7 Levels of Reharmonization (ft. 88bit)

[@KujoA2]

It's fun to hear them all in a row! Original: 1:15 Level 1 (simple substitution): 2:24 Level 2 (adding chromaticism): 5:33 Level 3 (relative minor): 8:50 Level 4 (close key): 11:20 Level 5 (distant key): 14:18 Level 6 (bar-by-bar): 18:50 Level 7 (voice leading): 22:31

[@NM-ie4qu]

Very noice

[@unrealed]

Thank you for that. I wish 8-Bit Music would upload a video with just the songs or put the new youtube feature of the scrum bar divisions so we could just find each section on the bar itself and listen to them

[@hyungor]

Thanks! I couldn't even get through some of the later levels. I'm a simple man and keep going back to the original and lvl1. :) Such beautiful music

[@serpentsword_3689]

Level 2 is the best for me

[@yy6u]

They can by adding the timestamps to the description i believe

[@NeverduskX]

As someone with little theory knowledge, I make it a personal goal to see how far I get into each new 8-bit Music Theory video without getting lost. Though it's usually not too far, I at least pick up some things along the way.

[@austinmerkel5851]

I'm in the same boat. I end up watching the videos for twice their length just from rewinding because I missed something.

[@umrasangus]

You'll get there!

[@nik.olas328]

That’s awesome. Maybe try writing some music from the stuff you learn! You never know

[@JVCAY]

That's exactly how I learned what I know about music theory, at some point these videos become clear. I discovered this channel like 2 years ago and pretty much all I understood from 8bitmusictheory's work were chord symbols... Today I watched this video without hearing a single word of his as an enigma. There are tons of ressources on KZbin to get started with theory. Books are still essential though (and teachers maybe too).

[@0Enigmatic0]

Thats exactly the point, if you already knew everything there would be no point in watching. :) Everyone is learning.

[@Mr_Mimestamp]

Using an actual piano for the intro chords feels surprisingly cursed.

[@Envy_May]

I AGREE

[@jaredkhan8743]

Truuu

[@ivyssauro123]

Thanks I hate it

[@andreccf1873]

It’s freaky in a good way :)

[@ferddd]

Guitar sounds better

[@gamechops]

this video blew my mind so many times it took me a week to watch the whole thing

[@12tone]

Those Eb7s on the relative minor reharm are amazing.

[@bio-3755]

good to see you here

[@littlefishbigmountain]

You really are a sucker for the Andalusian cadence :p

[@alexdemarco7667]

Very stanky chords

[@iseetheendisnear2416]

@@alexdemarco7667 Ahh, you must mean the infamous “Peepee Poopoo Chord.” Very scrumptious indeed I must say

[@fullmoonofus2683]

Favorite crossover

[@Dac_vak]

When future historians look back on this time, they’ll say “2020 was one of the darkest times in humanity... BUT it was also when we got that 888-bit collab, so I guess it wasn’t too bad.”

[@88bit]

😂

[@EvilDickism]

Darkest times in humanity? GTFO

[@MuteMusicalMorgan]

There's always a silver lining xD

[@SaiyakenPHOENIX]

Level 6 - Exquisitely Swanky 4- to 5-Star Restaurant 18:50 - Formal - Very Complex - Intricately Prepared - Massive Bursts of Flavor - Amazingly Different Than What You're Used To Level 2 - Grandma's Home Cooking 5:33 - Simple - Smooth - Delicious - Filling - Just Like You Remembered FFS I'm mesmerized, WHERE'S THIS GUY'S PATREON?!

[@segmentsAndCurves]

Grandma's home cooking remind me of level 7, informal but not unintricated. Also "home leading".

[@NintendoCapriSun]

"Hit The Road Jack", "Stray Cat Strut", "Hitchin' A Ride" by Green Day, call it what you will but it's always a fun progression! It's funny how almost every song that uses it is also in 6/8 though. Arrangement #4 just screams Zora's Domain to me, not even because it sounds like any existing Zora's Domain themes out there, but it would work greatly as one. I don't know, with Kakariko's theme, it's tough because its leading notes are essentially just an arpeggio of the root chord for the first half, which makes it extremely difficult to un-hear, or separate it, from the key it was originally intended to be in. I can see what was intended with each piece of the "puzzle", but I don't know if it really adds up to the sum of its parts combined. Still doesn't mean that it's not fun to play around with stuff like that though.

[@loganbarclay5075]

I'm definitely a '25 or 6 to 4' kind of guy

[@loganstewart7065]

Also, having the only other instance of the tonic be in a harmonically weak point in the melodic structure (especially since it didn’t start with an F chord), my ear hadn’t picked up F as the intended tonic yet. It’s incredibly hard to do with such a short melody, though.

[@shawnkochevar8104]

Holy shit its you! You and Chugga were like the first 2 youtubers I really watched and it's been forever, I first saw and subbed during your pvz runthrough. While I can't say I watched a ton of your stuff, I definitely was there early, and I didn't expect to see you hear

[@FreeBroccoli]

Surf rock uses that progression in 4/4 a lot. Walk Don't Run by The Ventures is one example.

[@natesmith5640]

That "Hit the Road Jack" progression is called a lament bass, or a direct step-descent bass👍🏼

[@paumb64]

Idk... In my opinion reharmonization is not always to make a piece sound more complex or weird, but to change the feeling it produces, and all of them had the same approach to change its sound. Another reharmonization trick you didn't mention and i think it's really powerful is to change the chord speed, so instead of 1 chord per compass put 2, for example

[@MisterAppleEsq]

Changing harmonic rhythm is a great way to totally shift something's mood.

[@theonewithoutidentity]

I would really enjoy a more indepth video about very simple reharm techniques which don't complicate things but offer different approaches. The thing is, most music sounds worse when you add extensions and too many different chords, at least to me, because it feels forced when you do it. A one or two odd chords are great, but its so overwhelming when you have like 4 different slash chords with 6 notes each in one phrase.

[@sdw-hv5ko]

@@theonewithoutidentity I disagree! I don't think complex = good, but I don't think complex = bad either. A lot of incredible musicians embraced unconventional and challenging harmonies that are theoretically complex. These approaches to harmony aren't worse than simpler approaches-they just have their own logic. The complexity can allow for really rich harmonic landscapes and interesting twists and turns. Not saying it's for everyone, and obviously simple music has its own beauty and value. But if done with care, long chord progressions with dense and unconventional harmonies can be absolutely amazing.

[@paumb64]

@@sdw-hv5ko yes but what we are saying is that reharmonisation is not ONLY make things more complex. Changing the style of the song, its rythm... Those also work, and in the video there's only the complex ones

[@songfulmusicofsongs]

It's also used to add some variation. Instead of repeating the same thing several times, you instead a reharmonized version.

[@ErikCPianoman]

Fascinating stuff. Reharmonization is one of my favorite compositional techniques.

[@marlypuckett2000]

The voice leading reharm gives me Christmas Time Is Here vibes.

[@Cooproxx]

How is this comment from one day ago

[@oldbird4601]

Cooproxx lol wtf

[@bolson42]

Cooproxx I may be wrong, but I think when you’re a patreon supporter 8 Bit Music releases his videos a day early but unlisted, so only his patterns can view them. Then when a day passes he makes it public so that everyone else can see it.

[@mzadro7]

bolson42 I think it would still say that it came out a day ago, not one hour ago

[@bolson42]

KogalMusicOfficial But it does say 1 day ago?? Edit: oh wait you mean the video. Well yeah, that’s when the video becomes public. Before that no one could see it unless it was directly linked, so yes, the video was officially uploaded an hour ago

[@notsodogninja35]

Wow. Not ONLY did you reharmonize the entirety of the Kakriko Village theme seven times, you also reharmonized your main theme seven times as well. Props, and major thanks for your help.

[@sweeeeeney]

Adam Neely wants your location.

[@samuelthecamel]

That was some nice j a z z

[@datbigboi5196]

Repetition legitimizes

[@ashie.official]

j a z z l e v e l s e v e n

[@TimelessTimothy]

@@datbigboi5196 R E P E T I T I O N L E G I T I M I Z E S r e p e t i t i o n l e g i t i m i z e s

[@henryrichard7619]

I’m a little disappointed there were no just intonated chords against a 12-TET melody, but the voice leading was awesome so I’m not complaining

[@markusc7380]

As someone who is going through school to be a music educator, I value you and your content so much. Music was always one of those things that would carry me through dark times, and a large chunk of the music that would get me through was from the games that I played and loved during those times and as such I have always been extremely fond of both. Your content, while focused on video game music, is extremely well put together to the point that it is still a proper theory spotlight and helps me learn things and nail in concepts that I've been working on in my classes. Thank you and keep up the good work!

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Markus C I greatly appreciate his videos. He explains it, and chooses simple melodies (which also happen to be ones I’d be interested in and/or exposed to) vs the same 3-10 classical composers who sound more mathematical or formulaic than anything Just, it’d be nice if scale degrees and chords were taught using a wider variety of music, vs treating classical european composers as The Ultimate (and only) Authority

[@carmenwhite5124]

I'm also going to school to be a music educator! These videos really help me grasp theory- something I'm not super great at. :)

[@ConvincingPeople]

This feels like a really natural companion to Adam Neely's video on the "seven levels of jazz harmony," which I do not think is a coincidence. Combining what this video has to say about melody and line movement with what that one has to say about harmony should prove useful to any budding arrangers and composers, methinks. Plus, I think that last bit about how dominant motion is defined by the way it resolves has some really interesting applications in less explored fields like quartertone music; Patricia Taxxon's song "Spiral Staircase" exploits this particularly effectively as a vehicle for some really wild key changes, for instance.

[@brendankim6015]

Your videos are literally on par with some of the lectures I have in college. Honestly, you might even have the slight edge because you explain these theory concepts with music that I have nostalgia for and enjoy on my own instead of crusty old arrangements from centuries ago.

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Brendan Kim ^ this. Exactly this. I annoyed my theory professor ‘cause I did GREAT when it was all scale degrees and modes for her first sem class...then seriously struggles and never Got It when we got into chord theory. Well...it wasn’t so much about being able to identify scale degrees and intervals and tone color anymore. Now it was an arbitrary set of rules based around what a bunch of crusty old guys decided to appease wealthy patrons from centuries ago...and held up as THE Quintessinal Music with everything else being “not REAL music” and NO examples of the same concept in any other sample of music. (Like jazz, rock, folk, pop...sky’s the limit as they all share with western music traditions. Oh. And were pioneered by the black community for most of it and just has so much more heart and designed to be listenable vs “complex” but ALL have their own hidden complexities...) What I can say in her favor (despite refusing to accept work if it was a second “late” and yes students colided trying to get it turned in ontime, especially since we couldn’t turn it in early, either. And my depression and anxiety were seriously bad so...yeah) was that she did finally hire an upperclassman to tutor me herself when the Student Success department refused to offer anything but Gened or STEM. Which...too little too late. That was the end of the semester and I didn’t mesh well with my tutor at all. We just didn’t click with my learning style, and I ended up further confused and dropped out. (Professor wouldn’t advance anyone who made lower than an 85. I *barely* made that mark but still felt lost and beyond fed up. Especially since my voice teacher and choir director...were not that great. One refused to work with the voice I had then disappeared for months, the other literally barred me from auditioning for his advanced group despite admitting I was good enough to be in it. Like, blocked me from the list or took my name off repeatedly. But then acted oh so surprised and enthused about how Good I actually did in my juries...only to repeat that same bullshit the next semester.)

[@leirbag75]

@@anonymousfellow8879 Well, it sounds like you had some bad teachers, but I wouldn't dismiss all things classical just because they were made by crusty old guys centuries ago. It was also crusty old guys centuries ago who invented logic and physics. And have you ever seen a commentary on any of Bach's fugues? The amount of self-reference and hidden messages he could cram into two minutes is baffling, and it still sounds good. But yeah, I wouldn't put much credence into classical music theory. If you look at what the great composers actually wrote, they didn't follow any of the rules the theorists give you. So much of theory is devoted to making the exceptions fit the rule. And I always thought the idea that chord progressions were based on overtones was BS. Heck, at this point I don't really believe in "chord progressions" at all.

[@littlefishbigmountain]

Gabriel Johnson Yeah, the very fact that we use the major scale most often is evidence to me that the whole “because harmonics” argument is overblown at the very least and certainly not the whole picture. For one thing the major scale only matches the first 6 notes of the harmonic series, but so do any scales with a tonic major triad... not exactly convincing. Mixolydian is waaaayy more in line with the harmonic series, correlating with the first 11 notes-almost twice as many! Not to mention the 12th partial and beyond are usually pretty darn quiet anyway. Why don’t we use mixolydian more than major then if harmonics are the reason? Well, voice leading for one and a ton of other things. Just try composing in mixolydian with our harmonic models and understanding “based on the harmonic series” and the problems will start to jump out at you. A tonic dominant 7 chord? Big oof.. It’s an interesting point to think about and explore a little bit, but it often gets taken way too far and in the process gets oversimplified to the point that it might just do more harm than good

[@88bit]

Ah this turned out so great! I love the reharms you did of your own theme! Brilliant and subtle ❤️ And thanks for having me be a part of this video. It was lots of fun learning these arrangements. ☺️

[@nickwallette6201]

I hadn't seen any of your videos before, but you play beautifully.

[@phxphy]

I’m glad to see you guys collaborate! Thanks for great video 🥰

[@88bit]

aw, thank you very much, Nick! ☺️ You’re most welcome, @phxphy! 😊

[@Yossus]

This was one of the most accessible explanations of reharmonization that I've seen! I wish you'd talked a bit about how the character of the piece changed with each reharm. But it was fascinating to see the inner mechanics of these chords!

[@sageofshadows]

this progression of harmonies has me imagining you visiting it throughout the journey you find this happy little town that helps you get along your way, but then ganon's forces find it as well, and ransack and terrorize the town, by the time you make it back things have calmed down but there's major recovery for them to do. They're still trying to be encouraging and chipper, but you can tell it's taking more effort than it did before. But, slowly but surely, they get their feet back under them, perhaps you return the favor and help them on their own 'journey' of rebuilding, and perhaps it might end up in an even better place than it was before, but the scars will always be there to remind them

[@DJSwitchPDX]

This might be one of my favorite channels on all of KZbin. I'm a working DJ and musician, and if you had been around in the early 2000's I might not have dropped my music major in college. Thank you for all that you do. :-)

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Switch Box Tech ...oh mood. I’d have had a fighting chance with my theory chord homework when I was trying to be a college student a little over 5 years ago.

[@frezray649]

The 6th reharm is actually my favorite. It's strange and mysterious but works pretty well. Also love that B lydian chord

[@Tsunakumura]

Loved this video. This was much more comprehensible than Adam Neelys video on the same topic since you kept it to well tempered tuning. I will definitely try out some of these techniques in the future.

[@danielbazin242]

To be fair, Adam's video was more about music history/philosophy than the actual theory itself. He says in the beginning that the different levels relate to different eras of jazz, and the rise of xenharmonic was a reaction to the unsustainable dissonance jazz and classical music was leading to up to that point.

[@Tsunakumura]

@@danielbazin242 Yes of course, but that does not change the fact that the techniques presented here are more easily usable since detuning instruments etc. is very impractical.

[@Kosmicd12]

0:36 this transition is amazing

[@BNLNRD]

5:48 - I don't know why, but the move from Gm to Fm7 has such a great effect on me. When I first heard it, I just melted with the perfection of the placement and sound of that Fm7.

[@oneeyemonster3262]

it's not really that hard once you use/SEE it. (it's sort of like CIRCLING UP to the 5th to C min/E Major......notice the Eb Major You can use the ( N6) G Harmonic min b2..to guide guide you.. see the Ab Maj as lydianish to C min/Ebmaj7 The Eb m6 is just lydian #2 to G harmonic min or lydian b3 to Ab Harmonic MAJ or you can even do this...play G min...Db Maj7 ( inverted F min) E Maj7 C dim as dorian #4 ( F#)The #4 is the same note b3 to Eb min

[@Niverlak]

It's like a 2-5-1 in reference to Eb (the 4 of Bb). Such a great feel to have that minor 5 (Fm) when we just heard the major 5 (F) 3 bars before. Sounds very gospel!

[@whitelion204]

It's a typical 2-5-1 modulation to Eb. Simple yet effective. Works every time!

[@oneeyemonster3262]

@@whitelion204 ii, V, i ( the melodic minor version) You can practic playing the circle of dominant it's just 2, 5, 1...extended,,,but using all dominant chord. The b7 isnt the leading tone ...the major 3rd is. simply use ALL Maj7 chord.....which are just inversion of minor chord... example...from the A MAJOR.... it's A maj7....D Maj7......E7 alter the E7 to E maj7.... it's just an inverted G# min ( which is the ii chord of F# melodic min).. Then.,...C# min G Maj...F Maj E7 into A Maj7...if you want

[@ErikSeastead]

Sounds great in Mt St Helens as well

[@ktvx.94]

27:17 when you stop paying attention for a second in math class then look at the board

[@purelyconstructive]

Oh man, a cross-over of some of my favorite channels: 8-Bit Music Theory and 88-Bit! Great stuff guys!

[@88bit]

Ha, thanks @purelyconstructive ! Good to see you over here! ☺️

[@EmptyKingdoms]

Distant key was _amazing._ It carried that Gubaidulina vibe of something dissonant yet beautiful, expression in pain, making music itself suffer to carry the message of suffering across. Simply amazing, no less.

[@mario.alarcon]

I can't thank you enough for this. Over the past weeks I have been doing these exercises always coming back to this video and I have learned SO much. I basically had lessons with you for free and right now and I can't thank you enough. So much fun! I am just not able to join your patreon yet, since I am always short at the end of the month, but man, your content is SO great. Thank you! Thank you so much for doing such great work. So didactic, so well conceived. I think I have been following you since the FFVII fanfare video and it is incredible how much your content has evolved. WOW! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH!

[@spiridiums]

I have an amateur background in music, having played the piano for most of my life, but it's refreshing to see music theory presented in a way that I can actually understand (i.e. through visual AND audio examples) using a medium I actually enjoy (i.e. video games, rather than textbooks and the same 5 classic composers). I really hope I can find the financial stability to support your patreon someday soon, because I appreciate your videos immensely.

[@anonymousfellow8879]

toddnyallison Ahhh!!! You summed it up for me perfectly!!!

[@TurtwigX]

I looooove reharm videos, you and 88-bit did such a great job! My fave is #6. It's got that modal floatiness that you also see in the BotW Temple of Time theme. To me that's even more nostalgic, so familiar yet inarguably different. It speaks to me

[@88bit]

Thank you @turtwigX ! ☺️

[@nicholassievers962]

24:40 - A tonic 6/4 chord is effectively still a dominant but with a double suspension. It is an unstable chord. Of course it works well as a passing chord or a dominant extension. But it is bizarre on the downbeat on the end of a phrase. #64chordsarenotrealchords

[@spacepiratehacker5464]

Just today I was thinking to myself: "8-bit hasn't uploaded in a while. When will he upload a new video again?" And my call was heard indeed. Looking forward to sum *J A Z Z*.

[@segmentsAndCurves]

I mean noice leading is common since the common practice era. Also J A Z Z

[@Viviantoga]

Huh, I never realized how much Kakiriko Village theme sounds so much like "Juice" by Lizzo.

[@paulfischer7115]

if that ain't an Adam Neely reference

[@aloysiuskurnia7643]

It ain't my fault ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶦ'ᵐ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶦ'ᵐ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶦ'ᵐ

[@AtomizedSound]

Hmm I don’t hear it

[@Stroopwafels112]

I agree, it has the same level of spicy chords interlaced with some questions if it is even music at all and a whole lot of BASS

[@certifiedpossum8655]

@@aloysiuskurnia7643 lofi = M A X J A Z Z

[@0neirogenic]

This has to be one of your top 5 videos. Soooooo good. I find it fascinating that I gravitate towards the more non-functional modal style of harmonization with my own simple melodies that I try to write.

[@JuanSchmulenson]

Always learning new things with this channel, I love that!

[@Flash020201]

Did you know that most major NES titles had differently arranged OSTs in Japan because the disk system had its own sound chip allowing for more voices? Some songs ranging in differences from new melody instruments (like the Zelda title theme) to some having entire key changes (like the Super Mario Bros princess rescue theme). One game that REALLY used the new voices to the extent was Castlevania 3. You might have already known this, but I think its super interesting!

[@appleofdoom]

Level 6 is by far my favourite. It evokes such a different feeling and each chord sounds satisfying.

[@segmentsAndCurves]

Modal JaZz

[@dissinyosandwich7548]

This was probably one of your best yet! As an aspiring composer, I actually find this a really helpful lesson in voicing chords and voice leading in addition to your original point. Keep up the good work! As a side note, the Abmin6 chord in the "Distant Key" reharm was absolutely GORGEOUS. Such an emotive and melancholy sound.

[@AubriGryphon]

Level 1: Wow, that's... melancholy. Like coming home and seeing how much the village has changed. Level 2: Kakariko, but doo-wop. Level 3: Oh. This is the bad timeline. Level 4: This might date me, but I feel like Pat Sajak is about to tell us about today's glamorous prizes. Level 5: My ears just don't know what to do with this. Sorry. Level 6: Oh no, the Shadow Temple boiled out of the old well and ate Kakariko! Level 7: 8bit. 8bit, what r u doing. 8bit STAHP.

[@ShimmeringSpectrum]

Agreed on level 3 in particular. That made me downright uncomfortable. 😨

[@andrewk9267]

>Level 1: Wow, that's... melancholy. Like coming home and seeing how much the village has changed. Completely agreed. I started tearing up listening to it, and I didn't know why. It was like...seeing a familiar place, but in the twilight of your life. Some things had changed, and so had you, but just enough was the same to anchor you to old memories and pull you back to them. Idk. Simplest reharmonization, but somehow the most powerful one

[@littlefishbigmountain]

Andrew K I really like it. Although this may sound like something of a contradiction, to me it sounds less sad then the original but more melancholy. Despite that though it has a bright and resilient outlook It reminds me of looking back over a long period of time at all that it was, the good, the bad, and the ugly, with the perspective you have now and realizing that in the end it was an interesting journey, the kind of journey that sometimes gave you what you never expected or even never wanted and then showed you the good in those things along with a sense of appreciation for them, and the acceptance in that moment of reflection that even though when you really stop to think about it it all seems so complicated that at the end of the day it is well with your soul. A certain kind of feeling somewhere between being sad that its all behind you but even more glad that it all happened that helps you realize how far you’ve really come without even realizing it as it slowly unfolded before and behind you as you simply woke up and lived your life each day as it came to you that suddenly seems somehow more like a complete picture with the context you have now that wouldn’t be possible without the growth you experienced along the way

[@kevinarmes9804]

Can we just take a second to appreciate how he changed his opening at 8:48 to show the minor reharmonization? Attention to detail crazy. Give this man an Oscar, or Grammy, or eh erm, a Nobel Peace Prize or something! 😄

[@zarnox3071]

Some of these wouldn't sound out of place in Majora's Mask.

[@prudiiarca]

This is by far the most informative tutorial on music theory I have seen in a while. I knew of 251 progressions, functions of chords, extensions and substitutions etc, but I didn‘t know how to use this knowledge. I have felt lost with my piano playing up to the point that I quit. Thanks for inspiring me again!

[@KMArrangements]

8bitmusictheory intro: Ya like jazz?~

[@joeyhardin5903]

level 1: simple substitution level 2: chromaticism level 3: relative minor level 4: closely related key level 5: distant key level 6: non functional level 7: voice leading level 8: using microtones to make lofi hip hop level 9: use white noise to make your melodies level 10: use frequencies beyond audible range level 11: the piano is an extension of your brain level 12: silence level 13: every chord is just the maj21x47#45x43#41x39#37#35#33#31#29#27#25#23#19#15#11 of the melody note level 14: silence but louder level 15: it's all Bb major level 16: *You must purchase the DLC in order to hear this reharmonisation.*

[@zachrodan7543]

this feels like a story about kakariko: 1: all good 2. hidden darkness approaching 3-5 falling further into darkness 6. depths of nightmares 7. the village has been rescued by the hero

[@zekedeblaay4211]

Dude. You're awesome. I really don't know what else to say. You are teaching this advanced idea in an engaging format that most college professors would have a hard time doing. Not only that but you're doing it for free. I swear when I hit it rich thanks to this you're getting a fat donation. Keep making epic stuff :)

[@CaryHawkins]

I love when your main theme changes with each style.

[@leonwaves]

No level of reharmonization is complete without Super Lydian 😉 Thanks so much for this video! I’m always curious to see how arrangers approach the “7 levels”. Well done 👌🏻

How many of you don't know what he is doing but also looking at the screen like you know what he is talking about?

[@michaelblackburn7915]

I really liked the last reharm. Also it made JC pop into my head even before the Abmaj7(#11#15) showed up! I mostly just noodle but since I've started keeping voice leading central to my ideas my harmonic palate is expanding so much quicker than before and I am finding lots of cool sounds

[@steezydan8543]

Here I am, on my guitar, just playing the root notes of the chords because I just got started reading sheet music, and I realize something Maybe I've been a Bassist the whole time

[@0neirogenic]

I can't recommend picking up bass enough especially if you keep playing guitar. I learned bass and guitar at the same time as a teen and focused much more on bass and has led to a very fulfilling life as a semi-pro bassist. 8-Bit talks about reharm as puzzle solving and I see writing or improv basslines as solving a puzzle. Walking basslines in a jazz context are especially fun puzzles. Good luck!

[@AfferbeckBeats]

That's how they get ya, then you realise you've got to figure out what notes to play on your own besides the root

[@swine13]

@@AfferbeckBeats then you realise that's just improvising in cage/chord patterns on guitar but with 4 strings instead of 6 They should try teaching both at the same time

[@Speedy1SonicBoy]

I have no words for Level 6, but it's just... Beautiful in an oddly melancholic way. I love it.

[@michaelclements5793]

1:14 OMG nostalgia hit like a ton of bricks. 😢❤ I'm not crying; you're crying!

[@RaiAkashi]

To be quite honest, id watch the hell out of a full-hour vid of this.

[@LyricWulf]

You should give it a shot, 'cause there's no *harm* in trying! 💝✨ _- This message brought to you by VGPP gang_ 🎹⚡

[@anrylstudios]

oh hey it's you

[@kjl3080]

Hi wulf

[@The8BitPianist]

22:27 is indeed incredible! What I find most interesting about the voice leading approach, is that you set targets and then work backwards from there

[@essettoourcause]

Level 2 intro: hey hey it's the Ink Spots

[@IceForgeOfficial]

The substitution part was absolutely incredible. I just watched the rest of the video. The WHOLE video is a masterpiece!

[@Jason-ir5ig]

With the exception of a few measures from each arrangement, the reharmonizations seem to get increasingly dissonant, as if they are being forced to function where they aren't meant to. Edit: Many of the chords on their own are quite jazzy, but in the context of each piece they just feel off somehow.

[@SeanLawrenceMusic]

I think the piano is a bit out of tune as well tbh

[@ElZamo92]

Same, it feels weird...

[@12345678abracadabra]

Plebs

[@moejorgan]

good thing I like dissonance

[@Jason-ir5ig]

I'm a fan of dissonance too, when it's controlled and feels cohesive

[@edwardcardinal4328]

This lecture is just as good this time around as it was in person! Thank you for both this video and the presentation at MagWest, I got tons of good arranging notes out of them.

[@kpdelaney6460]

18:51 this is like a boss level theme. Nice!

[@Dancarnate]

Man, level 6 is where it is at, when that em11 hit, it was on like things that are on. I also really liked bringing back the beginning motif in the bass line for the ending, really well done!

[@goleogthais]

Can 88-bit make full recordings of each of these reharms, they all sound nice in different ways, it'd be nice to have like a mini-album of them

[@88bit]

I can hopefully make that happen!

[@nathanantony8022]

Absolutely loved this video mate. Excellent work!

[@HenryPetters]

Come on! Seven increasingly complex reharmonizations and NOT A SINGLE TRITONE SUBSTITUTION!? Absurd.

[@evenika2212]

Yea I thought he’d use that at 24:05. It’s the same theory with b7 and 3 being switched for a B7

[@FreeBroccoli]

Big fan of level 6. It's cool how many music channels have used this format. I can see how differently various musicians approach the same concept.

[@realizbac4624]

Adam Neely: 7 levels of harmony 8-bit: 7 levels reharmonized

[@connerybrown4416]

Level Four: ending last chords (C, Eb/F and Fmaj9) closely resemble the end of the chorus to Please Let Me Wonder off of The Beach Boys Today! :) Such a beautiful voicing.

[@SuperKirby_Gaming]

Hey kids you wanna hear some j a z z ?

[@StrophicValley]

I've learned so much from this channel, i feel forever in debt to how insightful 8-bit Music Theory is.

[@Kekkle-]

i dont think ill ever be mature enough to hear the word "pianist" without giggling

[@johnnybelle2686]

tbh I never saw that joke until someone pointed it out to me when a couple of years ago hahaha. In fact, I still forget about it, until someone reminds me

[@OLApplin]

honestly, how beautiful the 13(b9) sound is ! That mix of major and minor sound at the same time ouuuuuh!

[@AlRoderick]

Every time I see the number 88 referenced my brain plays a little game of "Nazi, Piano, 32 year old, or Back to the Future."

[@capn_boxfort]

Yep, exact same thought.

[@obehsxdm]

I played through OOT quite a bit more than LTTP. After transcribing the OOT Kakariko theme myself, I can’t unhear the G major/secondary dominant chord towards the end of the second phrase. The tiny change from Bb to B makes a world of difference, and it sounds both beautiful and badass at the same time. Great vid, as always. Hearing your talks keeps my theory knowledge fresh.

[@SubsonicNoise]

Reharm is what happens when i go back to my family for the holidays eeyyyyyyyyy No? Ok

[@airship_elyta]

heheyyyyyyyyy ouch me too

[@LuZu_]

bar by bar is by far my favourite oooooo it sounds like silky curiosity

[@kpdelaney6460]

11:21 this one is so jazzy! Similar to a song in la la land. Definitely my favorite variation in the video

[@Lenoshehatesyouleno]

Which song do you mesn

[@Lenoshehatesyouleno]

Mean*

[@SkinSlicer]

@@Lenoshehatesyouleno I think he might be talking about Mia's audition song at the end.

[@thisismambonumber5]

as a beginner in music, this is black magic I love it

[@m.r.5990]

Another level: Make polyphonic fugue out of it.

[@cbx33]

This is hands down one of the best videos I've seen on this subject. I don't claim to understand much of it, but I hope to one day. Thank you for making these.

[@michaelogden1968]

Not going to lie, some of these sounded rough. Especially that Gb version. But the last one was cool.

[@user-jt2qq7zs3h]

My music theory knowledge is tenuously eclectic but your approach to explaining these chord progressions and harmonic relationships makes sense. Gorgeous reharms!

[@samuelthecamel]

I think I have picky musical taste, as whenever 8-bit says "ooh, that was a nice chord!" it just sounds really dissonant to me

[@JoshuaKallenberg]

I think it's probably less that you're picky and more that you're simply not used to hearing it.

[@ordinarytree4678]

@@JoshuaKallenberg thats arguably what picky means as well. Many people who are "picky eaters" just didnt eat enough variety of food when they were kids and that lack of variety stuck to adulthood. Perhaps it is the same with sounds.

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Ordinary Tree Probably. But what I appreciate about his videos is that while he FINALLY explains what he’s doing (and what it does in WESTERN music), he’s constantly breaking “the rules” to add more color...and showing that it Works

[@ChaiKirbs]

Spicy jazz is, well, an acquired taste. I used to not be able to stand anything beyond simple 7 chords, but a few years of basic jazz education later and I've learned to love the spice (:

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Ella ...I probably acquired it fairly easily since my preferred music is Modal and a bit atonal 🤣 Drove my theory professor and music peers NUTS. But...I just don’t LIKE Western European Classical! I like classic arab or fado or polyrhythms or Celtic/Nordic Folk and Slavic traditions and...jazz!!! And metal/punk especially. Literally...anything else I guess?? (Three years on&off as a music major where we were only exposed to western european classical music as our Textbook or to perform/get concert credits for just Did NOT enamor me to it even a little. Instead I grew to hate most of it even more...)

[@hex1lexi88]

I just wanted to say that this video has really helped reinvigorate my love of music theory! Music has always been my passion and I've always aspired to be a composer, but as I've been writing music these past years it's felt like my skill has plateaued yet I still don't really have a proper grasp on what I'm doing, and that I'm only barely getting by in terms of theory knowledge, not capable enough to make the music I want to make and not really knowing how to improve. But seeing a video like this taking the theory knowledge I already know and showing how to actually apply it to write beautiful harmonies, as well as providing insight on more complex areas in a way that's easy to grasp, has really made me feel that same excitement I had when I first discovered music theorist KZbin, and made me feel like I _can_ write music like this if I put my mind to it. So thank you, I really appreciate the work you do!

[@JorWat25]

I'll be honest, I didn't really like any of these reharmonizations, but I think it's that I'm so familiar with the original, that changing it just sounds wrong.

[@Jason-ir5ig]

I liked the first reharmonization because it felt like it evoked a different, more somber emotion. After that though, they just sounded dissonant to me for the most part, and not in the jazzy way like a lot of commenters are saying.

[@JorWat25]

@@Jason-ir5ig Actually, yes, the first one is alright. If I heard that in a modern Zelda game, I'd think "Oh hey, it's Kakariko Village!". The others would probably make me think "Wait, is that Kakariko Village? What have they done to it?"

[@JorWat25]

You know, I suspect this isn't really a video for me. I have no real interest in jazz, and this seems to be peak jazz theory. I also don't make or study music (though I do find music theory in general interesting).

[@Jason-ir5ig]

@@JorWat25 the funny thing is I'm really into jazz and jazz theory, yet for some reason these just don't sound like jazz to me even though they apparently do to others

[@robertgrahmann3354]

Jason that’s because people describe anything that’s harmonically unfamiliar as jazzy, regardless of if it actually is or not

[@robertgrahmann3354]

Dope job on the distant key and especially the voice leading first reharm. It’s sometimes hard to make that approach really compelling but you did a great job

[@thegoodgeneral]

I personally had difficulty getting a sense of your re-harmonizations with the piano for two reasons. 1) Most of the unisons aren’t quite in tune, so that already gives everything a muddy color and gets in the way of appreciating the differences in “beating” between the different intervals you selected. In short, it sounds “honkey tonk”-ish. 2) I don’t think the microphone set-up for the piano is very good. It sounds hollow and you don’t hear much sustain of the instrument. I guess I kept getting distracted by that. I think I would have preferred he played on a keyboard with some kind of Rhodes samples loaded or something.

[@SeanLawrenceMusic]

Yeah, maybe it's been difficult to get a tuner during COVID, but the detune on the piano is distracting, especially when the video is harmony focused

[@bekfast_]

I got super excited when I saw this notification from you! Reharmonization is a subject I find extremely interesting, and it’s awesome to watch you give different examples of it with songs I love

[@lalitstalb8656]

Really enjoyed your harmonization discussion. However this piece is NOT IN 6/8 which would imply a feeling of 2 beats per bar with a triplet feel. Just a cursory look at the melody shows this piece is clearly in 3/4. When it is incorrectly written like you have done, the subdivisions of the beat for the LH and the RH don't line up correctly. It also would affect any possible chord changes which are not on the downbeat

[@michaelfranzosa158]

This is so great, one of my favorite KZbin channels! #4 I have to say still sounds like a minor key reharm, because it's clearly 4 bar phrases and there's the leading tone F# into Gm multiple times. Still sounds pretty and I do love the beach boys homage!

[@orktv4673]

All sounds the same to me! Man, I gotta learn music theory. I can't tell a melody from a harmony or a note from a key.

[@ArkhBaegor]

a melody is notes played in succession, harmony is notes played at the same time (more or less)

[@MasterHigure]

Harmony is sounds playing together. Melody is sounds playing one after the other. Note is the name of a single sound. Key brings all these three together: it is the collection of notes you use to pick your melody and your harmonies from. For instance, if you play a melody and harmony using only the white keys on the piano, then the notes at your disposal are called A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Most commonly, this is either the key of C major (if you use mostly "happy-sounding" harmonies), or A minor (mostly "sad-sounding" harmonies). A common rule of thumb is that the name of the key (just the letter, with our without flat out sharp, not the major / minor part) is also the name of the note where the melody sounds "finished". This may sound nebulous, but works surprisingly well.

[@iandickerson9270]

Try watching some Adam Neely videos or some 12 tone videos. They have really good videos on the basics of theory if you want to learn.

[@orktv4673]

Thanks for the explanations and recommendations guys. I'll check out more.

[@TheAndrewFoxMusicChannel]

This idea of targeting is so cool I’ve never heard or seen it described it such a clear and concise way! I had one of lightbulb moments while watching this video. Thanks for the great content!

[@emmywillow6599]

I think in Level 2 the Fb in the Bo7 chord doesn’t sound great. I would keep the same notes as the Bb chord, and just move the bass up

[@KillianGrider]

I thought so too! I though a B half diminished 7 might've been a nice substitution. Excellent work regardless!

[@tedtooley9636]

i dont see an Fb?

[@N0t_Alex]

The modal and voice leading approaches are def my favorites to use. Sounds soooo good. 👌

[@FletcherGaddy]

I’ve only had a bit of music theory training, and even that was cut short by the virus outbreak. Your videos have helped me to learn how to make feelings from music, something I’ve always been interested. I’ve been thinking a lot about three songs from Undertale, being Ghost Fight, Dummy!, and Spider Dance. They all use the same melody and rhythm, but they all sound so different and immediately help you figure out what the character you’re battling is about. I’d really love it if you took a look at them at least. Keep doing your amazing work!

[@Jason75913]

That distant key reharm sounds epic, beautifully dreamy yet with tension. That bar-by-bar reharm is pretty amazing, too. I love all those sounds. Oh f**king sh**, the voice leading reharm is the most epic!

[@pinecone421]

Two things: 1.) This video, like all of your others is amazing. 2.) You taught me more than my conservatory did. So thank yoh :)

[@EmptyKingdoms]

Major Finnissy vibes on the voice-leading reharm. Excellent stuff right there, excellent all the way. Truly the best one off the bunch.

[@DJGhostmare]

"Oh, this could be fun." Sees VI in root position being considered a tonic substitute (instead of as a predominant) outside of a cadential figure. "NO!" Throws copy of Aldwell & Schacter at the screen

[@sanquine8396]

Level 5 was really nice! It reminds me a lot of "It never entered my mind" as played by the Miles Davis Quintet with the [triad] / [augmented triad] / [triad add 6] / [augmented triad] movement