Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 03:39:08 PM

Login with username, password and session length

The abundance of high-quality music theory YouTube channels

Started by Dewt, December 31, 2019, 05:57:38 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Dewt

It's ridiculous. It's getting to the point where the idea of going to paid school to study this sort of thing just seems silly, because there are people constantly milking expertise (theoretical and practical) all over the Internet for free.

Adam Neely is probably the biggest one https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnkp4xDOwqqJD7sSM3xdUiQ
David Bennett Piano such a mild guy, schooling us all on technical aspects of classic pop https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz2iUx-Imr6HgDC3zAFpjOw
OAIM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXUMMBlRvK20-hIYeYjHtA

Gonna stop listing them because it will get overwhelming, but what is it that you, another poster thinks about these kinds of channels?

Famous Mortimer

Neely is my favourite, and he mentioned education the other day - he says all he's really doing is using the language of music theory to talk about things, not really teaching music theory.

Sadly for me, I work at the exact educational institution whose head of musicology Neely very vigorously insulted in the Katy Perry video, so while we have fancy jazz ensembles popping in for shows all the time (Alarm Will Sound are regulars) we probably won't be seeing him any time soon.

NoSleep

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on December 31, 2019, 07:18:01 PMSadly for me, I work at the exact educational institution whose head of musicology Neely very vigorously insulted in the Katy Perry video, so while we have fancy jazz ensembles popping in for shows all the time (Alarm Will Sound are regulars) we probably won't be seeing him any time soon.

Was that a musicologist who appeared in court defending one of these ridiculous copyright infringements?

NoSleep

I'm an Adam Neely fan here, too. I especially like that he is dipping into the uncharted territory of microtonal music and trying to puzzle its place in the overall musical scheme. Seems like a nice bloke, too.


madhair60

I don't know anything about music. I don't even know what 4/4 means. Or what a middle eight is

NoSleep


Famous Mortimer

Quote from: NoSleep on December 31, 2019, 07:27:32 PM
Was that a musicologist who appeared in court defending one of these ridiculous copyright infringements?
Yes, that's the chap. I work in a whole different building, though. The only person of note who's showed up at my place is the still-alive Koch brother.

SteK

Quote from: madhair60 on December 31, 2019, 08:45:50 PM
I don't know anything about music. I don't even know what 4/4 means. Or what a middle eight is

Dropped D? Double-dropped D?

idunnosomename

Quote from: madhair60 on December 31, 2019, 08:45:50 PM
I don't know anything about music. I don't even know what 4/4 means. Or what a middle eight is
a middle eight is the different bit in the middle, also called a bridge. usually it is vocal and seperate from the solo break.

verse
chorus
verse
chorus
bridge (middle eight)
out chorus

4/4 is just the most common beat (time signature) in music. the music fits into segments of 1-2-3-4, the length of which is a quarter note, hence 4 lots of 4. a middle eight is called so because it is generally eight lots of 1-2-3-4.

thanks guys, please like and subscribe, and hit that bell!!!

madhair60

Quote from: idunnosomename on December 31, 2019, 09:17:50 PM
a middle eight is the different bit in the middle, also called a bridge. usually it is vocal and seperate from the solo break.

verse
chorus
verse
chorus
bridge (middle eight)
out chorus

4/4 is just the most common beat (time signature) in music. the music fits into segments of 1-2-3-4, the length of which is a quarter note, hence 4 lots of 4. a middle eight is called so because it is generally eight lots of 1-2-3-4.

thanks guys, please like and subscribe, and hit that bell!!!

I just read this and I still don't understand, i'm not a clever man i'm sorry.

NoSleep

All songs can be described in terms of different sections. The easiest way to do this is to call each identifiable section by a letter of the alphabet.

So the song idunnosomename describes would be A,B,A,B,C,B

Best would be to use an actual song and follow this through:

River Deep Mountain High

(0:00) Short instrumental intro leads to:

A (from 0:03) this section actually repeats (musically, not lyrically) from 0:16. This could be called the verse.
B starts at 0:26 ("And it gets stronger..."). This a 2nd part to the verse, sometimes called a bridge. Like a change of gear as they work up to the chorus.
C starts from 0:43 ("And do I love you, my-oh-my..."). This is the chorus.
D starts at 1:06. This is the "middle eight" (but actually builds for 16 bars in this case, not 8). It's actually in two sections (vocal, then instrumental), so you could describe it as D & E if you wanted.
C the chorus returns at 1:51

(2:14) Ends with the same instrumental passage as the intro.

the

Quote from: madhair60 on December 31, 2019, 08:45:50 PMI don't know anything about music. I don't even know what 4/4 means. Or what a middle eight is
Quote from: madhair60 on January 15, 2020, 10:44:59 AMI just read this and I still don't understand, i'm not a clever man i'm sorry.

4/4:

1          2          3          4
Oh         Mickey     you're so  fine

1          2          3          4
You're so  fine you   blow my    mind, Hey

1          2          3          4
Mickey!    (clap-clap)           (clap), Hey

1          2          3          4
Mickey!    (clap-clap)           (clap)


Four beats (the 1, 2, 3, 4 bit) and four bars (there are four lines, then the phrase repeats).


Middle 8:

(If you're listening to a song that's got quite a standard structure) the middle 8 is basically that bit that happens about two thirds of the way through the song that isn't the verse or the chorus. (In songs that have vocals, it's often instrumental.)


jake thunder

I am detecting a slight increase in harmonic sophistication in some current pop music. Wouldn't be surprised if the preponderance of these YouTube vids has an effect on future music. Good stuff. Learning a bit of music theory shouldn't be limited to musicians.

madhair60

Thank you for the explanations they are interesting and informative.

NoSleep

Quote from: jake thunder on January 15, 2020, 01:53:14 PM
I am detecting a slight increase in harmonic sophistication in some current pop music. Wouldn't be surprised if the preponderance of these YouTube vids has an effect on future music. Good stuff. Learning a bit of music theory shouldn't be limited to musicians.

Might also be connected to these high profile copyright claims made against certain artists because their new songs bears similarities to another song in some completely natural way (not plagiarism; more shared culture; some chord sequences can't really be said to be owned, as occurred in the case against Radiohead by The Hollies or the case against Ed Sheeran by Marvin Gaye's estate).

Whilst it is wrong, it would be a positive if it drove some to try something more original.

Dewt

I forgot to mention the Strong Songs podcast. It will take stone cold classic pop songs and analyse the shit out of them, as well as passionately talking about why the songs are great. Imagine NoSleep's post above extended to an entire song, with clips.

It's the perfect podcast for me, somebody who has a reasonable musical education but no practical real practical application of it outside of casually playing instruments.

Dewt

Quote from: Dewt on January 20, 2020, 01:37:28 PMno practical real practical application of it
That said, I have created music for corporate stuff simply because I put placeholders in that were never replaced

Made a music sting for a low profile Vodafone thing which is fucking hilarious to me, it's like getting to be an architect or a doctor without any training, just turn up and start making skyscrapers and giving people medicine, except for music that nobody will ever consciously hear

Secretly replaced a sound engineer's work for a Porsche ad campaign with my own stuff because he did shit work and all the sound was clipped. Didn't tell anyone. Just replaced the sound files. The clown worked for the BBC as a sound engineer in his day job

NoSleep

I'm not a drummer but I've found 80/20 Drummer to be very watchable and informative. I guess his approach to timing, feel and playing in general is applicable to all instruments.


Jerzy Bondov

Quote from: Dewt on January 20, 2020, 01:37:28 PM
I forgot to mention the Strong Songs podcast. It will take stone cold classic pop songs and analyse the shit out of them, as well as passionately talking about why the songs are great. Imagine NoSleep's post above extended to an entire song, with clips.

It's the perfect podcast for me, somebody who has a reasonable musical education but no practical real practical application of it outside of casually playing instruments.
Thanks for this, listened to a couple on the way home. Really good

NoSleep

A suitable place to drop this: The Beefheart Project Toronto show you how to play Doctor Dark (from Lick My Decals Off, Baby), breaking it down part by part to reveal its complexities, both rhythmic and harmonic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJVCMV0bfgM

There's only this one tutorial/analysis (just over an hour's worth) and another video to accompany the BPT's version of Hair Pie Pt 2, but the Doctor Dark tutorial is a revelation, a door into understanding this music better and incorporating the ideas into your own music.

Hopefully this will become part of a series, but this one video is a remarkable bit of research. I will report back once I've finished watching.

hummingofevil

Jazz Theory is another level of madness but I love watching Kent Hewitt Videos. No matter how complicated the principle he is trying to explain he always leaves you with something easy enough that you can just fuck about with. A lovely combination of learning a theory and having fun in its application. He also has exactly the right accent to be teaching jazz theory.

This one is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A41X1RbKdk


NoSleep

Quote from: NoSleep on February 22, 2020, 09:49:11 PM
Hopefully this will become part of a series, but this one video is a remarkable bit of research. I will report back once I've finished watching.

Thankfully there is more stuff coming soon; next up a review of Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

One of the most interesting points of the video was how he demonstrates the individual musical parts on a keyboard, which highlighted for me how obviously they were all originally composed on the piano. I have an unofficial recording of the Captain playing the piano in this manner. Also interesting that the presenter categorically states that you can break down all of the tunes on Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off, Baby to the same method as found in Doctor Dark (but notes that the later albums; Shiny Beast, Ice Cream For Crow, Doc At The Radar Station, etc, were composed otherwise). Presumably, that doesn't include Moonlight On Vermont and Veteran Day's Poppy (featuring pre-Trout Mask sessions and line-up), The Blimp (which features the Mothers performing music written by Zappa) and the folk/bluesy demo recordings and acappellas.

Shit Good Nose

I love Dave Frank's vids and this breakdown of the Grateful Dead's performance of Dark Star from Live/Dead is a belter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs_4TQLycQI

Although I used to play guitar (over 20 years ago now), I'm no musician and can't read music, but he has a way of talking about music theory (predominantly improv, his forte) which draws in even the most talentless ignoramus like me.

Pauline Walnuts

Quote from: Dewt on December 31, 2019, 05:57:38 PM
It's ridiculous. It's getting to the point where the idea of going to paid school to study this sort of thing just seems silly, because there are people constantly milking expertise (theoretical and practical) all over the Internet for free.

Adam Neely is probably the biggest one https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnkp4xDOwqqJD7sSM3xdUiQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM6X2MEl7R8

Isn't it ironic?

Dewt


Dr Syntax Head

Neely is great. Rick Beato likes to talk theory. His what makes this song great series of vids are brilliant

the

In this safely established popular classic song, that bit was really great

'Why, Rick?'

It uses a diminished chord

'So where does that fact lead us?'

That bit was really great