Extended chords in Brazilian songs

Hello and welcome to today's lesson entitled "Extended Chords in Brazilian Songs." My name's Mr. Norris and I'm gonna be taking you through today as we build on our understanding of samba music and look at how extended chords fit into that style. Our outcome is that I can explain what extended chords are, and I recorded chords in the style of a Brazilian popular song. Some keywords. The first is triad chord, and a triad chord is a chord that includes three notes, the root note, third and fifth of a scale. Those are our most basic and most common chords. Extended chord. An extended chord is a chord that includes more than three different notes. A seventh chord, this is a chord that includes a note that is the seventh note in the scale above the root note. And a sixth chord includes a note that is the sixth note in a scale above the root note. So we'll be looking more in depth to all of those as we go through the lesson. The first part of today's lesson is focused on understanding extended chords. We know that a basic chord is called a triad chord. This includes three notes, the root note, which is the first note, the third and the fifth. For example, a C major chord comprises the root note, which is C, the third which is E, and the fifth, which is G. There's our C major scale. There's our root note, C, our third, E, and our fifth, G. And together they make up that C major chord, that C major triad chord. And that's how that triad chord looks on a keyboard or on a piano. We've got three notes evenly spaced with one note in between each note. Extended chords sound more complex and they add more color and interest to the harmony. They're used in jazz, but also many other styles of music, including samba. Extended chords are based on a triad chord, but they add additional different notes on top, and that's where the added complexity comes from. We're gonna compare these examples of triad chords and extended versions of those chords, extended chords. How would you describe the difference in terms of the mood or the feeling that they create? Let's have a listen to our first triad chord. (lively chord music) And now compare that to this extended version of that. (lively chord music) So thinking about what difference in mood or feel that that creates is, let's try the second one. So here's our second triad chord. (lively chord music) And now an extended version of that. (lively chord music) Again, thinking about what different feeling or mood or emotion that creates. Finally, let's listen to our third example, this is the third triad chord. (lively chord music) Now an extended version of that. What's the difference in terms of the mood, the feeling? (dramatic chord music) So hopefully listening to those, you can see the difference. Those extended chords are much more complex sounding. They create more dissonance often, and they can add real color and interest to the harmony in a piece of music. Now, a sixth chord is an example of an extended chord. So it is a type of extended chord. It's a triad chord with the sixth note of the scale added on top. So a C6 chord is gonna add the note A, that's the sixth note to the C triad. Here's our C major scale, our triad chord has C, E and G, that's the root, the first, third and the fifth. And then to make a sixth chord, we're gonna add that sixth note as well. So a C6 chord has those four notes in it. That's what it'd look like written down and that's how it'd look on the piano. So now you can see there's two notes that are right next to each other. The G and the A are gonna create a little bit of a clash, and that's where that interesting, more complex harmony comes from. Let's check your understanding of sixth chords. Which note do we need to add to this G chord to make it a G6 chord? We've got the first three notes written there in our triad, and we've got our G major scale there. So just pause my video while you're having a think. Which note needs adding to make it a G6 chord. And the correct answer then is E. And that's because that's the sixth note of our G scale. So we'd add that on top of the triad. Well done if you picked that out correctly. Let's have a look at this one. Which note do we need to add to this F chord to make it an F6 chord? We've got our F triad drawn there and our F major scale. So pause my video, having a quick think. And the correct answer then is D. Again, that's the sixth note of the scale. We're going for an F6 chord. So we had that sixth note, which we can see there is D. Well done if you got that correct. A seventh chord is another example of an extended chord, so it's a different type of extended chord. In this one, we add the seventh note in the scale to the triad. So there's our scale, that would be our G major triad. And then if we wanted to make a seventh chord, we'd add that seventh note there. So that'd be our G7 chord written out and that'd be what it looks like on the piano with four notes evenly spaced apart. So that's a seventh chord. Let's check your understanding of seventh chords. Which note do we need to add to this A minor chord to make it an A minor 7 chord? Give you a few seconds to work it out. And the correct answer then is G, and that's because G is the seventh note of the scale. So that would make it an A minor 7 chord. For question one in task A, you're gonna look at each of these triad chords and write down the note that you would need to add to it to make it a sixth chord or a seventh chord. And the scales are given to help you as well, so you can work out which note is the sixth of the scale and which is the seventh of the scale. I've done the first one there for you. So in that first example, we've got a C chord, we've got a C scale. And to make it a sixth chord, I'd add an A because that's the sixth note of the scale. And to make it a seventh chord, I'd add a B because that is the seventh note of the scale. So you can pause my video now and have a go at this question. Question two, we're gonna do some listening. I'd like to identify whether these are triad chords or extended chords. Remember, a triad chord sounds more plain than an extended chord. It sounds simpler, less dissonant, less complex. The first two have notation to help you. So you've also got the notation there that shows you what chord is being played and you can use that to help you work out if it's a triad or extended chord. Here then is example one. I'm gonna play you each one twice. So there's example one. (lively chord music) I'll play you it one more time. Is it a triad or extended chord? (lively chord music) Just finish your answer for that one. Now, question two for the first time. (lively chord music) And question two for the second time. (lively chord music) And finishing off your answer for question two, is it triad or extended chord? And now we move on to question three. And for this, there's no notation. So just listening here, trying to pick out if it sounds like a simple triad chord or a more complex extended chord. Question three. (lively chord music) And let's have that one more time. (lively chord music) and finally, question four. Here we go. (dramatic chord music) So question four for the last time. (dramatic chord music) And just finishing off all your answers. And now let's go through the answers. So for question one, let's start with the E minor chord. That's the second one. To make it a sixth, we'd add the note C, to make it a seventh chord, we'd add the note B 'cause those are the sixth and seventh notes of that scale. For the G chord, we'd add an E to make it a sixth chord, I would add an F# to make it a seventh chord. That's 'cause that's the seventh note of that scale. And then finally for the last one, for the D minor chord, the sixth would add a B flat and for the seventh chord, we'd add a C. Now, there are different versions of sixth and seventh chord that you might have come across, but at this stage, we're just focusing on working it out from the scale. So well done if you got those answers correct there. Question two, the first chord was an extended chord. And if you're looking at the notation, we can see there are four notes there. There are different notes, so it has to be an extended chord. The second one's a triad. You can see the three evenly spaced notes. The third was also a triad, and then the fourth was a more complex extended chord. So well done if you got those four correct. Hopefully you're starting to get used to the different sounds of these different types of chords. For the second part of today's lesson, we're looking at extended chords in Brazilian songs. Many Brazilian songs are influenced by samba rhythms and instruments. In a second, you're gonna pause my video and listen to this famous example, which is a song called "Brazil" that is inspired by the Brazilian nation and people, and it's a very well-known, popular song in Brazil. Let's listen to it and try and identify what do you recognize in the music that makes it sound like it's from Brazil? You can pause my video and have a listen. Hopefully there you identified that the percussion, the syncopation, and the polyrhythm are really typical of Brazilian music and have a lot in common with some of the things we might know about samba music. The song also uses extended chords. We're gonna learn a song in a similar style that shares these typical features, so many similarities with that song "Brazil." I'd like you to listen to it. Firstly, can you identify how many different chords are used in it? So how many different chords are used? Then can you pick out how long the chord sequence lasts for before it repeats again? So let's have a listen now. (lively music) So hopefully there you heard some of those similar features, the samba influence, rhythms and so on that we heard in Brazil, and also those extended chords. So well done if you identified that this song uses four different chords and they're all extended chords. We've got G major 7, that's that chord there with G, B, D and F#, C major 7, which is C, E, G, and B, A minor 7, which is A, C, E, and G. And then G6, which is G, B, D and E. So these are our four different extended chords that are used in this song. And also well done if you picked up that it has an unconventional 14-bar chord sequence. So the melody and the chord sequence will last for 14 bars before they repeat again. That's quite an unusual length. Normally chord sequences last for eight or 16 bars. Now, let's have a look at the chord sequence here. And you'll notice that many of the chords last for more than one bar. So we've got the G major 7 chord lasts for two bars in bar one and two. Then A minor 7 plays for four bars, bar three, four, five and six. Then it alternates between G major 7 and C major 7. And then we've got four bars at the end of a G6 chord. So it's not changing chord every bar. And when we're playing this chord sequence, it's really important that we're following the correct timings of those chords and those chord changes. Let's have a look now at a few videos that show us how to work out these chords, perform them with a rhythm and record the chords. Let's start off by working out the chords. As we know, there's some quite complex chords here. We've got some major 7 chords, I have some sixth chords as well. Before we even think about recording, we need to have a practice of those chords so we're really comfortable with finding them for when we come to record. So first of all, as you can see here, I've created a new track. I've got a piano as my instrument. And first of all, I'm just gonna practice finding the chords on the instrument and having a play of them. You should be able to see what I'm doing on the keyboard on the screen here. So my first chord is G major 7, G, B, D, and F#. (lively chord music) Our second chord is A minor 7, A, C, E, and G. And then later on, we also need C major 7, which is C, E, G, and B. (lively chord music) And we need G6, which is G, B, D, and E. (lively chord music) So those are our four chords. First one, second one, (lively chord music) we've got a C chord, C major 7, (lively chord music) and we've got a G6. (lively chord music) Now, if we look at the structure of these, you can see that some of them last for more than one bar. So I'm gonna talk through the structure and then we're gonna have a think about the rhythm that we might play for them afterwards. So bar one is G major 7, (lively chord music) and then same bar two, (lively chord music) bar three, a change to A minor 7. (lively chord music) Stay there in bar four, (lively chord music) stay there in bar five, (lively chord music) stay there in bar six. (lively chord music) Then it's back to G Major 7 for bar seven, (lively chord music) then C major 7, bar eight, (lively chord music) back to G major 7, bar nine. (lively chord music) C major 7, bar 10. (lively chord music) And then we'll finish in the last four bars on G6, two, three for bar 12. (lively chord music) Bar 13, two, three, bar 14. (lively chord music) So that's the structure of the chords and you want to be able to get to the stage where you can do what I just did before you even think about recording, just playing through the chords in order without missing any notes. Now let's look at how we can use rhythm to make them more interesting. So, so far, we've just played sustained semibreves, that's playing each chord and holding it once for each bar. But in samba, as we know, it's filled of polyrhythms and it's filled of syncopated rhythms. And usually the chords are played in a syncopated fashion as well using syncopated rhythms. For this, you could use one of the rhythms that we've already used or you can make up your own syncopated rhythm. And I'd encourage you to be quite creative with the rhythm that you choose. However, what you do want to do is make sure that when you choose a rhythm, that you then repeat that rhythm in each bar so that it sounds coherent, it sounds like it fits together. If we use a different syncopated rhythm in every bar, it will probably sound a bit messy and it will sound incoherent. So to work out my rhythm, I'm gonna get my samba batucada and my percussion instruments playing. And I'm just gonna practice some different syncopated rhythms, maybe on my G major 7 chords until I find one that I like the sound of. So I'm gonna turn this piano right up so you can hear it. I'm just gonna play this until I find a rhythm that I really like. (lively music) I quite like that one. (lively music continues) That's okay, although I think I want a few more notes of that. (lively music continues) Again. There's a few there. I'm not sure if I've found one that I really like yet, but I'll follow that process, trying different rhythms until I find one that I'm happy with. And finally, let's get those chords recorded in. To record in my chord sequence, ideally, I would do this in one take. However, it's perfectly fine to do it in little pieces. So I might decide, first of all, just to record in the first two bars, which are my G major 7 chord, then stop and then record in my next two bars, which are my A minor 7 chord, then stop. So I could break it up into little chunks if I'm finding it difficult to do it in one take. So you judge for yourself, if you wanna try and do all through changing chords in one take, that's fine. If you wanna break it up and do it in little sections, making sure that they're at the right place and the right bars, that's absolutely fine. For the purposes of this, I'm just gonna do it going all the way through in a oner so you can see how I'm doing that. So I've practiced my chords, I've worked out my syncopated rhythm, and now I'm ready to record. I could put the metronome on, although I do have a strong pulse in the samba batucada. I'm gonna make sure I've selected my track. I've got the playhead back at bar one, and I'm gonna start my chords at bar five. This is important. So I'm not gonna play for the first four bars. I'm gonna start at bar five. And then my final chord should finish at the end of bar 18 there. Here we go. (metronome ticking) (lively music) My minor 7. (lively music continues) Stay there. (lively music continues) That's G. Now C. Now G. Now C and now G6. (lively music continues) (metronome ticking) So that's that recorded in. I might decide to quantize that. I may not need to, but for the purposes of this, I'll quantize it. And usually with syncopated rhythms in the kind of things we're doing here, it probably makes sense to quantize to one 16th note. So that's that. I've recorded in now my batucada with all my percussion instruments and I've now also managed to record in my extended chords using a syncopated rhythm with seventh chords and sixth chords. And crucially, we start at bar five and finish at the end of bar 18. Let's check your understanding. Which of these shows the correct hand position for the first chord, which is G major 7? I'll give you a few seconds to work it out. And well done then if you identified that it is B. G major 7 has G, B, D and F# in it, whereas the other two there are slightly different. Well done if you got that correct. Which of these rhythms would be most suitable for playing the chords in your samba project? Let's have a listen to the first one. (slow happy music) Now, the second one, option B. (lively fast music) And now option C. (medium-paced happy music) So just quickly choosing your answer. And the correct answer then is option C, and that's because it's this syncopated rhythm. (lively medium-paced music) Maybe you don't have to use exactly that rhythm, but something syncopated that sounds like a syncopated samba rhythm will work really effectively for the chords. For task B then, you're gonna record the chords in for your Brazilian project. Some success criteria. You found the correct notes to the chords first. So work out the notes carefully first. Make sure you're using the correct ones. You've practiced changing chords before you do any recording. The chords start at bar five and finish in bar 18. And you've recorded the chords using a syncopated rhythm. Here we've got our chord sequence. Make sure when we're doing this that you're playing the chords for the right number of bars. And then you've got your four chords there on the right-hand side, G major 7, C major 7, A minor 7 and G6. So without further ado, pause my video and give this your best shot. For the final part of this task, we're gonna listen to this chord track that a student has recorded in. What improvements could they make to it? Here we go. (lively music) So while you're finishing your answer, you can pause my video. Let's talk through this then. So you might have suggested they should use a syncopated rhythm. They did that for some of the recording but not for all of it. So make sure we're using those syncopated rhythms. In this example, they play the first chord for one bar too many. So they just need to carefully check that they're playing each chord for the right number of bars. And then they need to double check the notes they've used in that final chord, the G6 chord, because it doesn't quite sound right. So they've mixed up some of their notes there. They should focus on practicing that really carefully to make sure they have the right notes. Well done if you picked up on any of those improvements there. Let's summarize today's lesson. An extended chord is a chord that includes more than three notes. A seventh chord is an example of one, and it includes a note that is the seventh note in the scale above the root note. A sixth chord includes the note that is the sixth note in the scale above the root note. And Brazilian popular songs use extended chords that add color and interest to the harmony. So I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson and feel like you have a better understanding of extended chords and how they fit in in Brazilian music. I'm looking forward to seeing you in another lesson. Thanks.