@@PetersPianoShoppe If you had a patreon, I'd totally sign up for it if it meant getting see more Aphex Twin composition analysis! I'd love to hear your take on 'IZ-US' from the Come To Daddy EP. Do you like Boards Of Canada too?
@@jzolghadr Would you believe it... I have not yet gotten into Boards Of Canada! They're on my list to be sure. I haven't set up a Patreon for a couple reasons: one, because I'm in law school and that's severely impacting my ability to actually make any content, and two, because I'm vehemently against the idea of doing content for money or Adsense. But I can't lie; people like you make me reconsider this. I appreciate your support very much, and I'm really hoping I'll be able to make a schedule that gives me the opportunity to create some more videos.
@@PetersPianoShoppe well, I certainly appreciate your ethics in that regard. Totally understand how time consuming law school must be. Really hope to see some more stuff along this way soon; it's so rare to find someone discussing music theory at a level that I can actually understand and benefit from, let alone doing so with this kind of music!
The reason I love Aphex Twin is because though he is an electronic artist, he covers such a wide range of sound. You can go from a total acid trip to a cloud up in the heavens with his music.
@@alphalax7747 if we're comparing the general population of electronic artists to Aphex Twin, it's pretty insane to think about how creatively free Aphex Twin is sonically. He's a cut above the rest for a reason. I see what you're getting at tho, many people write off electronic artists as just guys pressing buttons. These days it seems that opinion is not as common as it used to be.
Hey everyone.... I'm overwhelmed by the positive responses from you guys; I'd almost forgotten I'd made this video! I made it spontaneously, as a favor for a friend in an Aphex Twin fan group, but decided last minute to make the video public. Thank you so much for the feedback. Of course I agree I should do some judicious editing. (This was done completely off the cuff, with no script.) I'll work on creating tighter, more structured videos with hopefully some graphics as well. Let me ask you: would you like to see analysis like this for other Aphex Twin tracks? Maybe other tracks by other artists? Let me know in the comments below.
@abraham camarillo loza Fingerbib.... wow, that would be a tough one. So much to discuss. I think the hardest part would be creating a workup demo of it to play, so that I can play the track without invoking copyright strikes.
Yes! Stone in Focus would be awesome because it is seemingly even more simple than Rhubarb (or is it? I don't know!) Lichen would be very interesting as well.
“Changing functions while keeping notes is part of what makes melodies great.” This sentence just connected some theory dots for me I was missing. Great breakdown!
The thing is that this track (at least for me) feels like a warm, honest hug from your mother...even perhaps the bright smile of that best friend who loved so much... I think thats why i cried listening to those chords over and over again, it feels like a big sense of relief, like everything its goin' to be okay, it hurts so much to listen to it but it heals you back and put your feet on track again... Music like this its needed and i appreciate a lot that you make a musical analysis of this beautiful piece, thank you! Big hug to everyone who needs it 🫂 bless you all and Aphex Twin of course
I get so emotional anytime i see covers of popular electronic/ambient music. People can talk as much shit as they want about electronic production but the fact is these tunes and these chords will live on, wether its in our heads, made on computer, or covered with real instruments they are all beautiful and the meaning remains.
I know nothing about theory, but I was enthralled learning about why my brain feels the way it does listening to one of my favorite ambient tracks ever recorded. You have a great way of explaining musical concepts.Thank you so much, I instantly subscribed.
I feel like Rhubarb is a bit like "finding peace in resignation". It's lamenting, yes, but it's also strangely peaceful. It's like your emotions finding some ground to stand on after crying. And now, we have the orchestrated reversed version, which sounds like the opposite, a continuous rising that, in the end, goes nowhere. Reaching out, but never really soaring. It tries to get up and fly, but it's strained, troubled and there's this underlying feeling that it will never take off. It really is the complementary companion piece to the original.
Okay like, I don’t have any music knowledge but I love this song. I scrolled down to expect to see thousands of comments and millions of views... and there’s not? This explanation is great and really let’s someone like me, who has very limited understanding of music, appreciate one of the most beautiful pieces of music even further
So glad you enjoyed it. I'm an absolute newb and this was my first video, so it stands to reason it doesn't quite have the web presence other videos like it might. I'm grateful for the likes!
I think I have listened to this track more than 2,000 times. I do believe it is an all time great song because how else could 5 chords make me want to listen that many times? To my ear, each pass through the progression has its own flavor. I believe there is a heavy dose of volume manipulation each pass to bring the various leading tones forward. Such a good song, and thanks so much for making this video!
"[...] the fact that it ends on the chord it starts creates kind of a Moebius loop from which you will never escape." the octave jump is almost like a round with itself... as if the entire progression could be played as a kind of musical shepherd tone. (of course now somebody will have to go create this...) the call out to Arvo Part and I'm back in my mind to music theory classes from decades ago. this iteration I get to look at the back-side of my own musical Moebius loop. :)
This is going to sound a bit weird, but for me music - particularly for whatever reason, ambient electronic music, really feels like a doorway into a deeper layer of the universe. Like I feel like if there is an afterlife or higher level of being it probably sound a bit like this. It is interesting how ambient electronic music often embraces that - either by associating with existing religious or spiritual aspects(e.g. Mercan Dede and Sufism), or very much linking it to the inner workings of the universe(Carbon Based Lifeforms). I think other people have noticed this. I think it's partly due to the "elementary" nature of synthesiser sounds in some ways, but of course pure wave forms don't put us in that place, imperfect and filtered analogue ones tend to(though of course Brian Eno and maybe others also mastered using Digital Synths for this, so it's just a general rule). For Rhubarb, I don't interpret it as being bleak or sad as others might do, but it is Lamentful. Like I said about the idea that if there is an afterlife, it "sounds" like this, it does feel like the idea of having passed on, still existing and still having something to move onto, but realising the loss and disconnection, drowing yourself in nostalgia. I feel like this is probably a good song to listen to after you've had to upend your life and move elsewhere for that reason. It is definitely the sort of music you'd hear in a dream in that situation.
Thank you! That was bloody amazing--you elucidated most clearly how Richard cleverly used some rather simple things to make a tune that summons very complex emotions. Fantastic!
This was a soundtrack for walking to work in 2001/2 at 05:00 in the morning. I haven't really listened to it since, but it brought it all flooding back!
6/ 1/ 3/ 7/ 6 This sequence, this designation. A recurring theme. A knot. Set and augmented by voice and inversion. Homebound, following that familiar path; a weathered groove, scored by errant tone
and steadfast cadence. This dreamspun succour, uncovered by the dip of sun, the rush of stars. Inescapable. Unbound by resolution in form. It is in the seeking that we find. This, our haven, our home, our ark. We hang our hats, at rest in grateful lament, slumped in red-eyed tribute. Home. If nothing else, we can call this home.
My other standout from that album is Stone in Focus which I think does a similar thing, but using the same scale it sets up an interesting 3 note loop that sounds a lot more hopeful and meditative,
I would to see more stuff like this. Listen to Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 and pick out some interesting tracks and explain them like this.. There are a lot of really bizarre tracks in there that are downright chilling and it would be very interesting to hear an analysis of some of those songs.
Who knows why, but the British sure have made a mark on planet earth with their music that no other nation has, and have given us so much beautiful music. Even a track with such few notes has impacted so many lives clearly. However they do it they do it best.
It's astounding. From Purcell, all the way up to Elgar, Vaughan-Williams... and then of course The Beatles, every UK rock & prog band, then the punk and post-punk legends, then baggy, Madchester, house & mixed techno subgenres, U.K. garage, and of course, ambient. Oh boy, did I mention Brian Eno? Let's go ahead and mention Brian Eno.
"Rhubarb" always sounded to me really simple and transparent yet so deep and meaningful, contradictory terms my mind couldn't understand. The meaning is crystal clear for me now thanks to this is video! Amazing.
Thank you! The emotional part is very important. Theory can be fun to break down and analyze a tune, but we must always remember that notes are written to express an artistic intent, and our emotional reaction to a song may get us closer to that intent than the theory can.
It seems that fundamentally a lot of it links to a spatio-temporal representation of notes which represents a deep familiarity with how different chords can create a sense of dissonance, and that isolation is represented through the sense of hope being lost and the isolated frequencies… aphex twin is the king of communicating meaning through form and form through meaning
This is a fantastic, hugely insightful analysis of one of the most emotional and beautiful songs I ever heard. Ever since I first heard it, I have often wondered why - of all the songs I’ve listened to in my life - that this one from Aphex Twin has such a ridiculously strong emotional pull on me. It makes me sad and happy all at once. And it was so impossible to answer why but you did so brilliantly. If only I had a music teacher like you growing up in school. You really are great. Thank you!
My favourite version of this is "Rhubarb on a classical guitar" which you can find here. It, together with a very evocative and simple video shot on an old camera, has been up since 15 years and it is something I keep returning to throughout my life as I grew up from a teenager to an adult.
This version stood out for me too, that very subtle added tremolo guitarsound nails it and together with the footage gives you a strange vibe of nostalgia. Try catching the same emotion on a recorder lol
I'm a fan of Richard's work for decades now. I don't have any background in music analysis and this explain in such detail why my brain can't get enough of his art work. Amazing verbalization! I would recommend to continue more music analysis!
as a layman who loves music this was one of the best music analysis videos I've seen. I'll watch other things where people talk about scales and whatnot but don't bother explaining what difference that makes.
Great analysis! When I first listened to this track in the 90’s I had no context for any of it. No one else I knew was listening to it, no track was on the radio, so every track had equal weight and value to me, with no map or guide to them. Yet this track stood out to me above all the others. I used to listen to “track 3” on repeat over and over. It was just so emotional and cuts right to the heart. Thanks to your video I understand a little more about it.
It always reminded my mind of the mental breakdown scene in Pi, for some reason, like if a breakdown is successful and sorta resets the mental system, Rhubarb plays foggily in the background.
Oh and also I just remembered Enya's Evening Falls, like that's an entire song but Rhubarb is a cubist Basinski loop from it, played until it's fully soaked into the marrow of the listener.
Love this video. Like another commenter, my first impulse was to express this in D lydian but I really don’t hear a strong pull there. After listening to the track just now I actually can’t stop hearing it in A major. IV vi I V IV. I feel the sadness derived from the constant lack of resolution with the tonic buried in the middle of the cadence with the shortest duration. Then it perpetually hangs on the Ah of amen. Like trying to get to a ball in water, or a in dream when a goal or object is so close but always just out of reach. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful video. I love and celebrate the myriad ways of hearing and interpreting music.
That's probably it. But yet another way to look at it for fun is that DFA creates the tonic. It's the chord that gets the most air time. So it IS in the key of D but it's major with a borrowed II from Lydian: I -- iii -- V -- II -- I. The iii, V, II might be considered a grouped deceptive cadence (there's only a one note difference between the V and iii) that stacks onto the layers of cadence.
What an inviting and masterful exploration - thank you! I think my favourite was at 24:06 where it is almost like you caught yourself off guard with the weight of the emotion of what you had just played in your explanation.
Yep. It seemed exactly like that to me too. That thought actually made me smile to myself a bit. It's crazy what something seemingly so simple can do to one.
I remember when I played these exact chords almost 8 years ago I would play them over and over again with the deep root notes I would play them close to the bass area of the piano and loved them never thought much of them in terms being a well known progression and also I would play this to my friends sometimes or to myself when I was feeling lost or sad to help me feel better mostly to take my mind of things, most crazy of all I never knew Aphex Twin released such a calm song I thought they only did crazy electro metal Dubstep.
Isn't it? In the end, we resign ourselves as much as the song tells us to, because there's no choice. That's the power of music. Thanks so much for watching.
Dude killer breakdown. Those chords are really complex for me to play. I’ve messed with downloading the midi files so I could learn to play this piece, but they all seem to be incorrect and your breakdown seems totally spot on to me. Thanks for putting this out there.
If I'm not mistaken you could transpose this to A minor (just the white keys) and simply play F Am C G F if you wanted to get the basic shape of the progression. (Note the first chord is an inversion of the last). The fingering is slightly harder in the correct scale with some of the black keys.
This is so beyond my comprehension... but I immediately thought of the first chords of Build of Home by Cinematic Orchestra and imagined the "moods" that are created based on the way the notes are arranged. Thanks for a wonderful and enlightening presentation.
I've been taking some music classes lately, so I'm a beginner still, but It's awesome to finally be able to analyze this tune a little! It's been one of my favorites for years. Thanks for posting this! You're an excellent teacher!
Thank you so much for this. I can't express into words how much this helped me today . I heard ambient works 2 for the first time today and I just broke my brain on this melody. It's something so universal but so personal. I could not wrap my head around it
One of my favourite tracks of all time. Thank you for showing us the chord structure of it all. You have made it more evocative showing us all how it all works. Cannot thank you enough ♥️
*Absolutely Gorgeous Peter, thank you for breaking this down and analyzing it and explaining this luscious tune.* *Simply marvellous bruvva, thank you for sharing
Just to add, this is brilliant. Music analysis from someone who gets the music and tries to explain why it seems to work. That should be how of music analysis is done!
Peter, this tutorial is ABSOLUTE GOLD! Subscribed instantly. You are very gifted in explaining musing and also (which is something that only true musicians do) the feelings its expressing.
One of the things about him that really clued me in on why his music is the way it is, is that he has synaesthesia. So one of the reasons his music is kind of all over the place, is that he experiences it very differently to how someone without that condition would. I have no idea how well versed he is in actual music theory, just saying that learning that about RDJ really opened my eyes about his music in general.
If you could believe it, it's just my "warm pad" patch on the Casio Privia with a little EQ dialed in to roll off the highs and a touch boost in the mids. That's all. I have a feeling that the combination of that plus the lo-fi result of having the sound recorded through the cheap built-in iPhone mic that I used to make this video rounds out the sound just right.
@@PetersPianoShoppe I think you nailed it with the mic quality and room space. The mic likely can't handle the acoustics of the room's reverb and effectively recreates the slightly blown-out sound of the original and gives it a soft distortion/over-saturation. Amazing how similar it sounds!
Thank you for this! I’m tryIng to learn more about theory and Aphex Twin is my favorite artist so this is perfect! If you could please do Lichen by Aphex Twin I would be so happy as that is my favorite piece by him
For some reason I have never looked at this song as a musician, it's always just been in my life and rewired my brain to direct experience observer mode haha. Threnody by Goldmund is in the same key and kind of performs a more direct display of that dance between hope and hopelessness. The pad your using is incredibly similar to the song actually Shows me how much I over think and over complicate things in my sound design sessions when trying to achieve something in a similar vein to Rhubarb. Really enlightening video for me, thank you very much 🙂
Wibble...I'm right there with you with respect to sound design. Being the owner of a number of analog and FM synths as well as countless soft synths, I long passed the point where "too much choice" began to overwhelm my creative instincts. These days I try to keep it simple.
The music teacher I’ve always wanted
What a compliment! Thanks, Josh. It encourages me to make more.
Absolutely.
@@PetersPianoShoppe If you had a patreon, I'd totally sign up for it if it meant getting see more Aphex Twin composition analysis! I'd love to hear your take on 'IZ-US' from the Come To Daddy EP.
Do you like Boards Of Canada too?
@@jzolghadr Would you believe it... I have not yet gotten into Boards Of Canada! They're on my list to be sure. I haven't set up a Patreon for a couple reasons: one, because I'm in law school and that's severely impacting my ability to actually make any content, and two, because I'm vehemently against the idea of doing content for money or Adsense. But I can't lie; people like you make me reconsider this. I appreciate your support very much, and I'm really hoping I'll be able to make a schedule that gives me the opportunity to create some more videos.
@@PetersPianoShoppe well, I certainly appreciate your ethics in that regard. Totally understand how time consuming law school must be. Really hope to see some more stuff along this way soon; it's so rare to find someone discussing music theory at a level that I can actually understand and benefit from, let alone doing so with this kind of music!
"You create a bit of hope, and then immediately throw it away." I love this analysis
Thanks, TensenPark... glad you enjoyed!
Thanks for describing my life. Lol
6:56 please get in the habit :)
Nice to know that real world life principles also apply to music.
The reason I love Aphex Twin is because though he is an electronic artist, he covers such a wide range of sound. You can go from a total acid trip to a cloud up in the heavens with his music.
Absolutely true.
"though"? Why would being an electronic artist stop him from being varied?
@@alphalax7747 if we're comparing the general population of electronic artists to Aphex Twin, it's pretty insane to think about how creatively free Aphex Twin is sonically. He's a cut above the rest for a reason. I see what you're getting at tho, many people write off electronic artists as just guys pressing buttons. These days it seems that opinion is not as common as it used to be.
@@zsebestien7050 At this point a lot of people have tried "just pushing buttons" only to realize there's still only one Aphex Twin.
Hey everyone.... I'm overwhelmed by the positive responses from you guys; I'd almost forgotten I'd made this video! I made it spontaneously, as a favor for a friend in an Aphex Twin fan group, but decided last minute to make the video public. Thank you so much for the feedback. Of course I agree I should do some judicious editing. (This was done completely off the cuff, with no script.) I'll work on creating tighter, more structured videos with hopefully some graphics as well. Let me ask you: would you like to see analysis like this for other Aphex Twin tracks? Maybe other tracks by other artists? Let me know in the comments below.
@abraham camarillo loza Fingerbib.... wow, that would be a tough one. So much to discuss. I think the hardest part would be creating a workup demo of it to play, so that I can play the track without invoking copyright strikes.
I'd love to see you analyze stone in focus
i would love to see more!!
Yes! Stone in Focus would be awesome because it is seemingly even more simple than Rhubarb (or is it? I don't know!) Lichen would be very interesting as well.
Great job! How about Aisatsana?
“Changing functions while keeping notes is part of what makes melodies great.”
This sentence just connected some theory dots for me I was missing. Great breakdown!
"You don't hear it but your brain does."
Excellent analysis 👏
The thing is that this track (at least for me) feels like a warm, honest hug from your mother...even perhaps the bright smile of that best friend who loved so much...
I think thats why i cried listening to those chords over and over again, it feels like a big sense of relief, like everything its goin' to be okay, it hurts so much to listen to it but it heals you back and put your feet on track again...
Music like this its needed and i appreciate a lot that you make a musical analysis of this beautiful piece, thank you!
Big hug to everyone who needs it
🫂 bless you all and Aphex Twin of course
for sure. your own worries and fears are shared with the track
What did you say about my mother?
Cool but thats not a real explanation
I get so emotional anytime i see covers of popular electronic/ambient music. People can talk as much shit as they want about electronic production but the fact is these tunes and these chords will live on, wether its in our heads, made on computer, or covered with real instruments they are all beautiful and the meaning remains.
I know nothing about theory, but I was enthralled learning about why my brain feels the way it does listening to one of my favorite ambient tracks ever recorded. You have a great way of explaining musical concepts.Thank you so much, I instantly subscribed.
Thanks, Kile!
I would love more videos like this from selected ambient works
I think that's a winning idea. A lot of others have suggested the same thing. I will do so.
@@PetersPianoShoppe I subscribe directly 😁 Thank you, can't wait for it 🙌
Agree
@@PetersPianoShoppe I think youve just found your niche YT channel :D Looking 4ward to it
"You are stuck losing this hope over and over. You'll never get away". lol
I feel like Rhubarb is a bit like "finding peace in resignation". It's lamenting, yes, but it's also strangely peaceful. It's like your emotions finding some ground to stand on after crying. And now, we have the orchestrated reversed version, which sounds like the opposite, a continuous rising that, in the end, goes nowhere. Reaching out, but never really soaring. It tries to get up and fly, but it's strained, troubled and there's this underlying feeling that it will never take off. It really is the complementary companion piece to the original.
Okay like, I don’t have any music knowledge but I love this song. I scrolled down to expect to see thousands of comments and millions of views... and there’s not? This explanation is great and really let’s someone like me, who has very limited understanding of music, appreciate one of the most beautiful pieces of music even further
So glad you enjoyed it. I'm an absolute newb and this was my first video, so it stands to reason it doesn't quite have the web presence other videos like it might. I'm grateful for the likes!
I was actually thinking the exact same thing when I went to look at the comment section.
I think I have listened to this track more than 2,000 times. I do believe it is an all time great song because how else could 5 chords make me want to listen that many times? To my ear, each pass through the progression has its own flavor. I believe there is a heavy dose of volume manipulation each pass to bring the various leading tones forward. Such a good song, and thanks so much for making this video!
Yes I think he was probably messing with EQs on the fly after recording the chords
"[...] the fact that it ends on the chord it starts creates kind of a Moebius loop from which you will never escape."
the octave jump is almost like a round with itself... as if the entire progression could be played as a kind of musical shepherd tone. (of course now somebody will have to go create this...)
the call out to Arvo Part and I'm back in my mind to music theory classes from decades ago. this iteration I get to look at the back-side of my own musical Moebius loop. :)
@Koshka Möbius
Rolled off frequencies also denote distance, further developing the feeling of isolation :)
Explaining this extraordinary emotional music is extraordinary emotional.
This is going to sound a bit weird, but for me music - particularly for whatever reason, ambient electronic music, really feels like a doorway into a deeper layer of the universe. Like I feel like if there is an afterlife or higher level of being it probably sound a bit like this. It is interesting how ambient electronic music often embraces that - either by associating with existing religious or spiritual aspects(e.g. Mercan Dede and Sufism), or very much linking it to the inner workings of the universe(Carbon Based Lifeforms). I think other people have noticed this.
I think it's partly due to the "elementary" nature of synthesiser sounds in some ways, but of course pure wave forms don't put us in that place, imperfect and filtered analogue ones tend to(though of course Brian Eno and maybe others also mastered using Digital Synths for this, so it's just a general rule).
For Rhubarb, I don't interpret it as being bleak or sad as others might do, but it is Lamentful. Like I said about the idea that if there is an afterlife, it "sounds" like this, it does feel like the idea of having passed on, still existing and still having something to move onto, but realising the loss and disconnection, drowing yourself in nostalgia. I feel like this is probably a good song to listen to after you've had to upend your life and move elsewhere for that reason. It is definitely the sort of music you'd hear in a dream in that situation.
I’ve always wondered why it is so good.
Thank you! That was bloody amazing--you elucidated most clearly how Richard cleverly used some rather simple things to make a tune that summons very complex emotions. Fantastic!
Thank YOU for watching! and for your generous comments. I’m working on the next one.
This was a soundtrack for walking to work in 2001/2 at 05:00 in the morning. I haven't really listened to it since, but it brought it all flooding back!
This song gives me so much hope. Also, you're fantastic teacher!
6/ 1/ 3/ 7/ 6
This sequence, this designation.
A recurring theme. A knot. Set and
augmented by voice and inversion.
Homebound, following that familiar path;
a weathered groove, scored by errant tone
and steadfast cadence.
This dreamspun succour, uncovered
by the dip of sun, the rush of stars.
Inescapable. Unbound by resolution in form.
It is in the seeking that we find.
This, our haven, our home, our ark.
We hang our hats,
at rest in grateful lament,
slumped in red-eyed tribute.
Home. If nothing else,
we can call this home.
Please continue writing
Every now and then people on youtube come through with the goods
My other standout from that album is Stone in Focus which I think does a similar thing, but using the same scale it sets up an interesting 3 note loop that sounds a lot more hopeful and meditative,
I would to see more stuff like this. Listen to Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 and pick out some interesting tracks and explain them like this.. There are a lot of really bizarre tracks in there that are downright chilling and it would be very interesting to hear an analysis of some of those songs.
Even microtonality
Who knows why, but the British sure have made a mark on planet earth with their music that no other nation has, and have given us so much beautiful music. Even a track with such few notes has impacted so many lives clearly. However they do it they do it best.
It's astounding. From Purcell, all the way up to Elgar, Vaughan-Williams... and then of course The Beatles, every UK rock & prog band, then the punk and post-punk legends, then baggy, Madchester, house & mixed techno subgenres, U.K. garage, and of course, ambient. Oh boy, did I mention Brian Eno? Let's go ahead and mention Brian Eno.
Richard is more British-Irish
"Rhubarb" always sounded to me really simple and transparent yet so deep and meaningful, contradictory terms my mind couldn't understand. The meaning is crystal clear for me now thanks to this is video! Amazing.
Thank you so much, Leonardo!
I love how your analysis is driven by emotion and admiration towards the piece, not just a pure theoretical dissection of notes
Thank you! The emotional part is very important. Theory can be fun to break down and analyze a tune, but we must always remember that notes are written to express an artistic intent, and our emotional reaction to a song may get us closer to that intent than the theory can.
I listen to it when I’m sad...
Hope and despair, tension and release, near and far from home. What a great explanation.
Thanks so much!
It seems that fundamentally a lot of it links to a spatio-temporal representation of notes which represents a deep familiarity with how different chords can create a sense of dissonance, and that isolation is represented through the sense of hope being lost and the isolated frequencies… aphex twin is the king of communicating meaning through form and form through meaning
This is a fantastic, hugely insightful analysis of one of the most emotional and beautiful songs I ever heard.
Ever since I first heard it, I have often wondered why - of all the songs I’ve listened to in my life - that this one from Aphex Twin has such a ridiculously strong emotional pull on me. It makes me sad and happy all at once. And it was so impossible to answer why but you did so brilliantly.
If only I had a music teacher like you growing up in school. You really are great.
Thank you!
My favourite version of this is "Rhubarb on a classical guitar" which you can find here. It, together with a very evocative and simple video shot on an old camera, has been up since 15 years and it is something I keep returning to throughout my life as I grew up from a teenager to an adult.
Great music translates to almost every medium or arrangement.
This version stood out for me too, that very subtle added tremolo guitarsound nails it and together with the footage gives you a strange vibe of nostalgia. Try catching the same emotion on a recorder lol
I can't fault anything he said. Very good
There are so many insightful comments here. What a nice corner of the internet.
I'm a fan of Richard's work for decades now. I don't have any background in music analysis and this explain in such detail why my brain can't get enough of his art work. Amazing verbalization! I would recommend to continue more music analysis!
This track is outrageously beautiful with only this simple melody, it’s like it’s sacred or something
Agreed.
Awesome explanation, cheers
Thank you!
Please more Aphex Twin theory!!
as a layman who loves music this was one of the best music analysis videos I've seen. I'll watch other things where people talk about scales and whatnot but don't bother explaining what difference that makes.
What generous words, prpfunk... thanks so much for watching. Next video coming up soon!
Awesome thank you ❤️🪄 magical song
if i heard some whistling rhubarb in public i would ask them if they were okay and offer them a hug
🤣🤣
Great analysis! When I first listened to this track in the 90’s I had no context for any of it. No one else I knew was listening to it, no track was on the radio, so every track had equal weight and value to me, with no map or guide to them. Yet this track stood out to me above all the others. I used to listen to “track 3” on repeat over and over. It was just so emotional and cuts right to the heart. Thanks to your video I understand a little more about it.
Thanks, Michael! And congratulations on the Lyra! Do you have any of your music posted anywhere? I'd love to hear it.
didnt think i’d want to watch a nearly half hour long explanation of the song, but apparently i did! thanks!
Would love sone more videos on the music theory behind Aphex twin, especially Avril 14th
It always reminded my mind of the mental breakdown scene in Pi, for some reason, like if a breakdown is successful and sorta resets the mental system, Rhubarb plays foggily in the background.
Very nice drawing a parallel with Arvo Pärt, as soon as you said this my brain thought "slowed down tintinabuli!"
Oh and also I just remembered Enya's Evening Falls, like that's an entire song but Rhubarb is a cubist Basinski loop from it, played until it's fully soaked into the marrow of the listener.
Love this video. Like another commenter, my first impulse was to express this in D lydian but I really don’t hear a strong pull there. After listening to the track just now I actually can’t stop hearing it in A major. IV vi I V IV. I feel the sadness derived from the constant lack of resolution with the tonic buried in the middle of the cadence with the shortest duration. Then it perpetually hangs on the Ah of amen. Like trying to get to a ball in water, or a in dream when a goal or object is so close but always just out of reach.
Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful video. I love and celebrate the myriad ways of hearing and interpreting music.
That's probably it. But yet another way to look at it for fun is that DFA creates the tonic. It's the chord that gets the most air time. So it IS in the key of D but it's major with a borrowed II from Lydian: I -- iii -- V -- II -- I. The iii, V, II might be considered a grouped deceptive cadence (there's only a one note difference between the V and iii) that stacks onto the layers of cadence.
What an inviting and masterful exploration - thank you! I think my favourite was at 24:06 where it is almost like you caught yourself off guard with the weight of the emotion of what you had just played in your explanation.
Yep. It seemed exactly like that to me too. That thought actually made me smile to myself a bit. It's crazy what something seemingly so simple can do to one.
So glad I found this... Thank you!!
One of my favorite ambient tracks of all time. Melts my soul. I loved this, thank you! ✨
Thanks so much, Cristoburn! I'm glad you enjoyed.
I remember when I played these exact chords almost 8 years ago I would play them over and over again with the deep root notes I would play them close to the bass area of the piano and loved them never thought much of them in terms being a well known progression and also I would play this to my friends sometimes or to myself when I was feeling lost or sad to help me feel better mostly to take my mind of things, most crazy of all I never knew Aphex Twin released such a calm song I thought they only did crazy electro metal Dubstep.
Listen to selected ambient works. And while we're at it, autechre is really pleasant as well
@@ufffd I'll be sure to check it out thanks
Chord progressions based around the 6 when minor or 4 when major often evoke a lot of feeling
I don’t know why but the song evokes some sort of nostalgia
your analysis is very good and cool, thank you so much !!
Thank YOU, Louis, for watching.
Amazing lesson
you're right, i'm stuck inside it but that's ok
your efforts are appreciated
Isn't it? In the end, we resign ourselves as much as the song tells us to, because there's no choice. That's the power of music. Thanks so much for watching.
this is the perfect balance between explanations and passionate self-expression. I really loved this.
Hey Victor... thanks so much for the nice comment. I'm glad you enjoyed! More on the way.
please please continue!
This is beautifully taught and explained. 🙏
Thank you so much!
I learned something today... why my favourite track is my favourite track!
Dude killer breakdown. Those chords are really complex for me to play. I’ve messed with downloading the midi files so I could learn to play this piece, but they all seem to be incorrect and your breakdown seems totally spot on to me. Thanks for putting this out there.
If I'm not mistaken you could transpose this to A minor (just the white keys) and simply play F Am C G F if you wanted to get the basic shape of the progression. (Note the first chord is an inversion of the last). The fingering is slightly harder in the correct scale with some of the black keys.
I love the way you teach
How kind of you to say. Thank you, Carlos!
I watched it til the end while I am journaling, it was a quite nice session of watching long videos while doing work!
Really enjoyed watching this video, woulda loved to see a similar kind of assessment on stone in focus
This is so beyond my comprehension... but I immediately thought of the first chords of Build of Home by Cinematic Orchestra and imagined the "moods" that are created based on the way the notes are arranged. Thanks for a wonderful and enlightening presentation.
I've been taking some music classes lately, so I'm a beginner still, but It's awesome to finally be able to analyze this tune a little! It's been one of my favorites for years. Thanks for posting this! You're an excellent teacher!
That's so kind of you to say, Elijah; I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed!
Thank you so much for this. I can't express into words how much this helped me today . I heard ambient works 2 for the first time today and I just broke my brain on this melody. It's something so universal but so personal. I could not wrap my head around it
Thank you
One of my favourite tracks of all time. Thank you for showing us the chord structure of it all. You have made it more evocative showing us all how it all works. Cannot thank you enough ♥️
also just finished this and just have to say, fantastic analysis!
*Absolutely Gorgeous Peter, thank you for breaking this down and analyzing it and explaining this luscious tune.*
*Simply marvellous bruvva, thank you for sharing
Hey.. thanks so much, man! I really appreciate the love. Glad you enjoyed it.
It's just perfect
oh this is so helpful i am so helpful. and i'm looking into this thank you thank you thank you so helpful wow
Superb breakdown ❤️ thank you. Only thing I would add is the exceptional use of meter, which further casts that beautiful, unsettling feeling.
What an absolutely amazing review over my absolute favorite song in all of existence. Great job!
Thanks, man! So glad you enjoyed!
It's evocative. It's get's the people slowing.
Wow man , thank you for this ! Such great insights !
Thanks so much for the comment, Emanuel. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Just to add, this is brilliant. Music analysis from someone who gets the music and tries to explain why it seems to work. That should be how of music analysis is done!
Thanks very much, Daniel.
Peter, this tutorial is ABSOLUTE GOLD! Subscribed instantly. You are very gifted in explaining musing and also (which is something that only true musicians do) the feelings its expressing.
Thank you, what kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Came back to rewatch this explanation. You should really make more like this
No THIS!!!!
Is true EDM 💃🏼🕺🏾
Really enjoyed this. Must have listened to this song 100s of times while working
It's such a beautiful composition
I wonder if RDJ knew this when he was making the track.
One of the things about him that really clued me in on why his music is the way it is, is that he has synaesthesia. So one of the reasons his music is kind of all over the place, is that he experiences it very differently to how someone without that condition would. I have no idea how well versed he is in actual music theory, just saying that learning that about RDJ really opened my eyes about his music in general.
Amazing video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and analysing this song!
Thank you for watching, Vuk! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks a lot! OH.... and as soon as I typed that you mentioned Arvo Part. Great breakdown for a theory newbie like me. :))))
really cool, thanks for sharing.
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7:26
" But you say to go slow".. cindy lauper- time after time 😅🤣😝
Yep!
Wow... thank you so much for this, amazing video. Great work
Wow, I really did enjoy this and learned a lot. I’d love to hear how you re-created Aphex Twin’s warm pad sound so well!
If you could believe it, it's just my "warm pad" patch on the Casio Privia with a little EQ dialed in to roll off the highs and a touch boost in the mids. That's all. I have a feeling that the combination of that plus the lo-fi result of having the sound recorded through the cheap built-in iPhone mic that I used to make this video rounds out the sound just right.
@@PetersPianoShoppe I think you nailed it with the mic quality and room space. The mic likely can't handle the acoustics of the room's reverb and effectively recreates the slightly blown-out sound of the original and gives it a soft distortion/over-saturation. Amazing how similar it sounds!
Amazing work! Thank you!
I love this song and it's a very interesting explanation and interpretation, thank you!! the link between music and emotions is fascinating...
Thanks for watching, Pierre!
This is my favorite song ever and the fact that you made this video is so important
Thank you for this! I’m tryIng to learn more about theory and Aphex Twin is my favorite artist so this is perfect! If you could please do Lichen by Aphex Twin I would be so happy as that is my favorite piece by him
Roger that! It's on the list. Thanks for watching.
welcome everybody to the aphex twin algorithm
this chord progression is so inspirational to me
Saw title and instantly added to bookmarks so I watch it later.
Playing triads with thumb, 1st and 2nd is doing my head in
Hahaha.. I hear you. I played Khachaturian’s piano concerto when I was 17 and that’s what did it. Thumb, 2, 3….. thumb, 2, 4…. they’re all open game.
For some reason I have never looked at this song as a musician, it's always just been in my life and rewired my brain to direct experience observer mode haha.
Threnody by Goldmund is in the same key and kind of performs a more direct display of that dance between hope and hopelessness.
The pad your using is incredibly similar to the song actually
Shows me how much I over think and over complicate things in my sound design sessions when trying to achieve something in a similar vein to Rhubarb. Really enlightening video for me, thank you very much 🙂
Wibble...I'm right there with you with respect to sound design. Being the owner of a number of analog and FM synths as well as countless soft synths, I long passed the point where "too much choice" began to overwhelm my creative instincts. These days I try to keep it simple.