I played Chord Chess with Jacob Collier

Join my discord! "June's Harmony Hideout" / discord
I played Chord Chess (?) with Jacob in his music room.
The rules are simple - take turns harmonizing the melody!
Play some weird stuff to baffle your foe... or create a story together with a friend.
Jacob Collier
www.JacobCollier.com
/ jacobcollier
Videography and Recording by Sam Lion-Cachet
samlioncachet.com/
/ samlioncachet
Follow me here:
www.juneleemusic.com/
/ june.lee1214
Patreon (pdf rewards)
/ junelee
00:00 How to play Chord Chess
00:11 I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
05:08 I'll Be Seeing You

[@zacksthetics]

the lead sheet already comes with chords guys

[@JuneLee]

true

[@aloysiuskurnia7643]

well they're creating tungsten sheet

[@musicboiscores]

​@@aloysiuskurnia7643 Waiting for someone to make a platinum sheet ...

[@HaukeRenken]

😂😂😂

[@osamucabral]

😂😂😂😂

[@modeswitching]

Ah, the classic Leeopolitan Opening, countered by the Hyperlydian Gambit.

[@TrochiTV]

Pretty sure they surpassed theory by the third move.

[@isaiaha8395]

this joke requires you to be in a specific set of people that understand both chess terminology and music theory to understand

[@nikanj]

I love when they both giiggle. I don't know what they're giggling about but I balieve it's something like "you resolved my add13 to the median of the Eb augmented hahaha."

[@PabloEnver]

I think I'll go study real chess and beat Magnus Carlsen. Looks easier than playing with you guys.

[@CrowClouds]

Lmfaooo

[@aintnocapinhere]

As someone who loves both music theory and chess, I wholeheartedly agree

[@arunkarthikma3121]

​@@aintnocapinhere As someone who loves both, it's not even close. The average joe is closer to Collier than they are to even an IM. Put in a couple thousand hours on your instrument, and you can achieve this. But even if you dedicate your whole life to chess, most people will only ever become FMs. No one can touch Magnus in classical, hes in a completely different sphere.

[@Legendoftherock]

Agreed

[@TheTeddyPlayGames]

​@arunkarthikma3121 Jacob is the current magnus of music if you're comparing like that, but the truth is chess is just harder than taking turns playing chords

[@scarcat2469]

Chord chess is a good name for this because similar to chess I understand what’s happening in theory but in reality I have no clue how any of this is being done

[@alexanderallegra432]

Mah

[@Jamienewman0]

​@@alexanderallegra432 : It's actually fairly simple conceptually. Any note can be harmonized in a bazillion different ways. So they're playing two standard jazz tunes -- with melodies that will be familiar to anyone who knows jazz standards - keeping the melody notes at the "top" of each accompanying harmony, which ensure that they're easily heard, and then building complicated and unconventional harmonies (that are often non-functional) underneath those notes. These two are just very good at constructing such harmonies, and using good voice leading to get from one to the next. But, yes, they're both very good at it. Give it 10,000 hours and you'll be right there with them.

[@jaycielle]

And it's still exciting as long as you know the absolute basics of the game

[@davidreber7816]

It's like a music playdate.

[@ares6186]

I think you can omit the "like"

[@wa_wa_wee]

omg thats so heckin cute 🥺🥺....

[@modalmixture]

Two hyperdimensional beings having a friendly conversation.

[@KevinTPLim]

best comment 😂

[@Croustisam]

You mean Two Hyper-Super-Mega-Meta dimensional beings having a friendly conversation

[@andrewkahler6399]

What we're seeing is a full-blown conversation in the language of music, complete with phrases, context, pacing, emphasis, one predicting what the other is about to say, even down to the mumbles in agreement, thought, laughter, etc. Not to mention the harmonic "innuendos" that I'm probably unaware of. It's crazy how this isn't just interesting musically but also linguistically.

[@ChukMeier]

We need some resolution. It's a neverending journey.

[@nahme5405]

Bro now that you have taken the time to write the sheet, it would be dope to hear it in time for context. Please please please, haha. Only then can you judge if the choices were great. But funny video tbh.

[@JuneLee]

good point!

[@MinurielLai]

+

[@SpencerTwiddy]

Yeah as I was watching the video, I expected this in the second half and was actually disappointed to learn the rest of the video time was more of the same.

[@idealmodernsystems]

"Anyway, here's Wonderwall...."

[@calebmichaelgordon]

1:02 …. I think Jacob Collier apologizing about a mistake is a better end time sign than the April 8th Eclipse

[@Scriabinfan593]

Glaze

[@MusixPro4u]

Highest level of harmonic sophistication in the game. Seriously doubt there're a lot of people who're that fluent in harmony.

[@danielkerlinsky3084]

Few of us are likely to know or guess how much June Lee contributed to Jacob’s evolution by being there, understanding, and giving transcriptions that validated… for those of us who gained in confidence in the classical nature of Jacob’s lifting music out of the categories we assumed were covering the whole field. To see June and Jacob playing together - June not only understanding but contributing to subtlety and gentle beauty - supports the imagination of the longevity and duration of how this music is spreading. This opens the heart in so many ways…

[@michelezaraofficial]

❤

[@ColocasiaCorm]

Or Jacob contributed to Junes evolution

[@TangerineGrove]

What a joy to see you two in the same room again! Two incredible minds creating some truly beautiful moments together. I'd love to see more of this with Jacob or any of your other musical friends!

[@Jordarr8994]

This is just mind boggling

[@jayferler4617]

This is amazing. They are literally communicating with each other through sound

[@jayferler4617]

Wait that’s how talking works lol, you know what I mean though

[@DanielBarberMusic]

@@jayferler4617How music works, too… 😊

[@88KeysMan]

That IDK chord. 🔥

[@MelodicEgghead]

3:34 IDK chord = c#-9 #5 #15 add4 ??? I know the C# minor is spread out with that sharp 5 so it's not all played with one left hand... I also don't know much about theory and only just figured out what the minus sign and triangle meant, as well as being mind blown about seeing sharp 15 and 12 lolol I don't read, just self-taught with perfect pitch, but nowhere near as cool and great as Jacob; I would know, I just saw him perform live a few hours ago in brooklyn!!!

[@darkcnotion]

I want a song with that now

[@Justauri-asdfghjkl]

This is what I imagine clouds sound like when they converse

[@ErikBongers]

Wow, that's a really nice image!

[@lunameriweather7693]

dude- you're so lucky to know jacob personally and i'm glad i get to know him through his music

[@MelodicEgghead]

3:34 IDK chord = c#-9 #5 #15 add4 ??? I know the C# minor is spread out with that sharp 5 so it's not all played with one left hand... I also don't know much about theory and only just figured out what the minus sign and triangle meant, as well as being mind blown about seeing sharp 15 and 12 lolol I don't read, just self-taught with perfect pitch, but nowhere near as cool and great as Jacob; I would know, I just saw him perform live a few hours ago in brooklyn!!!

[@Nicenigel14]

I really want to hear it edited together, or played by someone else, so it sounds how it would for an actual song 🥹

[@Johncowk]

The bonus clip was beautiful!

[@ToCoSo]

best thing ever, loved it, so good how playing with someone else can carry you to new places

[@RisikoAO]

Given time, and some trial and error, I could find the "next chord" but like that on the spot? No way. It must be nice to have perfect pitch and that amount of knowledge.

[@zebgordon354]

This is all relative tho, you could do this if you know the first chord and have a good ear

[@RisikoAO]

@@zebgordon354 first try with no errors? hell no, not me.

[@EvanSchmit524]

@@RisikoAOI think the beauty is that there are no errors!

[@GizzyDillespee]

There are no errors in conversation, either... but it's easy to say something that doesn't make sense. Some of these chord follows, in this video, don't make sense to me in their context. I also think my hands don't always play what my ears want to hear... with these 2, I'm sure that still happens every once in a while, but not as often. I'm not sure whether that's all down to experience (practice, just playing) or if perfect pitch helps that?

[@michaelhuit]

@@GizzyDillespee In a very loose sense, I think it just comes down to patterns. Once you understand the patterns and relationships well enough, and ingrain it, this sort of thing just becomes a bit of fun and good sport :))

[@peterg5383]

So beautiful! I could easily watch an hour of this a day...

[@eliasbachner1898]

This was awesome! Would love to hear it in time afterwards as well!

[@yomega69]

3:34 has me dead haha

[@MelodicEgghead]

3:34 IDK chord = c#-9 #5 #15 add4 ??? I know the C# minor is spread out with that sharp 5 so it's not all played with one left hand... I also don't know much about theory and only just figured out what the minus sign and triangle meant, as well as being mind blown about seeing sharp 15 and 12 lolol I don't read, just self-taught with perfect pitch, but nowhere near as cool and great as Jacob; I would know, I just saw him perform live a few hours ago in brooklyn!!!

[@jonahblank1893]

@@MelodicEgghead Actually, I'm seeing it more as an Amaj13#11add4/C#

[@MelodicEgghead]

@@jonahblank1893 You're probably right lol. Yours looks way better

[@ELGM429]

I love watching you two play.

[@dantwaddell6746]

Your equal levels of genius made Jacob feel human and seen. Bravo

[@ColocasiaCorm]

Agreed. Jacob is not at all patronizing here

[@ThePenelope04]

You guys bring me such joy!

[@itsritakim]

Don't know well about chords but it's delightful to see the two geniuses having fun with chords✨

[@israelstrommusic]

This is madness

[@marinooliveira4204]

i love how it's so natural you guys don't even take any time to make a decision

[@SayBootsey]

thanks for letting us witness your nerd-out :-) it's a great joy and a chill vibe

[@trumpetsuazo]

Absolutely lovely

[@1pepituh]

When the father takes his 2 kids to a music store and they see a piano there:

[@foo0815]

What are the analogies to check, mate, stalemate and zugzwang in chord chess? ;-)

[@agustinavarece5304]

1:54 What?? I feel a chromatic way to go around circle of fifths and it's so nice. Wow so good to see you two. Thank you!

[@user-vy7ko9gz9o]

You guys are just hmmmm…. Too good! Thanks for sharing. Too beautiful ❤❤❤❤❤

[@SonicArtist313]

Brilliant and fun!

[@sigil5772]

Brilliant and astonishing skills from you both, but I'd have liked to hear the tunes with these voicings played more or less in time to hear the logic within the whole structure (I have an aesthetic structure response which you have denied me arrrrrrrrrgh!)

[@tejs1234]

I am so thankful to have you and Jacob do joyful little magical moments like this on my media - those ears on you guys' heads are insane! I can't follow!!! - but I just bathe in the dissonance and lay down on the floor.

[@ivanfaigenbom5300]

Love this video

[@heavypiano]

That was just lovely

[@realizbac4624]

SpongeBob and Patrick in the IMAGINATION box

[@Bahimo3154]

Hope there's Part 2

[@alanmassalov3683]

i absolutely love you guys.

[@rileyabarker]

this was such a jacob collier june lee video

[@foomeeh]

this is great and fun🐸🎼♟️🎼♟️🎼♟️

[@johnzhou4877]

Where can I even learn this level of music theory

[@GuitarbenderS]

what a treat! beautiful.

[@colinmignot6309]

so many gems thank you

[@coma-body-stilllife]

A true treat

[@muzikorius3378]

It's almost like you're hitting random stuff but not actually

[@GHRiz]

For me, the I'll Be Seeing You clip was much more fun, because I'm more familiar with the tune, so I could relate the crazy chords to the melody and "follow along" easier. Regardless, this is just great. :)

[@snoopy_next_door]

Beautiful game of chess😮😮

[@june-ls1hw]

Oh man I smiled this entire video. I wish I could watch more

[@oliveryoung2260]

I expected this to be like “knight to g7” and they were gonna sing ‘kniiiight’ while playing a g7 chord

[@darkcnotion]

So cool ❤

[@kalebrhea5822]

This is a fantastic game!

[@jazzerson7087]

Write a book please June, jam packed with crazy chord progressions and reharmonizations!

[@JoeDavisMusic]

I NEED TO DO THIS OH MY GAAD

[@sammys9361]

i love this :D

[@Scriabinfan593]

I need to find a friend to do this with

[@marinooliveira4204]

you should make a harmony with june video for every technique you mentioned at 0:11

[@luisbaldas2118]

I would love to see all together like an actual piece

[@sccrguy610]

This reminds me of the scene in Ocean’s 12 (13?) where Linus gets taken along to a secret meeting where they all talk in coded phrases, but Linus doesn’t know what the code is. Turns out, they were just messing with him, there was no code. The way these two just sit at the piano and create these chord progressions and chuckle to themselves about it makes me feel like Linus, and I’ve got a B.A. in music education.

[@kojionkong7058]

It takes two to play a great game.

[@omarrihani2599]

You're probably some of the only people in the world capable of playing this game 😍

[@SauloRoston]

One day I'm gonna play this games with you guys!!! MUCH LOVE FROM BRAZIL!

[@joshuasellers4473]

Wow new chord piano sample pack just dropped. Lofi beat makers are greedily running their hands together right now

[@lupash]

Absolutely crazy stuff. Can I borrow some of these stunning progressions? lol

[@mikegleim5241]

A conversation only a couple of people in the world can have. Reminds me of Chick Corea's Piano Improvisations Volumes 1&2 !

[@Ryan_Kiernan]

Opposite of chess in terms of competition tho, they way you have to work together is something else. I guess understanding your “opponent’s” strategy is similar lol

[@BuckPowers]

Very clever and entertaining. I'd like to suggest a variant: Metronome Chord Chess (effectively the same thing in tempo, even better if you swing it). Neither player gets to pause between chords (unless it's a musical rest). AND each player will necessarily have to think of the next chord before the other player is done playing. Harder? Probably. It might produce less adventurous harmonizations at first. But I'd bet you two could master it. Then you'll have to do a live set. 🙂 It's a new form of improvisational performance!

[@MrFYoung]

I'd like to hear this harmony played in sync with the melody at tempo

[@dominikn19]

MASTERMINDS.

[@EnriqueRodriguezVergara918]

🔥🔥🔥

[@fburton8]

Mornington Crescent!

[@forrestsun956]

Now we need Rick Beato to explain it all.... :)

[@luisfloresgonzalez2337]

Mr June Lee may I use your arrangement to make video of me playing all the chords one after the other?

[@zackgee3084]

can you do a video playing the song with the chords from this video?

[@joannalewis5279]

Chess too is a dance

[@CrowClouds]

This is crazy

[@jamesonrichards5105]

a game only seven people can play but many can listen

[@SMACKDOWN111]

5:00 premove

[@tentothepowerof10]

Opening theory, and music theory

[@ClimateN00b-ik2po]

I was waiting for one of them to whip out something really basic like c major outta nowhere

[@ChyPPy-zj7vr]

10 days on watching chess champions playing chess and now this pops up? 😍😍😍😍 ❤🎉

[@jbfunkyjazz]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@gabebabe1]

Thanks guys - enough material here to write 50 songs and a couple of symphonies

[@user-sn4fj5el2b]

How did you learn jazz harmony? I have been trying to learn it for so long, but I just cant figure out how you choose what chord to use and when. Do you need to go to college or is there some way to learn it on your own? Or do just have to be a natural with harmony?

[@DanielBarberMusic]

Definitely something you can learn. There are many approaches to it but I like Jacob’s approach which, as I understand his explanations, is “sound-centered.” Start with feelings and raw sounds, and gradually refine. This is how I have come to teach improv and it is super fun and rewarding to do this. You don’t have to know chord names to make the sounds these guys were making. But the more you play and get new ideas and ways to put them into your own mental map, the more likely you are to recreate what you like and to consciously create new stuff. Fun journey, for a lifetime!

[@juanpabloperez2889]

Hello June Lee, I'm writing to you from Argentina! You could make an explanatory video of what each instrument does in the Cameroonian song called KOPOLO. It's a mystery to many musicians around the world and will be greatly appreciated by your community! Thank you for your great work!

[@eviculum4518]

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER

[@PuebloYo]

What’s the speed chess version look like?

[@DemBone93]

❤

[@erikamontiel2901]

Nice

[@dabi_]

I would love to learn how to understand this, but I literally have no idea where to start

[@stefanbrechtc533]

I wish i could do this fr