Why "Single Ladies" is so cool | Q+A
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Also, can guitar hero make you a better player, and why do you pronounce the word “leg” so strangely?
Many thanks to Language Pepe, rogue cherokee, Carl Enquist, Denny Crane, Ryan Martin, marscrasher, oli dzoli, Bo Diddly and Robert Roberts
0:29 Single Ladies is simple pop trash!
6:17 Can playing guitar hero improve your musicianship?
7:23 If it sounds good, it is good!
8:09 Letter from somebody who went to the same school Damien Chazelle did (whiplash guy)
9:36 Should CZcams be considered an academic source?
10:44 Check out Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus!
11:19 Your accent is weird
11:56 Your last video on Scotch Snaps was whitewashing
13:10 Why hasn’t Berklee given you a teaching gig yet?
(⌐■_■)
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Peace,
Adam
If you like it, then ya better put a b6 on it
I laughed audibly at this
oh god please no
I really like b6s, especially the ways they can be used in minor iv chords or minor/phrygian plagal cadences. I also love it when a song that would normally be in major borrows that minor iv chord so that they can use the b6. I think David Bowie's "Space Oddity" under the words "floating in a most peculiar way / stars look very different today" is one example of this, and I think Moana's "How Far I'll Go" under the words "what is wrong with me?" is another and I love both of those songs.
@@Christopherjazzcat me too XD
@@AlexKnauth I'm also a huge fan of IV going to iv. Such a somber and beautiful sentiment - and it opens so many possibilities for modulation going forward. Thanks for describing some of your favorite harmonic motion and giving examples .
i will never get tired of watching Adam dunk on nerds who whine about modern pop music.
fullmetalfunk
Go listen to some vocaloid. And uh Beyoncé.
@@sorry6865 no u
@@sorry6865 Omg this vocaloid thing is really fun, i didn't know such softwares existed.
fullmetalfunk yeah but single ladies is not typical modern pop music. Modern pop music is shit...new stuff from Ariana, Katy, Taylor...all generic to the core
Good for you.
I was watching single ladies, and the comment section was filled with "Anyone here because of Adam Neely?",
So anyone here because of single ladies comment section?
Meeeeee!
me lmao, never heard of this guy.
Me too, never heard of this guy but is funny to hear an English speaking person using Italian words; the way the said arpeggio and sonata is cute
Yes
Anyone here because adam neelys comments section comment about single ladies comment section on adam neelys video about single ladies?
“Mixolydian flat 6 is honestly one of my favorite modes”
-music majors smh
you don't like mixolydian flat 6?
I bet ur fav mode is locrian smh my head
@@craigstephenson7676 I WILL find a way to make Locrian sound good ... i hope i do it before i take a forever sleep
Variance That task is impossible. Music forbids Locrian from actually sounding good
What about music minors?
@@variancewithin Just skip using the flat fifth completely. Although then you may as well play in phyrgian...
I find it odd that people use Single Ladies as an example of today's pop music when it is over a decade old. It's like the people criticizing pop music aren't actually that invested in it in the first place.
Well I guess they're not invested in it because they obviously don't like it. Merely listening to music you don't like is hard for a lot of people. (including me)
You must be extremely close-minded. Music HAS indeed changed a lot, in the way it expresses itself, in the contexts, in the melodic constructions... it’s all different. You just don’t wanna hear it and call other people young for it.
@Ohm Wizard That it an incredibly naive statement to make in all honesty. Pop music has always been about following trends. However great the beatles were, they got copied and inevitably copied others too (that's how music works) and a lot of music sounded alike in that era. While in the decade afterwards you got heavier bands like Led Zeppelin they were mostly just expanding on the musical ideas of the 60s and experimenting with new and different sounds. When Eminem was massively popular at the end of the 90s / beginning of the 00s, that's what a lot of pop / hip hop sounded like back then, but I can't imagine hearing a song like My Name Is on the radio right now because the mainstream pop changed.
I think it's more likely that you're too old to see that music is still changing and rather stick to your biased opinion of not liking some pop music and therefore it must all be the same.
None of you would listen to Westley Willis. I’ll take Willis any day over pop today. It’s about the same. Electronic. His lyrics are at least interesting.
westley willis is the standard of music
@@215dagby
I appreciate your anti-click bait thumbnails.
+
@Ohm Wizard I'm sorry, did you come to a music theory channel to bash music theory? lol. Any musician that bashes music theory is making an excuse for their own inabilities. Of course you don't need to learn it to play great music, but denying its effectiveness in understanding and composing music is absurd.
Ohm Wizard you’re an idiot bud
Also the fact that the first question you answer is the one mentioned in the title.
single ladies is such a strange, dissonant song, it sounds like a fever dream. it’s like weirdly scary yet joyful at the same time.
if we remember it's a song about partying and flirting out of spite at someone who won't commit but is still possessive over you, then we understand the dissonance
Fits the lyrics so well.
In commercial flamenco music they use mixolidian 6b very often, very very often, for me is a usual scales. Hello from Spain
I don`t play flamenco or rumba, there is nothing wrong with playing just rumba, no need for elitism my frend. In flamenco they use mix b9b13, =mix b2b6, other names for the scale are, escala gitana española o frigia española, means gypsy escale and spanish Phrygian. This scale is not the same they talk on the video but when the b9 is not on the melody sound like mix b6, and I listen this sound on COMERCIAL FLAMENCO .Por otro lado no me vaciles primo que no me hace falta que me venga un giri a darselas de listo, si voy a aprender flamenco, mejor que me lo enseñe un gitano del Sacromonte o un tocaor de Cadiz, no un giri vocazas que necesita demostrar sus conocimientos para sentirse superior. De que palo vas tu bocachancla.
@@jose_scastan jajajajjajajja
Main theme of The Mask of Zorro is in Mixolydian b6. Composer James Horner may have been inspired by Spanish flamenco music.
@@vishnudathnamangalam3098 is inspired by classical spanish music, it is not pure flamenco, but it is really close
I didnt try to be mean I was literally just asking a question. Youre acting kinda rude tbh.... I cant speak spanish well enough to construct a comment in spanish but i could kinda read what you had to say about me.... not that nice
Woah, septuplets in Single Ladies? *progginess intensifies*
There is a lovely podcast called "Strong Songs" that does an amazing musical analysis of this song. It's not as music theory heavy as this video but it's a great analysis: pca.st/6s5o
There may be no formal editorial review on your videos, but people aren't shy about correcting you or any other content creator when they think you're wrong. Fortunately comments on technical videos are quite civilized by CZcams standards. Belligerent jerks seem to prefer watching and commenting on mind-numbing pablum.
then you find out it has been secretly cowritten by John Petrucci
It's just a keyboard smash that Adam is overanalyzing.
Like a legato lick recorded by Adrian Vandenberg that was inspired by Allan Holdsworth and played "freely"
Rename this to "Adam gets hired at Berklee"
"12-edo's approximation of the seventh harmonic is 31.17409... cents sharp from the actual 7th harmonic, not "33 cents...to be precise". You should probably actually learn how to calculate that value rather than just Googling it or somewhat memorizing it or however you found it, because the concept of approximating prime harmonics using a rational power of 2 (equally dividing the octave, e.g. 2^(19/12) ~ 3) is the basis of nearly all musical tuning theory, as prime harmonics are the basis of musical harmony
(more so than all the degenerate and sometimes completely meaningless terminology (cadence, dominant, mediant, modal interchange, the list goes on) that people use to avoid having to face the inevitable math behind harmony).
If you can't even calculate a simple logarithm, you may as well know nothing about how harmony works. I could probably find more legitimate information about musical harmony in a 7th grade math class than in all the music colleges combined, let alone your CZcams channel"
Technically, if they are using his videos, he should at least get an honorary adjutant instructor nod, and a healthy chunk of cash.
@@teddydunn3513 You should get more subscribers... Like Adam ;)
@@OESL230886 Just-intonation tuning and microtonal music-theory form the conceptual basis of many musical scales and tuning systems. From the Sumerians 4000 years ago and ancient Greeks centuries later, right through the middle-ages and renaissance, musicians have studied math and music, and these two topics were inseparable.
Unfortunately, for the last 100 years, Western music has generally ignored its own math-and-music foundations. Composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have focused on the rote learning of unchangable symbolic rules and musical scales, thereby remaining ignorant of the fundamental relationship between math and music
@@OESL230886 tonalsoft.com/enc/encyclopedia.aspx
Fascinating implications in your analysis of “Single Ladies”. The ‘flute’ flourish in the original song sounds like a timbral, sound-composite effect triggering more than a musical scale-based element. This may be why that element of the midi-transcription sounds nothing like the triggered flourish-effect on the recording.
But this analysis also hints at a deeper question about the usefulness of music theory (formal) analysis when applied to timbral (sound-composite effect quality) elements of a song. In this context, the sample-flourish is a composite-effect (different from harmony) and is not heard as a scalar musical phrase either. Its sonic character (and function) seems to lie beyond standard music theory analysis. Excellent work, as always!
I agree that the flute is not a meaningful part of the analysis any more than a glissando would be. Adam has a point about the bass, however.
love your videos dolomuse! you're one of the first people to introduce me to microtonal music. i think you're spot on here, but don't you also think that adam's idea that the sound is similar to upper harmonic distortion of a flute could also just be characteristic of the synthesizers being used to create that effect in the first place? I mean to say, that maybe the sound of a flute being overblown and the sound of the synth in that part of the song have comparable waveforms? Kind of like how a bass clarinet is probably the closest a natural wind instrument can come to producing a sine wave.
@@TheFunkyCriminal they could’ve even been playing a sample of such a blowout!
Oh I LOVE this. Seeing someone dissect Single Ladies with care... the song is so obviously unusual melodically and sonically. I'm amazed how many people just dislike repetition even when executed so well
Inb4 UMG deletes this because of the melody.
"inb4"
*Jared Dines has left the chat*
Can you explain how my dad left
Yes! ADAM! Explain this!
F
Did he slip out the back, Jack? Maybe he hopped on the Bus, Gus. Perhaps he made a new plan, Stan.
Tobacco industry is not the same as before, so... idk
@@dresdnhope just to him
wow had no idea that single ladies was such a complex instrumental. just hearing it on the piano really solidified that
I've never understood how any musician can fail to appreciate "Single Ladies". That's a masterfully crafted pop song, period.
I don't like the idea that you should have put a ring on it
I HONESTLY HEARD THE FLUTE SAMPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
thanks to this midi transcritpion
In Indian classical music, the mixolydian b6 is called charukesi 😁
I've been learning about this wonderful music thanks to a chance CZcams suggestion, it's so beautiful and structurally fascinating.
@@JC-yy8iv What was the suggestion that inspired your study? I'd like to look into Indian Classical music.
@@JC-yy8iv I would also be interested in this, any suggestion where to start?
Isn't Charukesi more from the Carnatic school rather than Hindustani Classical though? Just wondering hehe
You find plenty of Carnatic and non-carnatic (basically Bollywood, South Indian movies) songs as examples in Charukesi. It's quite a beautiful ragam.
I'm kind of stunned that someone lamenting about pop music would use Single Ladies as an example. For me it stands out as one of the most genuinely brilliant and unique pop songs of the 21st Century. I could talk about it for hours. The production, the composition, the rhythms, the harmonies, it's endlessly innovative and interesting.
i agree! In general, i don't like the Top 40 stuff on the radio, but i love this one song. i feel vindicated by Adam's video.
Little Giraffe complaining about the lyrical content of pop songs is like complaining that Juicy Fruit chewing gum doesn’t taste like an actual fruit. They’re almost supposed to be throwaway fluff. The point is that musically, it’s brilliant.
same. Was a big fan from the start. I’ve never followed pop music closely, still don’t, but that chorus grabbed me immediately.
such pretence, its a godawful jarring disjointed racket and "mary had a little lamb" is more lyrically insightful.
i cannot think of a more annoying piece of modern pop music.
I think you're giving it a bit too much credit (It just doesn't excite me at all), but I will say that Beyonce's stuff in general seems to utilize some interesting musicality. If you really want interesting and what I'd consider to be some of the best music made in the last 20 years I'd say listen to Hiatus Kaiyote, Snarky Puppy, or Lettuce.
Kofi Agawu, "African Imagination in Music" is the best recent research on African language/African music, including the tonality influencing melody and the prosodic inflections influencing rhythm.
John Richard Ahern I’m African...😌maybe one day people will study my work
I want a "Pop Appreciation for Music Snobs" series. The section about Beyonce hit the nail on the head.
I genuinely enjoy music in general more I broadened my tastes to include top 40. Sure, some of it is... just boring, but there's a lot more to pop music that meets the eye (erm, I mean ear). Maybe I'm alone here, but I honestly think you could turn that concept into a series. The name is on the house lol
I'd watch this, it sounds suuuuper interesting.
There's a channel called React To The K where they get classical music students to listen to Kpop. They don't do super rigorous analyses but they do spot a lot of interesting stuff in what you'd think would be the poppiest pop possible.
It's more interesting to analyze people who know what they do. Here it's just "put sample A over sample B until it matches"...
@@HeadbangoOClearly you'd benefit from such a series...
@@AcornFox no he is right. There is nothing special about using random notes and then a music youtuber decides that its in mixolydian b6. Even if the the mode was intentional therea nothing special about it
1: Because we're all single and we can relate
there was no "YA!"
Welcome to the life of a musician, kid!
@LocrianLivesMatter I laughed so hard at your nickname. Probably too hard. Thanks mate.
mood
Single musicians get laid 100 times more than married office rats
Beyonce has an amazing sense of rhythm…that’s why she’s so successful IMO. That’s not something you can fake with studio wizardry, which is why she’s in a world apart.
I'm learning how to read sheet music and seeing your shirt i tried to play the licc, and i actually managed to play it lmaooo it might look dumb but I'm so proud of myself
Suggestion: Song analysis series of pop/modern music with the same depth you did for Single Ladies.
"why is x stuck in your head" or "why a is a good song"
rick beato has this series
not always pop though
12tone does pop analysis on the regular, check him out, great channel
Rick beato doesn’t analyse those songs, he lists off reasons why he likes them and plays along on his guitar.
i would love to see this
That Single Ladies example was great. Not all pop type music is bad. Just like you can get shill soulless music from any genre.
Calling music "Soulless" or "emotionless" is just crap that people use to downgrade music without providing a reason for why they think it's bad. Emotional response to music is subjective and personal, and it depends on the musical experience of the listener. Referring to these subjective aspects of music is not valid a valid way to criticize its quality. A "good" composition (the way I define "good") is one which requires the most intelligent thought in its creation. An example is Ben Johnston's music. Ben Johnston pretty much knew exactly how harmony worked down to the very basics, so he was able to cleverly craft music in a very structured manner (using a structure with a legitimate mathematical basis). On the other hand, the late works of Schoenberg were objectively garbage in my opinion, because Schoenberg evidently didn't know how harmony worked, and so I guess he thought it'd be a good idea to ignore 12TET's intention of approximating the 3rd and 5th harmonic by giving equal weight to all the intervals instead of the isolating those harmonics, as is done in a major triad. This definition mostly relies on the correlation between a composer's understanding of the math behind harmony and how sophisticated his/her compositions are.
It's difficult for music to be soulless. If soulless means that music provokes no emotions, then it really is entirely subjective. I really like Schoenberg's later works, like his singular piano concerto, but I know it may sound disorderly to others. If soulless means the was no passion put into the work, then that is basically impossible, since with all the people working on singular pieces and songs these days, at least someone has to enjoy it. If soulless means the lyrics are shallow, I can't disagree for the most part, but also note that pop music has basically always been this way.
Accomplished Diplomacy + Teddy Dunn
If you wish me to be more precise then by Soulless I mean going for the sale, or without trying to make it as best as it can. Yes there is a massive amount of subjectivity involved, but music by artists is different to music by people that _only_ want to be famous, for example.
So although I largely agree with you, I don't think that can be applied 100% to all artists in all cases.
Maybe there is no _right_ answer.
@@kadourimdou43 Just looking at composers' motivation for writing songs, composers who are more interested in making money are more likely to be found writing pop songs because a genre that's popular is a genre that sells
Its pretty difficult to make shill or souless art music or jazz. Pop music isnt all bad i agree but its definitely a hotbed for soulless crap and talentless hacks.
You can say whatever about Single Ladies but its rhythmic structure is in no way simple
It's based off of a movement from one of Shostakovich's symphonies.
I didn't know you can analyse music in such a manner, I will never look on Single Ladies the same way
a little secret about life; you can literally do anything and everything you want.
Beyoncé is actually part of the British A-Level Music course, so this is super helpful for revision.
+@Reuben Botha AQA.
Seriously?! I'm an old bastard at 43, when I was in school it was all 100% classical. No Jazz, Rock, Blues, Pop etc. Just wall-to-wall orchestral and choral music. We were encouraged to learn Violin/trumpet/piano/flute etc. I think my school got its first drum kit and electric guitar/bass during the last week of my year at school, but nobody knew how to tune them, let alone play them, and that was just the teachers! Bastards, they were probably too busy wanking each other off in the staff common-room, fantasizing about French horns, Bassoons and clavinets...
I mean it's not British but, it's English
@@Aeronaut1975 well it's still like that here in Scotland, they claim to do rock pop and blues but all they do is expect you to know what the 3 sound like. We do have a drum teacher though so you can do that
@@nope110 Back to front, my friend. You mean "British", and not "English". I'm Welsh, and you're a Scot. Neither of us are "English", nor live in "England", but we are both British :D
Haha the ending is awesome, "you're welcome by the way." Sometimes its a thankless job but not this time, thanks for all you do!
Yes, yes, yes! For all I know, I already commented on this video, but it showed up in my feed today again. That bass line in "Single Ladies" with that C natural just makes me so happy when I hear it. The way it just rubs against the melody so unexpectedly, yet sounds so perfect is awesome.
Question for Q+A:
I'm a very amateur bass player. But ever since I heard of Mozart as a genious (like 10 years ago), I often catch myself wondering if he came through time to my house and what kind of music and other stuff would I show him. If you could bring back any dead artist to your house just for some weeks, who would she/he be and what would you show her/him? .. Great channel!
Jaco. That man could double my value as a bassist by just playing for a few hours while I watched.
Jazz. Old classical musicians would love modern Jazz. They used to improvise all the time, but the modern focus on precision and competition has killed that part of classical music.
Tchaikovsky: Cannibal Corpse
Guitar hero skill doesn’t equal guitar skill, but guitar skill FOR SURE increases guitar hero skill
Adam Neely truely is the Vsauce of Music
Captain Flare very original! 👍
Hey b6, Adam here! Did you know....
No one who's as mathematically ignorant as Adam Neely could be the Vsauce of music.
"12-edo's approximation of the seventh harmonic is 31.17409... cents sharp from the actual 7th harmonic, not "33 cents...to be precise". You should probably actually learn how to calculate that value rather than just Googling it or somewhat memorizing it or however you found it, because the concept of approximating prime harmonics using a rational power of 2 (equally dividing the octave, e.g. 2^(19/12) ~ 3) is the basis of nearly all musical tuning theory, as prime harmonics are the basis of musical harmony
(more so than all the degenerate and sometimes completely meaningless terminology (cadence, dominant, mediant, modal interchange, the list goes on) that people use to avoid having to face the inevitable math behind harmony).
If you can't even calculate a simple logarithm, you may as well know nothing about how harmony works. I could probably find more legitimate information about musical harmony in a 7th grade math class than in all the music colleges combined, let alone your CZcams channel."
@@teddydunn3513 Amazing
When I started rock climbing more actively, I noticed that I could train longer and more consistently on my guitar. The enhanced forearm strenght I got did not make a better player but it improved my training. And made my alternate picking a lot better.
I totally get ot. I need the climbing muscles for clarinet as well and they are very helpful for playing endurance.
wrist and back strength is super useful for bass guitar and upright!
I could probably use some of the shoulder strength from that to play my flute in marching band
that whole beyonce album is full of brave moments, both musical, and production wise. And let's not forget beyonce is one of the only singers that can 'ride' those harmonies and rhythms. She is absolutely not a 'plastic pop ' artist.
No "BASS" ending?!
You're giving me some treble here, I'm shook.
You can't pass it off and say it was accidental. This was a flat-out torture device.
Edit: Thanks to all you people who can appreciate good puns. I thought they were pretty sharp.
LifeOnTheEdge Can we please give my guy some recognition for this excellent punage
@@joehaukemusic Finally, people who appreciate my musical shenanigans! It's a pain in the brass when I crack jokes to my musical friends and they don't laugh. Anyways, to end on a high note, have a nice day/night (depending on your time zone)!
LifeOnTheEdge the edit was funny.
LifeOnTheEdge ...give it a rest
ADAM I DIDNT KNOW YOU FROM MARYLAND I AM FINALLY PROUD OF MY STATE
Lets hang out buddy
The Marth player Zain in SSBM is from MDVA 😏
HELLO A FELLOW MARYLANDER
why is Adam so important?
maybe it's just me but i can't feel that songs downbeat and it's infuriating
especially right after the bridge
Try measuring it in 2/4 to make it easier
I think it's the OOm before the Pah.
If you BAM it then you should've put a ring on it
The BAM is the downbeat I think
It’s super syncopated and swung. It could be the half time feel that’s throwing you off…She starts on the 1 for each phrase during the verse then on the “&” of 4 for the chorus (count it like a jazz ride cymbal pattern).
Brilliant video. Thanks Adam!
Next video: 'Why "Hot Cross Buns" is so cool'
Extreme jazz reharm of Hot Cross Buns, let's make it happen, folks.
Edit: On a serious note (sorry, couldn't resist), I might actually do this. And, of course, include the lick.
We play it in pep band, when he have nothing else to play and need to be loud and obnoxious.
@@hunger993 You might as well play the lick, then.
@@lifeontheledgerlines8394 Hot Cross Buns reharmonized to include the lick
Adam these videos are really amazing, great job! I love more than anything, especially your more recent videos, the focus on the academic world in music, musicology and analysis. Bringing it to the world of popular and online culture, especially from the point of view as a jazz musician (whom I am one myself).
Maybe there should be a platform that focuses on peer-reviewed video essays. Videos are such an easy, digestible and accessible way to enjoy and learn about music from great content makers.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks Adam. I used to hate the sound of pop music, but after watching your video I started analyzing the songs, and now I can't stop listening to it!
The vocal melody of "The Bones of You" by Elbow also makes heavy use of the Mixolydian b6 sound - pretty amazing song, check it out everyone.
guitar hero, and games like it helped me and many other people with rhythm and syncopation. because at its core, they are rhythm games.
i remember specifically my ability to play along with another person in time improve from it. Just not regarding which notes to play.
I took a painting class in college. The professor said something that stuck with me over the years: Learning a second language is hard. Learning a third language is easier. Learning a fifth language is a lot easier. The same with art media, musical instruments, etc. I've only played guitar hero once, but it felt like learning a new instrument. The details of playing didn't apply to any other instrument, but the tools for translating music into movement do.
i've always noticed that single ladies was messed up but i never delved into it myself. thank you for doing the work i didn't want to do.
never catch me by flying lotus is one of my favorite songs of all time and i love to hear you mention it. the mixing of my favorite artist, kendrick lamar, with some neo electro jazz fusion, all out together with some awesome thundercat soloing just makes for an amazing song. also, jazz aside, that kendrick lamar verse is one of the greatest rap verses i’ve ever heard.
Heck yeah, that song, and this video, BANG. Nice job! Hope to see you at the next MagFest.
Adam Neely
R. Kelly's "Trapped in the closet" is 32 episodes of Mixolydian b6 :)
R Kelly is trapped in the closet rn
Yeah but fuck that guy
Funny, I was just messing about in Mixolydian b6, trying to play Single Ladies, I'm not great at piano, and I accidentally played the opening riff of Trapped in The Closet hehe
Have you got your passport? Have you got your shots?
phi gra with a song title like that, how tf did we not suspect he him?
Brilliant, as always.
I don’t much about music but I appreciate many lessons you mention because they filter over to writing. In the end it’s all psychology, experimentation and rhythm. Thanks for posting.
6:20 I found practicing real guitar helped my skill in guitar hero, lmao
I played rhythm video games my whole life growing up (DDR, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Stepmania, DK Bongos, etc) and being a drummer helped me a lot.
Even though I only learned piano to an extent, I found that my experience greatly helps me in multitasking in Jubeat, SDVX, and other rhythm games. Especially in situations like when the left hand is following the rhythm and the right does the melody. I have trouble with games like Taiko though, where there are only 2 types of notes but you have to alternate between hands properly to get it right, probably cause in my mind one note generally corresponds to one finger/hand. You drummers probably find it a piece of cake though
Real guitarists only wish they could play guitar hero. :P
P.S. I was a guitarist when pong was a thing.
@@3gyxijv3jqaheb maybe think of it as a dance, rather than music
@@DammitBobby >No mention of Taiko No Tatsujin, my guy if you're a drummer you need to get on that Taiko train
Adam Neely is the Vsauce of Music
oof.
@@samkinison2375 - fucking shit man
@@samkinison2375 NOT AS STRAIGHT AND WHITE AS YOU
HOW DARE YOU.
Alright. He gone. Thank God.
@OP yeah I guess lol.
Adam, your videos pretty much personify all the things I love about music.
I love this! I knew when I listened to Single Ladies something really weird was going on, and this illuminated it for me. Also - the music video, namely the choreography, is innovative/artistic in its own right!
Love your distinction between art and craft
I always loved the part of "Single Ladies" when the bass kicks into the chorus; I was never sure why until now. Thanks!
You were so right about that bass Solo in the flylo song, that was beautiful
Hey Adam - an example of dominant prolongation (I think) in pop music. Rebecca Black's song Friday at the end of the verses has an extra bar of V.
One of my favorite videos of yours, surprisingly to me. (The Single Ladies part.)
To be honest, as someone who's never really listened to pop music on the regular, I found "All The Single Ladies" to have some really neat melodic quirks like that C natural starting the chorus. Definitely gave me more respect for Beyonce (and the song's writers) as an artist.
You should listen to Ariana Grande. No tears left to cry uses modes very well.
I think you should change "Beyonce (and the song's writers)" to "the song's writers".
@@hansijawns Beyonce was one of the writers. She's credited as one of the songwriters. She worked directly with the other songwriters on all the songs from I Am... Sasha Fierce. For all the tracks she's either credited as co-writer or co-producer. The rhythm of Single Ladies is reminiscent of the rhythm of a track from her previous album, Get Me Bodied. Tricky Stewart, who did the beat, said he believes each artist has a groove to them that they respond to, and that's hers. Vocal producer Kuk Harrell said that she knows what she's going for, and for this specific track she delivered her vocals perfectly from the start. Don't discredit Beyonce, don't discredit artists just because they're pop and mainstream (often assumed to "only" contribute vocals and not be a creative driving force behind the music). Beyonce is incredibly involved with her music, a creative artist in her own right.
@@Leeqzombie You say that "Beyonce is incredibly involved with her music" but honestly, how can you tell? The quotes you mentioned are completely meaningless, and don't actually say anything about how involved she is with the songs. What I do know is that the song wasn't even conceptualized by her. I also know that the statement: "She worked directly with the other songwriters on all the songs from I Am... Sasha Fierce" is completely false: The song "If I were a boy" from the same album had no involvement from beyonce and was never intended to be her song.
@@hansijawns Well as a Beyonce fan, I know that her "musical lane" is in Vocal Harmonies, which by the way are all over Single Ladies. I advise you to go to a video from Sail University that interviewed DJ Swivel who was the primary mix engineer on her "4" album.
He's an alumus who used one of the songs from, I Care to show how it was mixed. He goes into Beyonce's musicianship in detail especially as a vocal producer. It's really enlightening. She's great at curating with a good ear for what her music emphasizes(rhythm, dynamic and harmony).
WOW. you are SOOOO right. That Flying Lotus track, and video.Just fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation.
I just discovered your channel today after a suggested video and I've just binge watched a whole bunch of your videos. I definitely do not know enough about music to understand a lot of what you're saying but the bits I do understand are so so interesting and you have a great temperament for presenting ideas. Keep up the good work, from a new subscriber!
12 views...24 likes idk how you pulled that off but you deserve it man your videos are always gold keep it up!
Great video, but you said something when talking about your accent before that lots of Americans (and my fellow Brits) always do: "I didn't think I had an accent". (I'm a linguist so bare with me here) You said that you realised that you still had "an accent" when you realised that you were still using some Maryland phonetic stylings. Even without those, YOU STILL HAVE AN ACCENT. Just because GA (General American) is perceived to be standard, it is still an accented form of English; you still have an accent.
The same thing happens in the UK. People like, myself, with an RP (received pronunciation) accent, often like to pretend that they are "accentless". This is of course, bollocks. Of course you still have an accent, it's impossible not to have one unless you spoke everything in a monotone, phonetically perfect and consistent cadence.
TL;DR: You have an accent, everyone has an accent. Pretending that you don't is stupid.
And what even is "phonetically perfect?" Language changes *constantly*, so one generation's "phonetically perfect" is the previous generation's "sloppy and careless" and the next generation's "stilted and formal".
@@AzrgExplorers Exactly!!
Technically, even speaking, "in a monotone, phonetically perfect and consistent cadence," would be an accent :P
@@AngelValis I guess, yeah!
A linguist that misspells ‘bear?’
Don't cut yourself short, Adam. Your videos are more academic than anything else I've found readily available to musicians who want to learn, especially considering the topics you choose to talk about that normally most people, myself included, didn't know even existed and therefor wouldn't have ever researched to begin with.
You not only plant the seeds for invested musicians to water by learning more, but your videos typically go in depth enough that I can say I often find myself feeling at least somewhat comfortable saying I understand to a certain extent by the end of the video.
Additionally, like with other mediums, videos can be referenced and watched again (for free too!) which feels like I'm getting more out of it than a lecture might give me.
You're too humble, my dude
Great video Adam and I really enjoy the rest of your work online. Keep up the good grind! :)
Man, I wish understand music deep like you!
"Adam Neely is an educator, musician, and CZcamsr from New York City. He is currently Tay Zonday Professor of Musical Memeology at Berklee College of Music." -WIkipedia, retrieved Oct 1, 2019
What about Rocksmith? You actually play a guitar or bass in the game. That's how I learn to play bass. I asked you about that game before. >.
Well, it's certainly better, but the game uses tabs. Adam has a video explaining why tabs shouldn't be used (most of the time). You should go look it up if you haven't seen it yet.
@@albaal7035 I have seen it! They are actually inverted tabs and they also have information that lets you know how to accent and play the notes in a more in depth way than tabs usually do (which, if I remember right, was one of his main gripes.) He also talked recently (if not in this video) about why needing to properly read music isn't really usually necessary anymore. I learned when I was younger so I didn't really miss out on it. :)
I have the "2014" version (and played the original's demo), but after about 30 hours, I'm not convinced it's a good teacher.
There are some good features, but the big fault is the "guitar hero" style, which:
- is inverted by default to both tabs and 'regular' sheets, which means your transition later might be harder
- forces you to play exactly one way
- forces you to play at one speed, meaning you just speed over hard sections and get very bored in easy/repeated ones (esp. on bass). There is a feature to play sections at low speed/low difficulty and loop over a section increasing both but, since the "difficulty" is done by removing notes, when you (or the game) bump it up, a lot of notes appear, changing your fingering sometime to the point of forcing you to relearn the section from scrap.
- I find slower to read than tabs in many cases (mostly because I don't find the colour coding of the string natural) and I think it doesn't show far enough in most songs.
Other downside include:
- The game is too forgiving on rhythm and don't care of the notes you play in addition to the one on the screen, which is good for the ego and for when you play the tremolo you know is there (444444444444444) when the game shows you (4 4 ), but I don't think it's good long term.
- I don't hear my bass enough when playing, even after reducing the other instruments. Not great for hearing your mistake and technique.
Not teaching dowsides but still downsides:
- the base song selection is varied, meaning you'll find something you like, but also a lot you might not
- the DLC (new songs) are ** expensive, although it's not the game fault, blame the music industry
- you have to play in the tuning of the song, which is fine when it's really different from the standard EADG(BE) like DropD, but really annoying when it's A434 instead of A440 (meaning the song is a just a little bit flatter), esp. when it's because the recording have been slowed in production rather than the original artists playing flatter. It also means that in "Non-stop mode" you are restricted unless you want to keep retuning. Again, it's mostly the fault of the music industry, but it is still annoying.
- On PC, you have to pay (about 8€) to transfer the song (base and DLC) from "Rocksmith" to "Rocksmith 2014" but not on consoles!
- I've never felt so insulted by someone saying "Good performance" :)
That said, there are upsides!
- the lessons have videos showing the technique, and exercises to practice (although the game can't correct your technique and there is still all the downside of the "guitar hero" style)
- the mini-games are a good way to practice some aspects
- it's great to learn to play without looking at the fingerboard
- it can be good for motivation.
- the "Session mode" is a good way to jam alone and to learn to jam (except for the "let others take the spotlight too" ^^)
- the "Learn a song" can be nice to train to recover when you make a mistake.
All in all, my recommendation would be to pick it up on sale, do the lessons, regularly play sessions and games, mostly skip the "Learn a song" and "Non-Stop" modes, and learn and practice songs elsewhere. I personally use Songsterr and GuitarPro, but there are other options.
@@tarababcock I have not met anyond who learned guitar or bass from rock smith that knows how to play with other musicians or improvise worth a damn. Also time keeping discrepancies are rampant, theory understanding is non-existent typically. Finally most players are kind of 1 dimensional, playing/knowing very specific voicings, rhythmic groupings and not knowing how to branch out of it.
Wouldn't recommend it as a learning platform.
I understand that's not the point of the game.
loved the flex at the end
Dominant prolongation is sick when combined with edm build up techniques.
Sonic + harmonic tensing. Also adding extra extensions as the five continues helps build it even more. Like, you have a V, then a V7, then a V7#5, then a V7#5b9, then you drop it.
I hear that in funk music alot.
@@derikdavis567 you're right! Now that you mention it I realize it does happen a lot in funk music. Cool
I kinda like the "anti buildup movement" that's been going on a bit in EDM because the technique of starting your snare on a quarter note and then going to 8th and 16th etc was getting so old. I don't know if this is actually a thing but I've been noticing it a lot recently.
Dude, the expert level of shade you threw on your masterful analysis of Single Ladies is genius. I love this so much it is hard to express. Thank you!
Nice new lick for when you read the questions.
I love how the higher the formants in your voice are when reading the questions, the more snarky the response will be.
You left me waiting for the BASS at the end of the video, now my day is ruined.
Blueballed a belter on the 'Ya!' in the intro too.
Same man, same. I really need my dose of BASS!
Do we have time for BASS???
No. We don't.
RIP
Agree with you about Guitar Hero/Rock Band, with the exception of playing drums. That's pretty much the same physically and cognitively. Love the vids, man!
Too short! I was sure there was another question coming after the whole hiring thing... Loved the Single Ladies analysis, thank you!
Just want to say I really appreciate that when your title asks a question, the thumbnail offers the short answer. It lets the viewer decide if they want the explanation of said answer rather than forcing them to watch the video to get any info at all. 👍
No *BASS* at the end??? :(
Dear Adam, on the discussion of Guitarhero. There is a game called Rocksmith. You can use your real bass or toy bass to play it, it's pretty sweet. Hugs, Dexter.
thanks adam you genius
I never name all this stuff but the fact you can put it all down impresses me. I just hear this as real tense because of yes, bass note suggests minor, top note suggests major.....love your analysis .
Hi Adam, question for your QnA:
Will you visit Europe sometime again?
Nice content.
CZcams videos are often a tertiary resource (like Wikipedia) and less frequently a secondary or primary resource. The role of tertiary resources is to provide accessibility to the research that was made within a setting where peer review and dependability is greatest. With Wikipedia, anybody can edit an article and contribute to the database, yet the information must cite secondary sources so we have a reliable trail of study. Likewise, CZcams videos provide us with an easily accessible format that can help us find the secondary or tertiary resources to confidently elaborate on.
This analysis was great- thank you for showing that not all pop music is repetitive three to four-chord garbage. There is a craft to it and those musicians and producers really know what they are doing.
Hi Adam, great video, as always ! I am a guitar hero player myself and I agree about what you said about it, but I think it still has a bit of an educational value, because it actually helps with rhythm, and it gave me a good introduction into how playing music feels like rhythmically speaking (at least for the 10 yo I used to be).
Thanks for going over Single Ladies, I was always curious about what the hell it was doing harmonically.
Guitar Hero can help with improving timing actually. Not just playing in time with song, but really syncing up your fret hand and pick hand.
Man,I swear to God I don't get a single word of what you're saying. But I really enjoy your company while I work. You're a nice guy
Hey Adam! As a reply to your claim that your videos aren’t really academic, I’d counter that by saying that I’ve learned so much about music just by watching you and you’ve been a huge influence on me in that way. My music is more on the alt-rock spectrum but you, along with others such as 12tone and Rob Scallon, helped me hone my musical skills to the point where I feel like I can truly HEAR the music, if that makes sense. Maybe I’m just crazy, but your videos are filled with information and could definitely be used for academic purposes.
Maybe one could say Outcast uses some kind of dominant prolongation... ?
I’m talking about “forever ever? Forever ever? Forever ever?” And maybe even pre choruses in general
Kanye did too in Diamonds From Sierra Leone, it was amazing
this song fascinated/confused the hell out of me when i was like 9, i could never make sense of the rhythmic structure
5:56 tho the video is supreme too. I mean, its concept is quite unique, the choreography is so good and amazingly executed. Costumes are very cool too, etc.
Hey Adam, Mute math - Stare at the sun melody is also mixolydian b6. It's my favourite mode as well. Thanks for making this video.
What do you think of the music of Cyriak? He makes these weird psychedelic videos that were quite popular around 2011 like Welcome to Kitty City, Cows and Cows and Cows, etc.
Great suggestion! I'd also love to hear Adam's take on Cardiacs (who I believe Cyriak is a fan of). Not sure where I would recommend he start though -- Maybe 'Dirty Boy' or 'R.E.S.'...
Another example of Dominant Prolongation in pop music is in Gangnam Style, just before the chorus
Also a TON of EDM.
Was also thinking of Queen - Teo Torriate, although not sure that counts as dominant prolongation (or pop music !) tbh.
지금 부터 다시 가볼까~~아~~아~아~아아아아아아!
The shirt! The lick! Nice.
Great video! You were asking for examples of dominant prolongation. This example doesn't give much in the way of melodic development over the Dom but I think the effect is similar. The Disociatives, Thinking in reverse after first chorus.