Donald Fagen talks about JOSIE pt 2

Donald Fagen discusses the Steely Dan hit Josie with Warren Bernhardt

[@tyleryesta1]

Steely Dan is so intriguing to me. When I was young I did't like them at all. My hears weren't mature enough, and I've never been a jazz head so some of their maj7 chord sequences would cheese me out a bit. Now that I'm older and understand what they're doing, I can't get enough. I've transcribe 13 of their best songs on piano, just to see how they work. I've become completely obsessed with their arrangements, the chord inversions they use, so this video is very helpful. Thanks

[@aquamarine99911]

Yeah, same. Back then I was more looking back to the 60's or getting into Elvis Costello and the Clash as the 70s progressed. But just recently I became obsessed with Deacon Blues after hearing it again. Too complex for me to transcribe, so I bought a SD Greatest Hits transcriptions through Amazon. It\s a very thorough book, and includes the drum, bass and guitar tracks. But it doesn't include Josie. I'd love to get that "Gregorian" intro down at least.

[@SelfPropelledDestiny]

@@aquamarine99911 Josie for guitar or keys? This guy SEBEDIT on KZbin has amazingly detailed videos of a bunch of Dan songs.

[@JonnyCooper]

This music would be remarkable if it was just music. Then they write those mind-blowing lyrics and take us on a truly magical journey. It's hard to imagine how two brains could collide and create such utterly bewitching and fabulous art. Truly a soundtrack for the ages.

[@c.jarmstrong3111]

Fagan is an absolute genius. His songwriting on Aja was a masterwork of fusing just, blues, r&b and funk with pop sensibilities.

[@MattSmith-iq1ld]

And that is every bit as impressive as the individual trumpet playing of Miles Davis. I do not care what anyone says. Nobody did what SD did before them or after them. For one thing, a record label today wouldn't give you a million bucks to hire the best of today's session jazz fusion players. Donald & Walter only played on their classic albums based on necessity. They felt they were composers first, and by golly, Donald was gonna have Victor Feldman play an electric piano solo before him.

[@euphoricelephants]

3:17... That look... He knows he's fucking badass...

[@innerstatejt]

One of the few complex bands that made consistently listenable & infectious pop songs.. just incredible

[@fatmanpedaling]

no matter how much praise and respect comes their way, i cannot imagine it will ever be sufficient. true masters of their craft.

[@Kurtbassman]

fatmanpedaling i

[@jasonmudgarde286]

So great to see a great songwriter discussing the process he used with another player. Fagen comes across as a guy so into his music, wonderful interviews, thanks.

[@hoodooskidoo]

You're welcome. I've always admired the way Steely Dan puts sophisticated harmony into pop songs. Here we get a glimpse of how it's done.

[@pablito162]

Thank you for posting these treasures for all of us to study.

[@edisoncummings6277]

Donald Fagan is probably as ingenious as any major scientist. He's just applying his creativity and smarts to music.

[@billytheweasel]

+Edison Cummings yeah and it kicks major ass too

[@allezmaurice1409]

He kicks Minor and Altered ass too. ;)

[@soundpainter2590]

Any major dude will tell you!!

[@AntwhaleNearfar]

Edison Cummings Which is why so much of their music is cerebrally impressive and fascinating yet leaves me emotionally impotent.

[@TallSomeone]

Science is the opposite direction to musical purity.

[@wotsitalabowt]

For all this pure hard work, this player deftness and this thought, any tune comes down to whether or not it has something inexplicable, and Steely Dan tunes just do. There's a jazz but not jazz pop but not pop element,, there's that reedy yet rich voice, there's meticulousness and there is originality. They created a gorgeous enclosed globe world of their own, that we could travel within for as long as the music allowed us, like microscopic windowy spaceships moving across a universal song-cell.

[@PAlex-us4ov]

The problem with Josie is that it is far too short. When josie comes home So good She's the pride of the neighborhood She's the raw flame The live wire She prays like a roman With her eyes on fire........

[@fusionzero7936]

This is utterly fantastic in production and material. Does anyone know if Walter ever did videos akin to this in both depth and quality? RIP my man.

[@foxmulder7590]

Oh, to be a fly on the wall and watch them write all those great songs!Such amazing genius and master craftmanship.

[@jcstevegigs]

Imagine a hypothetical video of Beethoven explaining and showing how he wrote a masterpiece. This is historical to watch. I true musical genius.

[@TallSomeone]

Beet would not have tried to explain it this way. He might have said his God gave him the privilege of conduit.

[@aquamarine99911]

@@TallSomeone And I used to believe in that spiritual source thing. But then how come Mozart sounds like Mozart, Beethoven sounds like Beethoven (except when he's ripping off Mozart), Jimi Hendrix sounds like Jimi Hendrix and Steely Dan sound like Steely Dan? It's all "heavenly", tho. I'll grant you that.

[@cut--]

outta tune or intune :)

[@cosmogoy1895]

agree !!!!

[@videoaccount4323]

Lololol

[@shughy1]

You'll never be as cool as that look to camera when he finishes the song. 😁

[@fucu41]

what honor to watch n learn😍

[@StoneBTH]

Insight on how a genius composes music. Amazing video.

[@chalkmiracle122]

Love the Dan's jazz chords, as always! :)

[@williamdrijver4141]

Completely amazing to watch Mr Fagen explain and demonstrate! A superb series of videos!

[@petebutler9967]

as much as id like to understand the technicalities , I just want to watch and wonder at the genius at work , and enjoy the best music ever,

[@sheen4dean71]

Donald and Walter were masters of taste. Beautiful composition with humour but not too much. That Rhodes sound! Glorious

[@seaningram4434]

Donald sounds like how Bill Murray used to sound back in the day :) lol

[@genius2005]

Beautiful! Learn something new every time I watch a Steely Dan video.

[@richardcabrejo532]

Man, what a Genius!

[@dan-zk6be]

This is how music maestro composes masterpiece that ordinally people don't understand but feel so right.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Interesting to learn a little about the Steely Dan secret sauce

[@30secondsovertokyo]

hmm, it is not the sauce. It is the ingrediënts!

[@keithmccabe4040]

That was awesome, pt. 2.

[@wonderbars36]

As a keyboard player, I love that between the two parts to this upload, you can learn from the man himself exactly how to play this by pausing along the way.

[@in2gadgets]

Absolute genius - I love this guy's mind

[@keithmccabe4040]

I saw Steely Dan, at great Woods in Massachusetts, the 10th row, I could see the caps on Donalds teeth. It was an amazing show! Hit after hit.

[@joethebar1]

genius is taking very complex arrangements like this and making it gel so perfectly even to the people who normally would listen to dumbed down music. this appeals to everybody and that friends is the genius of it

[@johndunston2394]

Excellent video...Steely Dan...👍

[@LikeWiseLikeYou]

3:05. That final chord he creates at the ending is perfect 'Steely Dan'. Only Fagen can make those chords on a dime.

[@andyboofon]

These videos are tremendous insights into their wonderful music....please say there is more?!?

[@steelyfan7745]

I could listen to these two talk music all day

[@mikikomurdoch5985]

I saw SD with Warren Bernhardt, Chris Potter and Peter Erskin a few times. What an awesome band that was!!! When I play Josie on my guitar, it sounds like a totally different tune though... oh well...

[@davidnorman4923]

At 15 I remember hearing this song on radio one in 77 Paul gambiccini was the dj and it was incredible!

[@BrianWymore]

WOW! Thanks for this and the 'Peg' videos. Never seen this footage before.

[@casst346]

so so many great hits back in the day!

[@MrGregcoulson]

Put aside all the elevated harmonies and chord progressions, the songs are SO good! Listen to the vocal hooks..The lyrics. They're catchy as F***! You could play these tunes with three chords and they'd be just as good I swear. This lockdown crap is driving me crazy...need to be back on tour playing in front of people! not sat at home typing this..;0

[@JamesMinerTattoo]

God, if only we had more skilled musicians taking this approach

[@aquamarine99911]

That wouldn't make a difference. You still have to be a musical genius.

[@chrishitchins5453]

@@janethill1668 music isn’t a competition…just listen to what you enjoy listening to

[@diarmaidupton]

This is genius, simple as. The earlier comments citing it as merely a high level of competence is utter ignorance. yes bach mozart and beethoven were virtuosic composers. None of them harnessed any musical world outside of the relative safety of classical rules and form. By very definition and in this video and others from this dvd, donald fagan takes a given standard, and transforms it.He also writes lyrics, and forms a narrative around chords structures debussy would be proud of.

[@aquamarine99911]

You know nothing, Diamaid Upton. I'm willing to concede that Steely Dan compositions represent a certain form of genius. Nobody sounds like them. But to suggest that, just about anything Bach did . or Magic Flute or Beethoven's Grosse Fugue doesn't stretch (or in the case of LVB's Opus 111 invent several forms of) classical music is very ignorant of you.

[@joxxk]

absolute genius...

[@erichaskell]

And he can sing too!

[@drewcamero1489]

Good point. I thought you cant truly do two things at once? Guess the piano playing is just muscle memory. Which makes it even more amazing.

[@esseen100]

Like no one I've heard..

[@geoffwales8646]

I was going to learn this, but I might pass until I get better chops. Learning by ear is fine until you hit a jungle of jazz chords. But what a teacher!

[@donlewis3854]

Luv this tune

[@Sketchboxx]

thank you so much for this!

[@pomegranitejason]

funny how when you try dissecting and explaining how a chord or progression unfolds, even the wizards like Donald get stumped and sometimes amazed. It goes to show how the human ear, brain and soul edit the sounds, and then end up going by how everything "feels" to your fingers, hand movements, and sounds through the air.

[@assignmentearth2899]

"Josie". My favorite Steely Dan song. Guess I can Google him but know Warren Bernhardt. Knows his theory. Very knowledgable man. Keeps up with Fagen

[@davebartholome2924]

Bernhardt played with Steps Ahead (jazz fusion group) in the 80s and has put out a number of piano trio CDs. Deeply influenced by Bill Evans.

[@audioimportgmbh]

Excellent!!!! very interesting

[@smujiodome]

Warren don’t lose that jumper.

[@stewartcaldwell5299]

Fantastic.

[@stevensigns946]

why do I now feel so inadequate as a musician

[@jrichman21]

Really awesome. Thank you for posting. Do we know what year this was?

[@dguedry01]

Thanks for posting. Nice to hear intelligent and interesting music. I wish the music industry wasn't guided by the talent-less. I can't think of a tune I've heard on the radio in the last 10+ years that has been totally original. Pop music has become predictable, stale and boring.

[@ruudvoest1038]

3:16 Yes, I know I am a real badass musician :-)

[@rockgardenlove]

Where'd these gems come from? Thanks mang

[@andreacostantini1305]

I have a dream: Donald making music with Tony Banks. Et voilà, the kings of chords together......."what a beautiful world this will be, a cinema show!"❤️🤗😍🤩😎

[@javijazztazz]

Thank you hoodooskidoo do you have more videos of donald fagen explaining his songs thanks again

[@mrJimCharles]

The last chord of the intro is actually Abmaj7b5 I think (in E ... the record)???, and an arpeggio containing 6, maj7, and 3 is played over the chord. That is what I figured out by ear, am I wrong???

[@DavidLombardo]

craziest intro ever, love it

[@michaelireland7239]

oh yes a genius at work we can only look on with awe as he does his thing

[@bedroom.headroom]

Is this whole video available somewhere online? Id love to see it

[@SixFootLongPianist]

3:15 , love the 3 second pause, something about it

[@hklinker]

hoodooskidoo....any chance you can upload On the Dunes ? This disc is one of the only SD-related things I don't own that I'd actually like to own. Guess I need to order it up, eh ?

[@BlixtenMarlowes]

Amazing! :-D

[@davidhoxit4274]

Very interesting!

[@NathanMacAdams]

I honestly believe it was because by the time SD started touring again in 93, DF was 45, and his voice would be just a little difficult to stretch perhaps. So you know, you take it down one whole step...

[@MattSmith-iq1ld]

I wish they would have covered Deacon Blues instead of some of the other tracks. That song has like 52 different chords in it. Gaucho would have been great with its crazy time signatures that even Jeff Porcaro struggled with. I once met a session musician who played in a SD cover band. He said he did so not just to pick up some extra money, but to keep up his chops. Than non-musicians just had no clue how many chords their songs have. It is super hard for a guitarist. They have chords in their songs that I am physically incapable of playing. As Denny Dias said in the Aja documentary, "when have you ever heard of a rock and roll record that absolutely can't be played on an electric guitar."

[@euphoricelephants]

@hoodooskidoo Hey, where did you get this? Is it from a release of some kind?

[@javvieh]

So why did the key change to Em when it was recorded?

[@danielhoudemusiques]

SUPERB !!!!!

[@jamesbaker22]

Oh The genius!

[@dingoswamphead]

What a great electric piano tone.

[@salviadivinorum1762]

You might like this tone on an album called 'Live on air' by the Vince Guaraldi, songs like 'One, Two, Three' esp. with headphones. I believe it's the Fender Rhodes ele. piano, with some Wurlitzer models sounding a little similar.

[@dingoswamphead]

Thanks Salvia, I do. I also love his work with Bola Sete.

[@allangmiller]

You might like Dave Stewart's work with Hatfield and the North. They aren't really Steely-like, more jazz rock, but the Fender Rhodes is prominent, with a similar tonal and chordal approach. Try 'Mumps', 'Going Up To People And Tinkling', or 'Underdub' (the music's better than the titles!).

[@allangmiller]

Yep, that's the guy. Hatfield and the North was a pre-Bruford band he was in. He then played in National Health, which Bruford played live with; I guess that's how they met. Saw Bruford's band with Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Berlin and Dave Stewart in 1978 or so. Awesome!

[@dm7b5]

To nerd out on you a little: The Rhodes sound is made by the hammer hitting a relatively long thin cylindrical tine which has a bell like sustain. It is amplified by an individual pickup a short distance from the end of the tine. The whirly note is made by a hammer hitting a short flat and wider metal "reed" with a drop of solder on the end that is used to tune the frequency of the vibration, i.e. the note. Each reed sits in a slot in the one long pickup that runs the length of the keyboard. It has more attack and less natural sustain than the Rhodes. If you want to hear it loud and clear, listen to the Supertramp albums, specifically Bloody Well Right with a long solo introduction. Because it seemed to used more in rock music, it would also be overdriven to add a bit of Hair on it. In Jazz, I believe it dates back at least to Joe Zawinul playing his composition with Cannonball Adderly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWXViXiBqahrn7s

[@robin2012ism]

music brainzzzz!!!

[@aquamarine99911]

Here's what I'd like - Donald to explain who wrote what between him and Walter on their famous songs. As a keyboardist, it's probably easier for Donald to be the one to write the music, or at least extrapolate on something Walter came up with. Donald has suggested that Walter was a darkly witty guy so it would make sense that Walter came up with most of the lyrics. But we should know this stuff.

[@kyleford9771]

Straight Genius...

[@freddiemercurious]

couldn't have said it better.

[@tyleryesta1]

Once I get a good camera I'd like to share what I've learned.

[@SmutJunkie]

@Jitpring -- I agree with your first point, but musical genius is certainly not limited to the 3 composers you mention. While Fagen is far from a virtuoso, he had a fantastic understanding of the various genres and aesthetics permeating the 70's pop scene. Aja is, more than anything, a who's who of the 20th century's greatest session players set to the perfectly polished pop-jazz fusion funk of Fagen and Becker. Thus, it is simultaneously sophisticated and relatively relatable.

[@steelyfan7745]

this should have been an episode of mr rodgers...get the kids hooked on GOOD music

[@SelfPropelledDestiny]

Wondering why they play it in D minor? It’s a whole step down from the recorded album version’s E minor.

[@zamaurijones2725]

Where is this full interview that contains peg, Josie etc.?

[@williamcorgile9823]

Nice !

[@JeanPierrePONS]

Definitely superior !!!

[@kwixotic]

Even were Donald Fagen to try his hand on some popular jazz standards(which would have been quite unlikely) he'd still rank as a top flight player on a par with the best of them though he might not have have the sort of dazzling technical skill of say Oscar Peterson.

[@drewcamero1489]

Theres nothing he could say that would communicate more than that song - we hear it, we feel in, we get it.

[@silverdrillpickle7596]

These individuals have been formally trained. No substitute for formal training.

[@motophiliac]

5:10, the dude turns on a light switch.

[@m9ck3er69]

sic !

[@benthemiester]

I wonder why they don't play it in E anymore like they do on the album.

[@SmutJunkie]

I am a little sad that I will never hear 2:05 --> for the first time ever again

[@samsamba08]

@Jitpring Hear, hear! Some would say it's songwriting craft. I wrote in one of these videos, that you can hear how Fagen knows his jazz-based harmony. You could argue "all jazz cats could do this" (which is rarely the case, but that's beside the point). People have a tendency to use the word "genius" to describe ANYTHING that 's "out of the ordinary", to THEM. Especially in these days, when music like this (and this is actually considered "rock") simply doesn't exist.

[@MattSmith-iq1ld]

And I do feel that combing jazz harmony with rock and roll and R&B beats and poetic lyrics is GENIUS. You do not need to be Sony Rollins or Charlie Parker. Steely Dan fooled MILLIONS of fans who had no idea that a G13 chord was no different than a D major. They jazz harmony accessible to millions of listeners with records like "Aja" and "Gaucho." That to me is genius, because nobody has done it before them or since. I don't Johnny Baker and the Stud Five who lay in some small club in Portland, Maine. I am talking about a band who music is so great it can get into the rock and roll hall of fame and sell millions of albums.

[@Sbach7]

I'm guessing that they lowered the key from Em to Dm to make it easier for Donald sing these days. IMO.

[@davebartholome2924]

Yeah, I suppose--but it's interesting that there are other songs that they kept in the original keys even though they required some really high notes for Donald. I guess some songs just don't sound right if they aren't in their original keys. (The horn players in my band also tell me that sometimes horn charts don't work well in alternate keys.)

[@ScisaacFisaac]

@@davebartholome2924 nitpick: that might just be an intonation thing. Because of the way wind instruments are manufactured, some keys are never entirely in tune. That's why high school concert bands like mine stick to keys like Bb, F and Eb pretty regularly.

[@Starrione]

Fat, Rich feel, true song-crafting done right in front of us. It stands the test of time.

[@kevinkronsagen2894]

I’m starting to think Donald Fagan invented music, lol

[@rprillman81]

Magic hapens at 1:24

[@andym28]

Bill Evans would approve.

[@rockgardenlove]

Perhaps because E is the lowest note on a guitar or bass guitar in standard tuning. Or because it's easier to sing.

[@klnine]

A savant

[@strictlynorton]

Preach!

[@quogir1]

nuclear

[@kmac3215]

True