS you for the great work you are doing,it really helps alot
Big Thanks for this video, i learned a lot in just simple way of knowing this simple logic.
I learned how to play "Happiness is a Warm Gun" by the Beatles in only a few minutes into this video. Thanks.
your videos are easy to understand. I've been self studying on playing piano and so far, I am learning. :) thanks for he videos :)
Me too..... Anything you wanna share?
Maybe I'm a little slow but I'm still lost.
You, Mrs. Ramirez, are the most talented music teacher I’ve ever heard.
I COSIGN THAT.
the reason they use roman numerals is so you can denote weather or not it is major or minor. .the minor chords of the scale are usually shown in lowercase roman numerals. I ii III IV V vi VII
+Jack Anderson Nah man, I just use lower case numbers
+Jack Anderson III should be lower case, iii
+Jack Anderson also to tell the difference between the chord and the degree of the scale for example V7 - which is the fifth Chord with the 7th degree of the scale - Which would be 57, which could be confusing potentially.
seriously, so many reasons why roman numerals are used....great code and big reason the band knows the key sequences ALWAYS
roman numerals are used to offer degrees and show diatonic relationships - not to denote minor
lippy cow, as we used to say, all fur coat and no knickers, but loved it all the same...........................
Howard SIX
, ungrateful bitchy commentor as we still say , all mouth and no brain ...so shut up and post up your wonderful lesson as if you'd do any better
were do your lessons start from?would like to start from the beginning
Very good and interesting.
wish i could see the board! :(
+Mazhim De Decker wish I could keep watching! :(
+Mazhim De Decker you obviously didn't watch the whole video
My thought exactly. They need to redo this video and put the board in the corner.
You can at 6:17
Mazhim De Decker 6:05
Does this only work in Major Scales? BTW Awesome Teacher!!
You are a wonderful teacher! I highly appreciate yr video. Rgds from Spain
I feel like I know her personally. She has the GIFT of sharing. She does wonders for the TH-cam Community.
Thanks Karen and whoever posted all of the videos.
God Bless!
Oh Karen you are so gifted! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, youtubers! I'm learning so much, I thought I would never be able to learn because I can't afford private lessons and at this season of my life, so crazy busy( 4 children, husband, money issues, fatigue etc) It's been a blessing to come to your channel and feel I can achieve this dream of mine at my own pace. May the Lord bless you all.
What I've learned in this video is more than a 3yr course, I'm blessed!
Does anyone have the link to her bisquik tutorial?
Richard Manone omg 😂😂😂😂😂
It took me a while to find it. She first talks about what she calls "bisquick chords" in her "First Aid Chord Kit - Lesson 2" th-cam.com/video/lCCSWZbZZwg/w-d-xo.html
Your videos are great. Thank you!
WOW we need more master-teachers as this greate woman!
Hi , just looking through all the past posts ,going back years ,I lot of people have said thay cart see the board, and the formula for the cords, I'm wondering why Karen has never said what is it's,, does she or anyone monitor this page ? Still she has help 100s of people inc myself over the years ,, she is a good teacher ,,
Thanks. But I will have to watch it again an again to get it. I’m all ready dong it I never thought about it before. I had a bad music teacher in school. Of course I’ve been a musician all my life. And made good money. Funny.
Thanks ; the light came on ..
it's clear to me till 8:11 . i'll appreciate if someone could help me understand this "chord n°1 can go anywhere etc...". why is that ? Is this some kind of rule coming from nowhere (like in maths)? I don't see the logic there ? anyway mucho simpatico !
Don’t put too much thought into it. If you REALLY want to discover the truth behind that rule, just go to a piano and start in C Major, and play a 1 chord (C E G) and then play a 2 chord (D F A). Try playing a 1 chord and a 3 chord now. Now a 1 chord and a 4 chord. Keep going until you play all the combinations (if you’re going in order, then the last combination will probably be a 1 chord and a 7 chord). It’s hard to explain why, since we all interpret music differently, but hopefully, if you try this discovery exercise, you’ll be able to realize why the 1 chord can go to any other chord.
If you really want to hear an interpretation of why 1 chord can go to any other chord, imagine the 1 chord is your house, and the other chords (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are your friend’s houses. You can go to any of their houses, but you can’t go to your own house because you’re already there. It’s true that you can visit any of your friends, but most people like to visit their best friends, and they live at the 4 house and the 5 house. Most people go to their best friend’s houses (4 and 5) because it’s easy, but most people won’t take the time to visit their other friends to get to know them a little bit better (2, 3, 6, 7).
So, 1 usually goes to 4 or 5. Another option is to play 7 after 1. Well, perhaps after the 7 chord you can play a 6. Then maybe a 5, then 4, then back to 5, then back home to 1. Well, if you play this pattern on the piano, you may find that it’s quite recognizable, and you’ve probably heard this pattern before if you listen to music regularly.
I hope this helped - I’d be curious to know if this helped to make some sense for you.
@@Doxsein Hello , first thanks for your answer . Second i will try this exercise on my guitar and will be back towards you in a while , i haven't got any piano or keyboards at home . English is not my first language so it'll take me a while for answering you in a proper way , so much to say . For the moment your "house" example doesn't speak to me a lot but i have to focus and maybe it will. I noticed that you picked up the 4 and 5 degrees as most used and this is the basic Blues progression , and precisely i'm here to "get out" of this Blues thing (wich i like very much anyway) and try to evolve . I've got an anarchic and small knowledge in music theory but i know my degrees and intervals as well as chords embellishments and inversions. When i saw this course i was thinking it could help me evolve in some ways and then life matters took me away from music theory , it was 11 months ago and since i reconsidered my priorities in terms of music : i won't be a composer and the music i love and want to play is not initially written, so i came to the fact that i will trust my ear and that all the notes availables to improvise are already in the chord or the melody but as i love music very much i want to understand and make all the nebulous points clear (a bit too much " don't put too much through it " ha ha it sounds like you already know me ), moreover i have to admit that i'm not a very patient guy . If you agree i will contact you after the exercise ( could take a while ) and i thank you again and sincerely for taking the time to answer me , not enlighted me yet but maybe soon to come , and for this share .
I’m using this for my guitar chord progressions and then expanding out from there. I wish I could be in this class! Thank you Karen!
This Lady is amazing.. Thank you so much..
She's ok, but don't listen through your headphones....her voice hurts!! Good teaching skills though.
Reflex
2:03 "How many notes in the scale?" "8"
Uh... wtf?
Had a guitar workshop instructor that started the workshop by writing 4736251 on the board. WOW.... after getting over that it was my ex-girlfriends telephone number, he went on to talk about the circle of 4th's/5th's and how to use it in Jazz/Blues songs. Then, we covered one or two different songs each day that demonstrated how to use it.... Then, the next year's workshop covered the Grateful Dead and how often they used this. Way cool.
This lady is the business! How can you not be drawn to her?
😐 Its a Roman numeral because IV is uppercase and iv is lowecase, where IV is a major 4th and iv is a minor 4th. So you don't have to put M or m over the numbers like she did.
She's knows this, there is no way she doesn't.
😂 9:50 "🎶 we're caught in a trap, we can't walk out, because I love you too much baby 🎶"
But wait, the key is C but the scale is the major scale(or minor, or harmonic minor, minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, etc.) Then of course you have the different modes...
Am I wrong?
Honestly, the rule is way too limited, it only allow for 6 progressions - 141,1451,151,136251,16251 and 1251. Good to know these popular options but definitely need to explore others.
"We're only going to adress it in the key of C right now because piano players that's the key they play in, guitars and other instruments might be different"
Yeah, because everyone knows that every single one of us guitar players are well known for our music theory knowledge, way more than you piano players 😂 I guess piano players only play in C major.
Half of us guitar players: "dude, you don't need to know notes"
The idea that there are rules for chord progressions is ludicrous - play whatever you like. There are conventions , cliches , norms etc - such as ii - V - I in jazz - e.g Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 . If you want to write a pop song use I , IV & V +/- vi . (Roman numeral system - the lower case e.g ii means MINOR chord (see above sequence) . No _rules_ .
Roman numerals so in a Major Key, the Major chords would be identified as Capital I, IV, V & minor/diminished chords as lower case: ii, iii, vi, vii...as a visual short hand. You missed a “teaching moment” opportunity instead of an eye-roll moment to put down classical teaching.
Can anyone explain theory from 8.12 where she explain the 6 numbers from 1 can go anywhere and 2 go to 5, 3 to 6 and 4 to 5 or 1 , 5 to 1 and 6 to 2..??? why and where is the logic behind here i still don't get it?
Why didn't I have someone like this hammering this info to me this clearly when I was 13 whatever. maybe I was too dumb back then go understand the simplicity of this
This lady is automatically my new granddaughter ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
Lady you are a legend. Just watched a couple of your TH-cam videos. The light has switched on ...!
Not clear how amazing boxed progression any 5 6 1 or 5 1 2 maps to 1 6 2 5 1. Im misssing something
Thank you so much for this. You r the best
I can tell you what I understood.
The key means the scale that the piece is in. eg. written in C, notes of C major scale, ie. C D E F G A B C
So, when they're forming major triad chords (3 notes, I, IV, V), they have to change the second note of the triad, to fit in the scale. *There are no sharps in C*.
They change the second tone by bringing it down one semitone.
eg. D major triad - D, F#, A
F# isn't in C major scale, hence, we bring it down one semitone to F.
I like this gal a lot. Great personality. If my piano teacher would have been her when I was 5 I might have stuck with lessons. Mine was so stuffy that I dropped out and learned guitar, steel guitar , banjo, mandolin and harmonicas by ear. I didn't stick with my lessons, so Iguess I will never amount to nothing. I didn't learn about the circle till I was fourty five.
I'm sorry to say that approaching 6 min in, I don't get it. I have no idea what she's talking about. Now I'm at 8:03 and we shall see. Can she pull a rabbit out of a hat? Maybe I should go to the Bisquick??? lesson she mentioned?
U taught this so easy to understand otherwise, was very complicated to understand thanks
Mrs. Ramirez you are awesome. you gave us amazing learning here.
Can someone please help me to understand the Diatonic harmony short cut that was taught a couple of years ago, determining the chords in a song? When I use the sequence I was taught, I keep coming up one chord short of what is in the song, I’m using the key of A, A being my first chord, Bm is my 2nd chord which in the video tells me that the 2nd chord in the song should go to the 5 th chord which is Emaj, then I should go to the first chord which is A, but in order for the song to sound right, should go to the 4 th chord which is D, and then to the 5th chord, E7. What am I missing.if noone understands what I’m talking about, please watch Karens video on determining the chords in a song. Thank you
Amazing over 6000 likes and literally hundreds of musicians praising her for opening their eyes(with one video) after years of not getting it. And still people on hear saying this is worthless, tonic this and dominate that. You poor people would try describe a sunset with words like refraction and thermo dynamics and correct and belittle someone for simply pointing and saying beautiful. You obviously do not get it. There are literally a handful of "secrets" that unlock freedom on any instrument and can be taught from zero in a matter of weeks. That is what this woman is doing. Years spent on lessons or school represent a huge waist. If you can't play without a piece of paper with dots on it you are entitled to compensation, not correcting people who can.
Very nice presentation,straight to the point
I must have missed something but I don't understand how songwriting can be so simplified?There are a sea of songs I know that don't necessarily follow this pattern,like a simple song I have at hand right now goes G / C / Em / D, it's in the key of G so that's 1-4-6-5. Are there many more sequences?
I was thinking the same exact thing. But she keeps referring to these progressions as "blues progressions" so that might explain it. Every song made by Zedd breaks these rules.
I love how passionate you are :)
Dear Karen, I have tried for years to play piano. Can't read music, I am slow my nature. But after following your lessons, I can now play and truly enjoy it. Thank you so very much for your help. I took lessons for a year and still couldn't play. Now I play with groups that come to out town and play along with them. Again, Thank you so very much. Glenn Nolan
Karen, where do you teach? If you're within five states of me, I will travel...
There are realy only 145. 1625, 125. 12m .5555 chord sequences mostly used.
Not all musicians can be a music teacher and not all music teacher can be a good musician but you seem to have the both qualities...a professional musicians and a professional music teacher. congratulations
Good info but please wear a mic. Your voice is so shrill and loud from shouting plus the echo. Bad sound set-up.
This is in my opinion a good lesson for entry level chord structures. But don't get it confused with "rules." This is a great tool and teaches many fundamentals. The sky is the limit with chord structures, don't confuse this for rules. I am pretty sure the teacher doesn't mean this to be a rule book, but more of a guide to help young students easily navigate chords. These are not the only directions chords can go. 4-6 is often a sequence that happens and there are more, but this is helpful for beginners none-the-less.
This was very helpful, thanks for posting
Very intelligent mama! So inspired with your technical lesson on piano thanks so much.
If they key and scale mean the same thing, then what is the key of dominant diminished scale? 🤷🏼♂️
A really good explanation for the chords and I'm still working on just having fun with learning and playing without thinking because I'm still new and I'm having a good time with all this wonderful information
Thank you Karen!
Does anyone know what video she's referring to when asking if they learned their biscuits?
They use Roman numerals to indicate what chord, and numbers to show which inversion. “Figured bass”
You seem to be a fine teacher. But your circle of fifths is backwards. For a reason maybe?
long time didn't follow the session , since that time my music theory
improved a lot . always yours teaching were too advanced to me .
lets see how good student l'm now ? always enjoy your class !!!!
Karen - Awesome, you make it so simple. I like the way you teach it.
Great lesson but the marker was a bit dried out so it was hard to see at times. Great lesson though, easy to follow.
Music teacher creating audio like a hammer to the head,good content though appreciated
God what a frustrating i learn piano. Then now I got it. Thank you mrs!!
Why holler?
I've been playing keyboard by ear all my 45 years, and have just started trying to learn theory. Even if this lesson is not 100% accurate - - as I suspect it's not - - it seems like a good, mostly followable introduction into theory. As long as I take notes, flag the questionable parts, and don't get too bogged down in "why this, why that?"
I have a minor in music. I think it's fantastic!
It is 100% accurate - as far as rules of harmony. Without the knowledge to know better - why would you doubt? Knowing music theory give you the tools to be intentional and make musical choices based on knowledge (as well as your ear.) Great composers and improvisors are steeped in this knowledge. Just like great writers/communicators have deep knowledge & command of their language. The great innovators knew these rules first and then broke them with intention and creativity.
She is talking to folks who are betting the basics, and sometimes it is better to be understood than to be totally accurate from the start. Start out with complex stuff, and you discourage the newbie.
Its pretty accurate like how ignorant do you have to be to doubt that when dont know anything about it like I'm in highschool and know a good bit of theory even if i didnt i wouldn't be ignorant enough to doubt what she said just because you dont understand something doesnt mean its wrong
She is a charleten . Smoke and mirrors my friends...move on
Thanks so much mam I am from india
Tonic 1 Major 6 minor D minor G7 1 Major is more like it
you made it sound amazingly simple Karen! Hugs thank you!