Lesson 18: Doing Analysis the Right Way

[samlsmithmusic]

Best music ed channel on YouTube. Teachers take note—clarity, repetition, pacing, and warmth.

[frogpiano]

I am seriously in love with this lecture series!!!

[k.k]

Thank you very much for the video and subtitles! They have been incredibly helpful in enabling me, as a non-native English speaker, to comprehend this invaluable gem of music theory.

[rutheproppi]

Maestro: I love Harmony and thanks to you I am beginning to understand something. Grazie Molto, please please do not stop, R

[alanrobertson]

Hi Seth, I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you for these videos. I've made it to 18 and really can't believe this is a free course and your channel is also massively under viewed. Randomly I came across Chopin's Prelude in E minor yesterday while in the car. Was able to spot the fantastic use of deceptive candences. Thanks again :)

[Hans_Magnusson]

13:40 I agree with you on trying it out on the piano.

I started with guitar, but via a keyboard and a piano, it found it more accessible to get harmony due to the linear fashion of the piano…

You easily get the scales and things like triads, and other things in harmony

[june]

I genuinely think the most significant part of this video might be the explanation of how the opening of Op.55 tonicizes Ab before sinking back into f because it gives a resolute answer to the original question - why learn this elaborate method of analysis, if not purely for the sake of speed? It gives you a glimpse into the artistic choice made by using slightly less conventional chords and how the gears turn in them. I feel that, as someone still wet behind the ears, that alone, understanding the relationship between all of those chords was really revelatory in and of itself

[sqquinn]

OMG this video series is absolutely AMAZING. Mr. Monahan you are a true gift to this world. Thank you

[tdtrecordsmusic]

what a blessing this course is !!
the ability to pause & focus makes it even better :)

[MusicLover-oeig]

I'd normally dive right into playing the music without any inkling of analysis. What a treasure trove to see how a pro works!!! It is an eye opener, thank you so much PROF!!!

[pwnedshift]

The "music student approach" is how I've been approaching analysis this whole time, and why I usually give up well before getting to the end of the piece. After going through the pain of figuring out all the chords (and in real music, it's rarely as easy as the examples given in learning material), I'm left asking myself, what am I supposed to even do with this information? I never felt like I gained anything from knowing the chords in isolation. If anything, it just made me feel confused and more cognitively overwhelmed! You're telling me I have to memorize the notes, the hand positions, the sound, AND a bunch of names, too?!?!

[blueblimp]

The word-unscrambling exercise at the start was a lot of fun.

Your lessons are so powerful. Your Big 18 chords Matrix is fantastic. Thanks for all professor and keep your sense of humor, It is great hearing you

[ZipplyZane]

Being able to listen to the music changes things a lot. I'd say it makes more sense to use your ears for your first pass analysis. My ears at least seem to be rather good at hearing chords as a whole, rather than as individual notes. And I can pretty much instantly hear both function and triad quality from practice. That information alone is already enough to get you to I V I V I {ii/vi} V. And ii-V has a distinct sound we're used to (as it follows the circle of fifths), so it's easy to hear that it's not vi-V.

Only after that does it make sense to me to look at the bass line, to figure out the inversions. And that's when I'd be more likely to notice the sevenths.

I agree that knowing how to play helps, but I probably wouldn't bother trying to play it myself. That means I spend too much time figuring out the piece to be able to analyze it. But what I can do is use what I know from playing to recognize the chord shapes.

Heck, that last part was so useful in the second example that I already had it analyzed before you played it. My only mistake was thinking that there would be a C in measure 6 somewhere. Even when I play it, it feels like a C7, not an Edim.

Anyways, am I alone in finding it easier to hear the chords than to hear the individual notes you are talking about? It seems like that what other theorists do, but maybe that's because so many of them play piano by ear.

[laudrupli]

This is one of the most helpful videos I've watched relating to music harmony. I've learned more much about analysis in these 30 minutes than my 4 years spent studying my tertiary degree on music!

[leilasharashidze]

On sundays l often lissen to Your videos, thank you once more.

[bohnulus]

I would Like to send you an amazing THANK YOU and let you know that all of your videos are SOLID GOLD.... I'm really enjoying all the concise guidance you've given in understanding harmony correctly... the correct terminology, the correct approach... eg... to listen to the movement of the bass note the BIG 18, the V of just to name a few.... I'm presently revamping my jazz bass solo show to feature BACH Cello suite No 2.. before I break into my Jazz Our forefathers of Classical music clearly understood... PLEASE OH PLEASE Make more videos... I've watched them and some 10-15 times.... YOU ARE VERY ENTERTAINING... I highly recommend you to Anyone who really wants to GET You know what I mean? Really Get How music Works. Hallelujah for PROF

[pinacolada]

I wish I had a professor like you in college. So much appreciated for the great content!

[bobwang]

This is gold. Thank you, Prof. Monahan!

[fernwehn]

This channel is a godsend, thank you very much.