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Hey Charles, I am considering buying this, but I am not sure if it's right for me. I already know quite a bit about music theory and harmony, but I lack in actually playing the piano (dexterity and sight reading quickly) and playing by ear. Is what you call "improvisation" the same as "playing by ear"? One of my main musical goals is to be able to play music by ear like you've done in this very video. Would the Intro to Improv course help me with that?
I feel like the secret to Lin-Manuel Miranda's music is more the melody than the harmony. His harmonies are more just solid than complex, but his melodies are so memorable and fun. Also, you should 100% watch Moana, it's a REALLY good movie.
The rhythm of "How Far I'll Go" makes me think of rolling waves, and with the melody it gives this feeling of forward movement, making it even *sound* like Moana is sailing.
I felt that exact thing too. Much more with the reprise "I am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)" than How Far I'll Go. I am Moana carried me off on a wave of exultation and made me weep in the theatre. I love love love the Moana soundtrack!!
@@sirthursday6159 different lives lead to different perceptions. I can understand what catbee... means when she describes the rolling waves and forward movement. That does not mean that the next person (for example....you) will take away the same emotions and feelings.
One other thing Lin does really well which, unless I forget, is not in Moana is the multilayered vocals. The climax of Non Stop and We don’t talk about Bruno do such a good job at layering many vocalists and making references to various songs or parts of a song. It honestly gives a classical music feel for me. Start with a soloist, feature each section, bring them together, like Rhapsody in Blue (sorta) It’s really cool
If you really watch some behind the scenes about the languages used writing some of the songs. They did a really good job of traveling and speaking to Polynesian native populations about their language and music. The fact that "We Know the Way" switches between English and Samoan, while still keeping the rhythmic context of each language's phonemic syllables is astounding. Sideways did a great video explaining it.
"Pressure" from Encanto really resonated with me. When people know you're a strong person, they really will just pile shit on your shoulders and not give it a second thought.
And throught the entire song, written in E major, the note "C" (in the vocal) is played when she refers to going to the C (which is technically a "wrong" note when we're in the key of E major): Every road leads back (in E major) To the place I know where I cannot go (still written in E major, but where can we not go when we're in E Major? we cannot go to the C!) Where I long to be (and she goes to the C) Same later in the song: But the voice inside sings a different song (E Major) What is wrong with ,e? ( C ) Last chorus, begins in E Major and changes key to F Major (where the C is the tonic) ! It's one of the most satisfying song ever hahaha!!
Charles, anything Lin writes is extremely catchy and it's hard-pressed to leave your head, he's very well known for putting layers and wordplay and referencing a lot of his own work. He did a fantastic job with Moana as well, i also loved your video for the 5pm music in ACNH (it's my favorite hourly music. it's a banger)
Moana is a bit more of an exercise in simplicity compared to Lin’s other work. In The Heights and Hamilton have an incredibly rich and complex vocabulary, and Encanto was a return to that complexity.
This right here is the masterwork of also why this song is a hit. The chords/melody all support the lyrics that are being sung in such simple but relevant ways. Her strongest yearnings always come on dominant chords, familiar/the past hits on tonics, when she wonders "what's beyond that line, will I cross that line" The song uses that question to modulate up a half step. There's just an unreal level of detail with the lyrics meeting the melody which so many songs don't take the care to match. Even the last note of the song finds her in a completely different key than anything that's come before. It ends on a C5 chord with no indication of major/minor, and even that C is the dominant note of the established (at that point) key of F. Melodically and musically she's literally leaving home and leaving the familiar behind her with no musical indication of how it'll go.
@@MusicSim8 This. People could say "well, but thats defenetly not intended!" But I don't think so. I think Lin intended all of this, cause in Encanto are other things like these (there is a word for this kind of stuff, i've seen in on david bennet's channel, but I forgot it), like in waiting for a miracle. Truely a magical, awesome guy is Mr. Miranda.
hello charles. i love your videos, you inspire me to keep playing and practicing so that one day, years down the line, i can be as good as you are now.
Really interesting! Def did a double take when you said Moana was 6 years old… anyway, you should check out the Celeste game soundtrack! It’s really good at motivic development and instrumentation!
I find it interesting that Maui's song borrowed the E chord while in the key of A minor but Moana's borrowed the A minor while in the key of E. Kind of a Yin Yang vibe.
The fact that the line "What is wrong with me" lingers on the out of key notes of the chord is just amazing. So subtle that it works to the untrained ear but a musician picks up the change~
I highly recommend the film as a whole. It is my favorite Disney movie. The soundtrack & score are wonderful across the board (as you look up more of the songs, you'll discover more catchy bangers). The animation is breathtakingly beautiful. And the story does some things that really make it stand out.
Yeah Moana is the bomb. She's just an awesome character with great values and relatable doubt in herself and her purpose. It has one of the best "all is lost" plot points I've ever seen.
I love how this guy is so enthusiastic about the music and gets me hyped up about music and explains it in such a way that it is easy to follow his explanation. Btw will you ever do a Initial D music analysis? it does have A LOT of eurobeat songs that some might get as the same song but just with different lyrics, but it actually have an amazing soundtrack besides the eurobeat songs, you can find them on youtube as "Initial D Sound Files" and it sets the tone in an amazing way with the context and emotions of the characters and what they are doing/dealing with at the moment. My personal favourites are "Hope", "Rage", "Admiration", "Cheerful", "Affectionate" and definetly "Takahashi brothers' theme" (best jazzy tune and my ringtone)
Moana always makes me cry when she returns the heart of Te Fiti. It's got the same effect on me as that one scene from No Way Home when Spider-Man is about to choose violence and receives a look from a mentor figure like "You're better than this."
This song "You're Welcome" literally lived in my mind for a solid 2-3 weeks after we listened to the album on a road trip. Speaks to its sticking power - not only of its music but the catchy (and thought provoking) lyrics added onto the Rock's star power.
Listening to this about a hundred times with my 4 1/2 year old I had always heard the chord progression as the Andalusian progression (i-VII-VI-V) just flipped around a bit (i-VI-III-V) swapping the VII for the III. Your analysis makes total sense and didn't hear it as the V-i movement, but now I do!
I love your videos. Please never stop. I just wanted to say how funny and appropriate it is that you called suspended chords SUS. "They're not defined as either major or minor, which is totally sus." Thank you. That silly little pun just made my day.
When you talk about Miranda, you NEED to take a look into Hamilton. The whole thing is brilliant. Phenomenal use of recurring motives, it's perfectly thought out. Maybe in a future video?
Fans: *quickly flock to his channel whenever there's a new upload* Charles: What can I say except, "You're welcome!"? (Seriously, though, thanks for always setting up such interesting topics for us to learn from)
Agh, such a good video Charles! I always feel like I learn so much! Although I was sad that you didn't look into How Far I'll Go Reprise. I feel like it takes that song to the next level.
Watching for 10 years videos of Adam Neelys, Jacob Colliers, June Lees and Charles Cornells I became more than familiar with the language of music theory, but I can totally see now how it throws people off the bridge when we say things like "the minor fourth chord [...] is such a beautiful chord because it is not in the naturally existing diatonic triads". Before anybody takes this as a negative thing, I'll just say that while studying physics and playing guitar for years (but never diving too much into it), I still remember watching Adam Neely's first video randomly appearing in my suggested videos and clicking thinking "It's music, it cannot be that hard." I cannot explain how mindblown I was, hearing the excruciatingly detailed and almost scientifically technical language that I was bombarded with; and I am so glad that it was like that because it is exactly why I started learning music theory in the first place. I took it as a challenge. I just want to congratulate Charles for finding a middle point between being such a good communicator and still using a precise, technical language.
Gotta love that crash slam on the keyboard when he says one week during the ad. I was dozing off from a long day and that crunch chord got my attention. Perfect example of how that kind of dissonance can draw a listeners attention. Often it’s the “wrong notes” that do the most in a piece
Me watching your videos: "I like your funny words, magic man!" Seriously though, I love watching you geek out about great music, whether I understand the theory you're explaining or not. Great stuff!
That unexpected move, the surprising chord when we’re expecting it to go a certain way, is why I love Tim Minchin’s music so much, especially his recent studio album. He’s tragically underappreciated in the US, but he’s a truly brilliant musician in addition to being a legitimately good person, and hilarious. I heartily recommend his work (though anyone particularly sensitive to language should probably choose with care from among his songs 😅)
I would love to hear you discuss musical analyses beyond just the harmonics. Especially when the chord progressions are so simple, you don't have much to talk about if you limit the discussion to that. How about the rhythm? How does the music relate to the lyrics? How does the movement of the melody tell a story? I'd be interested to hear you discuss these things more in videos.
After like 12 years being mildly interested in music (and never really getiing fully into it) I finally got why 4 chords work. It was always the triads...
On the subject of Broadway, it'd be amazing to hear you break down some of the late great Sondheim's work. Definitely a lot to sink your teeth into there!
@charlesCornellStudios you could also talk about how the fact that the melody is simple is the "key" to "hook up" Moana into tricking her so he can steal the boat. The composition of the piece is actually practical to the use in the movie, in addition to the music itself. :)
probably some people have said this before, but you should give a listen to Luis Miguel's music from back in the 80s/90s, specially "Suave". they've got some batshit crazy harmony there!
hey charles, i think it'd a great idea to make a video about Ennio Morricone's music, it can teach us a lot of musical things especially if you break it down as you do! (and it's almost his birthday so it's a good time too ahahah)
@@TheRossMadness yeah man, the way Ennio wrote music was simply majestic. The most beautiful ones imo are the one you said, Deborah’s Theme, the main theme from Once upon a time in west and Gabriel’s oboe. Masterpieces.
Just a random guess but not sure the spaghetti folky art style, though iconic, has enough tonal interest for Mr Cornell’s jazzy tastes to explore. Could be totally wrong. I’m sure other creators in this site have explored it
i would love to see more videos from you of broadway music and broadway composers. If sticking to film, there is so much that came out just in the last year, I would adore a video on Tick Tick Boom and the music of the late Jonathan Larson. Love your work 🥰
Pretty sure we contributed to hundreds of thousands of views to that video! 😆 Moana is my sons favorite, and he has loved everything he has heard from Lin Manuel Miranda. It makes listening to the same songs over and over again so much better! Love Lin Manuel Miranda so much!
Hi Charles! I love your videos typically but this one felt like it missed the mark a little. The whole thing was spent talking about how Moana is “just” pop chords, but then why is it such an interesting and unique sound that has captured the world? It feels like you focused on the harmony, when, in this case, the harmony is perhaps the least interesting part of the soundtrack. I would have loved to see you go into the rhythm/contour of the melodies, the orchestration, and the lyrics! And where does the Polynesian influence factor in? You allude to that, but don’t elaborate… I always enjoy your videos, so just wanted to offer some constructive criticism. Keep doing what you’re doing! Your channel is awesome
When i heard the Sus chord i instantly got the Movie DIRTY DANCING in my head and the song "The time of my life" a great example of what you just explained. It can where ever :) Nice to know i have my ears still . Keep up the great work Cornell.
Favorite Disney movie, hands down, and my permanent bad day go-to. I love every single song. Of course “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” are the show stoppers. But can we take a moment to talk about Miranda channeling Bowie via a singing crab? It’s like he casually told “The Little Mermaid” to hold his beer and just dropped the mic.
I wonder if that B flat major chord serves a dual purpose, because at this point in the movie it’s not clear if Maui is a good guy or a mead guy. It makes sense that his song would be somewhere in between a hero and a villain song, structurally speaking!
Considering you mentioned Broadway in this video I would love to hear your reactions to a couple of songs from the Broadway adaptation of Anastasia. Correlating the chord progressions and multiple key changes taking place in a song like Journey to my Past and correlating them to one of the completely original songs written for the Broadway adaptation like My Petersburg, and talking about how the artist that wrote them perfectly translated the chord progressions necessary to create a feeling of movement and how that represents a journey and pulling that into completely original compositions. Just covering those two songs are a video in and of themselves but the track has many other great songs on it. Although I might be reading too far into the chord progressions and maybe they're simpler than I'm making them out to be but I definitely feel skilled enough to say that there's something complex going on but not smart enough to actually know what it is... :/
We got the education WITHOUT you jamming out to the whole song?? What the hell is this I wanted to hear Charles Cornell on the piano jamming to this after he explains it ❤️
Yo Charles. You should add a vertically-angled camera and switch when you’re playing. As a pianist I’m super confused watching your hands on the screen when the keyboard below is reversed.
I enjoy your videos; I like the strong theory aspect (once a music major but moved on to other endeavors but it brings back memories). I like the keyboard visualization at the bottom of the screen, but I was wondering how it would look if you flipped (mirror) the video and kept the keyboard overlay as is? I know, not good if there is text, etc. in the frame, but would it get your hand motion to synch with note highlighting? That is, you play low note and your hands are at viewer left, with the virtual keyboard, instead of your left. Just a thought.
Love the videos Charles ;) I don’t know if you take requests, but you should look into nujabes, he was one of the many pioneers who’ve made what Lofi is as a genre is today
First of all, go watch Moana, it's great. Second, yes, the harmonic progressions work really well contextually! In "You're Welcome" - as well as major 3 just being a fun chord, it's also a more sinister chord than the typical 5 chord that would replace it in most pop songs. This is because this song is actually all about tricking Moana into trapping her in a cave so that Maui can steal her boat and sail away, off the island. In "How Far I'll Go", that minor 4 chord, being the 'sentimental' chord, works really well as Moana is struggling between fulfilling her desires and staying with family and tradition. It is is played basically whenever she doubts herself, like a twang of guilt whenever Moana gets excited about going exploring.
I think it’s interesting the the fact that I heard this and was like “huh I wonder if Miranda had a hand in this, it had Hamilton vibes” before knowing he was a composer
“You’re welcome” gets played in every preschool dance class and a fair bit at day care. It’s a boppy opener “welcoming” the session participants in and has a lot of feel good superficially affirmating lyrics (if you ignore the cheeky irony! Lol). My sons teachers just play their session music off yt, might explain some of the traffic volume 😂
LMM is the ultimate appropriator. He takes history and packages it in a neat little amazon box to ship all over the goddamn world. We know where it's from, why it's like that and how many people were trampled on the way but we don't care because it's catchy.
I know I’m arriving a little late on this video, but talking about Disney movies I’d like to suggest you a video on the Frozen (and Frozen II) soundtrack. These movies have incredible songs, and I’m not talking just about Let It Go and Into The Unknown. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez really added a lot to these movies with their songwriting.
Is there a "Broadway Style" of music actually? Like, what's the magic sauce? I can definitely pick up on something, but not identify it. Could just be result of me not knowing musical theater at all.
Why is it that if it were the 'expected' progression to the V chord, this would be major (G), but when we instead use the V of where we're going (Am), that V is dominant (E7)?
I originally subscribed because of the meme videos and have loved the growth in content. I have very little idea what you are talking about now, but hoping to absorb some of the music theory lmao
Forgot what content creator highlighted it, but the emphasis on the C (sea) is because they are seafarers. it's in you're welcome and how far I'll go. Moana is being asked by tradition and family to stay on this island, but the music keeps bringing her back to the sea (C). And the sus chord in your welcome makes total sense because he's introduced and we don't know his deal throughout, until at the very end he steals Moana's boat and leaves here stranded where he was himself stranded for many years.
Since it's the end of October and spooky month, you should take a look at Over the Garden Wall and it's soundtrack. It has some wonderful songs and background music!
The reason the minor iv sounds beautiful is because in the key of Am, EM is the dominate, so when we are in EM, that Am iv chord is almost a reminder of sadness.
You might wanna check out what happens at 3:00 into bosanska artiljerija... Apparently I'm sampling Bosnian war music now. I'm slowing it down to get a clear idea of the notes, and it's pretty wild. There's even some vague B notes in the mids in there that I didn't hear at first, it might be the D and D flat resolving to it, but the B sounds so strange to me, it's so soft I wonder if it's just a mistake, it even goes sharp on the 3rd chord... WHAT IS GOING ON (Anyway, sounds easy enough to EQ out)
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hi Charles
Bro PLEASE review the halo 3 ODST soundtrack
Is there an option for a discount if you already have, for example, the intro to piano?
Hey Charles, I am considering buying this, but I am not sure if it's right for me. I already know quite a bit about music theory and harmony, but I lack in actually playing the piano (dexterity and sight reading quickly) and playing by ear. Is what you call "improvisation" the same as "playing by ear"?
One of my main musical goals is to be able to play music by ear like you've done in this very video. Would the Intro to Improv course help me with that?
Please give a look at Risk of Rain's "The rain formerly known as purple", "coalescence" and "con lentitude peridosa"
Fun fact; Lin wrote ‘You’re Welcome’ for Dwayne, and watched old wrestling videos where he’d sing to the crowd, to see his range.
We love a fun fact
What a fucking cool fact
what a mother fucking, crap crazy, shit fucking cool fact
VIP 🥇
The Rock would sing to the WWE audience?
Thanks for reminding me how old I’m getting by mentioning that Moana is 6 years old already? Crazy how time flies
You are on literally every channel on RUclips
Just out of curiosity:
how did you get verified as “Just Some Guy without a Mustache”? 😂
@@benbenifits4194 We need their secrets
@@The_Rock_That_Floats lmao he’s got 350k subs
Tile does fly😻😻😻😻😻😽😽😽😽
I feel like the secret to Lin-Manuel Miranda's music is more the melody than the harmony. His harmonies are more just solid than complex, but his melodies are so memorable and fun.
Also, you should 100% watch Moana, it's a REALLY good movie.
Yep. It’s his broadway background.
It’s all big “hero songs” that are neat additions to a movie, but are the meat and potatoes of a broadway show.
It’s really not.
The rhythm of "How Far I'll Go" makes me think of rolling waves, and with the melody it gives this feeling of forward movement, making it even *sound* like Moana is sailing.
That's a bit of stretch
I felt that exact thing too. Much more with the reprise "I am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)" than How Far I'll Go. I am Moana carried me off on a wave of exultation and made me weep in the theatre.
I love love love the Moana soundtrack!!
@@sirthursday6159 different lives lead to different perceptions. I can understand what catbee... means when she describes the rolling waves and forward movement. That does not mean that the next person (for example....you) will take away the same emotions and feelings.
moana has great music. lin-manuel miranda knows how to make some good music and stuff.
His new film is amazing too, I mean We don't talk about Bruno by itself has like over 2.3 Billion Streams.
Well yeah, Hamilton and a ton of Disney songs are by him.
Alternate video title, slightly more monotone, slightly funnier
@@ellajeffres4747 Oh dang didn't even notice how good it would fit as that
One other thing Lin does really well which, unless I forget, is not in Moana is the multilayered vocals. The climax of Non Stop and We don’t talk about Bruno do such a good job at layering many vocalists and making references to various songs or parts of a song. It honestly gives a classical music feel for me. Start with a soloist, feature each section, bring them together, like Rhapsody in Blue (sorta)
It’s really cool
There’s some nice layering in “Where You Are”! I agree, I love the overlapping singing in In The Heights, too!
Lin also used multilayers in 96,000 from In The Heights
You ought to take a look at Susumu Hirasawa’s soundtrack for Berserk (1997). It is absolutely phenomenal
Sus?😗
If you really watch some behind the scenes about the languages used writing some of the songs.
They did a really good job of traveling and speaking to Polynesian native populations about their language and music.
The fact that "We Know the Way" switches between English and Samoan, while still keeping the rhythmic context of each language's phonemic syllables is astounding.
Sideways did a great video explaining it.
Very interesting, I’ll have to go and watch that now
Very interesting, I’ll have to go and watch that now
Very interesting, I’ll have to go and watch that now
Very interesting, I’ll have to go and watch that now
Very interesting, I’ll have to go and watch that now
"Pressure" from Encanto really resonated with me. When people know you're a strong person, they really will just pile shit on your shoulders and not give it a second thought.
Also Moana longs for the sea and the last chord of How Far I’ll Go is C major.
And throught the entire song, written in E major, the note "C" (in the vocal) is played when she refers to going to the C (which is technically a "wrong" note when we're in the key of E major):
Every road leads back (in E major)
To the place I know where I cannot go (still written in E major, but where can we not go when we're in E Major? we cannot go to the C!)
Where I long to be (and she goes to the C)
Same later in the song:
But the voice inside sings a different song (E Major)
What is wrong with ,e? ( C )
Last chorus, begins in E Major and changes key to F Major (where the C is the tonic) ! It's one of the most satisfying song ever hahaha!!
Charles, anything Lin writes is extremely catchy and it's hard-pressed to leave your head, he's very well known for putting layers and wordplay and referencing a lot of his own work. He did a fantastic job with Moana as well, i also loved your video for the 5pm music in ACNH (it's my favorite hourly music. it's a banger)
Moana is a bit more of an exercise in simplicity compared to Lin’s other work. In The Heights and Hamilton have an incredibly rich and complex vocabulary, and Encanto was a return to that complexity.
Lin is a fucking genius. I’ve heard people saying he’s the Shakespeare of our time, and honestly? It’s not that crazy to claim that.
10:13 Notice how she sings "to the place I know" and goes to the I chord. I love Lin.
This right here is the masterwork of also why this song is a hit. The chords/melody all support the lyrics that are being sung in such simple but relevant ways. Her strongest yearnings always come on dominant chords, familiar/the past hits on tonics, when she wonders "what's beyond that line, will I cross that line" The song uses that question to modulate up a half step.
There's just an unreal level of detail with the lyrics meeting the melody which so many songs don't take the care to match. Even the last note of the song finds her in a completely different key than anything that's come before. It ends on a C5 chord with no indication of major/minor, and even that C is the dominant note of the established (at that point) key of F. Melodically and musically she's literally leaving home and leaving the familiar behind her with no musical indication of how it'll go.
@@MusicSim8 This. People could say "well, but thats defenetly not intended!" But I don't think so. I think Lin intended all of this, cause in Encanto are other things like these (there is a word for this kind of stuff, i've seen in on david bennet's channel, but I forgot it), like in waiting for a miracle. Truely a magical, awesome guy is Mr. Miranda.
@@fabiohanek6848Word painting.
hello charles. i love your videos, you inspire me to keep playing and practicing so that one day, years down the line, i can be as good as you are now.
Really interesting! Def did a double take when you said Moana was 6 years old… anyway, you should check out the Celeste game soundtrack! It’s really good at motivic development and instrumentation!
If you really want to feel old, I remember watching the original Toy Story as a child in theaters. That came out in 1995.
@@chubbysumo2230im sure op wasnt born yet when toy story came out. It came out ten years before i was born and im 18
I find it interesting that Maui's song borrowed the E chord while in the key of A minor but Moana's borrowed the A minor while in the key of E. Kind of a Yin Yang vibe.
Huh! "We Don't Talk About Bruno" almost consistently does the first (but in C minor instead).
The fact that the line "What is wrong with me" lingers on the out of key notes of the chord is just amazing. So subtle that it works to the untrained ear but a musician picks up the change~
I know!! It’s so cool! The credits version kinda ruined it for me, maybe it was less obvious in the credits remix, I dunno.
I highly recommend the film as a whole. It is my favorite Disney movie. The soundtrack & score are wonderful across the board (as you look up more of the songs, you'll discover more catchy bangers). The animation is breathtakingly beautiful. And the story does some things that really make it stand out.
Yeah Moana is the bomb. She's just an awesome character with great values and relatable doubt in herself and her purpose. It has one of the best "all is lost" plot points I've ever seen.
I was really hoping he'd get to the reprise later in the movie too. But he spent _so long_ on your welcome lmao
@@maoman4855 lol he did, didn't he?
@@lukewilliam3601 Maybe he just really likes The Rock
I love how this guy is so enthusiastic about the music and gets me hyped up about music and explains it in such a way that it is easy to follow his explanation. Btw will you ever do a Initial D music analysis? it does have A LOT of eurobeat songs that some might get as the same song but just with different lyrics, but it actually have an amazing soundtrack besides the eurobeat songs, you can find them on youtube as "Initial D Sound Files" and it sets the tone in an amazing way with the context and emotions of the characters and what they are doing/dealing with at the moment. My personal favourites are "Hope", "Rage", "Admiration", "Cheerful", "Affectionate" and definetly "Takahashi brothers' theme" (best jazzy tune and my ringtone)
Moana always makes me cry when she returns the heart of Te Fiti. It's got the same effect on me as that one scene from No Way Home when Spider-Man is about to choose violence and receives a look from a mentor figure like "You're better than this."
This song "You're Welcome" literally lived in my mind for a solid 2-3 weeks after we listened to the album on a road trip. Speaks to its sticking power - not only of its music but the catchy (and thought provoking) lyrics added onto the Rock's star power.
Listening to this about a hundred times with my 4 1/2 year old I had always heard the chord progression as the Andalusian progression (i-VII-VI-V) just flipped around a bit (i-VI-III-V) swapping the VII for the III. Your analysis makes total sense and didn't hear it as the V-i movement, but now I do!
I love your videos. Please never stop. I just wanted to say how funny and appropriate it is that you called suspended chords SUS. "They're not defined as either major or minor, which is totally sus." Thank you. That silly little pun just made my day.
that's literally just what they are called, and have been long before sus came to mean suspicious
Suspended chords are genuinely called sus chords, but yes, Charles Cornell is *the* music meme man.
@@parkerklinck263 they know that, that's what makes it a PUN lol
When you talk about Miranda, you NEED to take a look into Hamilton. The whole thing is brilliant. Phenomenal use of recurring motives, it's perfectly thought out. Maybe in a future video?
Totally agree. It’s just SO clever with the lyrics, styles of music and brilliant storytelling!
I had to immediately do a double take when you said “Moana is 6 years old”
I had a mini heart attack
It's like remembering that Frozen came out about a decade ago now.
@@TheUnderscore_ or that tangled is over a decade 😭
I thought she was 16
Fans: *quickly flock to his channel whenever there's a new upload*
Charles: What can I say except, "You're welcome!"?
(Seriously, though, thanks for always setting up such interesting topics for us to learn from)
Agh, such a good video Charles! I always feel like I learn so much! Although I was sad that you didn't look into How Far I'll Go Reprise. I feel like it takes that song to the next level.
Watching for 10 years videos of Adam Neelys, Jacob Colliers, June Lees and Charles Cornells I became more than familiar with the language of music theory, but I can totally see now how it throws people off the bridge when we say things like "the minor fourth chord [...] is such a beautiful chord because it is not in the naturally existing diatonic triads".
Before anybody takes this as a negative thing, I'll just say that while studying physics and playing guitar for years (but never diving too much into it), I still remember watching Adam Neely's first video randomly appearing in my suggested videos and clicking thinking "It's music, it cannot be that hard." I cannot explain how mindblown I was, hearing the excruciatingly detailed and almost scientifically technical language that I was bombarded with; and I am so glad that it was like that because it is exactly why I started learning music theory in the first place. I took it as a challenge. I just want to congratulate Charles for finding a middle point between being such a good communicator and still using a precise, technical language.
Gotta love that crash slam on the keyboard when he says one week during the ad. I was dozing off from a long day and that crunch chord got my attention. Perfect example of how that kind of dissonance can draw a listeners attention. Often it’s the “wrong notes” that do the most in a piece
The minor 4th in How Far I'll Go is deliberate because it highlights the note C, even in the melody because it is how far she'll go...to the sea(C)
Me watching your videos: "I like your funny words, magic man!"
Seriously though, I love watching you geek out about great music, whether I understand the theory you're explaining or not. Great stuff!
One of my most cherished memories is my 3 year old nephew singing How Far I’ll Go - like a little cutie 🥰
That unexpected move, the surprising chord when we’re expecting it to go a certain way, is why I love Tim Minchin’s music so much, especially his recent studio album. He’s tragically underappreciated in the US, but he’s a truly brilliant musician in addition to being a legitimately good person, and hilarious. I heartily recommend his work (though anyone particularly sensitive to language should probably choose with care from among his songs 😅)
tim minchin's also an absurdly good lyricist! the amount of fun wordplay *infesting* the soundtrack he did for Matilda is frankly mind-boggling.
@@steatopigeon I have long been of the opinion that “School Song” is the cleverest bit of lyric writing ever to hit a Broadway stage
I would love to hear you discuss musical analyses beyond just the harmonics. Especially when the chord progressions are so simple, you don't have much to talk about if you limit the discussion to that. How about the rhythm? How does the music relate to the lyrics? How does the movement of the melody tell a story? I'd be interested to hear you discuss these things more in videos.
There's not much to discuss, it's all incredibly simple
After like 12 years being mildly interested in music (and never really getiing fully into it) I finally got why 4 chords work. It was always the triads...
Always look forward to your videos!
On the subject of Broadway, it'd be amazing to hear you break down some of the late great Sondheim's work. Definitely a lot to sink your teeth into there!
Oooh, Into the Woods? :)
@charlesCornellStudios you could also talk about how the fact that the melody is simple is the "key" to "hook up" Moana into tricking her so he can steal the boat. The composition of the piece is actually practical to the use in the movie, in addition to the music itself. :)
who is @charlesCornellStudios?
@@drumming_catThe RUclipsr.
The resolution from E Major in How Far I'll Go to the minor 7th also brings it to the key of C "sea" which is where she's trying to go.
13:15 "it's constantly"
[my brain]: confusing, confounding the British henchmen.
Can we get a final fantasy video? Perhaps a FFVI review of dancing mad or a review of top tracks from the series like one-winged angel etc.
HAMILTOOOOOOOOOOOON
the rhythm and internal rhyming is absolute genius
probably some people have said this before, but you should give a listen to Luis Miguel's music from back in the 80s/90s, specially "Suave". they've got some batshit crazy harmony there!
hey charles, i think it'd a great idea to make a video about Ennio Morricone's music, it can teach us a lot of musical things especially if you break it down as you do! (and it's almost his birthday so it's a good time too ahahah)
Oh yes please. The Ecstasy of Gold is still such an exciting piece of music.
@@TheRossMadness yeah man, the way Ennio wrote music was simply majestic. The most beautiful ones imo are the one you said, Deborah’s Theme, the main theme from Once upon a time in west and Gabriel’s oboe. Masterpieces.
Such a good suggestion!!
Just a random guess but not sure the spaghetti folky art style, though iconic, has enough tonal interest for Mr Cornell’s jazzy tastes to explore. Could be totally wrong. I’m sure other creators in this site have explored it
The Secondary Dominant is such a nice sound for such a simple Idea!- It would help musicians everywhere if they learned to utilize such things.
i would love to see more videos from you of broadway music and broadway composers. If sticking to film, there is so much that came out just in the last year, I would adore a video on Tick Tick Boom and the music of the late Jonathan Larson. Love your work 🥰
Pretty sure we contributed to hundreds of thousands of views to that video! 😆 Moana is my sons favorite, and he has loved everything he has heard from Lin Manuel Miranda. It makes listening to the same songs over and over again so much better! Love Lin Manuel Miranda so much!
Hi Charles! I love your videos typically but this one felt like it missed the mark a little. The whole thing was spent talking about how Moana is “just” pop chords, but then why is it such an interesting and unique sound that has captured the world?
It feels like you focused on the harmony, when, in this case, the harmony is perhaps the least interesting part of the soundtrack. I would have loved to see you go into the rhythm/contour of the melodies, the orchestration, and the lyrics! And where does the Polynesian influence factor in? You allude to that, but don’t elaborate…
I always enjoy your videos, so just wanted to offer some constructive criticism. Keep doing what you’re doing! Your channel is awesome
When i heard the Sus chord i instantly got the Movie DIRTY DANCING in my head and the song "The time of my life" a great example of what you just explained. It can where ever :) Nice to know i have my ears still . Keep up the great work Cornell.
Favorite Disney movie, hands down, and my permanent bad day go-to. I love every single song. Of course “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” are the show stoppers. But can we take a moment to talk about Miranda channeling Bowie via a singing crab? It’s like he casually told “The Little Mermaid” to hold his beer and just dropped the mic.
I wonder if that B flat major chord serves a dual purpose, because at this point in the movie it’s not clear if Maui is a good guy or a mead guy. It makes sense that his song would be somewhere in between a hero and a villain song, structurally speaking!
A breakdown of the GRIS game soundtrack would be magical
Considering you mentioned Broadway in this video I would love to hear your reactions to a couple of songs from the Broadway adaptation of Anastasia.
Correlating the chord progressions and multiple key changes taking place in a song like Journey to my Past and correlating them to one of the completely original songs written for the Broadway adaptation like My Petersburg, and talking about how the artist that wrote them perfectly translated the chord progressions necessary to create a feeling of movement and how that represents a journey and pulling that into completely original compositions.
Just covering those two songs are a video in and of themselves but the track has many other great songs on it.
Although I might be reading too far into the chord progressions and maybe they're simpler than I'm making them out to be but I definitely feel skilled enough to say that there's something complex going on but not smart enough to actually know what it is... :/
could you analyze The Polar Express sound track please? For christmas 🥺
The cover that the acapella group Voiceplay did of Moana was epic! Highly recommend Voiceplay.
Voiceplay rules!
Voiceplay FTW!
We got the education WITHOUT you jamming out to the whole song?? What the hell is this I wanted to hear Charles Cornell on the piano jamming to this after he explains it ❤️
Charles Cornell with his ultimate bundle, a podcast, *and* a newsletter?! My man has so much going on right now, and I'm all for it.
I am also a slave to the minor iv chord Charles, instant goosebumps chord
I'd love to see you do an episode on Dave Malloy's music, he's my favorite composer of things that live rent free in my head
Nice vid, should've reviewed "Where You Are" that's the best song in the whole movie 🤝 the melody and the chords are really nice
Yo Charles. You should add a vertically-angled camera and switch when you’re playing. As a pianist I’m super confused watching your hands on the screen when the keyboard below is reversed.
I enjoy your videos; I like the strong theory aspect (once a music major but moved on to other endeavors but it brings back memories). I like the keyboard visualization at the bottom of the screen, but I was wondering how it would look if you flipped (mirror) the video and kept the keyboard overlay as is? I know, not good if there is text, etc. in the frame, but would it get your hand motion to synch with note highlighting? That is, you play low note and your hands are at viewer left, with the virtual keyboard, instead of your left. Just a thought.
Love the videos Charles ;) I don’t know if you take requests, but you should look into nujabes, he was one of the many pioneers who’ve made what Lofi is as a genre is today
First of all, go watch Moana, it's great. Second, yes, the harmonic progressions work really well contextually! In "You're Welcome" - as well as major 3 just being a fun chord, it's also a more sinister chord than the typical 5 chord that would replace it in most pop songs. This is because this song is actually all about tricking Moana into trapping her in a cave so that Maui can steal her boat and sail away, off the island.
In "How Far I'll Go", that minor 4 chord, being the 'sentimental' chord, works really well as Moana is struggling between fulfilling her desires and staying with family and tradition. It is is played basically whenever she doubts herself, like a twang of guilt whenever Moana gets excited about going exploring.
Charles NEEDS to do a video about the Jetpack Joyride main theme. It’s retro arcade meets jazz
My kids love that theme so much they have been asking The Consouls to cover it!
*metal clanging*
I think it’s interesting the the fact that I heard this and was like “huh I wonder if Miranda had a hand in this, it had Hamilton vibes” before knowing he was a composer
That Bb/C will forever be the Vince Guaraldi chord to me
I think a big reason why this is so catchy is also the rythm. Shuffle rythms are always super viby.
“You’re welcome” gets played in every preschool dance class and a fair bit at day care. It’s a boppy opener “welcoming” the session participants in and has a lot of feel good superficially affirmating lyrics (if you ignore the cheeky irony! Lol). My sons teachers just play their session music off yt, might explain some of the traffic volume 😂
Charles you should take a look at Shiny! It's another GREAT song from Moana and it's actually my favorite rn :)
I freaking love how that songs travels back to the "Shiny" part!
LMM is the ultimate appropriator. He takes history and packages it in a neat little amazon box to ship all over the goddamn world. We know where it's from, why it's like that and how many people were trampled on the way but we don't care because it's catchy.
The first tune with that droning low note reminded me of F-Zero. The SNES game. May be a good thing to explore for a future video. The music is great
I know I’m arriving a little late on this video, but talking about Disney movies I’d like to suggest you a video on the Frozen (and Frozen II) soundtrack. These movies have incredible songs, and I’m not talking just about Let It Go and Into The Unknown. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez really added a lot to these movies with their songwriting.
Howard Ho did some of this.
I just noticed that the chorus progression in How Far I’ll go, is similar if not the same to Take a Break in Hamilton
Is there a "Broadway Style" of music actually? Like, what's the magic sauce? I can definitely pick up on something, but not identify it. Could just be result of me not knowing musical theater at all.
Why is it that if it were the 'expected' progression to the V chord, this would be major (G), but when we instead use the V of where we're going (Am), that V is dominant (E7)?
10:12 i see what you did there charles !!!
Charles! I high recommend you take a look at the slime rancher soundtrack PLEASE. Especially the song “ranch night”
I originally subscribed because of the meme videos and have loved the growth in content. I have very little idea what you are talking about now, but hoping to absorb some of the music theory lmao
you are amazing inspiration 😉 i got it repeated most of the time inside the car
I really love this film...Great vid 🤌🏼💯
Forgot what content creator highlighted it, but the emphasis on the C (sea) is because they are seafarers. it's in you're welcome and how far I'll go. Moana is being asked by tradition and family to stay on this island, but the music keeps bringing her back to the sea (C). And the sus chord in your welcome makes total sense because he's introduced and we don't know his deal throughout, until at the very end he steals Moana's boat and leaves here stranded where he was himself stranded for many years.
Listening to you talk about pop vs jazz makes me want to hear you talk about Steely Dan
7:08 Pretty sure that’s wrong. Subdominant is a chord that leads to the V not a V of a chord other than the I.
Charles, sorry for the offtopic, but I would love to see a video of yours about the Powder OST and Jerry Goldsmith's work.
The soundtrack to Moana is _by far_ the best Disney soundtrack since The Lion King. Frozen doesn’t even come close.
Some of this wordplay is amazing! For instance in “You’re Welcome” Lin Manuel Miranda wrote: You’re Welcome! Well, come to think of it.
Since it's the end of October and spooky month, you should take a look at Over the Garden Wall and it's soundtrack. It has some wonderful songs and background music!
Yo can you take a look at the ori and the will of the wisps soundtrack?
Would love to hear you break down Crumb's song Locket!
Okay but it would've been interesting to hear why some of the predictable pop stuff is boring and other songs like "You're Welcome" absolutely slap.
loved the video charles! it would be great to see one about hamilton's soundtrack :)
Great video as always. Could you make something about the Hamilton songs?
The reason the minor iv sounds beautiful is because in the key of Am, EM is the dominate, so when we are in EM, that Am iv chord is almost a reminder of sadness.
Interestingly the alternative Jordan Fisher version of the song on the soundtrack uses the minor iii instead of the major III in the Dwane version.
Simple things done well is pretty music.
11:38😂 “lotta sus” gets me everytime😭
You might wanna check out what happens at 3:00 into bosanska artiljerija... Apparently I'm sampling Bosnian war music now.
I'm slowing it down to get a clear idea of the notes, and it's pretty wild.
There's even some vague B notes in the mids in there that I didn't hear at first, it might be the D and D flat resolving to it, but the B sounds so strange to me, it's so soft I wonder if it's just a mistake, it even goes sharp on the 3rd chord... WHAT IS GOING ON (Anyway, sounds easy enough to EQ out)
This is the first time I’ve ever done a “wow, I saw that in theatres”. I’m guessing the older I get the more that will happen lol