Are The Lyrics To Hallelujah Even Accurate?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
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Hi charles can you do a video on hyrule warriors AOC OST
7:20 you said 6 is major lol
@@Qwervy I was questioning my entire existence at that point
@@daniellynch3724 SAME 💀💀💀💀
I was just thinking about the secret chord that David played and pleased the lord
Which is funny, because even though the lyrics are saying that the "secret chord" goes like this, he doesn't describe a single "secret chord" but a whole progression, lol
@@KanashimiMusic I always interpreted the secret chord was the one that released the tension with the word hallelujah. The progression was just providing context. It goes like this: buildup buildup, chord.
Gsus
As a teenager/young man, David used to play music on the Harp to King Saul as it often eased his tension. In this case "the lord" (lower case "l") was likely the king.
@@TheAce736 That's still not the single chord that's pleasing the lord, it's the entire progression that makes the chord so pleasing. To me, a "secret chord that pleases the lord" sounds like it should be a chord that should do so on its own, even with no context.
It is weird that I am of that generation where Shrek genuinely was the first place I heard this song
I was actually alive for the original few recordings, and Shrek was still the first time I remember hearing it.
Well, I once had a guitar pupil who thought that "In the Hall of the Goblin King" was originally by Sepultura. Imagine his surprise when he heard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" at my place on day, of which the Goblin piece is the concluding element.
I heard it from Jeff Buckley
For me, this song will forever be associated with The OC. That's where I thought Charles was going before he referenced Shrek.
The only song I associate with Shrek is All-Star, but then again, Mystery Men is the movie that first comes to mind when I hear All-Star.
i always thought this was one of those songs that's kinda been around since forever, and we just kinda modernized it. It has always been so omnipresent to me, i have a hard time comprehending that it actually only picked up steam after shrek
When you play this song on the guitar as Cohen likely would have composed it (which was probably the open-chord voicings but with a capo on 5), the Aminor is literally a lower overall voicing than the Gmajor that precedes it and the Fmajor that follows. I've always thought about it that way.
That is a really cool observation. Playing it with the capo makes me really want to hit that E7, but It definitely sounds Major in the song.
Was just thinking the same thing
Maybe. Perhaps both? A fair few of Cohen's songs on Various Positions were composed on a Casio keyboard, which I think he switched to from the guitar afterwards, for the most part.
Which is neither major, nor minor, but a secret third thing
Yes. And on bass (no capo) that motion from C down to A is a falling motion AND on piano. Jumping up to the A is less natural than going down. Personally, on bass, I go up to go the opposite direction than the other instruments to avoid a parallel motion and to hear my note better, especially on acoustic bass.
The chord that David played that pleased the Lord was…..G sus.
I see what u did there. ✝️
That's so..... unsettling
Oh Judas played G sus alright.
Played him like a damn fiddle.
@@vivaleroca7511 clever girl
@@vivaleroca7511 But Jesus knew he was going to betray Him.
It goes like this
The fourth, the third
You change the chords, you must change the words
The Lord's no longer pleased
Oh hallelujah
Bealtiful
It goes like this the fourth the flat two
you're out of Key God's mad at you,
flat seven oh shit I don't know how to play Hallelujah.
And it goes like this
the fourth, the fifth
sh*t... that's a tritone, the lord is pissed
you invoked the devil, you idiot
Hallelujah
Bravo. 😂
@@nathanjasper512 this made me chuckle
What's interesting is that when I listen to the way it's often arranged, I think that the IV and V are played in Second Inversion when the words 'the fourth, the fifth' are sung, then on the minor fall the vi is also played in Second Inversion, but on 'the major lift' they play an F in root! So it really does lift... By one note!
Came to the comments to say exactly this.
This is what I was assuming they meant
Haha I said the same thing! I should have kept scrolling. You are so succinct as well.
And with I, IV, V, vi we have the famous four chords
7:23, I know many didn’t catch it but he was meaning to say the 6 is a minor, that is in the C major scale, the 1, 4 and 5 is always major, and the 2, 3 and 6 is always minor in a major scale regarding any key you are in. For those who don’t know what a diminished is, one definition of it is you can use that 7 dim chord as a passing chord to change keys if you don’t want to do a walk up or change instantly
Yeah. I was going to lay down this comment until I saw yours. Good catch
It's not the definition it's a way to use it it. Definitions by definition are only the intervals, the rest is common and sometimes uncommon interpretation.. sorry for nitpicking but it's best to really understand that even the functionality of the chords we use can be subjected to different and not necessarily wrong interpretation. This is especially important in the creative process.
Lol I was gonna say, my life’s a lie
I did, and I was looking for that comment instead of just blasting him all over again like many people would. lol
@@vl3005 Blast away. More comments help the video do better. Don't feel you are disturbing him at any point with your comments 👍👍👍👍👍
If we look beyond the chords, the melody also goes up in the word "lift" from C to D (or 1 to 2). The whole "the 4th, the 5th..." part always gives me the chills, because it kind of breaks the 4th wall: for a moment, the lyrics of a song become aware that they are, in fact, in a song, and even contain some music theory. Pretty cool!
Almost like a musical quine
I think it’s referred to as prosody
Haven’t seen anyone comment on this yet, but the “minor fall” and “major lift” also connect thematically to the rest of the song and the story that is being told. So it’s actually great writing with layers of meaning embedded.
Great lyric analysis!
It’s also a slight reference to the crucifixion of Jesus, the minor fall of the death of Christ and then the major lift in the meaning of his sacrifice. It’s interesting how many ways you can interpret this song
I don't know about that considering Leonard Cohen was a jew
@@a2wingedeagle As was Jesus
12:33 Be unique!
At 7:23, I believe you intended to say that 6 is minor, not major
Ya I thought so too XD
Can confirm that 6 is indeed naturally minor😂 lil slip up it happens haha
@@b0unce805 Thanks... for the confirmation...
@@TheUnderscore_ I don't know. I think we need some credentials here.
I know. I noticed this too.
I want my money back.
A fascinating moment I remember from my days of choral singing was during Otto Olsson's Te Deum. The chorus splits into 8 parts for one section. It's very dark and full of tension (minor) until the altos hit a III, then the tension slowly releases through the end of that section. As performers, we absolutely felt it, and it was very moving. We could also tell the audience felt the same.
I've been subscribed to you and Adam Neely for a couple of years now and have always been pretty confused about the number system. I played piano a few years as a kid so understand notes but not chords. This finally explained them and especially diminished in a way I could actually understand. Thank you so much!
Similarly here. I started playing instruments as a kid (no formal training) and initially I memorised the main chords that work within key. But after a whole I found out intervals were and suddenly realised I would use the 4ths,5ths, 6th etc. most of the time.
Music is really maths, sport and art combined.
I think what's important about the phrase "the minor fall" is that a IV - V would almost always resolve to the I chord, from which the minor sixth is definitely a 'fall', almost as a let-down of expectations.
At the same time, (I'll use the key of C like he does) some people have pointed out that it's often played as F/C, G/D, Am/E, and then F in root position, which *lifts* a note in Am/E!
One of my favourite examples of lyrics referencing harmony is in Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”, where it says “there’s no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor” while the harmony follows suit. In Ella Fitzgerald’s version of the song it’s at roughly 1:25, and it makes me smile every time I hear it!
Also, the minor “falls”, drops, recedes by lowering the 3rd a half step. But yeah, I think it’s just as likely he’s referring to the vibe of sinking in to the minor sadness…👌👊🏽 P.S. I humbly submit that the best version of this song belongs to Jeff Buckley. 🙂
Gotta love Jeff. Great singer and somehow better guitar player
Sorry to disagree, but PENTATONIX wins by a country mile. Leonard Cohen agreed about a month before he died. Wait until you hear Mitch Grassi as he breaks your heart with how he tunes the a Capella chords.
I like k.d. Lang’s version 😊
One artist I'd love to see you react to is Cody Fry, I particularly love his rendition of Eleanor Rigby and his original compositions- Caves/Underground. Many thanks from the UK.
Great shout! I'd watch that.
I second this motion so hard.
yes! orchestra in pop is so unique- but cool as well…
Bro the ballad for our marching show this year was composed by him 🤩
Yesss
If anyone's interested, usually chords 1,4,5,&6 (I, IV, V, vi) are the only ones used in a song (with exceptions)
Chord 1 is also referred to as the Tonic, 4 as the Subdominant, 5 as the Dominant, and 6 as the Relative Minor :)
The song "One Four Five" by the Cat Empire is literally about how that chord progression can be uplifting and brighten your mood. Ollie is also a beast on keys.
... then you will enjoy the song "I bought a flat" by 10CC.
The full live performance of Jeff Buckley's cover is absolutely haunting and beautiful. So much emotion. RIP Jeff.
I figured the "minor" part was referring to the chord and the "fall" part was referring to the melody line sliding down when he sings it, and similar for the chord and melody sliding up on "major lift"
It doesn't fall though, just stays on the same note
@@mabrurhrivu4998 Yeah I guess you're right. I must have heard the slide on "fall" down in covers. The "major lift" does go up though!
I would love to hear your analysis of the soundtrack to “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” written by Son Lux. It has some really beautiful stuff in there!
didn’t think i'd see someone requesting son lux. a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one
Omg the music in that film is SO GOOD
I'm disappointed that not everyone is talking about that film. It really deserves a lot more love!
The soundtrack is by Son Lux?! Wow that would explain the eerie but beautiful quality I get from it, so cool
@@thibaultashkanshamloo Fellow Son Lux appreciators
Since the song is in the key of C major, I kinda figured the 4th was referring to F major chord that's in it and the 5th is G major chord🙂And whatever key you're playing it in, it refers to that key's 4th and 5th degree. Same with the minor part (A minor or whatever the 6th degree would be depending on the key you're playing the song in)
that's what I thought as well. "minor fall" being a minor chord and "major lift" being a major chord
@@matthewthecooke I did not connect these lyrics to the actual music until I saw the thumbnail to this video. I guess I've just been hearing it since so young that by the time I learnt music theory, those lyrics just seemed to... exist for me.
@@matthewthecooke I've always loved the fact that Cohen incorporated that in the song. Ironically, I was recently practicing a piano cover for "Hallelujah" but I got out of the habit of practicing (I'm such a slacker lol), but I think this video will help me get back in the swing of it
That's pretty much exactly what Charles is saying.
Not sure if you were intending on doing so, but you've created the most clear and succinct content on scale degrees/chord construction/the number system that I've ever found. And I'm not sure why folks cover this in such an opaque way, it's extremely simple when you just run through the building blocks! Lots of music theory instruction seems to go into great depth on individual concepts while completely ignoring how to tie it into the bigger picture, and you always do a great job of doing the latter. Thanks Charles!
When he said “Shrek was in 2001” i felt it.
Well, time marches along in one direction
@@dadgadify Let's reverse the time arrow 😁
I had a friend who got carded, clerk handed it back with barely a glance. When questioned, the clerk said that it was easy since the birthdate was before 2000.
That made me feel old.
I remember after turning 21, handing a clerk my ID for the first time. He looked at me like, "why?" until he saw the date lol
The only other song I know of the top of my head that describes its own harmony is Porcupine Tree's "Four chords that made a million". It has in fact 2 chords for the verse, it adds a 3rd chord for the 'chorus' and only gets a fourth chord in the bridge. I don't think the song would warrant a full episode, but you might want to have a listen to it.
Another one (sort of) is Natasha Bedingfield's "These words" referring to D-E- F which describes not the melody but the bassline - but obviously is also a play on "def" (as in definitely)
Mild High Club- Homage does something like this.
“Someone wrote this song before,
and I could tell you where it’s from,
The 4,7,3,6,2,5,1 to put my mind at ease”
It’s the Autumn Leaves Progression.
"The Minor fall, the Major lift" could also be seen as referring to David's fall in sin, and his passionate pleading to God thru his music to for give him!
"One Four Five" by The Cat Empire is an entire song about the 145 chords. It starts with a man going to a doctor seeking drugs and the doctor proclaiming that the patient needs a daily dose of "some one four five to make you high" because "these chords are written in your brain" and "these three harmonies breed positivity"
I am here, yet again, to request you react to Hans Zimmers best work, Prince of Egypt. Such a good soundtrack, such good writing, so much good.
I love it. Thumbs up 👍
That score is absolutely stunning and I may or may not have most of it committed to memory.
David Bennet Piano (on TH-cam) has done a couple of brilliant videos on this. "Music That Sounds Like The Lyrics" and "30 More Songs That Use Word Painting"
Closely related are the analyses that Saher Galt (also on TH-cam) did for the theme tunes of Westworld and Ghostbusters showcasing quite *how* clever they really are.
Pov : You're watching this video with little to no music background yet something still forces you to finish the whole video wishing you knew 70% of what he's talking about.
Probably just the good music
The discussion on the minor fall really illustrates the sublime ability of Cohen as a poet, writer, and musician.
I would love to see your analysis of some of Brian David-Gilbert’s work.
Specifically, the beautiful piece of art known as RGSS, it uses wonderful harmony to deliver a very… unique style 😊
This song has almost become a folk song, people don't really know who wrote it and yet it's such a classic.
Leonard Cohen, as mentioned in the video, wrote it. People really do know.
People don't know who wrote the shrek version, it was Rufus wainwright
People also apparently have no idea what they lyrics are getting at, and somehow imagine it to be religious.
I don't know why I watch these videos. I find myself entertained even though you may as well be explaining Mandarin to a German shepherd for all the understanding I have
Favorite song. I love this line. The song refers to the Bible a lot; the first verse especially refers to David. David had a fall (he committed a whole line of sins for Bathsheba). But God restored him, lifted him, and David is known as one of humanity’s best kings, the father of the wisest man to have ever lived, and “a man after God’s own heart”. The line refers to the song but also this tragic yet hopeful story from the Bible
Two examples spring to mind, although they're not talking about chord theory per se. During the middle section of Bo Burnham's "Welcome to The Internet," I always get chills when he sings the words, "Right before the towers fell." The note he chose for "fell" feels a 3rd or a 4th lower than what the chord progression implies. The listener feels like they're falling when they don't hear the note they expect to hear. It's genius. Also, in "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda has the lyric, "oceans rise, empires fall." But the melody and the chords on "rise" go down and they go up on the word "fall." The opposition creates such a lovely musical and emotional tension. Devices like these in songs are so satisfying to me!!
On those grounds I suppose 'Autumn in New York' with its fall-ing melody line ...
Really interesting video. I love how you explained the concepts and the thought process behind the lyrics. Keep on going 🔥🔥🔥
This is an argument I’ve had with way too many people.
Now I finally have somebody else to point to who agrees with me _and_ has credentials.
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт📥Ŵ𝒉ạťʂ𝑨ƤƤ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯💯💯💯
The melody on “major lift” also goes from C to D indicating the emotional lift even though the chord is back to F
Technically the added D can make the chord a ii minor 65 chord as well, setting up a ii V I until a deceptive cadence back to the minor vi
In the chorus of Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” there’s a lyric about dancing in halftime. But the song is actually felt in double-time. There is, however, a breakdown after the second chorus where the song is felt in halftime (even though there’s no backbeat in the breakdown).
7:22
isn't 6 a minor chord (no pun intended) in a major scale?
i was looking for someone to point that out!! haha 😂
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As a causal choir singer that hasn't learned to read notes, the lyrics somehow kinda made sense but this video was really enlightening. Thank you so much
“Six is major” glad to see Charles keeps his wits about him
There is a video on TH-cam called "when you only sing in F#" (uploaded by George Collier) in which the singer sings a dissonant F# on purpose while singing they like to do it because everyone else writes in a specific key. It's obviously a comedic song but I still feel like it's really interesting especially when talking about this topic! Just wanted to point it out ^^
it's a Tim Minchin song
@@donalmaguire6099 ah thanks!
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯
I just realized Shrek is responsible for everyone singing the B at the end of the phrase which isn't in the original.
Wait which B exactly?
@@KanashimiMusic There's a part of the "main theme" of the Shrek original score ("Fairytale" from the intro) where the melody has a repeating 3-5-6 phrase that at one point includes the 7 (D in Fairytale). The chorus of "Hallalujah" also has this 3-5-6 motif, but the melody never goes to the 7 (B in this case). As a result of them both having a similar melodic phrase and appearing prominently in an iconic movie, some people mistakenly get them sort of mixed up and garnish the chorus of Hallelujah with the bit from Fairytale.
Jeff B's gotta be the definitive one. I'll never forget that scene in the Westwing when the bodyguard dies.
Months ago, I started subscribing to music theory creators because I wanted to expand my piecemeal understanding of music theory. I didn't even know what the number system was called, but I knew that Roman numerals kept showing up on my sheet music and I wasn't sure what they were.
This explanation was incredibly helpful, thank you!
I love to see Leonard Cohen getting the recognition he deserves
Thinking about the Major Lift, not only is it an emotional lift from minor chord to major chord, but when it goes from that Am to F, the only note that changes is that the E note LIFTS to an F note!
I learned more about playing music from this one video than I did from 2 years of Piano Lessons (Which I quit after still not being able to play anything what-so-ever)
Everything you mentioned in this video was a brand-new concept to me. The only thing I learned in 2 years was which Ball-with-a-vertical-line goes with which key.
All this time i thought it was about tripping in a large British elevator.
But seriously, great simplified explanation. Love your teaching
Was hoping you'd mention a common feature in some arrangements where they insert a major III chord (Emaj) prior to the minor fall. I've wondered for a while why this works and feels more appropriate than the diatonic minor III chord
The reason it works is that it's a secondary dominant: basically, the E major chord is borrowed from the key of A minor, creating a V-i cadence; it's sort of like a miniature key change
it also creates a nice motion betweeen G and A, because the E chord adds a G# in between
A video explaining the basics of transposing for instruments would be great! One of the things I'm having trouble getting into.
Do you mean transposing instruments, such as the saxophones, the Bb trumpet or French horns? Or do you mean transposing in general? If the latter, your very first step is learning all 12 sounding (15 written) major scales, their key signatures and the respective triads (the I chord). The piano as your reference would be a great instrument.
@@truefilm6991 more so the former like he mentioned in the video, but I'm still glad I started with the piano for the very reason you just mentioned. Understanding that instrument is like a gateway drug into music theory lol
Quick and dirty. You feed the player of such an instrument a C on his sheet music, and he produces the pitch of his instrument. There's a such thing as multiple layers of transposition, so this can get convoluted if you overthink it. Don't overthink it. That's the player's job. The composer's job is just to feed the player something they can read. An instrument in a key that is one step lower than another will need to read a note that is one step higher to match.
So if the piano music has 1 flat (F), Horn in F has empty signature (C), Eb Alto has 2 sharps (C+1=D), and Bb whatever has 1 sharp (F+1=G). This only applies to wind instruments reading treble clef (in most countries). For French Horn, you feed them music as if their instrument is in F, regardless of whether it is or not. Unfortunately, I can't really explain this any better in piano terms. My background for knowing this is as a brass player, and I've learned some rudimentary transposition tricks. I have no idea how to explain the relative octaves for you.
@@Markworth That's it roughly. Just: Bb instruments (say Bb trumpet, soprano clarinet, soprano sax, etc.) have an added two sharps, not one. I have always the instrument ranges open, so I know exactly what I am writing. You should be aware of difficult leaps, possible dynamic range, if an instrument thins out as you go higher (say: oboe) or if it becomes stronger (C flute, or Bb trumpet from a certain point on where it tends to isolate from the section), etc. etc. Notation software helps a lot, but it's always better when you study and really know what you are doing.
@@truefilm6991 Yes. 1 flat + 2 sharps = 1 sharp.
This song has always been a favorite of mine, in no small part to the conversational aspect of the lyrics and music throughout. I loved your explanation! I also thought it had more to say about what the music could do just as you instructed in this video it was David explaining to someone who "doesn't really care for music". Music goes like this, this fourth chord and fifth chord. Then you could go minor (the sixth) but then reestablishing the fourth but now in an inversion and how it could be resolved in a more major setting with the e of the six chord now going to the F in the fourth at the height or lifted. It also establishes the tone of the song, difficulties of life causing hallelujah instead of fall. As well, to go back to the "Secret Chord" talked about previously is revealed at "the baffled king COMPOSING hallelujah" as you stated with the ONLY chord in the entire scale that is out of the ordinary sharing nothing of the previously established chord structure with the V7/vi which I think was meant to illustrate the narrator of the story in God.
In Ancient Greece, where music was first becoming popular, 'high' notes and 'low' notes were actually the opposite way round (because our 'low' notes would have had taller/longer pipes), so the fall and lift might have had opposite meanings.
7:22 six should be minor
As a saxophonist I just have to say, if the alto is playing G#, the piano is playing B natural
But this just proves the point that you shouldnt be required to have to transcribe on the spot when numbers and roman numerals exist to describe theory.
It's like learning machine language in programming. Some people know C+, C#, java, python, etc, but all of those languages when compiled mean the same thing to a computer. Similarly, saxophone, tuba, piano, didgeridoo, etc, it all makes the same sounds to whomever is listening or conducting yk?
Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт📥Ŵ𝒉ạťʂ𝑨ƤƤ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯💯💯💯
It still saddens me that Cohen died. I've loved his music for most of my life. My father introduced him to me when I too young to remember and I've always loved his work.
God I love musical theory. I learned the “Nashville system” as I was taught to call it by a former Nashville studio musician. It has been by far the handiest thing I’ve ever learned. It has allowed me to jump to other instruments with relative ease. Currently I’m unable to play anything due to some issues with my hand dexterity which is quite depressing.
The “secret chord that pleased the lord” is the major chord that relieves the tension that you build with the 4th (pleasing to the ear, relaxing),then the 5th (also pleasant to the ear), then you go to the minor 3rd(by flatting the 3rd note in the chord, you create tension). Then the “secret chord” is breaking the tension by resolving back to the root chord, or major. Music is a language, and it tells the story. For a story to be interesting, it must have conflict and resolve.
Example: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. After they got it, they came back down the hill and took it home to their mother. ……BORING!
Much more interesting if Jack falls and hurts himself, and Jill also trips and falls, and they both tumble down the hill.
Café Tacvba's song Esa Noche also nods to music theory in its lyrics. When Rubén sings "fue como ir de menor a mayor" which in one context (inside the lyric narrative) means "it was like going from less to more", it also translates in songwriting context as "going from minor to major" and it actually does modulate in that exact passage to a bridge in a major tonality inside of a minor song. I've always found that pretty cool. You should check it out, it happens at 1:16 th-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/w-d-xo.html
Hey man, I've watched few of your vids, and the one that hooked me up in subscribing to your channel was the way you explained what "sus" is all about in layman's terms. I really like how you explain things both in technical and in a more humane approach by connecting it to human emotions. More power to your channel. Keep up the good work.
Leonard Cohen also had a lovely sense of humor and I'm sure the combination of the emotions falling and rising with the lyrics along with subverting the expectation of the casual ear amused him
Attempt 20: *Please* listen to the Hollow Knight ost! Imagine classical composers wrote a video game ost, please!
Nobody cares.
@@andybaldman well, this comment certainly didn't age well....
My favorite part of Hallelujah, is when it's sung at religious services. While it's certainly talking about a religious experience, likely not what the congregation had in mind that morning.
That's why I hate this song lol. People *do not* get it
The reference is in the Psalms allegedly composed by King David: Psalm 6:1 “For the leader; with stringed instruments; upon the 8th” for one example.
Hearing this I immediately thought of Fountains of Wayne Hotline by Robbie Fulks. Lots of musical theory.
"And chordally, let's see, a 1, a 5, a 4, with and without a sub-dominant 7, a 2, 2 minor, and briefly a 9th compound over the tonic"
This kind of makes sense now. Thanks!
Day 2 of asking to listen to Dark souls OST
Being a self taught rookie, until today I thought this was something I came up with on my own.
I never would give this song a second look because of the lyrics.
I did a reharm of the progression that goes (in C major)
C Dm7 E7 Am7 Am6 Dm7b5 G6 Am
You asked for other examples. This is only tangentially related, but I love Jason Isbell's line in "Last of My Kind": "Nobody here can dance like me. Everybody's clapping on the one and the three." I guess that is a case of the lyrics stating the opposite of where the musician wants the music to go.
I often sing the lyrics for "the minor fall" one 3d down (B-C-C-A) instead of staying on the note. then it all makes sense. the chord can also have a root on the 3d making it a minor fall to 'vi64' chord. then a major lift into IV chord is a step up.
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️ ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯
Halfway through the vid and you are finally *starting* to answer the question.
ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
丅ᗴxт▪️ ᗩ ᑎᗝ丅ᗴ Ƴᗝᑌ ᗯᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᖇᗴᖴᗴᖇᖇᗴᗪ ᗷƳ ᗰᗴ
±𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟮𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟭𝟴✔⚡️💯
Me and a good friend of mine years ago had an hours long conversation about this song one night. We never came to any definitive conclusions at the timer but looking back with many more years as a musician under my belt, I can think of two ways to view the 'minor fall' and 'major lift' within the context of the music being played. I'm sure someone else in the comments touched on there but here is my take immediately after watching the video:
1-1) The 'minor fall' refers to the fact that the note that makes that '5th' a major chord is 'falling' (from B to A, which is the first step down within the Cmaj scale), and becomes the root of next chord, which is Am.
1-2) The 'major lift' refers to the root of the previous chord (Am) being used as the third in the next chord in order to define it as a major chord - that chord being Fmaj where A is its third and therefore makes it a major chord.
2-1) The 'minor fall' refers to the first minor chord below the root chord (C major) within the scale, which would be Am.
2-2) The 'major lift' refers to the first major chord above the root chord (C major) within the scale, which is Fmaj, as both D and E create minor chords.
It's confounded for sure, but it still makes sense on some level - between these two interpretations, the emotions invoked, the story being told, etc. Great song.
But Jeff Buckley did it best...
At 11:29 when you are explaining the minor to major lift, All I hear is the avengers theme again 😂
Okay, so I'm not going crazy.
'Scoring the end of the world' by Motionless in White featuring Mick Gordon has a line where they say "change their key" and as they say that they change key. Thought of this while watching the video. Awesome video Charles!
my friend actually helped teach me the basics of musical theory and used this song as a reference and I thought it was so cool that you also happened to teach this part of the song a day before she did
Yes, I’d love a vid on transposing instruments. Baffles my little brain why it evolved like that!
I always heard the lyrics re: "minor fall" as describing the bass line I instinctively hear, where the 4 and 5 are followed by a fall to 3, which would establish the vi chord in second inversion, followed by a lift/upward movement to 4 for the root of the IV chord. I think my ear hears this so that the 6, the highest note in this bass movement, is delayed until the point of highest drama in the verse, the "hallelujah." That word always begins on the highest note of the melody, and then even as the melody falls the bass moves upwards to finish the word with the highest note of its own line. (So that full line in my head goes 1 - 4 - 5 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 5# - 6.) The lyrics would, in my mind, be a relatively reasonable description for that movement.
i got unreasonably happy when I heard it work
I’m glad he acknowledged Cale’s version. Because it’s the version that was in Shrek and I feel it gets the least recognition when compared to the original or Buckley’s version. Because of an issue with his record label Cales version was in the movie but a sound-a-like was used for the actual soundtrack that you would be able to stream today.
funny how you keep talking about the "minor fall" as being melancholic and not full resolving, and i'm just sitting here like "what? it's the most satisfying, full, and peaceful resolution possible for that series! it's specifically the single one that's made to resolve it"
I am loving learning the intricacies of music from Charles. I love this song and always thought that these lyrics meant more than just the music theory.
It's relationships. (YMMV)
The fourth, the fifth: major, happy chords. How's a relationship start? on an upbeat as it starts, and then more up as it grows.
The minor fall, the major lift: frequently (again, your mileage may vary) there is a bump or something. That minor fall. "Is this really something I want to keep pursuing?" It can be anything, but it's something important to the person questioning.
The major lift: "Yes. yes it is" That moment when you say that this IS something special that you want to keep with.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Leonard Cohen's Hallajuhah is about David revealing the Biblical words " Flesh is weak but the Spirit Willing " God called David a " Worm" for the weakness of his flesh but called him " A man after my own heart " for his Spirit
The 1993 classic in the Malayalam language that goes as aha aha aha Hallajuhah -- The laughter of God -- Father, Son Holy Spirit ,
Man, keys are secondary , it's the Words ,
I'm somebody that has always struggled to understand chords and chord progression, and I learned more from this video alone than I ever did in middleschool learning music lmao
The E7 chord a little before the chorus is soooo nice
The song that springs to my mind is The Music Theory Song (Intervals Roasting) - parody lyrics to The Christmas Song that provide a running analysis of the tune.
For me it made sense because in the minor fall he uses a lower voice and the major lift he lifts his voice, so he is making the uplifting note more clear that way.
The song was wonderfully used in "The West Wing" episode "Posse Comitatus" during the third season.
Watching you dissect music just.....
😊 Joy
The vi is also the relative (minor) i of the major key. So going to the vi gives the feeling of bVI->bVII->i which gives a sense of falling resolution before the "major lift" brings a more uplifting tonal resolution.
Loved this! Learned so much about music theory in only 20 mins, thank you!
I remember being fascinated by the idea of a lyrical concept that allows the singer to describe the song they're singing.
Just learned more than I did in 3 years of high school band. Thank you so much for this!
Over 300 LICENSED versions of hallelujah. There has to be thousands of versions now
Root, 4th,5th,m3, root. Doesn’t matter what key. The 3rd chord of any scale is minor, which creates tension. Resolve the tension by going to Any of the major chords in the scale you will resolve the tension.
Esa Noche by Cafe Tacvba
It has a lyric that translates to, "It was like going from minor to major". The chords and the whole tone of the song reflect that perfectly. The song itself is about a lover leaving you and finding someone else that loves you more. The minor to major reference is supposed to reflect that epiphany of finding someone new in your life after being depressed from losing someone.
th-cam.com/video/rQ1kk1NAqlI/w-d-xo.html
This was terrific! Just about every time I have heard this song i ( a hobbyist guitarist) have wondered about what Cohen's description would sound like. Thank you ror answering my question in a totally understandable and enjoyable way!