The Strangest Music Theory Masterpiece I've heard in a while... (Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake)

[@LearningMusicSkills]

📢He's Bringing Theory Back... (Yeah!) If this was interesting please leave a like 🤗 * Also, I should not forget to mention that Timbaland played a very big roll in making this song even though he is not credited.

[@teunsegersofficial]

It's also a great example how a good performance is more important than a perfectly tuned vocal. Good video!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Hey Teun it's been a long time! ( Or at least in the comments that is). Great to see you here again. I hope your doing well with your music. You're definitely right. This shows that a great performance is worth so much more!

[@nimratmand3318]

Such a great analysis! You deserve to be so much more popular!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you! 😊 Who knows what the future will bring for the channel. In the meantime I'll give my best to create interesting videos 😃

[@nimratmand3318]

@@LearningMusicSkills love your dedication!!

[@SigmaG94]

Very instructive! Blessed ❤

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Glad it's helpful and interesting! It's a great song with amazing music techniques.

[@Startech333]

Great video. Very insightful 🙌

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you!

[@rekindle]

The first part of his vocal strikes me as more of a half spoken / half intoned kind of thing, or like a rap or chant. .... and just out of curiosity, is the song definitely in Phrygian with the Phrygian Dominant line only appearing in that guitar part you mentioned ... or could the whole song be in Phrygian Dominant? The producer Timberland also did "Get Your Freak On" by Missy Elliot which is also in Phrygian and I think is a great example of it in pop / rap.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thanks for the music recommendation. I will check it out 🙂 It sounds interesting. Also, your take on the verse vocal is an interesting one that I have not considered. It sounds valid to me as well. Still his intonation is done in a very tasteful way. I personally doubt that the whole song is in Phrygian dominant, because from what I remember the minor third does appear throughout. But I would need to go back one more time to the song to check. But in anycase, it's already interesting enough that a pop song has us talking about if it is phrygian or phrygian dominant. It's a work of art if you ask me!

[@rekindle]

thanks for your reply @@LearningMusicSkills ! Yes, agree that it's a very interesting song, it reminded me a lot of George Clinton and Bootsy Collins / P Funk ... and I think there is a kind of "anything goes" attitude there were, if the part has the right attitude and is rhythmically good it can work just through confidence and repetition. - I was curious about the Phrygian vs Phrygian Dominant question because Phrygian Dominant feels to me like it's just MORE of what makes Phrygian Phrygian, more of that atmosphere .... but maybe it's a bit harder to write a pop song with Phrygian Dominant? The chords you can make from the Phrygian Dominant and the kind of progressions you might typically build are a bit more... constricted? Anyway, thanks again for making the video!

[@rome8180]

​@@rekindle I don't think it's harder to write a pop song in Phrygian dominant. I feel like there are plenty of pop songs that use Phrygian dominant as a way to invoke "exotic" or "Middle Eastern" vibes. It does a far better job of that than Phrygian, imo, which is more of a metal scale. Here are some songs that use or are in Phrygian dominant that I thought of: Beyonce - "Naughty Girl" and "Beautiful Liar" Lil Nas X - "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" Queen - "Innuendo" Jeff Buckley - "Dream Brother" Offspring - "Come Out and Play" (just the guitar riff) Jefferson Airplane - "White Rabbit" (mixes Phrygian and Phrygian dominant) Radiohead - "Pyramid Song" (mixes Phrygian and Phrygian dominant) Muse - "United States of Eurasia" The Cure - "______ an Arab" (censoring that one so the algorithm doesn't flag me for hate speech) Not all "pop" songs by any means, but many of them were hits.

[@rome8180]

At least during the Tiny Desk Concert, I think we can safely say it's in Phrygian. Listen to the horn breakdown toward the end. Lots of minor thirds.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

@rome8180 Thanks for the great insights. Also, I have some new repertoire to listen to thanks to your list.

[@earthgirdler23]

It strikes me that the Synth and vocal (for the most part - artistic intonation changes notwithstanding) both being flat points towards the recording being slowed a touch post mixing to producer taste, rather than the whole song being recorded flat.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Could be. Haven't thought about that one yet! Although the synth does not seem to be detuned the same throughout.

[@michaelnorris2522]

What's the melody at 5:06 that everyone should be familiar with?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

The part where they sing go ahead be gone with it.

[@th.nd.r]

@@LearningMusicSkillsthe classical piece?

[@uffevonlauterbach]

When it comes to modes, I've managed to unintentionally land in Phrygian or Dorian mode.

[@atom_c]

Really interesting video and well put together! Love the Phrygian stuff. I would like more convincing that it's not just a song that isn't in A=440Hz though?

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you! The Phrygian stuff was what got me interested in making this video in the first place. You're right about the tuning. The microtonal aspect is regarding the deliberate in-between intonation of the vocals. To me to vocals even often sound out of tune.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Of course there are more ways to describe this particular way of singing.😊

[@atom_c]

@@LearningMusicSkills Yeah, you're right! And have a better ear than me :) thanks for reminding me of, and explaining more of, a great track, anyway!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

You're welcome! It really is quite a unique song. I especially like the live tiny desk concert version. Here is a link to it with timestamp if you want to check it out some time :-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX6se6allt2FoM0si=LlR81lU7CLupvAQi&t=1195

[@atom_c]

@@LearningMusicSkills I just had a listen! Really great :) thank you

[@bast261]

Erg nice video

[@bobby5850]

great video!

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Thank you Bobby!

[@mttlsa686]

To me it looks like not every note of the synth is completely out of tune so I think that it's simply the "analog oscillation" of the synth doing the entire thing...

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Could be or detune that's controlled by a vco. In any case it has far reaching impact on all other elements in the song/ production

[@mttlsa686]

@@LearningMusicSkills Right, might be also a simple detuning.

[@vadimzitsermusicianvlogcha3870]

First- not Timberland(as you write in first comment),but Timbaland. Second -I did not like your analysis. There are so many things going on there,but you analyse it with classical archaic music theory. Did you ever read Philip Tagg? Third -it is not microtonal.

[@LearningMusicSkills]

Gosh stupid autocorrect! Thanks for the heads-up though.