The flat 6 in Nine Inch Nails songs

[@iximusic]

Preorder my debut album by December 22nd and get perks! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ixi/decca-ixis-debut-album Influences are NIN, Imogen Heap, Aurora, Radiohead, and more.

[@Inequities]

That’s freaking great!! Wish I had money to donate, because I’d definitely donate, for whatever that’s worth 😭😭😭

[@marasmusine]

Pledged! I really liked your little rendition of While I'm Still here, btw.

[@iximusic]

@@Inequities To me, it's worth a lot, thank you :) If you have $1 to spare you are welcome to pledge the "early backer" tier just to stay updated on the project and you'd officially be a part of it! You will not be charged until the week of Christmas. NO PRESSURE tho!

[@iximusic]

@marasmusine Thank you so much! And yeah I'd love to do a cover of that song. It's reallllly beautiful. It also feels like the sister of Find My Way and I've always wanted to do a sort of comparison video with a mashup.

[@Inequities]

@ that I can definitely do!!!

[@tryste_mx]

This is gonna make me rewatch your entire Downward Spiral series. Best music analysis ever.

[@chopperdave3868]

Leaving Hope just hits harder when you get old and have lost as many family members and dogs as i have.

[@Zhade_12]

Finally another NIN analysis video, the day can‘t get any better.

[@soaribb32]

"All you need is flat 6. Flat 6 is all you need." The Beatles, probably.

[@iximusic]

definitely

[@Inequities]

@@soaribb32 yep, Beatles

[@deep2one]

​@@iximusic But it's something you can never have.

[@Meefo__]

like another commenter said, these are all my favourite songs from each era of NIN and this chord is the reason!! wow, I feel so validated haha. thank you for a fantastic video, what a wonderful insight ❤

[@marilynwest4647]

These are nearly all my favorite songs on each album. No wonder HM is almost always my favorite album of his. I'd be so interested to watch Ixi review songs by other bands with this note.

[@iximusic]

Search "my favorite chord" on my channel and I think you'll be happy ☺️

[@iximusic]

There are more examples but these are some of my favorites! There's ANOTHER killer one on With Teeth I didn't put in this video...any guesses?

[@OldS0ul]

Hmm...right where it belongs?

[@Arashmickey]

No clue, but Only is so full of tension and meandering vocal bends that to me, every other chord feels like it could be a flat 6.

[@iximusic]

@@OldS0ul oh man, I was thinking of a different one but yeah you're right! It does!

[@iximusic]

@@Arashmickey Good guess but no that one doesn't! Creates tension in other ways for sure!

[@MichaelL8]

Every day is exactly the same. Maybe as much of the flat 6 as the tonic.

[@Mackerdaymia]

The most awesome thing about this video is that you've touched on something that makes a song sound instantly NIN. In the same way that a song can sound like a "James Bond" song by basing the melody on that one mysterious chord, using this interval instantly sounds like NIN.

[@sirsplintfastthepungent1373]

NIN content is my favorite iximas tradition

[@mrbrandonfoley]

You have an *incredible* voice!!

[@PERSONA1111]

Exposing Reznors secret weapons to make us feel that always so abstract feeling of beauty and hopelessness. I wonder if Trent does it on rational purpose or just because his feelings pull him to those intervals. Anyways.... always thank you for your amazing content and your beautiful energy!

[@vishalgulve]

Love all of these songs. Reznor has always has these motifs hidden in albums. Brilliant video

[@vishalgulve]

You also sound amazing ❤

[@hadyzabibrebolledo1394]

I ADORE your nine inch nails analisis videos, im so glad you keep making them!!

[@TyroneCLove]

That did illuminate something in my heart, thanks! I’ve always loved those very intervals in his music but I didn’t know what they were.

[@TheDrifteffect]

Thanks for this video! I've loved NIN since the start 9i'm 51 now, haha) The past few months I've been diving into music theory, specifically with songwriting in mind rather that soloing and chord construction

[@ChristianBurnett]

2:44 We're not talking about how good this sounds?! 👌

[@Ok-Disaster-4049]

Your analysis' always brighten my day. The passion is evident and inspires me. I'm looking forward to your album release! All the best to you!

[@iximusic]

what a nice message, thank you! :)

[@Inequities]

That sounds AMAZING on the piano

[@iximusic]

🎹 Not sure if you're already aware but I have an entire piano cover album of The Downward Spiral! Bandcamp and streaming.

[@xm0rtal]

Wild to see you mentioned on Esoterica! A confluence of my youtube favorites!

[@aaronfahey5517]

what a fantastic video, so cool to see how the flat 6 has persisted throughout NIN's career, doing something difference in each song. I teared up at your playing of leaving hope!

[@iximusic]

CORRECTION: found a typo for "Ruiner": in the key of A, the bVI is F (not C).

[@wittkacy]

This was for Ruiner, right? Also, I don't know much about music theory, but trying to understand it. Forgive me if I'm way off, but is it possible that the verses in Ruiner are in D minor, and the chorus in A? Thanks again for these videos, love watching them and trying to learn why Trent's choice of chords always resonate with me.

[@iximusic]

Yes it was for Ruiner! Sorry I'll specify that. It's in key of A the whole time.

[@wittkacy]

@@iximusic Ah ok! So, does that make it A Mixolydian then? I'm just wondering about that C# in the chorus. Thanks for the clarification!

[@iximusic]

You could say the chorus is in A mixolydian b6.

[@andrewmaul2953]

Also true for The Hand that Feeds (~10:30), yes?

[@billyalarie929]

That bVI in “Beside You” is just CLASSY 😙👌

[@MMMlewis5592-q1b]

Love your videos. I'm a long time nine inch nails fan. Been a fan since around the time year zero was released. Saw them three times in concert the first time was amazing because it was the lights in the sky tour which had fantastic visuals in the show and I was in second row. Also I'm interested in producing music and trying to learn more about chord progressions. Thanks for your channel.

[@Eireman_on_Twitch]

This was the best analysis of NIN I have ever watched! I’m a hobbyist guitarist, key tickler, and (former) flautist, never got into really giving music my all until I became medically disabled, but Trent has been with me since I got hits pre-Pretty Hate Machine cassette at a show NIN guested at while I was in high school. His musicality just stuck. Funny enough, years later I attended a headline show with a friend’s band, as they were buying the old NIN Live trap set. It’s refreshing to see how normal and kind the musician my mother despised was off stage. Hehehe I got Trent Reznor to myself for a couple hours, recorded nothing, and we discussed video games BECAUSE IM A GEEK (AND SO IS HE)!

[@iximusic]

WOW, that sounds like a core life experience! Geeks unite. And thank you! My channel was built on NIN analysis so feel free to browse! Here's the NIN playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLn_Xar3I0ZoBekweW27w_hVQxbfHntzyB

[@yokoisdead]

thank you for this video on nin i loved it

[@daphne5302]

while i’m still here is fr a top five nin track for me and this video made it feel new again. bless

[@felixstarck56743]

Love your videos, and this is definitely my favorite chord as well, although most of my life I didn’t really identify it as the flat VI. Sometimes it makes me tear up because of how beautiful it is. I adore Trent Reznor, and I love alternative music in general, but growing up on mostly classical music, I have realised that Bach (who is my favorite composer of all time) honestly put this chord everywhere in his music too, but in a sort of subtle way, often just touching on it before moving on (slipping through your fingers, like you said) but it is really, really exquisite every time. I know 17. century baroque style couldn’t be more different from industrial/alternative rock though, but I just couldn’t help myself sharing my love for both😅 For me it’s the same emotions that just transcend different styles of music

[@jameshoy380]

Thanks for this. Trent and Atticus are geniuses. I’m gonna fire up the piano and start farting around with this chord.

[@FlyingLapMedia]

Love seeing breakdowns like this. Adds a fun under the hood look at the songs I've listened to a million times.

[@cschicago]

I had forgotten how great some of these songs were. Now I'm going to listen to them again right after watching the rest of your video.

[@sweetwheatsy]

I had the same reaction hearing you play While I'm Still Here - got a bit teary-eyed lol

[@TracyParks]

Came here strictly for the "Ruiner" version. Love it!

[@toneelectronix]

Now I know why! Thank you @ixi!

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

Trent likes his Pedal Tones.

[@djstraylight]

My dark heart was briefly illuminated by this video 😎

[@alexmata196]

Another memorable video. Thanks for feeding us 💀

[@scottdouglasmusic4245]

I love kind of music geek stuff!!! I will absolutely subscribe if you do this kind of thing often! Thanks for this one for sure! 👍🎶

[@iximusic]

Thanks! I have a lot of videos like this! Check out my Channel Highlights: kzbin.info/aero/PLn_Xar3I0ZoAHlxZGR7Vh9-C3zbycco3c or if you mean NIN-specific, my NIN analysis playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLn_Xar3I0ZoBekweW27w_hVQxbfHntzyB. And there are two more videos that go more in depth with more examples of this beautiful flat 6 chord: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2PQpqh6qqZ1p7uV and kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5_Jg2OXj5qZZ7s

[@IvanRubin]

If you can do a breakdown of were in this together I think that would be AMAZING!

[@juunishibeast]

Let's go IXI, another NIN video, another like from by book ^_^ Keep it up with all the great minds.💪😎👆

[@violetbaudelaire7353]

This is it. The ixi video of all time. 🫡🤘

[@GabinThorréeBoine]

Thanks! You picked a lot of songs that I love and cover. The Background World is so interesting to listen and play 🙀👍🏻😃🤘🏻

[@MagnusMFX]

I've said it before, and i'll say it again. Leaving Hope is my favorite NIN song of all time. I've literally played this song at a public piano in Malta before heading home when I was on vacation. True story.

[@hchchc948]

id love to hear a bunch of nin covers from you! including in this twilight

[@je_suis_le_vent]

this is so cool!

[@iximusic]

EPILEPSY TRIGGER WARNING at 13:06!

[@N02tradamus]

i love your singing ... dont be embarrassed :)

[@vladrileynavilys]

NIce! Even nicer would be to have the progression around the bVI showing on the screen as well :)

[@emmawheeler8559]

Amazing!!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@texastaurus9271]

very nice ixi

[@Ben6ty9]

The offbeat in background world is amazing❤one of my favourite songs ever.

[@Zhade_12]

Yeah I love that song to, I have seen many say they don‘t like it but it really is one of my favorite newer NIN tracks

[@underthemayo]

Superior Fragile fans unite! Love any time you talk about The Fragile.

[@Figbot5AI]

Peace

[@ThunderousNinja]

Nine inch nails is fun. I need my synth back

[@KoRMaK1]

I've noticed i keep gravitating towards 6 chords, now i need to see if I've been trying to recreate this sound without knowing it

[@rationalmuscle]

You have a lovely voice. Hope you put your cover of Ruiner on YT : )

[@Inequities]

I feel like you might like the flat 6 chord…”Hope…. no hope”

[@realbadmews]

"that is the only time we hear the flat 6 chord" me: THE ONLY TIME>???

[@iximusic]

heehee

[@MuppetMissile]

I don't know much about music theory yet, but halfway through the video I was like, 'ohhhh it's that part in every one of my fave songs that breaks your heart, got it.' So yeah I guess we have that in common 😅

[@iximusic]

YESSSS!

[@snootdoot3983]

I feel as if there's a dozen flat 6ths on The Fragile but the one I was thinking of in particular was Please! In the chorus when it modulates to B flat I'm pretty sure the 4th chord in the loop is the flat 6th. I wish I could be more certain but my ear training isn't too good

[@snootdoot3983]

Neglected to mention that the video was great and informative. I appreciate the inclusion of less discussed tracks, Ripe with Decay in particular

[@iximusic]

YEP, "Please" chorus, good one!!

[@oscaruzcategui8495]

Could you do a video on the Piano Outro of "In the Meantime" by Spacehog? Love the content ❤

[@iximusic]

I've thought about doing that video! Thanks for the reminder

[@theopinionmachine606]

You kinda missed the opportunity to show the contextual chords surrounding it. The changes are important.

[@ikku4321]

I guess I need to make NIN bVI playlist now.

[@iximusic]

Add Every Day Is Exactly The Same, it's in the verse, I forgot that one! And Right Where It Belongs verse. And and and and

[@ikku4321]

@iximusic tnx, I'll have to rewatch your video to make the full list anyways :) The bVI truly makes one choke up and gives you goosebumps, so 'awh' would certainly be legitimate playlist description. Nice find, great video.

[@marquee-moon]

The Ruiner example at 2:03, flat VI of A should be F, yeah?

[@iximusic]

Yep, it's a typo!

[@galen__]

3:09 - 🤘

[@macroshibby6]

If you ever make a major 9th video, I will 100% fund it 😂

[@iximusic]

ohhhh YES!! yes yes. If you're serious...message me lol

[@crymearobot]

Beato on steroids

[@frankcowan6625]

Ooooo.

[@Alec_Collins78]

👋

[@islsener7910]

Doesn't Trent has jazzy vibe? It would be cool if he relaese a jazz album after movie projects.

[@islsener7910]

also your voice fits nine inch nails, you have lyrical type like trent's 😺

[@iximusic]

Yes I think there's some jazzy influence sometimes. And he scored a movie called Mank that's very jazzy!

[@islsener7910]

⁠@@iximusic He played with a jazz band when he was young. But learning jazz is not easy and he doesn’t only compose the jazz, he created a rock band.

[@dangrel]

He does play trumpet and saxophone...

[@islsener7910]

@@dangrel yes, but he uses jazz chords. I can’t analyze no more but I like jazz and sometimes his melody sections feels like jazz. 😸

[@Collect-AI]

Would be helpull to show what the others in each of the progressions are.

[@billyalarie929]

Should just change the channel name to ix-bVI

[@iximusic]

flat ix. Actually I host a songwriting/production group Zoom and we're called the Flat Sixies ;)

[@Collect-AI]

Are most of his VI chords following a iv chord?

[@iximusic]

He, and many other musicians, often do flat 6 to 4, either voiced as a power chord or major. It just works so well. I also gravitated to that sequence in my music long before I knew any theory!

[@madmac66]

Erm, surely in A the C natural is the flat 3??.

[@iximusic]

sorry what are you referring to?

[@madmac66]

@@iximusic 2:03

[@iximusic]

@@madmac66 ah, yes. Typo! meant to say in A bVI is F. I can't fix it now unfortunately but I'll put it in the description.

[@madmac66]

@ Oh right. I thought you had meant to write A is the flat 6 in C at first. Sorry to be that guy, but glad to help 😜

[@austinclark3495]

B flat (octave 1) is right around 60hz, which fun fact is what american AC/DC runs at, and is just about the point at which our brains can't tell something is flickering ( critical flicker frequency). Food for thought.

[@CookieCurls]

We don’t really call it a bVI chord if it’s used in a song that’s in a minor key. Then it’s just the VI. A regular diatonic mode that’s not really doing anything special. It’s only a bVI when it’s borrowed from the parallel minor. Just FYI! Besides that I enjoyed listening to the different ways NIN uses the VI to resolve in different ways. It might have been helpful to cover more about how the VI is used in context. I.E. they love to use the I VI iv progression alllll the time. 10:20 The VI in the key of A is F not C. P.S. I love your videos I’m sorry for being a music nerd asshat 😂

[@iximusic]

I call it bVI in any context because I listen to music with so much modal interchange that it's been valuable to be specific to not cause confusion. Same with the scale degree - especially the scale degree. For more in depth analysis of the chord progressions, I would recommending watching my videos where I'm analyzing a single song, and then I go into all the details! And yes, there's a typo. Can't be fixed in the video at this point but I added it to the video description. Thanks!

[@Olveron]

Why not play a longer clip from "That's what I get"? Lol

[@iximusic]

It was just a joke ;) I said "that's what you get!" just before it.

[@mori9060]

Ah shit looks like I’m goin to be joining patreon cause that was amazing

[@iximusic]

Are you talking about the Ruiner cover? I certainly hope you do join because it's an awesome group and it's my primary means of support, but there's not much more of it on the Patreon version, just the prechorus additionally, I think? Just don't want you to be disappointed!

[@mori9060]

@ yeah dude that was amazing. I want more!

[@ChristianBurnett]

2:44 We're not talking about how good this sounds?! 👌