Q+A #25 - Why I own an Eb Real Book

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Thanks to Jake Waterman, eatmorbagels27, Sagar Kapoor, Thomas Vogel, Morpheus X, efopee, Toshivc, Chris Moraga, Justin Hung, The Magical Cake, Wheelly, Jeremy Keaton, Trellis Rose, Mario Nikolov, Jennifer Wade, Kynaston “Zelphie” Jamison and Motanum for their questions!
Listen to today's Q+A on iTunes, or on Soundcloud below
/ qa-podcast-why-do-i-ha...
:32 Staying in the zone during recording
2:34 Emotion and Bach’s music
4:50 Incidental music and AudioBlocks
8:10 Myers-Briggs Personality (and music preference)
9:08 Modern music sounds different than it used to
11:03 Vaporware is NOT anti-capitalist
13:28 Adam stars on a cooking show
13:51 MainStage for alternative temperaments
14:18 Why I probably won’t get a DMA
15:46 My experience auditioning for composition degrees
17:45 Why I have an Eb real book (when I don’t play any Eb instruments)
19:38 My thoughts on Cruise Ship gigs
21:41 The importance of knowing good subs
22:38 Musicians have to be extroverted
24:24 Get a compressor pedal now!
24:42 Classical musicians have crazy stamina and can do 3-hour gigs
26:25 Would you be a pro musician in Singapore?
27:37 Can you include me in the Q+A?
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON
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FOLLOW ME ON THE INTERNETS
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Check out some of my music
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Peace,
Adam

[@MisterAppleEsq]

I'd watch Adam Neely's Cooking Lessons.

[@timesink8947]

I laughed harder at that smash cut than you'd believe, oh my god that was great

[@LukeBeadles]

And as always... *STOVE*

[@benjaminwaddill1625]

Same

[@renerpho]

And he's absolutely right about the grapefruit taste.

[@Steeyuv]

Mister Apple I’d watch his paint drying vids.

[@talkingbasslessons]

Spot on with the Cruise ship gigs. I did ships for years and you find many musicians become locked into that gig because the longer you do it, the tougher it is to make the transition back to land. Several years can pass you by very quickly but back home people move on in their professions and lives in general so any kind of networking just disappears. The money and lifestyle is very alluring and can hold you there for longer than you might want but I guess it all depends on your aims and aspirations.

[@sigiriabeysekara8723]

Heiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[@gutsman85_86]

"I'm on a mission from Gahd." - Bach (probably)

[@jamescannon167]

Bach: *plays rawhide theme for 6 hours*

[@AscensionUSA]

As a bass clef player TIL i can read an alto sax part without transposing.

[@laurierbaribeau7785]

- add 3 flats to the key (when there are sharps, negate sharps instead) - Accidentals will be wrong on B's, E's and A's (sharp->natural and natural->flat) ie. A# means A natural, since in treble that was originally an F#. You'll find you need to learn which notes have wrong accidentals or you'll forever play wrong notes. I forget if more notes have problems (maybe C's and F's, but the E's and A's you see the most) - It helps to know what key you're in as a first step, this will help with the many incorrect accidentals It is easy except for the haunting wrong notes that keep finding a way of creeping in.

[@xSh4d0WxFoXx98]

Yeah same, I'm an alto player and can play bass clef pieces on alto without transposing too

[@nou6990]

JordiSax Yeah. Bari player here, very useful for playing bass parts

[@lewisblakley8288]

I love using that trick.

[@dizyart6996]

If all ads in real life used this format, I'd be a very happy man! THIS IS proper advertising (well, endorsement) done proper properly. Unapologetic, to-the-point, well structured, with informative content and CONTEXT!! Adam, I was afraid of the day you gave in to advertising. But now I see my fears were unnecessary. As I should have expected, this was a thorough and well thought presentation, worthy of Adam's intelligence, interests and our time. I now know what Audioblocks is and when and why I should use it. And it also shows that Adam takes what he gives us very seriously. I really wouldn't mind more advertising like this. If you are an intelligent viewer, please upvote this comment to show our support for Adam's great work and his struggle to consistently make great, free content for us to enjoy and learn. Seriously proper kudos, Adam.

[@LootFragg]

I upvoted because I agree with the core message, not so much the intelligent viewer bit.

[@josep43767]

I totally agree. the advertisement actually added content to the video, not just being a thing to sit through.

[@noahzimmerman7913]

Why would you write this much about an ad?

[@victorcercasin]

Hey, Adam. As a not at all musical person, I struggle coming up with smart stuff to ask. Any advice? Please note that my sole purpose is to be answered in a video and I have no intent of actualy learning anything.

[@bobfike7231]

My best advice is to mine questions from other KZbin channels that Adam has not yet addressed on his channel. The best way to mine questions is with a small, one-hand pickaxe, not the larger two-handed pickaxes known to pop culture. I prefer "Estes"-brand tools, because I find them consistently to be of high quality, and I value that they are made in the USA, but I have experience with other types that are almost as good while also being more affordable. When you begin to mine the questions, do NOT use your pickaxe to tear away more material from the bottom of the exposure, as this might lead to rockfall, which could result in humancrush. Instead, dig through the slag at the foot of the exposure, and use the pickaxe to tear into rocks that are likely to contain questions (the presence of agate veins is a dead giveaway, though pay close attention to anything containing specular hematite). Make sure to wear tough gloves and proper footwear, and happy hunting!

[@9TheEarth7]

Hey man, loved your writing in 'Les Misérables', it was really an epic story

[@jacobynt6851]

Bob fike, that was the best re troll I've ever seen.

[@lxjuani]

Myers-Briggs isn't really useful from a scientific perspective. Come on, you're an INTJ, you should know better.

[@thelordoflore6572]

lmao

[@ThePianofreaky]

I play alto saxophone, and I don't have an Eb real book yet. Can you send me yours? :D

[@coconutnut6278]

@Gustavo Campos bought*

[@nicktaylor1902]

@@coconutnut6278 thank you, 69Dead pool69

[@ap7390]

@Gustavo Campos bought***

[@teistix]

I don't mean to be overly critical about such a trivial matter, but this has to be said: Myers-Briggs is a pseudo-science. It can not produce reliable guidelines for which people will be compatible with one another, i.e. you can't say that an INTJ wont click with an ESFP, or that two ENTPs is one too many. I get that it's fun to find a new label to describe yourself in a sort of self-exploration kinda way, but it has, and continues to lead to, among other things, job denials. Again, it's a trivial subject, but I hear an alarm ring when you say that it might be an interesting inquiry for working with other musicians...

[@TanisAnnicchiarico]

As somebody studying psychology...THANK YOU! The MBTI was put together by a mother-daughter team of housewives who listened to a Freudian radio show during the day together and comprised it together. They have no scientific background at all, period. The *most* that the MBTI should be used for is part of a broad-spectrum indexing method (as in one of many tests being used).

[@ayompedro]

who sells MBTI as science for starters? Pseudo-science are things that try to fool people being sold as science. Pseudo-science is not everything that is not science.

[@KY_100]

@@ayompedro yeah at the pseudoscience label fits perfectly.

[@waterguyroks]

I mean, psychology is a pseudo-science.

[@manan-543]

A personality test leads to job denial. Really? Is it actually taken seriously? Which types of jobs are they? If anyone knows it would helpful. I'm just curious. Sounds ridiculous if it's true.

[@HanBurritoz]

3:35 But why does Bach have self references like the B-A-C-H (or Bb-A-C-B) motive? Coincidence?

[@milopfultz]

He also made a cantata about coffee, so Adam is probably speaking mostly of his sacred music, as most of what he wrote was as the main composer of a church. The Art of Fugue, cello suites, etc., are all pieces he made in his free time, IIRC.

[@XxAmageddonxX]

it is a motive of death. because if you link the notes the right way it forms a crucifix

[@KKIcons]

Cool! A good way to see the visual patterns in Bach is watching the animated scores on Smalin's channel.

[@federico4639]

It's probably more about the legacy of the Bach family than just a self reference

[@nick1237811]

i just realized that The Lick is played at the outro of Englishman in New York from Sting

[@RCAvhstape]

Ha ha thanks for ruining that song lol!

[@GregF71]

Branford Marsalis (sax player on EINY) uses the lick so much (and so well) he even used it in one of his tunes' head (Doctone, from his masterpiece album Requiem)

[@deltabilly1]

This channel blows my mind. I’ve been a professional musicians for close to 30 years; I wish this sort of thing has been freely available in the 80s and 90s. We were just kids trying to get gigs. Such a different world. But we could have benefited from a broad resource of info like what you provide. Kudos. It’s a very very different music world today. Glad someone is making sense out of it.

[@MasterMeijer]

Hey Mr. Neely, Is it possible to record and mix decent quality music if all you have is a guitar, a bass, an amp, a laptop and an interface?

[@owendubs]

Of course, I do it all the time. It just depends on what your standards are on fidelity, really. Like, if you really want things to sound clean; you should either audio treat your room or go for the cheap option and just stack loads of blankets and tarps in your closet, and record there with your laptop. Personally, I'm way too lazy for that; so I just keep things lo-fi. :)

[@SaberToothPortilla]

Oh, definitely. People do it all the time. There's nothing in that scenario that's explicitly limiting your potential for fidelity, apart from your own skill and *maybe* the quality of your gear and miscellaneous mixing tools. I mean, afterall, that's sort-of the large portion of modern tracking. If you wanna get super anal about things, your next biggest factor would be your environment. Noise can be gated out, but the louder it is, the more you're cutting into your actual signal, but after that... Anything else you could add does surprisingly little to better the quality of a mix. Pick up a book or two on audio-engineering/production and start fudging around with some basic stuff as you learn (most fundamental being EQs and Compressors, after that things start to be much more creative/personal concerns). Good luck!

[@MasterMeijer]

SaberToothPortilla Thank you very much for your elaborated answers!

[@ILikeFeelingElectric]

Rene Meijer Yes. All depends on your mixing skills. With regards to recording, I’d highly recommend recording through your interface rather than through a mic if you’re on low budget

[@Phazonviper]

Hi, before I start this wall of text, I would like to say I enjoy the content you make and feel that it's getting better every video. I formed a "band" (idk if you can call it that) in school and we have quite a few problems. First, and most importantly, we have near to no focus when it comes to playing songs. We always start with a song we have in mind and it ends up in us just playing completely different riffs, and the drummer just being loud. How can I instill an order in this scenario? Because I hate doing nothing after we booked a school's practice room. Second, our vocals are practically non-existent. I've considered learning how to sing (I've heard It's not the norm on bass), and our drummer's our best singer. Is the effort to find a vocalist worth it? Or should I just learn to sing/let the drummer sing? Finally, and least importantly, what do you think of bands that form in schools? -------------------- Just for reference: • Me (bass): I've been playing for nearly 4 months and I can play things like 'Hysteria' etc. I don't mess around as much as the guy on guitar but I do occasionally mess around (Seinfeld theme, of course). I don't know much music theory (something I know for a fact is useful). • Guitar: He doesn't practice much, mostly plays games (I myself, can't blame him too much for that) or does other stuff. He knows a lot of his shit though, chords etc. Bit sloppy recently. •Drums: I can't blame him for not practicing much, as he doesn't own a drum-kit, but he's keen on learning. But he prefers songs less 'rock' oriented and more 'urban' (I doubt that's the correct term). •Vocals: She practically never turns up, and not too keen on actually being a part of the band. She also dislikes music theory, as she perceives it as being prescriptive :( ------------------- Thanks

[@junglefett]

Hey, it's been four years, how's your band going?

[@dannybrickwell]

Classic Adam, even when he's shilling he's educating. Love your work!

[@AdamNeely]

i aim to please!

[@HungryMusicologist]

"composers didn't really put their own emotions into their music until the romantic era" WTF! read some history. The connection between music and emotion has existed in european music since the ancient greek. The "Doctrine of the affects" is one of the biggest hallmarks of baroque-era music and has laid the foundation for how we kommunicate emotions in music today. Any emotions in a Bach piece is likely less coincidental than any contemporary music because the Doctrine of the affects treats music as a language where most or all music represents very specific affects

[@ForcesOfRandom]

One who thinks Bach's instrumental work doesn't contain any clear emotion should listen for commonalities in musical content to his vocal works. Take "Können Tränen meiner Wangen" from the St. Matthews Passion; clearly a tearful, grieving song. It's not far-fetched that a grieving Bach would take up his violin and improvise a similar kind of flowing melody! For other settings in the passion the music is completely different. "Sind Blitze sind Donner" invokes thunderstorm and hellfire with fast bass-runs and short staccato-riffs. Also, much of his music wasn't mostly for the glory of god! There are tons of instrumental show-off pieces in keyboard concertos and toccatas, written as a hobby besides paying church works, and musical jokes on drinking songs. Greetings from Germany! Love your videos.

[@33BiGBoB33]

Hey Adam, I'm in a metal band and we are trying out different scales. We're tired of all this "SHRED DIS SHIEEEET" and "MORE STRING, MORE METAL" stuff and we're currently experimenting with some gypsy scales and they made metal great again. It would be awesome to get some names of artists like Django Reinhardt that was know to use those scales. Have you ever tried them in your music?

[@LucasJKey]

33BiGBoB33 I think Al Di Meola is another great in this vain .

[@jkhan337]

I'm an INTJ as well and I found when I was in school for audio engineering that I became extroverted around fellow musicians/engineers. It's easy for even an introvert to get excited around like minded people

[@maldivirdragonwitch]

Agreed. As an introvert myself, I find that's what the whole problem is about: most introverts are "nichey" people who are not exposed to like-minded peers in the early stages of life (that's when we get the feeling for the world around us). That makes us not want to engage in a world that obviously doesn't understand us. Luckily, the internet is connecting us in ways that was never possible before, but that also brings the drawback of getting addicted to exclusively virtual comradery. Whoever is struggling with this - I feel you.

[@tz4601]

@Mank Hobley I have heard this described as being "people-oriented" versus "object-oriented." Object here not necessarily meaning literally objects, but basically, are you someone who gets excited about other sharing experiences with other people, or are you someone who gets excited about _____ , including sharing your love of _____ with other people? The two are kinda different things. I don't think it's that introverts live in a world that doesn't understand them, and if only everyone around them were (let's say) musicians, they would become constant extroverts. I think introverts have vibrant inner lives (this is how introversion is usually described); we gain a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from various pursuits; so yes, that excitement can definitely bleed into sharing that excitement with like-minded people. I found this when I took my hobby of programming and made it into a career; suddenly I was around other programmers and I instantly clicked with them, meaning I suddenly loved going to work. Having said that, there are definite limits. Even with music, I can really deeply enjoy playing with others for a few hours, but before long I'm drained and thinking about how nice it would be to be playing my piano alone at home instead.

[@ajarofnutella]

17:44 GASP IS THAT BG MUSIC BIRD ON THE WING?! *SUNGAZER VOL 2 EARLY SONG LEAK EASTER EGG*

[@SuperAmazingPower]

So you finally took on sponsorships

[@BigFatCock0]

Good tbh

[@strelkan]

audiobollocks lol

[@SuperAmazingPower]

yes.

[@mharbaugh]

Everything you said about cruise ship work is spot on. I've been working boats for about 10 years - The music scene back home has more or less disappeared in the last couple of years, so at this point I'm all in with the cruise ship (and I'm OK with that).

[@callummoodley6311]

Could you do a video on harmonics? I've been listening to victor wooten and his use of harmonics just amazes me

[@luchadorito]

Particularly the constant associacion of the tonality of harmonic overtones and cleanliness, beauty. Its been bugging me for a while. For whatever reason we have learned to associate the sound of an overtone in key played by itself with cleanliness, beauty, etc. Y THO

[@dabeamer42]

Old classical musician here -- you nailed Bach in the second Q/A. Good stuff.

[@jcortese3300]

Chuckling over the Eb real book mind trick; I've recently -- like within the last day -- done the same thing with A mode plainchant. I can play it on a D Major Irish flute by pretending that the clef on the front is an alto clef, then boom. It falls into place. Neat to run into a video a day after I discovered that trick myself!

[@markswanmusic]

Hey Adam, I was wondering if you had any experience with musicians unions or had any thoughts on the matter. I've been a member of my local chapter in the past and it was extremely helpful with international work visas but besides that, i honestly don't get many gigs I wouldn't have already got from just networking within my own city. Just wondering if you had any experiences yourself with musicians unions.

[@drerob21]

Liked because you cut yourself off at 13:51 This guy gets it

[@nicholasscott9672]

I turned down a gig on a crystal cruiser because they didn't want to pay me and were going to drop me off on the other side of Australia 4000km from my home. They weren't open to any negotiation, which is a shame because I was excited when I got the call. Cruise jobs can be highly exploitative.

[@shcxatter2]

hey Adam, I was just wondering if you would make a video or series of videos on the history of western music theory, I know it's a really complex topic, but it really boggles my mind how can someone think of such complicated system and organize it so well.

[@Vanamutt]

Bach was known to improvise in the church he played at for hours at a time, he pushed himself to be able to play 4 melodies at the same time, there are accounts of him strapping a wooden peg on his nose, so he could play an extra voice on the organ with it. Bach's compositions are filled with his personal emotion, Partita E-Major for example. His Fugue on the theme B-A-C-H (H is the German equivalent of Bb, B is Bb) is literally trying to put his name in to the composition. To me it doesn't seem like Bach did it only to praise god through music, Bach was the OG jazzman.

[@taylor914ce]

Hey Adam, ever heard of the band Snarky Puppy? Those guys sound like if I took all of my delicious Christmas Dinner, and put it in a blender to drink it afterwards... and it still tastes freaking awesome!!! I just can't establish what genre they play but I love their music. Hope you know something about them, much love from Mexico.

[@johnbensinger4931]

Do you like Snarky Puppy? Micheal League is my favorite bassist.

[@moritzs.6116]

John Bensinger Everybody likes Snarky Puppy!!

[@johnbensinger4931]

Youre right. How silly of me

[@moritzs.6116]

Snarky is my favoutie band but in my opinion micheal leauge is not the best bass player. Dont get me wrong he is amazing but there are a lot better in Jazz Fusion :)

[@johnbensinger4931]

Moritz rip i dont think hes the best, hes just my fav. The subtle things he does astounds me. He also does everything in the band. He is just an all around great guy

[@moritzs.6116]

John Bensinger Yes youre right. His Songs are the best!

[@LuisJimenez-nd2pl]

Hey Adam! Thanks for the videos; I learn something new every time I visit your channel. Could please talk about what subliminal Music is, and how effective it is? Thanks :)

[@LootFragg]

About background music in podcast-like videos, I feel inclined to disagree. Yes, music can tie everything together and reinforce a certain vibe, but like everything intended to blend in (like harmony vocals), it has to be done well and intentionally. I, personally, get easily distracted by the music. I've noticed staring blankly at your face about 16:30 minutes into the video. It feels like the music, despite being of lower volume, is trying to catch my attention much more than your calm and less agitated voice. I've noticed a similar thing in many other videos around the site, where the music blended in even less, often being stark dubstep type music at high volume. WHATSUP INVADERS style. I believe it's a matter of attention distribution. While I don't want to tap into the ADHD trope, I think I generally want to pay full attention to what someone is saying, which isn't easy if there are things going on in the background. Which is one reason why I don't find the Star Wars prequels as exciting as they should be if we believe in George L.'s sense of aesthetic. I highly enjoy each of your videos having a dim background setting, your face and maybe a computer panel being the only focus and effects only being used to reinforce something you're already saying. My personal favourite is the air quote word shown between your hands. Reducing the amount of information makes listening so much easier, especially when it's auditory information. Definitely do play a Bach cello suite when you're talking about it. Definitely do talk on top of a track you wish to talk about. But that's a means of getting that specific information into the listener's head. There is no point trying to make something more awesome and bombastic by animating exploding Transformographagizers in the background or constantly playing a background track. In my opinion. Myeh.

[@franksierow5792]

I prefer no background music while people are talking to camera. I, too, find it distracting. I think it is also an accessibility issue for people with hearing issues, or possibly other issues. Maybe some day in the future videos will come with several audio tracks and the listener could do their own mix, and bring background music up or down according to their preference. A similar issue is really loud intros and outros.

[@Termsterms]

Hey Adam. I've been watching your videos for a while, but never commented. I just wanted to take a moment to express how much I appreciate what you do, and the knowledge you share (and how clear and articulate you are). It's been of great help to me. A very sincere thank you!

[@melonenstrauch1306]

I usually like your takes on things but the segment of vaporwave is just plain ignorant and clearly coming from someone not familiar with the genre. Vaporwave has a very different approach on critiquing capitalism. Instead of openly pointing to the problems of consumerism it takes tropes that the audience is familiar with and possibly even remembers fondly and then over exaggerates them to the point of absurdity. The facade shatters and you see the true nature of consumerism. Think I'm apologetic? I too have proof. In your video you talked about the infamous kmart tapes and featured them very prominently. Take literally one look at the tracklist of one of the most famous Vaporwave albums ever that also originated from these tapes: PowerPC ME - Kmart 1989-1992. You have stuff like "06. Listen to what the item is telling you", "09. Don't dare pass up this sale" and "19. I need to get up, I can't fall asleep here. The savings are too good.". To top it all off track 17 is a pastebin link to a text document that reads "Do you see the sales? Why are you questioning what you are viewing? This is real. This is real life. You are safe here. Don't fear it. You can't leave now". How blatant does it have to get anymore? Or take "Sunset Inc. and Hallmark '87 - Restaurant by the Basin", an album about a chinese restaurant. The story in the description of the album is that you walk in a sacred forest and find a fucking restaurant. Also the album cover doesn't even come from China but Vancouver. If I have to spell it out for anyone: This album is about the commodification of ethnicities. But surely "the audience doesn't notice this social commentary". For other examples look at stuff like Ｓｐｏｒｔ３０００ - Business Breakfast, 猫 シ Corp. - Palm Mall Mars, Ｋａｎａｌ Ｖｉｅｒ - Echtzeit or if all that was too subtle try VHS Dreams - Noth Point Mall or 猫 シ Corp. - NEWS AT 11. The point is that you have to engage with the media more than just listening to the pure audio. Track titles, album covers, descriptions on youtube or bandcamp - they are a huge part of the work itself. Not all subgenres critique capitalism though. It's mostly seen in Classic Vapour, Mallsoft and Utopian Virtual. Other subgenres like Late-Night-Lofi or Signalwave focus more on nostalgia only. The problem lies in a split in the community. When vaporwave went viral, like everything that suddenly reaches a mainstream audience, most of the meaning was lost. Now the community is split between those pushing the social commentary and those reinterpreting the albums as appraisal of consumerism (And also the "I just want to vibe" side that don't want any "politics in their music"). A year or so ago there was a poll about that on the vaporwave subreddit and as expected is was an ideological battlefield. The last time I checked the divide was about 50/50. TL;DR: Critique of consumer capitalism is one of the founding principles of vaporwave but it has becime diluted through vaporwave going viral back in 2015-17 and people refusing to see the sometimes easy to misinterpret message. Anyways thanks for reading my rant. I'm now making Liccwave.

[@mitchellsullivan1110]

12:20 bombastic -high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated. Ive encountered many videos that misuse this word. It refers to how someone speaks. It does not mean spectacular or striking like how bombs explode (what you would assume upon hearing the word). By misusing the word bombastic, you are being bombastic.

[@TheKrou]

Hey, what is your opinion of Whiplash? Greetings from a fellow INTJ :)

[@brynportas5300]

The Eb transposing trick got me through university as a UK tuba player, but the opposite way.

[@goncalomarques2711]

Hi Adam, Question: if you have to give to a student 5 songs to play on bass what would they be? Think a intermediate student, and not a real beginner... Also those songs should cover both theory wise stuff as technique and feeling. Also would those choices change if it was an advanced student? Big fan, and cheers from Portugal

[@kanimeymusic]

HAHAAHHAAHHAAH THAT Eb REAL BOOK STORY. I've never laughed out loud so hard

[@Pinko_Band]

I've been to a few The Mars Volta shows where they pretty much play for 3 hours straight. It was intense af.

[@wrenclark4907]

hahah yep the Eb transposition trick is real useful (especially since i used to play bari sax, so whenever the band’s bassist lost his music (which admittedly, was a lot) he’d always read off of mine lmao)

[@Mezurashii5]

How do I find the period-mimicing performances Adam talked about?

[@sondreyggeseth5916]

I am quite sure that you do know this, but you do know that the full ring cycle takes about 16 hours to perform?

[@travishutton9750]

I played in the pit as a percussionist for the first time this weekend and it was very interesting. I didn’t get to practice with the rest of the orchestra as I was only a stand in. And I often got lost because this new type of performance was completely foreign to me

[@arckanon13]

Hi Adam. Can you share some of your experiences and struggles when taking your masters degree? I'm planning to take one in the US and was wondering what advice could you give. Thanks and keep making awesome videos & grapefruit marinate lessons!

[@lesterfalcon1350]

Adam, can you share your thoughts on stretch tunings. With Piano and Rhodes having stretch tunings, but Hammonds and Synths having equal temperament, Then bass guitar sound sharp with the former, and in tune with the latter if tuned to equal temperament. And instruments in the upper range, such as flute and soprano sax sound flat. How do you approach this, and what do you do when the keyboard player has a mix of keys? And what do they do? Thanks for all the info you've provided so far.

[@aidandempsey]

Question about the Eb real book, if an alto saxophone plays a C, everyone hears it as Eb but they're thinking of it in terms of C, since the alto saxophone is an Eb transposing instrument. Why don't the alto saxophone players just think of the note as an Eb and notate it as an Eb? Is there any reason for this?:)

[@bramvierstraete999]

Aidan Dempsey I heard this was for the fingering of the scales. Like piano is in the key of C because C Major is the easiest scale to play (all white). I'm not 100% sure of this, but at least that's what I've heard :)

[@AndrewBeals]

Specifically, there is a family of Saxophones in alternating B-flat and E-flat flavors. The fingering is all the same, in that the parts are transposed, so when you see the note at in the second space from the bottom of a staff, you finger "A", regardless of what note really comes out. The same holds true for the Clarinet family - read an "A", finger the same way, and the transposed note comes out of your instrument.

[@Zoco101]

I agree with the saxophonists replies, but I'd like to add another reason: Fully chromatic/transposing wind instruments are a new'ish innovation in music. As a consequence, standard pitches for bands, orchestras and so on are also a new'ish innovation. To get variety, western composers used more modal variety, and less transposition within major and minor keys, which are really just two of the seven modal scales.

[@ipudisciple]

Let me also add that trumpets come in even more flavors. I'm no expert but it looks like you can get all 12 kinds. Again, I'm no expert, but the way the trumpet works - with 7 settings of 3 valves and the rest done with overtones - means that the timbre of a performance is going to change depending on whether the trumpet is in a suitable key. I mean, you can play a fast arpeggio C E G on an Eb trumpet, but the rapid valve movement is going to make it sound different to the same thing on a C trumpet. Or maybe that example doesn't work, but something like it does. You get my point. Actually, trumpets come with interchangeable tube things for switching key without buying 12 trumpets. The tube thing probably has a more technical name. Maybe a trumpeter can weigh in here and correct my misconceptions. So now imagine that you're a trumpeter with up to 12 trumpets (or tube things) in some modern classical piece, and you're trying to read the score for a performance, which involves switching trumpets. Surely the first thing you'd do is to re-write 11 of the scores so that you can translate the marks on the page to a fingering, without having to learn 12 different fingerings. And thus the "transposing instrument" is born. FWIW, though, I dislike the phrase "transposing instrument". The instrument does nothing of the sort. Maybe a synthesizer can transpose, but not a hunk of wood and metal. The sheet music for a Bb clarinet (for example) is just plain wrong (once you've fixed a standard such as A=440), but it's wrong in a helpful way for people who might want to play more than one clarinet. In the case of the clarinet, though, something dumb has happened, namely we've lost the C clarinet (not quite - I actually have a C clarinet, but they're much rarer), so basically _every_ clarinet "transposes". A dumb accident of history.

[@mattiemaas]

adam, can you put foam pads underneath your monitors? it really upsets me....

[@mattiemaas]

WOAH MAN WOAH

[@tonyhakston536]

Do people do that?

[@mattiemaas]

yeah. helps the monitor produce bass way clearer. also doesn't shake your desk.

[@IamUncledeuce]

mattiemaas what about suspending the speakers?

[@mattiemaas]

works great too

[@Serrot304]

hey I'm thinking about going to music school and was wondering how difficult the undergraduate audition was for Berkley

[@kayleebrue9697]

I was wondering; I recently discovered something called "binaural beats" and I wanted to understand the science behind it and the rest of those "relaxation/concentration" music videos. Any thoughts?

[@ThomasNimmesgern]

Kaylee Brue Would be really interesting.

[@repker]

Simply pseudoscience. If anything, chalk it up to placebo.

[@RCAvhstape]

It's mostly BS, kind of like drinking fake beer and thinking you're drunk.

[@SaberToothPortilla]

"Pseudoscience" is a bit harsh. Pseudoscience would be something closer to that "Natural tuning with the universe" non-sense about A 420 (I don't remember if the number was actually 420 or not). The idea of a binaural beat is a perfectly normal psychoacoustic phenomenon that has a reasonable explanation for why you hear the third tone. The pseudoscience definitely comes in when people start espousing all of the supposed concentration benefits as if it's some kind of god-send or magic pill, not to mention the entrainment, and other crazy garbage. etc.

[@coleemmersonhallman5329]

+SaberToothPortilla it was 432, not 420.

[@georgehiggins1320]

I've only been playing jazz for a little over two years, but I've found that if you're playing standards, concert pitch instruments such as piano (my instrument), bass, and guitar, tend to get WAY more practice in keys on the flat side of the circle of fifths (C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Etc.) I find this frustrating because keys like G, D, A, E, and B are not nearly as intuitive to me at a glance. Reading from a book for Eb instruments may give you more exposure to keys that might otherwise be less accessible to you. The same goes in reverse for transposed instruments reading from a concert pitch book.

[@Nick-me1ms]

The flat side of the circle of fifths is usually called the circle of fourths (as they’re inverted fifths you know)

[@DornAndGrant]

Adam... where can I find the cooking lessons?

[@danopticon]

I wonder how different my life’d be if at twenty-two I’d taken up my drummer’s offer and moved with him to Portland, OR.? I assumed it’d be the same as living with family, someone always on your case to be working at something you hated, to be handing over all your money to someone else, telling you you’re a failure, telling you to knock off whatever you’re doing to do something “productive” i.e. for the most immediate if also the smallest financial reward possible, instead. But maybe it would’ve been a restful, happy, forgiving period of creative ferment and self-discovery, with lots of music, both of us “jamming out” and eventually getting small paying gigs, then larger ones, then getting recognized… I wonder why I chose the Hell I knew over uncertainty, or rather, why I assumed all situations wound up in the same familiar Hell inevitably, so that what was the point of exposing myself to new people to harass and stymie me, when I had a perfectly capable cast of people to harass and stymie me already?

[@UlisesRockerHR]

Hey, Adam! I wonder if there are odd time signatures with odd denominators such as 7/15 or somn like that. I heard some stuff but it sounded too mathematic and I dont really get it, can you explain? Thanks in advance, I think you're a great and knowledgeable musician/teacher/content creator and appreciate the amount of work you put in your videos!

[@mal2ksc]

The bottom of a time signature will always be a power of 2 because the note durations are inverse powers of 2. You know what a 16th note is, what's a 15th note?

[@stern9838]

A 15th note is equivalent to an 8th-note quintuplet from a half-note triplet. Irrational meters are based on the division of whole-notes into equal parts which aren't powers of 2. Their effect is akin to a metric modulation. E.g. We're in 4/4. We're playing 8th-note quintuplets. I decide I want a 6/8 feel, but I want to retain the quintuplet note-value. So I write a few bars of 6/10, before returning to 4/4. I don't write a metric modulation, because it's a brief excursion into quintuplet-land (except with the note values grouped like 6/8) so it isn't truly a tempo change. If this was to go on for the rest of the piece however, a standard metric modulation would be more appropriate. Where does the 6/10 come from? A whole-note divided into 10 pieces is equivalent to x2 8th-note quintuplets (5x2=10). Should you write a whole piece in 6/10? No, because it will sound like 6/8. The irrational meter has to be in relation to a previously established meter to be meaningful. Some people vehemently argue that there's no need for irrational meters, as it can be expressed as a metric modulation. Personally, in some situations, I prefer the use of irrational meter. It's less cluttered on the page, and once you've taken a minute to understand what it means, it's no harder to grasp than a metric modulation. I have only used irrational meters during brief excursions, though - extended passages I think really do just require a metric modulation. klangnewmusic.weebly.com/direct-sound/lets-talk-rhythm-part-1-rationalizing-the-irrational bledsoe22.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/tips-for-complex-rhythms-la.html

[@mxskelly]

Do you think that learning (or re-learning) how to play an instrument online is feasible? When I was young I played Piano through private lessons but eventually stopped playing and became somewhat disinterested. I recently got a MIDI keyboard and had been looking into re-learning how to play. Do you feel that it's possible to do so online, or is it only really a good idea to learn through some kind of in-person lessons? I've heard mixed opinions on the matter and would love to hear your thoughts.

[@danobot12]

Like the podcast format! BUT: get some sound panels/foam. There is so much echo in your room.

[@joemacdonald2831]

alright so I've been watching all of your videos and I'm a huge fan. I've got a running bet with all of my musician friends that also know you... Are you a "fixed Do" or a "movable Do" kinda guy? Or somewhere in-between? Do you use solfege regularly? And if so, when?

[@PolarTrance]

Do you ever get the feeling of generic-ness when making music? As in everything you put down just ends up sounding generic.

[@RCAvhstape]

You actually managed to make an ad pitch into something informative. Achievement unlocked.

[@mikeymatamoros]

You like jazz?

[@jeffirwin7862]

Hold on, I need to listen to the St. Matthew Passion. Brb after a few hours of grief.

[@KidnapstedGC]

There's something called "Historically Informed Performance Practice." It is the idea of performing whatever music you are playing as close as possible to how it would have been performed. These performers will do anything from changing the tuning of their instrument, to taking off certain parts of their instrument (like end pins on cello or chin rests on violins), to playing entirely different instruments. The problem with this, however, is that there is no way of knowing exactly how music before audio recording sounded. Historically Informed Performance Practice is weirdly enough, a relatively new concept, and there's a lot we don't know. The only thing we can do is search for writing that describes the performance of old, and play that. I think the idea of classical music being boring comes from modern performers playing this older music in a modern style. Go listen to Feodor Chaliapin sing "A Swan" by Grieg, then listen to Håkan Hagegård perform it. Personally, I just can't listen to the newer recording.

[@h3e6r00]

I quote my previous question: "Adam, Do you think that only certain people have a talent for music or can 'talent' be developed by anyone?"

[@FranLegon]

hey Adam! I just wanted to tell you you blended that advertisement very well. That website looks very interesting and useful. I'm telling you this because you most likely struggled trying to show it's truly something you want to advertise 😀 keep these videos coming!

[@euwbah7214]

26:25 I'm Singaporean, and I can definitely guarantee that musicianship here is lacking

[@barka.extreme]

i like the smooth transmition from Bach's music to Bachground music. Ba dum *tss*

[@tasfa10]

The dream part was hilarious! xD

[@orengery16]

Hey Adam, Are you a socialist? I was wondering after hearing some of your opinions. I would like to hear about your ideology

[@coliimusic]

INTJ. You're an introverted analyst type. The Architect. You have a plan for everything and think tactically and work best alone or in small groups.

[@kudos4201]

yes

[@supernamnam8110]

"If my goal was to make a lot of money, I wouldn't be a musician. my goal is to make money as a musician... I'm primarily looking to play with really amazing people, and make really good music" love this thanks so much

[@Wafflesaurus]

*writing notes during video* "-grapefruits are not Toshivc" Good to know!

[@mr.farthingwaite6018]

If it takes a band 20 takes isn't it worth it?

[@mattiemaas]

nice you have sponsorships!

[@theosib]

Regarding MBTI type, I've been able to work out how people are a composite of types. I don't mean some wishy washy "we're some combo of all types" thing. I mean specific types in specific arrangements that affect behaviors in very distinctive ways. I've been trying to figure out since stating to watch your videos who the heck it it is you eerily remind me of. It's my phd advisor Radu Teodorescu at Ohio State. Seriously google him. You'll feel like you're looking in a mirror. It's even more eerie to compare mannerisms, how you explain things and teach, etc. Long story short, INTJ is probably right for you, but you're also an ambivert. You might recognize elements of ENTJ, ENTP, ENFP, and ISFP in yourself. Exactly how this works isn't something I can explain in the space of a KZbin comment.

[@nicktenwolde3154]

I've never noticed it if you've been doing in your past videos, but you use "the lick" for every transition and its awesome!

[@nelsonpainkiller]

Right after the video ended, I took the mbti test! (Got ENFJ-T and I don't agree with the E part at all!). I suppose that'll make the music I try to make obsessive and excessive... Anyway, my actual question is whether is viable or practical to play using two different tunings. I know that sounds strange, but please allow me to explain: I play the bass and I'm in a metal band, more often than not (especially when things get stagnant) I feel the need of doing things on my own, so I got myself a cheap guitar to rock out. At that time, nearly 3 years ago, I was a lot into Strapping Young Lad and Mr. Devin Townsend solo stuff. So naturally, I was trying to learn songs in Open C. I find it is a very confortable tuning for rhythm and it's been useful for me to come up with ideas and ultimately record them. The problem is I keep being told to learn E standard tuning for guitar, and I can't be bothered, tho I do play bass in E standard (and in ocasions I tune it down to drop D or C). So, is it that bad -from the composition or even the performance side of things- to have two instruments with different tunings as long as they play the right notes? goddamn, that was a long-ass comment. I look forward to an answer. Love your content

[@ajcatman]

haha.. saving money on a cruise ship!.. more like piss it up against the wall :).. I did 14 contracts between visas.. eventually got sick of not doing serious projects and not playing with other people.. I did piano bar.. was fun and had a fantastic time:). but I didn't live like those poor pit musos.. sharing a cabin, and stuff..

[@patrickthames8853]

Concerning the Bach comment... The religious aspect of Bach's music lends itself to the emotional... Bach definitely intended his music to express the beauty and majesty of God. Your comment about feeling the grief is spot on... i believe that Bach fully intended his listeners to be moved emotionally by his music. Your return comment was kind and focused in relation to the accepted academic interpretations of the Baroque period but the truth is that the music of Bach hinges on the profound, deep experience humans find when encountering the miraculous and amazing world of Deity.

[@KnjazNazrath]

I can't stand people needing to put vibrato on all their notes. You'd call a guitar player doing that an idiot. Also, concerning tunings, that's why I like listening to "contemporary classical" instead of more obvious picks because it was made for the tunings we use. Also just another excuse to say Ligeti is my favourite composer, ha!

[@Zalbu500]

What's your opinion on modeling amps? Have you ever thought about incorporating them into your live playing? It feels like it would be the logical choice for a musician like you who dabbles in so many different genres and play live shows so often.

[@AcapRoseknightDrummer]

in 15:45, you said you give only surface level? most of the things you talked are pretty much way deeper that what i've learned in my bachelor course, watching your video made me feel like i've learnt nothing in my 3 years in that course haha. you should be teaching at my music college :D

[@BrianFields]

So I'm thinking the solution to the Singapore Paradox would be to take a bunch of your awesome musician friends from NY with you to Singapore, play awesome NY music, and make a ton of money.

[@crimsonwires]

Being from Malaysia and having gigged there and around China, it just doesn't work. From my experience, the big paying jobs were all super commercial and cheesy music oriented. The only time I got to play "awesome music", like jazz and original material was in underground bars and such, and I got paid in beers half the time x)

[@tomasahlin]

I searched for baroque period piece music with old tuning and techniques right after this video. I searched in a bunch of ways but came up empty handed. Is there any recordings on the Internet?

[@TheSaxsquatch]

Probably figured this out already, but adding 3 flats to the key signature of bass clef music reads right for an Eb instrument, and adding 3 sharps to the key signature reads right for a bass instrument reading Eb.

[@Zoco101]

Jarad Saxsquatch-Selner . Hi Jarad. Think you got that the wrong way round. The reply button didn't work earlier, so I tried to answer this elsewhere. If you play alto sax, add three sharps to read normal bass parts, and vice versa.

[@gtv105]

Question...how old was the oldest person in your batohleor program?....I am 65...and got to gr 8 RCM piano....now upping my game...giving it a year....would it be crazy to apply to a college jazz program...what would the students think, having to work with someone so much older? Btw...love your videos.... Thanks

[@korny92]

Thanks for the podcast version, so good to hear while driving!

[@edwardbuckley7847]

I worked on cruise ships for 20 years.....there are a few good things about it, but PLENTY of negatives, I worked in the orchestra which is a completely different animal than a lounge band.....my advice is to stay away and work on your career on land......good points Adam......keep em coming......

[@jacobsaintjames]

For a difficult part I usually do between 6 and 12 takes. My best takes come roughly 2/3 of the way through. When you give up the idea of nailing it on the first take, you give yourself a few times through to get warmed up and comfortable in situ. When enough time has passed, you find yourself in the zone, and every little imperfection you remember for the next time around until you get it perfect. Sometimes just having this no-stress mentality will allow you to nail it in the first few takes. Worst case, you will have lots of material for comping.

[@JustinMasayda]

Hey Adam, I love your videos. I was considering going to college for music, but now I think I'd be better off working and building a portfolio right away. I mean, why drown myself in debt when I don't have to? However, you've talked before about the benefits of going to school for music, and you mentioned that one of the greatest benefits is the network you become a part of. Do you have any suggestions for where and how to network with other current or aspiring musicians and music industry professionals outside of school? Thanks!

[@isuckatguitar12]

Listening to you talk about your "7th take" rule kinda confuses me. Do you think perhaps this only applies to whatever genres you're more familiar with? For example, watching any of the Cannibal Corpse studio videos for either Evisceration Plague or Torture gives me a vibe that there are definitely some riffs or passages that take quite a while to nail. I recall Pat O'Brien saying in The Wretched Spawn's studio footage that he had to record 4 guitar tracks for the song "Bent Backwards and Broken" (very "chopsy" as most of his songs are) and they all had to be exactly the same. That obviously took more than 7 takes, I'd wager vastly more, considering it takes a around few days as far as I know for these guys to record guitars and bass for an album. Also, assuming you've looked into metal at some point or another, what bands/subgenres do you appreciate the most? I don't know anything about your music tastes, but I'd point you towards newer Behemoth for atmospheric and melodic quality, Amon Amarth for their melodic passages as well, but chiefly Devin Townsend's work whether its heavy or not, particularly Sky Blue and Ocean Machine: Biomech. More rhythmically focused metal would be stuff like Cannibal Corpse (The Wretched Spawn and Torture, very riffy stuff in both and interesting time signatures in Torture) and I suppose Suffocation (Pinnacle of Bedlam is the album I'd point anyone towards). The main man behind Revocation seems to be heavily influenced by some jazz as well. Having thrown musical recommendations your way, what artists, be they classical or jazz or folk or blues, would you toss my way as someone who primarily listens to metal music? I'd love to branch out more often but I don't know very many people who are heavy into music that aren't metalheads.

[@Teyxas]

Hey Adam, I have a question I play acoustic guitar in a church here in Brazil...and the keyboard player has lots of that golpel and neosoul vibe to his playing...lots of inversions...and jazzy flavour....do you have an idea on how can I "transpose" some of that flavour(awesome chords) for the acoustic? I know most of the inversions....and some jazzy chords...but they don't seen to fit in the acoustic "world" I do play bass thoug...so is easier to understando how he thinks greetings

[@MrSaturnMusic]

I'll have to go back to the vaporware video, but I think it's hard to really use the comments about the drums to judge the social commentary (or lack thereof) in vaporwave (especially on a track that you admit isn't vaporwave) I kinda think that vaporwave embraces the capitalist advertisement aesthetic as a parody of the advertisement-centric status quo. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ just my thoughts

[@Wheelly1]

Adam, could you say a few words about Boston vs. New York jazz scene? I know people who have graduated from MSOfM and worked in Boston, and people who studied at Berklee and play in New York. Did you happen to play in Boston? Do you notice any real influence from Berklee (alumni) on New York scene? Thanks

[@idownloadsydrus]

Meyers-Briggs personality tests are interesting in that they're totally arbitrary and useless from a psychology standpoint. You might as well use the "Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S. character are you?" Buzzfeed quiz.

[@TomasIlluminato]

Hey Adam and hey people! For those who live in New York (or will be there in february) I'm visting NYC in late february and want to play music with strangers. I'd say I'm an intermidate guitarist/pianist and music is just a hobby for me and not what I'm studing at university, but I like to meet new people, getting to know them by jamming and even more if they are into the kind of content Adam puts out (great content Adam, love all your videos!). If anybody reads this and is interested in joining please do reply, whatever instrument you play and whatever genre you're into (as long as you want to jam), that I'ld love to make this happen. Personally I'm into blues, jazz, rock, fusion, funk and soul, but I'll play anything as long as its jammable or I've had at least a little time to practice.

[@michaelwenzl8219]

Hi Adam! I wanted to ask you about your opinion on the topic of microtonal music. Especially 19 tone equal temperament music, which has more consonant thirds and sixths and different "flavors" for fiths, fourths ... The music appears for the most ears a bit detuned and weird, but I personally in some kind like the tension and completely new feeling of the sound. A cool example is "Ivor Darreg - Prelude #2 For 19-Tone Guitar" here on youtube. It's not so exaggerated like many other microtonal pieces.

[@MarceloSilva-lh9mh]

Well, don't regard that little game you played to read from an Eb score while playing a "C" instrument as "defeating the purpose". In fact, it's a well-known method for transposition. For example, if you need that "C" to sound like an "E", just find a clef and placement that will give you the new note you need, and then pretend to be reading that new clef (placed on the neede line). There is always an appropriate solution. For example, to transpose from "E" to "C", just pretend that instead of reading g-clef (second line), you are reading c-clef (first line). Among G-clef (always second line in modern music), F-clef (third or fourth line), and C-clef (first, second, third or fourth line), there will always be an answer that allows for the desired transposition. Do mind your accidentals, though. It helps if you already know the tune.

[@ayompedro]

About the vaporwave being anti-capitalist or not: Let's first understand that musical styles tend to mix with a certain vibe (aesthetics of the sound blend with certain attitude). One for example say that Punk Rock has an anarchic vein. But one could definitely make a punk rock tune with lyrics reinforcing, i dunno, the importance of church. It could certainly still sound Punk Rock. So the thing here is that you have 2 different things: the Punk Rock movement and the Punk Rock aesthetics. The same thing happens with vaporwave. Vaporwave as a movement, in the beginning at least, is an ode to the decadence. It's an ironic homage to a future that was sold as something joyful, but that the mere fact of revisiting it 20, 30 years after (now) is already decadent and ridiculous. You don't even need to deform the sound waves and exaggerate VHS effects to present how decading it is. And after you realize that the promises didn't even change, but in fact got booster, you already know that the same way the past look like now, the present will look like in the future, so the only choice is really to dope yourself and enjoy the vibe (it has a lot of Rick and Morty feeling into it). The whole greek statues thing with VHS things, they represent the whole fall of the modern ideals, which are very greek (platonic) in their essence. It's a mock of the Apollonian ethos. The whole use of Muzak, which am more than sure that you know what it is, but for people who don't know, was a type of music made to increase productivity of workers. I like to think of vaporwave as a tropical beach poster printed in a laser jet, standing in the place of an actual window with an actual landscape. Saying vaporwave is anti-capitalist kinda misses the point. Being an anti-capitalist nowadays is basically being either a Socialist, which would be too Apollonian/Romantic, like saying you know the way things should be, and that we should fight for a better world, or being an Anarchist, which would be more towards a Punk Rock or Hardcore Attitude, which is more like let's burn everything and give power to the people. Vaporwave is too depressed or high to fight for anything. Vaporwave is an ironic aesthetical embrace of ultra-flat, superfluous, "vapor" consumerism culture that serves as an aesthetic critique of how decadent our culture is. Vaporwave in reality is saying: Our capitalist society is really shitty and I give up, I'll just roll a joint and enjoy my shittiness because I was raised in this culture and there is no real escape. And btw none of this reflect any opinion of mine, I don't smoke joints nor I encourage or whatsoever...