Usually a TH-cam lurker but I had to take time to write a full length rambly comment on this video because it's such a geek out one for me. Let me say you seem like a really incredible music director to work with, it's so refreshing to see somebody absolutely GEEKING OUT over the music they're playing! It's just got the spirit and joy for musical theatre that I love to see that is definitely infectious and makes a whole production better. If it weren't for the love of music and storytelling, nobody would be doing theatre - it certainly isn't the easiest area to make a living. I grew up on rap music and have no formal music training - any music theory I know has been absorbed from doing shows after discovering musical theatre in adulthood. I found theatre via Hamilton, having come across the music incredibly randomly without realising it was a staged musical until after the fact! I fell in love with theatre enough to end up performing myself, and I'm now on the path of teach of teaching myself piano and how to read sheet music, and I'm finding theatre music is all I want to play when I'm learning this. Even for a relatively uneducated person musically, you make the actual music theory concepts here really easy to understand. You say Hamilton definitely has musical theatre language, and it's funny because having grown up on hip hop and rap music, I look back and realise some of my rap songs were the ones that really leaned into the drama of the art form - rappers really have a way of giving their voice so much character and dynamic range , even over the most basic of chord progressions. I think the joy of Hamilton is that it doesn't just do the incredible music theory, but it really leans into its form - the inflection, timbre and attack on all the notes tells so much, and it's why so much of the shows drama is readable on the cast album itself - the way each character attacks their notes can show aggression, desire, comedy, caution, patience and so on. The syncopation is so important as well - it's incredibly common for a rapper to syncopate their rhythm until the BAM BAM BAM!!!! moment when rapper and the instruments hit right on the beat together and it's sooo satisfying (can you tell I'm no good at music theory?) I think that has a lot to do with how well Hurricane comes across, to the point where I'd actually be more hesitant to tell others to add it to their repertoire just because the vocal range isn't large - since rap uses so many unpitched notes, the other aspects of the voice become so much more important to give the music dynamic range. Its why some very talented musical theatre performers really struggle to sell performance Hamilton music in the same way. The buildup of Hurricane really requires the performer to sell the building tension in their delivery, and then absolute LET IT OUT on the words during the climax. The notes don't need to be high when they're giving so much emotion just in delivery! It's like a really levelled up version of the recitative - since you're not pitching you can really lean into the conversational aspect and show some incredible emotion in your voice that you can't really do the same when you're belting out a high A. Much incredible respect for the performers who absolutely BRING IT in the professional productions! So so cool to hear your insights at the end here!! your analysis really reminded me of another video by the incredible TH-camr Sideways analysing the music of Sweeney Todd, and how the Dies Irae melody it gets chopped up and flipped upside down and backwards all throughout the show. We know Lin Manuel Miranda was very inspired by Sondheim, and I agree that the My Shot/Hurricane chord progressions being inverses of each other is definitely intentional! Such a great insight, props to you on your research. Love to see your passion in making this videos! Always looking forward to more - if you want my suggestions I'd love to see something on the very underrated Amélie musical. "Halfway" from the London version (specifically the London one! ) shows such a heartbreaking amount of emotion while still being in a relatively simple song in C Major. "Stay" from the Broadway version is also incredible and has a really effective use of 6/4 and 5/4 meter to sell the moment of being just on the edge of something you really desperately want but feel like is JUST out of your reach. Thanks again and all the best!
This is such an amazing comment, thank you so much! I agree with you on pretty much all of this - I especially love the point you bring up that rap requires a lot of other more nuanced vocal choices even when the vocal range isn’t big. Hadn’t thought of that at all but you’re obviously right. Thank you for taking the time to write out all of this!
I love this video and the breakdown of everything, but let's get one thing clear. The biggest mistake of Hamilton's life was CHEATING on his wife, not telling the world about it
I basically dont know anything about music theory but I started theater studies this year and I love musicals and the university doesnt really focus on that. I love these videos because you explain really complicated things in a fun way I can mostly understand. I am learning so much new things about music and musical theater!
i got to take my first music theory class this semester and your videos were a huge part of that and why i pushed for it (along with a passion and love for music) thank you so much for just putting the art you want out into the world
This means the world ❤️ Hope you keep learning music theory! It's a rich and never-ending landscape and it will keep surprising you for your whole life!
Oooh that ending was so good!! (As well as the rest of the video) If I may, I would like to add my own tidbit I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen anyone talking about- the use of a harp. The only time in Hamilton (that I’ve noticed) a harp being used is in Hurricane, and… Say No To This. Both *bad decisions* tm Harps are often used to portray beauty or what is right, but here it’s like it’s being used as a deceptive fools gold type of thing to lure Alex into bad decision that seems like a great idea. I’d love to hear other thoughts/ perspectives about this !!
That's so interesting!!! I think the "Satisfied" motif is played on a harp underneath Hamilton's verse in Take a Break -- the "My dearest Angelica" part -- but that might support what you're saying even more!
GREAT ANALYSIS, Mateo! Never noticed how that motif is the melodic inverse of my shot. Great catch! As a music tutor and harmony nerd, (4:27) - I'd like to respectfully disagree and perhaps bring up a perspective you haven't hear before. The B natural is far more at home in a D minor ( F = tonal centre) chord. Bb on the other hand, is what I call exoharmonic (outside the harmonic space) of F/Dm. Bb crucially, is the point of modulation. Try and play a Bb in a Dm chord, and it's no longer a Dm chord, is it? The thing about Dorian is it's a vertical scale. A harmonic scale. A MODAL scale, meaning every note works to support the tonal centre which is F in this case. Look up tonal vs modal music or George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation if this seems interesting.
I totally agree that the B natural fits better as an extension of the D minor *chord*, especially in jazz theory -- but with regards to the *key signature* of D minor, playing a G major chord is definitely a depature from expectation, especially in a pop context where diatonic triads are the meat & potatoes of the style. I'm not familiar with George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation though -- very curious to check that out!
Interesting. I always really liked hurricane... maybe because it's the only song where I, as someone with no idea about singing, can actually kinda hit a few of the notes. xD
Usually a TH-cam lurker but I had to take time to write a full length rambly comment on this video because it's such a geek out one for me.
Let me say you seem like a really incredible music director to work with, it's so refreshing to see somebody absolutely GEEKING OUT over the music they're playing! It's just got the spirit and joy for musical theatre that I love to see that is definitely infectious and makes a whole production better. If it weren't for the love of music and storytelling, nobody would be doing theatre - it certainly isn't the easiest area to make a living.
I grew up on rap music and have no formal music training - any music theory I know has been absorbed from doing shows after discovering musical theatre in adulthood. I found theatre via Hamilton, having come across the music incredibly randomly without realising it was a staged musical until after the fact! I fell in love with theatre enough to end up performing myself, and I'm now on the path of teach of teaching myself piano and how to read sheet music, and I'm finding theatre music is all I want to play when I'm learning this.
Even for a relatively uneducated person musically, you make the actual music theory concepts here really easy to understand.
You say Hamilton definitely has musical theatre language, and it's funny because having grown up on hip hop and rap music, I look back and realise some of my rap songs were the ones that really leaned into the drama of the art form - rappers really have a way of giving their voice so much character and dynamic range , even over the most basic of chord progressions. I think the joy of Hamilton is that it doesn't just do the incredible music theory, but it really leans into its form - the inflection, timbre and attack on all the notes tells so much, and it's why so much of the shows drama is readable on the cast album itself - the way each character attacks their notes can show aggression, desire, comedy, caution, patience and so on. The syncopation is so important as well - it's incredibly common for a rapper to syncopate their rhythm until the BAM BAM BAM!!!! moment when rapper and the instruments hit right on the beat together and it's sooo satisfying (can you tell I'm no good at music theory?)
I think that has a lot to do with how well Hurricane comes across, to the point where I'd actually be more hesitant to tell others to add it to their repertoire just because the vocal range isn't large - since rap uses so many unpitched notes, the other aspects of the voice become so much more important to give the music dynamic range. Its why some very talented musical theatre performers really struggle to sell performance Hamilton music in the same way. The buildup of Hurricane really requires the performer to sell the building tension in their delivery, and then absolute LET IT OUT on the words during the climax. The notes don't need to be high when they're giving so much emotion just in delivery! It's like a really levelled up version of the recitative - since you're not pitching you can really lean into the conversational aspect and show some incredible emotion in your voice that you can't really do the same when you're belting out a high A. Much incredible respect for the performers who absolutely BRING IT in the professional productions!
So so cool to hear your insights at the end here!! your analysis really reminded me of another video by the incredible TH-camr Sideways analysing the music of Sweeney Todd, and how the Dies Irae melody it gets chopped up and flipped upside down and backwards all throughout the show. We know Lin Manuel Miranda was very inspired by Sondheim, and I agree that the My Shot/Hurricane chord progressions being inverses of each other is definitely intentional! Such a great insight, props to you on your research.
Love to see your passion in making this videos! Always looking forward to more - if you want my suggestions I'd love to see something on the very underrated Amélie musical. "Halfway" from the London version (specifically the London one! ) shows such a heartbreaking amount of emotion while still being in a relatively simple song in C Major. "Stay" from the Broadway version is also incredible and has a really effective use of 6/4 and 5/4 meter to sell the moment of being just on the edge of something you really desperately want but feel like is JUST out of your reach.
Thanks again and all the best!
This is such an amazing comment, thank you so much! I agree with you on pretty much all of this - I especially love the point you bring up that rap requires a lot of other more nuanced vocal choices even when the vocal range isn’t big. Hadn’t thought of that at all but you’re obviously right. Thank you for taking the time to write out all of this!
I love this video and the breakdown of everything, but let's get one thing clear. The biggest mistake of Hamilton's life was CHEATING on his wife, not telling the world about it
Woah, you single-handedly convinced me to not leave my keyboard classes. And with Hamilton! Thanks mate
I basically dont know anything about music theory but I started theater studies this year and I love musicals and the university doesnt really focus on that. I love these videos because you explain really complicated things in a fun way I can mostly understand. I am learning so much new things about music and musical theater!
Just casually dropping the most insightful analyses. These are epic; you are so talented. Thank you!!!!
Thank YOU for watching!
i got to take my first music theory class this semester and your videos were a huge part of that and why i pushed for it (along with a passion and love for music) thank you so much for just putting the art you want out into the world
This means the world ❤️ Hope you keep learning music theory! It's a rich and never-ending landscape and it will keep surprising you for your whole life!
so glad this was recommended to me!! such an interesting and amazing video :D
Oooh that ending was so good!! (As well as the rest of the video)
If I may, I would like to add my own tidbit I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen anyone talking about- the use of a harp.
The only time in Hamilton (that I’ve noticed) a harp being used is in Hurricane, and… Say No To This. Both *bad decisions* tm
Harps are often used to portray beauty or what is right, but here it’s like it’s being used as a deceptive fools gold type of thing to lure Alex into bad decision that seems like a great idea.
I’d love to hear other thoughts/ perspectives about this !!
That's so interesting!!! I think the "Satisfied" motif is played on a harp underneath Hamilton's verse in Take a Break -- the "My dearest Angelica" part -- but that might support what you're saying even more!
@ ooooh that’s true, good pick up
GREAT ANALYSIS, Mateo! Never noticed how that motif is the melodic inverse of my shot. Great catch!
As a music tutor and harmony nerd, (4:27) - I'd like to respectfully disagree and perhaps bring up a perspective you haven't hear before. The B natural is far more at home in a D minor ( F = tonal centre) chord. Bb on the other hand, is what I call exoharmonic (outside the harmonic space) of F/Dm. Bb crucially, is the point of modulation. Try and play a Bb in a Dm chord, and it's no longer a Dm chord, is it?
The thing about Dorian is it's a vertical scale. A harmonic scale. A MODAL scale, meaning every note works to support the tonal centre which is F in this case. Look up tonal vs modal music or George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation if this seems interesting.
I totally agree that the B natural fits better as an extension of the D minor *chord*, especially in jazz theory -- but with regards to the *key signature* of D minor, playing a G major chord is definitely a depature from expectation, especially in a pop context where diatonic triads are the meat & potatoes of the style.
I'm not familiar with George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation though -- very curious to check that out!
you just got my subscribe with this video
Great video!
Interesting. I always really liked hurricane... maybe because it's the only song where I, as someone with no idea about singing, can actually kinda hit a few of the notes. xD
All I'm going to say is I'm glad I watched til the end
Funny. I'm writing a musical about the wives of the American Revolution with a young Aaron Burr