I worked for a music company years ago called Evans Music City in Houston. Stevie was doing a show there and came into the store. He jammed out for a bit and played this. Watching him play was definitely a gift.
The inventor of the Clavinet is the grandfather of a friend of mine. He's 90+ and still inventing stuff. I'm hoping to meet him soon which will be amazing given that he invented an instrument that shaped the sound of funk and soul music so much.
Once I heard you sing the difference between a son clave & rumba clave, "He knows his stuff" came out of my mouth. Clearly explained and well demonstrated. Viva music education!
Dude you rocked it. Its the notes and the feel, not the dang sound. Later for the rest of those under me about to much distortion. The sound can be what ever you want it to be. The main thing is the notes and the funk feel. Great job!
No wonder this song has such a great 'get up and dance' feel. I had no idea it was based on 2/3 clave, but when it's pointed out, you can hear it easily. Thanks for the video.
He also recorded 8 tracks of it over a 16 track multitrack tape, which all play together, so no matter how great you are you ain't gonna recreate it with two hands. Not even if you're Stevie Wonder.
@@richsackett3423 - if you mean different settings on the two different tracks, yes. Absolutely. I actually charted both out and figured how to more or less play both parts at once. I play with a Stevie Wonder tribute band ;-)
SUPER AWESOME!!! It makes me wanna try more funky sounds on my playing, I never heard anything about those ghost notes, damn that makes a huge difference
This instrument has such a 70s funk vibe to it. Not perfect, but it was definitely educational to see an approximation of how this part was played. Great video.
Maybe I'm wrong. I tend to listen to that song for sheer enjoyment rather than listening for the note-to-note analysis. But ... I've heard it said that that you can NEVER play it like it sounds on the recording because there are TWO Clav tracks on the recording.
I had to learn this for a band a few years ago, thought it was a bit hard but managed to get something that sounded reasonable, something similar to this though don't recall exactly... Then later saw a video demonstrating the TWO parts and thought "oh, that's why it was so hard..."
@Doctor Mix Please Pleas Please do more keyboard tutorial videos like this! You're such a good keyboard player and there's so much we can learn from you. No one else on TH-cam is really doing much keyboard tutorial content right now so it's defiantly something you could expand on. Thanks for the video! 👍👍🎹🎹❤❤
Great !!! It almost like playing a funk guitar, you play the fundamental notes or riff but on the notes in-between you need to pluck muted strings .....with a lot of groove of course.
Stevie's clavinet playing on superstition was amazing. Billy Preston's outta space took the clavinet into the supernatural. What an amazing instrument.
Lol i just play it like this... Keys: Riff in RH with ghost notes in LH. Sometimes ill double the bass guitar in my left hand and just hit 4 crotchets Guitar: the funky strums Bass: 4 to the floor Its literally impossible to get it to sound exactly like it does on the original recording anyway
Groovy Doc, i watched a short clip on you tube of how he managed to record that tune from his album Songs In The Key Of Life, he had assistance from 2 blokes who made this enormous sound machine, it was like a gigantic Moog System and it was invented by one of the guys that were helping him out..
Stevie heard the synthesizer album Zero Point by Tonto's Expanding Head Band, and wanted to work with the electronic musicians who made it, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, and their custom behemoth synthesizer TONTO. "The Original New Timbral Orchestra" was the first, and still the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world. All three are featured on Isley Brothers records as well. Read the Wikipedia articles and enjoy!
Nice work. I did pause the video and watched a live recording of Stevie Wonder playing this track and then came back to finish watching so I had a point of reference. :)
Thank You @Doctor Mix .... This would have to be the MOST not correctly played pop song on any keyboard instrument. First thing is that the LEFT hand is playing the motif, the RH is comping/ghost-noting as you point out. THEN we have "a whole other, secondary Clavinet part going on, as well" as you mention. The rest is all about "note durations", landing on "the pocket" and .... "variations". "Easy" but "very very difficult".
On the TH-cam Pianote channel, Victoria explains all chords (she and Stevie Wonder) used. This looks different from your breakdown. She uses her right hand to play the melody and only kind off bass note with her left hand. Even sheet music is available on Pianote.
Thanks for sharing, I think you got it in the bag. There's abit to it cos it might seem simple but nope you gotta get the foundations right otherwise its off :)
Wonder è un genio del funk/soul! i miei compari del gruppo mi dicevano: "eh, ma non lo fai come si sente nel disco"... gli ho fatto vedere le tracce separate originali di questo brano (si trovano online con google): un multitrack, tutto rigorosamente in mono, di 12 o 16 tracce (non ricordo esattamente) delle quali 6 o 7 sono sovraincisioni di clavinet!!!!!! 🤣😂🤣😂 così ho potuto rispondere: "nemmeno lui dal vivo la fa come sul disco!" 😂😂😂😂😂 BUON ANNO!
Wow, Dr. Mix, I see you have your Doctorate in Funk as well as EDM and a bunch of other styles. The instrument (Hohner Clavinet model D6) is fantastic too, I don't think its been well emulated yet. To my ears in addition to the Clavi sound there is a beautiful crunch and distortion coming from the pickups/preamps that give it such bite and growl. I have been looking for a Clavinet for years here in Australia, but they are VERY expensive here in Australia!
WOW! Very nice deconstructing, as always! But yes, I agree that´s a little to much distortion (as I hear it on the record). But that is just a detail ;)
great great great VID i think SW plays multiple dub-rec for the complete clav track. not shure but i guess it's not just "one" clavinet, but few layers of it...
To my hearing your rhythm's off, you're swinging a bit too much which makes it twee instead of funky. That said, I can't even play the bass line right, so what do I know.
I like to see you do the song "Fanfare for the common man". Besides that synth is a Yamaha, what model is it? The music video of them playing in a snow covered football or baseball arena.
First thing I ever bought.forty five record at Kmart.it skipped.cOVERed it here at YT..using STEVIES BASS AND DRUMS TRACKS I found isolated !! I play all the clav parts ..fun!
Can you make backing tracks for original songs? The reason I'm asking is because I need some advice on a musical project I'm working on I've been working on it for 24 years now it's entirely experimental and I really wanted to do this when my grandmother was still alive but unfortunately she and some other people that inspired me have all passed on now so now this is more like a memorial project now😔
Great video and channel. But there are at least 2 separate clav tracks on the original (I suspect it is actually 3) and he used a Clav model C, not a D6
There are at least 2 main parts of clarinet playing together as anyone with ears may hear: the one with bass and ghost notes that you play PLUS another one with a lot of notes with the right hand - this second part is even funkier - it would have ben great to understand have they go together so well
I worked for a music company years ago called Evans Music City in Houston. Stevie was doing a show there and came into the store. He jammed out for a bit and played this. Watching him play was definitely a gift.
that sounds like a dream come true!
Hey everybody; how about, “great job Dr. Mix for approximating a multitrack performance live for our benefit!”
No kidding!
*Cover, Sound like Stevie Wonder live (done !) **th-cam.com/video/A__ePQHqZwo/w-d-xo.html*
Hear hear!
The inventor of the Clavinet is the grandfather of a friend of mine. He's 90+ and still inventing stuff. I'm hoping to meet him soon which will be amazing given that he invented an instrument that shaped the sound of funk and soul music so much.
Wow!! Video and pictures pleeeaze!!!
Once I heard you sing the difference between a son clave & rumba clave, "He knows his stuff" came out of my mouth. Clearly explained and well demonstrated. Viva music education!
WAY TOO MUCH DISTORTION!!!
I know, I know, sorry sorry. I messed up with the pre gain. But I decided to still publish the video. :) Hope you can forgive me!!
Doctor Mix no worries :)
Yah!
No distortion
I personally think it kicks ass!
Finally; someone who plays it the right way!
*Cover, Sound like Stevie Wonder live (done !) **th-cam.com/video/A__ePQHqZwo/w-d-xo.html*
Dude you rocked it. Its the notes and the feel, not the dang sound. Later for the rest of those under me about to much distortion. The sound can be what ever you want it to be. The main thing is the notes and the funk feel. Great job!
No wonder this song has such a great 'get up and dance' feel. I had no idea it was based on 2/3 clave, but when it's pointed out, you can hear it easily.
Thanks for the video.
No rings?
*ledgend of the wristband*
He also recorded 8 tracks of it over a 16 track multitrack tape, which all play together, so no matter how great you are you ain't gonna recreate it with two hands. Not even if you're Stevie Wonder.
Yes I have also heard the 16 track ..8 tracks of clav
It's actually only 2 clavinet parts, but several tracks of echo and such
@@RockstarHealer Different pickups.
@@richsackett3423 - if you mean different settings on the two different tracks, yes. Absolutely.
I actually charted both out and figured how to more or less play both parts at once. I play with a Stevie Wonder tribute band ;-)
... And... your point is ...?
Mind blowing ! No wonder I could never get this right . Thanks . Beautiful insight to a classic track.
No rings?! Unsubskriebed.
Hahahaha
Or his Africa necklace!
After watching many tutorials, this was the one that finally unlocked the feel for me. Great job!
And now a Full Cover with drums etc like you did with Thriller please 👍🏻🎧
What an amazing way to show and teach people on how to groove!
Danke, danke!!!! So cute! It helps me sooooo! Big greatings from Berlin/Germany
Excellent work. My favourite part is that little transition at the 2:30 mark that takes the bridge back in to the main riff.
*Cover, Sound like Stevie Wonder live (done !) **th-cam.com/video/A__ePQHqZwo/w-d-xo.html*
Terrific job! I long for a cleaner, undistorted clav sound but this guy nailed it.
SUPER AWESOME!!! It makes me wanna try more funky sounds on my playing, I never heard anything about those ghost notes, damn that makes a huge difference
"Don't ever use your right hand because it's never going to feel right." I didn't read the comment in a dirty way, but the idea cracked me up.
Thank you for taking the time to go into such details for us all :)
This instrument has such a 70s funk vibe to it. Not perfect, but it was definitely educational to see an approximation of how this part was played. Great video.
Maybe I'm wrong. I tend to listen to that song for sheer enjoyment rather than listening for the note-to-note analysis. But ... I've heard it said that that you can NEVER play it like it sounds on the recording because there are TWO Clav tracks on the recording.
I had to learn this for a band a few years ago, thought it was a bit hard but managed to get something that sounded reasonable, something similar to this though don't recall exactly... Then later saw a video demonstrating the TWO parts and thought "oh, that's why it was so hard..."
th-cam.com/video/F_wyRRjrD-w/w-d-xo.html
THANKS for the posting. It's great to see what I wasn't hearing. :)
I believe the two Clavi tracks are also on Higher Ground
There are 8 parts.
very cool...glad you posted this...and I found it 4 years later! LOL
Im so in love with this channel, thank you for the consistent work and great explanations. I will remember to disable my adblock before watching.
Thanks!!!
No no no thank you !
@Doctor Mix Please Pleas Please do more keyboard tutorial videos like this! You're such a good keyboard player and there's so much we can learn from you. No one else on TH-cam is really doing much keyboard tutorial content right now so it's defiantly something you could expand on. Thanks for the video! 👍👍🎹🎹❤❤
Great as always, I didn't think of the underlying beat coming from Rumba to help give the full groove... Interesting! Keep up the good work :)
Nice! And ultra 'pedagigical' ! Love your vídeos!
You got it! That's pretty much it. Well done Dr. Mix.
Great job done here, Sir! Congrats and thnk u for sharing!
Great !!! It almost like playing a funk guitar, you play the fundamental notes or riff but on the notes in-between you need to pluck muted strings .....with a lot of groove of course.
Stevie's clavinet playing on superstition was amazing. Billy Preston's outta space took the clavinet into the supernatural.
What an amazing instrument.
*Cover, Sound like Stevie Wonder live (done !) **th-cam.com/video/A__ePQHqZwo/w-d-xo.html*
Narada Michael Walden’s Play With Me, from Jeff Beck’s WIRED, is another stellar Clavinet track.
You explain this well 👍🎶🎶🎶🎶
Gracias por hacerlo todo tan claro y didáctico.
awesome lesson here! thanks, your playing and teaching at the same time is wow.
Great stuff thx doctor !
Great video. You're right Stevie Wonder possesses an infinite amount of groove
so much so that he got a harpejji.
your videos are gold!!!!
Amazing how one instrument can define a whole song.
or one instrument can define a whole decade.
I’m a new subscriber and I am loving all of it. I grew up with the vintage synths and keys.
This is great!!!
Wowowo HOLD ON what's with all that distortion!?
I know, sorry... ! My preamp betrayed me this time!.. Nothing I could do about it. It's life :( Shit happens. I still decided to post this.
@@Doctormix haha don't worry... Still amazing video 😉
Doctor Mix it didn’t sound bad, it just wasn’t the same tone in the recording. Which isn’t possible, anyway.
@@Doctormix next time redo it....you have an audience that fill your pockets too.
Stop being lazy and get her done right
I adore this song (and many others) and I love how you analyze them! Thanks for great video. With or withour rings, you're still THE LORD OF SYNTHS
Mad love and respect! "A living piece of funckness" yessir my brother!
Claudietto hai spiegato benissimo GRAZIE
Lol i just play it like this...
Keys: Riff in RH with ghost notes in LH. Sometimes ill double the bass guitar in my left hand and just hit 4 crotchets
Guitar: the funky strums
Bass: 4 to the floor
Its literally impossible to get it to sound exactly like it does on the original recording anyway
Great video. I appreciate you sharing what you know even admitting not being able to completely copy the original. Thanks Claudio.
you inspired me!! THX Dr.Mix! :)
Stereotype Lord of the Rings Comment, 😉 great Job 👍
Delay, not a spring reverb ))
This is awesome, that you dissected those parts!
Somebody, that is actually trying to play it correctly))
I"ll never be able to do that lol, I started way too late but AWESOME video!!
Groovy Doc, i watched a short clip on you tube of how he managed to record that tune from his album Songs In The Key Of Life, he had assistance from 2 blokes who made this enormous sound machine, it was like a gigantic Moog System and it was invented by one of the guys that were helping him out..
Stevie heard the synthesizer album Zero Point by Tonto's Expanding Head Band, and wanted to work with the electronic musicians who made it, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, and their custom behemoth synthesizer TONTO. "The Original New Timbral Orchestra" was the first, and still the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world. All three are featured on Isley Brothers records as well. Read the Wikipedia articles and enjoy!
Tonto. The machine resides in my hometown in the National Music Centre. One of the inventors came and demonstrated it’s capabilities a few years back.
Nice work. I did pause the video and watched a live recording of Stevie Wonder playing this track and then came back to finish watching so I had a point of reference. :)
Dude. You are awesome! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thank You @Doctor Mix .... This would have to be the MOST not correctly played pop song on any keyboard instrument. First thing is that the LEFT hand is playing the motif, the RH is comping/ghost-noting as you point out. THEN we have "a whole other, secondary Clavinet part going on, as well" as you mention. The rest is all about "note durations", landing on "the pocket" and .... "variations". "Easy" but "very very difficult".
No one knows the secret keys of this song, except Stevie and his 4 keyboard accompaniments.
We have the multitracks.
What moderately priced keyboard has a good clavinet sound?
On the TH-cam Pianote channel, Victoria explains all chords (she and Stevie Wonder) used. This looks different from your breakdown. She uses her right hand to play the melody and only kind off bass note with her left hand. Even sheet music is available on Pianote.
Two words. THANK YOU!!! :)
0:45 That and he did multiple tracks in the recording.
I can hear a short delay when he starts playing around 0:09. It must be the space echo.
Thanks for sharing, I think you got it in the bag. There's abit to it cos it might
seem simple but nope you gotta get the foundations right otherwise its off :)
Would be amazing if you displayed the music sheet when you play it. Anyway amazing content thank you for sharing!
Funk can't be played as "normal" music... Doctor Mix explained it well!! Another really good video!!
Wonder è un genio del funk/soul!
i miei compari del gruppo mi dicevano: "eh, ma non lo fai come si sente nel disco"...
gli ho fatto vedere le tracce separate originali di questo brano (si trovano online con google): un multitrack, tutto rigorosamente in mono, di 12 o 16 tracce (non ricordo esattamente) delle quali 6 o 7 sono sovraincisioni di clavinet!!!!!! 🤣😂🤣😂
così ho potuto rispondere: "nemmeno lui dal vivo la fa come sul disco!" 😂😂😂😂😂
BUON ANNO!
You should do a proper cover of the first verse to the 2nd with the gain fixed. Really cool! The whole clave rhythm was great! Very inspiring.
Wow, Dr. Mix, I see you have your Doctorate in Funk as well as EDM and a bunch of other styles.
The instrument (Hohner Clavinet model D6) is fantastic too, I don't think its been well emulated yet.
To my ears in addition to the Clavi sound there is a beautiful crunch and distortion coming from the pickups/preamps that give it such bite and growl. I have been looking for a Clavinet for years here in Australia, but they are VERY expensive here in Australia!
Really good videos lately! Keep it up.
Nice job looks like a laminated flooring keyboard
What a nice homage to Stevie 👍👌😎
Something worth to mention is that the timing is in 24th (six-tuples) rather than 16th, and that adds to the grove. Like playing mini-triplets
True that. But it's also correct to call it 16ths swung.
Omg yes more clavinet videos please
WOW! Very nice deconstructing, as always! But yes, I agree that´s a little to much distortion (as I hear it on the record). But that is just a detail ;)
course, this is digital, and if it was pingponged/overdubbed the tape would warm it up.
I love you Doctor Mix
Thanks doctor! you’re great 👍🏻
great great great VID
i think SW plays multiple dub-rec for the complete clav track. not shure but i guess it's not just "one" clavinet, but few layers of it...
Great video! Tanks for sharing 😉
Shit, I was doing just the right hand stuff...and I allways suspected that there were somethig wrong with it. Great video, as allways!
To my hearing your rhythm's off, you're swinging a bit too much which makes it twee instead of funky. That said, I can't even play the bass line right, so what do I know.
I like to see you do the song "Fanfare for the common man". Besides that synth is a Yamaha, what model is it? The music video of them playing in a snow covered football or baseball arena.
First thing I ever bought.forty five record at Kmart.it skipped.cOVERed it here at YT..using STEVIES BASS AND DRUMS TRACKS I found isolated !! I play all the clav parts ..fun!
Cool, Man!!!
Can you make backing tracks for original songs? The reason I'm asking is because I need some advice on a musical project I'm working on I've been working on it for 24 years now it's entirely experimental and I really wanted to do this when my grandmother was still alive but unfortunately she and some other people that inspired me have all passed on now so now this is more like a memorial project now😔
Love this guy.
Where did you get a working Clavinet -- and, in such great condition?
Is there a reason for keeping your fingers so flat? Is it helping strike multiple keys or something?
PLAY TRMAPLED UNDER FOOT WITH THE D6 SOLO ! Nice video 👍
Ok now how about deconstructing trampled under foot on the Clavinet?
Yes! Awesome idea! Or i was thinking "Nutrocker" by ELP, that would also be great!
Hey DoctorMix, could you do a keyboards video for the Pointer Sisters' Automatic?
クラビネットの音色がたまらなくスキです。いつも聴いていたい。
Great video and channel. But there are at least 2 separate clav tracks on the original (I suspect it is actually 3) and he used a Clav model C, not a D6
Might have been a C on the original recording, but he plays it with a D6 now... th-cam.com/video/PbzK6LF8ZAk/w-d-xo.html
How do you get all of these keyboards to test?
Super Claudio !!😉
Ciao Claudio 😎funkyyy from Italy
Sounds rad dude but I wish you had riffed on it and jammed for a little bit. Maybe with funkier lighting..
Some legends say he was wearing invisible rings..
How do you tell the Guitarist NOT to play your part and to do the alternate counter-part?
Doctor Mix , can you make a video playing Take On Me from A-ha
There are at least 2 main parts of clarinet playing together as anyone with ears may hear: the one with bass and ghost notes that you play PLUS another one with a lot of notes with the right hand - this second part is even funkier - it would have ben great to understand have they go together so well
big fan!
would be great if he added the music theory too...the key/scale/mode etc