How WILLOW’s ⁷⁄₄ cluster chord pop song was written

[@alobosk]

1. I saw this video (never heard of any of this before) 2. Looked the song up. 3. Eargasmed (again). 4. Listened to the full album on iTunes 5.Ordered the vinyl. All in two hours. I haven't been so excited for a record since Zero 7's When it Falls, for which I ordered an original first print and now is worth about $150 that I'll never see, as I won't part while still alive with it. This is true art. My faith in humanity is restored.

[@duludada]

Zero 7 is nuts. Love the arrangements and overall musicality. I'd liked it to be less doomer-esque in its lyrics though.

[@SamBrockmann]

I just think it's wild how this even came to be. What a crazy progression. I am in love with the very idea of "odd sounding pop songs".

[@rome8180]

"Odd-sounding pop" has been my genre for decades. Or at the very least "odd-sounding but catchy" music. I've been chasing that combo in everything I listen to.

[@Ice-io6jn]

​@@rome8180 can you suggest some songs that you find that really fits this category?

[@nicolla7451]

@@rome8180can you recommend more songs of such? ❤

[@skyarubi]

​@@rome8180 You sound like you'd enjoy David Sylvian's album, Secrets of The Beehive!

[@Fire_Axus]

your feelings are irrational

[@henryglennon3864]

My theory: Esperanza Spalding is some sort of jazz werewolf, and Willow Smith was attacked by her during a full moon.

[@Wayne_Robinson]

While generally being averse to confrontations with werewolves, I'd make an exception in the case of Esperanza Spalding. Hypothetically speaking of course.

[@Juan_Teppa]

Esperanza Spalding is a B E A S T hence truly a werewolf!🔥

[@beletrixlastrange9200]

I sweeeeaaar there was a random animated short on Cartoon Network in the 2000s where someone broke some sort of beaker labeled “Esperanza Spaulding” or “Ella Fitzgerald”. They slowly transformed into them and couldn’t stop scating ! maybe it was just a fever dream 😂😂😂

[@obreboyz]

definitely… she was posting stories listening to Esperanza

[@Harrydim]

@@beletrixlastrange9200 indeed, was a pilot chapter from KND serie.

[@GizzyDillespee]

Good choice for an interview, thanks both of you.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@atgehin]

willow smith is a great example of how to actually utilize your background and fame to hone your talent. such a wonderful artist, man

[@WhizPill]

sure thing

[@xduwu1865]

you gotta be trolling? google “willow smith discography songwriting credits” every single thing you have ever hewrd by her was written by 5 other people without her being present. then she does a half assed vocal take and a team of producers and engineers labor over it with a microscope. i could make a 13 year old kid with zero musical experience sound exactly the same with her budget. i personally know her guitarist. she doesnt even play live, she pretends to play a a guitarists sits back stage left and actually plays everything while she lip syncs her entire performance

[@parulgupta8284]

@@xduwu1865 even if let’s what you are saying is true, it’s still amazing the kind of music her team is putting out and the evolution she has had. We don’t have examples of other nepo kids who are doing that! At the end of the day, if her privilege helps improve our collective musical heritage, it’s not really so bad after all. Her vocals are not unsophisticated. May be she is able to capitalise on opportunities which are hard fought for other musicians and singers but unfortunately it’s the reality of the entertainment business. People with privilege will be able to get better education, exposure, connections and PR- all of which is essential to be successful as an artist besides tons of hardwork.

[@KUROHiTO88]

​@xduwu1865 I thought her Tiny Desk was good. I was sooo ready to not like Will Smith's kid's music, but my ears don't lie.

[@atgehin]

@@xduwu1865 oh okay i see

[@paulbrighton3303]

That album has restored my faith in music. Thank you to Asher, Bradley, Chris and Willow for creating a whole new approach to contemporary jazz and pop.

[@kickstar1]

When Rick Beato is crapping himself over this song you know you've got something.

[@theActive_guitarist]

😂😂

[@duarteestelita7257]

Honestly... i see why he (R. Beato) made a big deal, out of this. The world would probably be a better place, if this was a bit more frequent on the 'Pop charts' .. Having said that, it's not like this is .."oh my god..oh my god..oh my god".... My feed was inundated with ppl suddenly responding to this fuss.. It's quite an amazing song, dont get me wrong.... Willow's NPR made it straight into my top 3 NPR list. And it doesn't surprise me at all, discovering that the root for the song came from the drummer. Still....it's not like 7/4 measures and dense chords and rhythm sections..are other-worldly.. Thanks for the video on the song analysis, however. Good job, and it was really cool to watch. As a songwriter it's my favourite thing..watching other musicians discussing the writing process. Cheers ;)

[@kickstar1]

@@duarteestelita7257 it's just unusual for something like this to chart which is why it made a big deal. It's a great track but not perfect. Too many starts and stops with the drums so it loses it's impact. A couple times would have been way better. Either way it's great and she is a great singer. Too bad her parents are a hollywood shtshow.

[@brunovleals]

everybody's a critic

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Theory: I think we will start to hear more sophisticated and interesting top 40 pop in the years to come. You’ve got a whole generation now of young artists growing up on channels like David Bennett and Rick Beato, learning advanced concepts and techniques that they wouldn’t have learned in public school, since music programs have been all but extinct for decades now. If my theory holds true, we could be in for some exciting developments!

[@kybernes]

Let’s hope so! Also in my experience - I am a saxophone player and teacher - some students come up all kinds of interesting stuff, that I didn’t expect at all because they heard it on a channels like KZbin! There is hope! I am optimistic too, but will they be able to make a living with it? But that’s another question I know.

[@Volonanostress]

it also sounds very similar to munou by osterreich with the every changing timesignature and clusterly chords

[@nicolascomesse7432]

Rick Beato's audience is mostly old grumpy rockers. Younger musicians listen more to Adam Neely.

[@spelunkymonke]

Never thought that Willow of all people would have a 7/4 song. I might check out more of her stuff Update: wow. I listened to her newest album, and I'm just blown away. Amazing instrumentals, amazing time signature switches, and of course, Willow has an amazing voice

[@toiletjoseph4167]

new albums fantastic

[@coyoteblue4027]

Tbh, both of the Smith kids make pretty interesting music. Willow in particular has some very good stuff. Thing about nepobabies, they have access to resources. These are kids who grew up in Hollywood, around all kinds of people doing stuff at a proffessional level, and with the ability to relatively easily pull just about anyone in to collaborate with and learn from. Even the smallest amount of genuine effort will likely yield impressive results in such a context, and both of those kids seem to genuinely love making music.

[@TheMister123]

The album is excellent. The only down-side is that it's only 32 minutes long. 12 tracks, and about half of them are under 2 minutes each. When Anthony Fantano reviewed it, his main complaint was that those short tracks deserved to be fleshed out. Interestingly, the new album, at 32 minutes, is actually her longest album. They're all short. Her first album is only 22 minutes!

[@rome8180]

Her new album is mind-blowing. It's seriously one of the greatest things I've ever heard.

[@StratsRUs]

It slaps

[@rodrigomontoya8653]

roasting musicnotes as the sponsor transition was awesome

[@lierox9]

this is great, nice to hear behind the curtain of pop writing from a supporting composers perspective

[@akronystic]

Great interview. I immediately thought Tori Amos when I heard Oberhofer play his "first take" version.... but then the cluster chords took it to another level.... brilliant

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Incredible that you got one of the performers for an interview! I can’t help but like this song. It sounds so fresh and innovative, especially for top 40

[@rome8180]

The whole album is breathtaking. It's one of the best albums I've heard in years.

[@uphillracer]

This song is great!! Also in the arrangement and vocal phrasing. Like absolute peak Tori Amos

[@naturally_rob]

The first pianist whose playing I fell in love with

[@tomasruckett]

Makes it even more impressive that Tori wrote all of her own songs (and performed instrumentals on most of them)

this! The song reminded my of Tori Amos instantly.

[@johnmyork5176]

Listen to the intro to Walking in Memphis

[@jospenner9503]

I'd say, slightly late Tori Amos sound, if you want a comparison.

[@eliorion]

fucking best recent pop song

[@b-sides]

OMG an Brad olOberhofer interview as a bonus, loved it!

[@macsnafu]

Well, he seems to have just stumbled upon those chords instinctively. And he knew when he needed to add more notes and remove notes to get a good balance in the sound. Disappointing from a learning aspect, but do some banging around on the keyboard, and who knows what you'll come up with. And it's so wonderful to come across such...musicality in a short pop song like this. Gives one hope for the future.

[@lavenderbee3611]

I'm hearing Kate Bush in those piano chords especially the song called "Snowflake". This Willow song is really interesting, I love it.

[@1800astra]

Love this approach to your content David, more strength to you! Excellent work!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@timothynoll4886]

Thank you for showing me a song I didn't know I needed to hear! It's so cool; it's like chewing gum or a stress ball for your brain to try and chew on or squeeze. Like you wanna nod your head along but you end up kind of "waving" it because of the time signature and all the parts weave together so well! The dissonance of the cluster chords makes your ears perk up and then you get invested because your brain HAS to try and figure out if it's hearing random trash or something deeper AND IT'S SOMETHING DEEPER it's so satisfyingly complicated! Like you can digest it but you definitely have to chew first! I LOVE IT! Thanks!!!!

[@joaocalladomusico]

Besides the clusters and odd meter, the cadence resembles Message In A Bottle a lot!

[@lookherenow]

The original sequence has a Message In A Bottle feel to it.

[@victorwilburn8588]

Odd meter SHOULD come from a natural feel, especially for the composer, but for someone trying to PLAY it, sometimes counting beats for a while is a way to get to the point where you just feel it. I find with any song with any sort of rhythmic twist to it, it's an iterative process cycling between counting, feeling, and second-guessing until it becomes second nature.

[@nikki11679]

excellent take! A lot of eastern dance music is written in odd meters, and when you ask these cultures it’s almost always felt in groupings of 2 and 3. For this reason I’ve always found odd meters very danceable because of that “stumble” I think a good western example would be blue rondo alla Turk by Dave Brubeck

[@victorwilburn8588]

@@nikki11679: Not too long ago, we were doing some Latvian folk Christmas songs in choir, and one of them had an odd meter, and the director said something about that sort of meter being fairly common in that region, giving a certain "lurch" (or "stumble" as you put it) into their dances. For some cultures, it's just something you grow up with. E.g. 7/8 can be felt as a waltz with a longer 3rd step (the "lurch" or "stumble"). The rest of us need to acquire the feel for it later in life, which is harder.

[@BobMcKinstry]

David keeps this up. I love this.

[@timsellsted521]

Nice follow up video! Nice breakdown!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@kimchewy729]

What an amazing video. So well edited with the notation that helps explain everything extremely well. I learnt so much from this. Thank you!

[@adam872]

"Odd meters should come from a natural feel..." dead right.

[@lucbeaugrand]

That type of harmonie (clusters and cadencial point par ex D- to AM ) D minor song with modal interchange A M Gmin et…you need to have be listening music from Ravel-Stravinsky - Lyle Mays- Pat Metheny - Ferrante yellow jacket -Meldhau-Park -Jarrett and so on … jazz ) It is a jazz tune with 9 and 6 on minor chord put to pop music ! Great Job kids you have made my day i have Hope in humanity . Love it i will listen to this tune 1000 times and i love Run ….so black dog feels … Bought the record !

[@ilay829]

Great video! You really got the producer for this one!

[@regikarfberger4262]

Musicnotes catching strays LMAO

[@RedGazelle1367]

Just give her the Grammy now.

[@blerdyaheard]

I was NOT expecting to see BRAD FREAKIN' OBERHOFER credited as a songwriter! 🤯 And it figures he contributed to my favorite song on the album. I've been following his eponymous band since I first discovered them via a local indie radio station back in 2012/2013. Man, what a career trajectory; I'm glad someone of Willow's stature has recognized and utilized his brilliance. My favorite album of theirs remains *Time Capsules*; which-if I had to describe it-is like this weird mélange of alt-J, Bruce Springsteen, emo, and surf rock, but it works! Y'all should check 'em out! 😃

[@LukasVlcek]

You guys write history here.

[@CoYoTdeLiMa]

I agree. This album and THIS track in particular are something.

[@alchemysticgoldmind4164]

Respect for And Love to Willow for being original or being open to sounding original. And STAYING Away from 1564..thank You!!!!

[@jaimeflor4181]

Very cool! The beginning stages of the song reminds me of something that I’d do, but those small changes definitely makes it a lot cooler. I’ve also thrown out cluster chords, because they sounded to crowded. Maybe I can make good use of them now.

[@amnesomniac]

Gosh, inaccurate transcriptions are so annoying! I'm currently trying to work out a song by ear because I just couldn't find any transcriptions that sounded right. I definitely could use some ear training!!

[@yalestrada1301]

damn his piano has an amazing tone wth

[@etienneporras7252]

5:45 segway here was SPOT ON

[@DavidBennettPiano]

❤😂

[@eriktempelman2097]

Yup, not quite Map Men level transition but still sweet. And an awesome interview ❤

[@TheMister123]

Amazing that you were able to go straight to the source (well, **a** source) for the lowdown. I'm very impressed. I would love for you to have more opportunities to discover interesting new music AND connect with someone involved in its production to get this kind of insight.

[@LukeHoersten]

I love your channel. Every time a song like this comes out, I make a mental note to keep checking your channel so I can understand wtf is going on. Thanks from Chicago 🙏

[@brianabenoja]

"Odd meter should come out of like a natural feel, not something that's like forced." This will now be my new standard on listening to and arranging odd-meter tracks. This is awesome.

[@JARODSL]

Great that this time was interview on song, no another claims. Grats

[@grogueQ]

The chorus reminds me of Apple Tree by Aurora. I wrote this comment when the video came out but somehow it got deleted, so now I'm sure nobody will ever read it.

[@taylorius]

I don't think it makes most sense to use the bass notes to name the chords in the sequence at the beginning. For example the chord you label as Dm9(add13), listened to by itself is an Am9. It's only the bass notes a 4th above which imply anything to do with a D is going on. In my view the interaction between the bass and chordal parts is more one of counterpoint.

[@LiorTamir]

Ok i just found out your channel, thank you for making videos about symptom of life, i love that song! Also, I'm probably not in a position to ask for content but... Your channel's name at least centers around piano... Can we please get some tori amos content? Please?

[@LagrangePointD]

Watch her Tiny Desk Concert! She's very good. With more pop-appeal she will hit.

[@andersjjensen]

2:37 that reminds me of Sher's rendition of Walking in Memphis somehow.

[@NathanMN]

It's exactly the main riff from Walking in Memphis, transposed to a different key, and shifted to a different time signature.

[@andersjjensen]

@@NathanMN Thanks. Good to know I wasn't "hearing things".

[@JayQuigleyPlayQuickly]

More songwriter interviews!

[@dondon1234]

woah that transition to the sponsor was LiiiiiiTTTTTTTTTTTTT AF!

[@Cyberpunk9000]

When it lands on the A, I get the shivers

[@cooldebt]

Great song which I’ve had on repeat since it came out. The intro reminds me of the intro to Message in a Bottle (‘The Police’).

[@Shroomdiffnuclear]

I'm so happy my 7 year old kid loves Willow Smith

[@CrankyOldNerd]

Wow that was fantastic

[@mikeydflyingtoaster]

The piano sounds a lot like 'Messge in a Bottle' at first

[@Leo4gzs]

I thought the same. I’m surprised nobody mentioned it.

[@mikeydflyingtoaster]

I can’t not hear it! It’s interesting when songs do that intentionally like River by Joni Mitchell.

[@Topnotchguitars1]

yes, and Walking in menphis too

[@mikeydflyingtoaster]

@@Topnotchguitars1 That was actually my instinctive response as well 👍

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Yes, and I am so OK with that. The young man is drawing influence from some great stuff

[@andrewlowden322]

sounds like a track from Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu stuff

[@SlyHikari03]

Definitely. Reminds me a lot of the Piano pieces from those games.

[@cooldebt]

Or perhaps when The Consouls does a jazz cover of a FF tune or some other vgm) - they have a fair few in odd time signatures

[@Prikki2k]

This is what happens when you visit a friends house who's parents still have CD's and you discover Tori Amos.

[@joemomma7789]

Superb .... in every way :-)

[@lold6130]

Best pop song I've heard in years.

[@chloe-pf1bo]

This album is actually classified as jazz on apple music

[@Lantanana]

It is my favorite new song!!!

[@SeventhSwell]

Nice. His Chronovision is one of my favorite albums.

[@RobHoughton]

Curious, the only chord in the progression that has a third in it is the first one, every one afterward is sans third. Great vid - good stuff interviewing one of the songwriters.

[@CasiMediocre]

Bro really just said "skill issue" at 5:03 😂😂

[@jon-boi]

wholesome conversation!

[@orgadish]

Looking forward to a deeper dive video on Big Feelings! (Hopefully? 🤞🏼)

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

If it wasn’t my bed time I would copy that into my DAW!

[@squashfan9526]

David, at the 10-mins mark, you explain the third chord. Why isn't this just a G13 chord, rather than G9(add13)? The notes are G & D left hand, D E F & A right hand. Assuming it's a chord rooted on G, we have F (the flat 7) and A (the 9), which is the basis of a 13 chord. If the flat 7 was missing, then yes the E would be an add13? Either way, whether G13 or G9(add13), shouldn't the name of this chord also account for the fact there is no 3rd?

[@PASHKULI]

"Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane…" inspired intro

[@KentBuchla]

More interviews like this one, please @David

[@danger_the_kid]

A great comeback from i whip my hair

[@KostasTsakiris]

Two people already mention that the intro reminds us of "Message in the bottle". 100% obvious to my ears at first listen. @DavidBennettPiano, what is your opinion on this?

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Yeah, it’s like the melody of Message in a bottle with the rhythm of walking in Memphis - and either way, I’m not complaining. Sounds great

[@theepisofdiabolos-dj5xh]

very nice!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@clh3239]

I think of that first chord as Fmaj7/E... the 2nd as Fmaj9... & that last chord I know as D-69 ... I was taught to use 6 vs 13 chord since most of the time it's voiced below the 7th. guess that's why it's called music "theory" not music "fact"! Interesting. thanks for this. great tune

[@BenedictusEsDomine]

Great video… as usual. I love this song. I’ve been disappointed with every other song on the album, however.

[@janluszczek1223]

The question I have is who played the bass guitar in the chorus? Was it Sam Wilkes? It does sound like him, but you never know.

[@PepperWilliams_songcovers]

Nothing new under the sun. JS Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, Jerry Goldsmith (and many more) were doing way more advanced ‘stuff’ way before these guys were even a thought in some one’s mine.

[@harveyandruss8748]

Doesn't this use of clusters chordsdraw from dirty gospel chords used in neosoul?

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

The bass part is super hip in the chorus as well.

[@octaviooyhanarte9574]

It sounds really like ak+q or ferryquitous

[@nicolasforfant484]

A strange feeling of "Message in a Bottlle" in the high melodic line...

[@Baribrotzer]

That transcription in 7 would be a nightmare to read, although if you'd first heard the song it wouldn't be too hard to figure out. .

[@SRKanai1]

I gotta say, I haven't been all that impressed by Willow's music and large but this is a KICKASS track!

[@rome8180]

Her new album is mind-blowing. If you like this track, you really should give it a fair listen. It's all like this.

[@mimikova390]

love this song

[@marshac1479]

Love this song.

[@brionkellymusic5029]

Sick vid and love the song. Please do a video on the cluster chords at the end of the bridge from Radioheads We Suck Young Blood next🙏

[@mattstraszewski]

That initial piano version somehow resembles Message in the bottle.

[@nowaytoinvent]

That first main melody chords is message in a bottle with a third on the first chord and a ninth that doesn't resolve to the minor third on the last chord, just saying

[@machytka]

It is the same progression and feel as in "Message in a bottle" by the Police. In the original it is in C# minor.

[@freddyfortissimo3384]

Have you ever heard Mac Millers song called Good News? It’s a complicated track, musically. I’d love to see how it works

[@EGULL97]

I Want To Tell You and Old Brown Shoe have similar piano effect happening in it and I'd like to see you explain it.

[@rocklee5231]

Reminds me of Hikaru Utada’s Face my Fears a bit

[@StacheBigote]

Willow Smith is like a lotus flower growing out of a dumpster fire

[@RogerioPefi]

For me this chord progression could be: F(add9)/A - Fmaj9 - G13 - Dm6/9…

[@willowgamesnstuff]

how who’s 7/4?

[@adrianbaldoni9485]

Love oberhofer

[@ihhZ691]

Can you review "please please please" by Sabrina Carpenter? The chord progressions throughout the song are somehow "distinctive". Idk it sounds so peculiar compared to some songs going viral right now.

[@StratsRUs]

I enjoy this album.Her vocals sound like Tori mixed with Marina.The emotions are a bit hollow though

[@shmu_el]

So he started with "message in a bottle" and added clusters to not get sued 😂😂😂

[@ochreJ]

only four songwriters? beyonce has like twenty lol.

[@Madshadowgolem]

It is how you get paid. "Writers" make a % of the earnings vs just getting paid for the studio work once.

[@ochreJ]

@@Madshadowgolem Cool, more power to ‘em. It just shows how these celebs are not artists, they are just a brand.

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Yeah, with Willow Smith being one of those writers. Actually pretty impressive by modern standards. Sounds much more interesting and innovative than anything Beyoncé has done with her massive army of paid suits