Post by JamesP on Apr 19, 2019 18:12:08 GMT -5
Use of subdominant minor harmony:
WTF???
"The Beatles had a knack for creating great chord progressions. One of the unique blends of chord work comes from a concept called subdominant minor harmony. The effect is so cool that when I learned of this little technique I would introduce it to my students as Beatleism. The reason is that SDM harmony is common element in Beatles music. I think that the Beatles just found the sound and decided to run with it. Paul McCartney had stated that the Beatles had to figure stuff out because they didn’t use theory at the time. It was trial and error and imagination that made them great.
I use the term Beatleism because it is an amusing way to remember a powerful technique. The technique is to use the b6 (Ab) tone to create the interaction of major scale with outside elements. The C major scale does not have a b6 (Ab) tone. The outside chords that contain the b6 note in relation to the C major scale create an interplay with the C major scale chords because they resolve into the chords and enhance the sounds. The b6 element moves into the G chord, the A minor chord, The E major chord is a great example as is the Bb chord. Both the E maj (G# note) and Bb (Ab note) chord contain a b6/#5 note. The b6/#5 note resolves into the C major scale chords with a powerful chord motion.
Ab, Bb, And C maj line up quite nicely. Subdominant minor harmony can be used in many different situations. If your chord progression needs a boost, you can weave some subdominant minor harmony into your progressions. Experiment with simple chord progressions in the key of C to work the magic. Almost any chord or group of chords that have a b6 in relation to the chord progression at hand can be used. To keep it simple use the term Beatlism, just remember what it represents. The b6 note in outside chord structures can be used for any key. Whatever the key is, track down the b6 property and use it for the outside chords.
Another good technique is to use substitutions to spruce up your chord progressions. Substitutions are chords that have the same harmonic cadence of the chord progression but with different chords. The idea is to create variations of the chords sound without changing the properties of the chord motion. Here is a sample in the key of C.
The chords of the C major scale are:
I C maj, II Dmin, III Emin, IV Fmaj, V G7, VI Amin *VII B-7b5 and VIII C maj
The I, III, and VI chords are tonic chords/ used for stability and rest.
The II, IV, and *VII chords are subdominant chords/ used for motion. They should resolve into a more powerful chord.
The V and and *VII chords are dominant chords/ they sound great when resolving into a tonic chord.
The *VII is a dual function chord, If it moves into a dominant chord it acts like a subdominant chord. If it moves into a tonic chord, it acts like a dominant chord.
The chords of like cadence can be substituted for each other. Play the examples below to experience the effect.
I Cmaj, VI Amin, IV Fmaj, V G7.
VI Amin, I Cmaj, IV Fmaj, *VII B-7b5
III Emin, VI Amin *VII B-7b5 V G
I Cmaj, VI Amin, IV F, V G7.
P.S. You can also double up on your cadence experiments with your own progressions."
Read more: guitarplayersforum.boards.net/thread/794/subdominant-minor-harmony?page=1#ixzz5laNi98BD
WTF???
"The Beatles had a knack for creating great chord progressions. One of the unique blends of chord work comes from a concept called subdominant minor harmony. The effect is so cool that when I learned of this little technique I would introduce it to my students as Beatleism. The reason is that SDM harmony is common element in Beatles music. I think that the Beatles just found the sound and decided to run with it. Paul McCartney had stated that the Beatles had to figure stuff out because they didn’t use theory at the time. It was trial and error and imagination that made them great.
I use the term Beatleism because it is an amusing way to remember a powerful technique. The technique is to use the b6 (Ab) tone to create the interaction of major scale with outside elements. The C major scale does not have a b6 (Ab) tone. The outside chords that contain the b6 note in relation to the C major scale create an interplay with the C major scale chords because they resolve into the chords and enhance the sounds. The b6 element moves into the G chord, the A minor chord, The E major chord is a great example as is the Bb chord. Both the E maj (G# note) and Bb (Ab note) chord contain a b6/#5 note. The b6/#5 note resolves into the C major scale chords with a powerful chord motion.
Ab, Bb, And C maj line up quite nicely. Subdominant minor harmony can be used in many different situations. If your chord progression needs a boost, you can weave some subdominant minor harmony into your progressions. Experiment with simple chord progressions in the key of C to work the magic. Almost any chord or group of chords that have a b6 in relation to the chord progression at hand can be used. To keep it simple use the term Beatlism, just remember what it represents. The b6 note in outside chord structures can be used for any key. Whatever the key is, track down the b6 property and use it for the outside chords.
Another good technique is to use substitutions to spruce up your chord progressions. Substitutions are chords that have the same harmonic cadence of the chord progression but with different chords. The idea is to create variations of the chords sound without changing the properties of the chord motion. Here is a sample in the key of C.
The chords of the C major scale are:
I C maj, II Dmin, III Emin, IV Fmaj, V G7, VI Amin *VII B-7b5 and VIII C maj
The I, III, and VI chords are tonic chords/ used for stability and rest.
The II, IV, and *VII chords are subdominant chords/ used for motion. They should resolve into a more powerful chord.
The V and and *VII chords are dominant chords/ they sound great when resolving into a tonic chord.
The *VII is a dual function chord, If it moves into a dominant chord it acts like a subdominant chord. If it moves into a tonic chord, it acts like a dominant chord.
The chords of like cadence can be substituted for each other. Play the examples below to experience the effect.
I Cmaj, VI Amin, IV Fmaj, V G7.
VI Amin, I Cmaj, IV Fmaj, *VII B-7b5
III Emin, VI Amin *VII B-7b5 V G
I Cmaj, VI Amin, IV F, V G7.
P.S. You can also double up on your cadence experiments with your own progressions."
Read more: guitarplayersforum.boards.net/thread/794/subdominant-minor-harmony?page=1#ixzz5laNi98BD