Adam did a talk on this exact topic, and I'm guessing this is where you received this information. For anyone wondering, just search "Adam Neely polyrhythms" it's the 40 minute video.
In physics we have the concept of fields - electric, magnetic, or gravitational fields which describe the influence these forces have on an object in their domain. I like to think of chords as the harmonic field in a piece of music, pushing the notes that pass through in one direction or another. The cool thing about fields is that even though you can’t see them, you can easily see their influence. So like when Coltrane solos over a chart without accompaniment, you can still hear the “chords” even though no chords are being played.
It still blows my mind that you're the bassist in stargazer. I've been watching your videos for a while now and been listening to stargazer for a while now too(about the same amount of time) and it blew my mind when I found that out. Absolutely wild.
Can't wait to hear/seee this TEDx talk, man. This video hit some interesting notes for me... my sometime co-writer is developing a solo project, and he said of one of his new songs that he was worried he might be ripping me off - and it was all because he'd borrowed a slightly unusual voicing I sometimes use. I didn't even hear it when he played the demo back to me, but it's interesting how voiding ends up being, like, our accent or tone of voice as a player. Great stuff as always Neely. x
I'm a beginner guitarist and bassist, and I'm confused, but fascinated. That could summarize most of Adam's videos. To quote Spongebob 'Gee Squidward, (Adam) maybe Santa will bring me a dictionary so i can understand what you just said.'
Actually, what he said in the beginning of the video should make it easier. " A chord is three notes put together". Bam! Just randomly select 3 notes in a key/scale and You have an accord with the instrument.
I am always impressed how classical composition are not so vertical about chords. Composers keep the chord in mind but only play usefull chord tones in a very melodic way to make you feel the chord but not in an obvious way. It is more melodic than arpeggios.
Dude is chill as ice and just musing right before giving a TED talk. I envy his confidence so much. He is in no way cocky or stuck up, but he certainly isn’t shy about knowing what he knows while voicing it respectfully and very clearly.
favorite youtuber in recent memory... Adam's willing to share his expertise and knowledge without charging you money for it like so many on this platform
The jam with the live annotations showing what you're playing on the keys and bass is amazing. That is one of the most helpful things I've seen regarding how to think about what to play
Hey Adam, So, I've played guitar for...10ish years now, and it's always been recreational for myself only, I really don't perform for others. I also used to play trumpet, and when I was doing so I was more of a musician vs just 'playing'. Since finding your channel I've been inspired to become more of a guitar 'musician' vs just a 'player'. I've started using sheet music vs tabs, practicing scales, building technical skills, and so forth. In just that time of challenging myself, I've noticed a huge increase in my skill and understanding. I've also been really wanting to start performing, which I literally never do. So overall, thank you for sharing everything you do! You've really jumpstarted my playing and passion for music again!
Hey Adam, maybe something for your next Q and A, although it isn't a difficult music theory question like most of the others. It is actually quite easy. What is the reason that in a beat (normally) the down beat on the first beat is a deeper tone (or has a lower frequency) than a snare or high hat which has a higher tone (and higher frequency). Is it because of culture and we are just used to it or is it something else? Would love to have an answer
Harder to do certain rhythms on a kick drum with the pedals. Some electronic music made entirely on a synth and laptop and a drum pad breaks this tendency and can have the high frequency percussion be the root with bass percussion doing whatever the heck it wants to.
Abeydou: For comparison try checking out brazilian samba rhythms where the Surdo (large drum) pattern has the lower note on the second beat. Bossa nova and other brazilian rhythms that are related to samba also display this pattern.
Humans perceive rhythms that contain low frequencies more accurately then sounds containins higher pitches. The downbeat is a fundamental signal in music that gives you a certain context of the divisions and the structure of the beat, so it's very important to emphasize it.
@@Bobekoma it is but different cultures will feel the downbeat should be in different places and also naturally think in a certain time signature. Therefore where that bass should be will differ from culture to culture.
@@colejohnson66 1. you spelled thst chord wrong (its spelled D7(b5), but you can write it to as Ddom7(b5). 2. you also got the chord wrong (the chord is Dm7(b5), bruh we are in c major) you are totally wrong
Adam, I really love your videos, you taught me a lot about music and you help me get a better understanding of it with every new video. Thank you very much! I am from St. Gallen so I was surprised and shocked hearing you say that you are at HSG. I hope you could enjoy your stay in my city (well, for a person living in New York it must feel like a town or village) and that you had a great time being here. Thank you again for your videos and I regret not having seen you here. Either way, keep up the good work! Greetings from Switzerland!
1:55 "If you tnihk abuot it tihs is... knid of lkie raenrrangig all the ltteres in a wrod and epxetcnig to get the smae srot of maennig" Well, it atcually deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, aprat form the frist and lsat lettres, you can sllit raed it and get the smae menaing
i’m a musician and showed this video to my dad, who could never wrap his head around music theory and never saw sheet music as anything other than hieroglyphics, and now he actually understands at least SOMETHING about music and he’s very proud of himself. Thanks for being an unintentionally great teacher
Hey Adam. Thank you for this video. I recently joined jazz band at my school and this video really helped me to learn more about the importance of voicing. I think this will help me with my thought process behind guitar chords and help me to make better music when reading from a lead sheet.
@@ericmartel-poliquin2925 : Yes, I immediately thought of that song upon hearing those notes, and now it's stuck in my head. I am forced to listen to that song often when I visit Planet Fitness (a low-priced gym here in 'Murica) with their limited playlist.
I cam here from watching Vulfpeck, and the first chord Adam played was the same chord the last song I listened to started with - Wait for the Moment. Music to my ears.
This channel has gotten so incredible. Wow. The production value of your videos is becoming competitive with the best on UA-cam. Keep it up, you have a very strong voice and have the ability to inspire non musicians to be interested in analyzing it. Such an important influence right now in a time with... Simpler music :)
Also chord inversion changes the relative (and therefore also the absolute) consonance of a chord. For a major triad, 2nd inversion is the most consonant. This is because a major triad in root position implies a 4:5:6 ratio while 1st and 2nd inversion imply 5:6:8 and 3:4:5 respectively. 1st inversion is therefore the most dissonant and 2nd inversion is the most consonant. For some chords, the clarity is lost when inverted because of the vagueness of some tempered intervals like the minor seventh. A dominant seventh chord in third inversion is a very dangerous move because the 4:5:6:7 is already very weakly implied by 12edo, so your tuning has to be spot on for your ears to pick out an equal tempered approximation of 7:8:10:12
Fascinating. I've always thought there was a relationship like that going on but never thought to look at the ratios like that to figure out what that relationship was.
wingracer 16 I keep this in mind in my part writing and it works out nicely. And that's not to say that I always strive for the most "consonant" voicings. My composition strategies always stem from just intonation. Although if I'm writing for traditional instruments, I try to keep ratios like 4:7 and especially 8:11 out of my thought process because they aren't very well approximated by 12TET.
hey Adam, I've been watching from the Netherlands for quite some time now. I would like to thank you for all of the inspiration you have given me. It has made me try to learn how to properly play a guitar. However, I would like to compliment you on your amazing ability to explain using videos. At 4:22 you add a joke by editing but then proceed to smile and almost giggle as if the joke was made while filming. This is just one example of many things you do that all make it eazier to understand what you're talking about without coming off as any less of a proffsional.
Hey Adam, you state very definitively that an inverted chord is always perceived as "the same musical idea" but actually I don't agree. It happens quite often, also just as much in simple major triads, that I don't think a chord in second (or even first) sounds that similar at all. More similar than a completely different chord, but far from similar so they they would be "the same idea". I am "musically trained" (whatever that may be) but not on an instrument/setting where I deal with chords (viola, classical environment). A different thing, that gives me a different feeling. Just wanted to share that, as a bit of a (counter) example to your analysis.
Same. I'm curious, how good are you at identifying chords, notes and keys by ear? Personally while I know chords and scales and can work out exactly what is going on if looking at the notation I haven't trained my ear anywhere near well enough to be able to reliably hear something and go "oh, they're playing X." If you're the same way that might be the crucial difference, my guess is that in order to train their ears well enough to hear a chord and instantly identify it they had to do countless exercises over countless hours that gradually made their mind permanently associate all inversions of a given chord as "the same thing." So when a musician with that training says they hear a chord and one of its inversions as essentially the same thing I believe them even though I hear two very distinct chords and probably wouldn't have even known they were the "same" chord before seeing the sheet music or having it pointed out, our brains are very good at creating shortcuts and that's probably just one of the shortcuts necessary to achieve that kind of ear training. Unless you're great at identifying chords by ear and still hear them as being distinct, then that idea goes out the window.
I think the "flavor" of a chord has to do with how well the overtones of each of the notes match up. Why do we identify notes that are one octave apart as being the "same"? I guess this can be explained more precisely using the frequency ratios and overtones, the statements in the video are quite vague...
He kind of addresses that in the later part of the video, where he points out how voicing the Purple Haze chord differently doesn't give the same effect. It really depends on what level of specificity you're talking about: if I say "play a C chord", it might sound _correct_ (as long as you play it correctly), but it might not sound _right_ for the specific effect the music needs.
2:57 1. Weird "Up Next" video choice, UA-cam algorithm 2. Is UA-cam seriously recommending Adam Neely videos to Adam Neely? It has the red bar, they know he's already seen it.
At “acktually” I saw the channeling of Contrapoints. I also love Natalie. You, Natalie, hbomberguy, jimmy dore, polyphonic... glad they’re alive and making content that I’ve been lucky enough to find.
Title: What is a chord? Thumbnail: (Points to picture) This. *After all the explaining in the video* Adam Neely: It means a lot. It sure does. A simple concept can really mean a lot.
In France, they are still saying "accord", and in my opinion, if the english word comes the french, It's more likely that the shortening to "chord" was a mistake, here is why: "The" can translate as "le" "la" or "l", and theres is not so much logic behind it in a lot of cases. So if an english man heard "l'accord", he could have just assumed that it can be written "la ccord". This way, he would have translated this as "the chord". (Excuse me for my probably pretty bad english)
Calling it a mistake would be bad linguistics. How about the natural parallel development of two separate languages over time? Both the French and English words both stem from an older Latin word.
Such "mistakes" are very common in most language evolution, particularly when words are borrowed from another language, as happened with chord/accord. Anglophone linguists call this "false division" or "metanalysis". Another Anglo-French example is "an apron" which was originally "a napperon". However, Ian is correct in that there was a bit more happening with the evolution of "chord": 1. Metanalysis 2. Confusion with "corde" (Fr) (folk etymology) 3. Later confusion with "chord" (En) (folk etymology)
I have always liked to think about notes in a scale as family members (root: father, 5th: mother, 3rd: happy daughter or moody son, etc.) The analogy has always been rather "traditional family" but this video is giving me a whole new set of interesting family structures to think about. Who knows if the analogy will hold up, but as always Adam has piqued just the right amount of fascination to make the exercise worth it!
Hey, Adam! Maybe it'll be next question for your Q&A. I've already been playing music for around 8 years, but i feel kinda stuck right now as a musician. Especially, in improvisation, in my opinion. Usually, when i start to jam with my band, i always try to "feel" the music and the rhythm ( btw, i play bass ), but not try not catch the harmonic and other stuff. I was doing it for a long time, but i'm not sure if it's really helping me. And also i'm not so well-known about music theory. So, the question is: did i choose a wrong way? If there is a way of progression for me or i just have reached my musical limit?
If I may make a suggestion, learn keyboards if you haven't already. As someone that started out playing bass, I found learning theory and harmony quite challenging as this isn't really an area a beginning bassist really needs. Taking up keyboard was a major eye opener. You don't need to become an expert at it, just get the basics down and learn a handful of songs/pieces and then just start jamming on it. Then try to apply some of that to your bass playing.
In terms of why some different inversions of chords sound so similar in color, I think that referring to how closely a chord represents a rational relationship between pitches can be a helpful tool, even though the actual perception is more complicated. For example, C major, root position, depending on your tuning, is pretty close to 4:5:6; 1st inversion is 5:6:8; and 2nd inversion is 3:4:5. Simply maintaining similar factors makes inversions sound similar. So does maintaining a specific important ratio in there in the same pitch range - to me, C3-E3-G3 and G2-C3-E3 sound more similar to each other than to C3-G3-E4 - I think that's not just due to the intervals but also the absolute position of the harmonically important ratios and how the pitches can infer fundamentals in vastly different places.
Eb11: Eb - G - Bb - Db - F - Ab, Dm7b5: D - F - Ab - C. Cancel out the duplicates and you get: D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - Db. That's a C minor scale with a Db in it I guess.
@@HORNGEN4 nothing wrong with that, I play root positions too with chord tonic as the lowest note, but when I realize that just changing a single position in the progression every thing sounds more appealing it just gives me goosebumps! Sometimes songs that we think are made by root positions they usually aren't, there's a video by Tantacrul about this topic^^ Don't believe any teaching video like "100 hundrends songs with just 4 chords", they are all wrong (and I mean ALL :D)
I read somewhere that it takes training to hear different voicings as the same chord - "naive" listeners tend to hear them as more distinct sonorities. I don't have any sources for this, though :|
Haha, I thought this was someone calling me out in chat re: "What is a chord"... which is very basic. However, I was delighted to find this wonderfully entertaining and nuanced video. I've seen a few others from this channel. Great stuff. Love the editing (splicey/splicey) and the script is fantastic. Were I correct initially, I could not have provided a better answer to the question. #Hatsoff
@@Vininn126 yep, I have no idea about how the word "them" is pronounced in other countries, Him putting some grammar nazi on his older videos suggests that he edits his videos thoroughly...lol
It was almost certainly not intentional. That's just how he pronounces the word, which is, uh, technically not the proper American English pronunciation.
Was hoping to see this comment. Guessing it wasn't intentional. Slip of the tongue just I guess as he's usually fairly eloquent for a blasted Yankee, what! 😄
Yeah. Not to mention the "tetrachord" is not a set of notes played simultaneously but a four note scale sequence going back to Pythagoras and four string lyres. "tetrachord" literally "four strings"
Yo Adam! I've got a question! So I've been making music with hardware synths and drum machines for about 2 years now, and I'm just starting to learn how to play keys, and a bit of music theory. I've been thinking about taking some sort of lessons to help with the learning process, but I'm a little stumped as to what kind of lessons would be best. My goals are to get better at playing keys in general, and to get a better understanding of theory. My only hesitation with classical piano lessons, is that the technique for playing piano seems quite a bit different than playing a poly or mono synth. Is there such a thing as synth/keyboard lessons that would be more aligned with my goals? Or should I just go for regular classical piano lessons? Thanks for all your hard work man! You've been a big inspiration in my musical journey!
Hey, I’m not Adam but I do play a bit of keyboard. Honestly, the main difference between pianos and keyboards/synths is that pianos tend to have weighted keys and most keyboards/synths don’t. This said, the technique is virtually the same. The main reason some people play them differently is because they just don’t have classical piano training (I know I sure don’t) but if you can afford it, definitely take piano lessons.
Agree with Gavin. Ill add that if you take classical piano lessons im sure you will get all the necesary technique for playing synths. It may be overkill even, but its worth it. Edit: make sure to find a teacher thats also an active musician and not only a teacher or classical musician because it will guide you best to your goal.
@jordanmarks, yo bro just learn your scales and basic chords in each scale. Scale is the most important. Drill your scales. Get to the point where you can improvise a melody in the key of C major, then transition the melody into, say, F Minor, or whatever. Learn your scales and keys so that you can play them without thinking about which notes are "correct" and you'll be fine without any real training. Plus, you'll save your time when you're ready for a teacher because the first bit of learning the piano is basically drilling scales. To drill a scale, just play every note in an octave on that scale. You'll know you're ready when you can play through each key's notes and transition without thought. It might seem stupid or waste of time in the beginning, but it gives you the muscle memory you'll need. Good luck!
I just want to say thank you for your videos. Some (much) of it is over my head, but these are so dense and packed with info, I've learned more about theory from you than any other. Thank you again. Personally, I'd like to see you dissect different genres of music to help us understand how and why it works and what makes it sound the way it does. Cheers!
first off, nice reference. secondly, whoa you're the guy who made the song from Lumpy Touch's Garfield Gameboy'd video whOooOOoOOoooAaaAaa! (btw the song had a very nice aesthetic)
Hi Adam. Maybe one for your next Q&A... are there subtle differences in chord tensions or their relationships when they get transposed into different keys? I've written a progression on the piano using Fm9 to Bb6 and dropping it to better suit my vocal range seems to loose something important in the mood (my voicings are F2 Ab3 C4 Eb4 G4 for the Fm and Bb2 G3 Bb3 D4 F4 for the Bb)
Thanks so much for this video, I recently discovered how the chords Caug, Eaug, and G#aug are the same exact chord and I was stressing out over it so much I couldn't sleep
I actually like to think of chords as 'synthesised' scales. What I mean is that every chord represents a bit of a scale and the more complex the chord, the closer to a full scale you get. In terms of notes, A Cmaj13 chord contains all the notes in the C major scale. Another thing I'd like to point out is that by adding extra notes to a triad you are basically 'leaking' into a different scale. This makes every chord change (especially when using modal mixture) smoother and less jarring. For Instance, Going from a C major to an F# Major sound quite strange (you can see all the notes between the two are different). However, by using chord extensions the sound is rounded off and the chord change will much more pleasing to the ear. Hope I was clear enough!
I always understand more and more every time I watch these videos. I actually made a very small composition on ableton and I didn’t even think about the fact that I used no more than 4 chords, yet I was able to move them around to make them sound good. I didn’t really understand why until now. Before, I just played random chords until I liked it 😂 thanks Adam 👍
What about improvising without a grid or knowing the upcoming chords, or what about improvisation as a solo instrument without accompaniment ? What becomes the nature of a chord when it's felt/heard instead of known/read ?
Hey Adam :) A question for next Q&A. Why do we divide notes exactly in a half? Why is music ordered in such mathematical way? Why don't we have notes that last, for example, 3/17 of the bar etc? Great stuff, keep it on.
Killer riffing on E7#9 Adam you have that unique combo of great melodic sensibility and rock solid pocket - enjoying your sungazer tracks too very original
I gave this a thought a few weeks earlier. I was writing a song and I couldn't find the right chord for a part and I was like "but an E chord here makes sense, why does it sound so wrong?" then I just tried different voicings and found the one that suited best. Funny how just changing one note to a higher octave has a lot of impact
Hey, Adam, based on what you know about classical music, music in general, could you speculate on how you think classical composers like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. would think about modern music from pop to jazz or something like that?
My TEDx talk will be live soon on the TEDx channel! Stay tuned for that.
Nice
how can your comment be written 4 hours ago if this video came out a couple of minutes ago?
A link. A link. My kingdom for a link.
@@JayJay64100 pre release for patrons i suppose
@@Petibako oh yeah, that makes sense
I want Adam to stand in front of me and analyze my life
hey rudy u cool
Okay?
don’t we all?
bro...
Chords are high tempo polyrhythms
Mind explodified.
This needs a million thumbs up. It's kinda meta on several different levels.
Holobrine
can u play a L O G A R H Y T H M
Or are polyrhythms extremely slow pitches?
Adam did a talk on this exact topic, and I'm guessing this is where you received this information. For anyone wondering, just search "Adam Neely polyrhythms" it's the 40 minute video.
Adam is probably first person to make a “Thank you for coming to my TED talk” joke after doing an actual TED talk.
Eb11
Do people play in E flat just to torture the poor guy on guitar?
@@frodehau nobody cares about guitar
Please don't
stop
@@frodehau Nah, for that they play in D#.
just vertical wiggly air
When I have sleep paralysis I see miles Davis from the miles smiles cover
Always watching, never blinking...
Lucky...
"moments of harmony"
I love this way of describing baroque counterpoint!
Hey, Vsauce, Adam here. But what *is* a chord?
Neely? Nolly? What's the difference?
His intro tangent was sooooo Vsauce
Neely > Vsauce
And how much does it weigh?
@@venrakdrake That and the Hendrix chord sounds like that weird chord Vsauce uses
In physics we have the concept of fields - electric, magnetic, or gravitational fields which describe the influence these forces have on an object in their domain. I like to think of chords as the harmonic field in a piece of music, pushing the notes that pass through in one direction or another. The cool thing about fields is that even though you can’t see them, you can easily see their influence. So like when Coltrane solos over a chart without accompaniment, you can still hear the “chords” even though no chords are being played.
Great way to answer this question and awesome playing as always!! I can't wait to see your TED talk!!!
Nahre Sol
It still blows my mind that you're the bassist in stargazer. I've been watching your videos for a while now and been listening to stargazer for a while now too(about the same amount of time) and it blew my mind when I found that out. Absolutely wild.
4:29 Okay dude, you better upload a full version of that because it was cool AF
Can't wait to hear/seee this TEDx talk, man. This video hit some interesting notes for me... my sometime co-writer is developing a solo project, and he said of one of his new songs that he was worried he might be ripping me off - and it was all because he'd borrowed a slightly unusual voicing I sometimes use. I didn't even hear it when he played the demo back to me, but it's interesting how voiding ends up being, like, our accent or tone of voice as a player. Great stuff as always Neely. x
Imagine being a beginner looking for a tutorial on chords.
This video must be very confusing and intimidating.
Funny, huh? I say throw 'em in the deep end and keep smiling.
I'm a beginner guitarist and bassist, and I'm confused, but fascinated. That could summarize most of Adam's videos.
To quote Spongebob
'Gee Squidward, (Adam) maybe Santa will bring me a dictionary so i can understand what you just said.'
Actually, what he said in the beginning of the video should make it easier.
" A chord is three notes put together". Bam!
Just randomly select 3 notes in a key/scale and You have an accord with the instrument.
I never knew what Adam was talking about, but after months of studying theory & playing guitar, I can follow the videos.
Yes. Yes it is.
I am always impressed how classical composition are not so vertical about chords. Composers keep the chord in mind but only play usefull chord tones in a very melodic way to make you feel the chord but not in an obvious way. It is more melodic than arpeggios.
5:08 but did Herbie Hancock play the butter notes in that song?
Dude is chill as ice and just musing right before giving a TED talk. I envy his confidence so much. He is in no way cocky or stuck up, but he certainly isn’t shy about knowing what he knows while voicing it respectfully and very clearly.
This is the second thumbnail you've had a Dm7b5 in. Is this a trend, Adam?
Cole Garland I mean it is the Festive season, and we all know what chord makes Christmas music sound so “Christmas-ey”!
@@willboy1234 my family asked me to learn christmas songs on guitar so they could sing along. So far I just vamp on a Dm7b5. Santa would be proud
As long as it's not an Eb11 chord it's fine by me
@@ryderlippman3105 Dm7b5 - Eb13#11 - AbMaj7 - Adim7 - D9maj7
I thought it was an Fmin6 at first just a different interval but Dm7b5 is a better word for it
favorite youtuber in recent memory... Adam's willing to share his expertise and knowledge without charging you money for it like so many on this platform
Did Adam write a Vulfpeck tune to teach us about chords?
DrewAJV hell yeah I thought the same thing
Joe would put octave skips in that turnaround, tho ;) ...but seriously, that was a sick E7#9 funk
I thought that too
No because there weren’t any cutesy lyrics for babies
😂😂 ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!
1:15 i love how you panned your clips to the left and right, and left your friend in the "middle" of the sound. really good atention to detail
That intro was Vsauce af.
Let's leave the dead to rest
"But... how does a chord taste?" Vsauce music beings.
Alsina font is the only thing missing
Of course it is. Adam has said many times that VSauce is a huge inspiration for his channel.
Hey, Bassauce! Adam here...
The jam with the live annotations showing what you're playing on the keys and bass is amazing. That is one of the most helpful things I've seen regarding how to think about what to play
I love how at 4:34 the piano part is sped up a little because Piano Adam can't keep up with Bass Adam.
Yeah!!!! Classic!!!!!! :)
Hey Adam,
So, I've played guitar for...10ish years now, and it's always been recreational for myself only, I really don't perform for others. I also used to play trumpet, and when I was doing so I was more of a musician vs just 'playing'. Since finding your channel I've been inspired to become more of a guitar 'musician' vs just a 'player'. I've started using sheet music vs tabs, practicing scales, building technical skills, and so forth. In just that time of challenging myself, I've noticed a huge increase in my skill and understanding. I've also been really wanting to start performing, which I literally never do.
So overall, thank you for sharing everything you do! You've really jumpstarted my playing and passion for music again!
Hey Adam, maybe something for your next Q and A, although it isn't a difficult music theory question like most of the others. It is actually quite easy. What is the reason that in a beat (normally) the down beat on the first beat is a deeper tone (or has a lower frequency) than a snare or high hat which has a higher tone (and higher frequency). Is it because of culture and we are just used to it or is it something else? Would love to have an answer
Abeydou listen to The Police
Harder to do certain rhythms on a kick drum with the pedals. Some electronic music made entirely on a synth and laptop and a drum pad breaks this tendency and can have the high frequency percussion be the root with bass percussion doing whatever the heck it wants to.
Abeydou: For comparison try checking out brazilian samba rhythms where the Surdo (large drum) pattern has the lower note on the second beat. Bossa nova and other brazilian rhythms that are related to samba also display this pattern.
Humans perceive rhythms that contain low frequencies more accurately then sounds containins higher pitches. The downbeat is a fundamental signal in music that gives you a certain context of the divisions and the structure of the beat, so it's very important to emphasize it.
@@Bobekoma it is but different cultures will feel the downbeat should be in different places and also naturally think in a certain time signature. Therefore where that bass should be will differ from culture to culture.
Yeee, A tribe called Quest music snippet. Adam always bring the best when it comes to his videos.
Did i just see the _christmas chord_ in the Thumbnail?
ALMOST. That’s DMajMin7b5. He forgot to flatten the minor third
@@colejohnson66 the third is already minor check the key signature
It's a Dm7b5 right ?
@@colejohnson66 nope
@@colejohnson66
1. you spelled thst chord wrong (its spelled D7(b5), but you can write it to as Ddom7(b5).
2. you also got the chord wrong (the chord is Dm7(b5), bruh we are in c major)
you are totally wrong
Adam, I really love your videos, you taught me a lot about music and you help me get a better understanding of it with every new video. Thank you very much! I am from St. Gallen so I was surprised and shocked hearing you say that you are at HSG. I hope you could enjoy your stay in my city (well, for a person living in New York it must feel like a town or village) and that you had a great time being here. Thank you again for your videos and I regret not having seen you here. Either way, keep up the good work! Greetings from Switzerland!
1:55
"If you tnihk abuot it tihs is... knid of lkie raenrrangig all the ltteres in a wrod and epxetcnig to get the smae srot of maennig"
Well, it atcually deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, aprat form the frist and lsat lettres, you can sllit raed it and get the smae menaing
Thanks for including the entire ted talk at the end
i’m a musician and showed this video to my dad, who could never wrap his head around music theory and never saw sheet music as anything other than hieroglyphics, and now he actually understands at least SOMETHING about music and he’s very proud of himself. Thanks for being an unintentionally great teacher
Hey Adam. Thank you for this video. I recently joined jazz band at my school and this video really helped me to learn more about the importance of voicing. I think this will help me with my thought process behind guitar chords and help me to make better music when reading from a lead sheet.
Adam's guilty pleasure is Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera
Raiden Borunda *good to know*
Thank god I'm not the only one who heard it 😂 5:43
@@ericmartel-poliquin2925 : Yes, I immediately thought of that song upon hearing those notes, and now it's stuck in my head. I am forced to listen to that song often when I visit Planet Fitness (a low-priced gym here in 'Murica) with their limited playlist.
What a relief to see this haha.
Well, except she is a girl.
For those who didn't catch it, the series of chords at 5:43 is the Licc progression.
You can even see Adam holding back a smile around 5:51-5:54.
I think you said you're in St. Gallen, Switzerland, I'm crying right now because I never thought about how it sounds with an english accent 😂
I cam here from watching Vulfpeck, and the first chord Adam played was the same chord the last song I listened to started with - Wait for the Moment. Music to my ears.
"C majorness". Cool! I gotta make a t-shirt out of that.... Or "D-sharp-thirteenth-over-C-ness" would be cooler?
Yes it would be cooler WHY NOT
This channel has gotten so incredible. Wow. The production value of your videos is becoming competitive with the best on UA-cam. Keep it up, you have a very strong voice and have the ability to inspire non musicians to be interested in analyzing it.
Such an important influence right now in a time with... Simpler music :)
Had to put the Christmas chord in the thumbnail?
Yeah, I think he kinda did
When else was he supposed to put in that Easter egg?
@@mymo_in_Bb that's the joke, he made a video about it
@@mymo_in_Bb well I agree, the chord sounds nothing like Christmas
Also chord inversion changes the relative (and therefore also the absolute) consonance of a chord. For a major triad, 2nd inversion is the most consonant. This is because a major triad in root position implies a 4:5:6 ratio while 1st and 2nd inversion imply 5:6:8 and 3:4:5 respectively. 1st inversion is therefore the most dissonant and 2nd inversion is the most consonant. For some chords, the clarity is lost when inverted because of the vagueness of some tempered intervals like the minor seventh. A dominant seventh chord in third inversion is a very dangerous move because the 4:5:6:7 is already very weakly implied by 12edo, so your tuning has to be spot on for your ears to pick out an equal tempered approximation of 7:8:10:12
Fascinating. I've always thought there was a relationship like that going on but never thought to look at the ratios like that to figure out what that relationship was.
wingracer 16 I keep this in mind in my part writing and it works out nicely. And that's not to say that I always strive for the most "consonant" voicings. My composition strategies always stem from just intonation. Although if I'm writing for traditional instruments, I try to keep ratios like 4:7 and especially 8:11 out of my thought process because they aren't very well approximated by 12TET.
weird flex but ok
Ableton presentation. TEDx talk. You're killin' it! Your knowledge and enthusiasm is much appreciated. Happy to see you doing greater things.
Ay, should I play dis chord?
Im so sorry
Is this a german music joke?
Best Detective r/woosh
DJCTheChamp
How is that a whoosh tho....
omg Brookes!!!! and that was Pun-thastic!
Wampert 😄😄
hey Adam, I've been watching from the Netherlands for quite some time now. I would like to thank you for all of the inspiration you have given me. It has made me try to learn how to properly play a guitar. However, I would like to compliment you on your amazing ability to explain using videos. At 4:22 you add a joke by editing but then proceed to smile and almost giggle as if the joke was made while filming. This is just one example of many things you do that all make it eazier to understand what you're talking about without coming off as any less of a proffsional.
Hey Adam, you state very definitively that an inverted chord is always perceived as "the same musical idea" but actually I don't agree. It happens quite often, also just as much in simple major triads, that I don't think a chord in second (or even first) sounds that similar at all. More similar than a completely different chord, but far from similar so they they would be "the same idea". I am "musically trained" (whatever that may be) but not on an instrument/setting where I deal with chords (viola, classical environment). A different thing, that gives me a different feeling. Just wanted to share that, as a bit of a (counter) example to your analysis.
Same. I'm curious, how good are you at identifying chords, notes and keys by ear? Personally while I know chords and scales and can work out exactly what is going on if looking at the notation I haven't trained my ear anywhere near well enough to be able to reliably hear something and go "oh, they're playing X."
If you're the same way that might be the crucial difference, my guess is that in order to train their ears well enough to hear a chord and instantly identify it they had to do countless exercises over countless hours that gradually made their mind permanently associate all inversions of a given chord as "the same thing." So when a musician with that training says they hear a chord and one of its inversions as essentially the same thing I believe them even though I hear two very distinct chords and probably wouldn't have even known they were the "same" chord before seeing the sheet music or having it pointed out, our brains are very good at creating shortcuts and that's probably just one of the shortcuts necessary to achieve that kind of ear training.
Unless you're great at identifying chords by ear and still hear them as being distinct, then that idea goes out the window.
I think the "flavor" of a chord has to do with how well the overtones of each of the notes match up. Why do we identify notes that are one octave apart as being the "same"? I guess this can be explained more precisely using the frequency ratios and overtones, the statements in the video are quite vague...
ApplepieFTW Hello, fellow violist.
Well your problem is that you’re a violist.
(I’m also a violist)
He kind of addresses that in the later part of the video, where he points out how voicing the Purple Haze chord differently doesn't give the same effect. It really depends on what level of specificity you're talking about: if I say "play a C chord", it might sound _correct_ (as long as you play it correctly), but it might not sound _right_ for the specific effect the music needs.
2:57
1. Weird "Up Next" video choice, UA-cam algorithm
2. Is UA-cam seriously recommending Adam Neely videos to Adam Neely? It has the red bar, they know he's already seen it.
I was waiting for the Vsauce music to kick in after the intro
At “acktually” I saw the channeling of Contrapoints. I also love Natalie. You, Natalie, hbomberguy, jimmy dore, polyphonic... glad they’re alive and making content that I’ve been lucky enough to find.
0:13 - Start of Vulfpeck's "wait for the moment" :p
Title: What is a chord?
Thumbnail: (Points to picture) This.
*After all the explaining in the video*
Adam Neely: It means a lot.
It sure does. A simple concept can really mean a lot.
In France, they are still saying "accord", and in my opinion, if the english word comes the french, It's more likely that the shortening to "chord" was a mistake, here is why:
"The" can translate as "le" "la" or "l", and theres is not so much logic behind it in a lot of cases. So if an english man heard "l'accord", he could have just assumed that it can be written "la ccord". This way, he would have translated this as "the chord".
(Excuse me for my probably pretty bad english)
Calling it a mistake would be bad linguistics. How about the natural parallel development of two separate languages over time? Both the French and English words both stem from an older Latin word.
I can understand it quite well
Such "mistakes" are very common in most language evolution, particularly when words are borrowed from another language, as happened with chord/accord. Anglophone linguists call this "false division" or "metanalysis". Another Anglo-French example is "an apron" which was originally "a napperon".
However, Ian is correct in that there was a bit more happening with the evolution of "chord":
1. Metanalysis
2. Confusion with "corde" (Fr) (folk etymology)
3. Later confusion with "chord" (En) (folk etymology)
I have always liked to think about notes in a scale as family members (root: father, 5th: mother, 3rd: happy daughter or moody son, etc.) The analogy has always been rather "traditional family" but this video is giving me a whole new set of interesting family structures to think about. Who knows if the analogy will hold up, but as always Adam has piqued just the right amount of fascination to make the exercise worth it!
damn the jam is hot 4:30
Agreed!
I just love when there's an Adam Neely video that I agree completely
Mah boi Adam was in St. Gallen and I didn't even know it!
Respect on the A Tribe Called Quest reference at 4:25
Hey, Adam! Maybe it'll be next question for your Q&A. I've already been playing music for around 8 years, but i feel kinda stuck right now as a musician. Especially, in improvisation, in my opinion. Usually, when i start to jam with my band, i always try to "feel" the music and the rhythm ( btw, i play bass ), but not try not catch the harmonic and other stuff. I was doing it for a long time, but i'm not sure if it's really helping me. And also i'm not so well-known about music theory. So, the question is: did i choose a wrong way? If there is a way of progression for me or i just have reached my musical limit?
If I may make a suggestion, learn keyboards if you haven't already. As someone that started out playing bass, I found learning theory and harmony quite challenging as this isn't really an area a beginning bassist really needs. Taking up keyboard was a major eye opener. You don't need to become an expert at it, just get the basics down and learn a handful of songs/pieces and then just start jamming on it. Then try to apply some of that to your bass playing.
@@wingracer1614 good one, i'll take it. Thanks)
In terms of why some different inversions of chords sound so similar in color, I think that referring to how closely a chord represents a rational relationship between pitches can be a helpful tool, even though the actual perception is more complicated. For example, C major, root position, depending on your tuning, is pretty close to 4:5:6; 1st inversion is 5:6:8; and 2nd inversion is 3:4:5. Simply maintaining similar factors makes inversions sound similar. So does maintaining a specific important ratio in there in the same pitch range - to me, C3-E3-G3 and G2-C3-E3 sound more similar to each other than to C3-G3-E4 - I think that's not just due to the intervals but also the absolute position of the harmonically important ratios and how the pitches can infer fundamentals in vastly different places.
Is Eb11 over Dm7b5 a chord?
Eb11: Eb - G - Bb - Db - F - Ab, Dm7b5: D - F - Ab - C. Cancel out the duplicates and you get: D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - Db. That's a C minor scale with a Db in it I guess.
A very jazzy polychord.
These video's are so well thought through the flow is incredible
Every time a person plays a chord progression using only root position, a nerve in my brain explodes
...
Pretty Now Up I'm Messed
Opposite for me, love the sound of pure stability and confidence
Every time I hear or see the sheet music for a song with really bad voice leading I cringe internally.
@@HORNGEN4 nothing wrong with that, I play root positions too with chord tonic as the lowest note, but when I realize that just changing a single position in the progression every thing sounds more appealing it just gives me goosebumps! Sometimes songs that we think are made by root positions they usually aren't, there's a video by Tantacrul about this topic^^
Don't believe any teaching video like "100 hundrends songs with just 4 chords", they are all wrong (and I mean ALL :D)
@@enricopersia4290 Agreed! I just like a firm bass in root position more often than not, with the upper structure of the chords voiced as required.
Excellent introduction to the concept of a chord! Great job as always. Be safe in your travels!
I read somewhere that it takes training to hear different voicings as the same chord - "naive" listeners tend to hear them as more distinct sonorities. I don't have any sources for this, though :|
Haha, I thought this was someone calling me out in chat re: "What is a chord"... which is very basic. However, I was delighted to find this wonderfully entertaining and nuanced video. I've seen a few others from this channel. Great stuff. Love the editing (splicey/splicey) and the script is fantastic. Were I correct initially, I could not have provided a better answer to the question. #Hatsoff
was 3:05 intentional?
Mj Ewan I’m confused
Do you mean how he said them like thum?
@@Vininn126 yep, I have no idea about how the word "them" is pronounced in other countries, Him putting some grammar nazi on his older videos suggests that he edits his videos thoroughly...lol
It was almost certainly not intentional. That's just how he pronounces the word, which is, uh, technically not the proper American English pronunciation.
Was hoping to see this comment. Guessing it wasn't intentional. Slip of the tongue just I guess as he's usually fairly eloquent for a blasted Yankee, what! 😄
Your video editing and switching scenes is so exciting and engaging on this one. Loved it! Great video!
ACCCHHHKSSHUUAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY
🤣🤣
Thanks for always expanding our musical horizons. Specially from a 30yo guy who started very late in formal music studies.
But doesn’t both “chord” and “accord” come from ancient greek “chordon” meaning string?
Yeah. Not to mention the "tetrachord" is not a set of notes played simultaneously but a four note scale sequence going back to Pythagoras and four string lyres. "tetrachord" literally "four strings"
Damn!!!!!!!!! lol
Man, Adam...your videos constantly inspire and motivate me. Thank you so much for that,dude
Yo Adam! I've got a question! So I've been making music with hardware synths and drum machines for about 2 years now, and I'm just starting to learn how to play keys, and a bit of music theory. I've been thinking about taking some sort of lessons to help with the learning process, but I'm a little stumped as to what kind of lessons would be best. My goals are to get better at playing keys in general, and to get a better understanding of theory. My only hesitation with classical piano lessons, is that the technique for playing piano seems quite a bit different than playing a poly or mono synth. Is there such a thing as synth/keyboard lessons that would be more aligned with my goals? Or should I just go for regular classical piano lessons? Thanks for all your hard work man! You've been a big inspiration in my musical journey!
Hey, I’m not Adam but I do play a bit of keyboard. Honestly, the main difference between pianos and keyboards/synths is that pianos tend to have weighted keys and most keyboards/synths don’t. This said, the technique is virtually the same. The main reason some people play them differently is because they just don’t have classical piano training (I know I sure don’t) but if you can afford it, definitely take piano lessons.
Agree with Gavin. Ill add that if you take classical piano lessons im sure you will get all the necesary technique for playing synths. It may be overkill even, but its worth it.
Edit: make sure to find a teacher thats also an active musician and not only a teacher or classical musician because it will guide you best to your goal.
I agree w the above
@jordanmarks, yo bro just learn your scales and basic chords in each scale. Scale is the most important. Drill your scales. Get to the point where you can improvise a melody in the key of C major, then transition the melody into, say, F Minor, or whatever. Learn your scales and keys so that you can play them without thinking about which notes are "correct" and you'll be fine without any real training. Plus, you'll save your time when you're ready for a teacher because the first bit of learning the piano is basically drilling scales. To drill a scale, just play every note in an octave on that scale. You'll know you're ready when you can play through each key's notes and transition without thought. It might seem stupid or waste of time in the beginning, but it gives you the muscle memory you'll need. Good luck!
Your ability to demonstrate concepts in music in such simple, succinct ways is frequently surprising.
I can play a G
good for you man
When I was...
Thanks a ton for this, adam! Your philosophical and scientific approach to simple ideas is so cool and expands the mind. Thanks!!
The thumbnail led me to believe that this is a Christmas video. I am very disappointed.
Muhahahaha.
I just want to say thank you for your videos. Some (much) of it is over my head, but these are so dense and packed with info, I've learned more about theory from you than any other. Thank you again. Personally, I'd like to see you dissect different genres of music to help us understand how and why it works and what makes it sound the way it does. Cheers!
"Musical existencialism" Here we go
4:32-5:02 That was so coool. I could listen this all day.
A miserable pile of notes.
first off, nice reference. secondly, whoa you're the guy who made the song from Lumpy Touch's Garfield Gameboy'd video whOooOOoOOoooAaaAaa! (btw the song had a very nice aesthetic)
Hi Adam. Maybe one for your next Q&A... are there subtle differences in chord tensions or their relationships when they get transposed into different keys? I've written a progression on the piano using Fm9 to Bb6 and dropping it to better suit my vocal range seems to loose something important in the mood (my voicings are F2 Ab3 C4 Eb4 G4 for the Fm and Bb2 G3 Bb3 D4 F4 for the Bb)
To thum
Yeah, heavy.
That burst of funky E7#9 shit just after 4.37 is bloody awesome
I like turtles and chords.
4:31 ok Adam we get it
You’re good at the music
idk but there's only four of them
Thanks so much for this video, I recently discovered how the chords Caug, Eaug, and G#aug are the same exact chord and I was stressing out over it so much I couldn't sleep
What is a chord?
A miserable little pile of resonating frequencies!
I actually like to think of chords as 'synthesised' scales. What I mean is that every chord represents a bit of a scale and the more complex the chord, the closer to a full scale you get. In terms of notes, A Cmaj13 chord contains all the notes in the C major scale.
Another thing I'd like to point out is that by adding extra notes to a triad you are basically 'leaking' into a different scale. This makes every chord change (especially when using modal mixture) smoother and less jarring.
For Instance, Going from a C major to an F# Major sound quite strange (you can see all the notes between the two are different). However, by using chord extensions the sound is rounded off and the chord change will much more pleasing to the ear.
Hope I was clear enough!
I always understand more and more every time I watch these videos. I actually made a very small composition on ableton and I didn’t even think about the fact that I used no more than 4 chords, yet I was able to move them around to make them sound good. I didn’t really understand why until now. Before, I just played random chords until I liked it 😂 thanks Adam 👍
What about improvising without a grid or knowing the upcoming chords, or what about improvisation as a solo instrument without accompaniment ? What becomes the nature of a chord when it's felt/heard instead of known/read ?
sometimes i forget how fucking sick adam neely is at playing music and then he does that improv and i'm like oh yeah he's actually sick
Hey Adam :) A question for next Q&A. Why do we divide notes exactly in a half? Why is music ordered in such mathematical way? Why don't we have notes that last, for example, 3/17 of the bar etc? Great stuff, keep it on.
Killer riffing on E7#9 Adam you have that unique combo of great melodic sensibility and rock solid pocket - enjoying your sungazer tracks too very original
I gave this a thought a few weeks earlier. I was writing a song and I couldn't find the right chord for a part and I was like "but an E chord here makes sense, why does it sound so wrong?" then I just tried different voicings and found the one that suited best. Funny how just changing one note to a higher octave has a lot of impact
JAWDROPPING STUFF.
I actually kept my jaw dropped for the entirety of the video in awe, so opening, clear and wow....
Congratulation for the Ted talk!!! Can't wait to watch it!
Loving the Tribe reference 😍😍 so much love for the low end theory man, that album 😎
Hey, Adam, based on what you know about classical music, music in general, could you speculate on how you think classical composers like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. would think about modern music from pop to jazz or something like that?