Songs that use Counterpoint

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Counterpoint is a musical texture where two or more melodies interact to create a sense of harmony whilst also maintaining their independence from each other. It is most commonly found in Baroque music, however we can find examples of contrapuntal writing in pop and rock music too.
For this video I decided to forego my usual Patreon outro and instead feature a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem which I've arranged. I've also decided to donate the Patreon proceeds from this video to Save The Children's work in Ukraine.
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹
0:00 Introduction & Bach
1:04 "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
2:23 Homophony Vs. Counterpoint
3:28 "For No One" by The Beatles
4:39 "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse
5:45 "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead
8:10 "Country House" by Blur
9:05 "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" by Simon & Garfunkel
10:29 "One Day More" from Les Misérables
11:57 Fugues
14:20 Consecutive 5ths
16:19 Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Get full access to over 40,000 sheet music works with a Tomplay 14 day free trial: tomplay.com/premium-trial?ref=davidbennett6 🎼

[@furretwalky]

yes

[@brakman01]

Not sure if you know Gentle Giant: here's a song by them that utilises counterpoint and canon techniques, and they do it live, using instruments and vocals. One of the most underrated bands ever IMO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGe6hH99atdgrac

[@_InTheBin]

David, could you tell, whether "Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone uses also counterpoint in terms of the vocals, guitar and the strings or not? I just can't figure out the last. Thank you in advance.

[@PvtPartsRPG]

There’s a lot of instability in my life but one thing I can always count on is seeing Paul McCartney in the thumbnail of a David Bennett Piano video

[@jameshannagan4256]

And Radiohead and i read that Paul is a big Radiohead fan which is just perfect because even though they often sound nothing alike the band that reminds me of the Beatles the most by far is Radiohead.

[@paulmeunier5747]

There are 3 guarantees in life: Death, taxes, and a Beatle being featured in a thumbnail of a David Bennett music theory video 😜

[@gloomsdoom649]

Bahahahahaha

[@wetbeans7957]

SenpaiKai

[@oakvalepennybridge]

I hate the thumbnails. Can't quite put my finger on why they bug me so much. I think it's because they're always very staged photoshoot shots. Also he frequently puts randoms like green Day alongside the Beatles, you get the impression he doesn't know that much popular /rock music other than Beatles and Radiohead, apart from a couple of random bands like green day

[@luisrusmonforte8048]

- Songs that use: "insert music theory concept" - Thom York's face: Helloooooooo

[@jasonremy1627]

Thom Yorke, Paul McCartney, and JS Bach. David's big three...

[@mateusbez2669]

Oh god. That ‘vocals only’ of God Only knows is beautiful. Brian Wilson is such a brilliant mind.

[@kellydalstok8900]

That’s one song I’ll never grow tired of.

[@houdinididiit]

You should check out his latest solo piano album. You will hear harmonies of some of those Pet Sounds and Smile tunes like you’ve never heard before. Some of it resembles a blend of Debussy, Mozart and Gershwin. Unbelievable mind.

[@roberts1918]

Sir Paul’s all-time favorite song.

[@pianomikey0]

I went to a religious college, where we occasionally sang from "101 Bach Chorales". It was some of the most amazing, hauntingly beautiful music I've ever been a part of. The classical composers have earned their fame!

[@deetay725]

I loved all the harmonies and polyphony of The Beach Boys. Even in a less serious song like Be True to Your School, check out the cool chord change on the word fly in the sentence Let your colors fly and also later in the song on the Oos going into Rah Rah after the chant Push En Back, Push Em Back, Way Back! Genius!

[@jaakkot5440]

The ending piece was lovely

[@farteinjonassen7523]

National anthem of Ukraine.

[@andreasheine9607]

In the flag's colours!

[@jaakkot5440]

@@andreasheine9607 yes, noticed that too

[@GorillaCanon]

@@farteinjonassen7523 Thank you! I didn't realize that. I've already listened to it three times, looked for more versions of it, and fully intend to learn to play it. I am a huge fan of Bach, and this piece spoke to me in all the same ways. Amazing.

[@Ivartshiva]

There I was playing along innocently until the end. Then I went back and played it again.

[@FaMinore]

Paul McCartney also uses counterpoint in Wings' "Silly love songs" layering the 3 melodies introduced before then adding a fourth melody with the bass

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

I love that! It's mind-meltingly cool

[@brentmcf]

The way Paul plays bass, most Beatles/Wings/Paul solo songs could be considered counterpoint

[@NNnn-zc2bm]

Is there counterpoint in McCartney's song Wanderlust?

[@tommyhughes4661]

@@NNnn-zc2bm yes at the end of the song

[@brentmcf]

@@NNnn-zc2bm yep, definitely! That’s a great example. That second melody comes in with the horns under the verse about midway through the song, and then as has been pointed out, it becomes really prominent with the two overlapping vocal lines at the end. Although it’s not from the bass on that one-I mean something like All My Loving

[@Vonliktenstien]

My favorite Bealtes counterpoint is the 4 parter at the end of I’ve Got a Feeling with John and Paul’s vocals mixing with Georges and Billy’s riffs. Great stuff.

[@tina.InTheSkyWithDiamonds]

Yes!! Looove that as well!

[@Bella-nt7ec]

Right, that's heavenly piece of music

[@peterbernhard7415]

Considering "mixing", "riff" I'd like to draw you attention to my comment. In fact, isn't riff not a counterpoint as the vocals always come first (it might be just the opposite, or just seen from the "mixing": it's up to the studios to turn a riff into a counterpoint). Never mind. Your comment pleases me.

[@voornaam3191]

The Senots are also interetsing...

[@Marina-pe1gx]

oh my. David this is insanely good?! I mean everything you do is perfection. Whenever you do the 'if it was......, then it would sound like this', I LOVE it. So much care goes into stuff like that and it is so satisfying to watch while learning!

[@Marina-pe1gx]

And an example by Blur? YES. Also, as a piano player, fugues are bastards :) Lovely arrangement at the end too.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you! That means a lot 😊😊

[@whatever2045]

I'm a big fan of counterpoint, so this may be my favorite video of yours yet. Also bravo for your arrangement at the end!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@LTDLimiTeD1995]

When you mentioned musicals, my mind when straight to the last bit of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" when all the verses come together.

[@KingoftheJuice18]

Yes, of course, but, you know, We Don't....

[@1stevenreid]

Lin Manuel Miranda uses counterpoint a lot. "The Schuyler Sister" from Hamilton has a great counterpoint section with Angelica repeating a section, Eliza and Peggy a different section, and the ensemble doing a third section.

[@Johnisawsome1]

Yes. Lin Manuel Miranda is a master polyphonist and has incredible understanding of counterpoint. See “Blackout” “Non-Stop” and “The Battle of YorkTown”

[@wozzywick]

Great video. Blackbird by The Beatles is the example of counterpoint in pop that I most often hear cited. In terms of vocal counterpoint, Queen’s The Prophets Song and Duran Duran’s New Religion are great examples.

[@sharpphilip]

I think “New Religion” is such an undervalued song-and yeah, those contrapuntal vocals get me every time!

[@andik110]

@@sharpphilip As well as The Prophets Song 😉

[@wandajames143]

Blackbird is moving in 10ths or 3rds it’s not really counterpoint

[@urilevy1]

The little things give you away - Linkin Park

[@aldeayeah]

@@andik110 Now I know :P

[@i.setyawan]

I always love Bach's use of counterpoint, although it caused me great grief when I was learning the piano as a child. It was my piano teacher, who pointed out that my two hands were playing independent melodies although together they make nice harmony. Perhaps that was the point when my liking of counterpoints (in any genre of music) begun.

[@peterbernhard7415]

makes me tentatively think of counterpoint as creating suspense until two or more notes of a riff and a vocal line meet. A riff might be a simple melody ... but isn't that what the video shows? So equality might lead to dominance, and just like the key of a piece or row of notes is a matter of ambi-valence turned to "dominance", hierarchy. I was told it's a matter of counting. Crows know to count to 4, no more. Do they eat chocolate bars - of course they do, just like real bears know to talk too. There is always an a-specht (I'm German, too) of equality. Sorry about my brmng.

[@leon723]

I was rooting for Scarborough Fair / Canticle to make into this piece, and there it was!

[@sarahbird7398]

Great example with For No One. It’s one of my favorite Beatles songs and hearing those two melodies come together toward the end of the song always hit me extra hard.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

yes it's soooo good

[@TheDirge69]

my daughters fave Beatles song, however she says it doesn't go long enough, maybe an extra verse-chorus? Come-on Paul you can do it!

[@jacobshirley3457]

@@TheDirge69 Early Beatles and their short song lengths.

[@jorgeguberte]

Counterpoint is definitely my favorite subject. I'm still a beginner so i can do only second species, but it's still fascinating. It relaxes me, makes me dream, makes me feel immense satisfaction when I crack the puzzle.

[@victorwilburn8588]

What I found interesting in the Paranoid Android example was that the various voice do sort of HINT at homophony. Like, in some places they come close to some similar motion, but passing notes, pick-up notes, and other ornamentation gets in the way.

[@ivind6625]

I love the fact that in almost all your music theory videos there is radiohead !!! RADIOHEAD GENIUS

[@pup64hcp]

It took me a moment to realize why the second voice in the final piece was marked yellow. Brilliant. 🇺🇦

[@StarlightedWanderer]

"Paradise by the Dashboard Light"! Where they're singing "...will you love me forever..." and "let me sleep on it..." at the same time. Also in the outtro, "it was long ago and it was far away..." with "it never felt so good, it never felt so right...".

[@urbangorilla33]

The middle, slower section of "Close to the Edge" by Yes has a great example of two inter-woven melody lines.

[@stephenmcg4299]

Great counterpoint in And You and I on the same album.

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

I've never had chills running down my spine from a brief example in a music theory video, till now. Les Miserables is a complete work of art

[@garfieldh.8820]

One of my favorite examples of counterpoint (round) in popular music has got to be "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized

[@danielf3623]

Mine would be Fiona Apple's Hot Knife, which is pretty much a baroque pop fugue.

[@sarahhowell7042]

i LOVE that song

[@mhoppy6639]

Great shout. Great album and I have the original album with orescription drug packaging. Superb.

[@Symphonicrockfran]

I LOVE THAT

[@paulsoderquist4788]

I love this! I hadn't even considered what made these songs special. It feels so freeing to have interwoven melodies that don't need block chords to support them

[@LisaSmith-yb2uz]

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!! 🎵☺️👌💓

[@NinjaPastry]

I learned a lot about this in theatre, MANY musicals use this technique with the last song of the first act, ie Hamiltons "Non-Stop" or in A Gentlemens Guide to Love and Murder combative character/pushing moment, "I've Decided to Marry You". It's a fantastic opportunity to really sink multiple people and ideas together in such a creative way. I adore it, it's one of my favorite things about transitive music writing.

[@TTarragon]

Lin Manuel Miranda really loves it. He used it in In the Heights (96000, Blackout, Finale), Hamilton (Non-stop, Schuyler Sisters... ), and Encanto (We don't talk about Bruno). I think he really makes it work!

[@BHHartman]

The breakdown in Prophet’s Song by Queen feels like a great example of counterpoint

[@verache2250]

Queen's "Prophet's song" is an awesome example of the canon technique - the polyphonic part starts by looping individual melodies and repeating them in rounds, but then Freddie starts layering whole harmonies in a counterpoint, which is crazy. Such a cool and underrated piece! P.S., as a Ukrainian, I didn't expect to hear the hymn in here. Thanks for this little gesture of support, it made me smile

[@finchx881]

This is made by the delay technique often used by queen. Try to listen all of the live solos of Brian May where he layer himself by using the delay. Great example

[@angelloperez7273]

Thanks for mentioning "The prophet's song" such an underated song by Brian May.

[@kirkwahmmett1666]

The Prophet's Song is so great. I'm a huge Queen fan and it is one of my favorite Queen songs. Brian May really has written some of the most brilliant music.

[@squidsbizarreadventure]

Thank you for explaining it, that song is a religious experience!

[@duppthord6278]

Ooo

[@robs1529]

Yes - Close to the Edge, ‘I get up, I get down’ section

[@philippospratsos4198]

Beautiful arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem at the end! We’re playing that piece in my orchestra to honor the citizens of Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@peterkelley6344]

Now that I understand it. I can understand WHY you did it. Bravo DAVID, BRAVO!

[@DMSProduktions]

I saw WHAT he did with the place markers also!

[@suleymantekingurmen7643]

@@DMSProduktions Yep ukrainian flag ftw.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@suleymantekingurmen7643 Dobry!

[@judih.8754]

Bravo David, Bravo peoples of Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@Chishannicon]

My favorite pop songs of the late 90s/early 00s were always the ones that featured counterpoint at the end. Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did it Again," as well as "Get Another Boyfriend" by The Backstreet Boys were great examples of such songs. Incidentally, Max Martin wrote all of them. Dude knew how to craft a song.

[@DenysZhadiaiev]

Counterpoint at the end, perhaps, was a symbolic representation of "divorce" (another boyfriend? or "oops" - something not according to the initial plan). These are aural pictures of the meaning behind the song. In his other video David talks about Bach's masterpiece where composer joined two identical lines for the player to play them simultaneously but one from the beginning to the end and another, identical, from the end to the beginning. For me it is clear representation of the antinomies and antitetics developed by German philosophers at that time.

[@eleesiasportraits6114]

I was rambling to my sister the other day about how much I love all the "layered overlapping parts" at the end of Oops! I Did It Again! without even realizing it was the Counterpoint I was referring to. 😆

[@peterbernhard7415]

Considering the replies I wonder I you can layer a chorus with what leads to the chorus (what is the word for what's opposed to the chorus, I wonder). I think it's interesting to assume that a "chorus" can never be layered with what's before as it never really fits well, by definition. Never mind!

[@howie9751]

I'm glad someone finally pointed out the wonderful counterpoint of "Scarborough Fair/Canticle".

[@richardevans3624]

I was hanging out for you to talk about the miraculous 5 part counterpoint near the end of Mozart's 41st Symphony. The real miracle is not the 5 part counterpoint but the way he joined all 5 parts back together in a couple of seconds and making them disappear like a magic trick.

[@Sloth_and_Badger]

Kudos to the last piece.

[@benoitrenaud519]

The rock band that used counterpoint in the most effective and interesting way has to be Gentle Giant, with songs like The Advent of Panurge, Knots, So Sincere, His Last Voyage and of course, the amazing On Reflection. A whole David video on those few songs would be worth it!

[@oliverzwahlen]

YES!!!!! It's really a pity that David ignores the rich world of 70s art rock. I mentioned here many times Genesis songs from the Gabriel area which - as I would argue - were the Radiohead of the 70s.

[@DukeIrritable]

"Carnival Fugue" - on the album Focus 3 - written by the astonishing Thijs Van Leer, is a rare example of a fugue for a rock band.

[@micahbannister1287]

Counterpoint is what I'm going over in university, this is perfect timing! Thanks for all the videos

[@AtomizedSound]

Man, coming with a great video topic. I think a lot of music lacks counterpoint today. Doesn’t matter what genre but legit counterpoint would be nice to hear again in some music from someone.

[@juliyakiyanets]

Thank you so much for your arrangement of our Ukrainian anthem! It was beautiful! Such a subtle but important voice of support! I was wondering what the piece at the end will be, and you surely exceeded all expectations! Thanks a lot! Слава Україні!

[@StarlightedWanderer]

And the moving bar is in the colors of the Ukrainian flag! Brilliantly, beautifully subtle and deeply moving.

[@peterbernhard7415]

Україні is a goddess and thus in not equal to Russia? Sorry about my trying to be war-funny on what I know: Slawa bogo is correct.

[@bobsykes]

I love this one. Also, a nice reminder of the never matched awesomness of JS Bach.

[@andriyskrypnyak9640]

Thank you very much, David, for the example of our country's national anthem from the 16:23 minute. You are real friends!

[@aureliande2659]

Again a very informative and well-built video, thank you for that. But especially for the end: Your moving arrangement as well as the gesture itself brought a tear to my eye.

[@andrewmole3355]

Thank you. As a choirboy, I heard all these on a weekly basis, but it is lovely to see it all laid out and explained so clearly and with examples from different genres. I was wondering what the piece at the end was… then I read the name… then I became aware of the colours. More meaningful because of its understated nature.

[@UnfriendlyGhostK]

Amazing ending, David. One song which recently came out that uses counterpoint is one of my favourite songs, The Adults Are Talking. In several parts, the guitars that Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi play are contrapuntal against each other.

[@squidsbizarreadventure]

Great fucking album and I hope David will talk more about it, I want to learn everything about it!

[@lesbianham]

Nice touch at the end David 👌

[@aceeastman8829]

I am currently studying gcse music. I keep coming across new music theory ideas and absolutely love it. Your videos are great, and somehow all of your recent videos are about something I have recently come across. Counterpoint I learned about a few weeks ago, and fugues just recently. I love your take on explaining it all, it's very clear.

[@torvanderlinden6560]

I’ve always been aware of counterpoint due to my love of Les Mis and my favourite song, The Confrontation. I’ve never however understood it to the extent I do now, thanks to your video. Thank you. It’s made me realise why I adore certain songs, for example Mad Hatter by Avenged Sevenfold. I knew I loved it and kind of why, but didn’t realise that it’s the counterpoint that comes in is what really draws me into the song. Again, thank you

[@lamelania2221]

I really enjoy watching your videos and it caught me by surprise to hear our Ukrainian anthem at the end!!! Thank you so much for this gesture, it's sounds just wonderful and I absolutely love it🥺💙💛

[@tzoreehandler9163]

Another example of counterpoint in the modern music is in We Are Young by Fun. In the part with the lyrics "Carry me home tonight, just carry me home tongiht", after the 2nd chorus, we can clearly hear another vocal melody playing at the same time.

[@rubenmencos5594]

Great topic! Been waiting for a great counterpoint video.

[@OnkelPeters]

Another musical example: Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof. Four melodies comes together quite dramatically.

[@jeff__w]

And, roughly from the same era, _The Music Man’s_ “Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You?” Barbara Cook, in a 2000 interview, said that every time she and the Buffalo Bills did that number it stopped the show, something that utterly baffled her until she saw it as an observer in the audience.

[@antonlushankin9568]

Damn David! Our anthem in the end was so good. Sorry for responding that late, but only now had a possibility to finally catch up with this video in particular. Thank you for your videos and for your support! Been a fan since too long. Greetings from Ukraine! Together we'll be strong as no one ever before. Peace out✌

[@gooball2005]

Excellent video! I've never heard of the term homophony before and your explanation and example of why people say "avoid parallel fifths" was great!

[@robster7316]

A very interesting and informative segment that provides context to a variety of musical styles and concepts. Thank you, David!

[@gqgaming1224]

Knots by Gentle Giant has some of my favourite vocals in music. They’re known for complicated music, even for prog rock, & the vocal counterpoint is dense and rich.

[@patchoulicyanide]

Yo that song is sick

[@progfellow]

I was looking for a Gentle Giant comment, who I’d say were the masters of counterpoint in rock. For the uninitiated, try “On Reflection” (the studio and live versions are VERY different) and No God’s a Man in addition to Knots.

[@lumberpilot]

"I Got a Feeling" by The Beatles uses counterpoint when Paul and John's parts overlap toward the end.

[@loshomusic]

Brilliantly done! You can tell how much effort was put into this. Thank you!

[@terlis3423]

Thank you for this video! The end is just a pure gold ❤️

[@AndyRubio1]

that Bach Fugue in G minor BWV 578 wtf incredible, heart-stopping - holy moly - never heard it before, thanks for sharing

[@peterkelley6344]

You've never heard of Bach's Fugue in G minor BWV until now! That was one of the first classical works my parents introduced me to when I was a kid! (1960's). It is still one of those 'ear worms' that I have from time to time. Ear Worm = a song you can't get out of your head.

[@VultureClone]

You may not know Gentle Giant, but they have some intense vocal counterpoint going on in their song, 'On Reflection'

[@ramonromerohernandez7136]

And instrumental as well. I was looking for this comment, yes, Gentle Giant are the kings of counterpoint (fugues or imitatives): The Advent of Panurge and Experience also have counterpoint

[@oao8227]

I thought for sure your Beatles example would be the "I've Got A Feeling" ending when John and Paul are singing their separate melodies atop one another

[@actuallythepie]

great video once again man! the middle section of paranoid android is also really interesting harmonically. a lot of borrowed chords and key changes here and there. its honestly beautiful.

[@JeremiahPickardMusic]

This could mean interesting idea. Explore how composers maintain attention in longer songs. Some suggestions Cygnet Committee - David Bowie Supper's Ready - Genesis Echoes - Pink Floyd Karn Evil 9 or Tarkus - ELP 2112 - Rush Thick as a Brick or A Passion Play - Jethro Tull

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

I'm something of a long song connoisseur and I'd say a lot of it is overall dynamics. They often tend to rise and fall in a seamless, dramatic, and interesting way (Echoes, Shine On You Crazy Diamond) or continually rise in intensity until they come to a triumphant climax (Cygnet Committee, Stairway To Heaven). Very few examples are relatively steady in dynamics, and usually have some other variation or musical trick to keep them interesting - two examples that come to mind are Kashmir and Achilles' Last Stand, which both have rhythmic and harmonic tension throughout (Kashmir is polyrhythmic and Achilles has the tightly layered bass/guitar/drum parts); even they do build up and fall down, albeit to a less dramatic extent than the other examples.

[@Symphonicrockfran]

The Underfall Yard - Big Big Train We Spin the World - Moon Safari Other Half of the Sky - Moon Safari Mind Drive - Yes The Truth Will Set You Free - The Flower Kings

[@danteshydratshirt2360]

I would throw in Jim Steinman to that mix who seemed incapable of writing short songs

[@danteshydratshirt2360]

@@ThinWhiteAxe I think an exception which proves the rule is Laurie Andersons O Superman and most trance music

[@flowerpt]

Counterpuntal vocals are the real harmony in my book. "4-part" choruses that are just stacking chords grind my gears (especially intrusive sevenths) but a proper ensemble of counterpuntal melodies (like One Day More) is transcendent.

[@DressedForDrowning]

Dear David, you're my new favorite channel on KZbin, thanks for all your wonderful videos who give me much insight. You transformed me into a Radiohead-listener, LOL, a band I haven't known before.

[@yankee2liljeter]

honestly so grateful for this video. way easier to digest than gradus ad parnassum !

[@skyes00t]

Great video! I especially love the arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@m.kostoglod7949]

It's rearranged to the point that I wouldn't recognize it if I weren't told that's it

[@urbangorilla33]

"Fall on Me" from R.E.M. has three vocal lines in the chorus. "Pilgrimage" from Murmur is a good example as well.

[@tommyamoeba9220]

was going to post fall on me. early r.e.m. has a lot of counterpoint with backing vocals singing different melodies and lyrics that lead vocals often more clearly, blurring the line between lead and backing. other examples, harborcoat, driver 8 and it's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine). additionally, their melodic bass lines and ringing guitar arpeggios bring even more counterpoint to the party.

[@urbangorilla33]

@@tommyamoeba9220 Yes, I think those were the key ingredients to their sound those first few albums.

[@aftp6646]

There are so many examples by R.E.M also in late R.E.M. as well like the Great Beyond, Leaving New York and Binky the Doormat.

[@dinodinoulis923]

Brilliant set of illustrative examples yet again.

[@Yupppi]

Round was called singing in canon in finnish language. Always wondered about that. A great example of counterpoint (took a bit for me to catch the drift) is Opeth's Black Rose Immortal. Or Opeth's The Apostle in Triumph. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird's solo as well has parts where the guitars start splitting or following each other repeating licks instead of unison or octave. Towards the end they just start doing completely different things as the cacophony, the energy and the tension builds up to the point where even drums are one big fill and bass guitar is doing it's own thing, for the final resolution. Although when they hit the final resolution, they go back to three guitars playing a different thing.

[@danayang7712]

David, you've opened up a whole new world to me! I love your videos. I watch them all and I've learnt so much! ❤

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Great! Thank you!

[@kierandansey7293]

That understated finale was marvelous! David Bennett you dastardly little showman!

[@PaulBoos]

Really great video and you answered several questions I had about counterpoint....

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Nice original work, David. Keep on keeping on.

[@rosco1pug]

The 'Scarborough Fair-Canticle' model of counter melody brings to mind David Bowie and Bing Crosby's 'Little Drummer Boy-Peace on Earth' from 1977. The latter has an interesting story to it. Worth looking it up.

[@jea559]

How about Tears for Fears "sowing the Seeds of love."? Love the counterpoint in that tune. Great video David. Keep 'em coming!

[@tanukibrahma]

You’re such a great teacher! I’d add that, to me, avoiding parallel fifths and octaves makes for more satisfying voice-leading in general, especially in string or other instrumental backgrounds where lines should flow smoothly without detracting from other parts of the song.

[@mattsomogyi3128]

Great video, thanks! Loved the composition at the end

[@SomethingUnprofessional69]

Now i want to hear bachs inventions but with the beach boys' voices.

[@jasonremy1627]

One of my favorite examples of counterpoint in Rock is the last part of The Guess Who and "New Mother Nature/No Sugar Tonight" when the two movements are layered over each other. Always loved that effect.

[@brentmcf]

Yeah! Such a great story too, where Bachman and Cummings each had a song they knew wasn’t quite finished, so they put them together and voila

[@jameshannagan4256]

My favorite by them.

[@MiF4a]

Simply, fantastic! Thanks for posting this!

[@gumbycat5226]

The best music teacher and of course, my favourite Beatles song. I just love those Bach fugues, they are mind-blowingly complex.

[@bettyswunghole3310]

It's vids like this that inspire me to keep plugging away at music, even though I'm rubbish at it.

[@toneDeFguitar]

Same here. Keep it up buddy! 👍

[@Fynn_-]

Could the last section of "I've Got a Feeling" be considered as counterpoint?

[@maxturgeon89]

oh yeah!

[@bobsala7780]

@@maxturgeon89 Well said.

[@victorwilburn8588]

Definitely. I was thinking the same thing when he talked about examples of counterpoint where the different parts were previously introduced separately. It's also a good example of how John played off of Paul's ideas -- that song wouldn't have been nearly so interesting without the melodic AND thematic counterpoint of John's contributions.

[@mtarlo215]

Thank you for this video. It is the music I always found so appealing and never knew what made it different. It basically reflects the way my chaotic mind operates.

[@jarkkohypponen6198]

Thank you so much David Bennett. I just learned in a few minutes what counterpoint and fuque actually mean, something I’ve been trying to understand for a long time.

[@vgatsuk]

big thank you from a Ukrainian for a beautiful arrangement of the Ukrainian anthem.

[@groogruxking2757]

I hope Russia wins.

[@ANREWTROFIMOV]

@@groogruxking2757 Sorry to dissapoint you, but it will not happen) You may take a screenshot of this comment and check it out in the future)

[@toysnjc5]

Praying for Ukraine. I’m sorry you gotta go through all the war stuff you’re going through. Hope it gets better soon.

[@groogruxking2757]

@@toysnjc5 Pray for Russia, too.

[@toysnjc5]

@@groogruxking2757 Yes but we don’t want them to take over Ukraine.

[@iliketrains3495]

4:57 Well that stutter of 'dead dead dead' in the second chorus of Supermassive Black Hole is the coolest thing I've heard all week

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

it's a very cool song!

[@OurHarmonyhouse]

Good for you, David. Thank you for that brilliant ending statement to a fabulous video.

[@fshepinc]

I've been looking forward to this subject for awhile, and the video was worth the wait. (I wish my counterpoint professor had been as clear!) When you mentioned counterpoint in musical theatre my first thought was Sondheim (check out "Now/Later/Soon" from A Little Night Music where three complete songs become counterpoint) but the example from Les Miz was spot-on and the explanation of its function made the dramaturg in me proud. So happy to see that a portion of my support is going to such a worthwhile cause, too! One of your absolute best videos, David!

[@IAmisMaster]

Gentle Giant - On Reflection

[@thegothaunt]

Beautiful arrangement at the end there. 💜 Blessings to Ukraine.

[@turquisestones]

You send blessings to a country that bombed its own civilians in 2014, right?

[@sportmemedicalcentertrauma7824]

really amazing!!!! thanks David

[@drywater4935]

Great analysis, good examples. very nice!

[@gwalla]

I know of one good example of imitative counterpoint in pop/rock music: "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized. If not a proper fugue, it definitely has the feel of one. Great tune too.

[@dr.westwood]

Learned many new things today. Thank you. Would be willing to make a video of you separate the voices from a finished music track? I think it would be very helpful in trying to hear the individual parts and further understanding of how and why things work together. Is it a complicated process? Is it just load a track into a particular software program and click a few buttons and it does it for you? Can you do more than separate the vocals from the instruments? Can separate each vocal? Can you separate each instrument? Can you separate each voice so can hear each vocal and each instrument in isolation and then play them back by choosing which voices to hear together? Thank you so much. Enjoying the content as always? I don't (yet) play any instruments and I do not have a good singing voice, so I'd never get into a music school (especially at my age), but music fascinates me and I have fallen in love with dissecting music thanks to your videos. Cheers

[@richardbradley3684]

Wonderful example to end on, and a beautiful arrangement. I am in tears.

[@1337Jogi]

Bach surely was the master of this. When visiting King Frederick he was challenged to improvise a 3 and later 6 voice fugue ilve before the king...and did so. Later was written about that: “One could probably liken the task of improvising a six-part fugue to the playing of sixty simultaneous blindfold games of chess and winning them all.”

[@BernardGreenberg]

The first song that made me say "hey, there really is counterpoint in pop music" 50+ years ago (I was a "classical" kid) was _California Dreamin'_ by the Mamas and the Papas, that has some very neat madrigalesque texture, augmented chords, suspensions in 3 voices, etc, and _We can work it out_ by the Beatles. When I think of counterpoint in the (little) show music I know, Frank Loesser's _Fugue for Tin Horns_ , the opening number of _Guys and Dolls_ , and _Stranger in Paradise_ , the famed duet from _Kismet_ . Your examples are considerably later. Of course there were vocal groups in the Big Band era with complexly-voice-led arrangements that beg the question of the boundary-land between counterpoint and harmony.

[@NafthaliHananja]

Yess, I was also thinking of California dreaming! Absolutely love that song. But the first thing that came to mind was “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, by Procol Harum. Of course it helps that it is partially based on “Air on the G String”, and “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” by Bach :)

[@angry2andrew]

Great video and lovely ending :). Thank you from Ukraine.

[@Atlas-jc9ug]

This is real interesting. I wrote a very short counterpoint piece years ago without knowing what counterpoint was. It just sounded cool to me. It's awesome to have a name for it. Thanks for the video.