Drawing connections between jazz and Renaissance counterpoint. A strong theoretical explanation while simultaneously making counterpoint, which can seem boring if taught in the wrong way, highly relevant in a modern context. Nice work sir. Very well done.
For all of those who don't know what 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths are, they are basically 2nds, 4ths, and 6ths, but in a scale an octave above the previous scale.
They don't have to be an octave above. You can stack them along the other chord tones. They are just called 9/11/13 because 2/4 imply suspended chords. And 6th chords only include the 6, not 9/11. 13 includes both 9 and 11 (which could be omitted in the voicing). For example: C6 = C E G A C13 = C E G Bb D F A Cmaj13 = C E G B D F A
Being a bass player and classically trained musician, but with not a lot of jazz experience, I love your bass videos. It's rare I learn musical things on RUclips videos. So thank you very much. Glad I subscribed.
Adam Neely, you are gods gift to self taught musicians. Seriously, I just spent the last year I college being talk down to by academic musicians touting their superior methods. and through your videos, I learned more in a month than I did in that year. never stop dude
I think, for me this is one of the most beneficial lessons that you have done so far. I was an English major in college, that right folk songs, focusing much more of the lyrics than the music, but the melodies I create can sometimes be very predictable. My roommate in college is the music composition major and he hated the songs I wrote, but then again he wasn't focused so much on the lyrics.
Didn't Miles say to Herbie not to play the bottom note (referring to the roots) but he didn't hear it right ? He said it himself in a video with Jacob Collier, the one where he teaches harmony to children, student and professional
Ray, Herbie himself says he's not 100‰ certain but recalls it as butter notes - you can see him talk about it in the video "musician explains harmony in 5 levels of difficulty" here on YT.
@@dapodix in the harmony of 5 levels of difficulty video, he explains that what he heard from miles was "better notes" rather than "butter notes" and when he played, he played what he felt wouldn't fit and regretted it at that moment but miles played over it, as if it was supposed to be there. The music went on and nothing felt wrong or out of place. And that changed the way he played, from that point on. There are no bad notes. At least that is what I got out of the video.
@@Noahtheboabull - I think you're right on what Herbie interpreted on the spot and your conclusions as well (omitting the obvious notes changing his playing style, etc) - but he does recall them as "butter notes" but it turns out he misheard (the irony) - it turns out that Miles said "Don't play the bottom notes" :) but that amounts to the same thing - www.newsounds.org/story/interview-herbie-hancock/
I used this on a solo for a recording recently and couldn't be happier. The results are brain shattering. Thanks for having such great content on your channel.
Although playing "red" notes sound almost like your playing wrong stuff, it's really fun to create that atonal feeling. Against a full chord on a piano it might be harder, but if your playing with some 2 wind instruments or fewer voices creates a interesting feeling of tonality evasion. Or at least is a great excuse to use when you actually miss something. Great lesson as always Adam! Looking forward to next monday.
Adam - as someone who has always been desperately seeking (but always failed!) a path to improvisation, this lesson of yours is an ABSOLUTE eye - sorry! - ear opener! I now have a definitive path upon which to walk. Thanks a million! Now back to the shed...
Hey Adam, actually cantus firmus started even before the Renaissance, with medieval polyphony, around the 12th century . Gregorian chant was monodic at first, then some monks added an ornemental voice to the usual melody which was slowed down. Cantus firmus was born ! Source : I'm actually studying this for my exam that's next week Keep on the good work !
I really liked the 'avoid' notes bassline and If you could do a video completely devoted to teaching how to use "dissonant" or non-key notes i would watch it a dozen times tbh
This explanation about note colors is absolutely great! I had known for a while about using target tones (I'm beginning at jazz piano), but I didn't have an actual "mental framework" to help me use them. Now this technique has become the second step I take while exploring a harmonic progression to improvise over it : 1. Play chord notes "at random" and try to hear "what they want to tell me". 2. Find interesting target tones. 3. Find nice scales to approach/decorate them. 4. [work work work work work, go back at step 2. and try other notes, work work work] 5. Voilà ! Thanks a lot for this video. You're an amazing teacher!
I really love your videos man. I've been playing Bass for more than half my life now. I started off taking lessons and learning theory but I always had a pretty good ear for music. I was kind of stubborn and angsty (14 year olds am I right?) and I didn't like the structure of theory, same old story "music should be about freedom" So I'm mainly self taught, by ear and now im sitting down and starting to really educate myself about music. Weird things start to happen, like suddenly I have words to describe things I've been doing for years. The more I learn about theory the more I feel like I understand what Im doing. That understanding leads to confidence in my ability and is really helping to make me a more solid musician.
I usually watch way too many RUclips videos, with almost none of them actually giving me any new or useful knowledge, but this actually gave me some pretty useful and simple tools for lead guitar, which I've been struggling with for a while. Thanks!
Can't (canto?) wait until you get your well-deserved 1M subs, Adam. Your research, curiosity, diligence and (hard won) ability to distill complex concepts into high-yield material are so impressive. I send folks from pros to non-musicians to your channel.
Adam, I'm a basement musician/writer/producer (Mostly DAW with writing but some on guitar), and I've been struggling to re-gain interest in making music for a couple years now. This video, as well as a few others of yours has lit a fire within me that has been dwindling dangerously low. Thank you so much man!! You earned the fuX outta this sub!
Brilliant Adam. I guess a lot of us do this subconsciously but to put a process to it just makes it so much nicer! Will practice this more in the future!
A word of warming for young players. At 6:21, that is _not_ an F-sharp half-diminished that is being played. Rather, it’s an E major triad over F-sharp. Alternatively (albeit, somewhat loosely), it can be interpreted as an F#7sus. By avoiding the flat 5 (and flat 3, for that matter) in the accompaniment, we can safely play the natural 9th in the melody, sure, but the chances that this will happen spontaneously in a real-life situation are pretty low. The rest of the chords will sound okay either as played or as written; it’s only the F#m7b5 that you have to worry about.
+Ast A. Moore You can "safely" play a natural 9 over m7(b5) chords, it's voiced all the time in chords by pianists, especially in post bop situations. It's certainly not diatonic, and it falls heavily in the "green" category of notes (it's quite a spicy note), but its used all that time. That exact Cantus Firmus - the natural 9 of the IIm7(b5) resolving to the b13 of the V7 resolving to the 9 of the tonic I minor chord is a common voice leading pattern thats associated with Bill Evans. The particular voicings I used on the piano - E/F# going to F/B - yes, technically not the full chords, but they're very modern substitutions for the F#m7(b5) going to B7.
Adam Neely No argument here from me. I just felt that a warning would be appropriate. After all, if people fire up their BIAB or iReal Pro, enter the chart, and play a G# on the F#ø7 (expecting it to sound as smooth and open-ended as in your example), they’ll be in for a surprise. :-P
A useful and fun demonstration of a really interesting concept - thank you for making this! The best part for me was seeing 'colour' spelt correctly :D
+Stephen Lafferty You might have noticed that it was actually spelled both ways in this video, at different times. This was entirely on purpose, I swear.
@Stephen: Best part of the comment section for me is seeing the word "spelt" spelled and used correctly. :D @Adam: I'm sure he would swear it was on purpose. :P
Thank you!!! I've been scouring through RUclips in search of lessons such as this one. I've been playing blues, rock and reggae music my entire life, and have been dying to break up the monotony. I will be subscribing to your channel.
Speaks with an American accent, but spells colour correctly....we're gonna get along just fine, Adam! Also, dat dissonance was lurrvely...but 'm a BM head, so....yeah... Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is basically as pop as I go, and Beethoven is anathema.
2:57 Absolutely love this statement regarding the relationship of music and it's parallels to the Universe/Nature. I truly believe everything we feel can be boiled down to these basic essences and constants in the Universe. Congratulations on a fantastic channel, and really well-presented videos!
Just got this as a recommended channel and the video title caught my eye (a rare occurrence in itself nowadays as I now have so little time for YT that I almost never stray from the desperate uphill struggle of catching up on subscriptions), but I'm very glad it did! Extremely interesting info, effectively explained while being also extremely amusing. Instantly subbed and will be recommending as one of the handful of online teachers with the aforementioned winning combination :)
Great lesson not just for bassists but for every improvising musicians. I would like to see some stuff about rhytmical ideas and phrasing from you, it can be very interesting. I think you have talent in the field of complex music teaching not just in bass.
Super curious: in a melodic/theoretical sense, why do you think about those non-butter notes as 9/11/13 rather than 2/4/6? They aren't really extensions unless you have the first octave of a chord underneath them right? Wouldn't it be easier on a single line instrument to think of them all as 1 though 8?
No, in jazz, with some very sparce exceptions (Cm6 for example), larger extensions of chords are always labeled as 9, 11, and 13. It's because if you wrote a Cm13 in root position, the chord tones would mostly be spaced in thirds of each other with the root on the bottom, and the D, F and A would sit on top of the C, Eb, G and Bb. If you scrunched them all together, the chord would become very dissonant. Now, different positions will set the 9 next to the root (like in 'add 9' chords), but it is still called the 9 because of its placement in root position.
I understand that, and that makes sense as to why they are labelled as such in chords. But Adam isn't talking about chords, he's talking about soloing. So wouldn't it makes more sense to think of your solo in scale degrees 1-8, rather than thinking of it as extensions to a chord that you're not playing?
+Clayton Rego Music I know what your saying, but having two different sets of labels for the same notes within the same type of playing would be a tad convoluted. Besides, in your solos, especially this kind of soloing, it's chord tones you're aiming for, so you would use the same labeling system as chord tones.
+Clayton Rego Music Also, a lot of it is due to tradition. The best players all use that terminology and have for years, and there's a mutual understanding as to what this and that mean, so there's little reason to change it. Plus, just about every professional jazz musician on the planet would think you were pretty silly.
+Clayton Rego Music Anyway, thanks for the discussion! This is a subject where I really actually had to think. I like that. And also, thanks for keeping it civil. Props!
I'm coming from a very different musical background (self-taught, primarily playing metal on both bass and guitar) and am finding your videos massively informative in a strange way. They're actually teaching me more about my own playing than anything strictly new. For example, I now know I tend to gravitate towards what you call the "red" notes rather than away from them when soloing. This is typically done in a heavy guitar context though, so it's not as jarring as when it's done in a more straightforward jazz/blues setting. Nice to have a better understanding of it.
I think I just jazzed all over the place. All kidding aside, thank you so much for this lesson! I know that this is meant for the bass there's no reason I can't apply a similar method to my lead and vocals. Creating interesting melody is something I've been struggling with and you just gave me one of the keys I've been looking for. Thanks Adam. You're the man.
So even with my little knowledge of music theory and chords, everything you said made perfect sense. You really drew out the 'secret' to bass soloing for me that I've been missing for a long time. Thanks for the video!
The tag on the end is one reason a lot of people hate jazz and classical players, they are snobby, even to each other. There's always some kind of dick measuring contest with musicians, and with the 'elite' genres it happens constantly.
Paul Thoresen Plenty of Prog metal players do it too, If it isnt in 11/16 they dont want to know. What I find amusing about elitists is they forget plenty of musicians CAN play what they play, they just CHOOSE not to to give say vocals more room to breathe or make it so non musicians can join in, or to give say guitarists the option of jumping around on stage. What I'm trying to say is they neglect the style of performance/method of audience envolvement aspect of certain genres. For example, people going to a punk/metalcore gig are going to want to yell the words jump about and blow off steam. Not watch how many notes you can play in 10 seconds. Plus it would be really difficult as a musician to be energetic and yet intricate and accurate over jazz runs in those situations. Plus it would not give the audience what they came for. But thats just my opinion.
Paul Thoresen if you don't know your shit why would I want to regularly play with you, even though yes your playing music and that's good, but wouldn't you act like a "snob" to if you were constantly getting better and leaving others in the dust, even Lebron James is a douche bag dude.
Try using a minor pentatonic scale, but flatten the 5. This is one of the japanese hirajoshi scales (taken from tunings of the koto). It uses the flat 5 like in the blues scale, but unlike the blues scale it omits the standard 5th and remains a pentatonic. The sound is definitely eastern though and you can twist a few brains around by switching between them quickly before anyone notices. You could also take the minor pentatonic again and sharpen the 3rd, I call this the Jeff Beck scale (don't remember the real name atm). Both are really easy to learn since they're just one note different than the most common blues and rock scale.
Jonas Charif Try mixing blues scale material with dominant scales like the Mixolydian, Lydian dominant, Mixolydian b13, altered (super locrian), whole tone, half whole diminished etc. Throwing in dominant elements with minor - often alternating between the two several times in seconds - can give some pretty interesting solos while still sounding bluesy
Fantastic lesson! Thank you. I listened to your interview with Rick on the way to work today and now I’m checking out your videos. I really enjoy your approach and how concise you are. Bravo sir. More please :)
Fernando Soares Alves FUCKIN' A, 'MURICA! Seriously though, it always drives me crazy to see pretentious discussions on the spelling of "color" without taking Latin into account. people really need to direct that douche energy into legitimate avenues, like publicly shaming people who use the (not) word "irregardless." Man I just want to murder people who use words like that.
I'm going to school for music recording and one of the requirements is music lessons. I'm learning jazz bass, and have no experience with soloing. This is wonderful, as I already use the cantus firmus method for writing walking lines.
Fux (de) = Fuchs (de) = fox (en). Also seen as "Voss", which is even closer to "fox". Typically associated with red haired ("foxy red") people. Fux rimes to "books" not "fucks". Not "beepy" at all. Anyway, I like your humor.
very interesting also, the two latin words "Canti Firmi" should be pronounced as "cantee feermee" , where the letter "a" sounds like the "u" in "ugly", and the three "i" should sound like the one in the word "sit" .
I very much like the red notes, the classic Autumn Leaves jazz theme and the Precision sound in the intro. I'm exploring this rather difficult terrain on my own but very slowly, curious but lazy as I am. Thanks for this very inspirational vid.
I've been playing drums for 30 years and I find this extremely informative. I only know how to read rhythm (Drum music) It helps to know more to have a vocabulary when speaking with other musicians. All I know is Time signatures ,tempo, rudiments all 26 plus the Swiss army rudiments flam triplets etc. I play around with an acoustic guitar and I'm beginning to teach my self chords beyond the typical open cords. I am a jazz guy so as much as I like jammin Rock and prog Rock I need to express myself and learn some jazz chords. I can already swing
Really dug this lesson. I was unaware of the method but I was aware of the concept. It helps to understand the guidelines that draw out the method. I'll definitely be applying this during today's practice.
Adam thank you so much for making these videos. I can always bet on you coming up with the most out there stuff, so thank you for wading into those murky waters and showing us what you caught. I will comment and like as much as I can and hope everyone else does too if they've learned from your videos. Keep it Neely, man.
Awesome! This is the most significant new concept I've learned for lead guitar in a long, long, time! Of course I pay attention to the chords I'm soloing over, but I never thought of it quite like this. Thanks!
This is an awesome lesson. I've really been focusing on the 7 to 3 motion between II-V-I progressions for a long time and sort of ignoring these extensions. The 'red' notes are interesting too. One trick to use them well is the bebop scale. The 'incorrect' notes are usually the bebop notes in each respective scale. On the E minor for instance, you could use the major third to chromatically approach the minor third. It's important to use your ear, we tend to dislike hearing a chromatic tone on the downbeat, especially on count 1 of a bar with a new chord.
I've heard this sort of approach often (not surprising), but have struggled figuring out how to approach it (also not surprising). Thank you very much for the explanation!
I am so massively nerding on you right now, (seriously - that's a good thing)! Thanks for posting...I wish I was still teaching/learning guitar and music theory...you're an inspiration!
This is pretty cool. We talked very briefly about this in my 2-year jazz program, but not as much as I would have liked. I think the range/timbre difference between the bass guitar and the piano makes the "red" notes sound OK in the hard jazz context. Cool beans
Great lesson, Cantus Firmus loose... I was first introduced to this concept developing 2nd chair harmonies for orchestral clarinet, pretty dry stuff. This is a very fresh look at the stodgy old tomes. Thank you!
I have been playing the bass on and off for a long time and I (think!) I know my theory. This video was the most insightful education piece I have seen in a long time! Subscribed sir! Good job!
Great presentation. What's old is new again. When I studied counterpoint I started by doing all kinds of cantus firmi (the actual Latin plural), but I didn't find it too easy to produce really interesting pieces on the basis of this method. Of course sevenths and ninths were forbidden, except in special circumstances, in the counterpoint I learned. Loved to see what you did with your cantus firmus.
![How to Learn Music (Epistemology and Music in the Digital Age) [ AN's Bass Lessons #19 ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PDAseJvCpvk/mqdefault.jpg)
![How to Learn Music (Epistemology and Music in the Digital Age) [ AN's Bass Lessons #19 ]](/img/tr.png)
I don't know what is more impressive, your music knowledge or your memes
I'm only here for the memes
hahahha jk
Lauritz Wiesinger these memes are fuxing priceless
Or the clarity of recording, 5% of all YT tutorials have sound clarity like this.
Let's have both ... memes AND knowledge. ... and then dip them in peanut butter. Nomnomnom
Knowledge is the butter notes, memes are the dank ass color tones
You are a source of truth and goodness. Please never stop.
I'm Jazzing So Hard Right Now
Count Morris Is your cantus firmus?
Count Morris I'm so hard right now.
Jazzed in my pants.
My jazz is so hard right now
I'm metaling so soft.
would you compose for Fux' sake? 😃
Kent Löfgren Fux you!
Oh Fux, that was brilliant
Drawing connections between jazz and Renaissance counterpoint. A strong theoretical explanation while simultaneously making counterpoint, which can seem boring if taught in the wrong way, highly relevant in a modern context. Nice work sir. Very well done.
honestly, never seen a better piece of education on this topic. not just for bass players, mind you... and it's free on youtube... :D great work Adam!
he is giving away Berklee college of music for free, so make sure to make note.!
Exactly.
This guy has more references than most news channel researchers
Me that's because he wants you to learn.
too bad most of them don't make any sense unless you forcefully jam them into context. Fux absolutely would not recognize this as a cantus firmus.
A lot of news anchors and websites don’t actually give a shit about getting the most factual information out there
@@NoiseOverMusic
For all of those who don't know what 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths are, they are basically 2nds, 4ths, and 6ths, but in a scale an octave above the previous scale.
They don't have to be an octave above. You can stack them along the other chord tones. They are just called 9/11/13 because 2/4 imply suspended chords. And 6th chords only include the 6, not 9/11. 13 includes both 9 and 11 (which could be omitted in the voicing).
For example:
C6 = C E G A
C13 = C E G Bb D F A
Cmaj13 = C E G B D F A
@@FilipPandrc Thank you very much, I had the same understanding as metallicarocks :)
@@FilipPandrcMajor 13th chords don't include the 11. They include the sharp eleven or no eleven at all. Also, 6/9 chords are a thing.
I've been playing bass of and on for over 50 years and THAT is the best explanation for generating cool jazz lines I have ever read. Way to go!
Did you just spell "color" and later on "colour"? Wow, you're a freestyler!
"improvization"
repetition le-
That’s so fuckin jazz bro
Well the u is there just to add more color to the word
@@ruchejok4946 repetition le-
Your intro song is just SOO DAMN GROOVY , love it!
***** I wonder.. It would be great to have this as ring tone!
He has a video in which it's explained.
what is the name? anyone know?
now THIS is the kind of music lessons I've been needing
Keep playing those "wrong" notes until they're right! Once is a mistake, twice is jazz.
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repitition Legitimizes
Repetition Legitimizes
Repetition legitimizes
Legitimization through repitition
Being a bass player and classically trained musician, but with not a lot of jazz experience, I love your bass videos. It's rare I learn musical things on RUclips videos. So thank you very much. Glad I subscribed.
As an Australian I commend you for spelling colour the correct way.
Adam Neely, you are gods gift to self taught musicians. Seriously, I just spent the last year I college being talk down to by academic musicians touting their superior methods. and through your videos, I learned more in a month than I did in that year. never stop dude
dam these lessons so informative. subscribed, not even a bass player
Jebs Santos same
same!
I think, for me this is one of the most beneficial lessons that you have done so far. I was an English major in college, that right folk songs, focusing much more of the lyrics than the music, but the melodies I create can sometimes be very predictable.
My roommate in college is the music composition major and he hated the songs I wrote, but then again he wasn't focused so much on the lyrics.
I'm totally using this for my high school jazz audition.
I've been submerged in the RUclips musica lessons for eleven years. This has been one of the best EASILY. Thank you very much for your teachings.
Didn't Miles say to Herbie not to play the bottom note (referring to the roots) but he didn't hear it right ?
He said it himself in a video with Jacob Collier, the one where he teaches harmony to children, student and professional
+
Ray, Herbie himself says he's not 100‰ certain but recalls it as butter notes - you can see him talk about it in the video "musician explains harmony in 5 levels of difficulty" here on YT.
@@dapodix in the harmony of 5 levels of difficulty video, he explains that what he heard from miles was "better notes" rather than "butter notes" and when he played, he played what he felt wouldn't fit and regretted it at that moment but miles played over it, as if it was supposed to be there. The music went on and nothing felt wrong or out of place. And that changed the way he played, from that point on. There are no bad notes.
At least that is what I got out of the video.
@@Noahtheboabull - I think you're right on what Herbie interpreted on the spot and your conclusions as well (omitting the obvious notes changing his playing style, etc) - but he does recall them as "butter notes" but it turns out he misheard (the irony) - it turns out that Miles said "Don't play the bottom notes" :) but that amounts to the same thing - www.newsounds.org/story/interview-herbie-hancock/
I used this on a solo for a recording recently and couldn't be happier. The results are brain shattering. Thanks for having such great content on your channel.
Although playing "red" notes sound almost like your playing wrong stuff, it's really fun to create that atonal feeling. Against a full chord on a piano it might be harder, but if your playing with some 2 wind instruments or fewer voices creates a interesting feeling of tonality evasion.
Or at least is a great excuse to use when you actually miss something.
Great lesson as always Adam! Looking forward to next monday.
Adam - as someone who has always been desperately seeking (but always failed!) a path to improvisation, this lesson of yours is an ABSOLUTE eye - sorry! - ear opener! I now have a definitive path upon which to walk. Thanks a million! Now back to the shed...
Hey Adam, actually cantus firmus started even before the Renaissance, with medieval polyphony, around the 12th century . Gregorian chant was monodic at first, then some monks added an ornemental voice to the usual melody which was slowed down. Cantus firmus was born !
Source : I'm actually studying this for my exam that's next week
Keep on the good work !
my number one rule for the red notes is: sometimes
I really liked the 'avoid' notes bassline and If you could do a video completely devoted to teaching how to use "dissonant" or non-key notes i would watch it a dozen times tbh
This explanation about note colors is absolutely great!
I had known for a while about using target tones (I'm beginning at jazz piano), but I didn't have an actual "mental framework" to help me use them. Now this technique has become the second step I take while exploring a harmonic progression to improvise over it :
1. Play chord notes "at random" and try to hear "what they want to tell me".
2. Find interesting target tones.
3. Find nice scales to approach/decorate them.
4. [work work work work work, go back at step 2. and try other notes, work work work]
5. Voilà !
Thanks a lot for this video. You're an amazing teacher!
I really love your videos man. I've been playing Bass for more than half my life now. I started off taking lessons and learning theory but I always had a pretty good ear for music. I was kind of stubborn and angsty (14 year olds am I right?) and I didn't like the structure of theory, same old story "music should be about freedom"
So I'm mainly self taught, by ear and now im sitting down and starting to really educate myself about music. Weird things start to happen, like suddenly I have words to describe things I've been doing for years. The more I learn about theory the more I feel like I understand what Im doing. That understanding leads to confidence in my ability and is really helping to make me a more solid musician.
I usually watch way too many RUclips videos, with almost none of them actually giving me any new or useful knowledge, but this actually gave me some pretty useful and simple tools for lead guitar, which I've been struggling with for a while. Thanks!
Can't (canto?) wait until you get your well-deserved 1M subs, Adam. Your research, curiosity, diligence and (hard won) ability to distill complex concepts into high-yield material are so impressive. I send folks from pros to non-musicians to your channel.
I love this channel so much... GREAT episode!!!
Adam, I'm a basement musician/writer/producer (Mostly DAW with writing but some on guitar), and I've been struggling to re-gain interest in making music for a couple years now. This video, as well as a few others of yours has lit a fire within me that has been dwindling dangerously low. Thank you so much man!! You earned the fuX outta this sub!
It's pronounced 'foox'
yep! Because Latin!
german* ;P
Maybe, but Adam probably doesn't give any Fux :^)
That's Canti Firmi. It should be pronunced more 'cunty feerme"
Peter Mayer It's actually Austrian
Brilliant Adam. I guess a lot of us do this subconsciously but to put a process to it just makes it so much nicer! Will practice this more in the future!
I'm at the point in my musical journey where even the "wrong notes" sound cool and interesting.
ive been playing bass for ~7 years, and learnt about this method, and this video still managed to be eye opening for me. great job i've learnt alot!
very nice video, thanks. did as you said: liked, left a comment and subscribed. now make more good videos lol
I intend to!
This is my favourite channel on RUclips. Brightens up my Monday's.
Holy shit subscribed
I think this was the best lesson I've seen on RUclips in years.
A word of warming for young players. At 6:21, that is _not_ an F-sharp half-diminished that is being played. Rather, it’s an E major triad over F-sharp. Alternatively (albeit, somewhat loosely), it can be interpreted as an F#7sus. By avoiding the flat 5 (and flat 3, for that matter) in the accompaniment, we can safely play the natural 9th in the melody, sure, but the chances that this will happen spontaneously in a real-life situation are pretty low.
The rest of the chords will sound okay either as played or as written; it’s only the F#m7b5 that you have to worry about.
+Ast A. Moore You can "safely" play a natural 9 over m7(b5) chords, it's voiced all the time in chords by pianists, especially in post bop situations. It's certainly not diatonic, and it falls heavily in the "green" category of notes (it's quite a spicy note), but its used all that time. That exact Cantus Firmus - the natural 9 of the IIm7(b5) resolving to the b13 of the V7 resolving to the 9 of the tonic I minor chord is a common voice leading pattern thats associated with Bill Evans.
The particular voicings I used on the piano - E/F# going to F/B - yes, technically not the full chords, but they're very modern substitutions for the F#m7(b5) going to B7.
Adam Neely No argument here from me. I just felt that a warning would be appropriate. After all, if people fire up their BIAB or iReal Pro, enter the chart, and play a G# on the F#ø7 (expecting it to sound as smooth and open-ended as in your example), they’ll be in for a surprise. :-P
It may have "Bass Lessons" in the title, but this was probably the most invaluable lesson for a rocker currently struggling to learn jazz
The solo with red notes makes me happy.
Easily my favorite music channel on RUclips, thank you Adam... Thank you.
A useful and fun demonstration of a really interesting concept - thank you for making this! The best part for me was seeing 'colour' spelt correctly :D
+Stephen Lafferty You might have noticed that it was actually spelled both ways in this video, at different times. This was entirely on purpose, I swear.
+Stephen Lafferty 1:33
@Stephen: Best part of the comment section for me is seeing the word "spelt" spelled and used correctly. :D
@Adam: I'm sure he would swear it was on purpose. :P
Color is also correct
Thank you!!! I've been scouring through RUclips in search of lessons such as this one. I've been playing blues, rock and reggae music my entire life, and have been dying to break up the monotony. I will be subscribing to your channel.
Be Honest. This is the most amazing VSauce channel, but then for musicians!
I'm not a bass player, or even a musician, but I get a big kick out of this channel. Good work.
Speaks with an American accent, but spells colour correctly....we're gonna get along just fine, Adam! Also, dat dissonance was lurrvely...but 'm a BM head, so....yeah... Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is basically as pop as I go, and Beethoven is anathema.
Monolith Preacher color
Bare spafe, bluhd. Real talk.
Sken.
Monolith Preacher I'm guessing he's Canadian as they spell colour correctly.
Dude, it is totally spelled "KULLER". Get it right!
Man, I can never get tired of watching this lesson. Amazing
Come at me bro, I'm jazzing so hard right now! XD I died.
2:57 Absolutely love this statement regarding the relationship of music and it's parallels to the Universe/Nature. I truly believe everything we feel can be boiled down to these basic essences and constants in the Universe. Congratulations on a fantastic channel, and really well-presented videos!
what the Fux....excellent tutorial....thanks..I'm subscribing!
Just got this as a recommended channel and the video title caught my eye (a rare occurrence in itself nowadays as I now have so little time for YT that I almost never stray from the desperate uphill struggle of catching up on subscriptions), but I'm very glad it did! Extremely interesting info, effectively explained while being also extremely amusing. Instantly subbed and will be recommending as one of the handful of online teachers with the aforementioned winning combination :)
thank you for spelling the word *Colour* correctly :-)
BTW I call those way outside ones _brown notes_
great explanation
subscribed !
Chris Wilson go canada
Go 'straya !!!! Quin Reimer !!!!
I thought they were green, but that's just me.
@Hamilton Mays: All notes are green in the key of CMaj13/F#6.9.
he spelled it both ways
Great lesson not just for bassists but for every improvising musicians. I would like to see some stuff about rhytmical ideas and phrasing from you, it can be very interesting. I think you have talent in the field of complex music teaching not just in bass.
Super curious: in a melodic/theoretical sense, why do you think about those non-butter notes as 9/11/13 rather than 2/4/6? They aren't really extensions unless you have the first octave of a chord underneath them right? Wouldn't it be easier on a single line instrument to think of them all as 1 though 8?
No, in jazz, with some very sparce exceptions (Cm6 for example), larger extensions of chords are always labeled as 9, 11, and 13. It's because if you wrote a Cm13 in root position, the chord tones would mostly be spaced in thirds of each other with the root on the bottom, and the D, F and A would sit on top of the C, Eb, G and Bb. If you scrunched them all together, the chord would become very dissonant. Now, different positions will set the 9 next to the root (like in 'add 9' chords), but it is still called the 9 because of its placement in root position.
I understand that, and that makes sense as to why they are labelled as such in chords. But Adam isn't talking about chords, he's talking about soloing. So wouldn't it makes more sense to think of your solo in scale degrees 1-8, rather than thinking of it as extensions to a chord that you're not playing?
+Clayton Rego Music I know what your saying, but having two different sets of labels for the same notes within the same type of playing would be a tad convoluted. Besides, in your solos, especially this kind of soloing, it's chord tones you're aiming for, so you would use the same labeling system as chord tones.
+Clayton Rego Music Also, a lot of it is due to tradition. The best players all use that terminology and have for years, and there's a mutual understanding as to what this and that mean, so there's little reason to change it. Plus, just about every professional jazz musician on the planet would think you were pretty silly.
+Clayton Rego Music Anyway, thanks for the discussion! This is a subject where I really actually had to think. I like that. And also, thanks for keeping it civil. Props!
Man -you rule! Your way on compressing the theory to practise is superb. Thank you!
"if you play a wrong note, just make sure you play only wrong notes." -Adam Neely
lol at 5:29 "Boo you suck"
I'm coming from a very different musical background (self-taught, primarily playing metal on both bass and guitar) and am finding your videos massively informative in a strange way. They're actually teaching me more about my own playing than anything strictly new. For example, I now know I tend to gravitate towards what you call the "red" notes rather than away from them when soloing. This is typically done in a heavy guitar context though, so it's not as jarring as when it's done in a more straightforward jazz/blues setting. Nice to have a better understanding of it.
I like red notes.
Me too. Very much.
Very cool tip, crystal-clear explained. And love the bizarre toppings of this very well served music meal. Thank you.
7:16 Every solo I've tried to improvise sounded literally like this :C
I think I just jazzed all over the place.
All kidding aside, thank you so much for this lesson! I know that this is meant for the bass there's no reason I can't apply a similar method to my lead and vocals.
Creating interesting melody is something I've been struggling with and you just gave me one of the keys I've been looking for.
Thanks Adam. You're the man.
Anything slightly more complex than simple on base sounds like jazz
So even with my little knowledge of music theory and chords, everything you said made perfect sense. You really drew out the 'secret' to bass soloing for me that I've been missing for a long time. Thanks for the video!
The tag on the end is one reason a lot of people hate jazz and classical players, they are snobby, even to each other. There's always some kind of dick measuring contest with musicians, and with the 'elite' genres it happens constantly.
Paul Thoresen Plenty of Prog metal players do it too, If it isnt in 11/16 they dont want to know.
What I find amusing about elitists is they forget plenty of musicians CAN play what they play, they just CHOOSE not to to give say vocals more room to breathe or make it so non musicians can join in, or to give say guitarists the option of jumping around on stage.
What I'm trying to say is they neglect the style of performance/method of audience envolvement aspect of certain genres.
For example, people going to a punk/metalcore gig are going to want to yell the words jump about and blow off steam. Not watch how many notes you can play in 10 seconds. Plus it would be really difficult as a musician to be energetic and yet intricate and accurate over jazz runs in those situations. Plus it would not give the audience what they came for.
But thats just my opinion.
Paul Thoresen if you don't know your shit why would I want to regularly play with you, even though yes your playing music and that's good, but wouldn't you act like a "snob" to if you were constantly getting better and leaving others in the dust, even Lebron James is a douche bag dude.
Your bass tone is so satisfying I am in love with it.
dont even jazz bro, still subbed tho bro
do some blues solo tips, all my solos are boring
Improvisational methods like this can be applied regardless of the style of music.
AdrianTheHusky Cantus Firmus requires brain that I dont have lolwut
I'm a drummer and I understood this. Just have another go, never stop pushing yourself :)
Try using a minor pentatonic scale, but flatten the 5. This is one of the japanese hirajoshi scales (taken from tunings of the koto). It uses the flat 5 like in the blues scale, but unlike the blues scale it omits the standard 5th and remains a pentatonic. The sound is definitely eastern though and you can twist a few brains around by switching between them quickly before anyone notices.
You could also take the minor pentatonic again and sharpen the 3rd, I call this the Jeff Beck scale (don't remember the real name atm). Both are really easy to learn since they're just one note different than the most common blues and rock scale.
Jonas Charif
Try mixing blues scale material with dominant scales like the Mixolydian, Lydian dominant, Mixolydian b13, altered (super locrian), whole tone, half whole diminished etc. Throwing in dominant elements with minor - often alternating between the two several times in seconds - can give some pretty interesting solos while still sounding bluesy
You're right about that bass. Irrespective of origin and cost that's one sweet sounding instrument you picked. Great lesson too!
S'all bout them #11's
Good job explaining a concept that few can actually clearly communicate (verbally). Keep up the good work.
Fantastic lesson! Thank you. I listened to your interview with Rick on the way to work today and now I’m checking out your videos. I really enjoy your approach and how concise you are. Bravo sir. More please :)
2:00 nearly fell off my seat at the use of the correct spelling for "colour" from an American
Fernando Soares Alves FUCKIN' A, 'MURICA! Seriously though, it always drives me crazy to see pretentious discussions on the spelling of "color" without taking Latin into account. people really need to direct that douche energy into legitimate avenues, like publicly shaming people who use the (not) word "irregardless." Man I just want to murder people who use words like that.
Couleur in French... not color...
Fernando Soares Alves Old French : Colour
Holy fucking nerd thread.
I'm going to school for music recording and one of the requirements is music lessons. I'm learning jazz bass, and have no experience with soloing.
This is wonderful, as I already use the cantus firmus method for writing walking lines.
Fux (de) = Fuchs (de) = fox (en). Also seen as "Voss", which is even closer to "fox". Typically associated with red haired ("foxy red") people. Fux rimes to "books" not "fucks". Not "beepy" at all. Anyway, I like your humor.
very interesting
also, the two latin words "Canti Firmi" should be pronounced as "cantee feermee" , where the letter "a" sounds like the "u" in "ugly", and the three "i" should sound like the one in the word "sit" .
I guess it's "decided" academically how to pronounce Latin, but in truth, nobody knows how it was actually pronounced.
Man, just found your channel and it's exactly what I need as a bassist right now. Cheers man can't wait to check out more.
that feeling when someone from North America spells colour the right way 😏
Colour can be spelled either way depending on country, there is no 'right' way to spell it.
only americans spell it wrong. don’t group the rest of north america in with their bullshit. 🇨🇦
In Canada we spell it colour. Don't paint us with the same brush dude
It's both correct, depending on location. There's no superior spelling
I'm not American. I'm not even from an English speaking country. And yet, fuck you.
I very much like the red notes, the classic Autumn Leaves jazz theme and the Precision sound in the intro.
I'm exploring this rather difficult terrain on my own but very slowly, curious but lazy as I am. Thanks for this very inspirational vid.
I've been playing drums for 30 years and I find this extremely informative. I only know how to read rhythm (Drum music) It helps to know more to have a vocabulary when speaking with other musicians. All I know is Time signatures ,tempo, rudiments all 26 plus the Swiss army rudiments flam triplets etc. I play around with an acoustic guitar and I'm beginning to teach my self chords beyond the typical open cords. I am a jazz guy so as much as I like jammin Rock and prog Rock I need to express myself and learn some jazz chords. I can already swing
I've look for a video like this for let's say 3 years. AND it's easy to understand.
thank U
Really dug this lesson. I was unaware of the method but I was aware of the concept. It helps to understand the guidelines that draw out the method. I'll definitely be applying this during today's practice.
Adam thank you so much for making these videos. I can always bet on you coming up with the most out there stuff, so thank you for wading into those murky waters and showing us what you caught.
I will comment and like as much as I can and hope everyone else does too if they've learned from your videos. Keep it Neely, man.
Awesome! This is the most significant new concept I've learned for lead guitar in a long, long, time! Of course I pay attention to the chords I'm soloing over, but I never thought of it quite like this. Thanks!
This is an awesome lesson. I've really been focusing on the 7 to 3 motion between II-V-I progressions for a long time and sort of ignoring these extensions. The 'red' notes are interesting too. One trick to use them well is the bebop scale. The 'incorrect' notes are usually the bebop notes in each respective scale. On the E minor for instance, you could use the major third to chromatically approach the minor third. It's important to use your ear, we tend to dislike hearing a chromatic tone on the downbeat, especially on count 1 of a bar with a new chord.
I've heard this sort of approach often (not surprising), but have struggled figuring out how to approach it (also not surprising). Thank you very much for the explanation!
Best 9 minutes I've ever spent on RUclips.
Colour, right music tips, and MUSIC. Anwesome. Thank You so much! 🙋
Honestly your videos are some of the most interesting music vids on youtube. Keep it up bro!
What an insightful episode, I came away with a lot to think about here. And I loved that tidbit at the end, great stuff man!
I am so massively nerding on you right now, (seriously - that's a good thing)! Thanks for posting...I wish I was still teaching/learning guitar and music theory...you're an inspiration!
This is pretty cool. We talked very briefly about this in my 2-year jazz program, but not as much as I would have liked. I think the range/timbre difference between the bass guitar and the piano makes the "red" notes sound OK in the hard jazz context. Cool beans
Great lesson, Cantus Firmus loose... I was first introduced to this concept developing 2nd chair harmonies for orchestral clarinet, pretty dry stuff. This is a very fresh look at the stodgy old tomes. Thank you!
I have been playing the bass on and off for a long time and I (think!) I know my theory. This video was the most insightful education piece I have seen in a long time! Subscribed sir! Good job!
The intro to this series is the best intro ever created
This is brilliant. I looked all over for something like this and it is perfect.
Great presentation. What's old is new again. When I studied counterpoint I started by doing all kinds of cantus firmi (the actual Latin plural), but I didn't find it too easy to produce really interesting pieces on the basis of this method. Of course sevenths and ninths were forbidden, except in special circumstances, in the counterpoint I learned. Loved to see what you did with your cantus firmus.
Thanks Adam, love your videos. My teacher just gave me this exercise this week. This video helps a lot.