Jacob Collier deconstructs a Stevie Wonder classic

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  • čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
  • Stevie Wonder's irresistible ode to jazz, explained
    Become a Video Lab member! bit.ly/video-lab
    Stevie Wonder is one of the most widely celebrated artists in history. His music is infectious, melodic, and thoughtfully inspired by the jazz musicians who came before him. In his legendary song "Sir Duke," Stevie paid homage to the late Duke Ellington and his other predecessors.
    Jacob Collier is a rising star in his own right and is Stevie Wonder's self-proclaimed greatest fan. Here, he breaks down the jazz influences and syncopations Stevie uses to create the magic that is "Sir Duke."
    If you’d like to check out more of Jacob’s music check out his CZcams channel here:
    / jacobcolliermusic
    Follow Vox Earworm on Facebook for more: / voxearworm
    Some songs don't just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind your favorite songs.
    And be sure to check out Earworm's complete first season here: bit.ly/2QCwhMH
    Note: The headline for this video has been updated since publishing.
    Previous headline: Stevie Wonder's irresistible ode to jazz, explained
    Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com.
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Komentáře • 2,3K

  • @Vox
    @Vox  Před 4 lety +4629

    The most challenging part of making this video was visually interpreting the song and Jacob's explanation in a clear way for musical amateurs (just like me). There's one moment around 2:15 where Jacob says "A flat minor." Now, as I'm animating, I'm also learning new things about music theory, and fact checking them. This moment completely stumped me, because "A flat minor" - I learned - is the enharmonic equivalent of "G sharp minor." In clearer terms, they are the same chord, though many people find "G sharp minor" to be the simpler alternative.
    So, should he have said "G sharp minor instead?" Please discuss that amicably below. From my perspective, it would have been more complicated and confusing to write "G sharp minor" as he said "A flat minor." Also "A flat minor" needs more love. Please clap for #Aflatminor.
    And if you want to help me make even more Vox Earworm videos, the best way to do that is by joining the Video Lab: bit.ly/vox-video-membership. Thanks!
    - Estelle

    • @bigmoney923
      @bigmoney923 Před 4 lety +691

      Also another small correction. At 3:21, the chord Collier plays is a G7 chord, or a bVI7 chord. The Roman numeral is correct but "G major 7" is written beneath it. G7 and G major 7 are different chords (confusing I know) so that's another thing to watch out for.

    • @clairebear4126
      @clairebear4126 Před 4 lety +249

      Personally I usually say Ab instead of G# it just sounds better 😌

    • @bigmoney923
      @bigmoney923 Před 4 lety +18

      @@clairebear4126 same

    • @emilellenius
      @emilellenius Před 4 lety +65

      The explanation to this oddity@@bigmoney923 pointed out is that in the first case it is the chord G major with the minor 7 added. The G major part is written just with a G since if it had been minor it would have an m after (Gm). If the chord instead has the major 7 added it is written G major 7 or often just Gmaj7. The major part can also be a capital M (GM7) or a triangle. If the chord is G minor with the major 7 added it is written Gmmaj7 (or Gm(maj7)).

    • @alexlofrano5675
      @alexlofrano5675 Před 4 lety +1

      @@clairebear4126 yeah same

  • @ethanschubkegel6135
    @ethanschubkegel6135 Před 2 lety +992

    Me: *sits on the piano*
    Jacob: "And that's actually one of my favorite chords"

  • @jonathanb7062
    @jonathanb7062 Před 4 lety +6537

    “He’s obnoxiously good at music.”
    Adam Neely

    • @davidzas9413
      @davidzas9413 Před 4 lety +30

      i love AN!

    • @sierra3644
      @sierra3644 Před 4 lety +4

      ya!

    • @Martykun36
      @Martykun36 Před 4 lety +53

      a verbal equivalent of the stank face

    • @jennw6809
      @jennw6809 Před 4 lety +69

      And did you notice he described a chord progression as "spicy????"

    • @NovackGeorgeTT1971
      @NovackGeorgeTT1971 Před 4 lety +103

      I'd pay good money to see Neely and Collier play Stevie Wonder for an hour.

  • @ghostofpop
    @ghostofpop Před 4 lety +2609

    Song: *misses beat by 0.001bpm*
    Jacob: *heavy breathing*

    • @ChienJaune01
      @ChienJaune01 Před 4 lety +105

      He's used beat displacement quite a lot in his grooves, as anything that can make the music spicy and cheeky, which is rather often a bit much for me. I know it's a joke but he is in fact the exact opposite of a pedant.

    • @fatguy338
      @fatguy338 Před 4 lety +14

      @JORAIDER this is funny, but also Jacob has borrowed some electronic styles where exact preciceness is part of the aesthetic.

    • @fatguy338
      @fatguy338 Před 4 lety

      @JORAIDER you right

    • @solkvist8668
      @solkvist8668 Před 4 lety +18

      I can’t remember which interview he was on, but he spoke about percentages of swing. Jacob is a monster, and a legend.

    • @W7RSON
      @W7RSON Před 4 lety +11

      Jacob: *PHONKY*

  • @greghunter4264
    @greghunter4264 Před 3 lety +613

    I like how Jacob introduces himself as Stevie wonder's biggest fan, giving people who don't know about him no hint that he is a genius

    • @KMcirca82
      @KMcirca82 Před 2 lety +8

      not a genius

    • @rayres1074
      @rayres1074 Před rokem +67

      @@KMcirca82 Objectively a genius. You can call him a boring musician if you want (taste based, i suppose) but facts are facts and he's innately in sync with music as a whole like very few people are.

    • @M0_00M
      @M0_00M Před rokem +6

      He is genius

    • @marcrchz
      @marcrchz Před rokem +4

      @@rayres1074 Something like "objectively a genius" doesn't exist. People have their reasons for not calling someone so.

    • @Parooh
      @Parooh Před rokem +15

      @@marcrchz actually he is objectively a genius. he is 100% on top of all the music theory, performs great and can articulate what he does and how he thinks about music. very very very few people are able to do that, even the ones who can play instruments or sing like gods won’t most of the time be able to articulate and basically synthesize an explanation that you are able to understand that easily

  • @jpeg398
    @jpeg398 Před 4 lety +4163

    *dont let this distract you from the fact that guy is wearing CROCS*

  • @vroomoon
    @vroomoon Před 4 lety +3361

    Normal Terminology: Blue Note
    Jacob Collier Terminology: S P I C Y Note

    • @sodeste6053
      @sodeste6053 Před 4 lety +44

      vroomoon see also: juicy

    • @MMM-rw6bl
      @MMM-rw6bl Před 4 lety +24

      vroomoon adam neely also tends to call interesting things S P I C Y too, check out his “levels of jazz” video

    • @charliecoldwell3872
      @charliecoldwell3872 Před 4 lety +6

      also jacob: manages to modulate to get half sharp

    • @mikerojano7305
      @mikerojano7305 Před 4 lety +5

      Spicy is a very jazz musician/music theory enthusiast sayin', it's "the lick" of notation terminology and it's great

    • @vroomoon
      @vroomoon Před 4 lety

      Since when did this get so many likes? Cool.

  • @andreskosberg4566
    @andreskosberg4566 Před 4 lety +3650

    He doesn't say
    -I am Jacob Collier a musician god graduated in the god music school
    He say
    -I am Jacob Collier, the biggest Stevie Wonder fan

    • @pathwalkermmjdh6346
      @pathwalkermmjdh6346 Před 3 lety +6

      🤣

    • @jayclarke9611
      @jayclarke9611 Před 3 lety +38

      No the rest of us schooled musicians can call Jacob a music g d

    • @povi7098
      @povi7098 Před 3 lety +68

      I wanna fight Jacob for that top spot in biggest Stevie Wonder fan, but how could I win against a guy that is this legendarily talented?

    • @segmentsAndCurves
      @segmentsAndCurves Před 2 lety +14

      @@povi7098 Ghost pepper, my friend. It's all about ghost pepper.

    • @rubenvela44
      @rubenvela44 Před 2 lety +1

      He is a jealous musician god

  • @zius2140
    @zius2140 Před 4 lety +2790

    This Jacob fan guy should start a career in music!

  • @TehPobo
    @TehPobo Před 4 lety +4681

    How did I go from learning about calculus to jazz on CZcams

    • @Simba______
      @Simba______ Před 4 lety +91

      Brace Pobo - That's one of the beauties of CZcams. Diverse subject matter.

    • @topman8565
      @topman8565 Před 4 lety +14

      @@Simba______ that's needed and is getting less and less likely nowadays

    • @necrisro
      @necrisro Před 4 lety +24

      I was studying stock market strategies, close enough.

    • @shorgoth
      @shorgoth Před 4 lety +101

      That's actually not far, music is math

    • @historynerd176
      @historynerd176 Před 4 lety +6

      I went from a video game memes video to this

  • @kennardlam8673
    @kennardlam8673 Před 4 lety +3477

    yall should start a series call music theory with Jacob Collier lol. By far the most informative musical theory video ive ever watched> gr8 jobbbbb

    • @JAMaxeRestoration
      @JAMaxeRestoration Před 4 lety +22

      A great job on this video. I also watch Polyphonic and Rick Beato both do a equally good job.

    • @tomb4639
      @tomb4639 Před 4 lety +39

      Have a look a Adam Neely he is great

    • @JAMaxeRestoration
      @JAMaxeRestoration Před 4 lety +1

      @@tomb4639 I'm going to check him out, thanks.

    • @fuzziemusic
      @fuzziemusic Před 4 lety +10

      David Bruce Composer is a really good music theory source too.. !

    • @matthiasbrigl2661
      @matthiasbrigl2661 Před 4 lety +5

      You should watch the interview with Jacob collier and June Lee 😂

  • @izzycamoc1289
    @izzycamoc1289 Před 4 lety +2898

    Why does Jacob’s drum imitation sounds more like a real drum than the drums in the music

    • @lifelonglearner7771
      @lifelonglearner7771 Před 4 lety +26

      Isabella Camoçato years of doing it

    • @notkiji
      @notkiji Před 4 lety +3

      isabella vc por aqui

    • @LoladoGamerBR
      @LoladoGamerBR Před 4 lety +3

      Isabella vc por aqui

    • @naufalrhyo3540
      @naufalrhyo3540 Před 3 lety +12

      Perhaps bcs the drums in the music were polished to follow Motown's style?

    • @johnnybelle2686
      @johnnybelle2686 Před 3 lety +6

      if you mean the drums in Stevie Wonder's song, then they're both real drums :/

  • @Jellestraatsma
    @Jellestraatsma Před 4 lety +3821

    Stevie Wonder: uses blues scale
    Jacob Collier: there's some pretty heavy stuff going on

    • @jamesrussell5196
      @jamesrussell5196 Před 4 lety +20

      Yeah I remember learning that when I was 7 I’m not even good at all haha

    • @kameronwarren9478
      @kameronwarren9478 Před 4 lety +272

      As he modulates to g half sharp major

    • @kylejohnson779
      @kylejohnson779 Před 4 lety +20

      No blues scale here my friend...

    • @deejay7339
      @deejay7339 Před 4 lety +195

      Simple in construction but the method behind it has much more to it. That's why stevie sounds like stevie, and you sound like, well...

    • @NikkrisMusic
      @NikkrisMusic Před 4 lety +15

      Blues scale can’t be used in a unique and special way to make it “heavy”? I’ve heard it used that way without a doubt.

  • @levih.2158
    @levih.2158 Před 4 lety +1637

    casually: "I'm Stevie Wonder's greatest fan."

    • @allesundmehr
      @allesundmehr Před 4 lety +82

      Vene Lincvit well, he absolutely is. he started his career by posting covers of stevie wonder songs (with more harmony of course)

    • @levih.2158
      @levih.2158 Před 4 lety +44

      @@allesundmehr it was meant as a joke on the notions that it's difficult to quantify exactly how much anyone is a fan of anything and to verify that there doesn't exist anyone who is any more of a fan. I don't doubt he is a big fan :)

    • @allesundmehr
      @allesundmehr Před 4 lety +4

      Vene Lincvit I know you don‘t doubt it! I didn‘t mean it 100% seriously!

    • @rchw8052
      @rchw8052 Před 4 lety +11

      Vene Lincvit. Well he IS Jacob Collier ..

    • @josephalvarez5315
      @josephalvarez5315 Před 4 lety +54

      "Hi, I'm Stevie Wonders greatest fan and possibly the greatest musician of the 21st century"

  • @lukeselby6576
    @lukeselby6576 Před 4 lety +1099

    It’s amazing when you realise how intricate this song is

    • @2FadeMusic
      @2FadeMusic Před 4 lety +44

      That's literally every Stevie Wonder song

    • @brianmiller1077
      @brianmiller1077 Před 4 lety +8

      Much like McCartney's music seems simple but oh, here's a bit of flavor here and there.

    • @theoammonmusic1343
      @theoammonmusic1343 Před 4 lety +27

      Brian Miller Most of McCartney’s theory would be pretty normal with some intricate bits whereas Stevie kinda goes off the deep end with some of his tunes.

    • @MisterAppleEsq
      @MisterAppleEsq Před 4 lety

      @Tyler Hackner Just a question, why does the song being in B major make the song sound different to you? I doubt it would sound all that different if it were in, say, C major.

    • @34672rr
      @34672rr Před 4 lety

      every song is infinitely intricate under a microscope, you can analyze anything to death. There is nothing to be analyzed about this song, it's a piece of art, you won't benefit one bit by knowing how the sausage was made, mostly because you will never know how it's made, it comes from someone's soul, the notes ,techniques, words, etc are nothing more than a tool that anyone has access to. A good musician can play 2 "wrong" notes and makes amazing music. I have seen it done.

  • @adriandelosangeles6205
    @adriandelosangeles6205 Před 4 lety +670

    Anyone else appreciate the camera person laughing as Jacob goes “oh yeahh” at 5:43?

  • @henrystier947
    @henrystier947 Před 4 lety +370

    Vox: Hey Jacob can you come to explain Sir Duke for us?
    Jacob: Sure but I am going to wear crocs.

  • @anyagaff1471
    @anyagaff1471 Před 4 lety +1766

    I love hearing from passionate, eloquent musicians. They truly make our world bright. Thanks Vox!

  • @rubyppower
    @rubyppower Před 4 lety +1590

    Yesss you got Jacob! He’s just so talented and perfect to describe music theory.

    • @charliek115
      @charliek115 Před 4 lety +19

      First Adam Neely now this! Vox is killing it!

    • @vinniesmyyth334
      @vinniesmyyth334 Před 4 lety +1

      @@charliek115 adam neely made a whole video mocking the "christmas chord" ebmin11 video, i doubt hes gonna appear on here again ahaahaha

    • @dappunk1
      @dappunk1 Před 4 lety +2

      VinnieSmyyth he already has

    • @christiangasior4244
      @christiangasior4244 Před 4 lety

      You’re purdy

    • @joltedlozengek4708
      @joltedlozengek4708 Před 4 lety +2

      talented doesn't even do him justice. the Man is 24 years old and literally a genius.

  • @michaelmarroquin1663
    @michaelmarroquin1663 Před 2 lety +236

    Stevie’s genius is even more astonishing when you take into consideration that he wrote this whole song in the dark .

    • @palmereldritch_6669
      @palmereldritch_6669 Před 11 měsíci +21

      I see it the opposite. Stevie learned the world through his ears, full stop. Many musical engenues are blind. I'm not saying this diminishes his awesomeness, but being blind has a boon, not a detriment.

    • @deaterk
      @deaterk Před 11 měsíci +2

      Michael - Are you being cheeky!?!?

    • @paulgibby6932
      @paulgibby6932 Před 10 měsíci +1

      And Beethoven wrote while deaf.

    • @jacksawild
      @jacksawild Před 9 měsíci

      And he never saw apenny of the money he earned

    • @paulgibby6932
      @paulgibby6932 Před 9 měsíci

      If you were blind you wouldn't get this "joke"

  • @cmsquared63
    @cmsquared63 Před 4 lety +217

    B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T. Stevie’s music, Jacob’s enthusiasm, and the author’s clear direction. Well done, top drawer, spot on.

  • @plop4493
    @plop4493 Před 4 lety +166

    Songs in the key of life is an amazing album

    • @lifeonholidae
      @lifeonholidae Před 4 lety +4

      One of the greatest.

    • @davidfleuchaus
      @davidfleuchaus Před 4 lety +17

      I saw him play the whole album live in 2015. I was astonished, dumbstruck, floored by how Stevie performed the whole concert as if it were his latest, freshest music. I was also astonished by how comfortable and quick-witted and likable and energetic and generous and loving he was. He easily and comfortably filled the arena with his personality.

    • @PrinceJes
      @PrinceJes Před 4 lety

      Yess

  • @reidhowland
    @reidhowland Před 4 lety +76

    Collier's enthusiasm for music in general and Stevie in particular is infectious.

  • @iggystardust9236
    @iggystardust9236 Před 3 lety +78

    I absolutely love the way Jacob breaks things down. I wish he would do a Masterclass.

    • @andyhinds542
      @andyhinds542 Před 2 lety +1

      That was a masterclass.

    • @mr.wolfbeats3883
      @mr.wolfbeats3883 Před 2 lety

      he did a few classes, if you look into it you can find hours and hours of class, desconstructing his own projects and everything

    • @mollyurick8563
      @mollyurick8563 Před 4 měsíci

      He puts a ton of tutorials on youtube for his own music! You should check them out.

  • @emp5352
    @emp5352 Před 4 lety +28

    The chorus for Sir Duke ALWAYS makes my emotions get intense. The amount of genius in that progression is unfathomable. If you're learning about the circle of fifths, this is definitely the perfect application for it.

    • @JTLVideo
      @JTLVideo Před 4 lety

      EM P why is it perfect. Break it down. 😉

    • @laylover7621
      @laylover7621 Před 5 měsíci

      I wish I could hear it for the first time again. So beautiful

  • @FunkAndFluff
    @FunkAndFluff Před 4 lety +851

    My brain: "I'm watching this as a result of an impulse click and will probably move on to something else."
    "Hi, my name is Jacob Collier."
    My brain: "Well, I guess I'm watching this all the way through."

    • @duncangagnon8907
      @duncangagnon8907 Před 4 lety +2

      Facts

    • @christiangasior4244
      @christiangasior4244 Před 4 lety +5

      Why don’t I know who he is? I do know who Adam Neely is. This guy is talented and a sharp dresser.

    • @88KeysToPlay
      @88KeysToPlay Před 4 lety +9

      @@christiangasior4244 I hope by now you've scoured YT for anything Jacob Collier (not hard to find). I'm a fan.

  • @RespectTheHood
    @RespectTheHood Před 4 lety +721

    Jacob Collier is one of the only people allowed to wear crocs

    • @sakushey
      @sakushey Před 4 lety +4

      well technically it isn´t forbidden for anyone to wear them

    • @sophieoshaughnessy9469
      @sophieoshaughnessy9469 Před 3 lety +2

      THE only. Please:)

    • @kaza818
      @kaza818 Před 3 lety +2

      @@sakushey they sold bout 69 million pairs last year,which means one of your family members or friends have a couple

    • @sakushey
      @sakushey Před 3 lety

      @@kaza818 what do you mean

    • @comandantethorn9929
      @comandantethorn9929 Před 3 lety +6

      @@kaza818 i will not be able to sleep thinking that someone that i know of might be using crocs right now

  • @ButteredCalamari
    @ButteredCalamari Před 4 lety +64

    As a bass player this has always been one of my favorite songs to play, ESPECIALLY the shout chorus. This song is beyond fun and it makes me happy that I know how to play music.

  • @glorysky1998
    @glorysky1998 Před 4 lety +133

    Hearing about how much detail was put into this song makes me happy because I remember playing it in middle school.

    • @Jaburu
      @Jaburu Před 4 lety +2

      noone composes like this, though. lol

  • @j.f.9030
    @j.f.9030 Před 4 lety +180

    I cannot play an instrument but because of Vox earworm I'm really intrigued by the science of music! Love this series!

    • @Zeldarw104
      @Zeldarw104 Před 4 lety

      Yuppers!!! 🙂

    • @jakeharvey6692
      @jakeharvey6692 Před 4 lety +5

      try music theory 💀👍🏽

    • @brianmiller1077
      @brianmiller1077 Před 4 lety +5

      Rick Beato does similar type of decompositions. Checkout his "What makes this song Great"

    • @heartbreakandmotorjive1867
      @heartbreakandmotorjive1867 Před 4 lety +2

      I've been playing and writing music for 75% of my life and earworm brings back the excitement and reminds me why I fell in love with music in the first place.

    • @yamiii
      @yamiii Před 4 lety +1

      @@jakeharvey6692 😂 you'll make him hate life come on now

  • @drmedwuast
    @drmedwuast Před 3 lety +579

    “Let’s give Jacob Collier, the best musician of all time, the worst piano sound of all time.”
    Vox

    • @cbmlgia
      @cbmlgia Před 3 lety +4

      Can you explain the "worst piano sound of all time"?

    • @cbmlgia
      @cbmlgia Před 3 lety +2

      I never heard the quote before so I'm not sure if there's a catch to it or something. Never heard anyone trash his piano sound

    • @drmedwuast
      @drmedwuast Před 3 lety +51

      It's not an actual quote, I'm just saying the piano Vox gave him sounds bad

    • @cbmlgia
      @cbmlgia Před 3 lety +4

      @@drmedwuast ah, thanks!

    • @ronaldkool6109
      @ronaldkool6109 Před 3 lety +6

      @@drmedwuast It isn't that relevant, because this is an analysis. Besides that: Jacob obviously agreed with this piano.

  • @sergman94
    @sergman94 Před 3 lety +36

    There's nothing better than musical geniuses gushing about other musical geniuses. It's so interesting.

  • @ralr
    @ralr Před 4 lety +44

    Dear Estelle, earworm is the best thing ever on CZcams. Please keep doing this, if just for us.

  • @tou-send4349
    @tou-send4349 Před 4 lety +622

    any youtube channel: wants to know literally anything remotely concerning music
    Jacob Collier: 0:31

  • @miss.chessur9554
    @miss.chessur9554 Před 4 lety +72

    There's this guy and he's explaining one of my favourite songs to me and he seems so respectable but also he seems to be wearing crocs unironically.

    • @revangerang
      @revangerang Před 4 lety +14

      Jacob does what he wants 😂

    • @miss.chessur9554
      @miss.chessur9554 Před 2 lety +2

      @@revangerang True! Before this video I didn't know who Jacob was and shortly after I watched it I started looking into his stuff and started listening to his music and I just came back to watch this video again and I found my comment and I laughed out loud 😅

    • @revangerang
      @revangerang Před 2 lety +1

      @@miss.chessur9554 🤣🤣🤣 omg I can only imagine aksjskckmv

  • @BobKimball
    @BobKimball Před rokem +17

    I'm not sure you guys can ever make another video without Jacob. Brilliant analysis

  • @pranavjoshi5719
    @pranavjoshi5719 Před 4 lety +179

    I find almost every one of Stevie wonder's songs Wonderful!

  • @Proghead88
    @Proghead88 Před 4 lety +17

    Thank you so much for spreading the word about Jacob Collier. He deserves all the credit he can get. He works ridiculously hard, with heart, soul, and brain. A true modern genius. Except as nerdy as he is, he is equally well-adjusted and gracious with everyone he meets. A truly exceptional human being and musician. He will be remembered as one of the best things that happened in the 21st century. Check him out if you haven't (including his first album "In My Room"). Research him and you will not be disappointed.
    Headphones recommended ;)

  • @yunegwangnam9847
    @yunegwangnam9847 Před 4 lety +33

    okay. This guy so deserved the 4 Grammys he won.

  • @Mr.Conyer
    @Mr.Conyer Před 4 lety +44

    For some reason, I feel like Stevie just heard this entire song in his head and made it come to life in a much more organic way than the technical method described in this video.

    • @anthonyandersonfernandesda5197
      @anthonyandersonfernandesda5197 Před 4 lety +22

      YEAH dude, but this is the magic of this music, Jacob did a great job showing us how a brilliant mind work with a lot of technic, even doing this just with the heart, you know?
      Stevie is one of the most talented musicians of all times, with alot of technic and knowledge.

    • @erinpeterson3202
      @erinpeterson3202 Před 4 lety +10

      even if he didnt consider the theory behind it, its still there and its fascinating to talk about

    • @jamesfree69
      @jamesfree69 Před 4 lety +5

      It's why Jacob Collier's music is usually a little jarring and why computers haven't had and hit singles

    • @terryzuniga2473
      @terryzuniga2473 Před 4 lety +3

      no doubt in that. That's how all great musicians write. But there is theory behind everything, and it is fun to record it because what comes in automatic thoughts to them, is something that will give us a good book to read.

    • @vickiburns1642
      @vickiburns1642 Před 4 lety

      Rob C. Yup!

  • @ToastedCigar
    @ToastedCigar Před 4 lety +9

    I love how passionate Jacob is about Stevie Wonder's music, he makes learning music theory so easily approachable.

  • @RammusTheArmordillo
    @RammusTheArmordillo Před 4 lety +132

    Me: Hi th-
    Jacob Collier: this is where the *spicy* comes in

  • @QUARTERMASTEREMI6
    @QUARTERMASTEREMI6 Před 4 lety +12

    I wish I had such passionate music teachers such as Jacob! His passion is absolutely infectious, eloquent and so easy to understand.
    Thank you, @Jacob Collier, for sharing a bit of your world with us!

    • @34672rr
      @34672rr Před 4 lety

      he is very passionate, but as such, as any bright eyed kid, he misses the forest for the trees

  • @BonQuiQui336
    @BonQuiQui336 Před 4 lety +177

    So nice to learn about this from Adam Neely, and now from Jacob Collier!

  • @__dane__
    @__dane__ Před 4 lety +340

    Oh this guy was in that Wired video where he did 5 levels of explaining harmony

    • @EmmaWithoutOrgans
      @EmmaWithoutOrgans Před 4 lety +64

      He is an amazing musician named Jacob Collier check him out

    • @DannyStopMotions
      @DannyStopMotions Před 4 lety +13

      His new song "It Don't Matter" is a good introduction to him!

    • @ivea.n1295
      @ivea.n1295 Před 4 lety +6

      His takes on don't you worry bout a thing and fascinating rhythm are really good as well, specially for that age he was when he made them

    • @AlessandroSistiMusic
      @AlessandroSistiMusic Před 4 lety +8

      Yes, he was! Try looking for any of the three (so far) interviews that June Lee has done with him as well

    • @blaugereskrooge3521
      @blaugereskrooge3521 Před 4 lety +6

      He's truly a God.

  • @MetalizedButt
    @MetalizedButt Před 4 lety +32

    More of these analyses please. This was amazing, very in depth and educational to watch.

  • @angelolaberinto1311
    @angelolaberinto1311 Před 4 lety +125

    “The horns play in unison, now to understand what that sounds like..”
    *plays cotton tail and isn’t in unison

    • @stuartholme4457
      @stuartholme4457 Před 3 lety +4

      Only the first chord of the line wasn't unison. The riff was unison, not counting different octaves. But in Sir Duke the instruments are also unison but not all in the same octave.

  • @BAERBI58
    @BAERBI58 Před 4 lety +19

    From a young age Stevie has meant the world to me, and still does and always will. Not only musically, but in how I developed as a person and how I view the world. His music and the lyrics have always felt truly brilliant and resonate with me all the time. Thank you for making insightful how it is constructed and what it is based on. It makes it even more brilliant to me.

  • @nh5739
    @nh5739 Před 4 lety +13

    When historians look at the great musicians and composers of the 20th centuries, Stevie's name will be there along with Gershwin. He is truly a musical genius.

    • @adamjdorfman
      @adamjdorfman Před 4 lety +1

      Highest Caliber man so will Collier’s lets be real.

  • @PaytonPierce
    @PaytonPierce Před 4 lety +15

    As far as enharmonics, recently I saw somewhere that jazz musicians tend to always think in flats.. may or may not be true but it's a valid perspective.

  • @Zanthorr
    @Zanthorr Před 4 lety +6

    Played this in high school jazz band. Three years into college jazz band and that shout chorus is still the hardest thing I've had to play on trumpet.

  • @cartertheicon
    @cartertheicon Před 4 lety +53

    My music theory teacher gets mad whenever I add spicy notes to chords and I'm just like "bro, I'm just tryna add a lil bit of paprika to this song." I should send this video to him and be like "See, professionals add spice." Side note, I love how much that guy called notes spicy in this video.

    • @kalebevans2846
      @kalebevans2846 Před 3 lety +3

      Your teacher just wants you to learn the base chords before you start experimenting with them, I would think. He sounds a little bit annoying but I get the reasoning at least

    • @citizensnips2348
      @citizensnips2348 Před 3 lety

      You're too spicy for your teacher. Get a better one.

    • @randomjasmicisrandom
      @randomjasmicisrandom Před 3 lety +1

      Music teacher in the room next to mine at the school I work at is doing the opposite and using Jacob Collier to try and inspire his students to add spice to their music.

  • @harveystone3368
    @harveystone3368 Před 4 lety +219

    Adam Neely broke this song down really well also

  • @J0rd4nBr0
    @J0rd4nBr0 Před 4 lety +1

    I saw Stevie live in Auckland NZ back in 2008. I still have my merch shirts lol, he truly is a lagend

  • @poderes
    @poderes Před 4 lety +6

    Finally an explanation based on music theory specially harmonic interchange, explaining that Fm in the chorus! I’ve been wondering why that felt so natural to my ears, and it was 2 notes that fit in Fm... WOW! I love you Stevie

  • @pepelandia13
    @pepelandia13 Před 4 lety +14

    imma need at leasst 10 more episode like this with jacob desconstructing,what a genius!

  • @KamilHenri
    @KamilHenri Před 4 lety +15

    Just saw Stevie Wonder live for the first time today, and this in combination with that makes me appreciate him even more than before

  • @lovemaakhe
    @lovemaakhe Před 4 lety +48

    the number of times he said "spicy"

  • @9thchild358
    @9thchild358 Před 4 lety +31

    8:12 just casually throws down an epic bass line don't worry about it.

    • @terryzuniga2473
      @terryzuniga2473 Před 4 lety +2

      its the bassline of the song he's describing

    • @9thchild358
      @9thchild358 Před 4 lety +1

      @@terryzuniga2473 Well, yea...

    • @terryzuniga2473
      @terryzuniga2473 Před 4 lety

      ',:)

    • @hstrangemusic
      @hstrangemusic Před 3 lety +1

      With no click either on either instrument and no accompaniment, AND STILL very very nearly nails the tempo. The kid is literally a machine

  • @mediawolf1
    @mediawolf1 Před 4 lety +24

    0:46 Jacob Collier on Vox Earworm talking about Stevie Wonder *SWOON* the video could end here and my day would be made.

  • @bigrobj1
    @bigrobj1 Před 4 lety +6

    A musical genius does complex things naturally without initial deep analysis on what to do. You are analysing years of experience and mastery that most of us wont acheive.

  • @beberdos
    @beberdos Před 4 lety +444

    Justin Bieber was born march 1994.
    5 months laters came Jacob.
    That's nature self regulating right there.

    • @34672rr
      @34672rr Před 4 lety +8

      At least Bieber plays, Jacob just uses computers and arbitrary mathematical tricks than anyone can do.

    • @mariapaulacastromartinez7705
      @mariapaulacastromartinez7705 Před 4 lety +85

      @@34672rr are you serious?

    • @zsigmondkara
      @zsigmondkara Před 4 lety +54

      @@34672rr you must be kidding

    • @Wrigglevision
      @Wrigglevision Před 4 lety +58

      ​@@34672rr So it's safe to assume you've watched *none* of his videos.

    • @trashychannel8150
      @trashychannel8150 Před 4 lety +12

      wiremessiah it’s a troll

  • @Mbigon85
    @Mbigon85 Před 4 lety +15

    I love this video. Jacob is probably another great genius of contemporary music. Stevie Wonder is a living legend. Thanks for explaining the magic behind this musical masterpiece guys. I love this channel and all your videos.

  • @SuperPreciousFlower
    @SuperPreciousFlower Před 4 lety +622

    Music theory pedantry alert! 🚨 Jacob says G dominant 7 at 3:20, not G Major 7 as the graphic incorrectly states.

    • @matthewberzon1920
      @matthewberzon1920 Před 4 lety +56

      Precious Flower this bothered me to no end

    • @josuetzunun6559
      @josuetzunun6559 Před 4 lety +38

      Was searching for this comment haha 😂

    • @AdamGrace98
      @AdamGrace98 Před 4 lety +31

      Precious Flower also, the "motown" backbeat has bass and snare on 1 and 3 of the bar, not 2 and 4 like stated

    • @phintze
      @phintze Před 4 lety +6

      @@petterrong1590 G dominant 7 is GBDF, and G major 7 is GBDF#

    • @petterrong1590
      @petterrong1590 Před 4 lety +2

      @@phintze Of course, don't know what I was thinking 😅

  • @Ellington3
    @Ellington3 Před 4 lety +10

    I really enjoy the Vox Earwig videos! Thank you for making them!

  • @mrbigg151
    @mrbigg151 Před 4 lety +5

    Stevie is definitely one of the ONLY musicians that I can jam an entire album without skipping a song!

  • @victorfroes6650
    @victorfroes6650 Před 4 lety +1

    It’a amazing how this song just jumped and appeared into my life these days. Got to hear it after a long time then a band played it in a concert and now this video. Pure bliss.

  • @PogieJoe
    @PogieJoe Před 4 lety +16

    I've always loved this track. I had no idea it was so clever.

  • @ciphermatrix
    @ciphermatrix Před 4 lety +7

    This was great, really comprehensive break-down for those of us without musical theory. I knew Stevie was underpinning his jazz and soul licks and hooks with familiar blues and rock patterns like on Superstition or Higher Ground but this really demonstrated his musical mastery and broke it done for us all to understand, giving a wonderful insight into his genius.

  • @Dariocorral01
    @Dariocorral01 Před 4 lety +1

    Every episode is just fantastic in this series! Your analysis on these songs and genre is just jaw dropping and so entertaining. I wish you had your own proper channel so that I just binge watch them all on repeat until the new video dropped.

  • @knix7091
    @knix7091 Před 2 lety

    This is the greatest youtube video I've ever seen, I live for these types of videos. I love the deconstructs!!

  • @NateandNoahTryLife
    @NateandNoahTryLife Před 4 lety +55

    Earworm is so good. Cool seeing Jacob Collier on it.

  • @divyambhagchandani
    @divyambhagchandani Před 4 lety +28

    Jacob Collier in the video.
    Me: 5:47

  • @nxtetg
    @nxtetg Před 3 lety +1

    Love this series! So insightful. Can't wait for more

  • @danamcc221
    @danamcc221 Před 6 měsíci +2

    Thank you for doing this! It's wonderful to hear such a brilliant classic lovingly analyzed by a younger musician who is equally brilliant. One bit of constructive criticism, though: I find the extra music that's interspersed throughout this video to be very distracting - I think the snippets of the original song, plus Jacob's inspired analysis are more than enough musical content to carry this enlightening and entertaining video!

  • @crossleydd42
    @crossleydd42 Před 3 lety +3

    I think that Jerome Kern also wrote quite challenging music at times. "All the things you are" is a good example. Although not the greatest expert on music, I am always amazed at what appears to be three changes of key swivelling on one note in the middle. I recall reading that he sometimes worried that his music was too hard for the majority of folk to enjoy/understand. And I find the middle of Gershwin's "My Man's Gone Now" impossible to get right, so tricky is it. But I love it! And finally, if you want music that goes off completely in a different direction from what you expected, Ivan lins, the Brazilian songwriter/singer's your man!

  • @benitalyh
    @benitalyh Před 4 lety +66

    Can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that Jacob Collier may also have perfect tempo? 1:11

    • @georgehiggins1320
      @georgehiggins1320 Před 4 lety +8

      Benita Lim I would think that's easier than perfect pitch. If you've heard a song a decent number of times, you should be close.

    • @FailWhaleGamer
      @FailWhaleGamer Před 4 lety +4

      @@georgehiggins1320 I suppose but maintaining consistent metre without a click is still an incredible feat.

    • @georgehiggins1320
      @georgehiggins1320 Před 4 lety

      Sed true...

    • @Taco_Burrito39
      @Taco_Burrito39 Před 4 lety +3

      @@georgehiggins1320 why are you saying it like its hard to get perfect pitch.. You can't...
      Its either you have it or you dont have it

    • @georgehiggins1320
      @georgehiggins1320 Před 4 lety +3

      @@Taco_Burrito39 Lol it does kind of sound like I'm saying that. I just worded it strangely.

  • @comandantethorn9929
    @comandantethorn9929 Před 3 lety +1

    thanks to this video i met jacob and i cannot emphasize how much i lov you for that

  • @clarencechanxy
    @clarencechanxy Před 4 lety

    Brilliant video. So inspiring for us musicians. Thanks VOX! Please keep more videos like these coming!

  • @anglese
    @anglese Před 4 lety +503

    You GOTTA cut the distracting background music if you want more folks to understand the theory at hand!

    • @Davoli1977
      @Davoli1977 Před 4 lety +9

      yes

    • @query1527
      @query1527 Před 4 lety +44

      Agree! I'm trying to hold one example in my head while he explains the next example and there's an unrelated song playing in the silent gaps. Poor editing there. Otherwise a really great video.

    • @32ndStreetStudios
      @32ndStreetStudios Před 4 lety +3

      ADD

    • @jeffreyfletcher1780
      @jeffreyfletcher1780 Před 4 lety +8

      Exactly! That was so distracting.

    • @simonbailey2151
      @simonbailey2151 Před 3 lety +1

      100%

  • @ceboz
    @ceboz Před 4 lety +6

    Stevie’s genius hands down to Jacob! Thank you for this very instructive and easy to underatand in-depth analysis of this masterpiece.

  • @victorespinoza6210
    @victorespinoza6210 Před 4 lety

    I love these kinds of breakdown videos of great musicians. It's the breakdown that shows you the true genius of these artists.

  • @PedalRebel880
    @PedalRebel880 Před 4 lety

    I love it when Vox post their Ear Worm series! Thank you!

  • @Schmidtstone
    @Schmidtstone Před 4 lety +11

    I love music theory! Please make more of these videos!

  • @devarojeremiah
    @devarojeremiah Před 3 lety +4

    We need a thousand episodes of jacob deconstructs songs like this

  • @liamcoso
    @liamcoso Před 4 lety

    What a sweet treat of a video. Thank you Jacob and Vox. Keep up the magnificent work all around

  • @pacrimco
    @pacrimco Před 4 lety +2

    Have always loved the Duke and Stevie as just a music nut listener, thanks for explaining some of the the wonderful things that I hear. I always got it, now I better understand why.

  • @NerdsOuttaControl
    @NerdsOuttaControl Před 4 lety +5

    First of all: amazing video. Loved it!
    Everytime I see one of this videos where someone deconstructs a song I wonder what the real mental process for the musician was. Jacob explains perfectly why those little changes make the song, but I think artists don't usually think music that way. Like "I'm not gonna use the classic pop four chords, I'm gonna use this one chord here instead". I think they go with what they feel, and maybe try some options while thinking chord progressions. That's what's fascinating to me about music, even though musicians have all this theory, they go with their gut, and use their knowledge to get themselves out of situations when composing. And when they just use theory it feels more like a game or a puzzle, rather than an artistic expression.
    Or maybe I got it all wrong and that's how Stevie thought about this song. Idk.

  • @MarkGibbsBeyondthemax
    @MarkGibbsBeyondthemax Před 4 lety +15

    I literally never thought this song was anything other than jazz...

    • @saoirsedeltufo7436
      @saoirsedeltufo7436 Před 4 lety +6

      Nah it’s definitely funk, just with jazz influences

    • @tjmusiker407
      @tjmusiker407 Před 4 lety

      Great tune but not jazz. That’s not to say it can’t be improvised over.

  • @caroleroseburgh1344
    @caroleroseburgh1344 Před 4 lety +2

    I'm loving this, I love Stevie Wonder. To hear his song being deconstructed (OR broken down ) is very cool ‼️ thanks so much for sharing, I'm A JAZZ lover.😀 And Happy Holidays to you and yours!!!🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄💜♥️💯💯💯‼️.

  • @kellymaps8128
    @kellymaps8128 Před 4 lety +2

    Give this man his own show ! I’ll willingly pay for it 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

  • @niacortes
    @niacortes Před 4 lety +3

    I never understand what you're talking about in these videos, but I love how passionate the people in this video are about music.

  • @Irynganon
    @Irynganon Před 4 lety +16

    This video just makes me feel like I don’t understand what music is at all because I was confused 100% the way through

    • @estebanb7166
      @estebanb7166 Před 3 lety

      You don't know theory. Who cares? Learn it if you want, but there are literally no rules to creative expression. Experiment and enjoy.

  • @sunnydustwood252
    @sunnydustwood252 Před 2 lety

    I love the way you visualize the music. It's the perfect depiction of how I see them in my head

  • @yonatansapoznik9532
    @yonatansapoznik9532 Před 4 lety

    Wow it’s the most interesting video I’ve ever seen in CZcams!
    You explain it so good, good job 🙌🏻🙌🏻

  • @DeadWhiteButterflies
    @DeadWhiteButterflies Před 4 lety +9

    I have to admit, I'm surprised how knee-deep you went into the theory on this one. We're getting breakdowns on drum patterns, chord structures, section by section stuff. It's nice to see you're not afraid to go down that route where those that haven't studied this might get lost. At least on first glance. This is possibly be your best one yet.

  • @gpwaltz
    @gpwaltz Před 4 lety +53

    For the next video like this, it could be really nice if you captured the direct audio from the piano. It's oddly quiet/muffled in this video, and that's a shame since it's such a big part of the audio explanation of what's going on.

    • @kiwi8133
      @kiwi8133 Před 4 lety

      i figure most of that is because its an electric keyboard, so it has to be mic'd in order to actually make noise lol. i do agree a real piano would have made this video even better

    • @robertledet
      @robertledet Před 4 lety +1

      it would have been so easy to do that too lol. also it oughta have been a rhodes.. but I enjoyed it either way!

  • @cheshirecat5824
    @cheshirecat5824 Před 4 lety

    I absolutely love Vox earworm series, the perfect material for music geek like myself. Thank you Vox and keep up the great work!

  • @hughtblair6331
    @hughtblair6331 Před 3 lety +4

    Great video! Now can you do another one on what makes this song so great RHYTHMICALLY as well as harmonically? Especially in that shout chorus! Stevie chooses SUCH interesting beats to make those transitions on...not what you ear is expecting. Such a fresh sounding line, like nothing else in pop.

  • @rob0b0
    @rob0b0 Před 4 lety +4

    JC is here to humbly benefit us mortals again. This is awesome! The video is well produced also!