Reharmonizing Firework by Katy Perry

How did Jesus Molina pull off that tasty reharmonization that one time?
‪@Jesusmolinamusic‬ 's original video:
• Firework (REHARMONIZED...
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:48 What are we looking out for?
1:14 Transcription
2:42 Verse Analysis
6:50 Second Part of Verse Analysis
11:10 Pre-Chorus Analysis
13:19 Chorus Analysis
15:50 Bright Chord
16:36 Outro Analysis
17:13 Conclusion
Personal Harmony and Music Theory Lessons: www.leonwaves.com/contact
Instagram/Twitter: @leon_waves

[@matthewficocelli2079]

The fact that this level of in depth analysis is not behind a pay wall is incredible, thank you!!!

[@edmund.paquin]

Mom: we have Ab13 at home. The Ab13 at home: Ab9 add 6

[@leonwaves]

Stopp

[@isaiaha8395]

Ab6/9

[@OscarGeronimo]

It's not the same: Ab13 tells you it's a dominant seventh chord with the 13th and perhaps the 9th as tensions or colors. Ab6/9 is a sixth chord with the added 9th.

[@OscarGeronimo]

Oh, I made a mistake (I said one thing meaning another). Fixed!

[@project_jdm]

This video made me think, "Yeah, I'm gonna stick to rhythm theory," like 10 times 😂 I love the visuals and the attention to detail throughout the whole video. Really great stuff, man 👍

[@leonwaves]

We’ll talk about rhythm in the future! Don’t you worry 😉

[@Tabu11211]

What is rhythm theory!?!?!? Interest peeked!

[@bleuorb]

My guy, the way you explain is so flawless... Sheesh...plus, the inverted colors feels way easier on the eye and is quite satisfying to watch...more videos pls

[@leonwaves]

Appreciate it!

[@AndyChamberlainMusic]

YEAAAAAAA NEW LEON WAVESSSSS

[@saltytea7367]

one and a half flat, double sharps, double flats, half sharps, half flats and naturals hurt my brain.

[@justalaugh1711]

Every time I see “Jesus flips this chord”, I see “Jesus backflips” instead

[@xexpaguette]

JESUS TAKE THE CHORDDDDDDDDDDD TAKE IT FROM MY HANDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@MrJamesedd]

Holy wow, just stumbled upon your channel, can’t believe the quality of these videos man, look forward to following you along this music journey!

[@bluetrane65]

A year to wait, but so excited you're back! Let's goooo 😎

[@victor29rc]

dude, glad you are back! thanks for the video!

[@Dog-op4mk]

YOU ARE BACK! i love music i play the violin very seriously so these kind of stuff like harmonics are very important for me thank you very much!🙏🙏🙏

[@bb-tj7ef]

Every video your production and editing gets exponentially better keep it up dude!!

[@DaDarkGuy]

missed this channel, welcome back

[@jqueragol]

Wow Leon, keep the good work, need to rewatch this 10 more times for it to sink in. Thank you.

[@leonwaves]

Same

[@neodym1337]

Amazing analysis again!

[@bleuorb]

Why aren't these getting recommended ffs.. quality content right there

[@MiguelMateu]

Nice explanation!! I love your videos man!!

[@zanerobison2956]

man i love your channel

[@cameronhoodmusic3375]

Jesus that’s gooood stuff, great analysis man

[@_hiraethh9803]

oh my god i love this sm amazing analysis ✨

[@sweetegg]

Glad to see an upload from you! Premiering at midnight is a bit rough for me but you'll get my view once I wake up ;)

[@AdrianValia]

Amazing work as always :) Big fan of Gsus

[@leonwaves]

Can’t believe it took me a moment to get your comment

[@omnis1182]

Sus

[@musicm8kr]

Great work...I love the breakdown of advanced theory...superb explanation. -Sean, California

[@darthaderbo]

Just found your channel and this is my new favourite channel 😂

[@leiocera2433]

HE'S BACK

[@ullifar]

amazing explanation

[@contactju6915]

c'est un grand merci. J'ai beaucoup bossé le Jazz, j'ai réussit à en faire mon boulot sans jamais réussir à faire un cursus en école. Je n'ai jamais eu véritablement de cour d'harmonie et là... C'est parfait! merci! un grand merci!

[@benjaminnguyen590]

Bro, the amount of sass in this video. Lmaoooo. Great vid, man!

[@leonwaves]

You know it

[@ryno_io]

He’s back!!!!!!

[@blehm_7403]

THEYRE BACK

[@silver1788]

Eyy a new video

[@BoyscoutWakitaOk]

finally new leon waves

[@ManuelRequena]

Haha! Man you made me go back to when I uploaded a video playing to Jesus and Reuben's (drum). I never knew what chords specifically were played BUT it was actually very interesting to finally know the REAL thing that was going on. Thanks man! haha Cheers.

[@ianmoore5502]

oh my god I was going to ask what "sw" meant but I immediately figured it out when I looked at the structure of the chord I really do feel like it's all coming together the youtube tutorial community is immensely powerful

[@MusicianParadise]

I love this channel

[@PianoDadDan]

Amazing video

[@kirjian]

I had known about the flat VI, flat VII, I progression but it had never occurred to me that Mario's Ground Theme had it. Mind blown

[@on_your_yoga_mat]

👍👍 very well explained 🎹

[@mkufreq9744]

this man's popping straight musical facts

[@TheWereStick]

Yay a new video

[@AlejandroPerez-mg3fc]

Well if it isn't underrated music guy

[@aloysiuskurnia7643]

5:32 yeah, sure, that's *definitely* an Ab lydian dominant

[@edmund.paquin]

Now that’s a subtle meme right there

[@PIANOCUMBIAMBERO]

😂😂

[@zzztopspin]

Lol why you gonna mope on F-flat but not C-flat?? Haha, thanks for this great vid!!! I love how you remind us that chord names come FROM the voice leading, so the voice leading is what motivates the art of the sound primarily.. Thanks for that notation on A-flat and G-flat over C7 polychords, that really illuminates the kind of planar voice leading motion, and it makes a lot more sense to my brain that writing out two different kinds of C-alt chords. Great video and great pacing!

[@leonwaves]

Good one 😂 Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MaemiNoYume]

5:20 I think it's actually a polychord Fm7(11) / Dmaj ... i think because there's a common chord that is used before the IV, which is the sixth degree of the melodic minor, or simply vi/IV#, but it's commonly like: D, F, Ab, C, but instead he took that D and did the whole D major chord, and separated the Fmin with extensions. Sounds coherent if you play the F melodic minor scaçe freely on top of that chord even with a D major below even tho the scale doesn't have any A or F#. It's a polytonal sound.

[@Dog-op4mk]

this was soo amaizing and interesting! imagine he would make something like this but with bach! He is a Genius! he could do Bartok or Shostakovich! its all crazy music! pls listen one of them🙏

[@firstnamelastname1911]

THE RETURN OF THE KING

[@Delicatamente]

thank you!

[@LuisGaraySessionPiano]

Good job

[@sandalero]

the D7alt nat5 i use often in Ab. .. when u got to the IV (Dbmaj)

[@MauriceGuibot]

D7 here is the tritone substitute of the I7 (goes 1half step lower to IV)

[@tomcykman]

Great video! Abm11 could be ii to the bVII, so not that out of key. And that D7#9#5 is just a subV that goes to the IV degree. Just some hypothesis. Thanks for the video!

[@tomcykman]

Rethinking the Abm11, it's just the minor homonymous. It's the starting point for the minor substitutions as the bVI and bVII.

[@RememberGodHolyBible]

At 14:28, that D chord is actually an Ebb major chord (a b5 in Ab major). Then it goes up a whole tone to Fb major, then down a diatonic semitone to Eb before going to home, Ab. That is why spelling of chords matters, as do double sharps and flats, and even further compounds of these. I need to just say ALL music, or at the very least all western music is conceived after a conception of Pythagorean tuning. A circle or spiral of pure harmonic 5ths. In truth if pure, as it was in antiquity, it is not a circle but a spiral. As a result notes like D and Ebb are not the same pitch, they are very close, with D being 23.46 cents higher thatn Ebb, but harmonically they are different and functionally also. The note D has a different function in Ab than Ebb. Ebb is a flat 5 and D natural is a sharp 4. They pull the ear melodically and harmonically in totally different directions. I always recommend always conceiving, and tuning, and playing ALL music in Pythagorean tuning, which I just call "True Intonation", because that is what it is and Pythagoras, a very evil man, had nothing to do with discovering this tuning. It was in widespread use thousands of years before him. If you conceive of music as it is, in true intonation, and tune it as such, and compose and perform with this in mind, your music will be greatly enriched. It will be more in tune with reality, even if you are playing an instrument in 12tet, you will understand the music much better and can even sing and tune your voice in the direction of true intonation to maintain some semblance of truth in what you are doing in terms of tuning. True intonation with 53 notes per octave the spiral of fifths actually come around and almost close into a circle perfectly with Ebbbb being only 4 cents flat of a perfect fifth from Cxx. So modulating around infinitely is technically very doable. Even if you are stuck with 12 tone equal temperament for the time being. Think and compose in true intonation, giving great diligence to the spelling of chords and notes, being aware of the difference between diatonic semitones and chromatic semitones, whole tones vs diminished thirds, minor thirds vs augmented 2nds, etc. Pick and choose with intention, and spell them and conceive of them correctly and in a tasteful way. One more thing. Pythagorean thirds, major and minor, are ALWAYS in tune. Do not believe the lies of this world. Yes, EVEN within chords and triadic structures. People have been repeating that lie that they are out of tune for hundreds of years, it holds no water under scrutiny and research and experience. Here is the key one must always listen vertically AND horizontally simultaneously, WITHIN a piece of music to check and assess tuning.

[@UkuleleAversion]

4:03 YES

[@BobbyHill63]

This broke and inspired me at the same time

[@Tejvir7]

Nice

[@DeeFeeCee]

Today I learned D^SW (D so what) is a thing.

[@damianflores1294]

what does sw mean? i see that it stacks fourths over the root and then has the third and fifth on top but i just can’t figure out what it means

[@thalescatao]

How come you be a gr8 musician, comedian and videographer?

[@zealousblood2033]

Why would you write that chord at 5:17 as D7#9#5(no 3) instead of D-7#5?

[@juwonnnnn]

👌

[@alvaroponce1868]

I preffee the Plubio Delgado reharmonization

[@dangelobenjamin]

Tbh I don't really like the neo soul complex (re)harm genre. Conceptually it's breathtaking, but musically it's just a lot of chops and showmanship. I think if the melody had more substance, the complexity might be more appropriate, but even then idk if it's justifiable. I feel like so much music is just a 'what if' statement, and not actually something that is particularly aesthetic or beautiful. It's definitely not just neo soul; there have been huge offenders as far back as Opera (some classical and romantic concertos/orchestral pieces are even worse offenders). Personally, the more I learn, the more I am captivated by simplicity.

[@leonwaves]

It’s a cool reharm exercise, but yeah, not all great music has to be complex and showy.

[@dangelobenjamin]

@@leonwaves absolutely. It's interesting, I've been wanting to make a larger argument sometime about 'music as a craft vs music as an aesthetic.' It's kind of a huge can of worms and I'm not even a quarter of the way to feeling confident in writing about it. But nonetheless I feel it is incredibly important to talk about why people make music and how people consume it. My comment certainly is more about this larger issue of creation and consumption, and not so much about beauty and aesthetics, or any other subjective metric. There is of course objective levels of scrutiny we place on art, but why? What makes good art good?

[@giacoco2726]

Wow...

[@Synchronicety]

Playing together means making music in our short lives, having fun. Hwo want's to be a bethhoven.

[@tonyguy5712]

Welcome back to the Internet world

[@byzaantine]

Brain hurty. That or i shouldnt be watching this at 3am

[@ChannelCez]

He released a full version in his reharms album in 2019 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpTJdKBoqZykl7c

[@amaice]

2:30 ehehe hi bom bom

[@ciangrant3042]

Why D7#9#5 (no 3)? Isn't that just enharmonic Dm7#5 or something like Bb add9/D?

[@leonwaves]

That’s a tricky one. In gospel neo soul harmony, there’s sometimes a 7#9#5 chord that leads a half step below, which would be Db in this case. He outlines the D A D in the left hand rhythmic line but doesn’t play the F#. Although he does later (I cover it at 10:04). So you’re right, it could be a Bbadd9/D based on the notes he played there.

[@IvanKlapa]

8:39 pl-lm

[@sandalero]

like

[@grantmcdonald1047]

my ass over here barely knows the circles of fifths lmfao i just like watching these videos and pretending to understand 😂😂 like oo lemme get that fm11 to abm11 voicing

[@Rombizio]

This is so complicated.

[@nyambe]

Hey, that is not the same guy as in the thumbnail ;-)

[@nyambe]

Or is it?

[@subtituru9486]

You really like music dont you..i can play like oscar, Jesus and compare too bit i have no clue about that theory business

[@brendandowse]

Molina is what happens when Jacob Collier but less taste

[@kornsuwin]

.

[@matthewbenedict5923]

simon franzman referenc cccee

[@OscarGeronimo]

You could have left the title in "Molina?". Really.

[@leonardoisrael1436]

Hahaha D(sowhat)

[@arosonomy]

I didn't really like this. Feels like he's trying too hard. Jazz dissonance is cool, but it sounds muddy as hell after a few bars. I learn a lot from Jacob Collier's videos, so I'm aware of how this can work but man, this version of Firework is giving me a headache.