Hans Zimmer Only Needed 4 Notes to Make Inception a MASTERPIECE

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[@wouldntyaliktono]

The level of enthusiasm this dude has for music theory is off the charts. Imagine loving music _this_ much. It's admirable, and incredible to watch.

[@realchilldude1271]

For me, its finally nice to hear someone else "nerding out about music" as I often do alone haha its nice to hear someone elses interpretations of what music means to them.

[@granthimel4296]

Try watching Rick beato

[@speakerstokeys5131]

Fr. My mom gets tired of it but I can't get enough.

[@rsaettone]

@@granthimel4296 he's so annoying Edit: Rick Beato, not Charles. Charles is amazing.

[@Reecekeyz]

I love it I was the same way in college

[@andrewkessinger5966]

Hans Zimmer has a gift for making fundamentally simple concepts so deeply emotional to hear.

[@artbargra]

One thing that really bothers me, reading the comments on other Charles Cornell videos, is how many people have the belief that a masterpiece must necessarily be very complex and grand. This is false. While a complex piece can be (and often is) a masterpiece, it takes a true genius to take something simple and make it spectacular. Which is what Hans Zimmer does all the time. The man is a master of its trade, plain and simple.

[@JacobMinger]

Zimmer was responsible for a piece of music that will make me instantly cry even without the visuals (the theme that plays during Mufasa’s Death from The Lion King). I will forever both love and hate him for this.

[@phpn99]

Hans Zimmer doesn't compose the music that bears his name. He has an army of ghost writers do that for him. He's a factory floor manager.

[@loopyzreal]

@@phpn99 While we can’t discount that this doesn’t happen, Hans is particularly known to write the main themes first and have composers under him help with extrapolating and building them for certain scenes. So it is likely that Hans did write this theme, but the way it was built upon in different scenes was not done solely by him.

[@EH23831]

Yep! He’s a genius imo

[@MP-yz2yh]

Hans was thirdsty when he composed this one

[@heiro9611]

Get out

[@thevywern]

It was "time" to drink water

[@NMages20]

haaa

[@chetanrajanwal]

Omg! 😂

[@chriskramer9311]

this soundtrack is a real thirds trap

[@logan317b]

That scale part at 11:24 was unbelievably beautiful

[@DonPasquale_]

The scale part at 1:36 is way more impressive IMO

[@gorak9000]

There's actually a lot of songs / chord progressions in jazz and classical that you can just play a scale on top of and it works - that's a good trick for beginning improvisation, along with moving in 3rds. Some of my ultimate favorite nuggets of classical pieces make use of that technique - a slowly descending scale in the bases, while other ornamentation of the melody is going on in the higher registers. It really gives a lot of gravity and emotion to things.

[@Jamesbaby286]

Hour long improvised Time rendition when? Please I want it

[@TheButterZone]

LOL yes, that plus the left hand doing Zimmer could be a piano exercise.

[@bartmannn6717]

Yeah, right? Although the message of the video was kind of clear to me before, with that scale it made a big, satisfying click in my head.

[@Pick4217]

You asked about the minor vs. major chords. To me, it feels like the first two minor chords are the breath in. The second two major chords are the breath out. The pull between tension and release is incredible… with four chords. Incredible.

[@frenchbassguy]

There's a big theme about the "waves on the shores of consciousness" in the movie, which is reflected in the dynamics of this piece in particular. The story is all about resolution. It's all so perfect!

[@vthyaga]

@@frenchbassguy @Pick4217 wow wow, thank you both for such beautiful comments

[@XinaTheGM]

So true. It reminded me of the slow breathing of someone sleeping.

[@highlightshadow]

I went to see a live orchestra playing Williams and Zimmer music and Time was played. Was a great show in which the conductor gave a good explanation of each piece. The conductor said it's actually quite tricky to maintain focus / pacing on it because it's exactly 60 bpm like a heartbeat. Said it can become quite hypnotic cos of its slow relentless pace.

[@Mikowmer]

I think one of the best things about Zimmer's work is that because he is self-taught he has no preconceived notion of what the music or soundtrack for a movie should be. Because of that, he is so flexible with what he can write for different movies. It allows him to capture the tone of the movie in a way someone else might not. In addition to this, he is incredibly willing to collaborate with other musicians, to the point where one soundtrack got DQ'ed at the academy awards because too many people got credited for the soundtrack. (The decision for overturned, fortunately.) The result of this is that he doesn't tend to do big, bombastic orchestral scores like Powell or Williams. They're simple, understated, using the subtle power of the orchestra rather than it's overt power. And then theming the music to the film like he did with Sherlock Holmes and Dune.

[@ErikWoods-el5eq]

" he doesn't tend to do big, bombastic orchestral scores" What are you talking about? Inception IS a big, bombastic score! So is Dune, Pirates, Gladiator, Prince of Egypt, Batman, Kung Fu Panda, Amazing Spider Man, Wonder Woman, etc.

[@HollyRobertsMusic]

He is my spirit animal

[@rageagainstmyhatchet]

One of the reasons I like his composition - is that there's almost no theory. At least certainly no complicated theory. Some of his best scores are four chord progressions, - playable in the equivalent of a C major. He's writing pop music ballads, and then instead of putting a drum track and a bass line over it, he puts five cellists and the whole orchestra over it.

[@awightman1221]

pretty much. His genius is in choosing the correct feel of the chords, and in choosing the best instrumentation for them. It's never going to be like the best classical compositions because it's not meant to stand on its own but meant to enhance the visual/audio experience of the film its alongside. It's just so well done that it happens to be worth listening to on its own.

[@therainman7777]

Not sure what you mean by “the equivalent of a C major.” It kind of sounds like you half-understand music theory and are kind of winging the rest.

[@AllTheArtsy]

that's his non-traditional music background really showing through

[@Ulyssesrodetotown]

And 12 French horns..

[@user-fu4nw1sh3n]

Except in more recent concerts he IS putting drum tracks and a throbbing base line to his track. Hans is a genius but in an effort to appear trendy in his concerts he's now a leather jacket wearing, guitar weilding wannabe rocker, who likes to flirt with his entirely young female front line between tracks. So sad really.

[@hamasathecold7842]

Speaking of Hans, I would love to see you do a break down of the music of Prince of Egypt. It is masterful in a very different way. Love your work man!

[@PedroRibeiro-sg8jh]

PLEASE!!!

[@jehu-kayak]

Yeesss! Break down Prince of Egypt!!

[@CrystalSki67]

PLEASE

[@sasbe1852]

Time was the first song i learned with two hands three years ago. It was my first real sense of achievement in playing the piano and it motivated and inspired me to write my first own compositions. Nice, that you discuss this awesome piece.

[@itznoxy7193]

Good for you (Keep at it)

[@WokeUpScreaming]

Only Zimmer could take a handful of strictly diatonic chords, simply played for one bar at a time, a few melodies sprinkled on top, and make it sound so incredible. Johnny Marr playing guitar is just the icing on the cake.

[@KMusic_13]

I mean, no, definitely not “only Zimmer” could do that

[@therainman7777]

@@KMusic_13 You misunderstood. Only Zimmer is Hans Zimmer’s half brother on his mother’s side.

[@jayko2k]

@@KMusic_13 🤓

[@Bobble86]

*Only Zimmer and his 50+ team of writers and producers. He's been a brand name for 20 years, not a singular composer.

[@Tetus7]

@@therainman7777 Then why do they share a last name 🤔

[@NicolasCharly]

I just saw Hans Zimmer and his band last week in Zürich, Switzerland. It ended with this music from "Inception". Alongside the "Interstellar" segment, it got me teary. Such a beautiful moment, and what a show.

[@amandamfds]

luckyyyy!

[@tesla-spectre]

Maybe Zimmer's composition provides the solution to the unresolved question whether the totem is real and will fall at the end or not: it is real and it will fall. And the whole film is about layers, so Zimmer was so ingenious to transform the key aspects of the film into music.

[@davidbrussard-composer7372]

I'd never thought of how well his use of layers fits with the story. That definitely increases my appreciation for Time!

[@GoOKuSj33]

Watch the spoilers dude. But i mean, that's what YOU think, there's no answer to the question, to me, it's still a dream. And that's exactly why he made the music so ambiguous. he's most definitely using musical irony.

[@Sammy71ful]

I always thought that, watching that scene, you can JUST see the totem start to teeter right at the end. Therefore, this is enough to tell us that yes, the totem is going to fall.

[@GoOKuSj33]

@@Sammy71ful That's what the movie director wants you to believe 😉 Don't you guys understand that all these things you've mentioned are tricks? This ending was not made to be solved, that's the fun of it.

[@carmenf9404]

And yet the last chord remains unresolved...

[@christopherdiamond495]

Time is, IMO, one of the most brilliantly constructed pieces of music. You asked about the 2 minor stanzas followed by the major stanzas and yes, I believe that's by design, like everything else in this piece. Time is the measuring stick we all use to consider our lives, and all lives have both sadness and happiness. Zimmer represents this in nearly equal terms, edging toward happiness over sad, with the Cmaj7 representing hope, mystery and the moments of inexplicable awe we all experience. Glad I found your channel. I really enjoy listening to you speak about music.

[@ToroneMusic]

Zimmer is an amazing sound designer. He works the most on the texture, the motion and he's incredible for that.

[@athmaid]

Yeah that change from major to minor definitely feels like a key characteristic. Almost makes it feel like waves coming in and retreating again.

[@thatonebystander1236]

I love how you talk about the chords. I hear it literally everywhere: "Minor equals sad, major equals happy", but that's never what it felt like for me. Happy songs can be written in minor keys, and the same for major keys and sad songs. They keys are not so easily locked in place, and what you said mirrors what I know. In truth, major chords and keys are a positive sound. Not happy, but more positive. They feel more free as their voicings are much less restrictive in their distances between the voices. And minor keys and chords are negative. Not angry, not sad, but *negative*. They have a darker, more final sound than positive chord. Also, the keyboard visualization is stupid smart. Playing all of the notes on a scale and then highlighting the step by playing it again? I didn't think that was useful, but it is actually ingenuous. Glad I'm subbed ❤

[@DougerArt]

they're not exclusively happy/sad, but there's definitively a happier sound to major chords, and a more morose sound to minor chords. if you write a song with only unmodified major chords it'll sound 'lighter', than all minor chords. but yes i definitely agree major chords can sound really bittersweet

[@lukemurphy9448]

It’s crazy how motivated I feel to go sit down at my piano and play after I watch one of Charles videos. It never fails

[@jetorixjones]

Hans is a musical alchemist. He turns the most basic elements into pure gold.

[@mestan7281]

I loved how you went through a very very complicated theory route (modes, note banks, what sounds right ...) to arrive back the very simple answer that he is just using the G Maj scale! It's a great way to explain what modes are :)

[@joshbottz]

‘Can you play the Interstellar theme’ is the pianists equivalent of guitarists getting ‘can you play Wonderwall?’

[@laneythelame]

Time is actually one of my fav songs of ALL TIME hands down and the simplicity of it is lovely i love how you break it down

[@turtlebirdrox]

I remember studying this theme or motif in my Music in the Movies course in University and how it is used. Also, how it is beautifully matched and intertwined with "Non, je ne regrette rein" by Edith Piaf. Go listen to that piece by Piaf that is their "kick" signal and then go back to this piece. It's another mind-blowing 🤯 moment when you look analyze the two together. Zimmer and Philip Glass are two great minimalist composers that do this so well. For example in the film "The Hours", Glass does a similar skill to connect the characters through time, rather than using period style music of the age that the characters are in time. 🤩

[@texnicolor]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO APPRECIATE THIS SOUNDTRACK ALONG WITH ME THANK YOU

[@HectorRodriguez-music]

That final scene on the plane where everyone wakes up from the dreams and THIS music (Time) starts playing... CHILLS 🔥🔥🔥

[@DCJayhawk57]

I definitely "feel" this sequence in dorian. To me, it's one of the more versatile modes for film score composition, dark with a hint of bright, hopeful melancholy. I think it's the "sci-fi minor scale", with it's counterpart being lydian. I immediately think of the ending of Donnie Darko and its use of Gary Jules' arrangement of "Mad World." Also, Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty makes use of dorian extensively.

[@althealligator1467]

That's because it starts on the ii chord of G major. Since ii is the chord with which the dorian mode is associated, the fact that it's emphasized at the start of the progression gives that progression more of a dorian "feel" than if it had started on I or vi. Regardless, it's all G major.

[@timotheesoriano]

​​@@althealligator1467 I was at first thinking the same, wondering if it was in G or Em. But I was thinking tonality. The question is then, if the theme has to resolve, where would that be ? It feels that G isn't a good answer (if you make a last phrase staying on G rather than going to D which leads to restarting the loop over and over, then you do no get a satisfying feeling emphasis that G is not really a satisfying root). Thinking modal is however more ambiguous in determining the absolute root. If G or E do not really match a root, let's then consider the first chord which is A Dorian and the last one D mexolydian. But again, ending on one of this two would never be completely satisfying and would not feel as a complete resolution. Instead, we have like a spinning circle that gets it stability from its velocity. I mean you stop the movement, it all fails. The center isn't a single root and the progression is rotating around a fictitious point we never reach. Thinking then with a modal approach where the root doesn't need to be as obvious than in tonal approaches, the Dorian scale mixing dark and bright seems to really capture the mood of the piece. At the end, I definitely hear that piece as A Dorian with a spin (by the way it is moving up on the fifth circle circle - except when we go back to A which is then the start of a fifth ascending movement and it makes that A reference stronger than the other ones - E, which can be substituted by C, G or D). So definitely, we're in A Dorian and not in G.😅

[@althealligator1467]

@@timotheesoriano Lol I was having another discussion about a Day in the Life which is also in Em/G and I was so confused at first. But seriously though, I think you're overcomplicating it. My approach to tonality is certainly not traditional, but I think it makes considerably more sense: basically the Greek modes, (no matter which of the 7 ways you look at them) are one scale I call the "diatonic scale" which is notably symmetrical. Since notes repeat at the octave, we can represent this scale on a circle, like a clock, and the scale is symmetrical around an axis that passes through the 2nd degree of the ionian mode, so D when you're using all the white keys for example. Even just look at a piano, since its layout is based on C major, it's symmetrical around any D note. Now this symmetrical scale has one particularly unique dissonance, which is the tritone between the 7th and 4th degrees of the major scale. The tritone is unique in that it is the only relatively dissonant interval which can resolve _symmetrically_ onto a consonant interval, with the exception of a minor second resolving to a minor third, but that just gives you four neighboring chromatic notes, so just the chromatic scale. In G/Em, the key of Time (that sounds badass I'm writing that down lol), that tritone is the one between F# and C, and the consonant interval it resolves to is the major third between G and B (A being the note the axis of symmetry passes through). You'll notice the only two consonant triads you can make from that G-B major third are Em and G, which is why they're the resolved chords in G. Basically it all depends on where that tritone is. So anytime you use the A dorian mode, for example, G and Em will _always_ easily sound resolved, which is not to say that Am and C cannot still also sound resolved in their own right. Now I say "easily sound resolved" because there's no objective way to hear it, the tools the composer uses like specific modes are there to guide the listener through into hearing what is intended; but the truth is that if you know what a resolved chord sounds like, you can force yourself to hear any chord with a prominent major or minor triad in it as resolved if you just try. I can do it so easily at this point that I'll hear the same music in like 3 keys at once. But that's the point: you can absolutely hear the same music in two different keys at once, which is where all the confusion about the key of infamous examples like Sweet Home Alabama or Karma Police comes from. Beyond where the tritone is, the first consonant chord you hear will always sound more or less resolved, specifically if the progression loops back to it. So in the case of Time, because it starts on and loops back to Am even though it's entirely diatonic to G, it absolutely does sound like Am or C can be resolved, I agree. But regardless, A dorian is _always_ G major, in which G and Em are resolved. Because you have these drastically different points of resolution, any use of modality, even if it's just not starting on a resolved chord, will always create tonal ambiguity, which helps a piece like Time feel... like... out of time. Basically I think that in typical occidental music, tonality does not revolve around one note but around an interval, whereas for example when a priest sing-talks (idk what it's called), it absolutely revolves around one note because there are no more complex interval relationships, or with Indian music which actively only drones on one chord. Something like the Bulgarian songs Charles reviewed in his last video tend to blend the two, even a lot of Blues influenced music does.

[@originalhazelgreene]

This chord progression is so emotional. I love it so much

[@Niojoki]

I was surprised two weeks ago with an invitation to go to Hans Zimmer live and "Time" was the last piece he played... fit just so perfectly

[@kitwatson6035]

I love the contrast between this track and 'The Dream is Collapsing' from the same sound track. Similar idea of keeping a 4 not motif going, but slowly changing the context in which they are heard. Only with that song the chords keeping building out with more and more dissonance until it finally hits you with this key change into a half time feel. It's so incredibly epic feeling and it's all by building through layers rather than through a melody

[@dianejaneclayton]

Can't believe I only just discovered your channel... these analyses are sensational! I dated a composer a while back and I would always ask him why I reacted strongly to only certain pieces, and without fail he told me they always mix major and minor, contain a flat six progression and/or melody that makes the I-bVI relation explicit, and throwing in a bVII (and/or a natural second with the bVI) just ups the ante. So the Interstellar score that nearly killed me? Your analysis of that one was illuminating if not totally unsurprising. Elbow's Bones of You is a quintessential example of everything my sound-to-emotional receptors adore. Can't wait to dive in to your channel and relearn some of the stuff from Royal Conservatory piano and theory training back in the day!

[@michaelf8221]

I dated a composer a while back... they weren't composed enough to maintain a relationship!

[@washjay]

Love the split between the minor and major chords in the progression. And that B on the Cmaj7 second time around, WHEW!!! Starts ominous and then gives “hope” 😊❤

[@supremelordoftheuniverse5449]

This track never fails to get me. And although I understand it through and through in terms of music theory, it still grips my soul on an emotional level.

[@kobaye5173]

This piece is like destiny showing up slowly, watching you, smiling and crying at the same time.

[@nicolasduguay4]

I often listen in loops to this increadible piece of music that is "Time" just because it inspires me and it is amazing to hear Charles analyse it like that, thank you

[@sherylAA]

This is why Hans Zimmer is my most favorite composer. And you are pretty amazing at explaining this beautiful piece. I was completely intrigued the entire time I watched you play and explain.

[@VictorYami]

Inception is my favorite film of all time and the soundtrack is a big reason for that. Also wanted to say that watching you play the piano with so much passion really makes me want to learn to play just like that too. I’m going through the Piano Jumpstart course and I’m getting that experience of really feeling the music while playing the piano that I’ve been wanting to feel for so long.

[@anythinginbetween8469]

I love that even after so many videos, he still takes the time to explain things like minor and major thirds for people who aren't familiar or are maybe new to the channel. I feel like it goes so far to help the music theory feel much less intimidating for people trying to learn when the time is taken to explain the basics😊

[@washjay]

One of my favs from Hans!! Had this on repeat.

[@lionelpil8707]

Yes it's 4 chords repeating with a crescendo, and it's so genius. I find it very representative of the feeling of time passing by

[@kinglouiethethird]

such a great take on this masterpiece, I'd do anything to see hans perform this live

[@mathiaslevyvalensi-compose5014]

The thirds work so well for a very specific reason. The third is the most emotional note in a chord. Without a third, there is no major or minor chord, it brings all of that colour into the piece. Let's keep in mind Time is in a very special place during the movie, very heavy in emotions, Mal can't stand coming back to the reality of their world. Hans' choice here brings that emotion to life, by stripping the music from fancy artifices and effects! Moreover, this piece is in the Dorian Mode, minor mode but with a raised sixth, diving us that F# over the D in the bass. That note alone brings a whole new emotional level to music, lifting it up rather than bringing it down. Sorry for the long comment, but great video as always Charles!

[@ethanfreeman9243]

Is it not just in the key of Em / G ?

[@mathiaslevyvalensi-compose5014]

@@ethanfreeman9243 Em isn’t significant enough to be the tonal center here. If the D chord led back up to Em, then there would definitely be a case for it. But here the emphasis is definitely on Am. Giving us the A Dorian mode: A B C D E F# G A. Same notes as E natural minor but with a different tonal center.

[@ethanfreeman9243]

@@mathiaslevyvalensi-compose5014 idk man plenty of chord progressions dont start on the I, so starting on ii doesnt seem that strange to me but you clearly know more about music theory than I do so i’ll take your work for it

[@Sammy71ful]

Zimmer does a very similar thing to this in the track "Chevaliers de Sangreal" from The Da Vinci Code score. The main theme is based around 4 chords - Dm, F, C, Am (the C chord starting as Csus4). It starts very quietly in the low strings, and with each repetition adds another octave to the main melody, and more "layers" of musical accompaniment. A final key change (almost imperceptible) leads to a glorious climax as the final revelation of the puzzle is revealed. Another of my favourite Zimmer tracks 🤩

[@ChrisValera]

My favorite too!

[@REIDiculous64]

One of my favourite pieces of musics ever made. Thanks for breaking it down!

[@svanzi5147]

One of the best channel on you tube. I really love how you analyze the arrangements anche the music theory behind this films score

[@User_PC_Loadletter]

This is the most I’ve learned in music theory in a long long time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is one of my favorite scores of all time.

[@rushi1306]

Your videos has become must watch for me!

[@tondermusic]

I just re-learned a lot with this video. Thank you, Charles!

[@askaboutme8257]

I swear this Time track just hits me in the feels. It's amazingly beautiful and sad. And when those horns come in..wow. Also comes the tears. This song makes me cry. Same thing with the theme from Interstellar 😢

[@jobaute3984]

This is brilliant. Thank you for making this video. I am learning to improvise at the piano and now I can tackle Time!

[@jorgeduarte97]

For the longest time I've wanted to play this and after I took your intro to piano, this was the first one I learned. I practice it almost every day and I've noticed that as the song goes on there's a feel of swelling as you move up on the piano. It fits really well with the film's theme. I'm so glad you covered this song. I t makes me aprecciate it even more.

[@M0nkeybomber]

I feel like the first half of the progression gives you that sense of hopelessness. Followed by a hint of hope during the 2nd half. Truly powerful stuff. I love your videos man.

[@MoreFSL]

I've loved this score since the month it was released and listened many many times, and always loved Time and listened to it all the time on my Inception physical CD. A few years later, I discovered online that everyone else loved that song too, which didn't surprise me. Love your channel. My brother is a music teacher and he told me about your channel!

[@Chireiya]

Going to see Hans Zimmer Live for the third time this weekend, so this is great timing. When I saw his show for the first time I had no idea what soundtracks might be featured but I really hoped for "Time" and it ended up being the encore, which was just the perfect placement for this track. There was a spinning top on his piano while he played. I just love how effectively he uses the simplest chords and melodies to absutely tear at my heart strings (pun intended).

[@froboythestud]

Inception is honestly my favorite Hans Zimmer score (with the possible exception of The Lion King) and my favorite film by Christopher Nolan and favorite film/performance from Leo DiCaprio! So much goodness in one package!

[@rehzxy4428]

Mine was also The Lion King until I watched Interstellar. I was hooked immediately and is still my favorite score to this day.

[@nelsonpuello8722]

Love your passion for breaking down so many aspects of this composition. The way that my simple mind thinks of chords and melody for this piece is to view the root chord as being G Maj. Using numbers then the chord sequence goes 2m -> 6m -> root -> 5 for the first part. For the second part 2m -> 4maj7 -> root -> 5. In that context all the notes in the melody fit in the scale 😊.

[@up_late_nyckobe]

One of my all time favorite composition. Just incredible 🙏🏻

[@giobifasoli]

I love your analysis, they are technical but wit ha very divulgative mood. And in this part you perfectly got why TIME has always been one of my favorite theme, even if it's basically just 4 very simple chords.

[@CupOfJav]

I go back to the Live from Prague version of Time a couple times a year. I think it's one of the finest compositions and performances ever. Like CC said about the layers and crescendo, it's perfect.

[@NiksenLive]

Watched half of this video, sat down at the piano and something just clicked positively, it made sense!. Then went back and watched rest of the video. You have a really nice way of explaining things! Keep it up :)

[@NorwegianZeldaFan]

Man, it felt so much better than I thought hearing this again after so many years!

[@markfontane1298]

Thank you for breaking this down. It's so amazing

[@images_by_geoff]

My absolute favorite theme! So glad you broke it down. Thank you! Keep helping us all understanding chords and music theory, even when it goes above our heads. Can't wait to see what you bring us in 2024 and beyond!

[@minder01]

I remember the seeing the outroar in person during his Stockholm concert last year. It was the past the given show-time and the whole arena went dark. People were shouting out "Time!" ...and then in the dark of it you just hear that first chord.

[@benpowell5348]

for the purposes of music theory teaching, around 10:00 was such a cool way to explain how to use a key in conjunction with certain chords. At first I was like "wow that's such a roundabout way to say just use a key" but then realized it's not just a key, it's the type of chords under it that don't force certain notes over others

[@isaacshaw1596]

Also an incredibly tedious way of saying it's in E natural minor which is the key.

[@althealligator1467]

I literally don't get it. How is that more than an absurdly roundabout way of saying that the whole piece is diatonic to G major?

[@isaacshaw1596]

@@althealligator1467 I mean yes technically it could also be in G major fair point but he still over crammed theory when he had no reason to do that. He seemed to be keen to say it was more minor in tonality changing to a more major tonality. So yeah I take your point.

[@althealligator1467]

@@isaacshaw1596 I was responding to the original comment, I'm making the same point as you are lol. Edit: I guess you're thinking of it in E minor, yeah G major and E minor are just the same key honestly, so I said G major because looking at G as the 1 means that the diatonic scale degrees are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 whereas viewing E as 1 means that you have three unnecessary flats, 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, which is due to the fact that we arbitrarily decided to use the ionian scale as the reference for natural scale degrees. So yeah either way I was agreeing with you.

[@isaacshaw1596]

Sorry my mistake. Mis understood you lol! Yes I agree with you.

[@NatalieRose856]

this is one of my favorite movies of all time - it’s so amazing to hear you analyze hans zimmer!!!

[@heyitsjoshmusic]

Best part of this breakdown was as you explained the commonality between all the chords, how the piece is all about layering, and perspective shift between major and minor using the same notes, it made me realize how the structure of the music conveys the structure of the film.

[@thephalken]

So happy Charles did a vid on my favourite score!

[@ncjim]

I have picked up piano solely due to coming across this guy's channel. I've always had a love of beautiful music since I was young, picking up violin and becoming concert master multiple times throughout my life. I could play and improvise accompaniments very easily, but I did not have the music theory that could explain the "why" to what I was playing. The level of love and enthusiasm displayed, is exactly the same as what I had for the violin. Now... I have a deep desire to learn the theory behind it all. The explanations at 4:30 about going from A minor to E minor, instead to A minor to C Major7 was extremely eye opening to me. The improvising, like around 10:44, may seem like you're just displaying an example. However, it actually does help me tie in my understandings of the fundamentals of music theory. I really appreciate these examples you end up playing.

[@sandrasims6480]

I am fascinated by this piece. Fascinating...

[@johnniewalker39]

THANK YOU!

[@josiahsimmons9866]

One of my favorite things about this movie is how He teases that "motif" into other parts of the score earlier in the movie.

[@mainmanmooky8820]

This movie was always a favorite of my dad and I's, god rest his soul. I appreciate that someone else out there appreciates this soundtrack as much as we did

[@simonhallwa7]

I add all of your Videos to my important List of Music Knowledge, which I think is important to know, when you learn more about music. It is really so interesting what show and tell in your videos about music! Very talented!

[@carperfjord8748]

Nice video again Charles. Love the classic Inception horn at the end lol

[@District4Studios]

Your videos are so inspiring, and will help me tremendously in exploring movie themes as “instructed” in detail by someone who is dedicated to break down themes. I love music, and I am going to college for music composition, and maybe one day you’ll be breaking down one of my scores!

[@JDPlonk]

The live version where Hans Zimmer plays the guitar himself is one my favorite

[@johnwebb4499]

Thanks for doing everything you do for us Charles Cornwallace 😊

[@OfLoveInRomance]

One of my favorite pieces

[@Rachelebanham]

ahhhh soo good - love this video. love this channel

[@nawabsingh9610]

I just bought the course and I can't wait to learn from the course ❤

[@swilsons05]

I feel like every time you always amaze me. Awesome talent, keep it up!

[@FromPoetryToRap]

Just saw Hans and the orchestra live a week ago.. he played this too of course. It was phenomenal.

[@Oxtorayk]

I love this theme, there is somehting quite hypnotic in it

[@smudgedout5979]

What a great video nice job Charles

[@Geetuschair]

Thank you

[@rasmussavic4289]

You my man are as much of an inspirational source as mr zimmer himself. Your energy is amazing!!!

[@mathiask9581]

These videos are amazing. I’m into movies, videogames and music. This type of breakdown is super entertaining, even tho I don’t allways (can or want to) follow the theory.

[@wildefoxy298]

Maestro Zimmer is the composer who stole my soul, first with Pirates OST and then one by one with other composition. The music he creates... It's like more then a soundtrack, it's a journey, it's a whole world or univers. I put my headpones on, I press 'play' and I can travel different world and stories over and over again, and everytime the feelings are sharpe as in first time. I bought keyboard just to learn Zimmer's music, and 'Time' was the first one. I've learn an easy version just by repeating some tutorials, and never 'breaking it down' to myself. Grazie mille! Just 4 notes! I listen 'Time" for years but it tears my soul apart and makes my heart tremble every time.

[@bernyboss]

Beautiful 😭

[@AndreiTeclas1]

amazing review !!!

[@drumaddict89]

i would love to have HALF of your music theory knowledge!! awesome man

[@igorkushnir4966]

Maaan, you are great! And Janz is icon. Thank you a lot!

[@danieljohnston4960]

Bro Charles! I would absolutely love to hear you do a piano cover of time! You play it so elegantly

[@valeriesmith15]

I love Inception, the film. I am learning Dream Collapsing from the Inception on the piano. Thank you so much for analysing Time. I hope that you can analysing Dream Collapsing. Once again, thank you for this.

[@Caliko]

My favorite theme to play, sit down at a grand piano, go ham on the chords and it's ALWAYS effective. Time is just magical as a composition. So simple but so good!

[@AdamKrueger27]

This song gets me every time. Got to see him play this live and it hits you right in the feels.

[@christianquintili]

Well done

[@railerswim]

I love the two different uses of time Hans Zimmer used between the scores for Inception and Interstellar. There’s a definite clock tick in each score. For inception it slows down the further down the dreamscape you go. In Interstellar the clock tick is ever present, a reminder that time is running out. It’s almost like he was living in Christopher Nolan’s mind. The fact he was able to give create these two scores so cohesively with their own identity while being given a minimalistic prompt from Christopher Nolan to inspire the first themes is insane.

[@NickTeran17]

This video came out perfectly, i watched the film 2 days ago and have been playing a lot of the songs from it

[@PhilSmith94420]

I love the film and Hans Zimmers music!