Polymeter - How to Write a Bass Line

How do you turn one chord into a thrillingly unpredictable bass line? Easy, you watch this video and learn how to use a polymeter that misaligns the melody with both time signatures. But first... tea!
►Free Book: HackMusicTheory.com/Books
►Online Apprenticeship: HackMusicTheory.com/Apprentic...
0:31 Halloween Challenge: • Scariest Music Theory ...
1:14 3 Quick Things For You
1:45 Lesson Introduction
2:29 Choose a Chord
3:20 Order the Notes
3:54 Pick a Number
5:04 Delete Last Note
6:32 Delete More Notes
8:20 Polymeter Counted & Explained
9:07 Fill in (some or all) Rests
9:49 Move Notes Into Chord
12:07 Misaligned Melody
13:34 Final Playthrough (Music)
►Watch this Hack Music Theory playlist to see how Ray wrote "They Live to Kill": • Playlist
►Stream/Download "They Live to Kill" for free ♫
revolutionharmony.com/album/6...
►Listen to Ray's single "They Live to Kill" on Spotify ♫
open.spotify.com/album/42ejEU...
ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" KZbin channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).
MUSIC
►RayHarmony.com
►KateHarmony.com
(c) 2017 Revolution Harmony
All music in video by Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony

[@HackMusicTheory]

►FREE BOOK: HackMusicTheory.com/Books​

[@lockedfn-subpls]

Thanks. I'm mid way through the song and producer pdf and planning to get bass and drum set afterwards

[@matthewjamestaylor]

I picked 5

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha that's awesome!! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it! Kate :)

[@BusinessWolf1]

Madlad

[@nandakoryaaa]

This has shifted something in my understanding of music! Picked 6, close enough.

[@kareemharris2558]

You can do magic I pickd 5 I'm actually learning.

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

It's so cool how your hacks are not limited only to poppier stuff! You rock!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey L Galicki, hope you're having a great week so far! Yes indeed, it's vital to the Hack Music Theory revolution that these hacks work in all genres of popular music, from electronic to metal, and everything in between! Thank you so much once again for all your ongoing support, we really appreciate you! Kate :)

[@f3ynman44]

I picked 5 - congrats you're magic!

[@boyankiuranov5104]

I picked 5 and felt your magical power

[@jelly8594]

Great stuff guys, as usual! You truly deliver big time every week! ... take a day off, you deserve it 😉

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks Jelly! We took some time off this weekend and it was nice to just relax. Hope you had a great weekend! K

[@Jamsville]

This was a great video! When I was at UM there was a drummer who came in and he talked about how using a grid you can calculate any polyrhythm. But applying it with midi makes it so much easier to experiment with!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Yay! It always makes us super happy to know that our hacks are helping musicians! Thanks big time for watching and connecting, Jamsville, it means a great deal to us. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@michaellewis246]

I picked 7. BUT, you’re still a magician! Absolutely love this stuff! Time to write!

[@truhenjoh]

Thanks! Great and helpful trick. Very good 👍

[@TheRahsoft]

thank you for this I took your process and applied it to a chord progression so that the bass notes are changing with every chord.

[@BuildertheButcher]

Totally picked 5. Amazing tutorials. Use them directly for my analog gear and things start to sound much much better 🙂

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Christian, it always makes us happy to know that our hacks are helping musicians! We hope to see you around for more theory hacks! Until then, happy music making :)

[@aliambassador]

Mad props, absolutely amazing!! Thanks for having this channel!

[@HackMusicTheory]

We're really happy you're enjoying our channel, aliambassador! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you. Until next time, happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@renepaulus4035]

Good method, thank you!

[@noslowerdna]

Awesome work, and teaching. Cheers!

[@HackMusicTheory]

We're really happy you enjoyed our video, noslowerdna! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you. Until next time, happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@kevinacres1699]

I picked 5 it was the logical next step from 4 the power of suggestion great lesson

[@bringlightothedark]

this was fantastic!

[@VoidloniXaarii]

this was fascinating, thanks a lot, as well as for all your other music theory videos!

[@HackMusicTheory]

We're really happy you enjoyed our video, iXaarii! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you. Until next time, happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@artificialnemesis7347]

I actually picked 5, well done!

[@markshields5736]

I just shit my pants...killer ending. To the untrained ear, bass lines and riffs played solo without other instruments are hard to appreciate. When heard in a fuller context as part of a complete song , they make sense and sound awesome. Your positivity is inspiring, thanks!🤙🎸

[@thedavegoodman]

So rad!

[@Nivenization]

Thank you.

[@Flux_One]

Brilliant. This just made my melody a million times more interesting. Thanks for sharing

[@HackMusicTheory]

Awesome, happy to hear it, Scotty, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@Flux_One]

@@HackMusicTheory Cheers. I'm not sure how to categorise it to be honest. It's breakbeat techno which takes inspiration from a lot of the early 90s rave scene, Jungle Tekno being the main influence. In '92 &' 93 that was the bridge between hardcore and drum and bass. Check out Ruff With The Smooth - Art of Intelligence for a great example. So yeah, a hybrid sound I guess 👍 It's all made for fun. No training and not much music theory; just playing around and enjoying it as a creative outlet

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for sharing, Scotty, we love that you don't limit yourself with genre and style! You might like our "Truth About Genre" video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6OYmoqoi66LZsU All the best with your music making, Scotty, we look forward to hearing more from you in the future :)

[@Justin_the_Analog_IC_architect]

Excellent tutorial!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Woohoo! So glad you liked this one Justin, thanks for watching! By the way, where are you based? AND more importantly, what kind of tea do you drink? May your days be filled with music! Kate :)

[@MrMichimak]

this is your most awesome hack!!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Wow MrMichimak! Thanks for watching and for your awesome compliment, really appreciate it! What kind of music do you make? Until next time, take care and have a great week!

[@PhillyWatts]

Amazing!

[@HackMusicTheory]

No, you're amazing!! As always, thanks for watching Philly!

[@ajadrew]

Came across you just now by chance...really dig what you're explaining & the end result sounds wicked! Subbed..;-))

[@HackMusicTheory]

Sooooo happy you dig our video, ajadrew, thanks big time for taking the time to watch, connect, and subscribe, we are deeply grateful to you! Take care and until next time, happy songwriting!

[@ajadrew]

Same to you & cheers!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

seriously good shit

[@Onuris001]

Yes I picked 5! great musician and magician

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Onuris001! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great weekend! Kate :)

[@degagedela8554]

Amazing! Thank you very much, teacher :) It's possible to keep this bass line from start to finish or should we transpose it with the chord progression ?

[@Dmitry___S.]

6 These hacks are fun! Stayed after TesseracT videos. *\m/*

[@andrew1532]

Ha picked 5. You got this.

[@nil2k]

I picked 5.. and I also wanted to say thanks as well... because of your videos I learned about Reaper. It was a tough Google search to do with only the logo on an earlier video to work from, but totally worth it to find and start using Reaper.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi Nathan! Thanks so much for watching and sharing your number...it really is magic! I'm glad to hear you found our about Reaper and I'm sorry to hear you had a tough search for it. If you have a question like this in the future, please do ask us, as we do our utmost to respond. What kind of music do you make? Until next time, have fun playing in Reaper! Kate :)

[@nil2k]

I made a soundcloud account a couple of days ago and put a couple tracks in it I created in 2008 because I had them easily available. soundcloud.com/nil4k

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for sharing Nathan :) We wish you all the best in your music making and we're cheering you on 100%!

[@OfficialSiriusmusic]

nice work and awesome tutorila, one of my favorite music channels.

[@HackMusicTheory]

SIRIOSIRIS! Thanks so much for your kind words, we're honoured to have you along for the ride! What kind of music do you make?

[@OfficialSiriusmusic]

hey no problem ! im in the electronic music arena.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for sharing! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting!

[@SubuNomo]

great stuff!!! something everyone can understand!.... and yes, you can do magic! haha.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey Subu, great to hear from you again! I totally agree, Ray is a magical man :D By the way what kind of music do you make? Wishing you a great weekend! Kate :)

[@DrkRbn]

Really usefull video, thanks! (I'm a bassist). Which MIDI software are you using?

[@lockedfn-subpls]

Wow, love it. Going to try that abd use ir. I have realised poly rythim and rests are my most defficent aspects for my bass playing. But are polyrythim bass lines appropriate when there are no drums and you are just backing a folk or rock rhythm guitar and vocal?

[@prabhdensingh8740]

This is amazing!

[@prabhdensingh8740]

Also, which DAW is that?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi Prabhden Singh, thanks so much for watching and connecting! We use Reaper and are big fans of the software and the company for so many reasons! They give you a free 60-day trial of the full program and it's relatively inexpensive to buy at US$60. You can check it out here: www.reaper.fm. Take care and we hope to hear from you again. Happy Songwriting! Kate :)

[@prabhdensingh8740]

Revolution Harmony Thank you very much for replying. I'll check Reaper out soon but right now I'm a bit busy with school. Thanks again

[@OrdinaryOneOfficial]

Love you guys! :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Awe, thanks so much Amy!! We're super pumped to have you along for the ride! What kind of music do you make? Hope you had a great weekend! Kate :)

[@OrdinaryOneOfficial]

Revolution Harmony you're so welcome! My music is sorta rock/pop with a little splash of newage or whatever in my head at the time. Most of which I drop to the musician collaboration site Alihoopa (allihoopa.com/AutumnSounds). Watching your vids, both of you, has given me some great tips and confidence when I hit a 'writers block'. I've never had and music theory lessons but from watching your vids I now know things like syncopation and other terms I may have used the techniches but never known the terms for. All in a way I can follow and understand. 💜 That's why I love you guys.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey Amy, thanks so much for sharing and happy belated birthday! We're so pleased to hear that our hacks are inspiring you and your music, it's music to our ears :) Keep up the good work and stay in touch! Kate :)

[@Noksion]

This chanel is SOOOOOOOOOOO DAMN GOOOOOOOOD!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much for watching and connecting Noksion! We're pumped to welcome you into our Hack Music Theory revolution! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting, Kate :)

[@Noksion]

I am kind of a beginner bass player. There was a pause in my rehearsal practice with band for 2.5 months this year (aug - oct). Before that, i constantly found myself stunned when the band intoduces a new material, and the only thing i can "invent" as a bass player was only to play roots. Then, somewhen during those 2.5 months i watched some of your videos (few times each actually) mostly out of curiousity and for entertainment, i wasn't taking any notes or so. BUT! When got back to play with the band again, i found that instead of just playing roots, i can actually make some feeling-good fills and make it up into something that really feels like a BASS line. Thans a lot :) P.S. I've also ownloaded your "12 hacks" PDF, gonna read it soon :)

[@jponter]

Holy cow what an awesome video. Such a (well you made it look) simple hack that is super effective. Im going to try this in some psytrance :)

[@jponter]

Ps i picked 7 , sorry :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks jponter! Super pumped to hear you enjoyed the video. We'd love to hear how you get along with using this in your own music. Do you have your studio rebuilt? Are you back to making music? Have a great week and happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@jponter]

not quite yet, almost!! Got married exactly a month ago today :D so been a bit busy with that! Targetting end of the month so I can write/play again in Dec.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Woohoo! Congratulations!! I totally know what you mean about 'busy with that', we also got married just over 4 months ago :) Wishing you all the best with your target! Until next time, all the best.

[@harrypleague]

you are a wizard ray

[@HackMusicTheory]

...I'm a what?! ;) Thanks for watching Filip, we really appreciate it! Hope you had a great weekend!

[@PROX_sebas]

Picked 7, love the 7/8 time sig.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Glad to hear you enjoyed our video Sebastian! Thanks so much for watching and connecting, we really appreciate it! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@Jesse-mh6hv]

You just got a subscriber ;)👍

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much for watching, connecting and subscribing, Jesse! We're pumped to welcome you into our Hack Music Theory revolution! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting, Kate :)

[@TheJerry2912]

haha I picked 5 :D I love your videos! keep up the great work!!! :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

That's awesome BadWolf (is that a Doctor Who reference?)! Thanks so much for watching and connecting, we really appreciate your support! Until next time, take care. Kate :)

[@TheJerry2912]

Yeah, I love Dr. Who! :D

[@sarkany888]

Good stuff! How do you make vocal effect at 1:37?

[@SabbaYT]

Holy shit man. That song fucking kicks ass.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, thanks so much Andrea! A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, what kind of music do you make? Take care and happy new year!

[@NoisesStrange]

I did pick five.

[@bethredmondwalsh2008]

yes I picked 5

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

this shit makes me happy haha! thanks, man! :D

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for watching and commenting PinkPonyOfPrey... it makes us happy! Hope you had a great weekend!

[@djallband4007]

Good shit

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much for watching Djall Band!!!

[@djallband4007]

Revolution Harmony no problem

[@MaxxDee]

picked 5 :)

[@QHWelness]

I picked the 5 you're crazy love it

[@HackMusicTheory]

Vince my friend!!! We've missed you a LOT, it's sooooo good to hear from you! How are ya? What's new?

[@QHWelness]

Haha I'm back;) what's new? A lot, started my B.A HONS @ POINT BLANK London... A bit of a tough time, actually in the music theory module, and yeah my brain is burning, all the music theory that you learn when you are kid is in a 12 weeks module... feeling a bit down,.but I will get it and what about you? I saw almost 60k of subscribers, congrats bud!!!!! I remember when we were 9, Really nice Evolution or should I say Revolution ;) Happy for you guys you deserve it... Have Fun Guys

[@HackMusicTheory]

Whoa that's AWESOME, Vince, you're living in my home town now. Yay London :) So happy for ya dude, and I'm so proud of you too, for working so unbelievably hard at pursuing your music dreams, it's a true honour to have you in our apprenticeship program! On that note, with all the moving and new study schedule, have you had time to watch the apprenticeship videos on Patreon yet? We're having a ton of fun, and covering a ton of super useful theory too, so definitely get on that if you haven't yet. Also, if you're struggling with that theory class, I'd read (or re-read) my "Hack Music Theory, Part 1" book (it's available to you in Patreon), cos it will totally solidify your theory foundation, on which you can then easily build upon. You da man, Vince!!!

[@QHWelness]

Whouwhou thanks Ray....Your words are really kind, haven't took the time for go in the apprenticeship yet but I'll definitely.. after my assignment... by the the way do you know a good book in drum programming, I need to write an essay on that and choose 2 types of drum programming tell why I choose it and the good and the bad point of each of them... keep going the REVOLUTION GUYS!!!! Have fun...

[@HackMusicTheory]

Vince my friend, I hope this finds you splendidly well, sir! I'm so sorry for my late reply, it's been a crazy week here, packing for our move as well as preparing for our Christmas project (we've announced all this stuff on Patreon already, so you can check it out there). Anyhoo, to answer your question. I've done a couple videos on drum programming (kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYGrlHWGedqXfsk and kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHXXeIJmqtBrfsU), and my brother has done a couple videos on writing drum patterns as well (kzbin.info/www/bejne/noCVhWN_apejipY and kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXm4f4aDl7NgrLc), so I'd definitely recommend watching those, as I'm sure they'll help with your assignment! By the way, in the new episode of our apprenticeship program on Patreon, we did a DnB section and I was thinking of you the whole time haha! Take care my friend, and we're pumped to see more of you again in Patreon soon :)

[@ShadowViper001]

Excellent video, as per usual! These videos are always so helpful to me. I do have a question about this, however. Alright, so in this video, you demonstrated the concept of polymeters... How does this compare with Polyrhythms then? I have tried to get an answer from several videos/forums about it, and it never ended well, usually just quite a bit of confusion, with person B saying person A is confusing the two terms up and it is just... Well, confusing, lol. Some clarification would be very helpful for me. And i wanted to comment this, when you asked for a number, i originally went with 5, but then i switched to 7, so you were half-right. Lol

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey ShadowViper001, thank you kindly for watching and leaving such a lovely comment, we really appreciate you! Great question, too. So... "poly" means "many", and "meter" means "time signature". Therefore, a polymeter is two or more time signatures playing simultaneously. A polyrhythm (i.e. many rhythms), on the other hand, is two or more rhythms playing simultaneously. In other words, all the different rhythmic layers in a polyrhythm can be in the same time signature. For example, playing an 8th note triplet rhythm in 4|4 over a straight 8th note rhythm in 4|4 is a polyrhythm, not a polymeter, because there are two completely different rhythms playing simultaneously in the same time signature. Anyhoo, I hope that helps clarify the difference between the two concepts, cos yeah there is indeed a lot of confusion around these terms on the internet. Thanks again ShadowViper001 :)

[@ShadowViper001]

I think i understand... So with a polymeter, as I have seen in this video, it does not fit evenly in the two measures/bars that you are working inside, you ran out of space. Is that going to be the same situation for all polymeters? that no matter what two time signatures you are working in, be it 10/16 & 4/4, or something else, like 7/16 & 3/4, the two polymeters will always be unevenly divided into each other? I should not say "always" because there are exceptions, of course, but as a general statement, would you say that is true? Then with Polyrhythms... 1. would those fit evenly in a 4/4, or whatever time signature one is initially working in then? 2. I have seen videos saying stuff like "3-over-4" and "5-over-4"... are those polyrhythms? or Polymeters? and they can be more complex than just a single note/hit, correct? My apologies for asking so many questions, and Thank you.

[@HackMusicTheory]

In a polymeter, you can run the time signatures all the way through until their 1st beats eventually line up again, or you can cut one time signature (e.g. the 10|16 in this example) when you want them to match up and start again. I prefer the latter technique, as I think it's way more fun (and less predictable) than letting them run their course. Regarding polyrhythms, yes they can fit into whatever time signature you want :)

[@ShadowViper001]

Ah... alright, I understand now! Thank you very much for the clarification.

[@HackMusicTheory]

You're so welcome, ShadowViper001, and thanks again for your interest in Hack Music Theory :)

[@rafaelmatias1851]

picked five, you are definetly a magician

[@HackMusicTheory]

Yay!! Thanks so much for watching Rafael and really great to hear from you! Have an awesome week :D

[@DJFTLM]

at 4:56, I picked 5!!!!!! LOL :D

[@autisticChronicles360]

Me: *thinking of the number 5* Hack Music Theory: is it 5? Also me: how did you know? Hack Music Theory: MAGIC!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Yup, magic! A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, Crosbyman64! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@autisticChronicles360]

@@HackMusicTheory A lot of the time I make music in the Minor Key. I mainly make boss music. I did publish my music on my channel. Sure, they’re not as good as the music you create (or improve, and btw, I love your content), but, for me, it’s a start..

[@HackMusicTheory]

Cool, thanks for sharing, Crosbyman64! We really appreciate you being here, and are cheering you on in your music making journey! Have a great week :)

[@autisticChronicles360]

@@HackMusicTheory Thank you. You have a great week as well.

[@guilhermeviegas6139]

i picked5

[@konishiwadrglobule514]

That's true I picked 5!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@djblackielzoo]

5!

[@PhillyWatts]

Yes I picked 5 😎

[@aydanbauer604]

You read my mind, I picked 5

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Aydan! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@Wayne_Robinson]

Interesting compositional technique. That kind of thing is going to give me some reasons to start composing in a MIDI editor instead of on an instrument.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey thanks Wayne, good to hear from you! Yup, MIDI is the notation of the future and it's a really versatile tool we composers can use to make music. On that note, how goes the songwriting?! Kate :)

[@Wayne_Robinson]

Thanks for asking! I just started a new job and haven't done much music the last two weeks but I'm planning to remedy that this weekend.

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Been enjoying these posts. However, when I try to create an empty two bar midi clip - that doesnt work. How do I create an empty midi selection?

[@LouisSerieusement]

awesome video ! What's the difference between polymetric and poly rythm if their is any ? thank you guys ! Love from france :) Louis

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Louis! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to watch and write us a nice comment, we really appreciate you! Great question, too. So, "poly" means "many", and "meter" means "time signature". Therefore, a polymeter is two or more time signatures playing simultaneously. A polyrhythm (i.e. many rhythms), on the other hand, is two or more rhythms playing at the same time. In other words, all the different rhythmic layers in a polyrhythm can be in the same time signature. For example, playing an 8th note triplet rhythm in 4/4 over a straight 8th note rhythm in 4/4 is a polyrhythm, not a polymeter, because there are two completely different rhythms playing simultaneously in the same time signature. Anyhoo, I hope that helps clarify the difference between the two concepts, cos yeah there's a lot of confusion around these terms on the internet. Thanks again Louis :)

[@addictedtocraic]

Just. Friggin. Wow.

[@addictedtocraic]

I picked 5 as well! Lol

[@NinjaArts]

5

[@GustavoPossos]

I picked 5, you are a Dynamo!

[@adeadgirl13]

It was 5! Damn!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Aditya! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@liseros9932]

Really fucking cool \m/

[@mauriziogriglio]

My number was five!!

[@astrofunkofficial]

I picked 5. You have an option B in life haha

[@cursedmuse6951]

I picked 6 x)

[@thetrashpanda9085]

I chose 5 :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha that's awesome!! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@amandopurperhart1351]

omg. I picked 5! make tutorial for magic plz

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Amando! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great weekend! Kate :)

[@francissreckofabian01]

I picked 5!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Francis! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great weekend! Kate :)

[@l.harrison9725]

TEA!!!!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Lol!

[@anthonygiuffrida6532]

I picked 5.

[@dormant7673]

What software do you use?

[@HackMusicTheory]

www.reaper.fm :)

[@Theron-ff7cr]

4:17 it was 5.

[@blom70]

yes, 5 :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome Matthijs! Thanks so much for watching and connecting :) We hope you have a fabulous weekend!

[@darckdevil159]

i picked 5

[@Jaketsx45]

This guy

[@jadonx]

I picked 5 but followed along with 10 in DAW. Trying to count and stay locked when playing back on my real bass is difficult though.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey jadonx, that sounds like fun! Thanks big time for being a part of the Hack Music Theory community, we really appreciate you, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Happy New Year :)

[@lightbluedev]

I totally picked five.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, that's awesome L.! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@BusinessWolf1]

I picked 9

[@aydanbauer604]

I have a question, is it possible write a sad sounding chord progression it a major mode and vice versa?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Really awesome question, Aydan! And yes, not only is it possible, but it's vital in songwriting to be able to do this! We actually teach this exact concept in Hack 11 (page 17) of our free book "12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords", which you can download here: RevolutionHarmony.com/Books (and yes, it really is free!). Hope this helps, Aydan, and thanks again for watching and connecting :)

[@aydanbauer604]

Thanks!

[@jackhendrix7950]

Definitely picked 5 n I think you f'n with me m8

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha! So many people have said they picked 5 that I think Ray is planning a new show: Hack Magic Theory ;) Thanks for watching and commenting Jack, we really appreciate it. Have a great week! Kate :)

[@gulaki]

Hold on. Isn't this an instance of a breakdown where you are breaking 32 16th beats into chunks of 10+10+10+2? As I understand it, a polymeter is two time signatures going together, for instance a 4|4 and a 5|4 polymeter would complete a cycle after 20 quarter beats (5 bars of the 4|4 or 4 bars of the 5|4). On the other hand a polyrhythm would be slightly different, a 4 and 5 polyrhythm would be 5 equally spaced beats playing over 4 equally spaced beats, as if like two different tempos were going on at the same time? Also, I love your channel. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Anustuv! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to watch and write us a nice comment, we really appreciate you! Great question, too. So first, just to clarify the two concepts: "poly" means "many", and "meter" means "time signature". Therefore, a polymeter is two or more time signatures playing simultaneously. A polyrhythm (i.e. many rhythms), on the other hand, is two or more rhythms playing at the same time. In other words, all the different rhythmic layers in a polyrhythm can be in the same time signature. For example, playing an 8th note triplet rhythm in 4|4 over a straight 8th note rhythm in 4|4 is a polyrhythm, not a polymeter, because there are two completely different rhythms playing simultaneously in the same time signature. Now, regarding polymeters, the time signatures do not need to play all the way through until their 1st beats eventually line up again, you can totally cut one time signature (e.g. the 10|16 in this example) when you want them to match up and start again. This technique is way more fun too, cos it's far less predictable than letting them run their course. Anyhoo, I hope that helps clarify the difference between the two concepts, cos yeah there's a lot of confusion around these terms on the internet. Thanks again Anustuv :)

[@TJLawton]

You can do magic

[@CristianGuerreroC]

HOLY SHIT I WAS THINKING ABOUT NUMBER 5

[@TheCheSindai]

I actually picked 5 lol

[@danparf1]

great now I have to go make a cuppa

[@icondark]

I actually did pick five, yeah.

[@HackMusicTheory]

haha, good one :)

[@rohitchowdhury1022]

7

[@brandongunnarson7483]

You can do magic XD

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, thanks Brandon :) Hope you had a great weekend!

[@lewisjcoops]

What software do you use for this?

[@DaveVedder]

They use Reaper: www.reaper.fm

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi LJCKILLJOY!, thanks so much for watching and connecting! We use Reaper and are big fans of the software and the company for so many reasons! They give you a free 60-day trial of the full program and it's relatively inexpensive to buy at US$60. You can check it out here: www.reaper.fm. Take care and we hope to hear from you again. Happy Songwriting! Kate :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi Dave! Thanks so much for answering this question, we really appreciate it, as we're getting a ton of people asking about what software we're using. Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

[@Romulusuk]

The thing that impresses me most is that you could play such a tricky bass line.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey thanks so much for taking the time to watch and connect Tony, we're deeply grateful to you! Do you play bass?

[@Romulusuk]

No, I don't play bass, although I was given a bass guitar recently. I do program bass lines on my songs. Btw ... 5.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha! That's awesome! Thanks for sharing Tony. What kind of music do you make?

[@Romulusuk]

I try to write melodic songs with unusual themes. One of my songs is about a werewolf in love, another about a man soon to be killed in battle.

[@disruptivebutterfly8045]

Yup totally picked 5. Hahahaha

[@HackMusicTheory]

Lol, Awesome, Disruptive Butterfly! Thanks big time for being a part of the Hack Music Theory community, we're wishing you a music filled 2022!