13th Dimension - A simple progression with a powerful impact:

13^th Dimension -
A simple progression with a powerful impact:

Imagine it’s raining right now and all of sudden a magic ray of sunshine breaks the clouds away. This is how I like to picture another one of my favorite progressions to use in my music. It starts on a minor chord, making us feel a little sad inside and then it ends in a happy dominant chord, but of course with a twist!

On previous discussions I already showed you the power behind the minor 9^th chords, well this time around I will get to another very peculiar sounding chord, the 13^th. This chord is so magical and unique in its own way, that it could be applied from Pop to Jazz and you would still be able to define it easily because it is that obvious. This progression I’m talking about is exploited everywhere. There are songs on the radio right now that include this transition, maybe in simpler forms, but it’s there nonetheless.

Let’s take a classic and catchy song like this one from Boz Scaggs 

titled: Lowdown (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-hKBmTAADo). 

As you listen to the song, you can’t help but hear this transition over and over again. It is the core of this song and it maintains it alive throughout, until the bridge when it changes. But for the purpose of this tutorial let’s concentrate on the beginning only.

The chords you’re listening to are E minor 9^th (Emin9th) and A 13^th, and I will give you my favorite way to play these chords which is super easy to remember. We are only going to move one finger from the right hand and we will achieve the effect.

 1-) On the left hand let’s play a minor 7^th interval starting on E, like this:

E + D

2-) On the right hand we will play an E minor 9^th chord, like this:

G + B + D + F#

This is how the chord looks like together:

3-) Now to achieve my favorite effect when using the 13^th chord, I like to include the 9^th in it to make it even more rich and colorful. On the left hand play the following perfect 5^th:

A + E

4-) On the right hand only move one finger from the previous chord note D, half a step down to C# (or Db). Like this:

G + B + C# + F#

This is how the chord looks like together:

As you can hear, we only moved one finer on the right hand to achieve the desired 13^th effect with the added 9^th. It sounds beautiful doesn't it? It sure does! This progression is a very handy trick to keep under our sleeves as musicians, because it saves us time and effort while making our playing smooth, enjoyable and sophisticated.

Carlos Camilo 

(Author)(pianist/singer/arranger/producer/composer from Miami,FL).

www.carloscamilo.com  

How to gain a deeper understanding of your favorite songs:

How to gain a deeper understanding of your favorite songs:

Today I would like to talk to you about my very own method of listening/studying music. I’m sure you have a favorite tune that you absolutely love and listen to over and over again. But, are you really grasping its essence or are you merely scratching the surface?

In my 23 years studying music, I have discovered a very simple but effective method of truly grasping a deep understanding of a song by focusing the mind one detail at a time. Allow me to explain further!

Our brains are wired to notice certain things and to process others automatically. You don’t think every time you breathe right? There are some functions in our body that assume an auto-pilot position, and listening to music is one of them. By listening to a song multiple times and alienating each sound individually in our minds on each individual listening experience, we will achieve a very deep understanding of what is really going on in this song we love so much. Otherwise, we will continue to hear the same things over and over again without any real insight. Think of it as looking at a picture and then taking it quickly out of sight, and then remembering every single detail with perfection. This is impossible, unless you have a special talent or photographic memory. Let’s get to it!

We will use a song by the great Michael Jackson (RIP), called: Earth Song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU

Follow these three steps.

1-) The first thing we need to do to truly gain a new vision and perspective on what is going on in this masterpiece is to free ourselves of all distractions: cell phones, other people, TV’s, lights, noise, etc. Try to find a place where you will not be disturbed at all. Also, don’t think about anything other than the song, make your mind listen and keep control of your ears.

2-) At this point close your eyes. (This is the most important part, because it will be easier to visualize the song.) We will then listen to this song a total of 10 times, but every time we listen to it, we will make our brains focus one detail at a time for instance: listen to the bass only one time, then the drums/beat, then the piano, then the voice, etc. It might be hard at first because you might not be used to doing this, but trust me, with practice you will master your listening skills. (Make your brain focus only on the part you are trying to listen to one at a time.)

3-) After we listen to each part individually, we will listen to the song one final time with our eyes open with all of its components.

That is it! As simple as that. This is how I listen to music and retain all the important details that others miss. Remember, anything that you put your heart and effort in, will give way to something, whether that something might be money in the long run or a lesson learned in life. We are all connected to this planet, and music is one of the most beautiful tools to enrich our spirits and elevate our souls to other dimensions.

Please take your time and really LISTEN to music, don’t just put it in the background all the time because you are missing out BIG TIME!

God bless!

Carlos Camilo 

(Author)(pianist/singer/arranger/producer/composer from Miami,FL).

www.carloscamilo.com