The Music Theory Iceberg Explained

[@felipecortegana3209]

Now here’s the real mind blowing thing about the whole iceberg. Once you reach the ocean floor, you look around the abyss, and suddenly you see other icebergs, then comes the realization of other cultures have their own version of music theory and their own icebergs attached

[@torstenjensen4708]

The one unifying thing between them is that Jacob Collier is lurking about at the bottom of all of them

[@matthewcantu3127]

@@torstenjensen4708 A Poseidon of the musical ocean

[@InventorZahran]

@@torstenjensen4708 It's been said that if you get close enough to his deep-sea lair, you can hear Jacob Collier playing the music of every iceberg at the same time. It sounds something like microtonal gamelan in 7/13 time, negatively harmonized with polytonal neutral-third arpeggios based on a Maquam, accompanied by Taiko drums tuned to every fourth degree of a hyperlydian raga. The rhythmic pulse is an irrational swing ratio, maintained by an ensemble of woodpeckers tapping out complex polyrhythms within quintuple-nested tuplets. Legend has it that if you stay underwater and listen to this sound for long enough, the ghosts of every deceased record label executive will appear before you, and chant "World Music is a real thing" before disappearing.

[@LeonFTV]

is quite Eurocentric believing that the others do music just because they use sound... ;)

[@altuervo]

@@torstenjensen4708 djessywise

[@isidoreaerys8745]

Pitch is rhythm STILL blows my mind. It’s crazy to think our bodies can make frequencies that move that fast using our voice

[@nubman41]

I figured this out when I looped an audio sample so short it became a note.

[@mcaeln7268]

A=440 is a 440th tuplet of a quarter note at 60BPM

[@NativeJibroney22]

Whats crazy is that it isn't just "pitch is rhythm", it's "pitch=rhythm" which is the same thing as "rhythm=pitch". We cannot just hear a pulse that isn't some layering of pitches. A drum hit is some kind of tone with many overtones as well. So pitch and rhythm are one in the same, not one makes the other.

[@static7985]

it's like a motorcycle. when idling, it sounds like a bunch of rapid pops, but accelerating, it sounds like an increasing tone.

[@tijsvancauwenberge8675]

@@NativeJibroney22 It's all nicely explained by the Heisenberg principle. When speeding up a rhythm of a guitar pluck, the beats originally contain the frequency of the plucks but after getting sped up the plucks become shorter meaning more certain in time and less certain in frequency. The opposite can be said about the total rhythm that after getting sped up becomes more distributed in time meaning less certain in time and more certain in therms of pitch. There is an intrinsic limitation in the the resolution our ears can have in these two for a given sound and they are related

[@dorsal-qb5fr]

Pitch = Rhythm is at the deepest level... but it could just as easily be taught at the top of the iceberg - if provided with the incredible demonstration you offered here. Bravo!

[@aikawarazu]

I took a class in musical composition that explained it in a similar way! It was the first time I had heard of it that way.

[@dan9521]

thats reality aswell awesome wheter small or big just as important

[@CelestialOtter9]

I was thinking similarly that this would be at the top of a physics iceberg. Play fast enough and you start emitting light lmao

[@AlexGeek]

As a computer engineer I found that easier to grasp than other things in upper levels

[@Trip_mania]

Same here, I work in physics and that analogy felt obvious to me when I learned about how the different notes are made from harmonics.

[@chilaou]

The most memorable thing about A = 432hz tuning for me is that my hometown warned against its intentional usage during amplified musical performances for a couple of years back in the early 2000's. IIRC, they found out that the concrete supports of our amphitheater would resonate at 108hz after someone was performing, apparently using 432hz tuning, and during a very loud sustained note (I guess A2) at the end of a song part of one of the lighting rigs supported between two of them snapped. I remember seeing a follow-up in the newspaper about how during their investigation into the cause, one of the engineers said something like, "I guess the original architects hadn't thought about the 'weird stuff' kids might be doing with music in 70 years."

[@intertonality9846]

Nothing weird about the music, what's weird is that every material in the world has a resonant frequency and if found, we could shake apart anything with enough sound

[@emailvonsour]

A = 432hz was extremely common in the early 1900s. What is everybody here smoking?

[@intertonality9846]

@@emailvonsour not saying that tuning everything to that frequency would do that. It works like how opera singers break glass wine glasses with their voices

[@ClulssCrs3310]

4+3+2=9 1+0+8=9 look into sacred geometry for that and how music back in the day was at 432.

[@scottkleyla7752]

Atmospheric Gravity oscillates with thunder,lightning is not the speed of light is it?

[@vitalepitts]

my favorite part of music theory is being like "OH that's what that's called" when I've found something while playing that sounds wild

[@blackqweenmars]

Fr like I be knowing music theory I just don’t know a lot of the names of what I’m playing

[@MusicalBasics]

The greatest music theory video I’ve ever seen. You deserve awards for the effort you put into this.

[@CalebKwan.]

Hi king

[@CatrinaDaimonLee]

one assumes you haven't seen that many, or seen not the best ones, then.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!!

[@PranayKotapi]

@@CatrinaDaimonLee the internet is awaits for better links from you

[@aguilarrojasoctavio4402]

@@CatrinaDaimonLee AW

[@crisoutoftune4867]

I love how the deeper he got, the less songs examples he had to explain the non common or weird music theory concepts, just proving how rare each level is.

[@sacharite3424]

Jacob collier would dominate the last two tiers haha

[@paveantelic7876]

@@sacharite3424 jacob is a hack

[@stephenweigel]

@@sacharite3424 who?

[@GDRunny]

Do find it kinda weird he didn't use endless staircase from mario 64 as an example of a shepherd tone

[@BenMBass]

@@stephenweigel Jacob Collier is both talked about and shown in the video

[@ThatBish380]

That pitch = rhythm thing was MIND BOGGLING

[@Pedro_Larroza]

I feel like I've "grown" 5 IQ points just by learning that.

[@FranksCreativeCorner]

Actually this exact thing was sort of being investigated a couple centuries ago, with a machine called Savart's Wheel. Basically it was a wheel connected to a wooden tongue by a ratchet mechanism, in such a way that you'd hear different pitches depending on how fast you'd spin the wheel. That's what there was for tuning instruments before diapasons were invented. I just checked it out in Wikipedia, it was a really cool machine.

[@KungFuBlitzKrieg]

Even more mind blowing is that Rhythm = Pitch = Color. The visual spectrum of light lies 40 octaves above middle C in the hundreds of terahertz range. For instance, A440 is the color orange, and an Ab major chord is an almost pure red, green, and blue.

[@ThatBish380]

@@KungFuBlitzKrieg Hoh my gos

[@Trendyflute]

@@KungFuBlitzKrieg Yes except sound waves and electromagnetic waves propagate differently, it's analogous not physically identical, but still awesome to consider!

[@Watermelon_Man]

The pitch=rhythm one was hilarious to me because it’s a deep dark concept for a musician, but I’m an Audio Engineer, so we work with frequencies rather than notes most of the time, so this is a fundamental concept for us😂 (I’m a musician as well)

[@olivierlaborde7887]

pitch - rythm is so cool. I wonder what a piece of music would sound like if you slowed it down enough to just hear the composite rythm. I suppose that wouldnt be too hard to do

[@yodo-y3i]

well, one can see that concept at the beginning of the SHM's "one" track from 2010

[@franciscasilva8406]

The same for people that study sound waves in physics class.

[@kaitlyn__L]

⁠@@franciscasilva8406 acoustic waves, optical waves, even quantum wave functions all share a lot of similarities!

[@milire2668]

@@yodo-y3i lol was the second thing i had to think of when he started speeding up the sample. first thing was me messing around in fl studios edison editing some drums n playing it back too fast :D

[@doodle2763]

The fact that every chord and all of harmony is just polyrhythms is crazy to me

[@dilgeatakan9366]

And how those polyrhythms change when non-musician just look at the tempo and think it's just one rhythm.

[@mertatakan7591]

Like major triad = 4:5:6, minor triad = 10:12:15, diminished triad = 25:30:36, augmented triad = 16:20:25, and that gets more interesenting when you think about tetrads (both sixths and sevenths)

[@henrychinaski2890]

Dude, where have you been my whole life? This is just what the regular Joes like me need. No nonsense, no bs, straight ELI5 explanations so we can get a grasp and then go deeper into it. Thanks a lot, subscribed now.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!!

[@henrychinaski2890]

@@DavidBennettPianoDude, thank YOU for bringing culture to the masses.

[@bsorofman]

Just to echo this sentiment. It's yall music theory nerds making videos like this, that made me take up music again. Even when I was 5, I didn't get this intro, the kind that actually makes learning about music seem fun.

[@schnitthart]

I join Henry, very good and compact overview of the topic

[@mnoradola210]

This is the single greatest music theory explanation I've ever seen. It's very succinct and well explained and it should be Day 1 viewing in every single Music Theory 101 class going forward.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks Matt!

[@tommybrain4204]

lmao okay buddy

[@oliversmith8932]

Nobody needs to learn Pythagorean tuning on Day 1 of music theory

[@wazzlopiok240]

@@oliversmith8932 speak for yourself! I may not have my major scale learned yet but my Pythagorean tuning is perfect.

[@hurt6145]

@@tommybrain4204 cope

[@fryeguymusic]

You explained neopolitans and augmented 6’s better in 30 seconds than my professor did in an entire semester

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😃😃😃

[@johannkaribaldursson215]

You must have a horrible professor then.

[@setinstone-x4p]

@@johannkaribaldursson215 i believe that was the joke

[@yilan_gulsum856]

@@setinstone-x4p it might have been intended that way but such horrible teachers really exist. I don't know if any are there at the professor level though. I've met several of them who were supposed to be good on what they claim to be. This field is full of shameless scammers and megalomaniacs. I'm glad I just discovered this channel honestly. David is a legend so far. There is even one of those guys here on youtube who hypes his absolute mess of a book all the time claiming it's for all levels from absolute beginner to advanced while even as an advanced musician the value inside is questionable at best. He even said "If you want to learn music theory, that's how you do it!" with a smug expression once. I pity the keen beginners who bought it and gave up. This is just one famous example on this specific platform. You can call this "he who must not be named" a not so great teacher but I'm going to lean on "scammer" after that book fiasco. He doesn't even come close to the mildest narcissistic teacher I've personally met in my life though. It's rly messed up. I'm honestly surprised at myself for still pursuing this. I must really love music or something.

[@corentinm.105]

40:09 I hear absolutely no differences and that scares me

[@Magic_carpet666]

It's funny because a lot of the deeper concepts you refer to are actually stuff I learned with music production rather than music theory (overtones, polymeters, pitch = rhythm). If you follow it all the way down it becomes… basically pure math and you're entering the audio and electrical engineering realm.

[@uraniidumbra5219]

You know what's trippy? I have dyscalculia, which is similar to dyslexia but with mathematical concepts. I barely understand 2+2=4. Yet music *bypasses ALL of that* and makes the numbers, ratios etc make sense to me. I don't know how, but it works.

[@Magic_carpet666]

@@uraniidumbra5219 Thanks for sharing, it's quite amazing really. I'm glad we're all able (well, most) to enjoy this aspect of existence together, music is a wonderful concept and reality.

[@Martin-Quemeneur]

Exactly, I think the farther he goes the less he talks about music theory but physics (especially rhythm=pitch, for me although interesting, it has nothing to see with music and everything with wave physics)

[@jerryli9002]

interesting note about Deutsch's scale illusion: Tchaikovsky kinda used it with two violins in the 4th movement of his 6th symphony and its so cooooooool

[@Puehromahne]

Oh yea! 😍

[@antmonk8537]

The pitch = rhythm part is something I had seen explained before (possibly on an Adam Neely vid) but when you demonstrated the concept by turning a polyrhythm into a major triad, that blew my mind dude. Fantastic video.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊

[@rvalkproductions]

Same I know some band who used it in their music, but the major triad... Genuis!

[@jordanhedington2421]

Timestamp?

[@jordanhedington2421]

@Unabridged Science it makes sense. Pitch is a frequency, and a frequency is made up of waves. Slow down the frequency enough and you have individual waves. Imagine how if you make a sound deep enough with your voice it eventually sounds like individual clicks. So a polyrhythm, this I think would be 4:3:2, sped up enough ends up as a major triad

[@antmonk8537]

@Unabridged Science he did though? What are you not understanding exactly?

[@bradleydawson9043]

In my second college level music theory class (1976), I recorded a metronome on a reel to reel and sped it up to audible frequency for a class project. I got an 'A' and a WTF from the professor. From around the same time I heard my first shepard tone at the end of Pink Floyd's "Echoes". I did encounter several concepts in this that I have not previously seen or heard. Congratulations on a very complete explanation. It would make a great poster for music theory classes.

[@scotthamm106]

I am deaf, profoundly deaf, which means I can not hear any sound at all. Zero. I was raised learning about music through vibrations by physical contact like hands to the piano, drums, guitars, bass guitars, banjo, etc. I can understand the concept of various frequencies. My mom got me started in rhythm when we sang hymns at Church using a book pointing out what word to speak, sustain the tone, or stop abruptly, etc. So from there, I started to study notes from hymn books remembering the speed, rhythm, etc, and learned songs and music from there. That is how I got started into music. I eventually started playing drums, moved to guitar, and then again moved to Banjo. I started enjoying the blue grass music due to the profundity of simple and pleasing rhythms. One of my favorite music is Foggy Mountain Breakdown. So until I saw this video, I thought I knew everything, which is on the tip of the iceberg. As you led me down under the water, my mind is BLOWN. The simplicity of the explanation of each term listed here really made me more curious, for instance, hendrix chords, polyrhythm, mixed meter, shepard tone, and ESPECIALLY pitch=Rhythm! Pitch equals to Rhythm has opened up my eyes to new things that I never thought has existed! Your video has brought me into the abyss of music opening new opportunities to really enjoy and appreciate music! Thank you, and keep up doing videos like those! You rock!

[@Xalnri_Edmond]

Ive been studying music theory for the fun of it because of me wanting to major in music, and this gave me a huge help! Eight pages and one sore hand later, I have all of the knowledge needed for my AP Music theory class next year! Thank you!!

[@olivierlaborde7887]

OMG lol. unfortunately AP Music theory doesn't really prioratize this (most of this). I took it in highschool, and am now a music composition major, and AP music theory mainly sticks to the cultural and stylistic practices of 18th century european musicians. Adam Neely has a really great video about it called music theory and white supremacy. The main concepts to know for that class (and theyll all be taught in the class so no need to work on it outside of that class) are figured base, voice leading, aural skills and sight singing, and general music knowledge (for the multiple choice section). Good luck and let me know if you have questions (because I love music theory and am always down to give advise or help with concepts)

[@maddiev510]

@@olivierlaborde7887 I took apmt and Adam neelys video convinced me to switch my major from music theory to music and culture. It’s so well done

[@gameguy8101]

Don't major in music ALWAYS keep music in your life. Play and learn as much as you can. Major in something practical, college is a financial investment. You could be a musician who works in a grocery store, or a musician who works in an office. One will fund a life and a family, one will not. Minor in music, or double major if you can.

[@maddiev510]

@@gameguy8101 totally agree, i’m doing a double major with environmental science now

[@kell_0741]

@@gameguy8101 My dad was an amazing bass trombonist but he was told this, all the musicians he was going to college with or going to all state with are now in professional ensembles, recording studios, or teaching, while he was stuck studying for multiple "practical" majors he didn't enjoy anyway. He says his biggest regret was not knowing that you CAN make money doing music. Today he is playing music again, but says he is no where near as far as he would've gone if he had stuck with music and not assumed it was practically useless.

[@812cp]

I have to say that when this video came up I thought, "45 minutes? I'll just watch the first few minutes and then probably bail." But as you got deeper and deeper I was totally hooked on some absolutely fascinating concepts. Clefs are designed to specify the note that passes through them? Cool! Polymeter and swing ratios? Way more interesting than I had ever considered. And pitch = rhythm?!? Get the f*ck outta here! Brilliant video and extremely well presented.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@matej1769]

exactly!

[@mrferrot9898]

I must say, this video is really well put together. I thought I wouldn’t learn a thing to be honest, but you still surprised me. Bravo to you David Bennett :)

[@alendaevans2237]

Me too!

[@MrByebyelove]

You, good sir , have proved yourself the ideal mark for falling for the principal mechanic that defines the "iceberg" video

[@switch1e]

That pitch and rhythm part blew my mind. Great video

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@grindingthegearsofalltides4504]

honestly this would also be a perfect "introduction to music theroy" video in my opinion. There is just so much good stuff here! :)

[@absoluteai41]

To address both comments I agree. Also, this would be good to get an idea of what to study but is not diving into each one of these topics in great detail. He goes over each quickly so it will provide a good list of things to study further.

[@cyrilcrutzen1471]

@Von Helsing I feel like it's good for starters too. You might not remember everything and that should not be the goal, but you might come across a term, and have had a vague notion what it is when you eventually do study it

[@marshwetland3808]

@Von Helsing I've pursued weird musical things for decades, and a third of this was new to me - and obscure stuff you will never need. Check it out and enjoy, realizing that most western musicians you meet also don't know 1/3 to 1/2 of this stuff. Just my guess on that.

[@angharad.9743]

Yes I'm starting and I like knowing what the basic concepts are working towards so I can understand how everything goes together a bit better!

[@JM-td2qb]

I have been through so many teachers who like to ignore the first couple layers of the iceberg and jump right in the deep. This has helped so much!!!!!!!!

[@mecha5893]

I knew about the Pitch=Rhythm before seeing this, but I never knew about the ratios applying to the rhythms as chords so my mind was blown even more than it was when I learned about this

[@cradem01]

The pitch = rhythm part blew my mind! It was incredible listening to it speed up and transition into a chord! Amazing!!

[@hyungtaecf]

Average musicians kind of understand it just conceptually because they know the notes are “frequency” but don’t have any practical knowledge of that. When I discovered it many years ago while I was composing with a software, it was mind-blowing for me too. I did it actually by accident out of curiosity speeding up rhythms until the limit of the software. It was amazing because I felt like God or something, creating things after understanding that everything is a frequency of some rhythm. So I think music theory should actually start from there. You can play music without limits after understanding that everything we learn is just social constructions and shouldn’t be like that if you don’t want.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Great video as always. One note: C double flat actually a B flat, not a B natural, so a d diminished 7 chord would be written as D-F-Ab-Cb, and not an example of a situation in which you’d use a double flat (unless it’s too early in the morning and my brain isn’t working).

[@andromedasgarden]

Yeah, I thought I misheard him, but I think it's a genuine mistake. It got me thinking "how can you go *double* flat and end up at a note that's just a semitone away?" Great video nonetheless

[@kandels3195]

Damn I didnt know you make music! :)

[@PANTECHNICONRecordings]

A better example would be Cdim7: C-Eb-Gb-Bbb.

[@unexpectediteminbaggageare8460]

wooosg i didnt know you did music! i just made your cacioe pepe but i put too much salt in it and it was bad. i am drunk.

[@tubular7752]

Dude what are you doing here?? Go make some late night chorizo grilled cheese

[@corneliusnowicki5363]

This video was extremely well presented. Every time I was like "ok, but can we see it/hear it" we got a proper demonstration and it was incredibly satisfying apart from being really educational. The quality of your videos have honestly increased a lot, David. All the best!

[@matak_beans]

listen, this video really helped me and answered a few questions I had lingering. Thank you!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@TantiOfficial]

pitch = rhythm absolutely destroyed my mind. it was something that I knew already but how you described it just left me with a smile on my face.

[@marshwetland3808]

Did it make your heart feel weird? When it was getting closer to the tone, about the last 1/3 to 1/4 it bothered me a fair bit. Maybe only me.

[@Aflay1]

This may be the single most creepy iceberg video I've ever seen. There is nothing more utterly surreal than listening to all these songs and tones with little context back to back. You get to the bottom of the iceberg and it stops being references and familiar cultural norms, and things get absolutely absurd. Legitimately eerie and unfamiliar pieces of sound being illustrated by this solumn, yet adamant narrator. Doesn't help some of these tones instill a sense of existential dread. These are the sounds you'd hear in like, a horror movie, or a game like Undertale. Real bone chilling pieces. Most icebergs are creepy by kind of warping your nostalgia. This iceberg opens your ears to the most unusual sounds and concepts. It is indescribable.

[@wulvenclave5821]

It's fascinating for an experienced musician to see a video like this one and determine how extensive my knowledge is on music theory. I recognise much of this content from stuff i'm presently doing or have done in the past and yet there is some content I have never heard of or only had an implicit understanding of. You've sparked a bit of curiosity in me my friend. Good stuff.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊 great stuff!

[@aikawarazu]

Same here, this video was definitely a treat

[@jackthesmoltangerine]

Lol most of my music education was from Mr Bennett, also 12Tone, who got me into it in the first place (but it was ​ @DavidBennettPiano who got me into Radiohead, therefore indirectly causing my small crush on Thom Yorke, so they’re even)

[@monkeybusiness673]

I love how the relatively simple idea of "What if we play Lydian, but then just play another Lydian; and then another one?" was dubbed in a way that feels like pissing around while totally drunk. "Duuuuuuuude...That's not even Ultra-Lydian anymore...It's like.......Super-Ultra-Hyper-Mega-Meta Lydian, Man!"

[@kamilee4123]

My music theory professor demonstrated pitch=rhythm in my first semester theory class and it blew my mind. It’s such a cool physics/math thing that integrates with music.

[@yyoshman]

i like how you say with some of the ideas that basically, most of the time people arent thinking about the concepts when theyre playing, just feeling it. Theres so much concepts in music theory and sometimes its so overwhelming that people forget you dont really need to know everything to utilize it. good video

[@NomeDeArte]

It's remarkable how well and easy you explain so many concepts. Really fun to watch too, good video!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@micah8943]

The pitch=rhythm was to me by far the coolest concept here, really ties everything together

[@forrestcowcat]

everyone hands up....

[@JoelSyverud]

The brilliance of this video can’t be overstated, it both reinforced my existing understanding, corrected my misunderstanding and explained new concepts (specifically Negative Harmony!). Thank you so much David!

[@ferudunatakan]

Fun fact: If you rotate a music sheet 180 degrees, you end up with another music sheet. Only things that are looking odd are: Key signatures (If key is A minor or C major, it doesn't look odd) Quarter rests Dynamics Articulations Tuplets Meters Tempo Clefs Accidentals etc.

[@Birbinator2008]

As somebody who knows nothing about music theory I don’t understand anything 😂

[@elconejito99]

Same!!! 😢😢😢

[@ErtywekPL]

almost

[@Birbinator2008]

@v8torque932 i know how to play music, not music theory

[@妙-o3w]

​@v8torque932 it's interesting

[@Quinnigmatic]

You can still learn something from it

[@misterflibble6601]

All the concepts were absolutely fascinating but I was blown away by pitch = rhythm. Such a seemingly nonsensical idea that actually makes perfect sense!

[@timmccarthy872]

A video about obscure music theory and you went fully 33 minutes without throwing up your hands and passing the baton to Adam Neely, nice job!

[@timmccarthy872]

@@user-cj4fu8qq9b yeah and that happened 33 minutes deep into the video

[@9ZenMedia]

I feel my inference is correct about the seemingly deleted comment. Good day all.

[@crumbtember]

@@9ZenMedia lol. Lol. Lol lol lol lol lol, lol. :')

[@emip523]

This made me realize how deep can get the knowledge of something and how many stuffs I need to learn about music theory Great iceberg ❤️

[@TheListeningParty_TLP]

Practically entire year of concepts stuffed into a few minutes. You were born to do this. Thank you. My favorite new, weird and wonderful concept… Pitch = Rhythm… Rhythm = Pitch.

[@gianlucarisa7726]

Pitch=rhythm explains why car engines plays that sound. Basically every cylinder just plays a "bang", in fact, the lower the RPM the more you can hear the bangs, but at 4/5000 revolutions per minute, you can hear the pitch increasing. Holy shit, that's amazing

[@user-fm3pc8qb9t]

small note: the melodic minor scale is actually #6 and #7 going up but natural 6 and 7 going down. This results in the ear being pulled to the tonic going up and to the dominant tone going down

[@carsonnichols7428]

Not In jazz theory

[@Thalweg]

6:31. It does mention at the bottom that that is only for ascending but he forgot to say it vocally

[@mirak63]

The ear is always pulled to the tonic, the same way you are always pulled to the ground, event when you are not jumping.But yeah, jumping will amplify that feeling.

[@WakiTheCroc]

That's actually not a real scale. I've seen it theorised that the "different ascending/descending" scale was only ever created for the purpose of instrumental scale practice - the "true" melodic minor is the one used in jazz theory.

[@carsonnichols7428]

@@WakiTheCroc there are no real scales

[@tonebuddha]

Greatly enjoyed this, I learned things! Couple of little things: C clef is commonly used as tenor clef for cello trombone and bassoon. Just intonation is commonly used by instruments that can bend the pitch - ensembles such as string quartets will often tune the thirds of held chords.

[@marshwetland3808]

Yeah, I thought it was used all over the place for different instruments. I didn't quite understand what he said at that part - but no matter. I don't have to read it for what I do and I know the basic concept of clefs being on a reference line.

[@pchelovekPV]

David, thank you for such an in-depth dive into music theory! 45 minutes have passed so seamlessly!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊

[@6ohoh]

45min of full immersion in music theory. Outstanding!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@dilgeatakan9366]

@@DavidBennettPiano Why is it 43 minutes? Those 2 minutes are not that complex.

[@k5r2d2]

The video is a beast, congrats. We have the Hendrix chord that is instantly recognizable, and now we have the Bennett curriculum for musicians and enthusiasts. Bravo.

[@Neptas]

One thing you can add in the Ocean floor, similar to the Shepard tone : While the Shepard tone affects an ever ascending pitch, the same principles can also be applied with Rhythm. It's called Risset rhythm, it's a piece that keeps getting faster and faster, apparently without end (like the Shepard tone, it's just an illusion).

[@emestella_]

It's the first time I'm watching an iceberg and say I already understand most of the lowest layer. I'm very happy to see I know enough of music theory to never get lost. That said, it was very good to ear your explanations on some aspects of this iceberg.

[@n1tr0sys09]

I love these kind of videos because it makes you realize how people in different times conceptualize things, makes theories and ultimately play with systems. It's great to see how this art evolves and gets involved with other areas of knowledge. Fun to see that there are actually a lot of concepts and we almost always see the most simple stuff in our day to day... Great video, kudos

[@jimwalker5941]

This has been out for a year now, but i just saw it. I think you are onto something with your iceberg organization. As a retired guy who developed a number of classes for Electrical Engineers, take this as a suggestion, over and above a compliment. As a person who paid for his undergraduate college degree with an oboe scholarship, I appreciated that you started with 440 Hz.

[@dancooper8033]

Pitch = Rhythm never fails to amaze me on a deep level. When I hear a rhythm sped up to pitch it feels like I’m hearing something coming to life. Like how we’re all alive despite being made up of “dead” matter. It really gets me philosophical

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

I understood pitch = Rhythm once i understood how car engines work, basically what you're hearing is constant small explosions in the engine , which happen at ~900 times per minute for each cylinder your engine has (often 4), so you multiply 900 x 4 and divide that by 60 to get the frequency in Hz, aka pitch. Now if you step on the gas you will raise the revs to lets say 4000. Calculate like above and you get a frequency of 266,67Hz

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

Ooh, thanks for sharing Deutsch's scale illusion! I feel like that illusion really gets at why it can be hard to transcribe harmonies, or why two people trying to transcribe the same harmony vocals for the same song might come out with two different transcriptions.

[@jbjhoosier]

This is amazing David. So well done. Best thing about this is it gives a quick definition of concepts. I sat at the piano as you went through these and worked out examples. Then explored other videos ( often yours) on concepts I knew less about.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!!

[@jetzine00]

Pitch = Rhythm should be taught relatively early. I think it's easy enough for anyone to understand. One of the coolest concepts in all of music.

[@majestic-skies]

31:00 dude you just blew my mind. I had NO clue you could create a chord using only rhythm. How is pitch the same as rhythm? I'm actually so blown away. This is such an incredible fact everyone should be taught in school.

[@RamnoMusic]

pitch = rhythm is exactly why granular synthesis in electronic music is soo facinating to me

[@mr88cet]

Hey David! First, really-excellent summary video! Regarding “Xenharmonic” vs. “Microtonal,” Ivor Darreg (my longtime mentor) originally coined the term “Xenharmonic,” in the early-1970s, IIRC. Speaking with the editor of the informal journal, Xenharmonikôn, his recollection was that Darreg had in mind the unusual-sounding tunings as “xenharmonic.” “Xenharmonic” translates literally from Greek as “strange harmony.” I’m checking with a couple folks who worked closely with Ivor at the time to ask how the interpreted Darreg’s intended meaning for “Xenharmonic.” However, I actually _really like_ your interpretation of the distinction between these two terms, if you generalize it _slightly_ to: _Microtonal = tunings that continue and build upon the historical/cultural thought process that lead us to 12TET, to provide more Musical possibilities_ . So, 19TET, 31TET, 24TET, 53TET, etc., would qualify as Microtonal. _Xenharmonic = tunings where you have no choice but to throw out the traditional rule book entirely and start over_ . So this would include tunings like 11TET, Carlos Alpha, octave-repeating harmonic-series-fragment tunings, Bohlen-Pierce, 88CET, and many others. Tunings somewhat “on the borderline” between the two include 7TET, 10TET (my first break into the field), 17TET.

[@dotty7789]

Bravo, you really outdid yourself with this. I've been playing piano and singing since I turned 6 and am surprised I recognized any terms beyond overtones. I don't have all that much formal music theory education, but I have played my fair share of instruments and had many great musicians to learn from. Taking physics and being a math major has also helped in my musical journey, I wish there were more science art educational integrations out there.

[@Skitz3]

I love these kinds of videos. Not because I am much into music theory, but I almost always seem to find at least one song I like enough to put on my playlist

[@fnamelname8906]

As weird and unrelated as this may sound, pitch = rhythm is literally the perfect explanation for why cars “vroom”. You see, a gas engine operates on mini controlled explosions, and each of these explosions has an audible “pop” sound. Well when a car can rev at 12000 rpm, that’s essentially just 200 “pop”s per second.

[@jodo-blog7859]

I'm not a musician or a musician fan, but how did you make it so entertaining for me and everyone?

[@rickyratthetarpope4021]

I’m surprised you were able to keep up. I’m a musician and even I was googling a ton of crap and researching stuff throughout the video.

[@patcangy]

@@rickyratthetarpope4021I know almost no music theory, so every time he introduced a new concept he’d breeze through 10 words I’ve never heard of before. But right after, he’d play an example and I’d go “Woah. That one sounded cool” and that completely entertained me the whole way through

[@chinossynthesizer705]

​@@patcangyYou learn more by analyzing slowly if you go too fast, and you might forget. It's good to take it at your own pace and you can accurately understand it don't give up either.

[@karencolon5152]

I am so glad, and satisfied with the way you explained the rhythm = pitch. I remember a teacher in high school attempting to explain this on a chalkboard, and it was fascinating 45 years ago, but you really sent it home with your video.

[@jackson8753]

Man, I'm trying to learn more about music Theory for a friend because they are really interested in the topic, thank you so much, this is extremely helpful for explaining everything

[@Ryan-dk7mm]

Quality stuff. Always informative. Thanks for uploading!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@AcidDragonGraugh]

"Pitch = Rhythm" also has a very famous example which is "One" by Swedish House Mafia, the kick of the beginning of the song gradually turns into one of the synths and I do think this is pretty cool! Aside from this, I loved this video so much, and I occasionally return here when I want to remember something! I am pretty glad I've found your channel some time ago!

[@ShilohKeeling]

I’ve been researching music theory for about a week. I was looking for something that would show the layers of music theory and this video is PERFECT. I’m a self taught ear musician and now that I’m learning music theory I’m totally leveling up! This is a great video to help my progress along. I’m also adhd and I need a visual aid.

[@pasteye1671]

Well done, Mr Bennett - the ideal refresher or crib before a music theory exam. Covers all the main themes and topics, albeit without your usual very well-selected supporting examples. A priceless asset - and all in under an hour! Again, well done. You are a god to us mortal music students.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@michaellampson7085]

As someone who took advanced theory I was still able to find some new stuff like negative harmony and pitch=rhythm. Great stuff

[@smoorej]

Totally amazing 45 minutes of music theory. Beautifully organized, well presented, absolutely brilliant.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@geoffhead111]

nice work man, told me a lot of concepts i didnt know. nice concept at the end too, that this 'iceberg' might help you plot your way through music theory

[@chriscraddock6748]

I knew a lot of this stuff but there were a lot of things I did not know. And it was all explained so well, with excellent graphics that showed the concepts visually, and audio samples where you could hear it. Thanks, David.

[@humality144]

Legit one of the best music lessons i ever stumbled on. Thank you appreciate it!

[@Levi12O8]

as a person who doesn't formally have any connection to music, and one that doesn't even play an instrument, i'm really surprised by the amount of things watching random music theory videos over the course of about 2 years can teach you (that, and just looking up music theory stuff lol), like, not only have i at least heard about pretty much all of these concepts, i actually already knew what the majority of them where! very cool video.

[@mrlee6740]

This iceberg explanation deserves an award. Best I've come across. Mind blowing, well explained. Thank you for this.

[@YungGing]

All I’ve learned from this video is that I can press random piano buttons, and so long as it sounds weird and I can make up a fancy name, I can deem myself a musical genius

[@wifebeater69]

The equivalent of saying you work with dihydrogen monoxide and sodium chloride on a daily basis, therefore making you a chemical genius 😂

[@jackthesmoltangerine]

@@wifebeater69 LMAO that’s just working with saltwater

[@rlud304]

This is what arrogance and lack of self awareness looks like lol

[@rlud304]

You must be the same “genius” who thinks an internet connection makes you a scientist 😆

[@jackthesmoltangerine]

@@rlud304 You’re talking to the og commentor, right?

[@samuelcruz.music1]

This is probably the best music theory video I've seen! Everything is easy to understand and it doesn't get boring

[@eidolonian5823]

That was utterly superb. Thank you for doing this!

[@soysantim]

As a beginner musician who's learning music theory on his own, this is one of the best videos I've ever seen in my life. Ill will come back to it a lot. Thank you so much!

[@bojangprodoktschns5428]

It is interesting that different instruments allow direct (felt rather than understood) acces to different concepts - even to some of the lower tiers. Everybody ever using a synthesizer with a LFO going into audiorange will experience Pitch=Rhythm for instance, or people playing an instrument without fixed tuning will feel just intervals.

[@yannnique17]

And brass players learning very early about overtones (but not this precise as here)

[@n1tr0sys09]

That's very true, the way the instrument works makes you approach theory different and understand things from very different angles. Even music production, sound design and stuff makes you more aware of how our ears percieve things and how to play with it

[@AxeMurderer2222]

It isn't surprising that you can feel music once you learn that what creates it is waves of vibrating molecules bashing against your body at regular intervals. I suppose what would be surprising is if you didn't feel anything. Like wading in the ocean unable to feel them crash against you and shove you about. I reckon it is this feeling that makes music so universally alluring. If you couldn't feel the waves, maybe they wouldn't be so interesting as they are. Light waves are the same way, you can feel them.

[@henriklmao]

​@@yannnique17also guitarist. For example the high squeals in metal or harder rock music are done through a technique called pinch harmonic or artifical harmonic, where you basically pick the string and suppress it at a certain place to divide the string into the desired count of nodes (not notes) which basically isolates a single Overtone from a note.

[@yannnique17]

@@henriklmao But do you learn this during your first lesson hour?

[@SameAsAnyOtherStranger]

Been there done that along the lines of turning an LFO into a tuned pitch. But seeing the consummate Mr. Bennett turn the concept into such a well informed video is very nice.

[@willelliot8928]

i just got a david bennett piano ad on my david bennett piano video but didn’t realise it was a david bennett piano ad until i skipped it to resume my david bennett piano video

[@peace4531]

33:15 I love how you can see Jacob Collier haunting you in the background!

[@robertpien8708]

David so much great information this is like a road map to not only mapping out your progress and knowing where you are at in your musical journey. But also be aware of what is out there to still learn and enjoy the musical experience wow very nice.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@FMaple]

Finally someone make this! Thanks for the work man!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@richardfrenette6648]

Pretty much everything I wanna to say has already been said about this video, but I have to say it anyway: wow, what a blast to have all these subjects covered altogether! Amazing job!!

[@JPSE57]

The alto clef is a C clef centered on the middle line of the staff. When it's centered on the line above that, it is called a tenor clef and is frequently used for the upper register of low-sounding instruments, such as the cello or bassoon.

[@tclane47]

Really enjoyed this vid! I'm pretty knowledgeable about music theory but I liked your straightforward and accurate definitions and even learned a few things which was a very pleasant surprise! Thanks!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Excellent 😊

[@graysonguo9938]

I really love how this incorporates theories from a wide range of musical styles, and not just the harmonic style of 18th century European musicians!!

[@BinglesP]

It's awesome. David Bennett almost always has a variety of examples for songs in his videos, exceptions being the ones that are about specific genres or categories of course It's genuinely impressive how neutral he remains on all different kinds of music, even treating genres like modern US pop music or hip-hop with respect He also treats video game OSTs as valid music too, in his 11/8 video he even grouped them together with standalone music without having to make a separate video/section/whatever

[@The85thSomething]

I remember seeing some time ago a music genre called “Extratone.” I think it uses the pitch = rhythm idea in extremely high bpm songs.

[@fzxfzxfzx]

yea on god the drums in it go so fast at that point it sounds like primitive waveforms

[@ceulgai2817]

Was it by ThisExists! perchance?

[@The85thSomething]

@@ceulgai2817 Yea it was! Thanks for reminding me, I had forgotten

[@stevenfisher7828]

Extratone is exactly what I thought of when I saw that part

[@maxcheese382]

@@ceulgai2817 I can’t seem to find them anywhere. Do you have a song name I can search alongside the name?

[@UonBoat]

The way you prove the concept of pitch=rhythm is basically how granular synthesis work: you take a tiny snippet of a wave sample and play it with ultra high speed to make a new sound.

[@panosmosproductions3230]

Here’s one song that pulls from all throughout the music theory iceberg. The song “Longa and Samai Shahnaz - Maqam Shahnaz” by the Classical Arabic Orchestra of Aleppo is in a microtonal key, has many instances of modal interchange, and has many instances where the tempo and time signature change. It switches between D half sharp Phrygian dominant D half sharp double harmonic and D half sharp harmonic minor, And switches between 4/4, 3/4 and 5/4 quite a bit, on top of the tempo changing throughout.

[@alfonzog_music]

(36:03) Irrational Time Signatures are sadly rarely ever used, even in the more out there styles like Prog and Mathcore. The only example that I could find from a relatively popular tune was "Veil" by Haken. Around 10:30 into the song, the band suddenly switches from 7/4 to 7/12, then to 4/4. It comes out of nowhere and feels a lot less jarring that one would expect.

[@Skarix]

Thank you so much for making this video! As a noob interested in learning more about music theory, I cannot find the words to describe how much this helped me approach these concepts. I’ve saved this video, because I know for a fact I’ll be revisiting it many times in the future. Much appreciated!

[@emilyhubbard8691]

This is the most comprehensive explanation of negative harmony I’ve ever heard. It actually makes sense now. THANK YOU!

[@mayadiakova]

hands down the best video on mt that i've ever watched!! i do love geeking on the topic and i learned a lot as well as having my mind blown. your explanations are amazing - so clear, yet coherent and thorough!

[@alanbraithwaite3394]

38:46. Jacob looks to have his t shirt inside out but the previous mind blowing content prepared me to accept this as a valid possiblity. Brilliant explanation of music theory.