A thing about chords
November 7, 2018 12:53 PM Subscribe
A Thing About Chords. A very short video about how different chords under the same melody change the feel of the melody. From Louie Zong, a cartoonist, musician, and storyboard artist on We Bare Bears. YouTube
Thank you! I thought about posting this myself because it made me so happy.
Louie also animates high-quality McElroy Bros. bits in his spare time.
posted by Countess Elena at 1:15 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Louie also animates high-quality McElroy Bros. bits in his spare time.
posted by Countess Elena at 1:15 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Louie is the best. Check out his Spotify albums too - short songs, theme albums, lovely stuff.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:02 PM on November 7, 2018
posted by lazaruslong at 2:02 PM on November 7, 2018
Everyone should just check out every video he posts, always, is a good rule of thumb
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:27 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:27 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not being a musician of any kind, but wishing to understand, I was frustrated by the speed of the text whipping by. I think I even caught the beginning of an apology for the speed but it went by too fast to read any by the first two or three words. How can I watch the video and slow it down so I can read the text, or is there a transcript somewhere?
posted by MovableBookLady at 4:13 PM on November 7, 2018
posted by MovableBookLady at 4:13 PM on November 7, 2018
You can change the playback speed of YouTube videos by clicking on the little cogwheel in the bottom right, then Speed, then whatever speed you would like.
posted by lazaruslong at 4:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 4:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is what is happening in my head all the time.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:24 AM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:24 AM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
this is what I WISH were happening in my head all the time
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 7:16 AM on November 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 7:16 AM on November 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
smcameron sez: This reminded me a little bit of 80's shredder Vinnie Moore's videos about modes
I watched these, and while informative, Vinnie reminds me much of music theory teachers who say things like "learn this, it will help your music get better" without really connecting the dots. Don't get me wrong, I love the things that Vinnie said about modes. I especially loved his descriptions of the "feel" of each mode. I just think he didn't connect his ability to improvise in each mode with the simple description of "we're in the key of C playing Dorian, so we play Dm".
posted by sydnius at 8:18 AM on November 8, 2018
I watched these, and while informative, Vinnie reminds me much of music theory teachers who say things like "learn this, it will help your music get better" without really connecting the dots. Don't get me wrong, I love the things that Vinnie said about modes. I especially loved his descriptions of the "feel" of each mode. I just think he didn't connect his ability to improvise in each mode with the simple description of "we're in the key of C playing Dorian, so we play Dm".
posted by sydnius at 8:18 AM on November 8, 2018
amateur rock guitar players have developed an almost superstitious regard for the power of modal knowledge to transform their playing ......this is kind of misplaced
posted by thelonius at 8:23 AM on November 8, 2018
posted by thelonius at 8:23 AM on November 8, 2018
This needs a version of that melody with a dissonant, free accompaniment too as contrast.
posted by umbú at 12:35 PM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by umbú at 12:35 PM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I just think he didn't connect his ability to improvise in each mode with the simple description of "we're in the key of C playing Dorian, so we play Dm".
Despite the fact that the D dorian mode is derived from the second note of the C major scale, it is really not usually helpful to think of the key C major while playing in it. See this short video, "Dorian is Dorian" for a discussion.
A lot of people, under the influence of stuff like the Vinnie Moore video, will tell you that D dorian or G mixolydian is "really C major", and that is misleading in at least this way: the function of the notes within the scales are completely different. The minor third of the D dorian mode, F, is a strong note, that gives the scale its minor character. While playing in D dorian, over a D minor tonality, it is totally normal to emphasize this note, and it will sound quite good. However, in C major, F is kind of an awkward note, clashing with the major third, and it's usually used in passing only. Thinking of D dorian in terms of C as a tonal center obscures this difference and, if played in a mechanical way (and these guitar teachers very often present the importance of modes in terms of patterns that you can just move around the neck) can lead to some pretty un-thematic results harmonically.
The role of modes is even overstated in the modal jazz of the 1960's. If you analyze the solos on "Kind of Blue", for example, you will find that the soloists do not religiously limit themselves to the modal scales that are "correct" for the composition.
posted by thelonius at 5:01 PM on November 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Despite the fact that the D dorian mode is derived from the second note of the C major scale, it is really not usually helpful to think of the key C major while playing in it. See this short video, "Dorian is Dorian" for a discussion.
A lot of people, under the influence of stuff like the Vinnie Moore video, will tell you that D dorian or G mixolydian is "really C major", and that is misleading in at least this way: the function of the notes within the scales are completely different. The minor third of the D dorian mode, F, is a strong note, that gives the scale its minor character. While playing in D dorian, over a D minor tonality, it is totally normal to emphasize this note, and it will sound quite good. However, in C major, F is kind of an awkward note, clashing with the major third, and it's usually used in passing only. Thinking of D dorian in terms of C as a tonal center obscures this difference and, if played in a mechanical way (and these guitar teachers very often present the importance of modes in terms of patterns that you can just move around the neck) can lead to some pretty un-thematic results harmonically.
The role of modes is even overstated in the modal jazz of the 1960's. If you analyze the solos on "Kind of Blue", for example, you will find that the soloists do not religiously limit themselves to the modal scales that are "correct" for the composition.
posted by thelonius at 5:01 PM on November 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by smcameron at 1:07 PM on November 7, 2018 [5 favorites]