Can the Phrygian Scale sound "happy?" ft. Jake Lizzio, Brian Krock, Trust Fund Ozu, + Courtney Swain

[@moonman57]

yeah i subscribe to the Adam Neely school of music analysis "that's a chord" "some time signature stuff happening"

[@elli1419]

excited mumbling.

[@krakentoast]

Real

[@muyskerm]

Courtney's song absolutely gripped me. Felt like it was bursting with hope and brightness. Fantastic!

[@aliensporebomb]

Like a morning sunrise.

[@Emul7ifier]

huh, I would never take Bob for an Adam Neely fan haha

[@raidedsalt7110]

hard agree

[@daniellejoiner4929]

1. You’re here?! Awesome! 2. Absolutely, it holds me in this space where I feel a sort of relaxation. Like everything is going to be okay. An amazing work!

[@bonnibloop_]

@@Emul7ifier same lmao

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

This was WAY too much fun! Cant say "thank you" enough for inviting me onto this collab, it was a honor to be included along such talented folks =) And I must shoutout Beardstank for drumming on my track and Roger Reupert for laying down those tasty trumpets!

[@seiph80]

You deserve it, Jake! Great to see you here!

[@TSiAWD]

Best crossover ever

[@mindlesswaffle]

I've been watching your channel for a while and I was psyched to see you in one of these challenges. You nailed it, man! Can't wait to see you in another one!

[@EricMLopez]

You're a cool guy Jake

[@kamilchosta5526]

Go see his channel if you want to easily understand theory and have a look on that practical side of it, which is often left out in music schools. It's a gold mine for every begginer/ intermediate musician or the advanced one to refresh the knowledge/gain another perspective :)

[@ImaginaryMdA]

5 musicians confidently attack a round hole with a square peg.

[@nanamacapagal8342]

With varying degrees of success.

[@juliuscaesar5397]

Successfully

[@aclonymous]

@@nanamacapagal8342 2 successes, 2 mediocre attempts and 1 complete failure

[@jasminebaldwin7615]

@@aclonymous I don't think anyone was an abject failure. they're all cheerful in their own way

[@kenpokid10]

​@@aclonymousif your parameter for success is "the music sounds happy", then they all more or less succeeded. If your parameter for success is "the music was clearly, audibly, and consistently using the Phrygian mode"... it's debatable, but I think they did all manage to incorporate at least some elements of Phrygian into their compositions.

[@uncroppedsoop]

Phiesta feels like a song you'd hear in an indie game in like, a really dangerous late-game area, in a subsection where a bunch of friendly characters are just having a party and ignoring the danger

[@loganowens623]

when Jake Lizzio was listing the "happy" instruments i was sad to not hear him mention the most jocular brass, the tuba, but so happy to see he used one after all! TUBAAAA

[@progfox]

thank you for turning me on to the word "jocular" which i will now use in my day to day speech

[@onkelpappkov2666]

Very jocular choice of word.

[@progfox]

@@onkelpappkov2666 :)

[@_hamza6547]

maaaaaan Jake Lizzio first show up and he nailed it ...jesuuus ...call snarky puppy

[@julianjustin3455]

yes

[@Sclonez]

Dude, It also gave me Snarky Puppy vibes. He nailed it hard.

[@McGuire40695]

Me, Listening to Jake's song: "Sounds like something straight out of Yoshi's Island." Everyone did great in this, though!

[@AndJusticeForEl]

OMG YES THAT'S EXACTLY IT

[@fenestrapain]

Yoshis island is my favorite game. Kalimba and shakers and tubas do it immediately. Yes. He nailed this assignment.

[@caffeineau]

I liked Courtney's one because it felt happy, but emerging from a place of uncertainty and tragedy. Like happiness from finally coming through a long struggle. Fits with her intro. Very pleasant

[@booognish]

Yeah that was awesome when everyone got those vaccines and then went and got and spread COVID everywhere.

[@Tiemewitte]

The absolute audacity of making a happy song in a dark mode as a challenge and then prominently featuring the lyric 'I just can't stop crying' and have it work regardless. That's just next level.

[@darthTwin6]

This comment is hilarious and so true! 😂😂😂

[@ItsAsparageese]

Hyperpop is amazing for this, I just discovered the genre from the ugly-lydian video a few months back and I'm absolutely in love with it. 100 Gecs make some ridiculous and sometimes warped lyrics feel so spunky and slap so hard, it's unreal

[@GG256_]

@@ItsAsparageese When I heard 100 Gecs, I hated it so much, I looked at my friend and said something I'd NEVER say, "This is so bad I need to take a break from music for a while." Lol. A hyperbolic joke of course. In the beginning it sounded like an animal crossing character vocalist who grew up listening to emo music learned how to use a DAW. Some songs like stupid horse are still terrible, but now I actually love a few of their songs. It grew on me like noise rock. Hyper pop is cool, but the vocals aren't for me. Hypocritical I guess, because I love aggressive death and black metal vocals.

[@ItsAsparageese]

@@GG256_ Nothing hypocritical about subjective taste, because it's not a function of objective criteria to begin with :) And yeah I love thrash and punk style harsh vocals in particular but also am a big fan of genres with growls/screams/cackles, so I get you on how it feels weird sometimes to be turned off by any vocal style. Usually they all grow on me, I like some unusual vocalists (Bobby Blitz comes to mind). I wouldn't have expected myself to like hyperpop if I was told about it before hearing a piece. I have sensory hyperacusis issues and the lows and highs and distorted noises would be problems for me if I listened through a fancy sound system but my cheap Bluetooth speaker I use for everything helpfully cuts down the frequencies that are the worst problems for me, so hyperpop has become sorta like very mild exposure therapy for me and helps me get comfortable with harsh noise in a way. But it I hadn't been caught off-guard by it from Justice Cow's piece, I'd have avoided the genre from its description lol. Her song made me viscerally uncomfortable the first time I heard it (though of course she wrote it to be discomforting), but I deliberately listened a second time because it was fascinating and the horror vibes were desirable in a way, and then the jam itself grew on me, and next thing I knew I was getting into 100 gecs and fell totally in love with the genre lol. I think "stupid horse" is a blast haha but subjective taste and all that :) I wonder if you'd dig Dorian Electra, their sound is definitely gec-adjacent but a fair bit less manic/goofy, and more edgy and dramatic.

[@kvothesixstring763]

So what we've discovered is that Phrygian makes for excellent video game music.

[@iantaakalla8180]

Which might be proven by Pokémon.

[@Trogmodyte]

I'm leaving a comment so I can hear Adam sing more

[@wushuallan]

Take this offering, oh great algorithm, and hear my prayer. Manifest into reality my unfulfilled fantasy.

[@Maxi.Ledesma.musica]

Yessir

[@3countylaugh]

+

[@arunthebuffoon4554]

The warm bass in that track did it for me. Really good contrast with the robotic vocals

[@NahreSol]

Great music and great video!!! Loved this installment of the series!!!

[@evan-r-k]

so good, except at 20:54 he didn't say citric acid to help de-bittter the broth

[@james.randorff]

Initial thoughts: “Wow, I really love these! As a composer/arranger, I wonder how I could get in on one of these sessions.” After hearing Trust Fund Ozu: “I have no idea what I am doing with my life anymore. How do I even create something like this?!?”

[@nfectedpsychosis]

Jake’s sounds like it could be on the Yoshi’s Island soundtrack and I freaking love it

[@robertsteinberger]

Absolutely gave me yoshi vibes

[@mysigt_]

It’s definitely got that Nintendo vibe

[@slash196]

EXACTLY what I thought.

[@hazeri]

You are not that far off @JEMAW_ . But i think the closest would be from Paper Mario 64: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJzbdYJnoJ6lfac

[@leonardomartins9292]

It reminded me of Crash Bandicoot

[@space8381]

I've never seen someone talking as happy and innocent as Brian Krock about having Meshuggah as his favorite band

[@rachelkatin4904]

Adam adding his own vocals was great!!! I feel like that's been happening occasionally ever since the rap covers video, in which Adam sort of recontextualizes singing/rapping your own words and the vulnerability it takes to make music

[@xander1052]

Trust Fund Ozu's track definitely felt the happiest. Can't beat that 100Gecs feel lol

[@JooshyBaby]

I want more of Courtney's song. One of those that makes you want to buy the song and play on repeat on the drive into work for about a week

[@Blutzen]

The biggest thing Adam's scale series has taught me is that hyperpop is my favorite.

[@ItsAsparageese]

SAME. First video introduced me to it and got me hooked, this video just catalyzed my obsession lol. Hyperpop is legitimately the best thing to happen to me in a long time, I can't get enough

[@therealandrew185]

I think Jake Lizzio actually nailed it. Most of the other pieces did not sound very happy to me personally, but Jake's really sounded Phrygian, and really overjoyed. Good job to everyone else too though, this seemed like an impossible challenge to me, but I was really surprised by each song.

[@MisterManDuck]

You know, never did consider Phrygian explicitly non-happy because it sounds different in a context that descends a lot like what I'm used to.

[@RaysonWilliams]

The Andalusian cadence?

[@vincenttavani6380]

Go on...

[@samstits8982]

The scale is a palindrome of major

[@dangerkeith3000]

@@FluffyBunniesOnFire The Andalusian cadence in the Phrygian mode is the iv-III-II-I progression. The only borrowing is that the I chord borrows it's major third from the relative major key....otherwise it would be iv-III-II-i, which sounds great but isn't the cadence. I've never seen it written i-bVII-bVI-V. I guess that could be the chords of the relative Aeolian/minor mode (where the final (V) chord still borrows a major 3rd) but it's not that progression in Phrygian.

[@НикитаКачанов-ь3з]

@@dangerkeith3000 "I've never seen it written as i bvii bvi v" this is how it is written literally everywhere

[@DumblyDorr]

Holy wow - how hadn't I heard of Trust Fund Ozu before? All of these people are exceptional musicians - but Trust Fund Ozu just *KNOCKED* *IT* *OUT* *OF* *THE* *PARK* . Instantly have a ton a respect. Wow! Jake's felt really happy, too. The most "smiley-happy" to me.... with perhaps only a touch of mischeif - especially in that Zappa-esque moment (which made me very happy).

[@thefullestcircle]

Phiesta sounds like something that would play in a level of a Yoshi game where you're being chased by something.

[@kdastronaut171]

or animal crossing lol

[@freshlysqueezedaesthetics2942]

Great to see Jake here; nice to see people I watch collaborate. I can't wait to see what you guys came up with.

[@Quesbe]

Trust Fund Ozu's song was... so freaking amazing! ok to be fair all of the submissions were amazing :D

[@melpopovich565]

trust fund ozu's was a hyperpop masterpiece, that was amazing

[@karinamaloney1033]

She genius.

[@shanechenmusic]

Honestly it reminds me of some of Ben Levin’s stuff in his videos

[@karinamaloney1033]

@@shanechenmusic she works with ben and helps him cameos in his videos often. Good catch.

[@DamianRoseroCazar]

@@karinamaloney1033 agreed

[@saranonimus9211]

I LOVE the whole concept of giving the group a challenge and sharing how each artist solves it. What better way to encourage emergent artists to explore the possibilities and find their own unique voice? Excellent idea, fascinating results. Thank you all SO much!! 💜

[@ItsAsparageese]

Agreed, this is one of the coolest challenge/prompt concepts I've ever seen in music and it's absolutely wonderful. Perfect way to inspire musicians of all kinds to break every barrier ever. We live in such an exciting era of new experiments in music/production like humanity has never seen before, and I'm confident this series already is playing a major part in catalyzing the wave. So, so cool.

[@josephmay1255]

All around me definitely sounds more on the positive side but still has this slightly somber side to it. It sounds happy but Courtney managed to preserve the darker quality of the phrygian scale. Brilliant

[@coreyaudet9656]

Trust Fund Ozu for this assignment is my first choice. She made me actually laugh out loud when she got "heavy happy ". Everyone did well and I am thankful for all of you taking the time.

[@xmadrugadaxeternax]

Courtney's is sparkly jam. Wonderful!

[@ravenecho2410]

full bjork

[@landoncbradford]

@@ravenecho2410 bjork meets mitski i was thinking

[@GabeMillerMusic]

The production on the Trust Fund Ozu track is absolutely bonkers and I love it so much. Loving this series Adam!

[@LunchBandit]

Salsa music and “Flamenco: Alegrias” are two styles that routinely make happy Phrygian songs. Also, plenty of Arab music also uses it in happy ways.

[@JPVillalobos27]

Alegrias are in major keys. Maybe you're thinking Bulerias? Carnatic music also has a lot of really cool upbeat pieces in Phrygian derived raag "modes”. Raags are not really modes though.

[@vadim4252]

They go out of the mode to achieve that

[@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379]

@@ThatBernie Hijaz...

[@petterhouting7484]

Alegrias is in major??? They sometimes modulate to phrygian but the standard chord progression is phrygian.

[@LunchBandit]

@@petterhouting7484 Yes, the chords and strong beats clearly outline major in Alegrias but the singers end up singing in phrygian a lot or at least throwing trills and licks in phrygian.

[@whovianz]

Trust fund ozu is so so so wonderful!! infectious energy!! thank you for having her on and introducing such an incredible talent to us!!!!

[@DMLand]

Adam's groove takes us very much into Bill Wurtz territory, which is just about the highest compliment I can pay him.

[@gustavotavarezlora5261]

Idk why but everyone in this video seems so cool and chill, and then their songs are so cheerfull, I kinda want to hug them all

[@mroc170]

Never heard of Trust Fun Ozu but they won me over with the gecs reference

[@ItsAsparageese]

Same, that got me super jazzed up. Definitely check out her other work, I hadn't heard of her before this video either but she's got quite a few other kickass hyperpop bangers out there. I especially love her collabs with Justice Cow, the one who did the epic hyperpop piece in the ugly-lydian video

[@TheLumbersnack]

Not a hyperpop fan, but TrustFundOzu killed this challenge!

[@cibojules]

AGREED

[@lyingpancake95]

I love how you edit everyone's reactions in sequence. It really makes the collaboration feel more connected.

[@marcelo.bassalo]

The Bent Knee chick! Love you, Courtney. This is such a crossover episode. Everyone is great, goddamn.

[@mattsnyder4754]

“Pretty popular prog/pop/Bjork inspired band.” I mean. That’s definitely a super common genre, so that makes sense

[@idd_cutie1274]

Could you tell what band he said? Patos?

[@tmack729]

@@idd_cutie1274 I can't find it anywhere :(

[@tmack729]

@@idd_cutie1274 ah - I think it's paatos

[@uriel4108]

Thanks!

[@rohiogerv22]

That vinegar example makes me think Adam's been watching Adam Ragusea since the Mariah Carey debacle 👀

[@arunthebuffoon4554]

@@ContentConfessional Ragusea used to do music stuff as well right?! Double Adam crossover!

[@dananskidolf]

Hah same! I think he should've borrowed the ACIDITY image while making the analogy :D

[@frogandtoady]

can't prove they're not the same person, they've never been in the same frame together 👀

[@straightXjessedge]

"Phiesta" sounds like it belongs on a Mario Kart soundtrack.

[@dacoconutnut9503]

Holy moly 4 weeks seemed like an eternity

[@Hoixon]

I always liked Trust Fund Ozu but man, she really killed it on this one

[@alsdrumhang]

I was spending a dreary afternoon auditing client files and I popped this video on. I got SO HAPPY listening to these clips. thanks to all of you for your creativity!

[@Natenick5]

Man I wish I could see Adam’s notated out because his is the only one that doesn’t sound Phrygian to my ears.

[@emalaw1329]

Yeah, I feel like the approach Adam adopts for this challenges doesn't seem to always succeed at giving the feel of the mode. In the Lochrian one he writes a main theme in Db Major and tries to anchor it in C Lochrian with the root droning in the bass, but it still ends up sounding way too Ionian for the purpose of the video, imo

[@giovannifiorini5108]

Poison ivy is a banger damn

[@engar-dug5197]

I couldn't stop smiling during Poison Ivy!

[@ItsAsparageese]

Omg, Trust Fund Ozu, you started describing your production and I started having hyperpop hopes and THEN YOU MENTIONED GEC INFLUENCE AND I JUST-- I only discovered hyperpop recently from the ugly-lydian video and I'm so stoked to discover more, thank you for making this omg! ... Ad break just ended ... and YOUR SONG SLAYS AAAAAAAA can't wait to check out more music from you!!!!!!

[@gehteuchnichtsan7911]

Metal guitars with a bass clarinet is an insane combo.

[@danielhadida3915]

I had never heard of Courtney Swain. Her track was absolute fire !

[@pmnt_]

Courtney's song reminds me of these slightly less bad days during a depressive phase. It somehow gives hope, but you know already it's a false hope, somehow poisoned, you know it's not over yet. It only makes the next down, the next day, feeling even worse. Being constantly disappointed by false hopes is a feeling worse than only pure despair. Maybe it's my depression, or my immunity to lyrics, but none of them (except one) escaped this eerie feeling of the phrygian scale. The happy textures and rhythms just felt like a music box playing in a horror movie. It should sound happy, but you know there is something wrong. Congrats to Jake for creating something legitimately upbeat.

[@Rakunya]

Trust Fund Ozu's Poison Ivy has a fun Vocaloid vibe to it, like a Giga-P track

[@omerbennatan8353]

10:52 "WHATS MORE FUN THEN OCTAVES ON THE BASS" Damn straight

[@benbrinkmann6201]

Imagine they get to one of the songs and all of them are just like “Yeah this one sucks. This isn’t happy, but more importantly it just isn’t good”

[@TomCTHC]

Love seeing Jake here. Never stop making these videos.

[@xBUMSKIx]

Katamare Damachi reference is on point and that is also why it’s my favorite of the songs.

[@stenthesnake98]

Thank you Scientist and Bent Knee are fantastic groups. Terraformer and Land Animal are some of my favorite records

[@kozmobluemusic]

wow jake, the use of that bIII chord tricks us into thinking we're in some relative major of that phrygian tonality that's a good way to make it sound bright

[@SeansYTEntertainment]

These guys need to get onto the next Andrew Huang producer challenge!! Especially Trust Fund Ozu, similar style. Love it!

[@trapfactory8600]

Trust fund Ozu is QUEEN

[@PabloTarantino]

After those 5 amazing songs my instinct asked me to listen to Trust Fund Ozu's again! what a powerful piece!

[@ItsAsparageese]

I've played it by itself from her channel probably like 50 times in the last 3 days lol, mega addictive. Can't get enough of it

[@PabloTarantino]

@@ItsAsparageese hahaha it's addictive, indeed!

[@Matthew_Brookes]

I genuinly laughed or smiled with every track, excellent work and love the different approaches each of you had. + Jake and Adam in the same video is awesome

[@tortorven6457]

I frekin love Adams song. I don’t why but it just klicks with me, it evokes certain feelings that get me addicted . It grooves incredibly hard, and the little riffs and melodies just hook me right in. I just really love Adams writing in general so much. Honestly best part is when he sings!

[@ReaperUnreal]

That TrustFundOzu song is incredible, I absolutely love it.

[@miannekahkol9556]

I love this whole series. It's an awesome example of limitations breeding creativity.

[@hdervish2497]

I didn't know I loved hyperpop until this video series. Thank you!

[@dimitriid]

Unrelated to the songs here but trying to think of "Happy Phrygian" immediately takes me to Di Meola's Egyptian Danza the accelerando part in particular

[@adreq3.05]

Iranian pop musicians are using often this scale. It can to hear they on waves of Radio liberty everyday

[@phobos7176]

I defy anyone to watch this and not feel better for it! Genuinely cheered me up after a rubbish day!

[@s.vidhyardhsingh3881]

Adam, your’s is phenomenal. Everyone else’s too but yours was just something I can’t explain.

[@coltonshanley1921]

More than anything this made me want to experiment with instrumentation , more so than the mode, but the point of Phrygian is to be dark, but not necessarily sad . That’s what’s so cool about modes , you can diatonically get totally different vibes at any moment . 💪🙏

[@emmbeesea]

I love these modal challenges! I'd like to see where Dorian can go!

[@Pbnj1379]

Jake Lizzio just wrote the greatest Mario Kart track!

[@maryseeker7590]

The Jewish song “Havanagila” is both Phrygian as well as light hearted fast and fun. Is played at weddings, Etc. It doesn’t require special instruments to sound light hearted other than the speed that it is played at is very fast. Think Gypsy music might be a good example of Phrygian but light hearted also.

[@lauracrimsonmusic]

Rumba catalana, a Spanish genre derived from flamenco, uses a lot of Phrygian and it's a perfect example of how to make sorrows fun and dance to them :)

[@andrejgregoric1324]

So fresh, i just love your challenges. It takes me out of daily boundaries and routines, everyday musical templates.. Thanks.

[@HotStrange]

This ongoing series is one of my favorite things ever on KZbin. Please keep doing them. That’s a threat.

[@vedranb87]

Phrygian happiness is an uncanny valley kind of happiness. Thinking any of these would fit so well in Stepford Wives soundtrack.

[@Ktuuluu]

Dat Adam's bassline is GLORIOUS !!! THanks for the video everyone ! o/

[@Neoanalogism]

Courtney Swain - All Around Me, amazing!

[@philipbeasley72]

Phiesta sounds like a song made for children. Great stuff. Definitely happy tone.

[@jasonflaherty8364]

@Brian Krock That needs to be a full track. Makes me think of living in NYC, leaving my apartment in the morning, handing some money the street drunkard so he can continue to get his drink on, and heading to the subway. It was dark but it was always, in it's way, happy.

[@MrMirko]

Love this, and everyone's entries. Courtney Swain's stood out for me, the song sounds like it belongs in Gorillaz' Plastic Beach album - fantastic, happy melancholy

[@AidanMmusic96]

Jake's song is something that Hermeto Pascoal wouldn't have been brave enough to come up with - brilliantly bonkers! Adam's gave me massive Bill Wurtz feels.

[@pisos2.0]

Plz put it all up on streaming services 😵‍💫

[@hannahbrennan7079]

TRUST FUND OZU!!!!! I LOVED IT

[@Koivisto147]

sounds like nostalgic happiness

[@AlexNiedt]

Courtney Swain all day for me. May not have been the happiest, but that was absolutely gorgeous

[@MarlonOwnsYourCake]

Trust fund ozu's description for her song sounded like something I personally would hate but ended up being my favorite

[@kennethduncan2980]

everyone killed it! Jake's track kinda reminded me of watching cartoons as a little kid. I love it!!

[@ilias18]

Not only Jake Lizzio's track was utterly happy, his shirt is geniously selected. I love the fact that the brightness takes over the darkness with the white on black...

[@pr0cr4st1na7or]

I think this might be my favorite of these Reimagined Modes so far. I love everyone's contributions. A couple specific notes: Trust Fund Ozu's piece really reminded me of Justice Cow's in the Ugly Lydian challenge in all the best ways, while Adam's felt like a modern demented pastiche of The Free Design. Thanks to all the creators, and I eagerly await some collaborative albums with full-length versions of all these modal experiments.

[@toster387]

Jake's song gives me huge duck life vibes lol

[@ever-openingflower8737]

Jake Lizzio has the nicest speaking voice. He should do voice acting or audio books or something like that.

[@rafetizer]

I'm glad you got Jake Lizzio in on this - the man is the most invaluable music theory resource that doesn't cost you money. He's also a fantastic presenter and generally entertaining. I'm not familiar with the others, but no doubt they are awesome as well.

[@xneurianx]

I mean the music is great and all but can we have a moment for the excellence that is Courtney's hoodie? 10/10. Do want this hoodie.

[@chorabari]

Saw Eric Slick live with Adrian Belew "by accident" a few years back. What a show!

[@rateryte7903]

Ozu and Adam. One of my favorite current musicians and one of my favorite all-time content creators, both collaborating. Love it! :)

[@Meuszik]

Jake Lizzo had me feeling I unlocked a new Diddy Kong Racing level.