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Which is funny, because even though the lyrics are saying that the "secret chord" goes like this, he doesn't describe a single "secret chord" but a whole progression, lol
@@KanashimiMusic I always interpreted the secret chord was the one that released the tension with the word hallelujah. The progression was just providing context. It goes like this: buildup buildup, chord.
As a teenager/young man, David used to play music on the Harp to King Saul as it often eased his tension. In this case "the lord" (lower case "l") was likely the king.
@@TheAce736 That's still not the single chord that's pleasing the lord, it's the entire progression that makes the chord so pleasing. To me, a "secret chord that pleases the lord" sounds like it should be a chord that should do so on its own, even with no context.
Well, I once had a guitar pupil who thought that "In the Hall of the Goblin King" was originally by Sepultura. Imagine his surprise when he heard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" at my place on day, of which the Goblin piece is the concluding element.
For me, this song will forever be associated with The OC. That's where I thought Charles was going before he referenced Shrek. The only song I associate with Shrek is All-Star, but then again, Mystery Men is the movie that first comes to mind when I hear All-Star.
i always thought this was one of those songs that's kinda been around since forever, and we just kinda modernized it. It has always been so omnipresent to me, i have a hard time comprehending that it actually only picked up steam after shrek
When you play this song on the guitar as Cohen likely would have composed it (which was probably the open-chord voicings but with a capo on 5), the Aminor is literally a lower overall voicing than the Gmajor that precedes it and the Fmajor that follows. I've always thought about it that way.
Maybe. Perhaps both? A fair few of Cohen's songs on Various Positions were composed on a Casio keyboard, which I think he switched to from the guitar afterwards, for the most part.
Yes. And on bass (no capo) that motion from C down to A is a falling motion AND on piano. Jumping up to the A is less natural than going down. Personally, on bass, I go up to go the opposite direction than the other instruments to avoid a parallel motion and to hear my note better, especially on acoustic bass.
What's interesting is that when I listen to the way it's often arranged, I think that the IV and V are played in Second Inversion when the words 'the fourth, the fifth' are sung, then on the minor fall the vi is also played in Second Inversion, but on 'the major lift' they play an F in root! So it really does lift... By one note!
If we look beyond the chords, the melody also goes up in the word "lift" from C to D (or 1 to 2). The whole "the 4th, the 5th..." part always gives me the chills, because it kind of breaks the 4th wall: for a moment, the lyrics of a song become aware that they are, in fact, in a song, and even contain some music theory. Pretty cool!
7:23, I know many didn’t catch it but he was meaning to say the 6 is a minor, that is in the C major scale, the 1, 4 and 5 is always major, and the 2, 3 and 6 is always minor in a major scale regarding any key you are in. For those who don’t know what a diminished is, one definition of it is you can use that 7 dim chord as a passing chord to change keys if you don’t want to do a walk up or change instantly
It's not the definition it's a way to use it it. Definitions by definition are only the intervals, the rest is common and sometimes uncommon interpretation.. sorry for nitpicking but it's best to really understand that even the functionality of the chords we use can be subjected to different and not necessarily wrong interpretation. This is especially important in the creative process.
I had a friend who got carded, clerk handed it back with barely a glance. When questioned, the clerk said that it was easy since the birthdate was before 2000. That made me feel old.
I've been subscribed to you and Adam Neely for a couple of years now and have always been pretty confused about the number system. I played piano a few years as a kid so understand notes but not chords. This finally explained them and especially diminished in a way I could actually understand. Thank you so much!
Similarly here. I started playing instruments as a kid (no formal training) and initially I memorised the main chords that work within key. But after a whole I found out intervals were and suddenly realised I would use the 4ths,5ths, 6th etc. most of the time. Music is really maths, sport and art combined.
Also, the minor “falls”, drops, recedes by lowering the 3rd a half step. But yeah, I think it’s just as likely he’s referring to the vibe of sinking in to the minor sadness…👌👊🏽 P.S. I humbly submit that the best version of this song belongs to Jeff Buckley. 🙂
Sorry to disagree, but PENTATONIX wins by a country mile. Leonard Cohen agreed about a month before he died. Wait until you hear Mitch Grassi as he breaks your heart with how he tunes the a Capella chords.
Haven’t seen anyone comment on this yet, but the “minor fall” and “major lift” also connect thematically to the rest of the song and the story that is being told. So it’s actually great writing with layers of meaning embedded.
It’s also a slight reference to the crucifixion of Jesus, the minor fall of the death of Christ and then the major lift in the meaning of his sacrifice. It’s interesting how many ways you can interpret this song
I would love to hear your analysis of the soundtrack to “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” written by Son Lux. It has some really beautiful stuff in there!
One artist I'd love to see you react to is Cody Fry, I particularly love his rendition of Eleanor Rigby and his original compositions- Caves/Underground. Many thanks from the UK.
One of my favourite examples of lyrics referencing harmony is in Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”, where it says “there’s no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor” while the harmony follows suit. In Ella Fitzgerald’s version of the song it’s at roughly 1:25, and it makes me smile every time I hear it!
A fascinating moment I remember from my days of choral singing was during Otto Olsson's Te Deum. The chorus splits into 8 parts for one section. It's very dark and full of tension (minor) until the altos hit a III, then the tension slowly releases through the end of that section. As performers, we absolutely felt it, and it was very moving. We could also tell the audience felt the same.
I think what's important about the phrase "the minor fall" is that a IV - V would almost always resolve to the I chord, from which the minor sixth is definitely a 'fall', almost as a let-down of expectations.
At the same time, (I'll use the key of C like he does) some people have pointed out that it's often played as F/C, G/D, Am/E, and then F in root position, which *lifts* a note in Am/E!
Since the song is in the key of C major, I kinda figured the 4th was referring to F major chord that's in it and the 5th is G major chord🙂And whatever key you're playing it in, it refers to that key's 4th and 5th degree. Same with the minor part (A minor or whatever the 6th degree would be depending on the key you're playing the song in)
@@matthewthecooke I did not connect these lyrics to the actual music until I saw the thumbnail to this video. I guess I've just been hearing it since so young that by the time I learnt music theory, those lyrics just seemed to... exist for me.
@@matthewthecooke I've always loved the fact that Cohen incorporated that in the song. Ironically, I was recently practicing a piano cover for "Hallelujah" but I got out of the habit of practicing (I'm such a slacker lol), but I think this video will help me get back in the swing of it
I figured the "minor" part was referring to the chord and the "fall" part was referring to the melody line sliding down when he sings it, and similar for the chord and melody sliding up on "major lift"
The only other song I know of the top of my head that describes its own harmony is Porcupine Tree's "Four chords that made a million". It has in fact 2 chords for the verse, it adds a 3rd chord for the 'chorus' and only gets a fourth chord in the bridge. I don't think the song would warrant a full episode, but you might want to have a listen to it.
Another one (sort of) is Natasha Bedingfield's "These words" referring to D-E- F which describes not the melody but the bassline - but obviously is also a play on "def" (as in definitely)
Mild High Club- Homage does something like this. “Someone wrote this song before, and I could tell you where it’s from, The 4,7,3,6,2,5,1 to put my mind at ease” It’s the Autumn Leaves Progression.
The “secret chord that pleased the lord” is the major chord that relieves the tension that you build with the 4th (pleasing to the ear, relaxing),then the 5th (also pleasant to the ear), then you go to the minor 3rd(by flatting the 3rd note in the chord, you create tension). Then the “secret chord” is breaking the tension by resolving back to the root chord, or major. Music is a language, and it tells the story. For a story to be interesting, it must have conflict and resolve. Example: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. After they got it, they came back down the hill and took it home to their mother. ……BORING! Much more interesting if Jack falls and hurts himself, and Jill also trips and falls, and they both tumble down the hill.
I would love to see your analysis of some of Brian David-Gilbert’s work. Specifically, the beautiful piece of art known as RGSS, it uses wonderful harmony to deliver a very… unique style 😊
How’s this for an interpretation then? We acknowledge that he could be singing about the chords he’s playing, but in the wider context, he’s talking about a “secret chord”, what was that chord (not progression) that David played? It’s a dominant chord. How does a dominant 7 chord resolve? The MINOR 7th falls, and the MAJOR 3rd lifts - boom resolution. It goes like this, the IV the V…7
If anyone's interested, usually chords 1,4,5,&6 (I, IV, V, vi) are the only ones used in a song (with exceptions) Chord 1 is also referred to as the Tonic, 4 as the Subdominant, 5 as the Dominant, and 6 as the Relative Minor :)
@@KanashimiMusic There's a part of the "main theme" of the Shrek original score ("Fairytale" from the intro) where the melody has a repeating 3-5-6 phrase that at one point includes the 7 (D in Fairytale). The chorus of "Hallalujah" also has this 3-5-6 motif, but the melody never goes to the 7 (B in this case). As a result of them both having a similar melodic phrase and appearing prominently in an iconic movie, some people mistakenly get them sort of mixed up and garnish the chorus of Hallelujah with the bit from Fairytale.
Okay…seriously… *_enough_* with this overrated, overplayed, oversaturated song! If I ever hear it again I will build a time machine only for the purpose of going back to the moment when Leonard Cohen conceived of this song and slip him a _roofie_ or 5 so that he forgets about that infernal song and thus it is *NEVER WRITTEN* for the good of mankind! _Note: I will edit/update this comment upon my successful return from the past._
David Bennet Piano (on UA-cam) has done a couple of brilliant videos on this. "Music That Sounds Like The Lyrics" and "30 More Songs That Use Word Painting" Closely related are the analyses that Saher Galt (also on UA-cam) did for the theme tunes of Westworld and Ghostbusters showcasing quite *how* clever they really are.
Not sure if you were intending on doing so, but you've created the most clear and succinct content on scale degrees/chord construction/the number system that I've ever found. And I'm not sure why folks cover this in such an opaque way, it's extremely simple when you just run through the building blocks! Lots of music theory instruction seems to go into great depth on individual concepts while completely ignoring how to tie it into the bigger picture, and you always do a great job of doing the latter. Thanks Charles!
"One Four Five" by The Cat Empire is an entire song about the 145 chords. It starts with a man going to a doctor seeking drugs and the doctor proclaiming that the patient needs a daily dose of "some one four five to make you high" because "these chords are written in your brain" and "these three harmonies breed positivity"
My favorite part of Hallelujah, is when it's sung at religious services. While it's certainly talking about a religious experience, likely not what the congregation had in mind that morning.
The song "One Four Five" by the Cat Empire is literally about how that chord progression can be uplifting and brighten your mood. Ollie is also a beast on keys.
Café Tacvba's song Esa Noche also nods to music theory in its lyrics. When Rubén sings "fue como ir de menor a mayor" which in one context (inside the lyric narrative) means "it was like going from less to more", it also translates in songwriting context as "going from minor to major" and it actually does modulate in that exact passage to a bridge in a major tonality inside of a minor song. I've always found that pretty cool. You should check it out, it happens at 1:16 ua-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/v-deo.html
Was hoping you'd mention a common feature in some arrangements where they insert a major III chord (Emaj) prior to the minor fall. I've wondered for a while why this works and feels more appropriate than the diatonic minor III chord
The reason it works is that it's a secondary dominant: basically, the E major chord is borrowed from the key of A minor, creating a V-i cadence; it's sort of like a miniature key change it also creates a nice motion betweeen G and A, because the E chord adds a G# in between
My three favourite versions of Hallelujah are: Rufus Wainwright, KD Lang, and Jeff Buckley. Unrelated: Watching the keyboard overlay at the bottom that isn't aligned to Charles' fingers as he's playing is really messing with my head.
There is a video on UA-cam called "when you only sing in F#" (uploaded by George Collier) in which the singer sings a dissonant F# on purpose while singing they like to do it because everyone else writes in a specific key. It's obviously a comedic song but I still feel like it's really interesting especially when talking about this topic! Just wanted to point it out ^^
In the chorus of Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” there’s a lyric about dancing in halftime. But the song is actually felt in double-time. There is, however, a breakdown after the second chorus where the song is felt in halftime (even though there’s no backbeat in the breakdown).
As a saxophonist I just have to say, if the alto is playing G#, the piano is playing B natural But this just proves the point that you shouldnt be required to have to transcribe on the spot when numbers and roman numerals exist to describe theory. It's like learning machine language in programming. Some people know C+, C#, java, python, etc, but all of those languages when compiled mean the same thing to a computer. Similarly, saxophone, tuba, piano, didgeridoo, etc, it all makes the same sounds to whomever is listening or conducting yk? Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk
Pov : You're watching this video with little to no music background yet something still forces you to finish the whole video wishing you knew 70% of what he's talking about.
Do you mean transposing instruments, such as the saxophones, the Bb trumpet or French horns? Or do you mean transposing in general? If the latter, your very first step is learning all 12 sounding (15 written) major scales, their key signatures and the respective triads (the I chord). The piano as your reference would be a great instrument.
@@truefilm6991 more so the former like he mentioned in the video, but I'm still glad I started with the piano for the very reason you just mentioned. Understanding that instrument is like a gateway drug into music theory lol
Quick and dirty. You feed the player of such an instrument a C on his sheet music, and he produces the pitch of his instrument. There's a such thing as multiple layers of transposition, so this can get convoluted if you overthink it. Don't overthink it. That's the player's job. The composer's job is just to feed the player something they can read. An instrument in a key that is one step lower than another will need to read a note that is one step higher to match. So if the piano music has 1 flat (F), Horn in F has empty signature (C), Eb Alto has 2 sharps (C+1=D), and Bb whatever has 1 sharp (F+1=G). This only applies to wind instruments reading treble clef (in most countries). For French Horn, you feed them music as if their instrument is in F, regardless of whether it is or not. Unfortunately, I can't really explain this any better in piano terms. My background for knowing this is as a brass player, and I've learned some rudimentary transposition tricks. I have no idea how to explain the relative octaves for you.
@@Markworth That's it roughly. Just: Bb instruments (say Bb trumpet, soprano clarinet, soprano sax, etc.) have an added two sharps, not one. I have always the instrument ranges open, so I know exactly what I am writing. You should be aware of difficult leaps, possible dynamic range, if an instrument thins out as you go higher (say: oboe) or if it becomes stronger (C flute, or Bb trumpet from a certain point on where it tends to isolate from the section), etc. etc. Notation software helps a lot, but it's always better when you study and really know what you are doing.
Thinking about the Major Lift, not only is it an emotional lift from minor chord to major chord, but when it goes from that Am to F, the only note that changes is that the E note LIFTS to an F note!
Esa Noche by Cafe Tacvba It has a lyric that translates to, "It was like going from minor to major". The chords and the whole tone of the song reflect that perfectly. The song itself is about a lover leaving you and finding someone else that loves you more. The minor to major reference is supposed to reflect that epiphany of finding someone new in your life after being depressed from losing someone. ua-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/v-deo.html
Months ago, I started subscribing to music theory creators because I wanted to expand my piecemeal understanding of music theory. I didn't even know what the number system was called, but I knew that Roman numerals kept showing up on my sheet music and I wasn't sure what they were. This explanation was incredibly helpful, thank you!
Of course you have noticed that ‘fall’ and ‘lift’ refer to the quality of minor and major, but that is also clear in the original lyrics, where it is not ‘fall’ and ‘lift’, but ‘falls’ and ‘lifts’, that is, the corresponding verbs. By using the verbs, Cohen describes the feelings that minor and major chords (can) express.
"The Minor fall, the Major lift" could also be seen as referring to David's fall in sin, and his passionate pleading to God thru his music to for give him!
CHARLES CHARLES @CHARLES!!!!!! YOU SIMPLY MUST! SEE AND ANALYZE THE AMERICA'S GOT TALENT VIDEO OF THE DANCING QUEEN COVER THAT DEBBI DAWSON DOES!!!!!!!!!!!!! upvote this yall
The song that springs to my mind is The Music Theory Song (Intervals Roasting) - parody lyrics to The Christmas Song that provide a running analysis of the tune.
Leonard Cohen's Hallajuhah is about David revealing the Biblical words " Flesh is weak but the Spirit Willing " God called David a " Worm" for the weakness of his flesh but called him " A man after my own heart " for his Spirit The 1993 classic in the Malayalam language that goes as aha aha aha Hallajuhah -- The laughter of God -- Father, Son Holy Spirit , Man, keys are secondary , it's the Words ,
I learned more about playing music from this one video than I did from 2 years of Piano Lessons (Which I quit after still not being able to play anything what-so-ever) Everything you mentioned in this video was a brand-new concept to me. The only thing I learned in 2 years was which Ball-with-a-vertical-line goes with which key.
Does anybody remember Kate McKinnon on SNL playing Hillary Clinton the night Trump won the presidency? She sat at the piano and sang "Hallelujah" for a serious & moving cold open.
The melody on “major lift” also goes from C to D indicating the emotional lift even though the chord is back to F Technically the added D can make the chord a ii minor 65 chord as well, setting up a ii V I until a deceptive cadence back to the minor vi
God I love musical theory. I learned the “Nashville system” as I was taught to call it by a former Nashville studio musician. It has been by far the handiest thing I’ve ever learned. It has allowed me to jump to other instruments with relative ease. Currently I’m unable to play anything due to some issues with my hand dexterity which is quite depressing.
The mystery of this song is that so many sing it like a hymn of praise. It’s an expression of absolute despair. Those church singers and audiences going all gooey-eyed just because it includes the words God and hallelujah are proving that they have very poor comprehension of texts, and suffer from ‘starry-eyed syndrome’. As if I didn’t already know that !
Funny thing is, all keys on a keyboard or piano have the same step size between them. The black keys aren't halfway higher. Every next key has a about 1,0594630944 times the frequency of the lower key. This is 2^(1/12). I discovered this when making a tiny pc speaker music player. I knew every octave was 2 times the frequency and that was split over 12 keys(or notes) Just splitting it up sounded horrific. After trying several thing, I suddenly found something that sounded not horrific. Years later I found the same formula online. But it was fun to actually, find my own way. It was also before internet was much less filled with useful information. I did think it was weird that these, "half notes" aren't actually half.
You should apply your musical Mythbusters chops to unraveling the ancient mysteries of "G-Funk" as written in the codex: Nate Dogg & Warren G - "Regulate" excerpt: I'm tweaking into a whole new era G-funk, step to this, I dare ya Funk on a whole new level The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble Chords, strings, we brings melody, G-funk Where rhythm is life and life is rhythm If you know like I know, you don't wanna step to this It's the G-funk era, funked out with a gangsta twist If you smoke like I smoke, then you're high like every day And if yo' ass is a busta, 213 will regulate Been trying to convert this into music theory or even a set of working production techniques, (or potentially smoke inhalation procedures? or studio security measures?) quite unsuccessfully myself, for decades... :D
Hearing this I immediately thought of Fountains of Wayne Hotline by Robbie Fulks. Lots of musical theory. "And chordally, let's see, a 1, a 5, a 4, with and without a sub-dominant 7, a 2, 2 minor, and briefly a 9th compound over the tonic" This kind of makes sense now. Thanks!
Hey Charles, I would love to see you react and analyze Don’t lose sight by Lawrence. They have an acoustic one take that is incredible. It is high energy pop, with jazz routes in the keys
you tried to read the words as prose but noticed how its scansion goes and now you can’t unhear the tune, so screw ya recall the phrase you love the most then once again reblog this post and tag your fav’rite line of hallelujah. (Chorus) okay that’s it I hate you all. like… fuckign done. i’ve hit the wall. I’m calling the Tumblr Cops to come subdue you... I hate the fact this fucking fits. I’m just about to call it quits. Now everything just sounds like hallelujah. (Chorus) You pick a phrase, you pick a rhyme, repeat the sound another time, Five iambs, then an extra beat will do ya. Another rhyme, a rising note - congratulations, you just wrote Another goddamn verse to Hallelujah.
There's actually a word for when music does what the lyric is saying (I forget the word, but I'm sure Adam Neely would know it). Anyway, Jeff Buckley's version is the only one worth listening to, on every level. He's the only singer who intuitively (or consciously) understood that the lyric "But you don't really care for music, do you" ("outdrew you," etc.) needs to be pronounced as "do YA," in order for it to imply a rhyme with "hallelUJAH." Even Leonard Cohen didn't get that, and he wrote the damn song!
Hey Charles! New subscriber here. I used to do play music in university and eventually had to give it up but one artist had a really prolific impact on my life. I was wondering if you could take a look at Hiromi Uehara. Some examples of tunes are Move, Time Difference or even her Pachelbel’s Cannon in D. I think there’s a lot of meat for you to dig in to with her music. Her live version of move is something else! Anyways, glad I found your channel. From your newest subscriber and fan 🙂
Why would you assume the lyrics are intended to be interpreted literally? I always thought that passage was about the ups and downs of love and the "baffled King composing" was the man trying to make some type of cohesive sense out of the many various emotional directions it can take you in. The moods of love don't always harmonize and flow perfectly like a piece of music and he's grappling with his desire/failure to make it do so.
Fun video but if you ever arrive at a European airport and they discover a D# in your luggage you'll be arrested. Technically, the key of E has four sharps (because it has to fit into the circle) but in practice, in Europe, it is ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) referred to in speech and in notation as E♭. Let's not ever start on what might happen in they find a G♭ about your person...
I'm not quite sure on your explanation. For one thing, the major lift could be the IV and V, on which you sing "major lift." No reason that last chord needs to be left out. It also could be that the description is a bit early. Later on you play the ii chord, which is a fall from the IV and V. And it's followed by a III chord*, which is not only a lift in the bass, but also you lift the normal minor third to a major third. Then there's the idea that he always says "chord," not "chords." In that case, these could all be notes. In that case, you have 4, 5, a minor 3rd fall from the 4 gives you a 2, and then a major 3rd lift from the 5 gives you a 7. That's 5-7-2-4, or a dominant seventh chord. (Why minor *third?* Because that's the main scale degree that gets declared minor.) *functionally it's a V/vi, but it is technically also a III chord.
HEY all the backing tracks for the new Improv course are included with the 50% off pre-sale, so you can go grab them now and use them for whatever you want before the course comes out go get em they're a bucket of fun- cornellmusicacademy.com/improv
ok
Hi charles can you do a video on hyrule warriors AOC OST
7:20 you said 6 is major lol
@@Qwervy I was questioning my entire existence at that point
@@daniellynch3724 SAME 💀💀💀💀
I was just thinking about the secret chord that David played and pleased the lord
Which is funny, because even though the lyrics are saying that the "secret chord" goes like this, he doesn't describe a single "secret chord" but a whole progression, lol
@@KanashimiMusic I always interpreted the secret chord was the one that released the tension with the word hallelujah. The progression was just providing context. It goes like this: buildup buildup, chord.
Gsus
As a teenager/young man, David used to play music on the Harp to King Saul as it often eased his tension. In this case "the lord" (lower case "l") was likely the king.
@@TheAce736 That's still not the single chord that's pleasing the lord, it's the entire progression that makes the chord so pleasing. To me, a "secret chord that pleases the lord" sounds like it should be a chord that should do so on its own, even with no context.
The chord that David played that pleased the Lord was…..G sus.
I see what u did there. ✝️
That's so..... unsettling
Oh Judas played G sus alright.
Played him like a damn fiddle.
@@vivaleroca7511 clever girl
@@vivaleroca7511 But Jesus knew he was going to betray Him.
It is weird that I am of that generation where Shrek genuinely was the first place I heard this song
I was actually alive for the original few recordings, and Shrek was still the first time I remember hearing it.
Well, I once had a guitar pupil who thought that "In the Hall of the Goblin King" was originally by Sepultura. Imagine his surprise when he heard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" at my place on day, of which the Goblin piece is the concluding element.
I heard it from Jeff Buckley
For me, this song will forever be associated with The OC. That's where I thought Charles was going before he referenced Shrek.
The only song I associate with Shrek is All-Star, but then again, Mystery Men is the movie that first comes to mind when I hear All-Star.
i always thought this was one of those songs that's kinda been around since forever, and we just kinda modernized it. It has always been so omnipresent to me, i have a hard time comprehending that it actually only picked up steam after shrek
When you play this song on the guitar as Cohen likely would have composed it (which was probably the open-chord voicings but with a capo on 5), the Aminor is literally a lower overall voicing than the Gmajor that precedes it and the Fmajor that follows. I've always thought about it that way.
That is a really cool observation. Playing it with the capo makes me really want to hit that E7, but It definitely sounds Major in the song.
Was just thinking the same thing
Maybe. Perhaps both? A fair few of Cohen's songs on Various Positions were composed on a Casio keyboard, which I think he switched to from the guitar afterwards, for the most part.
Which is neither major, nor minor, but a secret third thing
Yes. And on bass (no capo) that motion from C down to A is a falling motion AND on piano. Jumping up to the A is less natural than going down. Personally, on bass, I go up to go the opposite direction than the other instruments to avoid a parallel motion and to hear my note better, especially on acoustic bass.
What's interesting is that when I listen to the way it's often arranged, I think that the IV and V are played in Second Inversion when the words 'the fourth, the fifth' are sung, then on the minor fall the vi is also played in Second Inversion, but on 'the major lift' they play an F in root! So it really does lift... By one note!
Came to the comments to say exactly this.
This is what I was assuming they meant
Haha I said the same thing! I should have kept scrolling. You are so succinct as well.
And with I, IV, V, vi we have the famous four chords
At 7:23, I believe you intended to say that 6 is minor, not major
Ya I thought so too XD
Can confirm that 6 is indeed naturally minor😂 lil slip up it happens haha
@@b0unce805 Thanks... for the confirmation...
@@TheUnderscore_ I don't know. I think we need some credentials here.
I know. I noticed this too.
I want my money back.
If we look beyond the chords, the melody also goes up in the word "lift" from C to D (or 1 to 2). The whole "the 4th, the 5th..." part always gives me the chills, because it kind of breaks the 4th wall: for a moment, the lyrics of a song become aware that they are, in fact, in a song, and even contain some music theory. Pretty cool!
Almost like a musical quine
I think it’s referred to as prosody
It goes like this
The fourth, the third
You change the chords, you must change the words
The Lord's no longer pleased
Oh hallelujah
Bealtiful
It goes like this the fourth the flat two
you're out of Key God's mad at you,
flat seven oh shit I don't know how to play Hallelujah.
And it goes like this
the fourth, the fifth
sh*t... that's a tritone, the lord is pissed
you invoked the devil, you idiot
Hallelujah
Bravo. 😂
@@nathanjasper512 this made me chuckle
7:23, I know many didn’t catch it but he was meaning to say the 6 is a minor, that is in the C major scale, the 1, 4 and 5 is always major, and the 2, 3 and 6 is always minor in a major scale regarding any key you are in. For those who don’t know what a diminished is, one definition of it is you can use that 7 dim chord as a passing chord to change keys if you don’t want to do a walk up or change instantly
Yeah. I was going to lay down this comment until I saw yours. Good catch
It's not the definition it's a way to use it it. Definitions by definition are only the intervals, the rest is common and sometimes uncommon interpretation.. sorry for nitpicking but it's best to really understand that even the functionality of the chords we use can be subjected to different and not necessarily wrong interpretation. This is especially important in the creative process.
Lol I was gonna say, my life’s a lie
I did, and I was looking for that comment instead of just blasting him all over again like many people would. lol
@@vl3005 Blast away. More comments help the video do better. Don't feel you are disturbing him at any point with your comments 👍👍👍👍👍
When he said “Shrek was in 2001” i felt it.
Well, time marches along in one direction
@@dadgadify Let's reverse the time arrow 😁
I had a friend who got carded, clerk handed it back with barely a glance. When questioned, the clerk said that it was easy since the birthdate was before 2000.
That made me feel old.
I remember after turning 21, handing a clerk my ID for the first time. He looked at me like, "why?" until he saw the date lol
I've been subscribed to you and Adam Neely for a couple of years now and have always been pretty confused about the number system. I played piano a few years as a kid so understand notes but not chords. This finally explained them and especially diminished in a way I could actually understand. Thank you so much!
Similarly here. I started playing instruments as a kid (no formal training) and initially I memorised the main chords that work within key. But after a whole I found out intervals were and suddenly realised I would use the 4ths,5ths, 6th etc. most of the time.
Music is really maths, sport and art combined.
Also, the minor “falls”, drops, recedes by lowering the 3rd a half step. But yeah, I think it’s just as likely he’s referring to the vibe of sinking in to the minor sadness…👌👊🏽 P.S. I humbly submit that the best version of this song belongs to Jeff Buckley. 🙂
Gotta love Jeff. Great singer and somehow better guitar player
Sorry to disagree, but PENTATONIX wins by a country mile. Leonard Cohen agreed about a month before he died. Wait until you hear Mitch Grassi as he breaks your heart with how he tunes the a Capella chords.
I like k.d. Lang’s version 😊
Haven’t seen anyone comment on this yet, but the “minor fall” and “major lift” also connect thematically to the rest of the song and the story that is being told. So it’s actually great writing with layers of meaning embedded.
Great lyric analysis!
It’s also a slight reference to the crucifixion of Jesus, the minor fall of the death of Christ and then the major lift in the meaning of his sacrifice. It’s interesting how many ways you can interpret this song
I don't know about that considering Leonard Cohen was a jew
@@a2wingedeagle As was Jesus
12:33 Be unique!
I would love to hear your analysis of the soundtrack to “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” written by Son Lux. It has some really beautiful stuff in there!
didn’t think i'd see someone requesting son lux. a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one
Omg the music in that film is SO GOOD
I'm disappointed that not everyone is talking about that film. It really deserves a lot more love!
The soundtrack is by Son Lux?! Wow that would explain the eerie but beautiful quality I get from it, so cool
@@thibaultashkanshamloo Fellow Son Lux appreciators
7:22
isn't 6 a minor chord (no pun intended) in a major scale?
i was looking for someone to point that out!! haha 😂
UNSUBSCRIBE
One artist I'd love to see you react to is Cody Fry, I particularly love his rendition of Eleanor Rigby and his original compositions- Caves/Underground. Many thanks from the UK.
Great shout! I'd watch that.
I second this motion so hard.
yes! orchestra in pop is so unique- but cool as well…
Bro the ballad for our marching show this year was composed by him 🤩
Yesss
One of my favourite examples of lyrics referencing harmony is in Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”, where it says “there’s no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor” while the harmony follows suit. In Ella Fitzgerald’s version of the song it’s at roughly 1:25, and it makes me smile every time I hear it!
A fascinating moment I remember from my days of choral singing was during Otto Olsson's Te Deum. The chorus splits into 8 parts for one section. It's very dark and full of tension (minor) until the altos hit a III, then the tension slowly releases through the end of that section. As performers, we absolutely felt it, and it was very moving. We could also tell the audience felt the same.
I am here, yet again, to request you react to Hans Zimmers best work, Prince of Egypt. Such a good soundtrack, such good writing, so much good.
I love it. Thumbs up 👍
That score is absolutely stunning and I may or may not have most of it committed to memory.
I think what's important about the phrase "the minor fall" is that a IV - V would almost always resolve to the I chord, from which the minor sixth is definitely a 'fall', almost as a let-down of expectations.
At the same time, (I'll use the key of C like he does) some people have pointed out that it's often played as F/C, G/D, Am/E, and then F in root position, which *lifts* a note in Am/E!
Since the song is in the key of C major, I kinda figured the 4th was referring to F major chord that's in it and the 5th is G major chord🙂And whatever key you're playing it in, it refers to that key's 4th and 5th degree. Same with the minor part (A minor or whatever the 6th degree would be depending on the key you're playing the song in)
that's what I thought as well. "minor fall" being a minor chord and "major lift" being a major chord
@@matthewthecooke I did not connect these lyrics to the actual music until I saw the thumbnail to this video. I guess I've just been hearing it since so young that by the time I learnt music theory, those lyrics just seemed to... exist for me.
@@matthewthecooke I've always loved the fact that Cohen incorporated that in the song. Ironically, I was recently practicing a piano cover for "Hallelujah" but I got out of the habit of practicing (I'm such a slacker lol), but I think this video will help me get back in the swing of it
That's pretty much exactly what Charles is saying.
I figured the "minor" part was referring to the chord and the "fall" part was referring to the melody line sliding down when he sings it, and similar for the chord and melody sliding up on "major lift"
It doesn't fall though, just stays on the same note
@@mabrurhrivu4998 Yeah I guess you're right. I must have heard the slide on "fall" down in covers. The "major lift" does go up though!
The only other song I know of the top of my head that describes its own harmony is Porcupine Tree's "Four chords that made a million". It has in fact 2 chords for the verse, it adds a 3rd chord for the 'chorus' and only gets a fourth chord in the bridge. I don't think the song would warrant a full episode, but you might want to have a listen to it.
Another one (sort of) is Natasha Bedingfield's "These words" referring to D-E- F which describes not the melody but the bassline - but obviously is also a play on "def" (as in definitely)
Mild High Club- Homage does something like this.
“Someone wrote this song before,
and I could tell you where it’s from,
The 4,7,3,6,2,5,1 to put my mind at ease”
It’s the Autumn Leaves Progression.
7:22 six should be minor
The “secret chord that pleased the lord” is the major chord that relieves the tension that you build with the 4th (pleasing to the ear, relaxing),then the 5th (also pleasant to the ear), then you go to the minor 3rd(by flatting the 3rd note in the chord, you create tension). Then the “secret chord” is breaking the tension by resolving back to the root chord, or major. Music is a language, and it tells the story. For a story to be interesting, it must have conflict and resolve.
Example: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. After they got it, they came back down the hill and took it home to their mother. ……BORING!
Much more interesting if Jack falls and hurts himself, and Jill also trips and falls, and they both tumble down the hill.
I would love to see your analysis of some of Brian David-Gilbert’s work.
Specifically, the beautiful piece of art known as RGSS, it uses wonderful harmony to deliver a very… unique style 😊
How’s this for an interpretation then?
We acknowledge that he could be singing about the chords he’s playing, but in the wider context, he’s talking about a “secret chord”, what was that chord (not progression) that David played?
It’s a dominant chord. How does a dominant 7 chord resolve?
The MINOR 7th falls, and the MAJOR 3rd lifts - boom resolution.
It goes like this, the IV the V…7
If anyone's interested, usually chords 1,4,5,&6 (I, IV, V, vi) are the only ones used in a song (with exceptions)
Chord 1 is also referred to as the Tonic, 4 as the Subdominant, 5 as the Dominant, and 6 as the Relative Minor :)
Day 2 of asking to listen to Dark souls OST
Attempt 20: *Please* listen to the Hollow Knight ost! Imagine classical composers wrote a video game ost, please!
Nobody cares.
@@andybaldman well, this comment certainly didn't age well....
I just realized Shrek is responsible for everyone singing the B at the end of the phrase which isn't in the original.
Wait which B exactly?
@@KanashimiMusic There's a part of the "main theme" of the Shrek original score ("Fairytale" from the intro) where the melody has a repeating 3-5-6 phrase that at one point includes the 7 (D in Fairytale). The chorus of "Hallalujah" also has this 3-5-6 motif, but the melody never goes to the 7 (B in this case). As a result of them both having a similar melodic phrase and appearing prominently in an iconic movie, some people mistakenly get them sort of mixed up and garnish the chorus of Hallelujah with the bit from Fairytale.
Okay…seriously… *_enough_* with this overrated, overplayed, oversaturated song! If I ever hear it again I will build a time machine only for the purpose of going back to the moment when Leonard Cohen conceived of this song and slip him a _roofie_ or 5 so that he forgets about that infernal song and thus it is *NEVER WRITTEN* for the good of mankind!
_Note: I will edit/update this comment upon my successful return from the past._
David Bennet Piano (on UA-cam) has done a couple of brilliant videos on this. "Music That Sounds Like The Lyrics" and "30 More Songs That Use Word Painting"
Closely related are the analyses that Saher Galt (also on UA-cam) did for the theme tunes of Westworld and Ghostbusters showcasing quite *how* clever they really are.
Not sure if you were intending on doing so, but you've created the most clear and succinct content on scale degrees/chord construction/the number system that I've ever found. And I'm not sure why folks cover this in such an opaque way, it's extremely simple when you just run through the building blocks! Lots of music theory instruction seems to go into great depth on individual concepts while completely ignoring how to tie it into the bigger picture, and you always do a great job of doing the latter. Thanks Charles!
"One Four Five" by The Cat Empire is an entire song about the 145 chords. It starts with a man going to a doctor seeking drugs and the doctor proclaiming that the patient needs a daily dose of "some one four five to make you high" because "these chords are written in your brain" and "these three harmonies breed positivity"
You should have a look at 10CC, "I bought a flat (guitar tutor)" where all of the chords are referenced in the lyrics. It's jazzy BTW ;)
The full live performance of Jeff Buckley's cover is absolutely haunting and beautiful. So much emotion. RIP Jeff.
At 11:29 when you are explaining the minor to major lift, All I hear is the avengers theme again 😂
Okay, so I'm not going crazy.
My favorite part of Hallelujah, is when it's sung at religious services. While it's certainly talking about a religious experience, likely not what the congregation had in mind that morning.
That's why I hate this song lol. People *do not* get it
7:22 vi is minor.
The song "One Four Five" by the Cat Empire is literally about how that chord progression can be uplifting and brighten your mood. Ollie is also a beast on keys.
... then you will enjoy the song "I bought a flat" by 10CC.
Café Tacvba's song Esa Noche also nods to music theory in its lyrics. When Rubén sings "fue como ir de menor a mayor" which in one context (inside the lyric narrative) means "it was like going from less to more", it also translates in songwriting context as "going from minor to major" and it actually does modulate in that exact passage to a bridge in a major tonality inside of a minor song. I've always found that pretty cool. You should check it out, it happens at 1:16 ua-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/v-deo.html
Doesn't the word "lift" (in the melody) go up a whole step (outside of the chord)?
Was hoping you'd mention a common feature in some arrangements where they insert a major III chord (Emaj) prior to the minor fall. I've wondered for a while why this works and feels more appropriate than the diatonic minor III chord
The reason it works is that it's a secondary dominant: basically, the E major chord is borrowed from the key of A minor, creating a V-i cadence; it's sort of like a miniature key change
it also creates a nice motion betweeen G and A, because the E chord adds a G# in between
My three favourite versions of Hallelujah are: Rufus Wainwright, KD Lang, and Jeff Buckley. Unrelated: Watching the keyboard overlay at the bottom that isn't aligned to Charles' fingers as he's playing is really messing with my head.
There is a video on UA-cam called "when you only sing in F#" (uploaded by George Collier) in which the singer sings a dissonant F# on purpose while singing they like to do it because everyone else writes in a specific key. It's obviously a comedic song but I still feel like it's really interesting especially when talking about this topic! Just wanted to point it out ^^
it's a Tim Minchin song
@@donalmaguire6099 ah thanks!
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯
*Charles:* S...*stunned* Six is major
*Me:* Nope
7:18
This song has almost become a folk song, people don't really know who wrote it and yet it's such a classic.
Leonard Cohen, as mentioned in the video, wrote it. People really do know.
People don't know who wrote the shrek version, it was Rufus wainwright
People also apparently have no idea what they lyrics are getting at, and somehow imagine it to be religious.
This is an argument I’ve had with way too many people.
Now I finally have somebody else to point to who agrees with me _and_ has credentials.
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт📥Ŵ𝒉ạťʂ𝑨ƤƤ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯💯💯💯
In the chorus of Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” there’s a lyric about dancing in halftime. But the song is actually felt in double-time. There is, however, a breakdown after the second chorus where the song is felt in halftime (even though there’s no backbeat in the breakdown).
I would love to see a breakdown of The Isley Brothers “Highways of my Life”
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️ ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔🔥🔥🔥🤗👌🏆
Really interesting video. I love how you explained the concepts and the thought process behind the lyrics. Keep on going 🔥🔥🔥
Leonard was a fantastic poet. Terrible singer. (His words.) Both Jeff & Rufus put life into Hallelujah. Or better yet; soul.
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️ ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯
As a saxophonist I just have to say, if the alto is playing G#, the piano is playing B natural
But this just proves the point that you shouldnt be required to have to transcribe on the spot when numbers and roman numerals exist to describe theory.
It's like learning machine language in programming. Some people know C+, C#, java, python, etc, but all of those languages when compiled mean the same thing to a computer. Similarly, saxophone, tuba, piano, didgeridoo, etc, it all makes the same sounds to whomever is listening or conducting yk?
Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт📥Ŵ𝒉ạťʂ𝑨ƤƤ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯💯💯💯
Please do Steinsgate, it's an awesome anime with amazingly sci-fi music
I love to see Leonard Cohen getting the recognition he deserves
Pov : You're watching this video with little to no music background yet something still forces you to finish the whole video wishing you knew 70% of what he's talking about.
Probably just the good music
A video explaining the basics of transposing for instruments would be great! One of the things I'm having trouble getting into.
Do you mean transposing instruments, such as the saxophones, the Bb trumpet or French horns? Or do you mean transposing in general? If the latter, your very first step is learning all 12 sounding (15 written) major scales, their key signatures and the respective triads (the I chord). The piano as your reference would be a great instrument.
@@truefilm6991 more so the former like he mentioned in the video, but I'm still glad I started with the piano for the very reason you just mentioned. Understanding that instrument is like a gateway drug into music theory lol
Quick and dirty. You feed the player of such an instrument a C on his sheet music, and he produces the pitch of his instrument. There's a such thing as multiple layers of transposition, so this can get convoluted if you overthink it. Don't overthink it. That's the player's job. The composer's job is just to feed the player something they can read. An instrument in a key that is one step lower than another will need to read a note that is one step higher to match.
So if the piano music has 1 flat (F), Horn in F has empty signature (C), Eb Alto has 2 sharps (C+1=D), and Bb whatever has 1 sharp (F+1=G). This only applies to wind instruments reading treble clef (in most countries). For French Horn, you feed them music as if their instrument is in F, regardless of whether it is or not. Unfortunately, I can't really explain this any better in piano terms. My background for knowing this is as a brass player, and I've learned some rudimentary transposition tricks. I have no idea how to explain the relative octaves for you.
@@Markworth That's it roughly. Just: Bb instruments (say Bb trumpet, soprano clarinet, soprano sax, etc.) have an added two sharps, not one. I have always the instrument ranges open, so I know exactly what I am writing. You should be aware of difficult leaps, possible dynamic range, if an instrument thins out as you go higher (say: oboe) or if it becomes stronger (C flute, or Bb trumpet from a certain point on where it tends to isolate from the section), etc. etc. Notation software helps a lot, but it's always better when you study and really know what you are doing.
@@truefilm6991 Yes. 1 flat + 2 sharps = 1 sharp.
Charles Please React to the Halo ODST soundtrack, its got some really nice jazz sounds and im sure we'd all love to hear your thoughts!
It really is amazing, especially when it's rainy outside. Thank you Marty & Mike!
Thinking about the Major Lift, not only is it an emotional lift from minor chord to major chord, but when it goes from that Am to F, the only note that changes is that the E note LIFTS to an F note!
8:30 if you know music theory already
How did you pin your comment before the video got released?
He posted it to unlisted, and then he posted and pinned the comment, and then he posted the video publicly.
thats the power of music
@@lettersviastars haha yup
What was the secret chord that david played that pleased the lord?
At 7:22 what do you mean 6 is major? A C E = A minor triad...
Hi charles i highly recommend you checkout platina jazz they make GREAT jazz and big band cocers of anime music
Or perhaps The Consouls who do great VGM jazz covers (plus the odd anime)
Belip como tele vu banana 🍌
Esa Noche by Cafe Tacvba
It has a lyric that translates to, "It was like going from minor to major". The chords and the whole tone of the song reflect that perfectly. The song itself is about a lover leaving you and finding someone else that loves you more. The minor to major reference is supposed to reflect that epiphany of finding someone new in your life after being depressed from losing someone.
ua-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/v-deo.html
Months ago, I started subscribing to music theory creators because I wanted to expand my piecemeal understanding of music theory. I didn't even know what the number system was called, but I knew that Roman numerals kept showing up on my sheet music and I wasn't sure what they were.
This explanation was incredibly helpful, thank you!
Check out Persona 5’s soundtrack!
Of course you have noticed that ‘fall’ and ‘lift’ refer to the quality of minor and major, but that is also clear in the original lyrics, where it is not ‘fall’ and ‘lift’, but ‘falls’ and ‘lifts’, that is, the corresponding verbs. By using the verbs, Cohen describes the feelings that minor and major chords (can) express.
Over 300 LICENSED versions of hallelujah. There has to be thousands of versions now
"The Minor fall, the Major lift" could also be seen as referring to David's fall in sin, and his passionate pleading to God thru his music to for give him!
CHARLES CHARLES @CHARLES!!!!!! YOU SIMPLY MUST! SEE AND ANALYZE THE AMERICA'S GOT TALENT VIDEO OF THE DANCING QUEEN COVER THAT DEBBI DAWSON DOES!!!!!!!!!!!!! upvote this yall
The song that springs to my mind is The Music Theory Song (Intervals Roasting) - parody lyrics to The Christmas Song that provide a running analysis of the tune.
I learned this in Spanish with Jaime Altozano ✨
VAMO JAIME ALTOZANO
Charles: There's that one phrase: It goes like this, the fourth, t-
*Ad interrupts*
THE FIVE DOLLAR WHOPPER IS BACK AT BURGER KING
Thanks, ads.
So yes, it is accurate?
To an extent?
The second verse of "Joyride" by Built to Spill references the music:
_It only has 3 chords and they are A and E and D_
_They are A and E and D_
Could 'minor fall' refer to a descending bass-line?
Leonard Cohen's Hallajuhah is about David revealing the Biblical words " Flesh is weak but the Spirit Willing " God called David a " Worm" for the weakness of his flesh but called him " A man after my own heart " for his Spirit
The 1993 classic in the Malayalam language that goes as aha aha aha Hallajuhah -- The laughter of God -- Father, Son Holy Spirit ,
Man, keys are secondary , it's the Words ,
I learned more about playing music from this one video than I did from 2 years of Piano Lessons (Which I quit after still not being able to play anything what-so-ever)
Everything you mentioned in this video was a brand-new concept to me. The only thing I learned in 2 years was which Ball-with-a-vertical-line goes with which key.
Does anybody remember Kate McKinnon on SNL playing Hillary Clinton the night Trump won the presidency? She sat at the piano and sang "Hallelujah" for a serious & moving cold open.
I spent 7 total classes with a HS choir teacher and you simplified a concept in 16 minutes, he barely could articulate in 4 years
BACK TO VIDEO GAMES :D
The melody on “major lift” also goes from C to D indicating the emotional lift even though the chord is back to F
Technically the added D can make the chord a ii minor 65 chord as well, setting up a ii V I until a deceptive cadence back to the minor vi
God I love musical theory. I learned the “Nashville system” as I was taught to call it by a former Nashville studio musician. It has been by far the handiest thing I’ve ever learned. It has allowed me to jump to other instruments with relative ease. Currently I’m unable to play anything due to some issues with my hand dexterity which is quite depressing.
The mystery of this song is that so many sing it like a hymn of praise.
It’s an expression of absolute despair.
Those church singers and audiences going all gooey-eyed just because it includes the words God and hallelujah are proving that they have very poor comprehension of texts, and suffer from ‘starry-eyed syndrome’.
As if I didn’t already know that !
How the hell does this song sound good in literally any key?
Because it’s gay
Funny thing is, all keys on a keyboard or piano have the same step size between them.
The black keys aren't halfway higher.
Every next key has a about 1,0594630944 times the frequency of the lower key.
This is 2^(1/12).
I discovered this when making a tiny pc speaker music player.
I knew every octave was 2 times the frequency and that was split over 12 keys(or notes)
Just splitting it up sounded horrific.
After trying several thing, I suddenly found something that sounded not horrific.
Years later I found the same formula online.
But it was fun to actually, find my own way. It was also before internet was much less filled with useful information.
I did think it was weird that these, "half notes" aren't actually half.
You should apply your musical Mythbusters chops to unraveling the ancient mysteries of "G-Funk" as written in the codex:
Nate Dogg & Warren G - "Regulate" excerpt:
I'm tweaking into a whole new era
G-funk, step to this, I dare ya
Funk on a whole new level
The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble
Chords, strings, we brings melody, G-funk
Where rhythm is life and life is rhythm
If you know like I know, you don't wanna step to this
It's the G-funk era, funked out with a gangsta twist
If you smoke like I smoke, then you're high like every day
And if yo' ass is a busta, 213 will regulate
Been trying to convert this into music theory or even a set of working production techniques, (or potentially smoke inhalation procedures? or studio security measures?) quite unsuccessfully myself, for decades... :D
Hearing this I immediately thought of Fountains of Wayne Hotline by Robbie Fulks. Lots of musical theory.
"And chordally, let's see, a 1, a 5, a 4, with and without a sub-dominant 7, a 2, 2 minor, and briefly a 9th compound over the tonic"
This kind of makes sense now. Thanks!
Hey Charles, I would love to see you react and analyze Don’t lose sight by Lawrence. They have an acoustic one take that is incredible. It is high energy pop, with jazz routes in the keys
you tried to read the words as prose
but noticed how its scansion goes
and now you can’t unhear the tune, so screw ya
recall the phrase you love the most
then once again reblog this post
and tag your fav’rite line of hallelujah.
(Chorus)
okay that’s it I hate you all. like… fuckign done. i’ve hit the wall.
I’m calling the Tumblr Cops to come subdue you...
I hate the fact this fucking fits. I’m just about to call it quits.
Now everything just sounds like hallelujah.
(Chorus)
You pick a phrase, you pick a rhyme, repeat the sound another time,
Five iambs, then an extra beat will do ya.
Another rhyme, a rising note - congratulations, you just wrote
Another goddamn verse to Hallelujah.
There's actually a word for when music does what the lyric is saying (I forget the word, but I'm sure Adam Neely would know it). Anyway, Jeff Buckley's version is the only one worth listening to, on every level. He's the only singer who intuitively (or consciously) understood that the lyric "But you don't really care for music, do you" ("outdrew you," etc.) needs to be pronounced as "do YA," in order for it to imply a rhyme with "hallelUJAH." Even Leonard Cohen didn't get that, and he wrote the damn song!
Hey Charles! New subscriber here. I used to do play music in university and eventually had to give it up but one artist had a really prolific impact on my life. I was wondering if you could take a look at Hiromi Uehara. Some examples of tunes are Move, Time Difference or even her Pachelbel’s Cannon in D. I think there’s a lot of meat for you to dig in to with her music. Her live version of move is something else! Anyways, glad I found your channel. From your newest subscriber and fan 🙂
Why would you assume the lyrics are intended to be interpreted literally? I always thought that passage was about the ups and downs of love and the "baffled King composing" was the man trying to make some type of cohesive sense out of the many various emotional directions it can take you in. The moods of love don't always harmonize and flow perfectly like a piece of music and he's grappling with his desire/failure to make it do so.
Fun video but if you ever arrive at a European airport and they discover a D# in your luggage you'll be arrested. Technically, the key of E has four sharps (because it has to fit into the circle) but in practice, in Europe, it is ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) referred to in speech and in notation as E♭. Let's not ever start on what might happen in they find a G♭ about your person...
I'm not quite sure on your explanation. For one thing, the major lift could be the IV and V, on which you sing "major lift." No reason that last chord needs to be left out.
It also could be that the description is a bit early. Later on you play the ii chord, which is a fall from the IV and V. And it's followed by a III chord*, which is not only a lift in the bass, but also you lift the normal minor third to a major third.
Then there's the idea that he always says "chord," not "chords." In that case, these could all be notes. In that case, you have 4, 5, a minor 3rd fall from the 4 gives you a 2, and then a major 3rd lift from the 5 gives you a 7. That's 5-7-2-4, or a dominant seventh chord.
(Why minor *third?* Because that's the main scale degree that gets declared minor.)
*functionally it's a V/vi, but it is technically also a III chord.
The reference is in the Psalms allegedly composed by King David: Psalm 6:1 “For the leader; with stringed instruments; upon the 8th” for one example.