Free Piano Lesson: Reharmonizing Amazing Grace on the fly

In this lesson we apply principles for reharmonizing songs (changing the chords while keeping the flow of the song). We're working with Amazing Grace and testing out the chord substitutions for the first time with you, in the live lesson

 

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Video Transcription:

Not quite; nice try, Watson: Alright welcome to first and I guess perhaps last edition of a what might be become known as Damon ruins a perfectly good song we're gonna try re harmonizing this song together I haven't looked at this or done with this yet I just read out the chords for Amazing Grace and were inflate their normal way and then by the end of the video I will come with something that might sound absolutely horrendous but I hope they get some principles that they can use to re harmonize some of your own songs which means to play I different chords along with the same melody that hopefully sounds not terrible so I know if you want to I if you're not live with us right now then you my wages jumped and the video and see if what we end up with is something that I is all is at all desirable and if not then I I guess just I'm. Ignore this lesson and wait for next one or pray that this never happens again so I this is regular old Amazing Grace like that the boring way you would play and I guess in the key of F. something why other if he's there I'm easy. Couple things. First of all you need are do you know your cord so I'm if you're it like in the chat room right now and you're asking about major and minor chords of like that then this is the US is not going to be for you idea after RT know how to build I guess major and minor and augmented and diminished chords as well as be Salaam wide familiar with like dominant and major 7 and as well as 9 elevens. And thirteenth we're just gonna kind of assume that knowledge here beginning and then but other than that ask your questions in our heads I mean we are in the comments that. The chat room that's what I'm title I guess this might be on you too if this ends up not being too horrible so you could ask in the comments but I so here we go where to start off this song and then middle will take of NASA here is Amazing Grace in the key of F. each 1 of these this was going to start out say each Wendy's boxes here is 1 measure so we are in 34 time 123123 but if your bill RD building 13 chords then you probably know that already burn minor. She. It's. So those are all the course they're written there. Start to. The harmonizing. So I the first thing we can do is I'd just throw in some. Wherever we have on a major chord we can play the 25 of that court and I've you need your circle of fifths down here to help you find that so the first 1 for example would be I going to do is be flat right here so we could play a 25 leading up to that be flat over here if we use the surface if that's the 1 this would be the 5. And this would be the 2 sort of plays see minor 2.12 because a major to 5 is going to be either in the core qualities are going to be. Minor 7 in this case see. Minor 7. To a dominant which is this assignment so after 7. An edited the major chords of B. flat major. Okay so will put triangle for major so this is the pattern of a major 251 you'll need to know that and then the pattern for a minor to 51 I guess we'll get to that maybe later on so first we're gonna do it is a throw in here a seem minor. 72 and half 7 to get tabby flat so that is a 2 to a 52 are 1 so already we have this mmhm seem minor 7. 7. So into it in some other places like right here we could to 5 into this bad boy. So that's gonna be I'd seen minor 7. To a minor 7 there go to see 7 so now our line look they just by throwing into 5 into the major chords and I may have made a court trial to 5 before and they suddenly 0 and sound absolute horrendous so if you don't like the sound of some these are that that one doesn't work just that one of the work there try somewhere else so I'm minor 7. 7. The flat mmhm. She minor. 2 into his de miner right here so I told you we're going to probably end up playing a a minor to 5 the minor 25 is still gonna follow the same pattern as we had I'm over here so you're going to find whatever the court is you're going to in this case de miner right so we wanted the minor and was too from dean Witter come off of an easy to an a to a D. that's going to be our 25 once is gonna be E. a D. we're gonna have to do that I. E. in a over here. Right there so we can lead into the de miner. A little bit there circulating that demand right there Sumthin we are too 5 of this one down here so now the court qualities for a minor to 5 are different than a major to 5 if the court that you're gonna and on as your one is going to be I major court then you can use this one this is to. 5 to one but if it's minor then you have to use this pattern here 2 to 5 to one obviously this was gonna end up being minor and so you're too is gonna be half diminished or minor 7 flat 5 again I'm not going to. But in that hopefully you that are to make sense if you're trying to hurt re harmonize songs to a dominant and the you can alter these chords right here so 7 alt or a flat 9 or anything weird that is dominant yes so that's your minor 25 so we want to go fretted that 2 to 5 half diminished to 7 or some kind of altered 7 so does give me E. have diminished. To a 7. Flat 9 or some kind of alteration there so we've got mmhm minus 77. Lots major 7 to one. Diminished. And a. And that's just the 2. We go. Cool. De miner we're gonna to 5 in. Do it. So we have again. Saline so we can and we. Speed through these next because of the limit at faster I wanna mess with either of these I will tell you wife right now but I just know they're not going to sound as good this G. right here is outside of the key out half so that Jeez kind of an important court in Amazing Grace because it had a gives it that extra boost mess so that we can leave that in there since its candidate is structurally importance to the song obsolete that Gee right there but then now we can to 5 back into. Hoops. Really. No no that's not good enough. Patton. Any weapon for this part. A long. I'll be right back. And fix our so here go we've got that you 5. Into this bad boy here the 25 of athlete N. B. gene miner 7 as we talk about to see 7 so I that's the 25 into that atthe higher than we can to 5 into this 1 over here 25 to that 1 so seem minor 7 Taft 700 is making sense that the scene minor 7 to have 7 is the 2 and the 5 of P. flat if we street treat me flat as the 1 and then we could go. Yeah we'll we'll leave it at this artifact have one. Right here so I'm going to put the 2 in front of it because we have 2 and 5 and 1. We have the 51 part is I'm gonna put in G. minor in here. Say make that whole thing complete as a 251 alright so then we have so far is mmhm. The slots. Nbae. De miners. And then. And then. To. That's just my. News and. We've already done that much damage to. Song so now now you're going to. Change the court quality with a melody is not. On a 3 so I that's just. Like changing major chords to minor chords and then you can't do that. Harder to do it if the cord if the melody of the cord. No not in the song is on the 3 of the court so for example the US right there that is the 3. The court is hosting thing right there. 3 of the ****. Change my my. Very easily so let's see where else we have this. Here. I think. Mel nbae or they're playing the slot. So you get. Minor. Flat. B. flat minor. Has him using Mme. This. And on the 3. WNED and. And we're not gonna suck him. Yeah sure we can go real quick see. Minor. See. But like I said. Is a little bit happens in you. Don't plan this re harmonization out in ahead of time and hopefully you're saying that not all these things work all the time but now if we do this again paper that Exxon would have more places where it could fit in to swapping the major to minor mothers maters I'm. We do it here fair let's do read them right here so we're gonna this minor 7 right here we're just get it I change that to a regular 7. So just taking a minor chord in changing it to a major chord. Discuss. Yes. ISIS which several of these now we have so manners at 25. There. And I like that one and here it. Bam. Done ad. And. Is that. To be a minor. Jennings major. So. This. Have it. Thing like this. Terrible. So far. Now we have. Tone sounds as for triton subs for I don records were on the third point down here I do not know how for gonna make it before I and or you gets to board of this thing the clinic to continue on but I'm so any dom records we have we can sub those out anytime you have a 7 court just like an apt 7 be flat 7 G. sharp 78 times not minor 7 basically you have a 7 on their. Then I thought major 7 either just regular old plane 7 any 5 chords basically the 5 to a one then or if it's moving by a cycle move down here in this office if the cycle move then we can tritone the sub it that just means go directly across perfectly across the circle of fifths or go outright away same thing and then use that court instead so let's take a couple of you this is where it says get the scary I'm so we're going to try tone a sub this bad boy right here on the top. This after 7 and so that would turn that frown 7 into a E. flat 7. I'm excited to be less of a B. 7 that pays him it through from at this might sound absolutely terrible let's find out. Didn't. So does the tritone sub of that damn records to Dominic cordon went alright and if they try tone of that instead on so then down doom. Data don't we have another one right there and it went on every single one of these we could go where to us we have a 7 my right well we just did that same one the home no that's a different cool so this one down here. Right there are many is that see 7 men take that out. May try tone the sub. For that 5 to try to see I'm is going to be after this might sound terrible. And if. Shar dominant. So here we go assume I'm. Terrible. So as a. She minor. Nice. More of the. Let's say. That idea. So we'll try to answer this this is a again that. 51 thing but I'm gonna try to unsub that 1 so that was in and that being inside of a can scenery affect this is not gonna. Pretty sure. The necklace on him. From the middle of a song alike. And then. Mmhm. Unlike. That was too far. Too far ahead. So we've got that the really that one is a C. 7 just because the own sounds horrible. And what about this one here maybe that's already a dominant chord day we could solve that one out ad. Animals. Should a sit com. But yet unlike any that so I'm gonna leave the tritone subs as we only do although we did 2 of them in there icy tritone subs the one of the top the B. 7 and then we had to put an effort 7 I in the middle of the song okay so then next thing eyes 2 fives for tritone subs. Really that out if. Shelly that out. Yes only that out so I'm I'm not going to do that 1 sorry I'd there aren't enough tritone subs in this 1 and I think and in its in 3 force will have 3 B. fermeture we're short on time and in that song not here but a short time in the song so I think I'm not gonna do the 25 trip for try stones as I'm suss for and or sharp force either chemical on scene privileged take any chord and then just put a suspended for on it or a sharp for so places you could do that would be like that's it suspended for. I miss. De miner. Sass. To a de miner so let's just take an ID my of it. Since de miner. Soon I'm gonna. That bad boy. And take it to let's actually what happens you'd go sharp I'm. And. This goes G. suspended. Jeanne I'm for it I'm just as a sharp for 2 G.. To this 1 man I'm dying to get rid of his jeans this see mine right here I hate it I'm IRA hit 77 lingo. See pool do we do surprise in a second. Okay so this one was going to see 7 all the that is the minor and pretend that I'm not planning on changing that later let's suspend a couple more these Helen. I think so we're gonna go. I we don't go to that other thing that Jesus. Yeah so would be back to that and next to last line there's a a suspension I like them mmhm this one right here. The flat surface. Be flat. To be flat minor nice okay arm and then this one right here we're gonna try to suss that one as well. 2 is so G. 7 suspended to a gene. To a sea. 7 suspended. To a see to it that. And then we're gonna go after suspended. 2.5. Okay could you talk web backpacker dominance later. All we do okay we're only halfway through our list and already there so we have. The. Uhhuh. And. Some. It's all stuff. Britain there. Let's move. The next one. Augmented 4 dominant courts so anytime we have a dominant chord we can augmented especially of the last alone longer amount of time and it's going to resolve my cycle move arms as good if they go one not counterclockwise on this circle of fifths here depending on how you you right at some people read it backwards from this they would call mine backwards and there's so anyway but moving this direction seed to half. And so on and so forth out if it's moving that direction that a lot of time you can just mean make it dominant right before it results so let's find some 7 cords here's one right here we could go augment that one right there that's when they didn't. And then let's see here find some other dominant chords see. Savan. Her I can't do that one because the changes the minor we can do this one right here augment this bad boy down here that gene. Augment that scene right there and. Yeah sure. I guess that's it let's try that we've already got a lot going on here. Man okay. The pheasant be flat. It's up to like 5. And then. Mentioned right there. It's. And then. So cut. All other things. A real quickly. Who is. Now in its path. A minute because let's just do this bad boy and that one. Right there. Polly chords. Yeah we got time maybe maybe if the class one of these media so let's add the 13 or the 6 to opportunity Andy court at all so just if in the habit of playing major sevens. Then try my major 6 or on a dominant chord it's in a place that just throwing. Track of these at. Here. Senate meet. 7. That 13. 13. 7. The 7 with a 13 in them. Here you go see 7. Let's turn that into see. 713 second finally how and reason to get rid of that stupid miners there. 7. 13. That lets you be. At 713 there we go. And 6. Right so that's just a bunch a sixes and. 13. Kind of in random spots wherever I. Sound. Totally horrible we have survived. And. This is just. Anywhere you have. Could you. Maybe it's because I'm missing much alt. Altered chords. Yeah that will catch him on the next time through this is probably a lot already anyway so I this last thing we do is Pat passing the records just pretty much anytime you I have any cord can all you just gonna play a I. Go down a half step from the cord to the leading toner the 7 of that the major 7 of it and then play that I diminish court so for example I've we're going to. Man let's try this one here this seem minor 7 so I'd be a happy hello scene would be a bi and woods played be diminished chord. So we played be diminished right there at this point some normal. You did some. Against him. Let's find a place where doesn't sound horrible. It. So will play a. Minish. 13. Legislator regulars. Right there. And then let it be diminished. Is C. 13. Mmhm. Right here maybe. Play. There are. Diminished. And I have some alone she they were about to play. And remind them to be a. Is what we're going to hear instead of athe sauce. They're gonna go. Go to the fore if there is a regular suspended here and go to the 4 but make it a minor force instead of playing mmhm suspended 10 we go. To me lines. Baker says. That's. So keeping that. Mmhm. And we're going to go. We can. These are minor to. A flat minor. It's gonna be. Beef S. hope. Is that a suspended we have suspension right there zoom in on this to harass invention and that in service pension we actually went to the fore and considered that for a substitute for the suspension a better substitute then we said at let's try a minor for instead so it minor 4 and then we said Hey that's a minor chord we could make that the 2 of a 253 go to. Tough 5 so minor for that because I was too that would be the 5. The. So we go to a flat 7 of the the key that where we are ready to start with for those tonight for a long time what'd you something with it sue and spend and do it now let's go to the floor do it now. Doing a. To. By. One. Gonna go. Here again how all of that today. Where to go be flat. Minor. 72 E. flaps 7. That path. 6. So. Now what we have and theirs out attend where do I feel committing a lot of a tritone stuff in here like a dominant and alterations it and put it on me the next time what we have now as a finished product all talk the rivers and then all this plainness that 6. So. To its. So the. To it. To. 25 with altered when they raise 5. To. Mmhm. They do it. Mmhm. And then. Spend it. Sorry for. Then. See. And then we went. E. diminish. 13. And then we went to today. Items. There. In the. Yeah lines. Minor. 10. And they do it. Mmhm. Diminished as a. Tone to the bombing incident. 7 it's. So it. And. Raise 5. There. To this mended. So there. Raised 5. 6 and I can't. It's gonna. Spread in this bad boy out right here all way through that whole entire thing swords can go. Be flat regular the F. B. flat minor 7. E. flat 7. Taft's. 6 schools try that this time I'll try not to talk over it and hopefully can follow along with some of the stuff that I'm doing as I try to read it off of my leg and played at the same time mmhm. And it's kind of crazy moments at. Here we go. And that's only half the list. It over in the. Whatever that was 4.. But anyway if nothing else of the god of this some minor 25 ones some major to 5 ones another use for the circle of fifths and at least 1 other concept in there somewhere in this mass of stuff I will try to saved this in case you want any of it things I'd been probably some of it sounds terrible he was so it sounds terrible to me but that it's all there and anyway let me know and I guess maybe we'll throws up on you tube or something and let some other people vote on this too but definitely the live students let me know what you thought of this there's there's 2 other things we can do creating solos kind of the same way off a song that I'd have a look at yet and we'll try to creosote together for it and I'm also the voicing of these chords what order to put the notes in where you won't re harmonize anything was take a set said accords and then try to decide where which knows we've included which ones we would leave out for each of the chords. So it is a kind of the 3 ideas but I'm maybe this is just too haphazard to to repeat this experiment later but anyway I'll let you know you know I love you until next time good luck how on.