How Tool Pull off a 12 minute song (Pneuma) 2/2 | Artists Series S4E2

[@irti_pk]

Really like what you talked about there regarding Tool's focus on rhythmic complexity rather than harmonic or melodic changes. Although Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor pretty much write everything in D minor or Phrygian (which can be a bit boring at times, but it also lends them their signature sound and feel), they can take a boring sounding progression and make it very memorable and enjoyable because of the rhythm and use of dynamics. I think most of the melodic credit goes to MJK, he ties it all together and makes the songs easy to sing along to and his lyrics give the songs a story and more purpose.

[@arsenije_wav8620]

One of the things I love about Tool's evolution is how you can hear the sound of the upcoming album in the jams they play and the changes they make to older songs. The new bridge section in Stinkfist, the uptempo Schism jam, the alternate Jambi breakdown, they all scream Fear Inoculum. The same happened in their Lateralus and Aenima era

[@DanielA-sk8oh]

Arsenije Milinov also - the extended Opiate Jam (best heard on the amazing Charlotte 2016 IEM boot)

[@vivaldiscool]

Great analysis, this combination of clarity/depth is like chilled water on a hot day.

[@agraciotti]

Great analysis as always. I'd just add that there's still value on long music with little variation and low dynamics. It's just a matter of style. Drone and ambient music are out there to prove it. Or even in the works of Swans, The Myrrors, Brian Eno, Godspeed you Black Emperor or, obviously,John cage, they have plenty of examples of songs above 15 or even the 20 minute mark with almost no variation, being intended to reach some kind of mystical sensation, more like a meditative or a psychedelic experience.

[@oyh3551]

Great review Anthony!

[@gruntnation7789]

O Yh I thought he hated this album

[@liquidsolids9415]

These videos give me an even deeper appreciation for Tool and are really inspirational and helpful in taking my own humble attempts at music to the next level. Thanks!

[@wrensong07]

Love these videos. Not just about tool but that's what first brought me. Learned so much watching you.

[@xavierhenke7230]

An Artists Series in the future...Modest Mouse. I think there's a little bit more there than meets the eye, could be an interesting theory analysis. Thank you for your content!

[@neko_neko9]

A totally different experience but for long mind-blowing songs check out Pain of Salvation. Recommend The perfect element, A passing light of Day, Beyond the pale for long songs that totally draw you in In their case, long songs are written to convey longer stories and more complexity and dynamics within it

[@InfamousQwaQwaFruit]

I'm really impressed with this analysis. Sick video!

[@Holistic-songwriting]

Thank you!

[@dallasfreeman9833]

Awesome video. Would love to get your take on Perfect Sync, which is an unofficial pairing of songs Wings for Marie pt 1 & pt 2 where part 1 begins to play around the middle of part 2, which leads to an incredible climax of both songs at the same time, and some amazing inversions of the highs and lows of each song. My question is, is it reasonable to believe that level of complexity was an intentional and conscious decision by the band? Or is it just a neat coincidence with the song structures used?

[@the_5th_night]

Forgive me for being 20 years old and growing up around lovely, but bland, Swedish pop music, but I had never heard of Pneuma, or Tool for that matter, until I watched these two videos. I gave it a listen, and it became one of my favorite songs. I’ve written She Was Born In December, a 7 minute Irish/Scandinavian folk ballad, that’s got 5 verses and It’s played pretty slowly. I’ve written If Only Just A Fraction, a 6 minute anthem, about a third of it is some improvisation on my melodica. I’ve written Corrosive Empathy, a 5 minute banger with a downwards key change, a minor to g minor. Now I need to know how to write a song that’s less than 150 seconds, without it sounding like half a song. As much as I love the song Honey by Sorcha Richardson, it sounds like she had a lot more to play and sing, like Spotify was a bad doggo and ate a large piece of it.

[@papajohn3115]

I like how he ironically drug out the ending and the payoff was an advertisement. 🤣

[@reginazambrano5342]

I really need this amazing analysing skills used on the men in black; Johnny Cash

[@Saedelaere]

About the source: His name is Austin BurCHam (not BurKam!) and the name of his channel is: abbdrums He is also awesome, like Friedemann... but different. Check him out! ^^

[@fadlanridzal]

I love your videos!

[@stefan86wtf]

Really interesting thoughts on the energy and tension-building. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on an Opeth track from Blackwater Park, and how they make long songs work. Not sure if you would enjoy it, haha :)

[@gruntnation7789]

You should talk about their old stuff as well

[@gredangeo]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind an explanation about Third Eye's song length. How did that happen?

[@wlljmart30]

How frank ocean writes a melody\song please

[@THEgenART]

Oops. I commented in the previous video about my love for the bridge of this song, and the presenter comes in on video 2 and basically says what I had said, verbatim. Or, it would seem, I said what he said. But I hadn’t seen this second installment when I wrote that, so apparently great minds (ears) think (hear) alike ??

[@HuhWhatHuhwhatHuh]

To give my opinion on, why write an 11 minute song, in order to induce the states that their songs can facilitate, in the breathing rhythm and consciousness, you have to lull the mind into a trance like state and then once it’s picked up that rhythm unconsciously, you take a hard left. If you’re in a meditative state, or on psychedelics of any kind this can create intense moments of out of body or flow states.

[@theAphelionDT]

I 100% agree for bands like Tool, but there is not many bands like Tool. Isn't most long modern songs moreso based on jazz style improvisation, like a Freebird, a Sultan of Swing, a 25 or 6 to 4, or really any Metallica/Pantera/Symphony X heavy guitar soloist band? I guess the other type of long song is the Rush style, Pink Floyd style 4 songs or acts stitched together to make one epic? My point is while yes, i really wish more bands would be like Tool and follow any of the points you outline tp create long songs, those suggestions are probably going to fall on deft ears. Either way love your content, I've binged your entire Artist Series in one evening lol

[@neko_neko9]

Also! I highly recommend listening to Blackwater Park by Opeth for a brilliant example of payoff. Sends shivers down my spine every time. Please do check it out, I think you will appreciate it!

[@pauloing1pauloing167]

00:23 click here to start the video

[@sherkom8019]

That's polymeter not polyrhythm

[@Holistic-songwriting]

Whoops! You're right.

[@sherkom8019]

Holistic Songwriting no problem, just wanted to make sure

[@_failbait_]

could you do trent reznor/nine inch nails

[@JoelDavidGonzalez]

Great, thanks

[@Ancipital_]

I want to know how Danny counts his sections. I can follow the rest, but Danny is counting in his own way and I just can't get it down. Maybe the offbeat start on the first verse throws me off.

[@CoryDAnimates]

Commenting for the algorithm.

[@Holistic-songwriting]

Ha! Thanks :)

[@uhulpires]

Always love your analysis, Friedmann! Thank you for your work! There's just a word that I think that might be wrong, you used "polyrhythm" to describe what actually is called "metric modulation". If I'm not mistaken, Polyrhythm means that you have at least 2 different time signatures going on at the same time in a music, like one instrument treating a bar as a 6/8 whilr another might be treating like 4/4, so you can hear the intersection of 6 beats against 4 (that resumes in 2 cycles of 3:2). Metric modulation is this example of when you treat a subdivision like 16th notes to create a virtual rhythm that closes in 3, 5, 7, etc. and you feel the rhythm as if it were in another tempo (and maybe another time signature)

[@erik2602]

No, what you're thinking of is a polymeter. This is a polyrhythm. Though these terms are often confused with each other. Metric modulation is when the entire band changes tempo.

[@thesuncollective1475]

I have a 6 min song..the intro was 1.30 mins..its a fan fav...who knew?

[@maxspellbane9595]

i would like to see gojira in this series

[@ESol-qg8wb]

Do one on Joji pls boss

[@isaiahstorm]

[@danielleclarisseamante6251]

Taylor Swift's All Too Well 10-min version XD

[@crawfordmerk]

The pattern in the main riff is all eighth notes: 6 6 5 6 6 5 5

[@Lastrevio]

wdym eighth

[@crawfordmerk]

Lastrevio 8th notes like 5/8 and 6/8

[@jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj0]

If you want a real challenge do Lil Peep. The rapper and singer. His style is very different and a ton of people are interested in his melody and songwriting style.

[@jerrychen3411]

Rammstein Next PLZ!!!!

[@jacobfry8541]

Can you Do Oliver Tree next?

[@christianpurucker2578]

bist du ein deutscher?