The Psycho Chord - Consonance vs Dissonance

Bernard Herrmann’s score for ‘Psycho' might contain some of the most famous music ever written for film, and there’s nothing more recognisable than the Prelude’s opening stabbing string chords. In this essay, I look behind the minor major seventh chord that begins the film and consider how it is inextricably linked to the story of this iconic psychological thriller.
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FURTHER READING/RESEARCH
An Audiovisual Foreshadowing in Psycho (Scott Murphy): journals.equinoxpub.com/index...
Herrmann, Hitchcock, and the Music of the Irrational (Royal S. Brown): www.jstor.org/stable/1225034?...
Overtones and Undertones: Reading Film Music (Royal S. Brown): www.amazon.co.uk/Overtones-Un...
Psycho and The Orchestration of Anxiety (Stephen Deutsch): eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/1471...
Bernard Herrmann: Film Music and Narrative (Graham Bruce): www.amazon.co.uk/Bernard-Herr...
Hitchcock's Bi-Textuality: Lacan, Feminisms, and Queer Theory (Robert Samuels): www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchcocks-B...
#Psycho

[@Paint]

Man there are so many things I love about this essay. Truly wonderful work from the first to last note 😄

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you so much! I’ve been a huge fan of your channel for ages, so this comment has made my week.

[@EmviloriamE]

I LOVE YOU!

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I just love how tactile this video essay is: You can almost feel the notes being tattooed onto your nape.

[@Typderkeinevidsmacht]

I love how these essays are balanced in such a way that people like me, who are musical amateurs (at best), can understand them while not oversimplifying the subject matter. Awesome video, as always!

[@ListeningIn]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching, again, Nigel.

[@pandminoz]

Perfectly put.

[@andamedon1]

Indeed...

[@jasonfieler]

I've only watched the first 45 seconds but I already know I can justly comment that the quality of these video essays just keep getting better and better and I am loving it, as I'm sure many others are as well

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you Jason! By the way, the speed with which you do your JC transcriptions is astonishing - I don't know how you do it. They're amazing.

[@jasonfieler]

@@ListeningIn Oh thanks!

[@Max-jf5vu]

Wow, didn't know the master transcriber would watch Listening In too! Good taste!

[@pattyluss]

Hell yes, I went on a Herrmann bender last month, he’s absolutely brilliant, was sad to learn that Hitchcock and he had a falling out towards then end, his music was irreplaceable in Hitchcock’s films. Great essay mate, as always!

[@sveinungnygaard1505]

Bernard Herrmann is one of my all-time favorites! Amazing video! Good job

[@ListeningIn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@okuhleminyi8143]

The editing, pacing and creativity of this is just fantastic. Keep at it x

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you so much!!

[@killkris]

this is so FIRE!!!!!!!! I'm not into classical music or fancy arrangements and I suck at reading sheet music, but the way you explain shit just really gets my attention. like nigelwithcheese said you explain it in such a way that I can understand without getting babied. You're amazing bro, I find myself replaying ur videos to really suck up all the info.

[@susiehenders]

One of my all time favourite soundtracks. Thanks for another great essay 🙌

[@connormagatogia6866]

It’s always so awesome seeing a new video of yours!!! 😍😍😍

[@Max-jf5vu]

Loved it, especially all of the characteristically slick editing and interesting description! I've actually never seen the film, however I really like the music from what I've heard of it. By the way, it took me a while to get my head around the bit at 3:33, but I found it very clever when I did!

[@ListeningIn]

You should definitely watch it. The score, in particular, is astounding. Also, if you haven't already done so, you should watch Vertigo.

[@KMHill]

My favourite film score of all time! Thanks for the insights.

[@robertmcmanus498]

Fantastic editing on this video, it fit in with the score so well! Also, excellent analysis as always!

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you Robert!

[@curatedcolour7084]

Amazing analysis mate. Well done! Thanks for your efforts

[@devinkoritzke5542]

omg you deserve so much more coverage I hope the algorithm makes you pop off soon

[@gretchenmenn]

Wonderful! Beautifully done! Thank you.

[@HariMusicZone]

Thanks a lot for the analysis.. There is a lot to learn, a lot to digest. I need to watch this video multiple times... Thanks again...

[@ListeningIn]

My pleasure! Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my videos! I’m really pleased you’ve enjoyed watching them.

[@nathanielwise508]

This is my favorite music channel

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you!

[@ferminleon]

Quick essays are also pretty cool!

[@KSG148]

I know little when it comes to the intricasies of music. But this was a brilliant analysis of a masterful piece.

[@CreativeIsolation]

I'm late to the party. I don't know how I overlooked this notification. Fantastic job as usual. Very interesting analysis.

[@Michael_Underhill]

I hope you come back soon! Really miss your videos, man. If you do make more videos, I'd love for you to make one dedicated to Vertigo's score, especially the piece titled 'Scene D'amour'. It's so hauntingly beautiful and dream-like

[@allertonoff4]

HURRAH ! .. one of my major musical heroes .. subtle analysis .. instant sub .. oh btw .. the first thing i noticed in his work was the consciencious absense of VIBRATO

[@HollywoodLito]

Hot damn- you keep knocking these out of the park! Again, thank you for these insightful and educational videos!

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you! I love how you are actually just watching all my videos! Hope you enjoy them all...

[@HollywoodLito]

@@ListeningIn I'm loving EVERY single one I've seen thus far. Furthering my musical and filmmaking education and loving every second of this!

[@juniorchavesopicassodeyahu988]

Excellent!

[@normanbates2486]

Exquisite analysis.

[@LouieTaylorMusic]

Amazing, truly amazing.

[@jeffpicklo525]

That was excellent fun. 👍

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you Jeff!

[@jeffpicklo525]

You are welcome. I honestly thought at 10 a m today that we need a video. To cool.

[@anandgodane8022]

Thank you so much sir ❤️

[@elguardallavesdejaal]

The visual of your videos are always on point, great content, as always. Do you edit the videos yourself?

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you! I do - I find that the visuals need to be so carefully linked to the audio, that I don't think it would be the same if anyone else did it.

[@leascaart]

EXCELLENT!!!

[@meropemerope6096]

thank youuuuuu

[@adameggers8146]

Brilliant

[@marcvillena4663]

0:31 I remember Born This Way Manifesto Of Mother Monster

[@sandalero]

Bbm maj7 over D is a Dm harmonic sound. so resolving do D is resolving to the tonic, since when playing Bbm maj7 over A OR over D OR over Bb doesnt matter. we are let to believe that we are in Bbm maj7 but we are not. the tonic the whole time is D. hence the logical resolution. Faug over D or over Bb is the same

[@YourGrandpaBob]

It actually resolves to a minor 9 chord a major 7th down, try it out!

[@stewart335]

What is the music you have in the background when not using the psycho score? It’s really lovely! Pushing and pulling between minor and majors.

[@MuzikJunky]

Could you do a video about the odd swing in some 6/8 raï songs? The psychologist you should have quoted, however, is Daudi Ajani Ya Azibo. Peace.

[@ShredmasterScott]

This chord is evil AF 😈 muhahaha

[@ryangreene50]

just came from your Instagram video loll

[@PlatnumWarriorAitzel]

A video of upstream color soundtrack!!

[@robertedwards64]

Excellent analysis of the music. Shame about the Lacanian nonsense at the end.

[@iliasberrada5021]

Especially the confusion of the Real as being everyday reality

[@j.masonbrown6216]

nb4 this channel blows up

[@allertonoff4]

discreetly hilarious

[@rosshansenn]

Brian Cox is that you ?

[@anthonyclark6162]

So I think you mean the symbolic has become the imaginary. For Lacanian forms of experience, the imaginary is the world of images and sensory experience. The world we live in, what we would consider “reality”. The Lacanian capital R “Real” is experience without imaginary or symbolic representation, it’s essentially the experience of nothingness. It comes from Kant’s idea of the “nominal”; cold objective meaningless. We only experience the real when our minds break down, usually due to traumatic experience.

[@cronofago]

Reddit brought me here. I regret nothing.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

everything was right until all that Lacan crap