Hey Folks, It's been a while.... It's great to be back on the tube again. I'm not sure how much interest there will be out there, but I feel there's a lot I can contribute to this space, and I'm at a place in my life where I'm ready to really go in on this project if there's sufficient demand for me to be able to make this a viable thing. This video is the beginning of my experimentation with a new model that is better aligned with my personal values and hopefully will help enable me to spend more of my time making useful stuff for everyone: I've decided to close my Patreon page, and freely offer everything I make from now on. No more paywalled content. As I mention in the video, I'm hoping we can make this work with nothing but a tip jar and a dream: Ko-fi.com/MusicWithMyles So yeah, if I can get enough support to afford this, I would like to start putting out a lot more content on this channel at a much higher level of quality than this video. I have so many ideas...there's so much I want to make. The current bottleneck is the fact that I'm doing every bit of this on my own (while also teaching full-time), including the visuals, which, as you can probably tell, is not at all my area of expertise. So, I'm looking to bring an actual professional animator on board to help streamline the process and take MwM to the next level. If you'd like to see this happen, please consider donating if you can. Even a single dollar is super helpful if a lot of people are pitching in :). In fact, if even just 1% of viewers were to throw in $1 or so per video, suddenly this channel could be my main focus. Btw, feel free to ask me any music question along with your donation and I'll be sure to reply! And if you don't have a spare dollar, just sharing my stuff around helps a ton too :D And thank you so much for watching, everyone 💙🙏 -Myles P.S. If there are any particular types of content you'd like to see from me in the future, let me know in the comments!
Great to have you back man! This is already such high-quality content - totally understand the desire to up the production value with an animator, but don’t underestimate how good this already is! Also, would love to see a video on metric modulation, as I feel this is a technique that is desperately under-explored in music education as a whole, and I’m sure you could make something really informative and entertaining.
Glad to have you back making content again! I've gotten the feeling that the videos you've made so far have gone along with your usual songwriting methods, and I've found that to be the most interesting material. To watch a general music lesson and immediately know how it applies to songs I recognize is very satisfying and helps with learning and retention. Would be very happy to see more content that relates to your personal process and methods!
Welcome back! I couldn't believe it at first when I saw that your channel had a little blue dot! Your video on Modal interchange is still one of if not the best on youtube! Just the energy, information density and editing are on spot! Seriously amazing work!
I can't even begin to explain how freaking happy I am, your few videos are top tier musical knowledge on this platform right next to some of Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" and a few comments from Adam Neely's "Q&A Sessions". Also Quiet World is still on the top prog metal albums I've ever heard. Poh Hock's latest album/EP sounds great too. Any plans of releasing stuff of your own soon?
I think the main issue is not leaving room for maybe one voice staying in the same note instead of following the movement of the main melody exactly, sometimes it sounds a bit too much arbitrary.
Yeah I agree that it may be better to let a voice stay on their same note, or switch to their target note early. Like staying on Ab or going to Bb for the bottom voice instead of going to A natural at 6:12.@@mitsuki1388
I also think making every chord a 7th chord robs the resolutions of their power. If you listen to the original, there are plenty of chords that are just 1-3-5-1.
god damn u probably think its corny but i thank you so much for writing out the names of the letters dawg i know how to read music but its something i havnt needed to do since school band so it makes it so much more digestable
Quite frankly: there aren't many people on youtube who explains such advanced stuff with this much clarity, you're filling a massive gap. I don't know what's going on with your life but I can assure you that your work is really needed and appreciated here, I really hope you'll keep going.
Another tip for everyone: Don’t be afraid of leaving pedal tones in your harmonies. This just means having one or two notes that stay the same throughout, maybe only moving up or down a note if necessary. This sort of anchors the harmonies so they don’t feel like they’re moving too drastically
OK, but four way close harmonisation is specific, and useful for harmonising solo for ex supersax : fourway close double lead. Please do not mix up things so unexperimented people gets confused ! It's a matter of style. If you start mixing everything up then you can also talk about Bach's chorals ans so... This video is an excellent explanation of 4 way close harmonisation, please respect it's creator.
Great explanation, really well presented. Personally I'm not a fan of turning every chord into a seventh chord (especially in rock) as it destabilizes the true chords such as the EbMaj7 at "Ma-ma", but as a mechanical technique it works really well.
i feel the same. just make those maj7 chords maj6 chords (so the first chord from to bottom would be G-Eb-C-Bb) and it's much more stable. although that minor second internal dissonance is really nice on IV chords.
I teach Harmony at Berklee and embed Myles videos on my class pages- fine explanations, awesome quality video, just top-notch education. So glad to see him adding more content
Sorry but... that second minor really rubs me the wrong way in a pop context like this, even when not next to the lead. If this was jazz or experimental maybe, but I fail to understand why you didn't stack the notes on top so as to have actual 7ths instead.
I just wanted to say, even though this video came out a long time ago, that you explain harmony topics in a spectacular way. I am a music student and with your short videos I have learned and built a lot
I can't tell you how excited I am to see you back! I am 100% completely honest when I say your format is the cleanest and best format I've seen for music related educational videos! Looking forward to seeing more!
A really good explanation. This technique is also known as "block voicing" or "thickened line" and it's standard for big band jazz and many other styles. Queen did it all the time of course and they became so good at it they could do it in studio on the fly with hardly any preparation or practicing. (They recorded it with all three singers doubling all four lines to get an even fuller sound btw.) A few useful variants to add: + Sometimes you want to add a sixth rather than a seventh to three note chords. It generally gives a slightly softer sound. + If you want an even tighter sound for some of the notes, try to substitute a ninth for the root and/or a fourth for the third. But if you do, remember that you still want all the voices to move in the same direction all the time. + Two more common ways to handle passing notes (that is melody notes that don't fit the harmony): - Use a diminished 7th chord - Omit the chord note right below the melody note. (For example: if the melody note is an F and the chord is a Cmaj7 (CEGB), leave the E out of the chord.) + As the video says, ideally you want all the lines to move in the same direction all the time but if that simply isn't possible, it's usually better to let lines cross than to have one stuck at the same note. (For example, let's say the second line ends up as E-D-E and the third as C-C-C. A better solution would usually be second line E-C-E and third line C-D-C.) + You can add more body to the sound by doubling one or more of the lines one octave down. Typically the melody is the first one to double this way and then either the second or third voice depending on how tight you want the harmonies to be. (Btw, "standard" instrumentation for a full big band horn section is to start with everything doubled in octaves, then have the brass play the lines from the top one and downwards and the saxes from the third highest and downwards.) + Keep in mind that musicians will naturally intonate to fit the harmony so a harmonisation with a real musician/singer for each line will usually sound softer than the same notes played on a keyboard or by a computer. + If you only have three voices and want to emulate the sound of four-way close voicing, the easy way is to leave out the lowest line. I'm not sure but I think that's what Queen did live. A more advanced (but technically not close voicing) solution is to leave out either the root or the fifth of each chord. --- Not really four-way or close voicing but really useful variants anyway: + If you want a less "jazzy" and not so overwhelming sound, use the same principles but with three note chords and (of course) only three lines. Leave out the root of fifth of any four note chords in the harmony. + You can get a "wider" and less tight sound by transposing one or more of the lines in octaves. Three typical tricks: - Transpose the lowest line one octave up. This is a kind of hybrid between "standard pop harmonisation" and block voicing. Make sure the melody doesn't drown in the mix though; give it a different timbre and/or more power than the other lines. - Transpose the second line one octave down. Not close voicing anymore of course but it cn sound really great when done right. - Transpose the second and fourth voice one octave down. Definitely not close voicing but it can be very powerful, maybe even a bit overwhelming if you're not careful. --- Last but not least: remember that all rules in music are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. What matters in the end is how the music sounds. It's still a good idea to learn and understand music theory and the standard solutions as well as possible because it will save you time and effort in the long run and besides, as I used to tell my students, you can't really break the rules properly if you don't kow them.
You know the joke about how teachers only become teachers because they can't do the real thing. Well this guy dropped the best album ever made then dropped the mic so that when he teaches no one can accuse him of not being able to do the real thing.
I've never seen your channel before, but I absolutely LOVE how you keep a metronome going and start examples on beat! Gives it a certain momentum that solidifies engagement. Plus, simple easy bgm!
Dude I just found your channel and the way you explain these ideas is so great! I love the constant beat in the back - it keeps the viewer’s attention and it lets you incorporate the chords you’re demonstrating really naturally. I see this is the first video you’ve made in years and while I didn’t know about you then, I’m very glad you’re back. Please make more of these types of videos, and thank you!
awful. Just not good. 6:37. You can't just move scale notes along with the melody. Harmony isn't that simple. You need to be very careful not to clutter it up and hit notes that are not even in the chord which is why you hear Freddie singing harmonies that move logically and in harmony with the chords that are happening. Just going along with the main melody will create ... well, horrible results. Like you hear at 6:37 The chord happening underneath "if i'm not back again this time to...." is a FIVE CHORD. So, you need to sing the FIVE CHORD notes and the other note valid is the dom 7 which happens in the melody at "this time". Sometimes also you want to hold the 5 note for TWO NOTES instead of moving it up to the 6 or skipping the 4 and jumping right to the 5. like C, D, E, G, G. Those last two Gs would fit great with a G chord (5 chord) then a root chord (C in this case and the G note then becomes the 5 note of the C chord but it you go up C, D, E, F, G then F doesn't work with a G 7 chord. It really all depends on what's happening as to how you create your harmonies.
Great video but I feel using the pitch shifted original vocals really don't work in explain how well the harmonies sound, they sort of just sound robotic especially during the vibrato
at 6:30, the drums behind you speeding voice make me feel anxious. You made a very dense video, but I'll appreciate some respiration sometimes to keep concentrate. Thanks
That Db-7 is not working. I think it’s often not effective to just move each voice independently through non-chord tones and not care about the harmony is creates.
Seems like the chord voicing should be more dependent on the vowel that's being sung. If it's a low vowel, there should be a tighter range, and for a high vowel, a wider range.
Is this a psychology experiment or a joke? Myles is a great presenter and seems to know a lot about music theory. It's an awesome state of the art video. So why does the song he creates here sound like a clown theme from a nightmare sequence in The Simpsons?
So glad youre back and that youtube recomended your video to me. probably since ive been subbed from the early days. also i hope beyond hope for more native construct.
I once read that in voice leading guidelines that it preferable for the outer notes to move in contrary motion or oblique. parallel motion should be avoided unless it's intentional. ain't it?
I think that's only if you want to separate your voices, it's easiest to identify and hear with contrary motion as well emphasizing more interesting notes with the middle voice
This arranging technique is called four way close, been used for decades, just learn about jazz harmony, this is not classical harmony. Each style has it's "rules"
oh today is a GOOD day! i love the way you present theory and composition technique - so engaging and digestible. looking forward to more! welcome back 😄
I didn't like the end result. It felt robotic and too perfect, like a Jacob Collier song. Maybe if it was actually sung with some imperfections it would be better.
Wow! This video is amazing! The way you use subtle musical queues to anticipate an example or short playback is great, it felt like I was being rewarded for listening whenever I knew a sample was about to be played before you said you'd play it! Also, the general background audio is made to perfectly blend back and forth between playing samples and simply underscoring your speech. I love it!
This is probably one of the most well-made music theory videos I have ever seen. The fact that you have that constant groove in the background and how it flows perfectly into whatever music example you’re about to use is simply beautiful
presently surprised to see a new video! there are a ton of lessons on youtube but many of them are just talking head videos, your visuals and pacing are way more helpful!
Funny, in composition class there was a commandment that thou shall not use parallel motion. Of course rules are meant to be broken, but I do think some pedal tones or variations could add interest, but a cool idea and technique to share. Cheers.
yeah, i haven’t tried harmonizing anything this way yet but i get the feeling that this is useful as a pretty methodical procedure to get a starting point - then you go tweak the result however you want
What composition class ? Anyhow this is not composition, but an arranging technique called four way close, used for decades. Ever heard sax soli ? Ever heard about harmonised soli in big bands ? Ever heard about geat band Supersax ? Ever heard about block chords ? Well it's never too late...
I'm intrigued by the substantial depth of this material. A book with comparable insights broadened my intellectual scope. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze
I've watched this video multiple times because it's so good! Concepts like this used to feel so unapproachable for me, but you explain to so clearly. This video made genuinely excited to go experiment with this technique in my own music
Thanks. Clear explanation and interesting to hear. Sounds super wonky but I can't tell if that's just the pitch shifting. Can anybody point out any famous recordings where this technique is used? I'd be curious to hear some actually sung examples. Also, I can't help but suspect, wouldn't using some 6ths instead of 7ths give it a more classic sound? Anyways, more lessons on different techniques to harmonize would be super appreciated.
This is a perfect example of theory overriding musicality. Yes, theoretically you can put those notes together, but it sounds awful! Queen would NEVER make harmonies like this (nor would anyone who wants an audience outside of a lecture theatre). If nothing else, this video is a great illustration of the difference between an academic musician, and an artist. Ew.
Yeah... I studied harmony at music college and was pro orchestral musician for 20 years. Unfortunately this doesnt explain harmonic structures or how to move between.... But hey if it makes you feel better ...
Hi Myles, I highly appreciate your content, your attention to details and pleasant form of this video is exceptional. However I think if you use such iconic song as Bohemian Rhapsody and such legends as Freddie Mercury you could show more about techniques of this style / genre / artist, which has helped bring that song to its legendary level. I'm leaving sub to your channel, 'cause I think that you have something more to say in this field, than you showed in this video ;)
Thanks for the breakdown. I recommend using a more advanced harmonizer plug with built-in formant shift so you can avoid the chipmunk/darth vader thing on those harms
Thanks but some of it sounds really muddy and almost robotic. Many of the best harmonies are just one accompanying melody. Not 3 plus. So just simplifying it in areas would eliminate the rough spots.
The high note of the "ooh" and the "gain" of "again" both sound off to me. Like one of the voices needs raising a half-step. But without ditting down and working through it, I can't be sure. And why no contrary or oblique motion? Is it just that such harmonies push you out of the octave limit between the top and bottom notes?
great video very well explained. please get rid of the background music it makes the video very difficult to watch. its made for musicians so help us coventrate on the subject not on the background music. thank you
Just starting binging your videos, really fantastic stuff man. You have a great style that's unique and engaging, as well ws highly informative Keep it up, your doing great stuff and love your changes too
Curious what all of you think or prefer - if adding harmony lines, would you emphasize the lead line at all with higher volume and/or different presence in the mix?
I’ve been looking for a video or lesson like this EVERYWHERE. Thank you. I was looking for something specifically about tracks/harmonizations from MJ, Janet, Justin Timberlake. But this seems to be pretty much the same. You’re awesome! ⭐️
This is amazing Myles. Of course once you record this with your natural voice instead of autotune and hopefully invite some friends to sing the other voices so you don't have to harmonise with yourself, the result will be great.
Great explanation of harmonizing using four way close!! We had to practice this a lot in my jazz arranging classes. Wish I saw this video when I started learning lol
The arrengement wasnt meant to be "perfect", but its a perfect class exactly beacuse of that. It teaches, ut makes you think, agree and disagree here and there, but uhen... Its such a complex topic, the class is in its right place to everyone genuinely interested in harmony..
Hey Folks,
It's been a while.... It's great to be back on the tube again. I'm not sure how much interest there will be out there, but I feel there's a lot I can contribute to this space, and I'm at a place in my life where I'm ready to really go in on this project if there's sufficient demand for me to be able to make this a viable thing. This video is the beginning of my experimentation with a new model that is better aligned with my personal values and hopefully will help enable me to spend more of my time making useful stuff for everyone:
I've decided to close my Patreon page, and freely offer everything I make from now on. No more paywalled content. As I mention in the video, I'm hoping we can make this work with nothing but a tip jar and a dream: Ko-fi.com/MusicWithMyles
So yeah, if I can get enough support to afford this, I would like to start putting out a lot more content on this channel at a much higher level of quality than this video. I have so many ideas...there's so much I want to make. The current bottleneck is the fact that I'm doing every bit of this on my own (while also teaching full-time), including the visuals, which, as you can probably tell, is not at all my area of expertise. So, I'm looking to bring an actual professional animator on board to help streamline the process and take MwM to the next level.
If you'd like to see this happen, please consider donating if you can. Even a single dollar is super helpful if a lot of people are pitching in :). In fact, if even just 1% of viewers were to throw in $1 or so per video, suddenly this channel could be my main focus. Btw, feel free to ask me any music question along with your donation and I'll be sure to reply! And if you don't have a spare dollar, just sharing my stuff around helps a ton too :D
And thank you so much for watching, everyone 💙🙏
-Myles
P.S. If there are any particular types of content you'd like to see from me in the future, let me know in the comments!
Great to have you back man! This is already such high-quality content - totally understand the desire to up the production value with an animator, but don’t underestimate how good this already is! Also, would love to see a video on metric modulation, as I feel this is a technique that is desperately under-explored in music education as a whole, and I’m sure you could make something really informative and entertaining.
Glad to have you back making content again! I've gotten the feeling that the videos you've made so far have gone along with your usual songwriting methods, and I've found that to be the most interesting material. To watch a general music lesson and immediately know how it applies to songs I recognize is very satisfying and helps with learning and retention. Would be very happy to see more content that relates to your personal process and methods!
Welcome back! I couldn't believe it at first when I saw that your channel had a little blue dot! Your video on Modal interchange is still one of if not the best on youtube! Just the energy, information density and editing are on spot! Seriously amazing work!
Welcome back I'm so glad you're making videos again I loved the videos you used to make so happy to see you again
I can't even begin to explain how freaking happy I am, your few videos are top tier musical knowledge on this platform right next to some of Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" and a few comments from Adam Neely's "Q&A Sessions". Also Quiet World is still on the top prog metal albums I've ever heard. Poh Hock's latest album/EP sounds great too. Any plans of releasing stuff of your own soon?
Even though I'm not convinced by every choice of chord in there, the last two measures ("as if nothing really matters") are so damn beautiful !
I think the main issue is not leaving room for maybe one voice staying in the same note instead of following the movement of the main melody exactly, sometimes it sounds a bit too much arbitrary.
Yeah I agree that it may be better to let a voice stay on their same note, or switch to their target note early. Like staying on Ab or going to Bb for the bottom voice instead of going to A natural at 6:12.@@mitsuki1388
I also think making every chord a 7th chord robs the resolutions of their power. If you listen to the original, there are plenty of chords that are just 1-3-5-1.
Yeah all the sevenths don’t sound very Queen to my ear.
@@ItsBofu maybe 6ths would be better than major 7ths for some of these.
god damn u probably think its corny but i thank you so much for writing out the names of the letters dawg i know how to read music but its something i havnt needed to do since school band so it makes it so much more digestable
I gotchu dawg
4:11 with sixths, I usually do a sharp-4.
Brilliant video, my man. Found your channel and subscribed via the Modal Interchange one :)
Quite frankly: there aren't many people on youtube who explains such advanced stuff with this much clarity, you're filling a massive gap.
I don't know what's going on with your life but I can assure you that your work is really needed and appreciated here, I really hope you'll keep going.
+1000
Another tip for everyone:
Don’t be afraid of leaving pedal tones in your harmonies. This just means having one or two notes that stay the same throughout, maybe only moving up or down a note if necessary. This sort of anchors the harmonies so they don’t feel like they’re moving too drastically
also, using contrary movement on the voices sounds very satisfying on the right places
You arrange for Journey?😅👍
@@San-lh8ushell yes
I agree. Those happen a lot in Choral SATB and they make it easier to learn and to sing for the harmony parts.
OK, but four way close harmonisation is specific, and useful for harmonising solo for ex supersax : fourway close double lead. Please do not mix up things so unexperimented people gets confused !
It's a matter of style. If you start mixing everything up then you can also talk about Bach's chorals ans so... This video is an excellent explanation of 4 way close harmonisation, please respect it's creator.
Great explanation, really well presented. Personally I'm not a fan of turning every chord into a seventh chord (especially in rock) as it destabilizes the true chords such as the EbMaj7 at "Ma-ma", but as a mechanical technique it works really well.
i feel the same. just make those maj7 chords maj6 chords (so the first chord from to bottom would be G-Eb-C-Bb) and it's much more stable. although that minor second internal dissonance is really nice on IV chords.
I teach Harmony at Berklee and embed Myles videos on my class pages- fine explanations, awesome quality video, just top-notch education. So glad to see him adding more content
Cheers, Professor!
can you teach me?
@@dannyjames7911 musicwithmyles.org/lessons :)
I don’t love this sound, being more of a counterpoint guy myself, but you explain it super well, and gave me appreciation for the style.
The pitch correction just doesn’t work, i think it would have sounded better if you sung the parts yourself
Sorry but... that second minor really rubs me the wrong way in a pop context like this, even when not next to the lead. If this was jazz or experimental maybe, but I fail to understand why you didn't stack the notes on top so as to have actual 7ths instead.
The result sounds absolutely awful
I just wanted to say, even though this video came out a long time ago, that you explain harmony topics in a spectacular way. I am a music student and with your short videos I have learned and built a lot
I can't tell you how excited I am to see you back! I am 100% completely honest when I say your format is the cleanest and best format I've seen for music related educational videos! Looking forward to seeing more!
all those seconds are harsh to me. They work in context, but still kinda (subjectively) bug me.
I really dig the clean aesthetic of the presentation and editing.
Thank you, really, but that's horrible
A really good explanation. This technique is also known as "block voicing" or "thickened line" and it's standard for big band jazz and many other styles. Queen did it all the time of course and they became so good at it they could do it in studio on the fly with hardly any preparation or practicing. (They recorded it with all three singers doubling all four lines to get an even fuller sound btw.) A few useful variants to add:
+ Sometimes you want to add a sixth rather than a seventh to three note chords. It generally gives a slightly softer sound.
+ If you want an even tighter sound for some of the notes, try to substitute a ninth for the root and/or a fourth for the third. But if you do, remember that you still want all the voices to move in the same direction all the time.
+ Two more common ways to handle passing notes (that is melody notes that don't fit the harmony):
- Use a diminished 7th chord
- Omit the chord note right below the melody note. (For example: if the melody note is an F and the chord is a Cmaj7 (CEGB), leave the E out of the chord.)
+ As the video says, ideally you want all the lines to move in the same direction all the time but if that simply isn't possible, it's usually better to let lines cross than to have one stuck at the same note. (For example, let's say the second line ends up as E-D-E and the third as C-C-C. A better solution would usually be second line E-C-E and third line C-D-C.)
+ You can add more body to the sound by doubling one or more of the lines one octave down. Typically the melody is the first one to double this way and then either the second or third voice depending on how tight you want the harmonies to be. (Btw, "standard" instrumentation for a full big band horn section is to start with everything doubled in octaves, then have the brass play the lines from the top one and downwards and the saxes from the third highest and downwards.)
+ Keep in mind that musicians will naturally intonate to fit the harmony so a harmonisation with a real musician/singer for each line will usually sound softer than the same notes played on a keyboard or by a computer.
+ If you only have three voices and want to emulate the sound of four-way close voicing, the easy way is to leave out the lowest line. I'm not sure but I think that's what Queen did live. A more advanced (but technically not close voicing) solution is to leave out either the root or the fifth of each chord.
---
Not really four-way or close voicing but really useful variants anyway:
+ If you want a less "jazzy" and not so overwhelming sound, use the same principles but with three note chords and (of course) only three lines. Leave out the root of fifth of any four note chords in the harmony.
+ You can get a "wider" and less tight sound by transposing one or more of the lines in octaves. Three typical tricks:
- Transpose the lowest line one octave up. This is a kind of hybrid between "standard pop harmonisation" and block voicing. Make sure the melody doesn't drown in the mix though; give it a different timbre and/or more power than the other lines.
- Transpose the second line one octave down. Not close voicing anymore of course but it cn sound really great when done right.
- Transpose the second and fourth voice one octave down. Definitely not close voicing but it can be very powerful, maybe even a bit overwhelming if you're not careful.
---
Last but not least: remember that all rules in music are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. What matters in the end is how the music sounds. It's still a good idea to learn and understand music theory and the standard solutions as well as possible because it will save you time and effort in the long run and besides, as I used to tell my students, you can't really break the rules properly if you don't kow them.
I was just rewatching your modal interchange video, great timing!
I waited for sooo long, great video man
You know the joke about how teachers only become teachers because they can't do the real thing. Well this guy dropped the best album ever made then dropped the mic so that when he teaches no one can accuse him of not being able to do the real thing.
Very nice presentation style. But frankly, the result sounds like a gruesome auto-pitch accident.
I've never seen your channel before, but I absolutely LOVE how you keep a metronome going and start examples on beat!
Gives it a certain momentum that solidifies engagement. Plus, simple easy bgm!
You should’ve kept the formant the same while pitch shifting the vocals it would sound more natural
Dude I just found your channel and the way you explain these ideas is so great! I love the constant beat in the back - it keeps the viewer’s attention and it lets you incorporate the chords you’re demonstrating really naturally. I see this is the first video you’ve made in years and while I didn’t know about you then, I’m very glad you’re back. Please make more of these types of videos, and thank you!
NO WAY You're back!!!
I appreciate the video, but doesn’t the final result sound kind of bad?
awful. Just not good. 6:37. You can't just move scale notes along with the melody. Harmony isn't that simple. You need to be very careful not to clutter it up and hit notes that are not even in the chord which is why you hear Freddie singing harmonies that move logically and in harmony with the chords that are happening. Just going along with the main melody will create ... well, horrible results. Like you hear at 6:37 The chord happening underneath "if i'm not back again this time to...." is a FIVE CHORD. So, you need to sing the FIVE CHORD notes and the other note valid is the dom 7 which happens in the melody at "this time". Sometimes also you want to hold the 5 note for TWO NOTES instead of moving it up to the 6 or skipping the 4 and jumping right to the 5. like C, D, E, G, G. Those last two Gs would fit great with a G chord (5 chord) then a root chord (C in this case and the G note then becomes the 5 note of the C chord but it you go up C, D, E, F, G then F doesn't work with a G 7 chord. It really all depends on what's happening as to how you create your harmonies.
Nice exercise.. But it could have been cool to see how Queen actually voiced those harmonies and have the differences explained!
I wish all of youtube was like this
Great video but I feel using the pitch shifted original vocals really don't work in explain how well the harmonies sound, they sort of just sound robotic especially during the vibrato
I definitely think satan is singing the 3rd harmony line.
at 6:30, the drums behind you speeding voice make me feel anxious. You made a very dense video, but I'll appreciate some respiration sometimes to keep concentrate. Thanks
That Db-7 is not working. I think it’s often not effective to just move each voice independently through non-chord tones and not care about the harmony is creates.
Having a metronome beat at the background is just brilliant!
The harmony sometime sounds like a satanic voice in the movies, though😂
Seems like the chord voicing should be more dependent on the vowel that's being sung. If it's a low vowel, there should be a tighter range, and for a high vowel, a wider range.
Is this a psychology experiment or a joke? Myles is a great presenter and seems to know a lot about music theory. It's an awesome state of the art video. So why does the song he creates here sound like a clown theme from a nightmare sequence in The Simpsons?
The parallel fifths are killing me 😮💨
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Your videos are in a league of their own. So happy to see you back!
Great video, however parallel fifths sound bad in almost every scenario, specially in a renaissance style song like this one
Thats a great video but awful technique imo. Overused, ovetruned, overdestructive for vocals.
So glad youre back and that youtube recomended your video to me. probably since ive been subbed from the early days. also i hope beyond hope for more native construct.
I once read that in voice leading guidelines that it preferable for the outer notes to move in contrary motion or oblique. parallel motion should be avoided unless it's intentional. ain't it?
I think that's only if you want to separate your voices, it's easiest to identify and hear with contrary motion as well emphasizing more interesting notes with the middle voice
This arranging technique is called four way close, been used for decades, just learn about jazz harmony, this is not classical harmony. Each style has it's "rules"
AI plus pure musical theory on a masterpiece like this is nothing but a perversion of real analog recorded music.
This is awesome; thank you for making this and sharing it! I'm rooting for you and your success!
I am in love with the way that you taught this.
The visual, and audio cues were super informative and entertaining.
maybe you should get actual singers to harmonize. sounds robotic. just a thought
dude i love so much your vids, i would love to see more content from you; but if not, that's ok; take care of yourself first
Holy hell that background beat all the way through the video is annoying.
to me, it sounds like that girl in the cellar of evil dead, having a sing to a bit of rhapsody
This is so interesting, but the background metronome makes it unpleasant to listen to.
oh today is a GOOD day! i love the way you present theory and composition technique - so engaging and digestible. looking forward to more! welcome back 😄
Welcome back dude
I didn't like the end result. It felt robotic and too perfect, like a Jacob Collier song. Maybe if it was actually sung with some imperfections it would be better.
Lol well its not like freddie could sing this just for the video lol
for this technique most major chords work better with a 6th than with a 7th
9:25 JESUS CHRIST LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO
Wow! This video is amazing! The way you use subtle musical queues to anticipate an example or short playback is great, it felt like I was being rewarded for listening whenever I knew a sample was about to be played before you said you'd play it! Also, the general background audio is made to perfectly blend back and forth between playing samples and simply underscoring your speech. I love it!
i still regularly recommend and return to your older videos - so glad to see you're back!
super-noisy background music. 🤨
This is probably one of the most well-made music theory videos I have ever seen. The fact that you have that constant groove in the background and how it flows perfectly into whatever music example you’re about to use is simply beautiful
i dont know if it was unconsciously but even his speech in some parts goes with it too
welcome back 6:56
sounds like satan is singing
presently surprised to see a new video!
there are a ton of lessons on youtube but many of them are just talking head videos, your visuals and pacing are way more helpful!
How did my brain absorb this so quickly? Will be using this very often in arrangements!
Sorry mate. As a guy who makes his life out of vocal harmony I have to tell you that your explanations are wonderful but the result is kinda awful.
Funny, in composition class there was a commandment that thou shall not use parallel motion. Of course rules are meant to be broken, but I do think some pedal tones or variations could add interest, but a cool idea and technique to share. Cheers.
yeah, i haven’t tried harmonizing anything this way yet but i get the feeling that this is useful as a pretty methodical procedure to get a starting point - then you go tweak the result however you want
What composition class ? Anyhow this is not composition, but an arranging technique called four way close, used for decades. Ever heard sax soli ? Ever heard about harmonised soli in big bands ? Ever heard about geat band Supersax ? Ever heard about block chords ? Well it's never too late...
Bro. Love the content, but that repeated drum line in the background is soooo bad
I'm intrigued by the substantial depth of this material. A book with comparable insights broadened my intellectual scope. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze
That printer sound killed me
I've watched this video multiple times because it's so good! Concepts like this used to feel so unapproachable for me, but you explain to so clearly. This video made genuinely excited to go experiment with this technique in my own music
Therapist: Barbershopian Rhapsody isn't real, ot can't hurt you
Barbershopian Rhapsody: 8:48
Seriously though, awesome video with a great concept!
Thanks. Clear explanation and interesting to hear. Sounds super wonky but I can't tell if that's just the pitch shifting. Can anybody point out any famous recordings where this technique is used? I'd be curious to hear some actually sung examples.
Also, I can't help but suspect, wouldn't using some 6ths instead of 7ths give it a more classic sound?
Anyways, more lessons on different techniques to harmonize would be super appreciated.
This is a perfect example of theory overriding musicality. Yes, theoretically you can put those notes together, but it sounds awful! Queen would NEVER make harmonies like this (nor would anyone who wants an audience outside of a lecture theatre). If nothing else, this video is a great illustration of the difference between an academic musician, and an artist. Ew.
Yeah... I studied harmony at music college and was pro orchestral musician for 20 years. Unfortunately this doesnt explain harmonic structures or how to move between.... But hey if it makes you feel better ...
Hi Myles, I highly appreciate your content, your attention to details and pleasant form of this video is exceptional. However I think if you use such iconic song as Bohemian Rhapsody and such legends as Freddie Mercury you could show more about techniques of this style / genre / artist, which has helped bring that song to its legendary level.
I'm leaving sub to your channel, 'cause I think that you have something more to say in this field, than you showed in this video ;)
ouch, sounds terrible with the band.
Percussive back beat is a big negative
Very interesting tips. To my ears, "a - gain" approach notes would sound even better replacing the Am7b5 with Bbdim.
Play guitar and write songs. There’s so much to learn. Of course exercise. There’s another hobby not covered by expats, that I’ll do for my channel.
Thanks for the breakdown.
I recommend using a more advanced harmonizer plug with built-in formant shift so you can avoid the chipmunk/darth vader thing on those harms
Thanks but some of it sounds really muddy and almost robotic. Many of the best harmonies are just one accompanying melody. Not 3 plus. So just simplifying it in areas would eliminate the rough spots.
pls keep making videos I love your videos
The high note of the "ooh" and the "gain" of "again" both sound off to me. Like one of the voices needs raising a half-step. But without ditting down and working through it, I can't be sure.
And why no contrary or oblique motion? Is it just that such harmonies push you out of the octave limit between the top and bottom notes?
Loved the video but you should work on the titles/thumbnails. Almost skipped the video but noticed last second it was yours.
Happy to see you back!
great video very well explained. please get rid of the background music it makes the video very difficult to watch. its made for musicians so help us coventrate on the subject not on the background music. thank you
Just starting binging your videos, really fantastic stuff man.
You have a great style that's unique and engaging, as well ws highly informative
Keep it up, your doing great stuff and love your changes too
Why the beat in the background? Very interesting video, but the beat completely spoiled it for me. Couldn't get myself to watch the whole video
OMFG the video editing is so good and the harmony stuff makes my Berklee ears happy.
I am pretty sure if your videos were from the 70's, Boards of Canada would sample "exotic colours" for their first releases.
Curious what all of you think or prefer - if adding harmony lines, would you emphasize the lead line at all with higher volume and/or different presence in the mix?
I’ve been looking for a video or lesson like this EVERYWHERE. Thank you.
I was looking for something specifically about tracks/harmonizations from MJ, Janet, Justin Timberlake. But this seems to be pretty much the same. You’re awesome! ⭐️
It sounds really evil.
Bro i thought you are dead 😅
This is amazing Myles. Of course once you record this with your natural voice instead of autotune and hopefully invite some friends to sing the other voices so you don't have to harmonise with yourself, the result will be great.
Great explanation! It was funny to me to hear Freddie Mercury sing as he was part of a SciFi Broadway film
Great explanation of harmonizing using four way close!! We had to practice this a lot in my jazz arranging classes. Wish I saw this video when I started learning lol
Some of chords sonda non-queen
The arrengement wasnt meant to be "perfect", but its a perfect class exactly beacuse of that. It teaches, ut makes you think, agree and disagree here and there, but uhen... Its such a complex topic, the class is in its right place to everyone genuinely interested in harmony..