Harmony 101: The 2-5-1 Progression (Part 1/4)

[deseipel]

agree with others here, 2 5 1 has nothing to do with semitones. It relates to the chords progression made from the degrees in the songs scale. confusing video

[afrankus]

good tution, can you use the upper structures in a popular tunes? just demonstrate and explain..??

[joseph2625]

it is commonly understood that C resolves to F because 5th resolves to 1st NOT because they are 4 semitones apart. In this case, C resolves to F because in key of F (which he never mentions), C the 5th and it should resolve to 1st, which is F.

[swizzle2012]

why is this video so popular in eritrea?

[derrickwaynelange]

why are you talking about semi-tones? Why don't you just explain how chords pertain to the 2nd, then 5th, then 1st scale degree of the major scale? <-----that is not a suggestion, I am actually wondering why. Maybe understanding why your including semi-tones will help me understand what your saying.

[damienpenglin]

This is totally confusing - terrible teaching method. Left me totally confused. Sorry

[justatuch]

@damienpenglin The video is confusing because the instructor is referring to the circle of fifths when he counts 5 semitones which represents the 4th degree of the scale-but he lets you believe that he is referring to the 5th degree of the scale. Many popular songs rely on the circle of fifths for strong chord progressions but it doesn't mean that they are using a 2-5-1 progression.

[TheRaizen33]

Okay.. so 2-5-1's are based on semitone's and not key signatures.. because the five for a minor I thought was E? as in A- C- E..

[dyayroos]

Can I ask a noobie question? Let's say I have a chord progression of iii-vi-ii-V-I in the key of C. what passing chords can I do to make it sound more colorful? like what rules can I apply to make passing chords from the ii to the V? or from the iii to the vi? Thanks...

[juanbarros88]

@dyayroos from the ii you can go to the II dominant with alterations(#9 or b9 or #13 or b13), or bII7(altered) or bVI7(altered) or bVImaj(7or 9) and then to V to resolved back to I. or you can use any combination of the three options. this was a year ago, so by now you probably know all this and a lot more. there's a lot of things you can do like (ii) to (3-6-2-5 of V) to (V). that's an exaggeration, but you could.

[soyviejodenme]

wrong!!!!!!

[pobz100]

you explain this in a very cantankerous way mate. Why do pianists think they are teachers,... Why on earth are you using semitone movements to explain chord relationships.  That's a terrible way to learn.

[klenock8]

o..m ...g this is briliant! this chainges everything i know about music

[bohemenmann]

The five chord of C major is not F, and it's not 5 semitones up either. Confusing!

[PowerRedBull]

I'm looking for tutorials about a kind of ...i would describe it as 'baroque'-ish chord progressions that are by preference longer progressions (7+ to ..20 something different chords, aug, 7ths etc), borrowed chords or mode changes within a progression.

Now I kind of contruct longer progressions by trial and error but I noticed there's qiute some logic behind it all, so i'd like to figure it out more to save time

If you know, I'd be so glad

[bellybroom]

ur lesson are good- but actually what ur doing here is going from the 1st to the 4th(as far as a beginner is concerned)- i think u should explain that first and then explain that in reverse it is a 5-1... i think there is something confusing in here..

[sambarrister]

Thank you kindly for spending such precious time in doing this - but i am now confused. One minute you are talking about 5 to 1 as 5 semitones apart - the you refer 5 to 1 as to the degee of the scale? How do we know which one you are refering to?

[MangoldProject]

Hi Sam,

The "1" and "5" are degrees. The "5 semitones" are semitones. For example: in the C-major scale, 1=C, 5=G, and G and C are 5 semitones apart (G-->Ab-->A-->Bb-->B-->C).

[SuperGuitarman69]

@MangoldProject Try this one too. Tritone thoughts. say a 2m 5 1 in the key of G. on the 5 chord instead of thinking altering the 5 chord ie.. #9 or b9 or #5b9 or whatever think of the b2 chord as a dominant instead. For instance D7 (b9b5) is really Ab7 with D in the bass. D7(#5b9) is really Ab9 with D in the bass. And D7 (#9#5) is A13 with D in the bass. Using Eb melodic minor as the scale choice. Creates Lydian b7 from the Ab or Superlocrian from the D. Really it's the same thing. Ty

[Fisticuffs7171]

The teacher is doing a lesson on harmonic progression and the theory behind it. If referring to semitones confuses you, and you don't understand that the 2-5-1 speaks of the chord progression within the scale, you should avoid this video and go back to "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and learning your circle of fifths.

[blueshifter]

first of all - THANK YOU for making the videos and taking the time, it is wonderful of you, they are very much appreciated. they look and sound great, and are very informational.

but - these commenters are right: you are confusing people unfamiliar with theory. scales and melody come first, then harmony. drop the '5 semitone' talk when talking about dominant to tonic. explain the scale degrees first, then the V-I progression.

[doris840]

@nfragala: thanks, thats what ive said. to mention FIVE semitones upwards together with FIVE-one is very confusing to the beginner. he might think VII-I for instance means going up 7 semitones

[MangoldProject]

@doris840: I see now what you mean. Yes, that might confuse a first-timer and should be mentioned in the video. I'll add a note at the appropriate point during the video. Thanks for drawing my attention to that.

Just to clarify things for those of you who have followed this discussion: a IV-I is NOT 4 semitones apart, but rather 7 semitones. This goes to show that it's coincidental that, to go from a five (V) to a one (I), you go up 5 semitones.

[doris840]

youre explaining V-I by going 5 semitones upwards. how would you explain IV-I?

cheers doris

[nfragala]

@doris840 the roman numeral system is based off of the major scale progression. The I II III IV V chords are the intervals of the major scale in any key. When this guy goes 5 to 1 he's going from step 5 to step 1 based on the major progression of each note. For more info look at this user's videos: richardjpugh.

[doris840]

sorry, but the code 2-5-1 has nothing to do with semitones. its just meaning the degrees of a major scale. if 2 an 5 should stand for semitones, whats with 1 then? one semitone? no, no, no. all jazz musicians i know are thinking in scales. start with the 2nd, go to the 5th and end with the 1st. its easy to explain and easy to remeber.

[MangoldProject]

@doris840: it is never stated in the video that 2, 5, or 1 represent semitones.

We all have our own ways of teaching things, and adding scales in the middle, in my opinion, just adds another layer of complication/abstraction, not something I want to add when introducing a concept for the first time.

[simotazoa]

@doris840 Totally agree with your points here : )

[soyviejodenme]

You are playing I to IV, not I to V

The V is not the note 5 semitones away from the root, the V is the fifth note in the key.

Please correct it because it is very misleading.

[MangoldProject]

@soyviejodenme,

Without a reference to a particular time point in the video, it is difficult to either agree or disagree with you.

Having said that, here's a general reply: the V-I and I-IV have both the same interval of 5 notes, and discerning both cases involves identifying the tonal center. For example, playing G-C can be considered as a V-I (of the C-major scale) or as a I-IV (of the G major scale). Thus, if your song is in the key of C, you're playing a V-I, not a I-IV.

Regards, Assaf

[soyviejodenme]

That is true, but it is not the point I'm trying to get across. In the video you introduce the V chord as the chord built on the note that is 5 half-steps up from the tonal center, which is in fact the IV chord.

[dan0258520]

Viva la Vida by Coldplay I think also uses this progression..

[raggieful]

Hi mullacy, It definitely looks friendly and easy to the beginners. However, as you proceed, the piano becomes increasingly demanding precisely because the notes are laid out horizontally! You'll know as u proceed. I've been a player of both the instruments for a long time and I find the piano much more demanding than a guitar.

Regards

[BlikeNave]

I can't say so myself cuz I'm only a guitar player, but for me, playing chords and harmonies on the piano allows me to visualize and understand the theory SO much easier than on the guitar. Maybe this is what Mullacy was trying to say- that the theory is more clear when all the notes are laid out sideways like on a piano, rather then stacked on top of each other like with guitar.

[ickysna]

some of the best teaching videos on you youtube. thanks

[DivaJacobs313]

thank you for showing this... so if I'm banging away and don't know where to go I can could up 5 tones and play..... when in doubt..... thanks...

[spiked911]

Master...!!Teach me...!!

[chewy204]

awesome, sooo subscribin'!

[seanalienko]

thank you... that's what i thought..

can you please post a video about block chords? if you can show us some examples... much appreciated.

[seanalienko]

hi, how come it starts with c, followed by a b, still be a 5,1? i thought c should be followed by f... c-f , 5-1?

[MangoldProject]

What point in the video are you referring to? (give me a specific time)

If it's the beatles' Yesterday, then the B-E is the 5-1. The C isn't part of the progression (that is, in the C-Bm-E, the Bm-E are the 5-1).

[smiuw]

You are a great teacher man!!

Thanks again for the great video...Learned a lot

[coyotedrunkoncognac]

assaf ftw thanks for a new batch of 'tubes & hope the internet speak doesnt annoy sentiment's sincere silly acronym's just trying to apply the lingua 'when in rome' ... (if these vids could ever get transcribed it'd be a beggars banquet of epic proportions but as is they are a feast in themselves w/o a doubt)

[maameQ]

Thanks, Great tutorial

[St4rOcean]

That was awesome. Nice and sweet. xD

[quietrev]

Excellent. Thanks man!

[makapac2k3]

Thank you!!

[domherre]

This is great! Helping me very much, thank you :).