To counterballance what Adam says: for most people, at least, creating music with what little "vocabulary" you already possess is also an important part of the process. It's not that you have to wait before you can start composing and improvising. You'll most likely write crap and improvise poorly at first, but that's a developmental stage like any other. When learning a language, too, learning a vocabulary is simultaneous with already producing utterances. People don't wait until they've learned so and so many words to start speaking.
THIS exactly! That was my biggest mistake when starting out. If your goal in music is to produce original stuff, you should start doing so as early as possible. There's not gonna be that magical line you cross someday and finally feel ready, where your creations won't suck anymore. Not only is it very important for keeping your drive to learn by letting you do what you originally started for in the first place, but creating music is the only way to improve in creating music. All the other stuff is just the vocabulary, as you said, and learning vocab is very different from learning to speak. It's two distinct skills. The comparison is spot on.
In every other field, people _pay_ for the opportunity to test their assumptions with school, so that someone is there to stop them from mixing the proverbial sodium hypochlorite and ammonia. Music is one of the few things in life where you're not going to put you or someone else in jeopardy by repeated failure. Take advantage of that by failing as much as possible :)
Writing crap is a very underrated part of the process, imo. Even if you know what you eventually want to write you need to know how to get there, and it's a great deal easier to figure that out if you know what does and does not work for you.
If you want to start improvising, one thing that helps a ton is to play arpeggios over the changes. That really reinforces the changes and lets them sink into your fingers and ear. Chances are good the melody will be close to that, too. Studying the melody and mixing it up is another way to make it work, such as playing the start of the melody and then putting in new notes later on. Then come back to the melody and move away.
If you lack a Gate for your Fuzz you can also use a choppy Tremolo to simulate a fast Release, plus the Notes are evenly spaced out so it makes the sound even more "synthy" or "chiptuney". Works great with Arpeggios, sounds just like a Console from the 8-Bit era!
Was so glad got to meet you in person and you did a tremendous job at polyrhythms and also the Vlog panel. Just really satisfying way to wrap the conference! Happy trails, Adam.
5:35 To my knowledge traditional Georgian music, which, despite technically being on the border of Europe, developed outside of the sphere of influence of Western art music, has polyphony as well. See watch?v=Tf8Da8trzaQ for a performance of a medieval Georgian hymn, using polyphony (and much more dissonance than traditional European polyphony). It's not Bach level counterpoint or anything, but the polyphony is as complex as anything I've heard in Medieval European music and allows much more dissonance than any traditional European polyphony (barring some notable exceptions like Gesualdo or something). Anyway, it clearly represents a non-Western tradition using pretty complex polyphony.
Maarten generally the Balkans and the eastern slavic world has a pretty rich tradition of polyphony originating from the liturgic singing tradition of the Orthodox church. East Ukraine, parts of Russia and other places have ‘islands’ of these folk melodies and methods that didn’t yet dissapear under the pressure of soviet cultural propaganda and these days american pop I would personally recommend Hungarian folk musician and ethnographist Miklós Both’s recordings, he did a few expeditions in to Ukraine and documented them really well
I found this channel today and I'm really glad that I did, your videos are well made and your passion for music reminds me of my own love for music. There's something indescribable about music discussions that I don't feel with other topics or interests, so I'm happy to find more like-minded individuals share the enthusiasm.
Adam you are cool.... I've been watching you for years it's amazing to see you continuing with your art and chanel. I always learn something new from your chanel! Thank you....
Hey Adam! Surprised to know that you know about indian and south indian music too. I live in south india i was very proud when you talked about carnatic music can you make a video about it or speak something more. Thanks waiting for your reply
Spot on with that bass synth question, you pretty much described my standard rig there and the results are as awesome as you mentioned. You definitely know your shit and keep up the good work!
bigsalcbk if you don't mind answering a few questions, what gated fuzz, octave, and envelope filter do you use? Would a bass big muff pi deluxe work as a gated fuzz? How would you set your pedals to get a sound like the synth bass from the Ghostbusters theme? Hoping you can answer at least one of these. Thanks!
It's all down to preference I guess. What I use is very simple and minimal (just 3 pedals). Ibanez pd7 (distortion/overdrive) Bass Whammy (octave change) and a boss syb5 synth pedal and I essentially get the results Adam mentions in the video. Bass synth is generally flat alone and depending on the wave you use the note may not ring out but using any fuzz, overdrive or distortion would help beef up the sound and ring out the note longer. As for ghostbusters, I dont know lol
m.soundcloud.com/user-986365368 That's my soundcloud (shameless plug I know) but check it out if you're interested to see how those pedals and tones blend. Bear in mind they're just rough jam sessions and not all songs have synth.
Hey Adam, I’ve been teaching guitar and drums for the last few years but I’ve never felt 100% confident in my teaching ability. I don’t have any strict syllabus of sorts because I feel like my students would get bored of it and most of the time they just want to learn rock/pop songs. I can’t always do this though because they just don’t have the right technique and no matter how much I place importance on practice, they never practice. I’d really like to keep teaching because in the moments when there are breakthroughs, it’s great, but it’s a rare moment. Love watching all your videos and hope I can meet you one day in the future if I’m ever in New York!
I’m basically musically illiterate, so a lot of these videos always goes over my head (not a complaint, I actually appreciate that you’re willing to go in depth for people that will benefit from it). But I really enjoyed the comparison between Appalachian and Scottish/Irish music. It’s super interesting because that’s where a bunch of Scotch-Irish immigrants ended up in the US, and I’m surprised that the musical tradition was somewhat preserved.
I still cannot fathom that bass part you use during the outro. It's so fucking good. You might be the only youtuber I actually watch the entire video of
I think that harmony across human culture works like counting. Every culture has 1, almost everyone has 2, once you start getting to 3 you can essentially go up to infinity in an instant. When we started thinking of 3 voices at a given time, harmony became an absolute idea.
Re: 7:30-ish, fusing Indian Classical and Gaelic Folk music actually works out quite well - Sheila Chandra recorded a number of tracks like that, for example.
Your thing with comparing styled of music, and that "styles different on the surface can be very connected" was so beautifully IB. Dunno if in your time but that IS the internal assessment
Hey Adam, I'm an aspiring music theorist (currently doing a BA in piano performance) and got hooked onto your channel watching your theory-oriented videos (special mentions to the vaporwave video and the prescriptivism vs descriptivism video, they gave me a deeper appreciation for my chosen career path). In your Q+A #25 you mention that you do a "broad exploration" into these topics. I would be very interested to hear about that whole process (Especially how you go about picking a topic and how you go about researching it to then present it) Thank you for your amazing content! :)
Interesting comparison of Appalachian "old time" music to some Indian rhythmic music. As one who is playing a lot of old time music, I wouldn't have thought of that connection. But now I'm going to have to go examine it a little more. And thank you for commenting about the Irish/Scottish roots of that music. It is sometimes difficult for others to understand that, until it is pointed out that the fiddle is mostly playing the bagpipe parts of a lot of those tunes.
i'd like to add a bit to the synthbass recipe: your best bet is to get a filter with an fx loop, like 3leaf wonderlove, and stick the octave and fuzz pedals in the loop so you can control the cutoff freq more variably with the dynamics of a clean bass. also by adding a chorus pedal after the filter or the fuzz you can approximate the classic sound of two slightly detuned oscillators.
In response to the person struggling with creating original works; something that has helped me quite a bit are writing/creativity/self-help books like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery.
Correct about doing your homework. I was debating with some (8^3#@2) about jamming in the studio on the clock, and just letting it all hang out for instantaneous inspiration. I say "Plan your work and work your plan". Compose, arrange, revamp, rehearse before you go into the studio. Once it's recorded, it's forever etched in stone. It should as close to 100% perfect as humanly possible.
Adam in the 80s I learner to down pluck with your thumb near the neck pickup and no open notes Bruce Hornsby and Don Henley Phil Collins that’s what the other finger rest is for on a p bass thanks for a great channel
Can people audiate more than one note at the same time? I tried a few times and I think I can't. If I try to audiate a major chord, I audiate the notes one after the other. like an arpeggio. If I try to audiate two melodies at the same time (I'm a guitar player, so I tried the famous Bach's Bourrée), I find myself bouncing back and forth between the two voices.
I think you can, but it may take practice. Something that I've thought about over time is the feeling/emotional resonance that a harmony can create. For example, can you image a major or minor triad in your mind? For me, there's a lighter and darker vibe to each one. This can be expanded to all kinds of chords, too. In my case dominant 13 chords are really distinctive, as well as sus13 and 13b9 chords, but this is mainly because there was a period of time when I used these chords all the time in my improvising and composing. My point is, maybe when you're trying to audiate several notes at once, you can think of the feeling that different chord types/intervals have for you. If you're talking about hearing two voices contrapuntally, maybe you can try audiating counterpoint that has lots of suspensions, so only one voice is moving at a time. From there, try to hear the voices when they do coincide. It'd probably be helpful to use your guitar to help out quite often.
Not sure about melodies, but as for chords - if you can hear it as an arpeggio just keep singing the notes in your head closer and closer together (less time in between in each note) until you can hear the full chord without any gaps between the individual notes.
Hey adam, love your videos, particularly your "how to not suck at music" series. What would be your suggestions for anyone wanting to start teaching an artistic discipline? Im an actor but i find the way you approach music to be a really useful and thought-provoking approach to take in my own work. Fantastic stuff!
Regarding the use of Musical Vocabulary, I'd draw your attention to the Conscious Competence ideology of learning: Unconscious incompetence The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognise their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn. Conscious incompetence Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, they recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage. Conscious competence The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill. Unconscious competence The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned. The most frustrating period is definitely the Conscious Competence to Unconscious Competence transition, which it seems you are approaching. Currently you have to work, and hard, to include all that you have learned into your own original music. There is a transition, albeit a blurred one, where you stop having to think so directly about what lick to do, or chord voice to play at a given moment. (From : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence)
Hi Adam, I'm not strictly a bass player but nonetheless. Your videos are brilliant; they are succinct; they are fun, often funny. Your general attitude towards things is great. I also resonate with your friendship with Ben Levin you guys are cool. I've learned a few gemstone ideas from you man, thanks. You're an inspiration. 🌼
Re Bass synth effect... a one stop shop is the Electro Harmonix Micro Bass synth pedal. You get a blend section with One octave down, the straight tone of your bass, and octave up, and a square wave (i.e. fuzzed!) all on sliders to mix as a source, for the second part, the triggered filter. See:- www.ehx.com/products/bass-micro-synthesizer (about €300 in Europe, about £270 in the UK) Has the advantage in that it is an all in one device. Disadvantage is that you are stuck with the range of settings inbuilt. You might be better of with the chain of pedals where each pedal does exactly what you want, but then you have three separate pedals (possible 2, or possibly more) to lug around. Check the demos on the EHX page to see if it does what you want. Note Boss do a pedal(SYB-5) that does a similar job, but appears to be fully digital, as opposed to the EHX pedal, which i believe is analogue. That makes a difference to some people! there are demos of both, and, i suspect others of that ilk on YT. Go and Google!!!!
Hey Adam, You reference "Drones" in this video when speaking on harmony within different cultures approach to music. What are these so called "Drones"? Thanks so much from Canada 💛
Hey Adam, regarding synth tone on bass. In order to get the octave sound of synths on a bass, I️ use my right finger at exactly an octave above the fretted note. This will produce a harmonic of the same note fretted, an octave up. It’s hard to describe, and it takes some practice, but it works. NO PEDALS REQUIRED FOR THIS TECHNIQUE!! Adam, I️ would love to hear your input on this as a reply, or maybe you can do a video on it. It’s pretty sick :D thanks!
Hi Adam, I'm a young and aspiring jazz vibraphone player and music theory nerd, and in my limited experience as a vibraphonist I've found that often there is not a lot for me to do except play the chords from the guitar, piano, or bass music. Also, having only played in my high school jazz band and our school's often jazzy orchestra wind ensemble, I have not gotten the oppurtunity to play any vibraphone-centric tunes. How can I make my playing more interesting and useful when I am playing guitar and piano chords? Also, what are some must learn jazz standards as a vibraphonist?
Why did you stop putting these Q&As in the audio podcast? (Side note: Interesting new rendition of The Lick. Very... futuristic.) (Side note to the side note: I just realized that your intro video is Sibelius 6 running on OS X 10.5, or maybe 10.6. I hope you've upgraded both the application and your OS.)
what do you think about different brands of basses? I see you use your Fender a lot, do you have opinions or Warwick, Rickenbacker, Gibson, etc? What specifically about Fender drew your toward their basses?
Hi, Adam! First of all, your content is top-notch. Congratulations! Also, I have a question for you and for anyone willing to answer: I often find myself more eager to look for new equipment (even though I don't need something else at the moment), rather than to practice and become a better player. Have you ever had the same problem?
Hey Adam! Question for your next Q&A. What's your opinion on bar chords? As a guitarist I find them pretty useful and easy to memorize, but at the same time I find them somewhat limiting not to mention I find them kind of difficult to play without bending my wrist. Interested to hear your thoughts. PS. I'm really enjoying your channel! Keep up the good work.
So what do you think about Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) and how he incorporates bass playing into his predominantly electronic music? If you don't know who he is, or want an example of what I'm talking about, try his song Tetra-Sync from the album Ultravisitor. He seems to use a lot of filters and pedals on the bass to the point where sometimes it sounds like a completely different instrument. Do you know any other artists who do this to great effect?
Hi, Adam! I'm a longtime guitarist just starting out on bass and your videos have been a HUGE help not only with helping on my journey into the magical world of bass, but also with my writing in general. All due thanks aside, I do have a question: what strings do you use?
hey Adam. I've recently played a gig where we played some jazz standards. But it was the first time we played without our drummer and it didn't went as "gracefully" as we expected. We didn't have much time to rehearse so it was noticeable that we weren't really prepared. So that got me thinking. Can you recommend some resources to listen/read/study on the subject or give your own perspective on how to play jazz without the drummer? Our formation consist with a trumpet, bass, singer and guitar. Thanks!! PS: I love your videos!!
Adam, 2 completely unrelated questions ... 1) When studying Classical, do you think the goal should be to stay true to the composer's dynamic markings , or allow freedom of interpretation ? ( or a combination of the two ) ? 2) You seem really damn smart. What do you eat?
Re the international music variations, what i had noticed is that there are a lot of pentatonic melodies from around the world, often in different forms. Scottish (via bagpipes and drones) seem to use a variant of the major pentatonic, whereas in Japan a lot of minor pentatonic is apparent. Any thoughts? Then there Pelog and Slender variants. Wonder why there are so many international used pentatonic scales? (C.F. the Blues, of course!)
Adam, what are your thoughts on modding/customizing/upgrading cheap guitars and/or basses over time vs. saving up to buy a better one? There's some guitars I'm currently interested in getting but at the moment I could only sensibly afford a cheaper model like a Squier if I were to buy one of them, rather than a more expensive version. I'd also be interested in doing custom paint work? What are your thoughts on this?
Hey Adam. I am pretty new to the whole jazz thing and I was wondering what is the best way to discover new things (musicians, standards, songs etc.) and to become more knowledgable in general for jazz things. Love the videos!
I learned what he was talking about with improvisation way too late. I'm the kind of person who wants everything he does to be entirely original, so I hated the idea of stealing ideas from other people. But the way Adam words is perfect, and I've heard the same thing from instructors and colleagues. "Learn licks to develop a vocabulary". I never developed that vocabulary when I was doing jazz, so while I wasn't terrible with following key changes and expanding upon scales, I was just spitting out jibberish (to keep with the vocabulary analogy.)
Hey Adam, Could you talk about how you define what is and isn't music? Do you think it's in the ear of the beholder, or is all sound music, or can you point to anything and say it definitely isn't music?
I see your point about harmony only being a European construction, but Polyphony does exist in a number of non-western Musics, though without developing into the vertical harmonies of european music. The Bayaka people of The Congo do a sortof Polyphonic Yodeling. Polyphonic Vocal traditions are also present in the island of Flores. Gamelan music of Indonesia is also a sort of polyphony, though based on interlocking melodies rather than harmony, as is also the case in Ugandan Amadinda Music. Too often I think Polyphony is defined as "the way that they did it in europe", while there are numerous examples of "pre-european influence" non-western polyphony
Hey Adam! Any tips on taking what you learned from your favourite musicians and applying it to your own style without straight up copying them? Bon Iver is one of my favourites, and i try to write songs similar to theirs, but i almost always just straight up copy their style.
Hey Adam what do you think are the main benefits of transcribing something in a notation software vs in a daw/on your instrument if there is no intention of performing it ( needing a written score). Wouldn’t it be more practical to do it in a DAW for compositional analysis/songwriting?
Sup Adam I had a student recital today for guitar in which I had to play a piece that had a constant circular arpeggio on the right hand (p i m a m i). I had extreme difficultly controlling my right hand due to the temperature being very cold in the auditorium and basically struggled to finish the piece. I was wondering if you had any advice on performing difficult music in a cold environment. Thanks! P.s. The piece is called Fingal's Hohle by J.K Mertz. It's sick. Check it out.
0:20 when you said “something that is very” I had to temporarily pause the video and I felt like you were going to say “near and dear to my heart” and you did. I know it’s just a common expressing and I probably sound stupid, but it’s one of those things that surprised me/creeps me out.
I wake up every monday and check if you have uploaded anything new, because somehow I dont get the notifications, and its been like this for maybe two months now, and only today I noticed I wasnt even subscribed. Do you think I kinda like your vids? Hahaha
Hey Adam. If you were recording a bass part that when played live used an octave pedal would you record using the pedal or would you, if possible, play the line in both registers? Or would you use a different instrument to simulate the effect of the octave pedal? Thanks in advance Nathan
Hi Adam, I was wondering what do you think makes a city a good place for jazz. I know you've talked about how different cities will definitely have a different style and approach to the same musical genre, but what I want to know is what made cities like New York and New Orleans epicenters of jazz, but other major cities only have small jazz scenes? I live in Washington state about equidistant between Seattle and Vancouver BC and I've seen some great musicians play in both cities, but they've usually been on tour at pretty expensive venues that I think seem pretty inorganic. I guess another question that ties into this is have I come to late to the party? I wouldn't say jazz is dead, but it seems that nowadays the bulk of interest for the casual listener is as a novelty, either old school big band stuff for people to live the roaring 20's meme, or the electronic fusion stuff integrating it into more modern genres (no offense to you). I know the main purpose of playing jazz shouldn't be for fame or money, but the rarity of good local musicians and fans is really troubling for an aspiring performer like myself. The few gigs I've gotten to play have been with mainly rock or classical musicians trying to expand their musical horizons, but it usually ends up being a very stiff regurgitation of popular standards at the local arts center to an audience of senior citizens who keep requesting Glenn Miller. I usually have a fun time with those performances, but I'm worried I'll never get to live the dream of sitting in with the house band of the local jazz club and play through Charlie Parker tunes, that a mediocre novelty is all that's left for a new jazz musician in the middle of nowhere who doesn't want to buy a synth... Anyway, I guess my real question is what do you think is the best way to find jazz musicians to play with if no one's organizing any jam sessions near you?
Hey Adam, perhaps a strange question because you're not a percussionist, but what do you think of percussion bands playing with non instruments and has a heavy focus on theatre? Think of percossa for instance.
Hey Adam. I brought this question upon everyone in my music class, but we failed to come to a conclusion. We also talk about your channel fluently, so I decided to bring it upon you. Why is the note C the center of all? C is where the bass clef meets the treble clef. This is how we transpose. I always wondered why an alto's Eb is a concert C and why a trumpets Bb is a concert C. Since most western instruments are tuned to A=440, should the "c" be an A? I hope you can help me out. Thanks.
Hi Adam, how often do you change your strings? Mainly during recording sessions? I have heard of some producers demanding players to change strings every day...do you think that's a reasonable thing to do or that's just too much? Thanks and keep up the good work.
Hi, Adam. Have you ever experienced problems when communicating with classically taught musicians? I mean, there're differences between classical and jazz theory AFAIK but did it ever become a problem for you? Additionlay, the same question about US-classical vs continent-classical (German style)? Like, relative/parallel tonalities (which are contrariwise there)
Hey Adam! Do you have any tips on practising rhythm (in particular all those sexy jazz off-beats)? And I don't mean just playing and sounding precise, but actually training your sense of rhythm. Thanks!
You said previously you don't enjoy contemporary Christian music. I completely understand that and agree to a large extent, but I'd also love to hear your specific thoughts on the genre's musical shortcomings. There's a lot of us amateur musicians with 9 to 5 office jobs and families for whom church is our only musical outlet. If you were in our shoes what steps would you take to make it better?
I wanted to try getting the "Waow" dubstep kinda sound on my guitar. You mentioned you use an octave pedal and filter pedal for your bass to get that kind of sound, but if I were to use an octave pedal (set to down an octave) and play some lower end riffs on my guitar, would it sound like a dirty wub wub kinda bass, or do you think it might come out a bit weird sounding?
Hey Adam I recently watched your Mass extinction event videos (like 2 or 3 days ago) and I reeeeally loved them. Is there somewhere else where we can check out more of your music? Thanks in advance
Hey Adam, what do you think about playing guitar the technical way it is supposed to be played? Is it better to play something better with 3 fingers or to try modifying your technic to play it the "correct" way with 4 fingers? Sorry for my bad English :p
Hey Adam! Have you heard of Oscilloscope Music? A man names Jerobeam Fenderson composes music that generates clear images on an oscilloscope. He has a channel on UA-cam with his videos and he is doing some tutorials. I feel this is something you can tall about! Cheers, and keep up the great work!
To counterballance what Adam says: for most people, at least, creating music with what little "vocabulary" you already possess is also an important part of the process. It's not that you have to wait before you can start composing and improvising. You'll most likely write crap and improvise poorly at first, but that's a developmental stage like any other. When learning a language, too, learning a vocabulary is simultaneous with already producing utterances. People don't wait until they've learned so and so many words to start speaking.
WhyCan'tIRemainAnonymous?! Hahaha you watched that Victor Wooten video didnt you? It is so full of wisdom
Surveil Actually, no, I didn't, but am glad to have chanced upon the same insight as greater minds.
THIS exactly! That was my biggest mistake when starting out.
If your goal in music is to produce original stuff, you should start doing so as early as possible. There's not gonna be that magical line you cross someday and finally feel ready, where your creations won't suck anymore.
Not only is it very important for keeping your drive to learn by letting you do what you originally started for in the first place, but creating music is the only way to improve in creating music. All the other stuff is just the vocabulary, as you said, and learning vocab is very different from learning to speak. It's two distinct skills. The comparison is spot on.
In every other field, people _pay_ for the opportunity to test their assumptions with school, so that someone is there to stop them from mixing the proverbial sodium hypochlorite and ammonia. Music is one of the few things in life where you're not going to put you or someone else in jeopardy by repeated failure. Take advantage of that by failing as much as possible :)
Writing crap is a very underrated part of the process, imo.
Even if you know what you eventually want to write you need to know how to get there, and it's a great deal easier to figure that out if you know what does and does not work for you.
If you want to start improvising, one thing that helps a ton is to play arpeggios over the changes. That really reinforces the changes and lets them sink into your fingers and ear. Chances are good the melody will be close to that, too. Studying the melody and mixing it up is another way to make it work, such as playing the start of the melody and then putting in new notes later on. Then come back to the melody and move away.
Every time I get a notification of an Adam Neely video I know it is gonna be an amazing 10-20 minutes.
I would love to see that talk in full, I’m super curious how your style is in front a crowd
Wait no longer, my friend. :) ua-cam.com/video/JiNKlhspdKg/v-deo.html
Did you meet Andrew Huang at Loop? You two are my favourites!
Andrew doesn't have the same shitposting level as Adam. I couldn't see the two working well together.
Anon Anonymous jokes on you turns out they were on a panel together at loop! 😂
+Anon Anonymous I dunno, Andrew posts his share of weird videos. They're not in the same vein as Adam, but they are kinda on the shitpost side.
Making useful free content is not shitposting, get your head straight.
@@JeremyAndersonBoise true but he does make some weird fun videos
If you lack a Gate for your Fuzz you can also use a choppy Tremolo to simulate a fast Release, plus the Notes are evenly spaced out so it makes the sound even more "synthy" or "chiptuney". Works great with Arpeggios, sounds just like a Console from the 8-Bit era!
I'm going sample Adam's "Wow" and "Pyow!" sounds to make a new ringtone
Neil Dawson Try to do The Lick.
Was so glad got to meet you in person and you did a tremendous job at polyrhythms and also the Vlog panel. Just really satisfying way to wrap the conference! Happy trails, Adam.
5:35 To my knowledge traditional Georgian music, which, despite technically being on the border of Europe, developed outside of the sphere of influence of Western art music, has polyphony as well. See watch?v=Tf8Da8trzaQ for a performance of a medieval Georgian hymn, using polyphony (and much more dissonance than traditional European polyphony). It's not Bach level counterpoint or anything, but the polyphony is as complex as anything I've heard in Medieval European music and allows much more dissonance than any traditional European polyphony (barring some notable exceptions like Gesualdo or something). Anyway, it clearly represents a non-Western tradition using pretty complex polyphony.
Maarten generally the Balkans and the eastern slavic world has a pretty rich tradition of polyphony originating from the liturgic singing tradition of the Orthodox church. East Ukraine, parts of Russia and other places have ‘islands’ of these folk melodies and methods that didn’t yet dissapear under the pressure of soviet cultural propaganda and these days american pop
I would personally recommend Hungarian folk musician and ethnographist Miklós Both’s recordings, he did a few expeditions in to Ukraine and documented them really well
Here's a collection of Albanian Polyphony ua-cam.com/video/elqihPA1yhc/v-deo.html
I found this channel today and I'm really glad that I did, your videos are well made and your passion for music reminds me of my own love for music. There's something indescribable about music discussions that I don't feel with other topics or interests, so I'm happy to find more like-minded individuals share the enthusiasm.
Adam you are cool.... I've been watching you for years it's amazing to see you continuing with your art and chanel. I always learn something new from your chanel! Thank you....
Thanks for coming out to Loop, so awesome to see your talks. Hope you got home safe!
Hey Adam! Surprised to know that you know about indian and south indian music too. I live in south india i was very proud when you talked about carnatic music can you make a video about it or speak something more. Thanks waiting for your reply
Spot on with that bass synth question, you pretty much described my standard rig there and the results are as awesome as you mentioned. You definitely know your shit and keep up the good work!
bigsalcbk if you don't mind answering a few questions, what gated fuzz, octave, and envelope filter do you use? Would a bass big muff pi deluxe work as a gated fuzz? How would you set your pedals to get a sound like the synth bass from the Ghostbusters theme? Hoping you can answer at least one of these. Thanks!
It's all down to preference I guess. What I use is very simple and minimal (just 3 pedals). Ibanez pd7 (distortion/overdrive) Bass Whammy (octave change) and a boss syb5 synth pedal and I essentially get the results Adam mentions in the video. Bass synth is generally flat alone and depending on the wave you use the note may not ring out but using any fuzz, overdrive or distortion would help beef up the sound and ring out the note longer.
As for ghostbusters, I dont know lol
m.soundcloud.com/user-986365368
That's my soundcloud (shameless plug I know) but check it out if you're interested to see how those pedals and tones blend. Bear in mind they're just rough jam sessions and not all songs have synth.
I love you vids man. You're quickly turning into one of my favorite youtubers!
Hey Adam,
I’ve been teaching guitar and drums for the last few years but I’ve never felt 100% confident in my teaching ability. I don’t have any strict syllabus of sorts because I feel like my students would get bored of it and most of the time they just want to learn rock/pop songs. I can’t always do this though because they just don’t have the right technique and no matter how much I place importance on practice, they never practice.
I’d really like to keep teaching because in the moments when there are breakthroughs, it’s great, but it’s a rare moment.
Love watching all your videos and hope I can meet you one day in the future if I’m ever in New York!
I’m basically musically illiterate, so a lot of these videos always goes over my head (not a complaint, I actually appreciate that you’re willing to go in depth for people that will benefit from it). But I really enjoyed the comparison between Appalachian and Scottish/Irish music. It’s super interesting because that’s where a bunch of Scotch-Irish immigrants ended up in the US, and I’m surprised that the musical tradition was somewhat preserved.
Enjoyed your UA-cam talk at Loop as much as I'm enjoying your channel!
The comparison of Appalachian music to Indian music makes me want to search for a sitar playing bluegrass
And here it is?
ua-cam.com/video/JxknsqtBh_4/v-deo.html
lol! Well, of course!
wow cool find. thx for sharing
be the change you want to see in the world
I still cannot fathom that bass part you use during the outro. It's so fucking good. You might be the only youtuber I actually watch the entire video of
Great job at Loop! For what it's worth, I heard more than a couple people mention how much they got out of the talk on Friday morning!
I think that harmony across human culture works like counting. Every culture has 1, almost everyone has 2, once you start getting to 3 you can essentially go up to infinity in an instant. When we started thinking of 3 voices at a given time, harmony became an absolute idea.
So glad to hear you mention old time! I'm an old time musician and as a genre it's mostly forgotten about, which is a damn shame.
Adam, thanks for sharing what you share.
Re: 7:30-ish, fusing Indian Classical and Gaelic Folk music actually works out quite well - Sheila Chandra recorded a number of tracks like that, for example.
Alright! Really nice, man! Looking forward to it!
Your thing with comparing styled of music, and that "styles different on the surface can be very connected" was so beautifully IB. Dunno if in your time but that IS the internal assessment
Hey Adam,
I'm an aspiring music theorist (currently doing a BA in piano performance) and got hooked onto your channel watching your theory-oriented videos (special mentions to the vaporwave video and the prescriptivism vs descriptivism video, they gave me a deeper appreciation for my chosen career path). In your Q+A #25 you mention that you do a "broad exploration" into these topics. I would be very interested to hear about that whole process (Especially how you go about picking a topic and how you go about researching it to then present it)
Thank you for your amazing content! :)
Interesting comparison of Appalachian "old time" music to some Indian rhythmic music. As one who is playing a lot of old time music, I wouldn't have thought of that connection. But now I'm going to have to go examine it a little more. And thank you for commenting about the Irish/Scottish roots of that music. It is sometimes difficult for others to understand that, until it is pointed out that the fiddle is mostly playing the bagpipe parts of a lot of those tunes.
You're descriptions are very nice!
i'd like to add a bit to the synthbass recipe: your best bet is to get a filter with an fx loop, like 3leaf wonderlove, and stick the octave and fuzz pedals in the loop so you can control the cutoff freq more variably with the dynamics of a clean bass. also by adding a chorus pedal after the filter or the fuzz you can approximate the classic sound of two slightly detuned oscillators.
In response to the person struggling with creating original works; something that has helped me quite a bit are writing/creativity/self-help books like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery.
Yes! Please post your full lecture.
I'm just waiting for Adam to talk about Fourier Transforms
Don't think it's gonna happen, but it'd be cool...
I believe it did happen. Don't recall exactly which video, but it involved speeding up rhythms to create pitches...i think.
5:42 obsessed with the idea of POLYPHIA.
NEW LEVELS NEW DEVILS OUT NOW
Correct about doing your homework. I was debating with some (8^3#@2) about jamming in the studio on the clock, and just letting it all hang out for instantaneous inspiration. I say "Plan your work and work your plan". Compose, arrange, revamp, rehearse before you go into the studio. Once it's recorded, it's forever etched in stone. It should as close to 100% perfect as humanly possible.
Adam in the 80s I learner to down pluck with your thumb near the neck pickup and no open notes Bruce Hornsby and Don Henley Phil Collins that’s what the other finger rest is for on a p bass thanks for a great channel
Can people audiate more than one note at the same time? I tried a few times and I think I can't. If I try to audiate a major chord, I audiate the notes one after the other. like an arpeggio. If I try to audiate two melodies at the same time (I'm a guitar player, so I tried the famous Bach's Bourrée), I find myself bouncing back and forth between the two voices.
I think you can, but it may take practice. Something that I've thought about over time is the feeling/emotional resonance that a harmony can create. For example, can you image a major or minor triad in your mind? For me, there's a lighter and darker vibe to each one. This can be expanded to all kinds of chords, too. In my case dominant 13 chords are really distinctive, as well as sus13 and 13b9 chords, but this is mainly because there was a period of time when I used these chords all the time in my improvising and composing.
My point is, maybe when you're trying to audiate several notes at once, you can think of the feeling that different chord types/intervals have for you.
If you're talking about hearing two voices contrapuntally, maybe you can try audiating counterpoint that has lots of suspensions, so only one voice is moving at a time. From there, try to hear the voices when they do coincide. It'd probably be helpful to use your guitar to help out quite often.
Leonardo Soriani Alves yes but i dont know if you can practice to develop it. It might be one of those natural talent type things.
Not sure about melodies, but as for chords - if you can hear it as an arpeggio just keep singing the notes in your head closer and closer together (less time in between in each note) until you can hear the full chord without any gaps between the individual notes.
Hey adam, love your videos, particularly your "how to not suck at music" series. What would be your suggestions for anyone wanting to start teaching an artistic discipline? Im an actor but i find the way you approach music to be a really useful and thought-provoking approach to take in my own work. Fantastic stuff!
Hey Adam, would you perform a song with an extremely strong political message that you wouldn't agree with at all?
I wouldnt personally seeing as im a very political person XD
Avant Pop XDXDXDDDXDXDXSXDDXSXDXSDXSXDX
It depends if it's the sovietic anthem
Woo! Thanks for the shoutout. Luv u
Regarding the use of Musical Vocabulary, I'd draw your attention to the Conscious Competence ideology of learning:
Unconscious incompetence
The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognise their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.
Conscious incompetence
Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, they recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.
Conscious competence
The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.
Unconscious competence
The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.
The most frustrating period is definitely the Conscious Competence to Unconscious Competence transition, which it seems you are approaching. Currently you have to work, and hard, to include all that you have learned into your own original music. There is a transition, albeit a blurred one, where you stop having to think so directly about what lick to do, or chord voice to play at a given moment.
(From : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence)
I wish I'd known you've been to Berlin! Missed my opportunity to meet you in person... Maybe another time :)
thx for answering adam, i feel honoured :)
Hi Adam,
I'm not strictly a bass player but nonetheless.
Your videos are brilliant; they are succinct; they are fun, often funny. Your general attitude towards things is great. I also resonate with your friendship with Ben Levin you guys are cool.
I've learned a few gemstone ideas from you man, thanks.
You're an inspiration. 🌼
Re Bass synth effect... a one stop shop is the Electro Harmonix Micro Bass synth pedal. You get a blend section with One octave down, the straight tone of your bass, and octave up, and a square wave (i.e. fuzzed!) all on sliders to mix as a source, for the second part, the triggered filter.
See:- www.ehx.com/products/bass-micro-synthesizer (about €300 in Europe, about £270 in the UK)
Has the advantage in that it is an all in one device. Disadvantage is that you are stuck with the range of settings inbuilt. You might be better of with the chain of pedals where each pedal does exactly what you want, but then you have three separate pedals (possible 2, or possibly more) to lug around. Check the demos on the EHX page to see if it does what you want.
Note Boss do a pedal(SYB-5) that does a similar job, but appears to be fully digital, as opposed to the EHX pedal, which i believe is analogue. That makes a difference to some people! there are demos of both, and, i suspect others of that ilk on YT. Go and Google!!!!
how do you know ~everything~ !?
very impressed
Hey Adam,
You reference "Drones" in this video when speaking on harmony within different cultures approach to music. What are these so called "Drones"? Thanks so much from Canada 💛
Not to be confused with Berlin texas.
Hey Adam, regarding synth tone on bass.
In order to get the octave sound of synths on a bass, I️ use my right finger at exactly an octave above the fretted note. This will produce a harmonic of the same note fretted, an octave up. It’s hard to describe, and it takes some practice, but it works.
NO PEDALS REQUIRED FOR THIS TECHNIQUE!!
Adam, I️ would love to hear your input on this as a reply, or maybe you can do a video on it. It’s pretty sick :D thanks!
Question!
What was it like singing for Alien Ant Farm in the early 2000’s?
Hi Adam, I'm a young and aspiring jazz vibraphone player and music theory nerd, and in my limited experience as a vibraphonist I've found that often there is not a lot for me to do except play the chords from the guitar, piano, or bass music. Also, having only played in my high school jazz band and our school's often jazzy orchestra wind ensemble, I have not gotten the oppurtunity to play any vibraphone-centric tunes. How can I make my playing more interesting and useful when I am playing guitar and piano chords? Also, what are some must learn jazz standards as a vibraphonist?
So cool. didn't know you were in Berlin. Greetings from Germany
Why did you stop putting these Q&As in the audio podcast? (Side note: Interesting new rendition of The Lick. Very... futuristic.) (Side note to the side note: I just realized that your intro video is Sibelius 6 running on OS X 10.5, or maybe 10.6. I hope you've upgraded both the application and your OS.)
what do you think about different brands of basses? I see you use your Fender a lot, do you have opinions or Warwick, Rickenbacker, Gibson, etc? What specifically about Fender drew your toward their basses?
Hi, Adam! First of all, your content is top-notch. Congratulations! Also, I have a question for you and for anyone willing to answer: I often find myself more eager to look for new equipment (even though I don't need something else at the moment), rather than to practice and become a better player. Have you ever had the same problem?
Dammit, you and Andrew were at my University and I didn't even know!
Regarding live bass synth: I use the BOSS SYB-5 and DigiTech Bass Synth Wah pedals as seen here: ua-cam.com/video/sH0Hc1wE4u8/v-deo.html
Hey Adam! Question for your next Q&A. What's your opinion on bar chords?
As a guitarist I find them pretty useful and easy to memorize, but at the same time I find them somewhat limiting not to mention I find them kind of difficult to play without bending my wrist. Interested to hear your thoughts.
PS. I'm really enjoying your channel! Keep up the good work.
wow! thanks so much for answering my question! im just now seeing this ahaha
I've gotten some great synth sounds from a MeatBox octave pedal and a Big Muff fuzz. Alternatively, a Red Witch Zeus which is both effects in one.
I would have loved sounds samples for Appalachian and Indian music, also for the bass synth. Keep up the good work!
So what do you think about Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) and how he incorporates bass playing into his predominantly electronic music? If you don't know who he is, or want an example of what I'm talking about, try his song Tetra-Sync from the album Ultravisitor. He seems to use a lot of filters and pedals on the bass to the point where sometimes it sounds like a completely different instrument. Do you know any other artists who do this to great effect?
I suspect that A. Nizzle is very, very familiar with Squarepusher lol.
11:39
I just had to make a timestamp so I could keep clicking on this awesome ending!
@8:36 Sicknal - Bass synths signals are sick!
Hi, Adam! I'm a longtime guitarist just starting out on bass and your videos have been a HUGE help not only with helping on my journey into the magical world of bass, but also with my writing in general. All due thanks aside, I do have a question: what strings do you use?
hey Adam.
I've recently played a gig where we played some jazz standards.
But it was the first time we played without our drummer and it didn't went as "gracefully" as we expected.
We didn't have much time to rehearse so it was noticeable that we weren't really prepared.
So that got me thinking. Can you recommend some resources to listen/read/study on the subject or give your own perspective on how to play jazz without the drummer?
Our formation consist with a trumpet, bass, singer and guitar.
Thanks!!
PS: I love your videos!!
Adam, 2 completely unrelated questions ...
1) When studying Classical, do you think the goal should be to stay true to the composer's dynamic markings , or allow freedom of interpretation ? ( or a combination of the two ) ?
2) You seem really damn smart. What do you eat?
Re the international music variations, what i had noticed is that there are a lot of pentatonic melodies from around the world, often in different forms. Scottish (via bagpipes and drones) seem to use a variant of the major pentatonic, whereas in Japan a lot of minor pentatonic is apparent. Any thoughts? Then there Pelog and Slender variants. Wonder why there are so many international used pentatonic scales? (C.F. the Blues, of course!)
Adam, what are your thoughts on modding/customizing/upgrading cheap guitars and/or basses over time vs. saving up to buy a better one?
There's some guitars I'm currently interested in getting but at the moment I could only sensibly afford a cheaper model like a Squier if I were to buy one of them, rather than a more expensive version.
I'd also be interested in doing custom paint work? What are your thoughts on this?
Hey Adam. I am pretty new to the whole jazz thing and I was wondering what is the best way to discover new things (musicians, standards, songs etc.) and to become more knowledgable in general for jazz things. Love the videos!
aww man, the one time you're in Germany and I'm out of town!
I learned what he was talking about with improvisation way too late. I'm the kind of person who wants everything he does to be entirely original, so I hated the idea of stealing ideas from other people. But the way Adam words is perfect, and I've heard the same thing from instructors and colleagues. "Learn licks to develop a vocabulary". I never developed that vocabulary when I was doing jazz, so while I wasn't terrible with following key changes and expanding upon scales, I was just spitting out jibberish (to keep with the vocabulary analogy.)
Hey Adam,
Could you talk about how you define what is and isn't music? Do you think it's in the ear of the beholder, or is all sound music, or can you point to anything and say it definitely isn't music?
I don't know why, but you strike me happier in this video. Less deadpan.
That makes me happy :D
He has just come back from a geekfest on his favourite topic where he was a guest presenter. That sounds like bliss-heaven to me.
is that squarepusher @ 0:15?
I see your point about harmony only being a European construction, but Polyphony does exist in a number of non-western Musics, though without developing into the vertical harmonies of european music. The Bayaka people of The Congo do a sortof Polyphonic Yodeling. Polyphonic Vocal traditions are also present in the island of Flores. Gamelan music of Indonesia is also a sort of polyphony, though based on interlocking melodies rather than harmony, as is also the case in Ugandan Amadinda Music. Too often I think Polyphony is defined as "the way that they did it in europe", while there are numerous examples of "pre-european influence" non-western polyphony
Hey Adam! Any tips on taking what you learned from your favourite musicians and applying it to your own style without straight up copying them? Bon Iver is one of my favourites, and i try to write songs similar to theirs, but i almost always just straight up copy their style.
Are there recordings of the loop conference? I haven't been able to find more than a few but I'm pretty interested.
Hey Adam! I love your videos. Can you give some tips or exercises on how to read the bass clef? Thanks! Greetings from the Philippines!
Hey Adam what do you think are the main benefits of transcribing something in a notation software vs in a daw/on your instrument if there is no intention of performing it ( needing a written score). Wouldn’t it be more practical to do it in a DAW for compositional analysis/songwriting?
Sup Adam
I had a student recital today for guitar in which I had to play a piece that had a constant circular arpeggio on the right hand (p i m a m i). I had extreme difficultly controlling my right hand due to the temperature being very cold in the auditorium and basically struggled to finish the piece.
I was wondering if you had any advice on performing difficult music in a cold environment.
Thanks!
P.s. The piece is called Fingal's Hohle by J.K Mertz. It's sick. Check it out.
0:20 when you said “something that is very” I had to temporarily pause the video and I felt like you were going to say “near and dear to my heart” and you did. I know it’s just a common expressing and I probably sound stupid, but it’s one of those things that surprised me/creeps me out.
I wake up every monday and check if you have uploaded anything new, because somehow I dont get the notifications, and its been like this for maybe two months now, and only today I noticed I wasnt even subscribed.
Do you think I kinda like your vids? Hahaha
So, regarding King Crimson: Greg Lake, John Wetton or Tony Levin?
Hey Adam.
If you were recording a bass part that when played live used an octave pedal would you record using the pedal or would you, if possible, play the line in both registers? Or would you use a different instrument to simulate the effect of the octave pedal?
Thanks in advance
Nathan
Hi Adam,
I was wondering what do you think makes a city a good place for jazz. I know you've talked about how different cities will definitely have a different style and approach to the same musical genre, but what I want to know is what made cities like New York and New Orleans epicenters of jazz, but other major cities only have small jazz scenes? I live in Washington state about equidistant between Seattle and Vancouver BC and I've seen some great musicians play in both cities, but they've usually been on tour at pretty expensive venues that I think seem pretty inorganic. I guess another question that ties into this is have I come to late to the party? I wouldn't say jazz is dead, but it seems that nowadays the bulk of interest for the casual listener is as a novelty, either old school big band stuff for people to live the roaring 20's meme, or the electronic fusion stuff integrating it into more modern genres (no offense to you). I know the main purpose of playing jazz shouldn't be for fame or money, but the rarity of good local musicians and fans is really troubling for an aspiring performer like myself. The few gigs I've gotten to play have been with mainly rock or classical musicians trying to expand their musical horizons, but it usually ends up being a very stiff regurgitation of popular standards at the local arts center to an audience of senior citizens who keep requesting Glenn Miller. I usually have a fun time with those performances, but I'm worried I'll never get to live the dream of sitting in with the house band of the local jazz club and play through Charlie Parker tunes, that a mediocre novelty is all that's left for a new jazz musician in the middle of nowhere who doesn't want to buy a synth... Anyway, I guess my real question is what do you think is the best way to find jazz musicians to play with if no one's organizing any jam sessions near you?
Hey Adam, perhaps a strange question because you're not a percussionist, but what do you think of percussion bands playing with non instruments and has a heavy focus on theatre? Think of percossa for instance.
Hey Adam. I brought this question upon everyone in my music class, but we failed to come to a conclusion. We also talk about your channel fluently, so I decided to bring it upon you. Why is the note C the center of all? C is where the bass clef meets the treble clef. This is how we transpose. I always wondered why an alto's Eb is a concert C and why a trumpets Bb is a concert C. Since most western instruments are tuned to A=440, should the "c" be an A? I hope you can help me out. Thanks.
Hi Adam, how often do you change your strings? Mainly during recording sessions? I have heard of some producers demanding players to change strings every day...do you think that's a reasonable thing to do or that's just too much? Thanks and keep up the good work.
Hi, Adam. Have you ever experienced problems when communicating with classically taught musicians? I mean, there're differences between classical and jazz theory AFAIK but did it ever become a problem for you?
Additionlay, the same question about US-classical vs continent-classical (German style)? Like, relative/parallel tonalities (which are contrariwise there)
Hey Adam! Do you have any tips on practising rhythm (in particular all those sexy jazz off-beats)? And I don't mean just playing and sounding precise, but actually training your sense of rhythm. Thanks!
You said previously you don't enjoy contemporary Christian music. I completely understand that and agree to a large extent, but I'd also love to hear your specific thoughts on the genre's musical shortcomings. There's a lot of us amateur musicians with 9 to 5 office jobs and families for whom church is our only musical outlet. If you were in our shoes what steps would you take to make it better?
Q: Any thoughts on Warr Guitar or Chapman Stick? They seem like a lot of fun and the good players make some amazing stuff with them.
I wanted to try getting the "Waow" dubstep kinda sound on my guitar. You mentioned you use an octave pedal and filter pedal for your bass to get that kind of sound, but if I were to use an octave pedal (set to down an octave) and play some lower end riffs on my guitar, would it sound like a dirty wub wub kinda bass, or do you think it might come out a bit weird sounding?
Hey Adam I recently watched your Mass extinction event videos (like 2 or 3 days ago) and I reeeeally loved them. Is there somewhere else where we can check out more of your music? Thanks in advance
Hey Adam, what do you think about playing guitar the technical way it is supposed to be played? Is it better to play something better with 3 fingers or to try modifying your technic to play it the "correct" way with 4 fingers?
Sorry for my bad English :p
Please make a video on polyrhythms and specially on how to read Nested Polyrhyhmic pieces like Zappa's black page.
Hey Adam! Have you heard of Oscilloscope Music? A man names Jerobeam Fenderson composes music that generates clear images on an oscilloscope. He has a channel on UA-cam with his videos and he is doing some tutorials. I feel this is something you can tall about!
Cheers, and keep up the great work!
that flickering audio/visual installation has got to be ryoji ikeda...