How to Listen to Classical Music: Tonality

Explains Tonality, Keys, Key Relations, Modes, Characters, Modulations, Relative Major/Minor, Dominant Preparations, and how composers use all this.

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This video covers much of the crucial ground needed to understand tonality, tonal systems, tonal and modal music, major and minor keys, key relations, what it means to modulate or key change, what is the tonic, dominant, subdominant, relative major and minor chords, and more. This information is crucial to absorb if you want to understand classical music at a higher level, because it permeates so much music, from J.S. Bach through Mozart and Beethoven, all the way to 20th Century composers such as Shostakovich and others.

While many people use classical music for studying, relaxing and relaxation, or sleeping, far fewer people actually enjoy listening actively. Due to the difficult state of music education, most people don't know how to follow a symphony, or how the best composers wrote and structured their works. While it has been proven that classical music can be beneficial to the mental development of babies and kids, I believe it has life enhancing qualities for all ages, and as an art form deserves to be shared, whether through outreach, or tutorials and lessons like these.

Classical music, at its best, can be richly emotional, and I believe that its emotion can be unlocked by anyone willing to follow these guides through. The principles that I will go through apply to all music, whether live in concert or on CD or Spotify, and whether you're listening to Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Brahms, Chopin, Wagner, Verdi, or Puccini, and whether listening to Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Orchestral, Choral, or Chamber music.

Many programs suggest that learning an instrument such as the piano, violin, guitar, cello, oboe, clarinet, or singing in a choir, is crucial for music appreciation. Well I think these skills, as well as learning to read sheet music and training your ear, can be extremely useful, I believe that almost anyone can learn to enjoy classical music with minimal training and music theory. Therefore, this short series will be very light on music theory, and will only use it when necessary to highlight certain forms such as sonata, rondo, and other typical forms.

While I originally got into classical music via movie scores and film composers such as Howard Shore, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer, I discovered this way of listening which has completely changed the way I approach and enjoy classical music. I hope through these videos I can share that with you.

Sources:
Essays by Donald Francis Tovey

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[marcosrodrigues]

Dude, again: Thanks for this amazing content!

[djtrendsetta]

The Shostakovich picture is from his Hogwarts days.

[changwilliamwang]

If YouTube was a university, then you are definitely one of the finest professors!!! I love these video series, learned so much!! Thank you!!!

[ytyt]

I’ve been playing classical piano since age 7, so you could say I’m a “native speaker” of music reading. But listening to this video, I realized I would have had no clue how to explain these concepts to a non musician. Excellent presentation.

[teacake_]

The Bach at 9:30 is the Credo: Et Expecto from the Mass in B minor (cantata BWV 120) if anyone was wondering ;)

[TimothyAsbridge_TENOR]

Thank you for giving the significance of historical tunings a mention! This is so important to tonality and not a mere footnote in musical history / aesthetics.

[vakvanya]

Tonality:
Schoenberg: We don't do that here

[ninterference]

Why does this amazing channel have only 2 thousands of subscribers? I firstly thought because of the level of content that it has 1, 8 millons. Thank you for your videos!

[rahulmawa]

Wow, I just binge watched many of your videos, and I think I am convinced to try out this whole universe of music... Really excited

[Coffee_n_Opera]

Love that I’m using this to study for a final exam where I have to be able to tell or at least guess fairly accurately which key he has modulated to… And the final comment is to not worry about it bc most people can’t hear it… OMG this class is killing me.

[willosee]

Haven’t got a clue as to what he is talking about but it is fantastic.

[mn]

2:34 that's harmonic minor, not a natural minor scale. Aside from that, great video. As someone who grew up on classical music, I hope more people learn to understand and appreciate it. I think I can learn a lot from your channel too, because as a child I never really paid attention to structure or tonality because, well, it was music I liked and it didn't really go beyond that. Thank you for educating me and many others about classical music ^^

[davebillnitzer]

You used one of my favorite passages in all of music to illustrate the distant key relationships - the Schubert B flat somata, and that pendulum swing he does between Bb major and d minor, with the rumbling in the bass. So smooth, so subtle, and astonishing. Schubert always surprises me with his modulations, I find myself asking "how did we get here?" because he does it so effortlessly and quietly. He seems to avoid the usual route through the circle of 5ths, or obvious emphasis on the leading tone, I think he slips into his new keys in the voice leading and that's how it passes unnoticed while he's doing it. His ability to shift harmonic centers amazes me every time because I never seem to hear it as he's doing it; it's hard to catch him in the act.

Would you consider an analysis of "Erlkonig" or perhaps some highlights from "Schone Mullerin?"

[tenzinalexander]

I highly recommend the book Beethoven: His Spiritual Development by J.w.n. Sullivan. I really felt like I understood Beethoven and his music. It's a really good book.

[malekelsayed]

Can you please make videos dedicated to explaining tonality explored by each composer individually, and make them into a playlist? I am not a musician myself, however I am passionate about classical music and would love to venture into the details of how tonality works. This video is the clearest quick explanation I have ever listened to and I am afraid you've left me only wanting more!

[georgekirazian]

What a fine presentation: clear, easy to follow, very helpful....

[buraktahatopo]

I normally don’t comment on videos but I LOVE THIS! Helped a lot to understand tonality for my class!

[patim]

I read and watched a lot about these things without getting it, now I understand, you are amazing in explaining this. Thanks

[CN-yflr]

This is just WONDERFUL, I studied without any but any, zero knowledge of tonal music at college; MUSIC. It was entertaining but yet hard and nevertheless the motivation of studying what I always liked and wanted to study kept me going 'til HARMONY IV, until, well, German chords and Italian chords blabla started, then for the sake of my dignity Lol I dropped the class. However many doubts stayed within my "developing ideas" at the time to compose my own music. I had two private tutors and they never had the patience to listen my questions, always cutting me off and going different direction going over what I understood but what I asked. Painly. Today listening to this wonderfull explanation after many years I've FINALLY understand the Modulation on key relation. How easy and simple is that, plus the bonus of how composers composed? Wow!! U are wonderful, I'm subscribed and ur first student in the row. I only hope u really reply any Q's I may have. Awesome great informative well clear explained Tonal Music. Thanks so much 😍🙏🏻🎼

[clauzane]

Wow brother thank you for this wonderful work, I'm a first year music student and your explanations are easy to follow and not to complicated!

May the Lord bless you for all your hard work!