Why THESE Cush Chords?

[ChemicalBagel]

Bb, Eb, and Ab are the relative majors of G, C, and F, respectively.

[CK-gqjf]

Take it through 8 more keys and you’re good to go.

[asukalangleysoryu]

You chose those 3 keys because of their relation to C major. Key word "modal" interchange. Bb major = C dorian, Eb major = C aeolian, Ab major = C phrygian, giving us bIII IV I, bVI bVII I and bII bIII I in C major, respectively.

[rockallmusic]

The on-screen transcription in the last part is incorrect. It should say (as Adam narrates) *key of Ab [Db -> Eb -> C]

[franciscojosecarrillo]

Even the comments are good in this channel. 😮 Unseen before.
Pure gold... ❤

[LarryMonteforte]

All of the progressions utilize a chromatic mediant going to or from the C major (Ab and Eb chords appear in all three variations)

Also they are all utilizing mode mixture from different modes of C.

[Crowsinger]

Because it makes C sound like Dorian, Aeolian and Phrygian. It's like a Picardy third in minor, but with modes.

[lolokelyhood]

Bb, Eb and Ab keys contains C minor, and with modal interchange C chord becomes major (actually, he mentions it at the beginning of the video)

[theappraiserlady]

I am so glad I'm not a musician. I am just the audience. I get to enjoy the music these guys always bring to me without having to analyze it. Pure ear to my heart.

[GreggOliverBass]

C is the 2nd in Bb so diatonically the C chord quality would be minor, but because the game is Modal interchange He plays it as a Major. C is the 3rd in Ab and that would be a minor, and in Eb it would be a 6th - again a minor. So those are the 3 major keys in which C occurs as a minor and Modal interchange would transform it to C major.

[scottfoster]

These shorts are Gold! Thank you good sir

[jaapsch]

Sounds soooo good. That right hand improvising around each chord is lovely

[ZorbaTheDutch]

The choice for Ab - Bb - C was obvious: to insert some Sing a Song of Song vibes!

[oscaratkins]

In Bb - ends in a plagal cadence
In Eb - ends in a backdoor cadence
In Ab - ends in a tritone sub of G7

[mordy]

Not only is the IV V cadence intact through out all the different keys (or modes if you think it all in C as modal interchange), but so too are the notes f, g and c, which conveniently enough happens to be the root notes of IV V and I in C respectively. Its like a IV V I inside several IV V I’s all at once. Russian doll Meta-ception style! Very cool!!

[wciqxst]

As others have said, Bb major, Eb major & Ab major all contain C, so as keys are candidates for modal interchange with C major... but why these three specifically?

C - Bb - Eb - Ab is a mu chord 1st inversion (Ab), Open Studio's favourite chord!

[atoumthot]

Wow, I see our favorite pianist is now doubling as an undercover detective from the 70s! 🎹👨‍🦱 That mustache is hitting all the right notes—just like his playing! Next up, he'll be solving musical mysteries while sipping an espresso. Bravo on the bold move; now we need a matching hat and trench coat to complete the look! 😂🎩🎶

[henkdevries]

Bb, Ab and Eb are the three keys that contain Cmin, as the ii, iii and vi respectively. So you can use modal interchange by using chords out of those keys and then resolve to Cmaj instead of minor at the end

[henry]

you're taking the 4 and 5 from the key centers that contain a minor mode of C. Eb --> F corresponds to C dorian, Ab --> Bb corresponds to C aeolian, and Db --> Eb corresponds to C phrygian. it sounds good because they all imply a C minor chord, but it just resolves to C.

[j.lombardo]

All chords are progressively darker on the circle of 5ths. F going to C is plagal, Bb is backdoor, Eb is chromatic mediant, but also an enharmonic upper structure of G7#5#9.