@@thesuncollective1475 EXACTLY, especially for all those armonies. It sounded like something quite complicated, that's why I was almost shocked when I found out it was just 2 chords
A two chord song that I find really scary is Nirvana's "Something In The way" Throughout the whole song Kurt just plays Em and C/G. In the verse he plays them as broken chords but when the chorus kicks in he strums them.
The arrangement on the album version is different than the MTV Unplugged performance. The verses use F#5 and D5 power chords on strings 5-6, while the choruses use F#sus4 on strings 3-6 and D5 on strings 2-6. I got this from Harmonix.
I was looking for this song to be in this video, glad others appreciate how good it is with how simple it’s chord structure is. If you’re asking what the songs structure is, if it’s E minor and D minor the song should be in the key of C and so it should be iii-ii. I have a very limited education in music so I might be completely wrong, but since the iii and ii chords share notes with other common chords, I think it may function similarly to the I-IV progression maybe?
“The Great Gig in the Sky” on Dark Side of the Moon is essentially a two chord song - Gmin and C7 - framed by a lovely intro and outro. Midway through the two chord structure peaks and needs return to the intro as a transition/rest so that it doesn’t go off the rails. But it proves the point about how effective two chords can be!
"the two chord structure peaks and needs return to the intro as a transition/rest" So the piece is more than those two chords. There is tension and release quite apart from the alternation of those two chords. That's a point of interest you don't get when there are only two chords throughout.
I just want to say, thank you so much for these videos! My music teacher shows us these all the time and I find them really intuitive and easy to understand! The animations and explanation of how the chords actually work instead of just how they sound really helps so thank you and keep up the amazing work!
📍NOTE: When uploaded, this video had a section looking at three songs that use a "i - bVII" progression, however, I've now decided to remove that section. In the section in question I chose to describe that progression as "vi V" and, on reflection, that was actually quite a confusing way to analyse it so I thought it best that I remove the segment entirely to avoid anyone getting the wrong end of the stick. The three songs by the way were "A Horse With No Name" by America, "Break on Through" by The Doors and "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan 😊 Thanks as always for your support!
Read a bit through the comments and I have to comment: 2 Chord songs are a pretty good foundation for any song. What most people forget is that other chords can be played over those 2 by other instrumentalists, creating a plethora (probably spelled that wrong) of chords ;) (Edit: as an example, in an interview, when asked about the Chord progression in some Beatles songs, George Harrisson answered: Well it all depends on what note Paul was playing on the bass.)
'So what' By Miles Davis, which has been mentioned in some other videos on this channel, uses two chords but is not mentioned in this video. However, in that case, both chords are tonic.
I know - but everything you’ve ever seen - every painting, photo, actually everything! - all of reality really - that you can visually perceive is made up of just three colours and some light or dark (light, really). Everything you’ve ever watched, seen or heard on your computer/tablet/phone, TV whatever - every film, song, picture, game, website is all just squeezed out of 1s and 0s. It makes three chords (so I guess at least six notes) seem an embarrassment of riches 🤯
Love it! Two chords songs are my favorite songs to write, too. I have a two chord playlist on my channel for ukulele learners. I also love to write them because they are great for jamming and they lend themself really well to hip-hop and rap/rock vibes.
@@jabulani9999 Not really because adding more chords wouldn't necessarily improve any of these songs. Don't be snob. Enjoy all kinds of music. It's not hard.
“We Started Nothing” by The Ting Tings is a lot like “Tomorrow Never Knows” in that it all sounds like a drone in one key (B minor) but technically has two chords (B5 and D5).
B5 & D5 are not chords. They are intervals as they have only 2 notes (missing the 3rd). While they have been described as "power" chords by some they still are just intervals - loud.
@@dondamon4669 Calling something with the wrong term is bad educational practice. When you play two notes together that is an interval. When you play 3 or more notes together it is a chord. Calling a bicycle a tricycle is clearly wrong. Ditto for calling an interval a chord.
A few other 2-chord songs are "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by The Kennedys, "(She Thinks She's) Edith Head" by They Might Be Giants, & "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.
When I teach guitar I tell each student that I'll have them able to play a song in 15 minutes. I teach D and A and "He's got the whole world in His hands." They love it. Now you've given me a larger library to choose from. I'll still do Whole World but now I've got something fun for the second lesson. Like Give Peace a Chance. Thanx
Tito Puente's Oye Como Va is another great example of a 2-chord structured song using a minor tonic and subdominant 7 chord which is so very prevalent in Latin music. As a crossover pop star, Carlos Santana kinda rode that horse into the ground.
4:33 is the only free song included with every purchase of headphones or speakers! To listen to it, simply stop any other audio that may be playing. You don't need a music streaming service or even an internet connection to listen to 4:33...
In that case, Eleanor Rigby is only two chords, there are variations of E when it gets to the "All the lonely people" section. Otherwise, the song only uses Em and C.
Love VU! Heroin was my first velvet song. Sister Ray may be my favorite of them but God they are all good. European Son, Waiting for my Man, Sunday Morning, entirety of White Light White Heat. Too many.
I got really bored with VU the first time I listened to them precisely because a whole bunch of the songs were the same. I love “Sunday Morning” or “All Tomorrow's Parties” but…
In all fairness, “Jambalaya (On the Bayou) is a Hank Williams song, covered by The Carpenters. Also, the music behind “He Got Game” was Stephen Stills’s “For What It’s Worth”. Stills worked with Chuck D. in the studio, re-recording some of his vocal and guitar parts for the collaboration.
Kings of Leon have a lot of 2 chord songs. Sex on Fire uses a progression you didn’t talk about here: EM - C#m, aka I - vi For the refrain, they sneak a cadential A chord in, but like you mentioned in the second to last song in this video, there’s a lot of mileage out of just those two chords.
I just stumbled over this channel last week and I've watched every single video. This is a fantastic channel, please do not stop creating content because this is great. Thank you.
As someone who's never never had any music theory training, I love the way you describe these chord changes in layman's terms and make it so easy to understand.
Yeah i was hoping for Jane Says but it ain't in there. First time i heard it it reminded me of Led Zep's Over the hills and far away ; i kept waiting for the 3rd chord but it didn't come, so after a while i knew it wasn't coming at all. Then i grew to love that song.
@@dereknolin5986 I meant the chorus part of that song. But yeah, even if you take it whole, it has more than 2 chords. Never mind: you had to be there.
Some other 2-chords songs: Allie X - Bitch Anna von Hausswolf - Stranger Anna von Hausswolf - The mysterious vanishing of Electra Arctic Monkeys - 505 Belleruche - Minor Swing Billie Eilish - You should see me in a crown Brushy One String - Chicken in The Corn De Staat - Witch doctor Dead Can Dance - Cantara Fever Ray - When i grow up Fever Ray - Keep The Streets Empty For Me Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood Grimes - Oblivion Jamala - My lover Joy Division - Transmission Lenny Kravitz - I Belong To You Nick Cave - Thirsty Dog Nick Cave - Stagger Lee Nine Inch Nails - Closer Pink Floyd - Set the controls for the heart of the sun Pink Floyd - One of these days Portishead - Undenied Portishead - Over Red hot chili peppers - Give it away Royksopp - What else is there The Weeknd - Call out my name Tiamat - A pocket size sun Tricky - Evolution revolution love The Velvet Underground - Run run run
@@DavidBennettPiano Thank you so much for explaining this so simply. I have been trying to understand this concept for years now and although I now know which chords go nicely together, I never learnt why.
Sweet City Woman by The Stampeders (1973) is a great song that uses only two chords in the verse and chorus: G Am Am G ( for the most part, as there is a C and D chord in the bridge )
Oh man, that song Jambalaya just gave me a wallop of nostalgia to the face that I didn’t realize I even had. My mom used to listen to this compilation album on her record player while she cooked when I was a kid and that song was on it, though I think it was the Hank Williams version.
The Weeping Song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds has only two chords, jumping between VI and V (which is very briefly replaced by a I at the end, but it's hardly noticeable). Hugely underrated track with a great melody and simple but layered lyrics.
My favorite two-chord song: "Love Me", by Love and Rockets from the 1985 album "Express". It uses a different interval than discussed in this video, I and VI, and both are major.
Uptown Funk - 4:45, and Use Me 4:53 song's chords interpretable as II. - V. So Dm in Uptown Funk and Em in Use Me are subdominant and G and A have dominant function. But Dm and Em also have tonic sensation. As well as G and A have subdominant sensation, function in the proper song.
I heard the chords in Tomorrow Never Knows a little differently. I think the second chord in the song is best described as an inverted Bb9 chord, because it doesnt feel like we are just getting a different flavor of C, it feels like a different chord. anyway, thanks for making this video and all of your other ones, i love watching you.
Another terrific video: thank you! When I think of two chords, I think of modal vamps where the chords outline the characteristics of the mode: e.g. the i-IV for Dorian. I think some of Santana's songs use i-IV ? (Not sure if they are exclusively two chords)
A lot of Simply Red songs were built _largely_ on two chords, but I can count five that only used two throughout: *Holding Back The Years, Red Box, She'll Have To Go, Something Got Me Started* and *Wonderland.*
@@rome8180 I went back and listened to the vocal line against the chords--you're correct. Also sounds somewhat reminiscent of Eddie Money's 2 Tickets (verse).
When Love Comes to Town, by U2. E and A. Now it is open to interpretation whether this is I-IV, which the verses s dwelling on E would suggest, or I-V in the chorus which begins on and emphasises A. Probably both - only two chords used but used to two different effects.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I really love your videos :))) like, a lot^^ I love music theory and I really really appreciate all the effort you put into your videos :D Keep up the great work! ^^
I’m taking AP music theory currently, and I just learned that usually 11 are supposed to omit the 3rd and 5th, which in my opinion just makes this chord even more controversial because that’s exactly what the Beatles are doing, and we have no clue if this is intentionally a C11 chord or made to be a VII with a C drone.
@@cliffpinchon2832 This. If the song is played over a drone, then you can play a lot of chords over that drone, but it will still basically feel like one harmonic function. In classical, this would be called "tonic prolongation" or "dominant prolongation", depending on whether the pedal point is the dominant or tonic. Should we call this "one chord"? That's debatable. I think when it comes to the Beatles example, you have a clear contrast between the two chords. BTW, the actual chord isn't Bb major over C. I'm also hearing an Eb in that chord. It's either Ebsus2 (or Bbsus4) or Bbadd11 (not 100% sure if I'm even hearing a D natural in that chord). The inclusion of Eb gives it even more contrast, because it basically goes from minor to major. So, to me, this justifies calling it a different chord. But all in all, I think even if there wasn't an Eb in the chord, and it was just regular Bb major, I think it's still justifiable to call it two chords. It's two chords over a pedal point. The Bb chord isn't actually heard as a "C11 chord". In this case, it's heard as "Bb played over C drone". You can have chords that are kind of independent of the bassline. Is it a different function? That's a different discussion. When it comes to functions, then I would say that it's basically all just tonic. But there's still a clear contrast between the two chords, so I actually think they aren't even functionally exactly the same. But this isn't traditionally functional music any way - the harmony doesn't create a sense of direction. "Tonic prolongation" is only meaningful term if the harmony is traditionally functional, and you expect it to move somewhere.
@@cliffpinchon2832 I only called it "Ebsus2" or "Bbsus4" (over C in the bass), because that's the conventional way of labeling the collection of notes that is Eb F Bb (that I'm hearing). As I said, I'm not sure if I'm even hearing a D in that chord. Either it's Eb F Bb, or D Eb F Bb (which would be Bbadd11, over a C in the bass - or maybe Cm11 if you treat the C as a "chord tone"). If I want to use a conventional chord symbol for that chord, then that's the proper chord symbol, even though I understand it isn't an actual suspension. (In other words, my labeling of it as Ebsus2 or whatever is not an analysis. It's just a label for a collection of notes.) I actually don't have a jazz background. I understand the basics of jazz theory and have played some jazz, but my "formal training" is actually classical. I don't analyze it as a suspended chord. I just label it as Ebsus2 because that's the conventional chord symbol for the collection of notes it uses. As I already said in my previous post, I think the purpose of that chord is to provide some contrast over the pedal point (which you also seemed to agree with). I would call it a "different chord" because it adds a pretty clear contrast. Honestly, I don't see how what you just said differs in any way of what I said in my previous post.
@@cliffpinchon2832 I agree, Ebsus2 is not a classical label, but it is a chord symbol that is used all the time in "chord symbol notation". And that notation system is quite standardized, so I would call it "conventional" in that way (there are other conventions than just the "classical convention"). We aren't talking about classical music any way, so using pop chord labels is pretty standard. I wouldn't use that chord label if I was analyzing classical music (since in classical context, Eb F Bb would not really function as an individual chord) but this is a pop song, not a song that follows the principles of common practice period harmony. Chord symbols are simply a fast way of referring to a collection of notes. Ebsus2 is a fast way of referring to the collection of notes that is Eb F Bb. So, if I say I'm hearing a collection of notes that is Eb F Bb, why would I not say I'm hearing an "Ebsus2"? That is not an analysis or anything - it's just a practical label for a collection of notes. Labeling things on its own is not analysis. If there's both Eb and D in the chord, then Ebsus2 is not a good label for it, though. Bbadd11 would make more sense, or maybe Cm11. _"There's a very good reason for that too -- it's objectively better"_ It's only better for analyzing a specific kind of music that is music that is based on functional harmony. This song is not based on traditional functional harmony. I do like roman numerals, but they were mainly designed for analyzing music that's based on common practice period harmony. This particular song isn't based on it, and I really don't see how much roman numeral analysis would explain about this song, since there is mostly just one chord. Roman numerals can also be used as "practical" labels for understanding the relationship between the chords and the key, and making them easily transposable (and in that case, calling this chord a bVII chord over the tonic in bass is fine), but if the song doesn't use traditional functional harmony, then roman numerals as an analytical tool don't really explain that much. As I already said in my first post, my analysis of the chord is that it provides some contrast. It''s not functional in the traditional way, but it still has a function that is other than the "home chord". It provides some form of harmonic tension and release, even though it's all played over the same bass note.
Chris Stapleton's version of Tennessee Whiskey is a two chord song: it's A, Bm, Bm, A. So in other words I, II, II, I. I always found this tonic to the minor two pattern very relaxed. I wish it was used more often
I and IV is the "gospel-chord-change" called "Amen-cadence". It has influenced all kind of (popular) music: Blues, soul, funk, ragtime, jazz, latinmusic, Elton-John-Songs... The root of our modern Pop-Musik is: Blues, jazz, folkmusic and - often forgotten the gospel- and spirituel-music: for example for soul. My favorite two chord song is "Oye como va": An example for the I IV or the II V7(?). Thank you for your interesting and good videos.
Most reggae roots songs are either based or 90% of the song is on 2 chords. Also there's some "cheaters" that add a quick rest as a passing by chord. Jon Mayer when Jamming cannot resist to have only 2 chords. :)
Speaking of Jamaican music, I often tell people that two-tone ska is called that because of the prominence of two chord vamps in the music! (in reality, I think the two-tones are black and white, that is black and white people coming together, but I could be wrong!)
As a music theory major (some 40 years ago) I wish there had been David Bennett TH-cam videos to bring music theory down from lofty heights to the everyday practice of music theory in the songs we listen to and love. Great job, David! Keep up the great work...
What a great video, this has answered so many of my questions. I was never very good at musical analysis or theory or what have you, even when I was learning to play the piano as a child. Now I have a better understanding. Thank you David.
It’s incredible, your videos are visually as well as content related always on point and extraordinarily high quality! Thanks for your time and effort you´re investing in this.
Learnt something new today! Very informative on the effects that various chords produce and how they are sequenced to give a nice, smooth piece of music.
Heard "I'd rather go Blind" just the other day and heard all the inspiration for "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton. The( I ii ) progression always gets me.
“Lady in black“ was the first song that came into my mind. Only a-minor, G-major. With the use of a drum loop back in 1970! Uriah Heep is still a great band nowadays!
That was the first song that came to my mind. One of the greatest songs ever (even using a drum loop back in 1970!), fantastic album, still a great band.
@@madisntit6547 No, their producer (and I guess even their manager) in the seventies was Gerry Bron. (Didn't he also produce Colosseum's 'The Valentine Suite'?)
yes man, but then you listen to the banana album and you notice they just smoke some weed and stand playing 2 chords for five minutes.. and you think "This is the gloriuous album?, cmon!"
Great Video - on the C to C11.. I think this dilemma extends to many songs where a bass is used as a pedal point. There are a great number of cases of this. One example of this is "Only Time Will Tell" there are moving chords over a single bass note.. the song start with the moving chords... so the sequence is clear.. then the bass comes in and gives that drone effect that was described in the video for the Beatles song... Just because the bass came in the chord sequence is still there.. so if you look at it that way for the Beatles song C11 is really Bb/C... as David originally notated.. so my opinion is that there is truly a chord change there.. and you can feel it.. the drowning bass gives it a special flavor.. but if you remove it the song would still work..on the other hand if you remove the Bb chord notes from the song.. the song would certainly have lost the sense of tension and resolution that adds so much to this song.
When I saw this vid, I thought it was a continuation of another video Dave did, but then I realized mah boi Joel from Roomie Official did a one-chord song video.
I was almost gonna have a go at you for saying Dreams was only 2 chords because when I learnt to play it, I used some variations like Fmaj7 and G6 in the chorus. Which gave it the spice it needed rather than just swapping between the same 2 chords all the time. However, you continued your explanation that these variations are essentially still the same chord and function just a different hint of flavour and it all made sense again. I really love your videos they’re such a palatable way to digest music theory with an awesome variety of examples. I loved music in school but gave up after because life got busy and all I really made time for was learning a couple of my favourite songs on guitar and uke. I’m more of a drawer than a muso. Your stuff takes me back to when I thought I might have been a song writer for a good chunk of my youth 😂. Makes me want to pick it back up again which is pretty cool. Love the passion you’re able to communicate through your content man. Thanks for sharing it with us 😊
The Seeds, "Pushin' Too Hard" oscillates between the I chord and a flatted VII. It's a progression that has been used in blues and by folk singers when they want to get a drone-like sound.
Reminds me of the joke: A rock giant plays 3 chords in front of 30,000 people; a jazz giant plays 30,000 chords in front of 3 people.
Question: How many jazz musicians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: None. Fuck the changes!
i didn't read the first "giant" initially so i got really confused as to why a rock would be playing chords for 30,000 people
I read a giant rock at first and was like what¿
Status Quo said 3 chords and 30 years or 30 chords and 3 years
sounds like Green Day
505 by Arctic Monkeys is a great example of a song with 2 chords being driven by dynamics instead of chord changes
yep.
Was about to comment this. I was very impressed when I tried to learn how to play the song and found out it was just two chords. It sounds much bigger
woa I never even noticed it was only two chords, it doesn't even sound too repetetive at all
i remember try to look up the chords for that song and was shocked to find out it's only Em and Dm,love the song tho,one of my fav!
That’s the exact reason I clicked this video, I was hoping I would see it here
"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz"- Lou Reed
I like that! Couldn't agree mo'
The only song I know with one cord is Eddie Grant's Electric Avenue. Surely one cord modern pop songs would be difficult.
It's the same man who wrote Candy Says which has a boatload of chords, though.
@@TheCelticbeast Some funk songs are only one chord
Rock n Roll is three chords, four at the most. Five they have you up before the committee-Pete Townsend.
If I’m not mistaken, America’s “A Horse With No Name” (1971) is two chords: Em and D6/9. Peaked at #1 in the U.S. and Canada, #3 in the U.K.
I know nothing about music theory or song structure but I do be watching these videos as if I'm part of the club
You are part of the club man
i’m slowly learning
Same
If you can hear you’re in the club
@@mjl.9-19 bro poor Beethoven
Hope you will talk about Paperback Writer, because when I discovered it was only a two chords song my mind was blown
Eleanor Rigby too
@@DanThomasUK yeah too! Em and C if I remember correctly
Me too...it sounds more complex
@@thesuncollective1475 EXACTLY, especially for all those armonies. It sounded like something quite complicated, that's why I was almost shocked when I found out it was just 2 chords
I agree the simplicity is crazy. Another one is hello goodbye ok 3 chords but what an original sounding song that is that simple
A two chord song that I find really scary is Nirvana's "Something In The way" Throughout the whole song Kurt just plays Em and C/G. In the verse he plays them as broken chords but when the chorus kicks in he strums them.
They also play Molly's lips by the Vaseline.. (G and C)
The guitar tuned down a whole step for that one?... pretty sure it is... sounds low on the mtv show
montego bay is another two chord song
The arrangement on the album version is different than the MTV Unplugged performance.
The verses use F#5 and D5 power chords on strings 5-6, while the choruses use F#sus4 on strings 3-6 and D5 on strings 2-6.
I got this from Harmonix.
@@thisisawsome34253212 I think its because Kurt's guitar was tuned down a halfstep for once
also there’s 505 by arctic monkeys, it just goes from E minor to D minor for the whole song
it was in the songs using only minor chords video, along with sing, moves like jagger and some more where most of the songs had 1 or 2 chords
Good example! I mentioned it in my minor chords video too 🙂🙂
Also the sea shanty "the drunken sailor" switches between E minor and D major the wile time
that's where you're wrong
I was looking for this song to be in this video, glad others appreciate how good it is with how simple it’s chord structure is. If you’re asking what the songs structure is, if it’s E minor and D minor the song should be in the key of C and so it should be iii-ii. I have a very limited education in music so I might be completely wrong, but since the iii and ii chords share notes with other common chords, I think it may function similarly to the I-IV progression maybe?
“The Great Gig in the Sky” on Dark Side of the Moon is essentially a two chord song - Gmin and C7 - framed by a lovely intro and outro. Midway through the two chord structure peaks and needs return to the intro as a transition/rest so that it doesn’t go off the rails. But it proves the point about how effective two chords can be!
Isn't there a f major 7
@@bypig I think it moves from an Fmaj before settling into the main section.
"the two chord structure peaks and needs return to the intro as a transition/rest" So the piece is more than those two chords. There is tension and release quite apart from the alternation of those two chords. That's a point of interest you don't get when there are only two chords throughout.
@@rosiefay7283 It reads like you are trying to 'correct' the OP by making basically the same point he made you just invert the emphasis.
I just want to say, thank you so much for these videos! My music teacher shows us these all the time and I find them really intuitive and easy to understand! The animations and explanation of how the chords actually work instead of just how they sound really helps so thank you and keep up the amazing work!
Thank you! That really means a lot!
📍NOTE: When uploaded, this video had a section looking at three songs that use a "i - bVII" progression, however, I've now decided to remove that section. In the section in question I chose to describe that progression as "vi V" and, on reflection, that was actually quite a confusing way to analyse it so I thought it best that I remove the segment entirely to avoid anyone getting the wrong end of the stick. The three songs by the way were "A Horse With No Name" by America, "Break on Through" by The Doors and "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan 😊 Thanks as always for your support!
thanks for this, I was a bit confused by that bit.
Why use a major scale at all? It sounds weird.
Thank you, that was going to be my question..
Now I want a refund
another song that sits on "i"->->bVII" is U2's Bullet The Blue Sky. also notable for the chord length being asymetrical (3 beats to 1 in each measure)
“Something in the Way” by Nirvana is another great example. Shows how two chords can go a long way in conveying emotion.
I was waiting for this one. I love it because the two chord progression helps to build the feeling that the song demands
The way he sings, the progression, the tone of the guitar, oof every part of that composition/recording is perfect for such a simple idea.
Molly’s Lips is another 2 chord song by Nirvana which isn’t as emotional, yet it’s still energetic
About a girl its only Em G
@@kristoffmarquez8541 along with C#, G#, F#, A and C, for a total of 7 chords.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles is a one chord song.
And they still wrote a masterpiece:)
@@MICKEYISLOWD yesss
As is Bad Religion by Godsmack (according to Crash Thompson)
Technically, it's two. Listen again.
@@felipecardoza9967 how about revolution 9?
Read a bit through the comments and I have to comment:
2 Chord songs are a pretty good foundation for any song. What most people forget is that other chords can be played over those 2 by other instrumentalists, creating a plethora (probably spelled that wrong) of chords ;)
(Edit: as an example, in an interview, when asked about the Chord progression in some Beatles songs, George Harrisson answered: Well it all depends on what note Paul was playing on the bass.)
'So what' By Miles Davis, which has been mentioned in some other videos on this channel, uses two chords but is not mentioned in this video. However, in that case, both chords are tonic.
Careful With That Axe Eugene has one chord: Dm. It's a study in dynamic
You're right, I never realized that until now that you say it...!
The band called it “the one chord wonder” before they recorded it. Honestly one of my favorites of theirs
In his next episode: 2 Songs That Only Use Twentysix Chords
Life on Mars by Bowie
Lmto
Paranoid Android
Penny lane
I am ready for an entire episode of Yes music.
Ngl I clicked because I saw Paul McCartney but stayed for the musical analysis which I found very cool and interesting, good job
The amount of music that can be squeezed out of minimal two or three chord chord progressions is truly amazing
I know - but everything you’ve ever seen - every painting, photo, actually everything! - all of reality really - that you can visually perceive is made up of just three colours and some light or dark (light, really). Everything you’ve ever watched, seen or heard on your computer/tablet/phone, TV whatever - every film, song, picture, game, website is all just squeezed out of 1s and 0s. It makes three chords (so I guess at least six notes) seem an embarrassment of riches 🤯
@@BlueGrenadeTom nine notes - three triads 'powerchords' don't really count..
@@brendanoneil3489 And yet so many guitar-based songs use only power chords. That’s why I said “at least”.
@@BlueGrenadeTom ok stupid me .
Including the Moldy Peaches made me smile. They made the most of some pretty spare compositions!
Pink is like: "Amateurs!", releasing Get The Party Started with only one chord
"Put the Lime in the Coconut" did it 30 years before
EPIC!
I know it’s
Primus is like: "Amateurs!", releasing My Name Is Mud featuring a 0 note riff
@@ironmaidenjr.8471 bold of you to assume Primus would say amateurs in a coherent language
Love it! Two chords songs are my favorite songs to write, too. I have a two chord playlist on my channel for ukulele learners. I also love to write them because they are great for jamming and they lend themself really well to hip-hop and rap/rock vibes.
One that didn't make the list is "River Runs Deep" by JJ Cale, I love that song.
Boring tho
@@jabulani9999 Not really because adding more chords wouldn't necessarily improve any of these songs. Don't be snob. Enjoy all kinds of music. It's not hard.
@@Chris-MusicTheoryAndFretboard i guess its hard for you to enjoy real music..
@@martimribeiro7538 He didn't say it was bad.My music teacher used to tell me the same thing.
“We Started Nothing” by The Ting Tings is a lot like “Tomorrow Never Knows” in that it all sounds like a drone in one key (B minor) but technically has two chords (B5 and D5).
Nice example!
@@DavidBennettPiano thanks. I could list a lot more songs by the group - they seem to really like 2 chord songs.
B5 & D5 are not chords. They are intervals as they have only 2 notes (missing the 3rd). While they have been described as "power" chords by some they still are just intervals - loud.
Point is??
@@dondamon4669 Calling something with the wrong term is bad educational practice. When you play two notes together that is an interval. When you play 3 or more notes together it is a chord. Calling a bicycle a tricycle is clearly wrong. Ditto for calling an interval a chord.
A few other 2-chord songs are "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by The Kennedys, "(She Thinks She's) Edith Head" by They Might Be Giants, & "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.
Once in a lifetime’s outro is 3 chords. 5 different chords in the whole song.
@@Tyler53Durden I only ever heard D & G.
Guitars Cadillacs by Dwight Yoakam
Really? Once in a Lifetime chords: A, D, F#, G, by my maths that's four chords.
When I teach guitar I tell each student that I'll have them able to play a song in 15 minutes. I teach D and A and "He's got the whole world in His hands." They love it. Now you've given me a larger library to choose from. I'll still do Whole World but now I've got something fun for the second lesson. Like Give Peace a Chance. Thanx
Tito Puente's Oye Como Va is another great example of a 2-chord structured song using a minor tonic and subdominant 7 chord which is so very prevalent in Latin music. As a crossover pop star, Carlos Santana kinda rode that horse into the ground.
John Cages 4:33 doesn’t use any chords. I wonder if it’s available as a download from Spotify and what it costs to do so?
4:33 is the only free song included with every purchase of headphones or speakers! To listen to it, simply stop any other audio that may be playing. You don't need a music streaming service or even an internet connection to listen to 4:33...
You can play it yourself. Anytime , everywhere. Without rehersing it. :-)
Wrong, it has all chords, played simultaneously. That's what you get.
Bad joke
It’s definitely on SPOTIFY!
In that case, Eleanor Rigby is only two chords, there are variations of E when it gets to the "All the lonely people" section. Otherwise, the song only uses Em and C.
Love the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed uses the 1 to 4 all the time
Love VU! Heroin was my first velvet song. Sister Ray may be my favorite of them but God they are all good. European Son, Waiting for my Man, Sunday Morning, entirety of White Light White Heat. Too many.
I got really bored with VU the first time I listened to them precisely because a whole bunch of the songs were the same. I love “Sunday Morning” or “All Tomorrow's Parties” but…
In all fairness, “Jambalaya (On the Bayou) is a Hank Williams song, covered by The Carpenters. Also, the music behind “He Got Game” was Stephen Stills’s “For What It’s Worth”. Stills worked with Chuck D. in the studio, re-recording some of his vocal and guitar parts for the collaboration.
Kings of Leon have a lot of 2 chord songs. Sex on Fire uses a progression you didn’t talk about here: EM - C#m, aka I - vi
For the refrain, they sneak a cadential A chord in, but like you mentioned in the second to last song in this video, there’s a lot of mileage out of just those two chords.
girl in red uses two chord songs a lot. Both "we fell in love in october" (Cmaj7, G) and "i wanna be your girlfriend" (Bm, G) are two chord songs
yeah her song is easy.
"Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant springs to mind.
Great observations. How about:
Jump into the Fire - Harry Nilsson
LA Woman - The Doors
LA Woman has more than 2 chords
LA Woman has two chords for most of the song but there are parts of the song with other changes
@mark jagger yeah
I just stumbled over this channel last week and I've watched every single video. This is a fantastic channel, please do not stop creating content because this is great. Thank you.
As someone who's never never had any music theory training, I love the way you describe these chord changes in layman's terms and make it so easy to understand.
As always a fabulous and seamless blend of teaching, production and musicianship. Such a treat!
Thank you! 😃
“Songbird” by Oasis is G to Em7 and back again (albeit with a walk down/up between the chords)
That's one of my favorite songs to play on guitar (because it's easy)
There are plenty of tunes that rotate between major tonic chord and relative minor vi, it’s a trope of blues
@@AdrianJustRocks do you have any example ?
@@keithlucero3638 haha same
D?
"Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction is another two chord song.
I'm only halfway through this video, but I've been waiting for that mention. Guess it isn't coming!
Yeah i was hoping for Jane Says but it ain't in there. First time i heard it it reminded me of Led Zep's Over the hills and far away ; i kept waiting for the 3rd chord but it didn't come, so after a while i knew it wasn't coming at all. Then i grew to love that song.
Are you thinking of a different song? Over the Hills has many more than two chords in it.
@@dereknolin5986 I meant the chorus part of that song. But yeah, even if you take it whole, it has more than 2 chords. Never mind: you had to be there.
Built to Spill - The Wait
Some other 2-chords songs:
Allie X - Bitch
Anna von Hausswolf - Stranger
Anna von Hausswolf - The mysterious vanishing of Electra
Arctic Monkeys - 505
Belleruche - Minor Swing
Billie Eilish - You should see me in a crown
Brushy One String - Chicken in The Corn
De Staat - Witch doctor
Dead Can Dance - Cantara
Fever Ray - When i grow up
Fever Ray - Keep The Streets Empty For Me
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
Grimes - Oblivion
Jamala - My lover
Joy Division - Transmission
Lenny Kravitz - I Belong To You
Nick Cave - Thirsty Dog
Nick Cave - Stagger Lee
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
Pink Floyd - Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Pink Floyd - One of these days
Portishead - Undenied
Portishead - Over
Red hot chili peppers - Give it away
Royksopp - What else is there
The Weeknd - Call out my name
Tiamat - A pocket size sun
Tricky - Evolution revolution love
The Velvet Underground - Run run run
Grateful Dead - Fire on the Mountain :)
Teachers - Leonard Cohen.
Matty Groves - Fairport Convention.
"Chords, Scales.....it just gets in the way" - Kurt Cobain, who also wrote Something In The Way.
@@davidmcanally8272 they were talking about a different song
@@davidmcanally8272 the song it's called something in the way
The chords and scales were that very something that were the way
He was a genius, he didnt need to know any scales coz he had a great ear and he knew what sounds good and what doesnt
@@freebee8221 that feels made up
"ultimately, chords are a construct" I just like that line out of context
Yet another extremely interesting video.
I’m always pulling a little knowledge from your analysis.
And I’m thankful for it.💪🎸👍🥃
Thanks! 😃😃😃
@@DavidBennettPiano
You sir... are very welcome.🤘
this channel is brilliant im able to learn tidbits of music theory because it is explained in a very understandable way, keep it up david!
Thank you 😃
@@DavidBennettPiano Thank you so much for explaining this so simply. I have been trying to understand this concept for years now and although I now know which chords go nicely together, I never learnt why.
I'm trying to learn guitar and these videos really enrich the process, thank you.
Sweet City Woman by The Stampeders (1973) is a great song that uses only two chords in the verse and chorus: G Am Am G ( for the most part, as there is a C and D chord in the bridge )
Oh man, that song Jambalaya just gave me a wallop of nostalgia to the face that I didn’t realize I even had. My mom used to listen to this compilation album on her record player while she cooked when I was a kid and that song was on it, though I think it was the Hank Williams version.
"Send My Love" by Adele uses two chords that uses only a major and relative minor chord.
The Weeping Song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds has only two chords, jumping between VI and V (which is very briefly replaced by a I at the end, but it's hardly noticeable). Hugely underrated track with a great melody and simple but layered lyrics.
My favorite two-chord song: "Love Me", by Love and Rockets from the 1985 album "Express". It uses a different interval than discussed in this video, I and VI, and both are major.
Uptown Funk - 4:45, and Use Me 4:53 song's chords interpretable as II. - V. So Dm in Uptown Funk and Em in Use Me are subdominant and G and A have dominant function. But Dm and Em also have tonic sensation. As well as G and A have subdominant sensation, function in the proper song.
I heard the chords in Tomorrow Never Knows a little differently. I think the second chord in the song is best described as an inverted Bb9 chord, because it doesnt feel like we are just getting a different flavor of C, it feels like a different chord. anyway, thanks for making this video and all of your other ones, i love watching you.
Another terrific video: thank you! When I think of two chords, I think of modal vamps where the chords outline the characteristics of the mode: e.g. the i-IV for Dorian. I think some of Santana's songs use i-IV ? (Not sure if they are exclusively two chords)
Oye Como Va comes to mind
Your explanation of music theory is clear, concise, knowledgeable, and engaging. Keep up the great work!
Don't forget "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone. It has the extra bonus of only 1 note on the bass for the entire song!
A lot of Simply Red songs were built _largely_ on two chords, but I can count five that only used two throughout: *Holding Back The Years, Red Box, She'll Have To Go, Something Got Me Started* and *Wonderland.*
Woody Guthrie: "If you're playing more than two chords, you're just showin' off."
Brilliant!
awesome. love woody guthrie
Well that rules out 90%of great records man
Till there was you & Something
Ironically it's only US singer/songwriters who say that... 🤣🤣
Jane Says by Jane Addiction (G-A). G Lydian.
I think that song is better understood as A mixolydian, with the progression being VII to I.
@@rome8180 I went back and listened to the vocal line against the chords--you're correct. Also sounds somewhat reminiscent of Eddie Money's 2 Tickets (verse).
Always look forward to David’s next video installment. Once again, it was well worth the wait!😊
Thank you!
When Love Comes to Town, by U2. E and A. Now it is open to interpretation whether this is I-IV, which the verses s dwelling on E would suggest, or I-V in the chorus which begins on and emphasises A. Probably both - only two chords used but used to two different effects.
As always, a high effort and a quality video. Thanks, David.
Thank you!
“A song would be pretty boring if a song was always at rest”
20th century funk: I’m 4 parallel universes ahead of you
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I really love your videos :))) like, a lot^^ I love music theory and I really really appreciate all the effort you put into your videos :D Keep up the great work! ^^
Thank you so much Alina! That really means a lot 🙂🙂
I absolutely agree! It makes music theory so interesting for anyone!
Ditto, very informative and beautifully put across in a very understandable way. Well done.
I’m taking AP music theory currently, and I just learned that usually 11 are supposed to omit the 3rd and 5th, which in my opinion just makes this chord even more controversial because that’s exactly what the Beatles are doing, and we have no clue if this is intentionally a C11 chord or made to be a VII with a C drone.
Usually it's not supposed to drop the 3rd. Dropping the 3rd transforms it into a Csus4 add 7/9 (or just sus9, if you take for granted that sus=sus4).
@@cliffpinchon2832 This. If the song is played over a drone, then you can play a lot of chords over that drone, but it will still basically feel like one harmonic function. In classical, this would be called "tonic prolongation" or "dominant prolongation", depending on whether the pedal point is the dominant or tonic.
Should we call this "one chord"? That's debatable. I think when it comes to the Beatles example, you have a clear contrast between the two chords.
BTW, the actual chord isn't Bb major over C. I'm also hearing an Eb in that chord. It's either Ebsus2 (or Bbsus4) or Bbadd11 (not 100% sure if I'm even hearing a D natural in that chord). The inclusion of Eb gives it even more contrast, because it basically goes from minor to major. So, to me, this justifies calling it a different chord.
But all in all, I think even if there wasn't an Eb in the chord, and it was just regular Bb major, I think it's still justifiable to call it two chords. It's two chords over a pedal point. The Bb chord isn't actually heard as a "C11 chord". In this case, it's heard as "Bb played over C drone". You can have chords that are kind of independent of the bassline.
Is it a different function? That's a different discussion. When it comes to functions, then I would say that it's basically all just tonic. But there's still a clear contrast between the two chords, so I actually think they aren't even functionally exactly the same. But this isn't traditionally functional music any way - the harmony doesn't create a sense of direction. "Tonic prolongation" is only meaningful term if the harmony is traditionally functional, and you expect it to move somewhere.
@@cliffpinchon2832 I only called it "Ebsus2" or "Bbsus4" (over C in the bass), because that's the conventional way of labeling the collection of notes that is Eb F Bb (that I'm hearing). As I said, I'm not sure if I'm even hearing a D in that chord. Either it's Eb F Bb, or D Eb F Bb (which would be Bbadd11, over a C in the bass - or maybe Cm11 if you treat the C as a "chord tone"). If I want to use a conventional chord symbol for that chord, then that's the proper chord symbol, even though I understand it isn't an actual suspension. (In other words, my labeling of it as Ebsus2 or whatever is not an analysis. It's just a label for a collection of notes.) I actually don't have a jazz background. I understand the basics of jazz theory and have played some jazz, but my "formal training" is actually classical.
I don't analyze it as a suspended chord. I just label it as Ebsus2 because that's the conventional chord symbol for the collection of notes it uses. As I already said in my previous post, I think the purpose of that chord is to provide some contrast over the pedal point (which you also seemed to agree with). I would call it a "different chord" because it adds a pretty clear contrast.
Honestly, I don't see how what you just said differs in any way of what I said in my previous post.
@@cliffpinchon2832 I agree, Ebsus2 is not a classical label, but it is a chord symbol that is used all the time in "chord symbol notation". And that notation system is quite standardized, so I would call it "conventional" in that way (there are other conventions than just the "classical convention"). We aren't talking about classical music any way, so using pop chord labels is pretty standard. I wouldn't use that chord label if I was analyzing classical music (since in classical context, Eb F Bb would not really function as an individual chord) but this is a pop song, not a song that follows the principles of common practice period harmony.
Chord symbols are simply a fast way of referring to a collection of notes. Ebsus2 is a fast way of referring to the collection of notes that is Eb F Bb. So, if I say I'm hearing a collection of notes that is Eb F Bb, why would I not say I'm hearing an "Ebsus2"? That is not an analysis or anything - it's just a practical label for a collection of notes. Labeling things on its own is not analysis.
If there's both Eb and D in the chord, then Ebsus2 is not a good label for it, though. Bbadd11 would make more sense, or maybe Cm11.
_"There's a very good reason for that too -- it's objectively better"_
It's only better for analyzing a specific kind of music that is music that is based on functional harmony. This song is not based on traditional functional harmony. I do like roman numerals, but they were mainly designed for analyzing music that's based on common practice period harmony. This particular song isn't based on it, and I really don't see how much roman numeral analysis would explain about this song, since there is mostly just one chord. Roman numerals can also be used as "practical" labels for understanding the relationship between the chords and the key, and making them easily transposable (and in that case, calling this chord a bVII chord over the tonic in bass is fine), but if the song doesn't use traditional functional harmony, then roman numerals as an analytical tool don't really explain that much.
As I already said in my first post, my analysis of the chord is that it provides some contrast. It''s not functional in the traditional way, but it still has a function that is other than the "home chord". It provides some form of harmonic tension and release, even though it's all played over the same bass note.
Chris Stapleton's version of Tennessee Whiskey is a two chord song: it's A, Bm, Bm, A. So in other words I, II, II, I. I always found this tonic to the minor two pattern very relaxed. I wish it was used more often
I and IV is the "gospel-chord-change" called "Amen-cadence". It has influenced all kind of (popular) music: Blues, soul, funk, ragtime, jazz, latinmusic, Elton-John-Songs... The root of our modern Pop-Musik is: Blues, jazz, folkmusic and - often forgotten the gospel- and spirituel-music: for example for soul. My favorite two chord song is "Oye como va": An example for the I IV or the II V7(?). Thank you for your interesting and good videos.
Most reggae roots songs are either based or 90% of the song is on 2 chords. Also there's some "cheaters" that add a quick rest as a passing by chord. Jon Mayer when Jamming cannot resist to have only 2 chords. :)
Speaking of Jamaican music, I often tell people that two-tone ska is called that because of the prominence of two chord vamps in the music! (in reality, I think the two-tones are black and white, that is black and white people coming together, but I could be wrong!)
Any day David Bennett posts a video is a day I learn something new.
😃😃😃
i've been a band kid for literally 2/3 of my life and i'm finally starting to understand how chords work lol
As a music theory major (some 40 years ago) I wish there had been David Bennett TH-cam videos to bring music theory down from lofty heights to the everyday practice of music theory in the songs we listen to and love. Great job, David! Keep up the great work...
"-Even in pop music..." wow opening with some *shade*
What a great video, this has answered so many of my questions. I was never very good at musical analysis or theory or what have you, even when I was learning to play the piano as a child. Now I have a better understanding. Thank you David.
It’s incredible, your videos are visually as well as content related always on point and extraordinarily high quality! Thanks for your time and effort you´re investing in this.
Learnt something new today! Very informative on the effects that various chords produce and how they are sequenced to give a nice, smooth piece of music.
Thank you 🙂
I don't know if anyone has ever complimented you on the music-related graphics, but they're wonderful and quite illuminating.
This is really helping me understand bass lines. Thankyou so much.
Hey David, ‘Running Man’ is really nice! Thanks for sharing your work!
"What I Got" by Sublime. G and D
Lots of kid songs like Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider
I love the way you incorporate at least one Beatles song into most of your videos! 😀 Great vid as always!!
Thank you! 😄😃
I know that "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac has that other movement before the second verse...but otherwise, that has to be my favorite 2 chord song.
I was not expecting to find Heaven Is a Halfpipe here! Wow!! Well done!!!
Heard "I'd rather go Blind" just the other day and heard all the inspiration for "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton. The( I ii ) progression always gets me.
“Lady in black“ was the first song that came into my mind. Only a-minor, G-major. With the use of a drum loop back in 1970! Uriah Heep is still a great band nowadays!
Best song ever!!!!!!
You think you hear a chord change during the chorus ah-ha... but it's just a melody change over the same chords. Clever Ken Hensley
"Lady In Black" by Uriah Heep - am G
I'm pretty sure that the refrain also has C major
@@darthmuki2674 nope its just Am, G
@@CommanderGinyu Probably right, you just gave me an excuse to listen to that masterpiece again
That was the first song that came to my mind. One of the greatest songs ever (even using a drum loop back in 1970!), fantastic album, still a great band.
@@madisntit6547 No, their producer (and I guess even their manager) in the seventies was Gerry Bron. (Didn't he also produce Colosseum's 'The Valentine Suite'?)
"One chord is good enough,
Two chords & your pushing it,
Three chords & You might as well be playing jazz . . ." - Lou Reed
yes man, but then you listen to the banana album and you notice they just smoke some weed and stand playing 2 chords for five minutes.. and you think "This is the gloriuous album?, cmon!"
Stolen comment
But when that chord change finally comes - wooah…!!!
Great Video - on the C to C11.. I think this dilemma extends to many songs where a bass is used as a pedal point. There are a great number of cases of this. One example of this is "Only Time Will Tell" there are moving chords over a single bass note.. the song start with the moving chords... so the sequence is clear.. then the bass comes in and gives that drone effect that was described in the video for the Beatles song... Just because the bass came in the chord sequence is still there.. so if you look at it that way for the Beatles song C11 is really Bb/C... as David originally notated.. so my opinion is that there is truly a chord change there.. and you can feel it.. the drowning bass gives it a special flavor.. but if you remove it the song would still work..on the other hand if you remove the Bb chord notes from the song.. the song would certainly have lost the sense of tension and resolution that adds so much to this song.
Heroin is one of my favorite songs. A great use of just two chords
I too love heroin. But what are these chords you mentioned?
"Heroin" uses chords ... ;-) ?
Really informative once again, thanks. This will really inform my own compositions.
A classic two-chord wonder is "Pushin' Too Hard" by the Seeds.
Yeah 60’s rock ...a lost...nearly lost classic!
i thought this would finally be a radioheadless video but david always manages to fit them in somehow
Kraftwerk's The Model is my fave two chord song. Love the videos and glad I discovered your channel.
One chord songs next? Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Chain of Fools, Run Through the Jungle
It’s on the list!
When I saw this vid, I thought it was a continuation of another video Dave did, but then I realized mah boi Joel from Roomie Official did a one-chord song video.
Hi My Name Is yeah I did a video with Roomie about one chord songs, but I would still like to do one on my channel too 😃😃
"Crosseyed and Painless" by Talking Heads
@@DavidBennettPiano Will Sheryl Crow's Na Na Song get a mention?
Great video as always, David. You give me hope for writing my own songs, just need to master two chords. 😊
Thanks Hugh! 😃
The Streets - Dry Your Eyes and Fleetwood Mac - Dreams comes to mind
Excellent video. More informative than I expected.
Great 😊
I was almost gonna have a go at you for saying Dreams was only 2 chords because when I learnt to play it, I used some variations like Fmaj7 and G6 in the chorus. Which gave it the spice it needed rather than just swapping between the same 2 chords all the time. However, you continued your explanation that these variations are essentially still the same chord and function just a different hint of flavour and it all made sense again.
I really love your videos they’re such a palatable way to digest music theory with an awesome variety of examples. I loved music in school but gave up after because life got busy and all I really made time for was learning a couple of my favourite songs on guitar and uke. I’m more of a drawer than a muso. Your stuff takes me back to when I thought I might have been a song writer for a good chunk of my youth 😂. Makes me want to pick it back up again which is pretty cool.
Love the passion you’re able to communicate through your content man. Thanks for sharing it with us 😊
I Fall Down by U2? i have a bootleg o a concert circa 1982 where Bono says ' This is an F, this is an A minor and that's all you need for this song'
Great work! Thank you very much for this video. It helped me a lot.
Thanks!
It's not about how many chords you use. It's about how you use them.
Amen!!!
Most of the examples at the beginning of the video are very boring.
@@kellydalstok8900 I didn't even watch the vid if I'm being honest. But I will
Inb4 "Gilmour says more with 5 notes than Batio says with 500."
Damn, we really do live in a society...
Amazing video finally understand so many things! Thank you so much
The Seeds, "Pushin' Too Hard" oscillates between the I chord and a flatted VII. It's a progression that has been used in blues and by folk singers when they want to get a drone-like sound.