Decoding the Music of The Matrix

[@ryanb1388]

I love how he starts rational and slowly starts talking faster and devolves into giddy madness

[@brandonm1708]

I love it too. Especially how he either gets more and more mad at a film for not having anything resembling good music, or it’s going crazy for how in depth the writer took it, and it’s an incredible thing to watch happen

[@TheDancerMacabre]

He's gone full "Brian David Gilbert."

[@morganrobinson8042]

If you've ever had a moment of true, bolt-from-a-blue-sky inspiration, or gotten close, then it's a pretty familiar feeling. Enthusiasm comes from ancient Greek and means having a spirit within you, and that's what it feels like. You kinda think somebody else's thoughts, or that's what I feels like. They feel bigger than your mind can encompass, and the just flow through you. It's beautiful, and heartbreaking when it ends.

[@RonDeLorenzo]

Exactly!!

[@zoeglass]

Me, a theatre kid: I'm a musician Sideways: (presents basic theory that goes over my head) Me: Okay I'm an actor who can sing

[@QuikVidGuy]

People may say I'm an actor who can't sing, but they'll never say I'm an actor who doesn't sing

[@kevinr.9733]

@@QuikVidGuy ...Those poor people.

[@nicestpancake]

@@QuikVidGuy you're my personal hero

[@philiphockenbury6563]

Don't worry, I played trumpet for 7~ish years and I managed to get about half of it. But yeah theatre isn't really a substitute for really learning music. It's a good way to get into it and to get really good at it, but music is really complicated. You just gotta immerse yourself in music for a good while and eventually it will come.

[@zoeglass]

@@philiphockenbury6563 I know. I'm planning to do a double major in vocal performance and theatre so I can learn music theory and all that jazz

[@DelapierceD]

Imagine doing all this work, and waiting for a grad student to FIGURE IT OUT so they can write a dissertation so an academic with a KZbin can explain it to the public so you can finally be recognized

[@redrenegade13]

No wonder he didn't come back for the 4th movie.

[@Hecatom]

@@redrenegade13 😢

[@PureSniperWolf]

Some 4D musical chess right there.

[@ryn3893]

😮😮w34😅

[@KaranBhatia]

Such is life for Don Davis

[@mandarinduck]

"...diatonic...chromatic..." Me: Ah yes, of course. "Now I'm not going to leave you high and dry..." Me: Oh thank god.

[@nicestpancake]

I love Sideways for this- he recognizes that we have No Clue what he's talking about but it's also so obvious he doesn't mean it in a condescending way.

[@MrFeederperson]

@@nicestpancake if you're interested, you can get to this level of music theory pretty easily! I mean the level where you understand him. He does a great job skipping very theoretical speech.

[@nicestpancake]

@@MrFeederperson bold of you to assume I have the braincells to t ry (/lh)

[@siniquezu]

"I find it quite pedantic" _Peter Griffin

[@ez3748]

@@MrFeederperson do you mind sharing how you learned? :0 are there videos or do you read from a textbook or something ahha

[@AMITAWAGHADE]

As an Indian, I was very surprised when I had heard the Sanskrit song at the end of Matrix Revolutions. Most of the Indian people know that song and know the meaning of it. When I heard it, the movie became something else for me.

[@horseenthusiast9903]

Neat! :)

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Eyy, fellow Indian sideways watcher

[@squibble311]

nice

[@adrianinha19]

Is that the Asatoma mantra?

[@AMALsjalwn]

@@adrianinha19 yes

[@jpdegraaff]

The best part: He composed the majority of the score in two weeks, and got another two weeks for the orchestration. This man is a legend. (I was at a presentation of his in 2016, when he conducted the Rotterdam Phil in a live film concert, a memorable experience)

[@TDGCmote]

Holy shit. How?

[@mamag6004]

Can you imagine the walls of his house filled with papers and red strings and several mugs used for more coffe than a human should be capable of drinking spread around? Because that's the only way I can

[@Itoyokofan]

@@TDGCmote He played two notes and the rest was pre-determined to happen.

[@andrewrabon]

Those in the biz call that "lightning in a bottle."

[@rivasnuria2158]

I feel like a puppy watching your videos; i mostly have no idea what is happening but you're excited so i'm excited too.

[@TheDancerMacabre]

He lost me after chromatic, but I kept watching because it's so enthralling.

[@AshleeKnowsNot]

Omg yessss 😂😂😂😂

[@net_lag]

I feel like I understood most of it. But sadly I'm being delusional. So I'm like an elderly dog maybe.

[@wigglespeedturbo6324]

@@TheDancerMacabre What he's saying with chromatic vs diatonic is that the diatonic scale uses only half of the notes that are available to the chromatic scale, and that makes it sound... better? More natural, more flowy, less chaotic. The chromatic scale is embodying everything the machines are in this movie.

[@moodyfingers7301]

Me with all the things that my family likes...

[@a.morphous66]

Just a little observation here: At 4:23, when Neo drops the bullet, you hear two of those piledrivers as it hits the floor, quiet and almost struggling to be heard over the power of the voice, immediately followed by the choir taking over the score. When we see the rest of the bullets drop, there are no piledrivers, having been completely drowned out by the choir. A little musical representation of the machine being overcome by humanity.

[@tortis6342]

“Part six: 7” I laughed too hard

[@3laserbeam3]

There is no rule six!

[@tortis6342]

Cătălin Bălan I don’t understand

[@emodateplus]

Also the description of the meaning of 7 made me think of Seven and made me go “Whats in the box!?!?”

[@3laserbeam3]

@@tortis6342 It's a Monty Python reference.

[@Noa-no-o]

Part 8: i can't even.

[@BREADSWORD]

this one hurt my brain more than usual, you are truly the goat my friend

[@avroarchitect1793]

Would you expect anything less of the Matrix?

[@henriquecarvalho7065]

Bread my man! How are you doing?

[@tronjoestar3408]

Oh shit, how you doing bread father

[@skepticskeksis4242]

I think Chris deserves all the beer at this point.

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

Hope one of the Wachowskis has a beer with him because dude gets what they were going for

[@no-yz3jx]

All the drinks.

[@chrisperez6768]

Hi, I'm Chris. Where do I collect my beer, please? Thank you.

[@mah6786]

He's probably surprised anyone read his dissertation at all.

[@juice6479]

“If you’re lost, it means you’re human” he says after the one part of the video I understood

[@SgtMacska]

*chromatic melody intensifies*

[@Techy404]

*non human instruments intensify even further*

[@DanialTarki]

*Percussion intensifies much further*

[@galli0]

"If you dont know what a chord is you are so lost in this video" i feel called out, i have no musical knowledge, cant hold a rhythm, and just see gibberish looking at sheet music, but i love your enthusiasm and how you explain significance of the score so i love your videos, i dont feel like im stupid for not knowing everything the way you explain stuff, so thanks for making these and congrats, well earned!

[@techmo8397]

A chord is basically a mixture of different notes. If you slam your head on a piano, I guarantee the notes you just hit have a name Also don't feel too bad about yourself! I've been taking music classes for 6 years or so, and music can still look alien to me. Especially piano...jesus..how people can read and play on sight amazes me

[@galli0]

@@techmo8397 i love that you went for head and not hands, that mental picture was fantastic! I have like a vaague idea about what chords are, like the sets of notes that make up a song. But if someone put me on the spot i could not at all say exactly what they were.. yeah i just saw a tiktok of a dude playing the flute.. sightreading notes and playing, it was wild, like he started playing and you saw on his face that he then realized what he was playing and he kept going just on sight, magical~

[@spoodergwen]

That's amazing that even without a further musical knowledge you can still appreciate those videos. 😊

[@HudaefCares]

Lol same. Most of the technical terms are flying over my head but I feel like if I watch enough of his content I'll be able to grasp it.

[@dwc1964]

I watch 12tone and I have absolutely zero grounding in music theory, I have a better conceptual grasp of quantum mechanics (which is to say, bare minimum Answers With Joe level) - *and I like it.* I enjoy getting in *way* over my head - when it's presented in the manner of a super-nerd friend who knows how to convey not just how the things they're into work, but *why* they're into them. I guess that's why The Algorithm led me here.

[@Zw285]

"It's kind of like Sudoku from hell." I really liked that bit.

[@dearthofdoohickeys4703]

A by-product of having a score that can’t be hummed or sung, because it doesn’t have a principle “melody”, is that you can only relive the emotional impact of the music by _watching the movie again_ . It’s a brilliant way to keep viewers coming back.

[@xxMpEGxx]

hmmm very interesting, I always forget the music from The Matrix but when I watch it, I feel like "oh old dear friend of mine, glad to see you again"

[@danielaardila5081]

@@xxMpEGxx Now that you mention it is true for me as well, is like visiting the best parts of your life again.

[@Keithustus]

Listen to soundtrack

[@overgrownkudzu]

@@Keithustus yeah but not really though? it's not exactly something that makes sense when taken out of the context it it was written for

[@z3dar]

I think what happened with the Matrix score is that it's so good that people didn't understand to pay special attention to it. It fits the movie so incredibly well that it feels like it's fused in with it, almost like continued sound effects but with music. This video was amazing and I'm glad I finally understand a bit more of what I'm listening to. Matrix is by far my favourite film and the reason I started doing 3d graphics many years ago. The perfectly placed RATM Wake Up track at the end caught me totally by surprise and I needed to hear more. Later(after listening to a lot of RATM) I thought I'd get the soundtrack to check other tracks out, but accidentally got the original score instead. I was blown away that it didn't sound anything like I thought/remembered, even though I'd heard it all and could recognise and remember it well. Without the movie as visual filling to the music, it felt very unfamiliar and chaotic, and very different from other scores I'd heard, but I still wanted to listen to it and almost always the whole score in one sitting without even realising when the tracks would change. I would (sub)consciously while listening think about not just the the story&movie, but its themes and message and meaning while doing other stuff. (I now have my own company that makes VR training simulations, lol) I think that usually scores "just" complement the story beats and emotion of a film, but the Matrix score managed to convey the complicated ideas of the film as well. Could be interesting to have someone articulate who hasn't seen The Matrix listen the whole score and talk about the experience and ideas they get from it. And maybe watch the movie afterwards and share the experience. I think I need to rewatch The Matrix once again... :)

[@fernandossmm]

Timestamps: 0:00 - 500K subs 0:16 - Intro 1:08 - Leitmotifs 3:28 - Instrumentation 6:30 - Tonality 11:30 - Polychords 13:16 - Polyrythm 15:16 - 7 16:18 - Serialism 20:26 - I can't even 22:38 - Patreon donators I know it's not that long, I just felt like it. By the way, if you paste this into the description, you may be able to use use the new chapters feature.

[@giascle]

thank you friend

[@PadavanXXX]

you forgot this one - 21:27

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@PadavanXXX No label, just a time?

[@tecwynjones6532]

Sideways: "Listen to what we get from the machines." KZbin: Here's an ad for a bank. Even KZbin knows that banks are part of the corporate machine.

[@WISHARTfilms]

Holy sweet Jesus. How has this been my favorite movie for 20 years and I'm JUST now learning about new ways to appreciate it 200% more?!

[@SteveFoerster]

Right there with you, buddy.

[@droidsector]

Totally dude

[@WISHARTfilms]

@Jules Winnfield Agent Smith's specifically, yeah. I just watched this youtube video from The Lamphouse that REALLY delved into the movie and taught me even more about it. Such an insane script.

[@SludgeDetector]

I know right the gift that keeps giving

@@WISHARTfilms musically, but the story after the first is still a tangled mess, like:how did neo get powers in the real world,if he never become The One the machines would've lose, and so fourth.

[@loonar7960]

"This climaxes-" "HA!" I'm dying.

[@ProfessorEGadd]

"If you're confused, you're human" - He says after the one part of the video I actually got :/

[@rubiks5659]

You're a machine I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@SeanGonzalezMDHEXT]

your name fits your comment so perfectly.

[@GhostPuddle]

Hey, I got it too! Nerd high five!

[@KorriTimigan]

I got it because of some video by Numberphile I watched years ago explaining how infinities work, it's a similar concept. I felt the same way as you 😂

[@8114梦见]

I couldn’t help comparing it to PID controllers in my mind for some reason lol

[@jozefdoyle4621]

poly means many, and chord means chord. That concludes our intensive three-week course.

[@quadpad_music]

many chord

[@SelkieTears]

polychord!!!!!! polychorrrrddd!!!!! POLYCHOOOOOOORD!!!!!!

[@digitalhorizonbr]

"if you're lost, then... good, you're human" Is this a new reCAPTHA method?

[@colehamilton5066]

Just CAPTCHA, reCAPTCHA was the name of the plan to use CAPTCHAs to turn old NY times into text documents.

[@Jukestar]

I prefer the term "wandering".

[@benpriest9555]

I love how he explains a really complex concept of music theory then says “but we haven’t even started yet” and he gradually grows more and more excited with each part, until he reaches the end, explains the most complex level of music theory then says “we’ve only just begun.” Consider me subscribed

[@firey171]

"Here's to half a million" I don't know why, but you've got me tearing up. I love your channel, how you analyze and frankly that you don't hold our hands when it comes to terminology. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@peterDcontact]

I know!! It's a simple line but it makes you tear up because of all the things that let up to, also the fact that we were here for a most of it

[@dwc1964]

+ add another one

[@6pades]

you put it in words 🥺

[@Namrhof]

This is ABSOLUTELY nutz. This guy deserves like all the awards, this is so intricate.

[@TheSilentDude]

1:22 At this point you could pretty much say that leitmotifs are your own leitmotif

[@biancabrooks280]

When I hear the word Leitmotif, I think of Sideways and only Sideways

[@a.nu.beginning]

Man, at this point you need to make a custom leitmotif, for whenever the word pops up on screen... Eventually we'll just need music to communicate :)

[@luckyc4t110]

Hmm, yes, the leitmotif leitmotif.

[@quadpad_music]

I really hope he reads this comments, this is a great idea.

[@daynakindermann141]

are you kidding me, I just finished a whole project on the score of the matrix and you post a video now! I even read the doctoral dissertation!

[@En_Joshi-Godrez]

I'll take a look. Is it a thesis?

[@fumeister0992]

@@En_Joshi-Godrez yup, in the description

[@JhonatanPosadaLoaiza]

I'd read it but I gave the credit to this guy. Fuuuucking gooooood video.

[@JhonatanPosadaLoaiza]

Anyway, share it. If you are brave enough. 🙃

[@Gladiva19]

@@En_Joshi-Godrez A Thesis is not a dissertation. A master's student does a thesis, a PhD student does a dissertation. The different is the scope and depth both go into.

[@wojtekwieczorek6397]

Great analysis! I had an opportunity to talk to Don Davis last year, since he was one of the artists perfoming on Film Music Festival in Cracow. First of all, he has a very witty sense of humor and is a very nice guy. Secondly, a couple of trivia he shared we us: -I asked him about that e minor and C major crescendos and how perfectly symmetrical they are (if you look at the piano keyboard and play first e minor and then Cmajor on top, there's is no way for the chords to get any closer, the symmetry axis is between h and c) and how it ties to matrix and the real world reflecting each other. He commended me on figuring that out and said that it pretty much had been the point (by the way, those chords were taken from Harmonielehre - a score that heavily inspired the matrix) -he said that the piece that plays when Neo is, well, speechless (or mouthless, rather)had been inspired by Lutoslawsky -Some of the choices were made only because he'd needed something that could cut through the sound effects - for example, in the opening scene of the first film he needed something that could cut through the police syrens (I think he was talking about that scene, haven't seen the movies in quite a while) -I asked him about how much of an influence had been Wagner in those scores, because the music it's pretty far away from Wagner's style, but there are a lot of nods in the titles of the pieces. He said that he had some talks with the directors about him and asked me if I'd noticed where the Tristan chord was, to which I replied I'd only noticed Dies Irae. He said the chord was audible when machines form the face which talks to Neo (which now seems pretty obvious to me, can't unhear it) -He used anvil in the first movie when Neo walks into the building where Morpheus is held, he wanted something that would synchronize with the footsteps. Then he used it in the third one in Neodammerung because The Wachowskis wanted him to reference that scene (they even use similar camera angles shooting feet) -He would never propose to use a choir, because Hollywood fees for choir singers are insane (they are paid in accordance to actor's guild rules, so even if they need a choirs for 15 minutes, they have to pay for 8 hours of work), but the Wachowskis wanted it and he was very happy about it. -We had quite a chat about John Williams and how the theme from Star Wars was similar to several other themes from the history of classical music (I even pointed to him Bruckner and Puccini, which he didn't know about. I think I might have came off as a bit of dick though, because I was a little awkward with phrasing my thoughts). he seems to be quite a JW's fan himself, he praised the tune and the scores. -I asked him about the anvil, because both him and James Horner often used it in their action scores and Davis used to be Horner's orchestrator. I asked if he was inspired by Horner and he said that he had never really thought about that, but it's possible.

[@Raquel_Incorporated]

Wow super interesting, thanks for sharing :)

[@rkt7414]

Holy crap I stayed up all night binge-watching classic movies I haven't seen yet, and the very last one was The Matrix. Now I got to stay up even LONGER to watch this video? Perfect timing can be a bitch

[@OzymandiasLoFi]

Amazing to know you finally saw The Matrix, such a great movie! - 💾 The Matrix Lo-Fi mix: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmWneqCemNB1gcU

[@watcher8582]

Classic movies from 1999?

[@OhNoBohNo]

It was pre determined...

[@LIZZIE-lizzie]

@ Door Hope you didn't spend all that time watching flicks on Red KZbin. KZbin has cut the films MERCILESSLY and in accordance to the communist practices Red KZbin has incorporated into KZbin, all the moral content of the films have been removed. In silent and pre-code movies the moral ontent and the build up of that content IS the movie. It's not worth watching those great movies cut to shreds. It's heartbreaking.

[@LIZZIE-lizzie]

@@watcher8582 Dig it - and beFORE 1999. Ain't that some shit ?

[@mwritesdragons]

The other really cool thing about Neodammerung is that they chorepgraphed the fight scene to the music too. The point was that the music never cut out for the 10 minute fight, including dialogue between Smith and Neo. ...If you did a whole video on Neodammerung, I wouldn't be upset 🤣...

[@maximeteppe7627]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and suggest that maybe the reason Matrix's score isn't as celebrated as many other scores is that in terms of melody it is very...minimalistic? that's not teh word; But it's hard to sing it after the movie. To a casual listener it is one of those scores that support the action but rarely draw the attention to themselves. A lot of it are rather short cues, like the matrix motif and its two chords. It is super interesting to understand all the work that went into it and how well it supports the movie. It's just a shame how easy it is to overlook.

[@samwallaceart288]

Maxime Teppe - it’s an academic type of music; not unlike modern classical music. Technically impressive and intricate, but unpopular with the peasants.

[@lenora-yoder]

Basically it sounds great and fulfills its purpose in the movie really well but no one's humming it in the shower

[@sinfulhealer2110]

after watching Sideways video on repetition in music... i'm really glad that this is the case for the Matrix. makes me feel safer rewatching it and i mean heck i hope more films take this approach

[@nolaffinmatter]

On the contrary, there are number of themes from Reloaded that I enjoy and that get stuck in my head from time to time: the Smith Brawl, Chateau Fight, and Highway Chase are all pretty recognizable for me. On the other hand, those are all from the sequel.

[@hbdragon88]

@BNerd I too like the chateau fight, highway chase (officially titled "Mona Lisa Overdrive"), and I'll even throw in Teahouse and Trinity Dream. but I think that reinforces OP's point that it's hard to "sing" it or recognize it outside of the movie. Like for Williams, you can play a few notes and people will recognize Raiders March or The Thone Room...but I don't know if you could do the same with The Matrix soundtrack. Honestly probably the most memorable song on its own (and not watching the movie) would be "Spybreak" (during the lobby shootout).

[@plumeria1985]

I'm not even knowledgeable on music. I just love hearing this guy talk about stuff he's passionate about. It's so refreshing and wholesome

[@ultimatefusion100]

I'm sure you hear this enough, but I'm glad you're making videos like this. Truly Quality content.

[@OzymandiasLoFi]

I agree! - 💾 The Matrix Lo-Fi mix: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmWneqCemNB1gcU

[@redrenegade13]

The missing mega genius of Don Davis when attempting to make the 4th movie cannot be overstated. His absence looms so large.

[@paulsoldner9500]

Much of the genius of the trilogy was missing in the 4th film.

[@conwaytwittyer2667]

​@@paulsoldner9500 I think there's a theory that the movie itself is critique of reboots and the current state of Hollywood, like Freddie Got Fingered, ya never know in a decade or two we may look at back at it as masterpiece in it's own right.

[@paulsoldner9500]

@@conwaytwittyer2667 the part of the film that was a self aware critique was pretty good. I appreciated the idea that the new Matrix was once again today's world. However, beyond that there was a dirth of ideas. The film wanted so bad for you to remember better films, while in the end only serving up the most generic concepts and lackluster visuals. Half of the film is almost a prefect 60-years-later sequel, and half of the film disrespects the original trilogy merely by existing.

[@FilmScoreandMore]

If anyone wants more on the Matrix score, there's a chapter on it in Andy Hill's book; "Scoring the Screen: the Secret Language of Film Music." Chapter 7, as it turns out.

[@LiveActionKimPossibleRufus]

My favorite percussion instrument listed that Davis used is "Rusty Spike"

[@SimonClark]

Watching this video was like a Short Ride in a Fast Machine

[@SapphireSparrowFilms]

"But trying to say that just looking at the melody is missing the point is like trying to say that Henry Cavill wearing leather pants in the Witcher made it difficult to focus." I had to pause the video I was laughing so damn hard

[@jannaarnold2509]

“But trying to say that looking at the melody is missing the point, is like trying to say that Henry Cavil in the witcher wearing leather pants made it difficult to focus; It’s a massive understatement.” NOW THATS THE KIND OF CONTENT 500,000 people subscribed for!!! XD

[@KatBaumgarten]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@danielcummins5092]

It's great to see Matrices and 12-tone being used in something real. In school, we studied it as theory, but it just never seemed practical. Now I can see how these odd musical tools can become something amazing! Thanks for sharing this! I have a new appreciation for the Matrix now (and I already appreciated it a lot before).

[@ryleyt3752]

10:09 I've seen The Matrix Trilogy no less than 30 times and the original "The Matrix", no joke, over 100 times... I've literally had this trilogy memorized, word-for-word, at one point...and I JUST NOW realized that the bullet fired from Agent Smith's gun is VERY CLEARLY a blank...

[@Moriarty1453]

How?

[@quadpad_music]

@@Moriarty1453 - I think they're talking about how there's no actual bullet.

[@rcslyman8929]

@@Moriarty1453 It's the shape of the casing that ejects. In frames of 10:09 , you can clearly see the end of the casing, with triangular-looking spikes at the end. The construction of a blank is a casing or shell with no projectile, only the powder. In the case of handgun or rifle, this would create a problem as the projectile is what holds the powder in the casing. So with blanks, they have to encapsulate the casing to contain the powder, but in a way that allows the gas to escape in the intended direction and not backfire. So the open end of the casing is enclosed with barbs... those little triangular pieces fold in together to contain the powder, but easily separate when the gun is fired. This allows the gas to be forced down the barrel as if a bullet had been fired, the slide recoils as normal, and racks the next round. I mean, obviously Hugo Weaving is firing blanks at Keanu Reeves, it's not THAT kind of movie. But I'll admit that it took me a long time catch just how obvious it was. They didn't even leave it up to common sense.

[@xxMpEGxx]

@@rcslyman8929 I thought firing blanks was dangerous? And Weaving is not that far away from Reeves. I'm referencing the accident with Brandon Lee and the movie "The Crow"

[@rcslyman8929]

@@xxMpEGxx I mean, no matter how you cut it, it's still a gun. Blanks are "safer", but you're still firing a gun at a living person. It will never be 100% safe.

[@LoiccoiL]

Am I surprised that 20 years later The Matrix Trilogy still mind blown us? No. Genius in every way. The Matrix soundtrack is one of my favorite too and now I understand why. Why I love it and why it’s so different than any other score. Thank you for trying to make us understand why this score is amazing. 🙏🏻

[@CaolánTheCryptidCrow]

“Neodammerung is better than Duel fo the Fates prove me wrong” - I have to agree with that statement. I listened to it on loop for probably a week or more after I first heard it.

[@xcv625]

This is actually INCREDIBLY helpful for understanding some basic music theory, thank you so much for making this! This is a very fascinating watch seeing how these ideas are incorporated thematically into the films and how much it actually pushes the storytelling in a subtle way.

[@Michael_Raymond]

"Oh god I don't know where to start this video" (inhales) " *LEITMOTIFS* "

[@blarghinatelazer9394]

I don't need SLEEP I NEED ANSWERS

[@Shindai]

I'm just high enough that I actually understood the bit where you said "if you don't understand, that only means you're human." I couldn't explain it back to you now, it's long gone, but for just that moment I knew exactly what you were talking about lol

[@tyler4475]

Every time I watch a sideways video it’s like he just builds this giddy momentum onto crazier and crazier shit, while progressively talking faster and using more and more terms I don’t understand but enjoy having explained and shown to me in cinema. THE best music related channel on KZbin.

[@DarthFennec]

"The best demonstration of all that chromaticism that we get from the machines is Agent Smith's leitmotif." >plays a clip with no music in it "See, it uses three notes, all half-steps apart." Sorry, what?

[@ShevkoMore]

You need to to crank up the volume to max in order to hear that. And everyone's asking how we didn't know about this score...

[@MashAttack]

Part 6: 7 *i have no idea what’s going on and at this point I’m afraid to ask*

[@JakeSandersonMusic]

This video made me subscribe to you. As soon as you said "And we call this 12 by 12 grid...a matrix", I started getting all excited like a little kid. I knew this score was complex but after seeing all this stuff in your video, I realized I just scratched the surface with just how complex this score truly is. Excellent job.

[@themattyg]

“It’s kinda like sudoku from hell.” OMG. I’ll be laughing about that line for days.

[@atruebond]

I'm not musical in any way, I feel. I can't play a single instrument to save my life, let alone know how to read sheet music. Your video help those like me to see, or should I say hear, the story while viewing it. We all understand that music in movies are to assist the viewer in what to feel via our ears as much as the moving pictures on the screen show us what to feel by sight. It's this combination of the two that can generally make an ok movie, great. Your particular view of this one, really helps define what I was feeling, subconsciously, and the why. This is why your subscriber base grows. You are literally showing the man behind the curtain that is pulling off the greatest magical trick ever seen.

[@ReelPodcasts]

I love how this video is 100% a music theorist geeking out.

[@sharonwiebe3971]

I am nowhere near smart enough to understand everything he talked about, but I can still appreciate the immense knowledge and work that went into first writing the score and then deciphering it 🤯. Respect

[@andregordon2599]

I welcome the return of "overanalyzing every aspect of the Matrix" to the mainstream. We have been doing this in forums for the past 15 years, and the matrix 4 brings it back to the forefront!

[@paulsoldner9500]

I hope it never stops

[@demantim]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on KZbin. Thanks so much for giving me a new perspective on a score that's always *sounded* amazingly rich and resonant to me, and giving me the tools to start understanding *why* it does.

[@theenthusiast9708]

When I was young and first saw The Matrix I remember it really being my first memorable experience with real cinema. Something that wasn't just a VHS on repeat, but something that stuck with me in awe. And I realise more and more why thanks to people like you. It's amazing how much depth this soundtrack has for a pretty action-heavy movie

[@samwallaceart288]

The music is a perfect reflection of the movies; a thing seemingly simple that gets more technically impressive and more academically intriguing the more you stare at it. Classic case of the makers putting way more thought into their work than anyone deemed necessary.

[@thedukeofchutney468]

I’m shocked that it took as long as 1:09 seconds for Sideways to mention leitmotifs.

[@8114梦见]

Got to keep it interesting. Like looking for Alfred in a Hitchcock film

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

He has gone through extensive training to restrain himself :D

[@vanish2884]

69 seconds...nice

[@francissitchon9321]

@@vanish2884 Nice

[@tecwynjones6532]

You see his brain was so frazzled that it needed 1:09 seconds to reload.

[@semanticsamuel936]

I started reading Heckman's dissertation and it's 480 pages long, so thank you Sideways for going through it with a fine tooth comb and distilling the most interesting elements for us! I had a flick through the whole thing. I'm not a music theory lightweight, but this gets very complicated, very quickly. I'm definitely going to sit through and read it properly when I can really concentrate on it. Really fascinating stuff.

[@Nutochi]

"If you don't know what a chord is this video totaly got you lost" Yep...

[@nachochips8090]

I love hearing this stuff even if I have absolutely no idea what it means. The whole time my mind thinks "yeah that makes sense, I understood none of it, but it made sense."

[@dragonsreingsupreme1]

😆 if I haven't had years of music history and theory classes I would be absurdly confused... even with I am still eyebrow raising

[@ProfessorEGadd]

A chord is like a polychord but only one. Glad I could help.

[@Stettafire]

A chord, at it's most basic. Is when an instrument plays more then 1 note at a single point in time. If I play C and E together, that's a chord. If I play C, E, and G. That is a basic C major triad. Triad = tri = three.

[@A.F.Whitepigeon]

@@Stettafire Um, _actually..._ * smacks lips * C and E is an * interval, * not a chord. A chord has to have * three * notes. What are you, some kind of plebe?

[@peterbarnard6396]

Like this film score, this sideways video is grossly under appreciated.

[@Duck_Ellington]

Half the time I don’t understand what you’re saying but your enthusiasm is contagious

[@anijammer5373]

this video literally gave me a hand up in understanding twelve-tone serialism thank you so much??? i love this kind of content?? stunning work

[@lychenthrope]

The "henry cavill in leather pants made it hard to focus" is too true... king of cake..

[@kevincoelho3872]

I watch tons of channels where people talk about the art of film and such, but I must say that your content is something truly special. Thank you

[@adamheywood113]

"It's kinda like su-doku from Hell" That reminds me, I haven't checked out _Cracking the Cryptic_ today. Seriously though mate, I love this channel. I'm sorry I didn't discover it sooner.

[@leopoldsimmons4804]

At 500k and still making 100% awesome content, you are a madman, thanks for everything

[@glubtier]

It seems to me like, in general, the Matrix was popular when it was released, but it really took a good while of chewing on it for folks to realize just why that was.

[@Rosie-dn2po]

I shit you not I started hearing ‘in the hall of the mountain king’ when you started talking about polyrhythms I have no idea what’s going on but love the enthusiasm!

[@aliceblanchette1291]

sideways looking at the matrix music: (insert John Mulaney gif here) Now we don't have time to unpack ALL of that.

[@S1lva139]

Dude please do a second video on this trilogy and however many more you need to do. You have enlightened me to a whole new world to over analyze with music theory. Was never very interested in it till i started watching your videos and it is always a joy to see a new one keep up the good work man.

[@KarolYuuki]

I went all my life hearing about the matrix movies and never felt like watching them. THAT CHANGED TODAY. I know nothing about music theory, but your videos are amazing and I love them.

[@Film-Roller]

DUDE!!! FINALLY I find a video - NAY - simply SOMEBODY who not only recognizes the music of the Matrix, but PRAISES it. I’ve loved these movies since I was a kid, and have heard both critics and fanboys alike give credit to the amazing SFX, concept, philosophy, beautifully-mixed incorporation of several different genres, and general filmmaking in regards to this trilogy, but I was always disheartened at the sheer lack of acknowledgment toward the SOUNDTRACK!! It gets so little attention, both in my personal life and in the cultural zeitgeist. Good on ya man!! You not only appreciate it but ya explore it in one of your best videos yet; and believe me when I say that I have thoroughly watched and enjoyed almost all the unique content you’ve put on this marvelous channel. Keep up the good work. As a filmmaker and a lover of music, I salute you. I’ll take the red pill whenever you offer it, sir!.... I wish “redpill” had i different meaning these days lol. Regardless, keep bending the “spoon”, my dude.

[@noahjames_nz]

I’m having flashbacks to like 3 months ago when I had to do a media studies reading on the music of the Matrix. God I really wish I had this video then so I could actually understand Heckman’s dissertation cause I dropped music class very quickly

[@rogman22390]

your videos is making me appreciate the subtleties of these movies. thank you. I'm on a Sideways binge right now

[@maerynthrall2477]

Hi!! I just wanted to tell you that I really love your videos and they're really easy to follow!! Thank you for working so hard!!

[@Crick1952]

5:49 ok, I gotta chime in here (pun intended) Duel of the Fates is not random Sanskrit, it's actually a direct translation of a Welsh poem into Sanskrit

[@michelepiocurci7924]

wtf why would anyone bother with it? I'm really curious about it

[@sunchasericeserawings7166]

So it doesn't make any grammatical sense in Sanskrit?

[@paulsoldner9500]

Yeah I don't know why the channel says that lie in this and the Star Wars video

[@conwaytwittyer2667]

​​@@sunchasericeserawings7166 yeah neither did the Welsh directly translated to English, ya know it's almost like different languages have different syntaxes.

[@conwaytwittyer2667]

It was actually translated from Welsh to English to Sanskrit, that's partly why the phrasing in Sanskrit is iffy but yeah its English phrases from a Welsh epic translated into shitty Sanskrit, but it still sounds amazing.

[@LMC_Jarred]

Okay, I absolutely lost it at 17:53 when you chuckled out "A Matrix." That was just hilarious all-around. X'D

[@Writer10389]

I would LOVE to watch more videos talking about interesting music theory articles and dissertations! This video gave me ANOTHER thing to love about the Matrix so I really enjoyed it. Congrats on 500k!

[@marisabel5500]

Wtf, I'm literally on the third movie of watching this trilogy in one day...Then you suddenly upload this. IM IN THE MATRIX ITS A SIGN !!

[@biancabrooks280]

Nah man, it’s just deja vu.

[@averyfields2871]

No no it's a sign.

[@steve7745]

God, as a comp student and theory nerd myself, your videos speak wonders to the power of music. It brings me so much joy hearing someone express the same kind of passion I do over things like 12 tone tone rows and polytonality, especially when my friends' interests in this passion of mine tend to be lukewarm at best. Keep up the great stuff, love ya!

[@fTripleSharp]

Take a shot every time he says "but wait, it gets even better"

[@koenhaan2045]

Michael Colen nah i dont want to die from alcohol poisoning

[@Disabled_And_Done]

It's like he's the Billy Mays of music theory

[@RexusKing]

As someone who loves movies but don't have a single music bone, your videos/essays are always so interesting and provides additional dimensions to the movies!

[@jdfromparis6230]

21:30 : I think the fact that the score of the Matrix didn't win more awards, especially academy awards is unfortunately quite simple. I bought the cd for that score when it came out, in 1999 or 2000, and it's really hard to listen to on its own without the movie. (Same goes for the amazing score of the series Hannibal by Brian Reitzell for instance). As smart as Davis' score is, and as great as it is in conjonction to the movie, it's not something you're gonna hum in the shower or in the car... I'm not saying listening to that score doesn't make you feel anything, but since it's not composed to prechew every bit of feeling you're supposed to have while watching the movie... well... yeah, you will rarely feel elated, scared, sad, relieved while listening to the Matrix score. On the other hand you can listen to scores by John Williams of movies you haven't seen and understand what you're supposed to feel in the scenes the music was composed for. Don't get me wrong I LOVE John Williams, but his type of music is often very illustrative. So I guess that the people who vote for best music at the academy are mostly people who enjoy music on an amateur level like me and, like we all do, have a thing for melody. And I know there is melody in this score, but it's pretty lacking compared to pretty much anything John Williams (except maybe a large part of his score for JFK which is amazing. I'm sure there are other examples in Williams' career, but you get my point). Same reason maybe why Thomas Newman never won an oscar. His scores are amazing, but lighter on easily hummable melodies. Anyway, just my two cents, congrats on half a million subscribers, you deserve them!

[@aficklefangirl2566]

I know barely anything about music theory and have never really thought much about scoring but your videos get me so invested and excited about it all!

[@AndrewPardo]

part 6 7 lol i know nothing about music theory was lost for most of this still loved it

[@CriticalReactions]

This blew. my. mind. I recently watched the whole trilogy to prepare for Matrix 4 (which might have been my first time watching these films since getting big into music) and I noticed the diatonic vs chromatic but not clear-cut like that. I mostly picked up on the consonant vs dissonant aspect but I hadn't quite tied that into the ideas of humans vs machine, it was mostly "something good happened so consonant." But then to find out I had only take my foot step down this rabbit hole.....WHOA! I now have the dissertation downloaded and will be reading that as soon as I finish up the essay I'm currently reading. Thank you so much for bringing this to my eyes.....ears? -- bringing this to my ears!

[@variousthings6470]

I'm the Wikipedia editor who, over a decade ago, took some of Don Davis's comments of his film score in The Matrix Revisited documentary, and added a summary of it to the "Sound effects and music" section of The Matrix's Wikipedia article.* At first I worried that this video was just going to just focus on examples of the things were talked about there (which are relatively superficial things that a layman can understand) - so it's nice to find out that it's possible to do a much deeper musical analysis of what went into this score! * "[Davis] noted that mirrors appear frequently in the film: [list of mirror examples] Davis focused on this theme of reflections when creating his score, alternating between sections of the orchestra and attempting to incorporate contrapuntal ideas. Davis' score combines orchestral, choral and synthesizer elements; the balance between these elements varies depending on whether humans or machines are the dominant subject of a given scene."

[@paulmichaelthomas5912]

Most fun film music analysis ever ! Thanks for doing it and bringing attention to such an important musical work. The original DVD had the music stems solo’d with Don talking about the score in between cues. If you’re a composer or just love film music it’s incredible to watch the film with just the score and hear Don talking about his process. Really inspiring and a truly rare experience. The other aspect of the sound for the film was the collaboration between the composer Don Davis and the sound editor/designer Dane Davis. Also something that rarely happens.

[@chaserochelle5343]

You’re Breathtaking- Neo

[@swo2376]

This is my new favorite video from this channel because it makes me appreciate the beauty of something I could never otherwise understand. This is so cool.

[@rafaelfcf]

I always remember how much I miss this channel as soon as the notification comes up.

[@jamesongaertner9416]

rafaelcf same I was literally on his channel this morning to see if something was wrong because he hadn’t posted for like a month and then I got the notification.

[@ChibiAnna]

I came across your channel yesterday and MAN I thought I loved movies and movie-music before, but you have taken me to the next level! Chills all around in almost every video I've seen this far

[@Holols13]

2:26 “Listen to what happens every time we hear it, see if u can pick up on what is happening” Me: *they get more beaten up and closer to death each time*

[@biancabrooks280]

Isn’t that what love does to you?

[@yarepolanco4221]

2

[@AlmightyRawks]

I absolutely love your excitement about this! And you got me excited for more too! Please extend further, I really want to see more of this! FYI once I saw the Matrix at the age of 16, I went back to see it four more times, and the following weeks I was on the internet working out the philosophies behind everything - another incredibly deep rabbit hole that taught me so so so much about ancient and modern philosophies, mythologies and the use of folklore. I ended up doing Media Studies. This film is just the best piece of art!!!

[@liaisanxious425]

I see Sideways upload, I click. No questions asked.

[@Xamag]

Man, I have zero technical knowledge about music and I'm not very picky about what my ears catch, especially when I'm focusing on the writing and visuals first and foremost, but your passionate enthusiasm gets me. Channels like yours are what got me into appreciating the thought behind videogames, movies and such, and I'm glad there's at least one like that for music as well. I really grew to realize how underrated musicians are lately, since imo music is harder to get into and evaluate for an average person than, say, drawings are, and for a lot of people it's easier to just snatch some stock tune for their project than to commission someone for it. And that's just sad to think about, and I'm glad your channel grew to a wide audience and will hopefully make others appreciate a well-crafted track as much as they would well-crafted visuals. TL;DR big respect