Maynard James Keenan's Unique Approach To Writing Songs
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- čas přidán 13. 02. 2024
- In this clip, Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer) breaks down his songwriting process and gives advice on becoming a better improviser.
Full Interview Here: • Maynard James Keenan I...
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Full Interview Here: czcams.com/video/5P8UZ8cp5co/video.htmlsi=uU3jfWVYoSflqwFh
Hey is this actually Rick B2? Lol jk thank you Rick love it
STICK TO ONE CHANNEL. YOU ARE NOT ESPN.
Rick I've always loved your interview style... and every year you get better. Your ability to ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION IN THE RIGHT WAY for the artist you're talking to, to get the BEST RESPONSE is a fucking superpower, my dude.... Your RESPONSES to their responses to evoke more details which answers all of the audience questions in the process without ever making the artist feel like they're being asked questions is spooky. AND you're a hell of a musician, producer, and a damned-fine guitarist.
Maynard James Keenan supports antisemitic propaganda pushed by Lauren Boebert. What a tool.
Rick, do Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.
One of my instructors at recording school 20 years or so ago was a engineer's assistant on Aenima. He said Maynard was the first true consumate professional vocalist he'd ever seen work. In total control of pitch, timbre, breath, proximity effect, etc., and almost never needed to comp vocal tracks or do lots of takes. Made a real impression on him.
I'm in love with what he's do , unique
Too bad he can’t do it live in concert!! He’s TERRIBLE live!!!!!
Maynard seems like he is all about self control. So makes sense he would want total control of his voice
I don’t feel that Maynard is all that good. What he does fits tool great. But overall he’s just okay on his best day. Aenima is his best performance on an album.
Who is this person ?
I'm a foster mom. I can't tell you how many times I have had conversations kids say, "I can't do that."
"I'm rubbish."
"I'm too stupid."
"I don't know how."
And the worse, to me at least,
"I have no talent."
I have to figure out how to make them understand. . . . They haven't gathered enough information or spent enough time doing it for that to be an informed opinion.
I'm saving this clip to show them. I like the way Maynard explains how even though he knows how to do this it isn't a lightning bolt that comes out of nowhere. He works at it. Figured out the beats and counts. He is explaining this in a way I never have been able too. He admits what a lot of musicians keep hidden. About the work and learning you have to do to find that talent.
Absolutely beautiful. Gentlemen, I thank you both.
Well said Indeed! And God bless you for your work as a foster parent.
Your kids will remember you forever. On a podium, on a stage, etc., they’ll remember who told them to believe
What I'm continuously telling my kids is: it's perfectly fine if you can't do something. Just fail and then try again, keep practicing.
It's beginning to stick after about 2 years of doing this (my eldest is only 5), and he is starting to enjoy/appreciate practice in its own right.
I always had trouble with this myself until welllll into my twenties, so it brings me a lot of joy that my own kids will hopefully have a better start.
Don’t be afraid to suck at something until ur good enough
That you for that. I've noticed that sometimes someone, not even a Kid necessarily, will try something once and say, "Oh I'm just not good at that." Like dude, NOBODY starts out "good" at ANYTHING! You develop that! But people expect that they'll just try to sing a song and be able to sing like Steve Perry. It just doesn't work that way lol, you develop and work up to that.
Great to hear that his high school music teacher impacted him.
@softjones3128 Maynard then decided to be successful in wine as well
I wish I would've taken choir in high school, damn
Never underestimate school music teachers I’ve had stuff that’s stuck with me from my music teacher since middle school that was decades ago
@@triplebeatloafOh my god. You won the internet.
It happened to Frank Zappa and Mike Patton, too. Good teachers are rare but they still exist lol.
Rick is such a good interviewer. He’s got a great feel for when to help keep it moving and when to just let the guest talk. To my point, at 5:54 he’s about to say something about Joni, realizes Maynard has something to say, stops himself from going on and just asks Maynard to continue. Most interviewers would have kept telling their own story, but Rick is humble enough and smart enough to know it’s not about him, it’s about the guest.
Go watch the Sting interview if you haven’t, it’s a perfect example of how to get someone to open up during an interview.
I had Lateralus in my truck (6 disc CD changer) as a young man for years and years. I still enjoy the album in its entirety at least once a month of not more. masterpiece.
Bro, I’ve listened to that album wayyyyy to many times, and I’m gonna do it again.
Agreed.
Saw Tool on Monday for the 2nd time. Every time, I’m absolutely blown away.
Tool is like wine; they get better with age. Alchemical refinement. Perhaps that’s the point, given Maynard’s other interests. 😜
This is so true. Especially as you age the songs start to take on a different meaning. @@5thPROJEKT
@@FakefulandDisgracedSlaveClass So true! The mark of true art.
I've seen them ~8 times already, going all the way back to Ænima and Salival. Most shows are still better than the last and I've definitely never seen a bad Tool show anywhere. Not even when the medium sized venue oversold by almost 1,000 tickets (almost double capacity) and my feet didn't even touch the ground for over and hour.
Or APC show, for that matter.
The Fresno show was great!
I love Maynard's description of how improvisation is reliant on hard work. That it's not just a case of doing what you feel but a case of doing what you feel after decades of making sure that your chops are on point by using accurate musical cues. It's a simple truth.
I started learning drums recently (quite late in life). And I had someone tell me that if you're creative, you would have "just been doing it" all your life, regardless of your situation or what barriers came up in life. And implied that someone with talent would sit down after your first few lessons and come up with something new and amazing, because if you're not a natural talent, you're not truly creative. It really got under my skin and almost gave up the drums.
I had to have some discussions and think harder about musicians I knew and how they came to be creative in what they did. And realized in all cases, they had a very solid foundation on their instrument before they were writing songs anybody might want to hear. A couple of exceptions are Meg White and Lars Ulrich. I think both of them had only maybe a couple of years on the drums before they started to perform. Absolutely amazing that they were playing in front of millions and both were absolutely key to the sound of their bands. But that's unusual, and neither one is known for their technical abilities.
I want to get a solid grounding in the musical "language" of the drums. I do goof around, but mainly I'm still just trying to get my hands to cooperate with my brain, and to learn more about musical structure, rhythmic patterns, genres, and the like.
Anyway, I also really appreciated Maynard's story here. It was a very firm reminder to me that this person (an otherwise very lovely person) who was so negative towards me was just talking out of their ass.
It's alot like the "10 year overnight success" it you're familiar with that term. It takes that backlog of experience to be ABLE to be an "overnight" success when your opportunity finally arrives.
I'm highly surprised how in depth he went in a such a calm cool way when answering a question he's been asked 10 billion times. Interesting to see how he has evolved over the years in interviews.
Translation: he's not a total dick anymore😂
Rick's questions came from a knowledgeable and honest place.
They were backed up with insight into some of Maynard's idiosyncrasies.
This allowed Maynard to be thoughtful in how he answered
and not a dick.
@@radonatoright. And likely a sense of respect for Rick as well.
Maynard was pretty open in the Lars interview a few years back. I admit, surprising.
Honestly, I think Maynard knew he was talking to someone who could understand it on a production level and with Rick being someone that personally has a lot of music background and knows music theory, etc. They could have an actual conversation about it.
Most interviewers that asked him these kind of questions didn't want to actually get into the technical aspect that most people probably wouldn't really understand or at least that's what a lot of interviewers probably believe. They just want to ask these questions to get the quick 10 second answer and if they got any kind of response that was too technical or took too long, they probably would have just cut most of it out n in their article or their interview video.
Here we have Rick interviewing him that genuinely wants to know cause it's interesting to Rick and he can appreciate it more so than some random interviewer that has a job interviewing musicians, but don't actually have any real background or understanding in the complex workings of writing and making music.
Driving around with it on a loop, listening over and over again till you absorb it and start hearing little things… I can relate to that
Yes I do this too....I call it "Boiling the song" as it brings all the impurities to the surface. Then put the song away for a day and listen again with fresh ears as if you heard the song for the first time!
This is how I learn songs for my singing class. I just put the song on loop and let it play, wherever I go, slowly picking up the melody, rhythms and timing. It's worked for 2 songs, now, and my teacher is usually impressed with how much I've learned in a week.
It’s the only way to go. It’s purely an alchemical process that yields the best results.
That's how I get my best melodies and lyrics! 😅
100%
I love that Mayard shouted out Bon Scott as an influence.
I liked it too, an unpretentious answer from a kind of pretentious man
Goat.
@@Tedansonfinally someone (a fan at that, I assume) admits it. 😄
@@arrianne311 yep haha
@@arrianne311nice to see a fellow Alice/Tool fan :) I feel like if you like one you like the other, but not always. So that’s cool to see you here😎
Maynard is a genius . He never drowns out the band . His ego is in check unlike a lot of frontmen . His lyrics intertwine perfectly with the flow of the band .
What’s brilliant about what he does with Tool is that he makes the vocals an actual instrument within the musical composition. The notes and rhythms flow perfectly to match what the rest of the band is doing.
@@LDwiggs Agreed, and that's what old music from classic period always did, sometimes they have voice but it was just an instrument among dozens or perhaps nearly 100 others. Somewhere along the way in pop music we stopped using all the instruments for the cool lines and use vocal adlibs for all that instead, and what you lose by doing that is what makes music so awesome, and Tool although a "progressive metal" band are actually doing some of the MOST traditional LEAST progressive things, but the result is totally unique although the process they use is one that's been tried and true for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Except when he throws a temper tantrum on stage about people having cell phones out 😂
He draws with his voice. Transposed artistic principle.
Painting with sound is the hallmark of the alchemical masters!
What an inspiring conversation with a brilliant artist. Rick is unique in his ability to evoke conversations like this. Riveting! Bravo, Rick and Maynard 💜👏👏👏
lol so astonishing
It’s his love coming through.
When are the Adam Jones, Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor interviews dropping?! Can't wait!
That would be awesome
They are stubborn and private,not happening!lol
haha ,, they are really private @@willywayne5299
@@willywayne5299 Danny seems like a really easy going guy.
@@willywayne5299unlike MJK 😅
Maynard is so freaking awesome. Always has been.
The best thing about working musically with others is to see what they can bring to the mix.
We had a drummer try out and he was desperate to keep up with every guitar stroke, told him to do what HE feels and out came something totally unique
Good stuff. "Confidence brings competence."
@@StankFernatra that’s the one. Lift people up enough in themselves and they will accomplish great things
@@AVM-Music 🤝🏼
@@StankFernatra ✌️🤘🏻
Totally. As a drummer, I can relate to the impulse to want to really lock the kick into the rhythm guitar. Sometimes leaving out that one or two kicks you were so tempted to add can make a mediocre part an awesome part.
This is the most underrated channel (besides Ricks' main channel) on CZcams!!!!!!!!
With about 4,000,000 subscribers, Rick is hardly “underrated.”
Saying something is underrated is way overrated!
"Underrated" has to be the most overused and *_misused_* word on CZcams. God make it stop.
The quality of Rick's works has garnered wide recognition and respect, he has millions of subscribers . . . the list goes on. That's the *_opposite_* of "underrated." WTH do people think that word means anyway 🤡
@@retsub3 "... I don't think that word means what you think it means." --Andre the Giant
@@Duct_Tape. 😁
Brilliant conversation as always.
His Shirt ❤
What an outstanding interview. Well done.
Two brilliant musical minds. Thank you both. 🙏🙏
Thank you Rick for musical direction,so much needed❤
This is one of my favorite things to see on youtube, and so very hard to find. What is it though? Process, creators talking about their process. Good job getting him to talk about it rick. Thank you.
Probably the best interview of Maynard ever…. Even though he just told us how he works I still can’t wrap my head around it and probably never fully will. Absolute genius!
Ahahaha
This is a very intriguing interview, thank you fellas!
love that guy, superb timing.
Great vid I've always been fascinated how vocalists go about coming up with melodies and lyrics probably the hardest part of making a song
Informative, current & so helpful
Really awesome to see MJK explain his process for future musicians
Amazing insights, such a great view into one of the greatest bands of our time. Of course we all know it takes a lot of work, how could it not - but to get an understanding of what that process actually looks like is so cool. Maynard does an excellent job of explaining it, it's almost a roadmap for anybody else who wants to do it. Even before all of this, there was the work of becoming musicians. DK put in a lifetime of work on drums before he became the drummer of TOOL.
He says "drill the pieces", and I hear "I know the pieces fit...." 🤘
No wonder the group's music is so brilliant! He is pure genius! Major Kudos to Rick for bringing this to light in a manner that other musicians can appreciate! Tool Rules!
So much love, Maynard.
Didn't even know this channel was a thing, glad you pointed it out!
Great interview! Nice job, Rick.
Love!! the reference to Bon Scott!!! One of the best!!
I was just a rocks throw away from this man on the 15th at the Staples Center. 8th time seeing Tool and first time sober...it was amazing even sober! That's one band that everyone should see before they die.
What a window into greatness
good advice. i'm writing stuff like this ALL THE TIME.
Thank you for this!
Amazing description!!!
One of the few singer/writers that tries to perfect perfection. Keep it up, I'll keep buying to listen.
I chuckled a little when he mentioned 'the winery'! Great interview of an amazing talent.
I saw TOOL back in January in Biloxi. He's definitely still got it! 🤘
Glad he mentioned Bon Scott's timing. Just realized recently how insane his vocal and syllabic timing is in his music. RIP
Also his rhyme choices or lack there of also stuck out to me. I'm thinking of Ride On, there's lines where he doesn't rhyme at all and the rhythm is also sort of stream of consciousness, and then like TNT, ever since I was a little kid it always caught me off guard the lyric, "I'm a power load" was super bizarre and always stuck out to me, as a kid I expected "I'm the power might" or something like that lol
Thank you for your service in the corps Maynard
Love t shirt! Awesome!
Late to the party. I love listening to Maynard talk. Even the short podcasts he has done have been very interesting and entertaining.
His approach to fitting in the vocals as the song dictates has proven effective. Sounds like a good system for him. Such a great vocalist.
Great insights. Thank goodness!
Just saw TOOL in Vegas a few days ago. Best rock band on earth
It's really fascinating to experience the difference in composing a song beginning with a vocal melody and building a structure around it vs beginning the process on an instrument, coming up with a progression & structure, and then figuring out a vocal melody vs coming up with the vocal melody as you simultaneously come up with a progression/structure on an instrument. It's interesting the way process affects perspective which in turn influences output. This is what I personally find so fascinating about any sort of creative endeavour; it is continual exploration not only of the medium of articulation (music in this case), but the continual expansion of perspective through that exploration.
GREAT ADVICE...I LOVE IT...ABSORB THE MUSIC AND ALLOW IT TO FLOW, BASICALLY
one of my favorite vocalists from three of my favorite bands talking about two of my favorite vocalists from my favorite band. time to die happy I guess.
Anything Tool, Maynard please! 🤘
Love the T-Shirt 😀
LOL I noticed that one too. So good.
Maynard has been my hero since '93. Be well, Maynard! Thank you for all the great music! BTW, I'm sure 90% of the comments will mention Tool, and yes, my favorite all-time band, however, I love the APC and Puscifer stuff!
what a great, amazing dood! ❤ his T shirt too!
I sure wish this was longer. For me, it left me wanting a lot more.
The full interview is great
For prosperity's sake, Rick should interview as many of the top artists he can. This interview and the interview with Sting are great and sheds so much light on how they developed their music.
And for Posterity's sake.
Rick prospers, so do we
Maynard's meticulous crafting of lyrics is a generational talent. He is playing 4D chess while the rest of us are struggling with tic-tac-toe. I have loved Maynard's words for most of my adult life. My children grew up with Maynard's words in their hearts for their entire developmental zeitgeist. He is a gift to humanity's legacy. TOOL is now, and will forever after, subsist in the evolved human psyche.
Oh my lord. The melody is already there within the musical composition. As a vocalist I already have the road map (if you will).
Lmao that shirt. I need it! Love Maynard Such a great human with a great sense of humor!
I LOVE MAYNARD!!! His music is all consuming!!!
I just saw Tool on February 15 in LosAngeles, and it was a killer show!!!!!!
I saw them recently too and going to see Puscifer/APC soon as well 🙏
I'd love to view the world through the eyes of Maynard.
Brilliant humble human ❤️🏴☠️
Maynard is such a multifaceted guy. And he's good at everything he does. If you read about his history it will blow you away. Love that guy.
would love to hear those recordings with him just humming along
ok Rick I'll do it. keep on.
Maynard is truly a national treasure with regard to his contributions to North American Art...and wine! Have you tried it? F*CKING Amazeballz Vino!
Always wanted to try his wine but can't find it here in Canada.
@@iunnox666try Cadacius Cellars and Merkin Vinyards they may ship
"internationally ".💮
@@iunnox666 I'm in Arizona, and it's even tricky to find here.
Um hello he also served his country in the military that is first and foremost of his true character and drive as far as I am concerned. Even vocalists in the military have to survive boot camp.
@@cindiwindiYour "um hello" retort is perplexing in the context of my comment...and this video. Anyway, if I was diving into all his other areas of achievement, as a vet myself, I certainly wouldn't have marginalized his military service. Jeez!
What I love about Maynard and Tool is that he is a not just a creative song writer but also a very intelligent person to come up with some of the stuff he writes about.
The songs, the melodies, the rhythms are so fiendishly addictive to his classic songs that they're very much like crack. They're the only songs I've really got playing anymore because they;re so musically good and enjoyable to listen to while admiring their creative complexity.
I love love LOVE the fact that he shouted out old Bon Scott, referring to the original vocalist of ACDC who sadly passed away. As much as I can respect Brian's talent and his own unique essence, nobody sounds like Bon and it's not too often I hear people mention him. Very very cool to hear that he's an influence on Maynard.
Always loved Tool, then I saw them live and became obsessed.
This man's a visionary.
I appreciate everything you do as a musician and just love music and arts of the pain and surfing of what the human world does too US and in every format the Awesome feelings too accurately express myself or ourselfs too make them hear you or make the world open there eyes too lead the blind eyes open up too see who we really are because I am a very strong believer of individuality and reinvent ourselves too a new feel . This is a beautiful world well it can be if u make it that way
This was really interesting. I'm a keen lyricist and typically add lyrics over existing tunes for the projects I've been involved in. Trying to fit some lyrics over something like Metallica would be an absolute piece of piss compared to trying to add lyrics to a Tool tune. I've thought to myself, probably most of the time I've listened to Tool, how the hell would I even begin to add words to this if I was tasked to do so? I simply couldn't. The time signatures and arrangements are not intuitive, not to me at least. Maynard does it soooo well, and to hear his thought process was most enlightening. And, perhaps obviously, it comes down to many many years of experience, and many many hours of effort. The man's a legend. There's a lot of bands out there, and a lot of singers, and so few rise so far above the rest. Legend.
Kinda like Weird Al vibes?
The vocalist for my old band kinda worked like this too. It always started with vocal rhythms, which over time became words... And damn good words at that. As if he was dragging it from the aether. Wild.
Omagods ! I want that t-shirt!!
I don't listen to Tool like I used to anymore.. but I used to be obsessed with this band in my 20's.. Anemia influenced me so much.. best concert was tool live
Amazing!
Driving around in the 2000's was great. I would just sing what I heard. So, I always heard "I know the beast is dead" for years!
What a shock discovering You Tube's now famous lyric videos. Still miss the rawness and excitement of it all....
True visionary. Humble genius with an attitude at times 😅 One of my favorite vocalists ever
Such a great poet that man ! =) good his poems get such a nice backin soundtrack too =)
I ❤ MAYNARD!
I had no idea you had a second channel. I subbed and am now binging it all. Thank you, Rick!!!
Well this is lovely!
BON SCOTT, an ABSOLUTELY GREAT front man and GROWLER... One of my abby fabby FAVE rock vocalists ever!
Great shirt Maynard.
Talent takes you so far. Intelligence takes you to the top. Hes a genius and puts the pieces all together.
I've been writing the lyrics first. When you have the lyrics the song is already pretty much there. Then I write the music around the lyrics. Lastly the bridges are written with the music in mind. My last 3 songs have been this way and I like it. I will get back to music first lyrics second but for now I like this way of writing.
I'm a vocalist/lyricist who doesn't play an instrument, and this is almost exactly how I write melodies/lyrics, so it's good to know my method isn't off base when someone as brilliant as Maynard does it the same way.
There's another clip where Maynard said you need to "let music breathe." That hit so hard. If you listen to most modern mainstream rock, there are no intermissions in a song. It's just a "here it is see you later" vibe. Allowing a song to come to fruition is something more artists should take note of.
Agreed. It seems like that’s a response to the ‘ear worm’ era we seem to be suffering through that disregards classical composition for TikTok hooks. No coincidence that the doode is a vintner and has his own vineyard, don’t you think? 😊
I'm a singer-songwriter and love changing up covers.
This is great content. Very relatable.
I am too, but I prefer to play covers mostly as written, and then steal those ideas I learned and use them in my own tunes! I've found, if you adapt covers too much to your own style (just to have enough songs to fill a time slot for example) then you stunt your growth as a musician, plus you don't end up learning the songs "right" ever. You might say, "I'll come back and fix this later" but you never really do 😂
Listening to Maynard describe his process is extremely interesting.
Subscribed
You got it Rick
Great T shirt
I need that tee
That might be the best T-shirt I've ever seen.