Pachelbel Rant

[@Pixietoria]

When I took my GCSE music many moons ago and it came to composition, our music teacher actually said to us: “watch out for the inevitable... at some point you’ll come up with something that sounds great at first, only to realise you’ve just rewritten Pachelbel’s Canon”.

[@graciepeapea]

SO.TRUE. I took GCSE music and did composition. One of the pieces I wrote was a repeating base line with variations on top. And after scratching my head for months, I realized the base line was VERY similar to Pachelbel’s Canon. Granted, it’s not exactly the same and I took proud of the “plot twist” I wrote. But still.... huge fail lol

[@Doorisessa]

I did a composition class for music in high school, and now, many years later, I've realised that one of the compositions I wrote was just another variation on La Folía, and I hadn't even realised at the time.

[@Sileithel]

LMAO sound advice!

[@Vanished_Mostly]

I'll always remember writing a guitar part for someone, and when I played it for him, he laughed and said matter-of-factly, "That's Journey." He then played "Don't Stop Believin'" for me and I realized my life was a lie.

[@mandalorian_guy]

@@Vanished_Mostly that's because Don't Stop Believin uses the same 4 chord progression as a lot of pop songs. It's ingrained deep in our collective minds.

[@lost4tseas]

i've come back because maroon 5 released "memories" and it's literally canon in d again

[@devilsslave1970]

And they didn't even do a good job trying to hide it

[@willemvdk4886]

Yep. Me too. Aaaaaahhhhh

[@elizabethefraim3160]

I was just listening to this and started singing memories. This ruined a lot for me 😂

[@Arionlappy]

Same.

[@joewileman4480]

@@devilsslave1970 yup just heard it on the radio today. Knew there was something catchy and a few seconds later I knew exactly what it was.

[@gabrielrackers8324]

Guys!!!! Over the course of this bit he plays the pachelbel chord progression 54 times!!! His bit was literally the cello part for the canon!!!🤯

[@jeremiahdyson6596]

Oh wow

[@johncurtis920]

Really? I wasn't keeping count. But if true that's a sign of a subtle, very intelligent, mind isn't it? ;-)

[@nfullenwider]

Mother of God....

[@courtneystuart9265]

Woah

[@mkel1979]

Mind. Blown.

[@rozalindachesebro]

Best joke in this: "Punk music is a joke, it's really just baroque."

[@darcydoll437]

I really liked the 'I'll see you in hell Pachelbel' too. He he he. ♥

[@UnintendedSheep]

I was learning about Baroque music and this made me chuckle when I heard him say it

[@Captain_Hapton]

I mean, in punk's defense, Green Day was a joke in the punk scene I grew up in.

[@evlee1295]

For me it's "VH1's I Love the 1790s"

[@AliceDiableaux]

@@Captain_Hapton It still is, and Green Day isn't punk and has never been. It's pop punk though and that's the closest the general public is ever getting to punk. You can't expect the average person to know Bad Religion, NoFX or Black Flag. And even from the more mainstream punk bands like the Offspring the songs that everyone knows are the slower softer songs.

[@cooperthecooper8171]

I never knew that I would laugh so much watching a man slowly break down mentally on stage.

[@Yesica1993]

I know, right? Poor guy, LOL!

[@philipyao5989]

I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL! PACHELBELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

[@jaccuse4086]

I like how your profile picture is the Black Parade (mainly because I'm emo) but also because Welcome to the Black parade is another song inspired by this same Canon.

[@brittclark2545]

you're not wrong...

[@arsantiqua8741]

PLAY THE GIGUE PART DUMBFUCKS!

[@spooklord7242]

"There's no way to be cool when your instrument is larger than you." I'm a harpist, I totally understand lol. And as a kid I had that EXACT part in Pachelbel's Canon.

[@theunwelcome]

when I was in HS the one tuba/sousaphone player in our band happened to also be the smallest kid in the school. did he get picked on? you bet your ass he got picked on...

[@deathlord269]

I am a percussionist, I don't have this issue. (specialize in Timpani)

[@emmakirk1287]

HARPISTS UNITE

[@lilyhenderson9864]

preach!! harps are so overlooked ugh

[@roguishpaladin]

Why would they give that part to a harp?! Harps have such pretty high notes.

[@python1972]

That "he was probably called Johann, they're always called Johann" is funnier when you know his first name actually was Johann

[@laustcawz2089]

I'm sure he knew this & was just pretending he didn't.

[@karolkozik5918]

It's a nice joke, playing off of the audience's knowledge of baroque artists.

[@opaljk4835]

Karol Kozik you mean just Bach, right?

[@SJohann]

Damn, now I wanna learn Canon in D on piano.

[@opaljk4835]

Haravata Johann it’s on the easier side of the dead old composer spectrum

[@baylinkdashyt]

You know what my favoritest part of this video is? It's where Rob puts his hand on the guitar plug... *and then waits a second for the sound guy to mute it* before unplugging it. Thanks, Rob.

[@paravonian]

Thank YOU for noticing :-) Sometimes it’s the little things...

[@baylinkdashyt]

@@paravonian I am often enough that sound guy. By the way, how did the live album work out?

[@paravonian]

@@baylinkdashyt I'm happy with it :-) There was a great crowd and the energy can definitely be heard on the album. Some tracks have been getting some nice airplay on SiriusXM radio and some other places, which is nice. Thanks for asking!

[@levarburton1272]

@@paravonian do you have a PO BOX AT all I am a guy I am Jamie Norwood

[@Fuchsia_tude]

@@levarburton1272I don't believe you, that sounds like exactly what a BIRD would say

[@Noddy-lc9kd]

My music teacher showed me this the day before he died. I come back to this every now and then as a reminder of what an awesome guy he was.

[@thetruerift]

May he live in memory

[@Noddy-lc9kd]

+thetruerift thanks man :)

[@Noddy-lc9kd]

Kevin Darby January

[@Noddy-lc9kd]

Hello Hello because why not xD

[@Fr3akymet4l]

Wait, who is dead now? Your teacher or Rob?

[@oRitchinal]

Every band is granted one hit song with the pachelbel chords

[@KhiemNguyen-ly1wz]

That’s... actually pretty true. Come to think of it maybe I should do something like that

[@karlrovey]

It's great for improvising a ritornello as well. Several Paul Manz improvisations use this chord progression or a similar chord progression for for ritornellos between phrases.

[@Jack-fh1qh]

@TheLlplpl so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late

[@krozjr5009]

(Or it’s variant, I-V-vi-IV)

[@GhostHostMemories]

Johan. A four chord song?

[@katebulson7349]

16 years later, and this still slaps.

[@MikeTaffet]

And it’s shockingly relevant to Ed Sheeran’s copyright court case

[@richt7525]

20ish years later and things haven't improved much tbh. Pachelbel is STILL stalking all of us XD.

[@monicaambalal8634]

Yup! 16 years later and I STILL use it in my Music History survey! Some of the songs are not as known now, but the students love it, and they go and look up the other songs.

[@psugab]

Damn Skippy. I was at that concert too. I have to tell my kids that too whenever this comes up on Pandora.

[@keeganray2506]

17 years later still slaps

[@susannahsears3041]

This is even funnier and more timely 13 years on. It's like aspiring musicians confused this for a Ted Talk.

[@swiftfox3461]

Well, it DOES look a little like the TED talk video format.

[@LeenieRaquel]

Ohmygosh this comment just made me laugh out loud! 🤣

[@susannahsears3041]

@@LeenieRaquel THANK U!!!!

[@brch2]

It reached peak funny when Maroon 5 released Memories. Why come up with some "original" spin of the piece when you can just straight up use a barely modified version of the piece itself.

[@saboo_tage]

You know something's wrong when violas get more than cellos

[@artsy_artist1323]

As a violist, I whole heartedly agree

[@WuYixiang]

+Xyko Seconded. Violas don't get nearly enough love.

[@user-vn1rv3kv3m]

+artsy_artist132 牙腌

[@annasauer3420]

IKR I used to play viola

[@gabelance1]

Viola master race

[@kryw10]

This never ever ever gets old.

[@walexia]

+KR YW and apprently, neither does Pachelbel's Canon

[@carolynpeterson2350]

+Solar Gaze DAMM U PACHELBEL!

[@jessicawalsh5328]

U still watching this 3 years later?

[@JoeDFWAviation]

Free Vbucks lol I am

[@notachips3565]

Exactly

[@adamlink974]

You know what joke gets glossed over in this? "My step-nephew-in-law's graduation" - wtf is a step-nephew-in-law??!

[@renimar]

My guess: he has a step-sibling who is married, and that partner has a nephew. Step-sibling's spouse is his step-(brother/sister)-in-law, and that person's nephew makes it a step-nephew-in-law. Or it's just entirely made up for comedic purposes. :)

[@jamesbachreeves]

@@renimar "Bothers and sisters have I none. But that man's father is my father's son." Who is that man?

[@Gruskinator]

your son

[@Gashahn24]

His wife has a sibling who has a step-son. In that case he would only be the uncle in law to the step-son.

[@MilkByCow]

If his step nephew in-law actually exists, I think we graduated the same year cause that Vitamin C song was our graduation song

[@fullfrontalsnogging]

It’s 2022 and I STILL think of this. Every time I start listening to my favorite recently released songs only to slowly realize it’s Pachelbel, yet again, I consider swerving my car.

[@justincombs7433]

When Maroon 5 "Memories" came out on the radio in 2020, all I could do was go "Bah Dah DAH DAH DAH" and think of this.

[@wc0424]

2023 here

[@PupCake1025]

I think I just watched someone have a mental breakdown via song

[@summerinspringville-hill]

"I don't even go to taco bell, 'cause it sounds too close" hahaha too funny

[@ffjsb]

We have too many real Mexican restaurants to waste time on Taco Hell, and they have beer too. But I haven't heard Pachelbel in any Mariachi music, yet.

[@Agoonga]

Taco Bell is the best mexican food in the world. You have a very unsophisticated palate if you can't recognize that.

[@Agoonga]

***** No way, José

[@Agoonga]

***** I was just kidding. Taco Bell isn't very high quality

[@BenjaminMankowski]

I had to laugh when I heard that because I was singing for a wedding once. It was me, another singer, an organist, and a violinist. When I saw a printout of the order, whoever put it together had "Paco Bell's Canon" written as the prelude.

[@osodelososos5552]

It just shows what a timeless piece of brilliance the original music is. Those cord progressions are very appealing to the human brain.

[@laufeyloki]

I was reading a fantasy comic and then Dawey O'rowane says I will just play pachebel canon but faster and then I remember this video that hace 16 years now Dawey no matter what you tried you will play pachebel XD

[@Halberds6]

Unless you're this guy Then you hate it

[@sarahpatton5003]

"The second violins would get lovely melodies which should just not happen" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ShootingStarStudio]

as a proud second violin player, i wanted to throw hands when he said that.

[@lizevans5537]

HA! I'm a violinist and I HATE Canon in D because I'm constantly playing it: every wedding or event I have ever played requests it, and I have at least one student playing it at any given time, which means I have to play it with them!! My son is in the NICU, and they play the Pandora Christmas radio station there, and there are at least 2 different Pachelbel versions playing every hour. It drives me crazy. I mentioned it to the nurse, and she told me to google this comedian, which is how I got here. I totally agree with everything he says, and I get the good parts!

[@williamhively3295]

Liz, I hope your son is out of NICU and doing fine by now. Sending good thoughts your way.

[@lizevans5537]

***** Thank you William! He is home and doing wonderfully!

[@williamhively3295]

That's great news, Liz.

[@bobertbojo2]

Better than pomp and circumstance.

[@tracheoboy]

Don't knock it you're earning from it

[@Smartacus98]

Pachelbel's Canon is the music equivalent Comic Sans.

[@dasjake116]

No it's not, I love Canon in D.

[@TheRealSkeletor]

+Jequisha Watch the video.

[@emmapuds13]

QUEEN

[@hayleyzawesome1601]

+TheAntiParadox I've never heard Pachelbel's Canon described so aptly.. you win the internet

[@DarkKraMer]

+TheAntiParadox except most people stopped using comic sans after the initial "haha funny" -moment, pachelbel's canon just goes on and on in the pop music and you cant escape it.

[@hexdepixel1165]

"And I got so sick of Pachelbel, I moved to the Soviet Union, because they've banned all the art and stuff so Pachelbel can't POSSIBLY follow me to the Soviet-" "Da zdravstvuyet sozdannyy voley narodov . I V vi iii Yedinyy, moguchiy Sovetskiy Soyuz! . IV I II V *_"NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA_*

[@druhyprogram]

😀🤣🤣🤣 true!

[@johnrottler4000]

And after that I decided to leave the Soviet Union and I decided to Go West !

[@edvinparmeza1298]

"Please, send me to the gulag and kill me, I can't take Pachelbel anymore"

[@sapphoenixthefirebird5063]

The modern Russian anthem uses the exact same tune. Substitute the old lyrics for "Могучая воля, великая слава Твоё достоянье на все времена!", or if you can't read Cyrillic, "Moguchaya volya velikaya slava Tvoyo dostoanĭye na vse vremena!" and "Soviet Union" with "Russia" and his argument still holds.

[@iammaybeabro4598]

"So I decide that some anime will be perfect, and I finish my Evangelion binge with the movie, which I thought would be a reward, and then-" "I know, I know I've let you down . I V vi I've been a fool to my- iii IV NANANANANANANANANANANANA"

[@Delvareus]

Rob, you have no choice but to respond to Maroon 5's "Memories." I'll wait.

[@tinydog5815]

Came to this video as soon as I heard that song

[@mikkopowgi]

@@tinydog5815 Same

[@gettingkilt]

Oh there is more. How about "don't look back in anger"?

[@CasualGraph]

I kinda like how his overused classical melody rant became a four chords rant toward the end there. Tip o' the hat to him for an entertaining bout of hatred.

[@lordvivec9896]

Well those four chords come from Canon in D.

[@ZandoFox]

Lord Vivec "come from"

[@MaggaraMarine]

Lord Vivec No they don't. The four chords he played in the end were D-A-Bm-G. The Canon in D is D-A-Bm-F#m-G-D-G-A. Everybody uses I, IV and V chords. They are the most common chords - they are the basis of tonal music. The next most common chords are vi and ii. Pachelbel didn't invent them. The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV (or ii)-V chord progression became popular because of Canon in D but I'm sure Pachelbel didn't "invent" it either. It's just a simple chord progression that works and has a bit more color than just the three basic chords (I, IV and V). It's kind of a sequence if you look at it. There's a fourth jump down, then a second up, then a fourth down, a second up, fourth down and we are on the tonic chord, and to start the chord progression again, we end it with a basic half cadence I-IV-V which leads us back to the start of the progression pretty smoothly. Sequences work (the sequence in this progression was fourth down, second up). They sound "logical". Another really common chord sequence is the circle of fifths progression (usually in a minor key) - i-iv-VII (could also be seen as a secondary dominant for the III chord)-III-VI-ii-V. It is very common because it is logical. It moves down in fifths all the time. Look at jazz standards like Fly Me to the Moon or Autumn Leaves and they are based on this progression. Moving in fifths just sounds good. Nobody invented them, they just feel natural.

[@lordvivec9896]

MaggaraMarine You know, you're 100% correct. I did word my comment pretty bad. I should have said something along the lines of "Well those four chords are found in Canon in D." The Top Comment didn't seem to get the connection between the melody and the chord progression being used all over the place. You are right, though, and I'm glad to come across another person who knows a bit about music theory. Most of my peers can't even find middle C on a piano....

[@johnrottler4000]

@@lordvivec9896 Nope the last chord is difficult but they are very closely related to each other

[@waterlubber]

I play this the double bass. This guy doesn't know anything about suffering.

[@bwiebe158]

waterlubber I concur. Even larger, even more boring.

[@Teabobaggins]

'Cellist and double bassist here... Double the suffering. ;)

[@bwiebe158]

Teabo Baggins Dear God, I am sorry for feeling bad for myself. All hail the overlord of boring orchestra parts!

[@Teabobaggins]

Brendan Wiebe Oh well, at least I was a foot higher than the other girls in the orchestra. :D

[@waterlubber]

***** i learned the bass line ;)

[@IanOsmond]

3:06 -- "I hate Pachabel with a passion. I don't even know his first name -- it's probably Johann. They're all called Johann..." *checks Wikipedia* "Johann Pachelbel (baptised 1 September 1653 - buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. "

[@barrettdecutler8979]

Today I learned.

[@miinh1067]

I mean Johann is literally John in English, which always has been among the most popular names

[@stevetournay3731]

Quite sure Rob knew that, but that makes it a hilarious inside joke...

[@TheAlps36]

There's also Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Christian Bach and 2 Johann Strauss es

[@wallywam1]

That’s the joke.

[@AGenericMoron]

I come back to this video every couple years, and I'm pretty sure it's always this exact video. Watching Rob slowly build from frustration through resentment to sheer unbridled hate is brilliant, especially as he sells it so well that you can clearly see it on his face even in this potato-quality recording.

[@lostsol6757]

I do that too, and I think there is no way it's going to be as funny as I remember it being. I'm wrong, every time. ❤😂

[@alanishamblin5410]

There's a bit of cheating towards the end, when Rob switches from Pachelbel to the 4 Chords of Pop (from I-V-vi-iii to I-V-vi-IV). This is still one of the funniest stand-up bits I've ever seen though, and Rob is a fantastic performer.

[@KhiemNguyen-ly1wz]

The pachelbel chords and the pop chords do tend to overlap with some small modifications to the notes. His point still stands though

[@timmazur7255]

Found the music theory major.

[@juicicles5881]

Yeah, he cheated with the progression once he got to Green Day. There were a few of the songs listed where he stretched the melody a bit to make it work, for sure. This was still hilarious. I've watched it like 10 times since I saw it yesterday. I wish I had seen it earlier. Think of those stretches as guy putting whatever the artist did to make you think it wasn't Canon in D so they could get away with it. He put them back to what they borrowed from. I'm no trained cellist, I'm just a rhythm guitarist and I sing a little... Even I've had enough learning where I can tell when a melody's been aped, where the chords are switched, etc. I won't know what they are unless they are very simple. I can read music because my grandpa taught me when I was little and we played recorder in school but I only know basic things. Most of the theory i know is because of guitar and bass. I can do blues scales in D in Open D tuning; which is the easiest thing ever. Stay on frets 3,5, 7, 10 and 12 and you literalIy can't hit a bad note. I learned that from Keith Richards; who likes open G for that reason... I just switched it to D because I found out its a lot easier. I wish i had more time to practice. lol

[@kevinswift8654]

Definitely "cheated" a bit but his transition was seamless. I give him props.

[@5naxalotl]

there's probably an argument to be made that the "4 chords" is a cut down version of pachelbel, eliminating iii as a passing chord, and the final I-IV-V as a typical flourish at the end of a phrase that marks time without really affecting the phrase but imo the more important question is: does rob's rant pre-date the Axis bit? this cannot be answered with youtube ... there's a clip of an AoA member doing the bit before the above performance, but i suspect rob was already known for this act, and performed it early enough to have inspired AoA, despite their protestations. i am completely unable to find any information on the history of rob's sketch

[@kf9248]

Let It Go from Frozen even has this chord progression. There's no escaping Canon in D!!

[@ginl1981]

Wow! It really does! lol

[@NasePybus]

The only thing that bothers me about this otherwise-fantastic video is that the chord progression that he plays for all the songs at the end is not the same as the progression for Canon in D. Let It Go does follow the I-V-vi-IV progression, though, and if you want a great video on that, I suggest checking out The Axis of Awesome's '4 Chords'.

[@pianoman8642]

Only the first 4 chords I think

[@fairytail2484]

I can't connect the dots, can someone help me?

[@W1ndj4cK]

More like C G Am F. The second magic chords set.

[@TheirisaGod]

Probably the funniest part of this to me is that sometimes when I'm listening to the radio, I'll have a moment of hilarity when I realize 'He was right, that song is everywhere'. Always a case for me of 'Once you know, you can't ever unhear it'.

[@jameskutbach8878]

Me too!

[@mkel1979]

I just heard “memories” walking through a department store and was like “oh my god - I’m having a Rob Paravonian moment! Pachabel is following me!!”

[@stephenemmett9753]

I feel the same when I hear MCR's "Welcome to the Black Parade" because the chord progression is in the intro!

[@martingardnerphan11]

"When I find myself in times of trouble Pachelbel's always following me I'll see you in hell, Pachelbel"

[@mosesnelson27]

Pachelbel's Canon is great for a classical guitarist. I could improvise melodies and play the chords under it forever, making it a godsend for weddings.

[@Ertwin123]

It's a 4 chords song

[@nonh8nsk8r]

Ertwin123 actually, it's 5. D, A, B-, F#-, and G (and then D, G, and A).

[@spiderwebb222]

actually, it's 4. the F# bass note is just the 3rd of a D chord (in first inversion).

[@manictiger]

If you practice the scale(s) on any progression, you can get pretty proficient at it. What I like doing after I figure out a progression on the piano, is pushing the melody into off-scale territory where I see fit. I can turn a seemingly baroque/ragtime sounding thing into something almost Egyptian or something very jazzy. I'll usually switch between time sigs too, because it's not enough that I jacked up the key sigs. I also recently figured out you can go completely stupid on it and use every single interval on the piano and it'll somehow sound right as long as you're on-time and using at least a somewhat predictable swing-bass line. (Talking about on piano, of course)

[@klop4228]

Yes, but an inversion is functionally a different chord in most situations.

[@julesblake5728]

I listened to Maroon 5's "Memories" and I had to immediately rewatch this.

[@nicholaslawrence6926]

David Bennett Piano mentions it also. He actually puts the notes for the two pieces side-by-side and you can see it's almost identical. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5zRc4uFiNF5h9U

[@markm4952]

The songs he chose were so on point to what was popular back then. This turned into a nostalgia trip. Also I played upright bass in high school and I definitely share his hatred. Super relatable.

[@jammy7670]

You know, when he said "pachelbel is following me, and he's following you too", I thought he was either joking, or crazy. Then he sang the lyrics of songs I've heard and I was like: "Holy crap, he's right!" And indeed, Pachelbel cannon in D is the WORST song to play on cello. Even though he said 8 quarter notes, the closest version to the original I've played had them in whole notes. WHOLE NOTES! I know it was just for sight reading, but GEEZ! That was when l thought that the student who suggested to play that either had something against me, or cellists (He was a violist). Worst song ever to play, but it's inspired so many musicians today to use the same chords and similar melodies. -_- As much as us cellists hate it, Pachelbel's here to stay...

[@edibleandsentientautomobil5396]

Look at the bright side, Pachelbel is partially responsible for this rant

[@richardlloyd2589]

“Violist” of course being short for “violationist”.

[@Thepoltergiest101]

Being in orchestra class has taught me to hate a lot of songs. Especially all of the Pop songs we played during our summer concerts.

[@victoriac847]

I remember my flute teacher showing this to me when I started learning canon in d for an 8th grade solo (I was complaining it was hard and she was like trust me at least it’s not boringly easy like it is for the cellos) and I just randomly thought of it today and watched it 10 years later and now I’m shook because I ended up graduating from Penn state and totally did not realize this was filmed there lol

[@danieltaylor4912]

I love the increasingly angry vocal renditions of Pachelbel throughout the entire act.

[@davidguthary8147]

I'm a cellist, and I wholeheartedly agree. Pachelbel's Canon sucks.Rockelbel's Canon, on the other hand....

[@davidayalley1562]

rockelbels canon is awesome

[@NamesForDogs]

+David Guthary As an euphoniumist (mostly playing transcribed cello parts), Pachelbel was only slightly worse than post-Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. Every other instrument gets interesting parts, while my "exciting parts" were when I got to switch from "eighth dotted-quarter" to "dotted-quarter eighth."

[@MichelleCzarnecki]

+David Guthary Both are awesome. As for The Piano Guys, whoever couldn't like them, Rockelbel's Canon included, is missing out!!

[@catherine6389]

Same!

[@philipyao5989]

David Guthary the 4 chord song was popular

[@Salamon2]

The funny thing is, Pachelbel only wrote those 8 notes. The rest of the parts were meant to be improvised like Jazz music based on the chord progression noted by Pachelbel and grounded by the instrument playing the basso continuo (which is what those 8 notes are), which could either be a violincello or a viola d'gamba. Eventually people wrote down their favorite improvisations and combined them to create the amalgamation version we have now. But yeah, it's worse than he thinks.

[@JT-jt2id]

Salamon2 that would be the voicings of the chords yes but not the contrapuntal 3 part canonic melody. you dont improvise a canon (edit: yes you can improvise a canon but no there is no reason to believe that this was improvised). The basso contiuo improvised the vocings of chords. A continuo is an ensamble with for example a harpsichord or a viola de gambo or both the cello part is just the base voice. So no, the melody was very much composed by Pachelbel just like the base part was. The improvisational aspects would be the vocings of the chords that were played by the continuo and that were indicated by the figured base (the numbers) aswell as the ornamemtation.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

49jubilee Come again? 1912? Commercial recordings started in the USA in 1889 on brown wax cylinders, then black wax, and during this time Emil Berliner was making early flat disc records at least as early as 1892. By 1900, The Victor Talking Machine Co. had taken over the discs from Berliner, and in 1902 Edison finally started making cylinders that were mass produced by casting ("Gold Moulded"), and then in 1912, the Edison Diamond Discs and Blue Amberol cylinders. Columbia was going since the 1890s, with cylinders, the discs. Most discs were single sided until around 1908 when double sided discs came out. The big three record companies had the US market almost to themselves (via lawsuits), until the mid teens when the patents started running out and more companies sprang up, both for records AND phonos. This was the big phonograph boom. We had commercial electric recording in 1922 with Marsh Laboratories, and GOOD SOUNDING by 1926 with Victor and Columbia. Sound on film was experimental in 1923, and reality about a decade later, and movies with sound on disc (Vitaphone) started around 1926. Hand played piano rolls were commercially introduced in 1903 in the USA by Philip J. Meahl and the New York Music Roll Co. of Bayonne, New Jersey (these rolls nearly extinct today... I offer high prices to anyone who finds them), and on a large scale, in 1912 by QRS, Aeolian and Rythmodik, with other companies quickly following. Reproducing piano rolls started in 1904 with Welte in Germany, followed by Hupfeld in 1906, Philipps in 1908, and others.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

*the player piano boom in the USA was roughly 1912 thru 1927, for foot pumped, upright 88 note home players. The push-up piano players were popular about 10 years earlier, and the coin piano era overlapped all of this almost perfectly.

[@karlrovey]

No, he actually wrote the parts above the 8 notes as well. Being a clever musician writing a canon over the chaconne, he only needed to write the violin part and all the other parts the rules to realize their parts.

[@danhalberstein4067]

I have to say I just flashed back to the player piano in Westworld playing "Black Hole Sun..."

[@madisongreen7975]

"I'll just listen to emo music!" **distant laughter from the MCR fandom**

[@stephenemmett9753]

Of course - "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance uses this.

[@bendubz9000]

"how about some Ska?" DYAH DYAH DYAH DYAH SO HERE I AM

[@coolkumquats]

This realization has broken my brain. Thank you, I’ll be staring blankly into the distance rethinking my youth for the rest of the day

[@twistedwizard9100]

When I was a young boy, my father took me into the NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

[@stairfall12345678900]

I remember listening to this on repeat while I played Runescape on my Windows XP computer back in 2007. Those were the golden days man

[@ab8jeh]

The only question is why you weren't running Windows ME.

[@captainphoenix]

It's 2022. I still play Civ2 on my XP.

[@LadyHavoc]

This was uploaded ten years ago today and I'm just now finding it? Where has my life gone so wrong?

[@UberTheRandom]

Kaileen Gibbs IKR!

[@ChibiTails]

His name actually was Johann.

[@MindofScience3]

That was the joke.

[@ChibiTails]

MindofScience3 I know. I just didn't see anyone on the first page of comments saying it.

[@chrisbaker91]

ChibiTails because everybody already commented that years ago

[@ChibiTails]

Christopher Baker The irony here is that somebody else beat you to saying that.

[@ChibiTails]

***** Okay.

[@lauramurphy]

Can't stop coming back to this video. Such a wonderful rant about something so specific, it speaks to me. 11/10

[@TomStrahle]

Still funny in 2024.

[@urthboundmisfit]

You want more boring? Alto part on "Carol of the Bells".

[@BloodyBay]

My years as a baritone with High School Concert Choir and the seasonal Choraleers heartily agree with you. Even us guys in the Bass section had a little bit more to do than the altos and contraltos did whenever "Carol of the Bells" came up. Same with "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"; the Alto section might as well take a mass coffee break whenever _that_ song comes up. Friggin' sopranos and tenors...they get _all_ the love, I swear....

[@ags5696]

+Dana Seilhan Not if it's Trans Siberian Orchestra

[@frodolives26]

I have been saying this for YEARS. Glad I'm not the only one pointing it out. I HATED singing this in choir.

[@yourlocalbi9811]

+Dana Seilhan ding... dong... ding... dong....

[@cassidyhausmann-mason4537]

+Dana Seilhan Eeeehhhhhhhh... I liked singing the alto line of Carol of the Bells. It could be better... But it could also be a lot worse. There's more than one note, and we took over the melody at least once in our arrangement.

[@MandStephany1995]

I searched for "Every song sounds the same" and this was exactly the video I was looking for! Four for you KZbin, you go KZbin!

[@zombiebatbunny]

You should also look up Axis of Awesome: The Four Chords... it will blow your mind....

[@EverydayMusician]

Whoa! And this was ~5 years before Axis of Awesome's "4-Chord Song". I'm going to start giving you credit when I do mashups like this from now on.

[@matyk787]

Our music teacher showed us this before he made us learn Pachelbel's Cannon; I was the only one who found it funny ._. As a pianist, we played every part of it. Also, instead of saying F- Sharp, I decided to say 'farp' because it was the only way I could stay in time 😂

[@SuperFetaCheese]

Bass player here. You have no idea the pain I have endured.

[@thepersonguy101]

The cello part for Pachelbel has nothing on the tuba part for Mars from The Planets. Literally one note repeated for like 5 minutes.

[@loqueid]

Try being the snare player in Bolero...

[@123Jimjamjub]

Mike Haddox hahaa

[@wolverine843]

lol we all have our parts we hate to play (bass trombonist/tubist). Let's be real composers did it on purpose, they just hate us lol

[@TheJimmythebass]

***** except for other bassists. Beethoven wrote good bass parts too. So did Shostakovich. You should also look up Bottesini.

[@clayvision]

thepersonguy101 Let me tell ya, the baritone part from jupiter though

[@CattyAttie]

"Hook" by Blues Traveler was literally a satire song mocking Canon in D's presence in pop music and other tropes of the music industry. A hilariously ironically popular song.

[@captainsavage42]

Back in the 8th grade, I remember watching this over my friends shoulder sitting at her computer. 14 years ago, this was the first KZbin video I ever watched. And, 14 years later, it still holds up.

[@erictang1812]

The drummer for Bolero feels the same.

[@theevildrummingsithlord1492]

Haven't played the drums for Bolero yet, and I don't feel like.

[@marinamimbela4938]

Exactly😄😄

[@iqvoice]

Yes, but if you've ever seen it in concert, then you know the drummer gets plenty of credit at the end.

[@douglasslaton5591]

So do the violists

[@danhalberstein4067]

Especially at the end of "Lady" by Styx

[@LilBluSky0417]

I listened to Eminem "Sing for the Moment" last night and said "et tu Eminem? et tu?" thanks to this I can't stop hearing it. it's friggin everywhere!!!!! My hubby thought I was nuts until I made him listen to this. He hears it too now

[@LilBluSky0417]

it's not even hidden very well in most songs either

[@kzbw]

Hate to break it to you but sing for the moment doesn't follow this chord structure

[@temsuki2644]

my school is called Johann Pachelbel school and our schoolbell for some time was the cello part of canon in d

[@itsmejak7888]

Why

[@Evolve0JAB]

This is one of the best things I have ever heard.

[@Judg3m3nt]

So, this was before Axis of Awesome did their 4 chord thing?

[@lenorius]

Judg3m3nt Way before. They did theirs in 2008 if i remember correctly? Someone's gonna have to fact check that

[@Salamon2]

+12OclockLow Music majors figure it out in Music Theory 101. It's why most music majors look down upon pop music--because they're all the same song on a chord progression level.

[@joeferri7008]

+Salamon2 There's now way in hell 2 songs could be the exact same song. Sure it can have similarities. All music has similarities to some song no matter what song it is. I heard people say that the original Simon & Garfunkel version of "Sound of Silence" and the Disturbed version was 2 different songs, when really they're the same song, 2 different versions. How do I know this? I have the ears to point these things out.

[@Salamon2]

Joseph Ferri As I said, this was a critique lobbed by music majors, and the critique is on the chord progression level. If you can't tell I find their critique to be a bit putting off.

[@scoutdragon81]

+Judg3m3nt way before

[@toniogro]

This video has almost 10 years and I still laugh with it :D

[@breck1637]

Darkside2205 Let’s hope you aren’t serious

[@kenmorrisproducer]

Dang. I’ve been watching this video for 16 years… 😂 I’m getting old! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@limpneckmike]

What’s funny is that Basket Case is actually the second time Green Day uses that chord progression in a song. The first time was on a song called One of my Lies on their 1991 album Kerplunk.

[@25Pignite]

Damn, that’s pretty cool. I didn’t know Green Day used that chord progression more than once. The song slaps though, ngl

[@nazifatasnim5739]

My class watched this in music class and I swear we broke into insanity😜😍😝😘😄😗😍😀😱

[@emihall3181]

Watched this today in class whole class in tears 😂😂😂😂

[@TheRIP314]

Emily Vlogs The both of you do 'redundant' very well.

[@jelenisjimenez3621]

We did do too I love it this rant =3

[@crosberrie]

Same here

[@findus_cathd9954]

Nazifa Tasnim OMFG same lol! except only me and my friend cracked up at the end references.

[@iancoen1792]

I come back to watch every so often since I first watched. I still laugh my ass off and marvel at how intelligent the joke setup and payoff are.

[@ajgensel9359]

A friend showed me this video many, many years ago and I laughed so hard that I still look it up occasionally for a laugh. Today was one of those days. Thanks for making the day a little brighter.

[@thetruephobia]

I heard the song memories by maroon 5 today and instantly flashed back to this

[@moosewhisker8072]

“There’s no way to be cool when your instrument is larger than you.” Pianists are ANGERY

[@kathleenyohn6237]

Love this! As a former cellist now guitar player I concur! The only other piece that rivals this fir sheer boredom for cellist is Faure's Pomp and Circumstance played at graduations and which has to be repeated ad nauseum until everyone has gotten their diploma. No melody for cellos until the big swell at the end. It's opening too follows that same harmony sequence as the Canon. That ubiquitous Circle of Fifths!

[@SparkyMcBiff]

I come back to watcdh this every once in a while and link it to any friends that ever bring up "Canon in D".

[@phightshifter]

I can’t believe it’s been this long. I was 21 when this video posted.

[@EricGrossisanomad]

The only song he mentions that has a legitimate excuse for being so lazy is Blues Traveler's Hook, because they did it on purpose. Between the note for note copy of Canon In D and the clearly pop-structure-hating lyrics, it's an awesome commentary song. AVClub does a great breakdown of why Hook is awesome. Also John Popper's voice and sick harmonica solos.

[@KhiemNguyen-ly1wz]

Meh I wouldn’t called it lazy. Sometimes you gotta eat something and this is one of the surefire way of making a hit. I would spend my entire life writing songs based around the canon if I know how to actually write music. I just never seem to get sick of it for some reason

[@markdaniels7174]

This is brilliant and I’ve listened to it many times. The audience is a little unsure at first - a whole bit about a classical music piece? - but he totally wins them over by the time of his closing medley.

[@globaljg]

Loved this! As classical and alternative music geek, I can certainly relate! Not a cello player, but I actually love the cello part - it’s a metaphor for those in our lives that provide stability and consistency while the others live free and wild. The rocks in our lives are always there. In the Canon, the cello stays strong through the last note of the tune, which demonstrates they will be there throughout until the end.

[@Bearbytez]

The only person to ever do this bit (arguably the first as well) to actually call out the chords. And also the only one do to do Graduation by Vitamin C, the song that I'm always thinking of during every other iteration of this bit.

[@Retrotude]

Great, now I'll never be able to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater without hearing these chords.

[@StillLateToTheParty]

If only the ghost of Pachelbel could show up and sue...

[@teresamedeiros6822]

Come back every few years cause this still lives rent free in my head. Still fire.

[@TuxKamen]

This has always been one of my favorite numbers from Doctor Demento, thanks for coming up with it!

[@Jeranhound]

As someone who played Alto sax in middleschool, I know exactly how he felt on the cello. My school did Smashmouth's All Star for my town's parade, and my line was composed of only G for about the first minute of the song. So, I played the Clarinet part, instead, since it was actually recognizable and up to a certain point the Clarinet and Sax use identical fingerings, so it was easy.

[@ajn465]

Even TV commercials aren't immune.. 'Hold the pickles hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us...'

[@mikelytou]

Every 4-5 years or so I come back to this video and I wonder every time why it is not the most watched video of all time on KZbin.

[@susanna6462]

when he mentioned counting 54 measures playing the same note, i got a flashback from high school band playing the trumpet, where we were playing a really cool song and i was so excited to play it, but of course the flutes and clarinets get the melody and we're sitting in the back playing the same damn 4 notes in eight notes for 20 something measures then resting for another 50 while the clarinets and everyone plays, and you foget what measure you're on bc youve been counting so long you space out, and eventually it's time to play and you could have written a damn essay in all that time. But i can say, i absolutely loved band with all my heart

[@susanna6462]

To whoever deleted their own comment. The trumpets never got solos unless it was the jazz band which was an extra curricular, not the normal high school symphonic band

[@Okan4233]

I once played Pachelbel's Canon four times for the Queen and her entourage whilst they ate lunch. She didn't even say thank you. Bloody Queen.

[@stevetournay3731]

Just be glad you weren't playing it for Queen instead of the Queen... :-)

[@jammingalways]

I saw this clip YEARS ago and it's STILL a cut above! :) It's also nice to see so many comments of people who were actually MUSICALLY trained! I'm near retirement NOW and it's so sad that some schools across this nation no longer teach the "creative arts" on a rudimentary, level! Played piano, violin and finally the CLARINET! :) I was 3rd chair back when I first learned, Canon in D! :) I "hear" what he's saying! :)

[@asdfghjklqaz1278]

The song played at literally every wedding ever...

[@rinamine]

my piano teacher and i were talking about exactly this today, and before i left, he told me to watch this. where has this been all my life??

[@DanielaBodoh]

I love it! Especially that part that went like, "It was the worst cello part in the history of cello parts."

This and Evolution of Dance. The Golden Age of KZbin

[@tristanporrasmora6241]

Never knew I would laugh so much while having a mental break down with this guy, cuz I relate to much #CelloStuggles

[@5ucur]

As a former bass voice in a choir, I hear you. The sopranos get pretty melodies, the altos get pretty melodies, the tenors get pretty melodies, and I'm not musically geeky enough to know which ones of these shouldn't, but for most of the time, we just repeated the same few notes. Not that I didn't love being bass, but also not like I could choose!

[@allenwagley6956]

I-V-VI-III-IV-I-IV-V

[@lilyblackmore4281]

Do you happen to know what the Blues traveler song is.

[@BAbaracus18]

+Brian Bruggeman Hook

[@allenwagley6956]

Brian Bruggeman no

[@samplotkin4795]

actually it's I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V

[@realmarsastro]

You're right. I tried playing it in all major chords before I saw your comment, and it sounded all wrong.

[@jackl-g6181]

That was top notch.

[@kylekarnan9698]

This NEVER gets old!

[@realisatorrealisator9125]

I still can't stop to go back to this show after so many years :) Pachelbel is everywhere :)

[@glencampbell691]

Absolutely brilliant. Canon in D is most certainly the embryo of modern pop music. ....well done mate. Beautiful.

[@tsriftsal3581]

It's the shape of the ear canal that is important.

[@CRCinAU]

This is still good over 12 years on.... A true classic....

[@YourAvgJoeChannel]

11 years later, still one of the best KZbin videos out there.

[@missy-laneous]

I can't believe how old this video is now. I still reference it and come back to revisit every now and again. ❤