The Strangest Magic System: Musica Universalis

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Tim Hickson
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Stay nerdy!
Tim

[@HelloFutureMe]

It took me ages to learn Premiere/Photoshop/formatting when I had to teach myself, but honestly, SKILLSHARE ➤ skl.sh/hellofutureme10231 can make it way easier. I wish I had access when I was starting out. Let me know what you're learning about! Stay nerdy! ~ Tim

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your work 😊😊😊

[@user-hp5bc5cy2l]

You are clearly highly intelligent, insightful, well spoken.

[@marocat4749]

You could use that as music as spiritual,as spiritual just is a connection to somehting felt deeper,not nesseary religious at all. I thinkspiritua ight be a better term. That coverss a lot of diverse hymns.

[@peterryrfeldt8568]

hearing blåkulla pronounced like english dracula absolutely made my day x) on another note blåkulla can be argued to have a few different locations, either it's in germany (blåkulla might be etymologically related to blocksberg where satan allegedly resided) or blå jungfrun, an island in the straight of Kalmar (south eastern sweden, between öland (the smaller island) and the mainland)

[@shzarmai]

Please make a video on a possible cigarette-based magic system 🚬

[@kaikalter]

Having music as magic is all fun and games until the villain starts using minors

[@alexarobinson2850]

👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

[@andraskovacs5431]

HE WHAT?????

[@groofay]

I can't tell if my respect for you is augmented or diminished by this comment

[@ewerton.moura19]

well sad my man

[@rarujo6966]

Then his audience presents him as the Mr. C-sharp Minor. And you know his face mingled with insobriety of the public repetition of "No. Play that called 'Prelude.'"

[@HeisenbergFam]

If those witches were bards, they would turn executioners to friends with very high charisma stats & music

[@Korgull6669]

"Oi, I thought they accused you of witchcraft, how'd you get away?" "Nat 20."

[@spicetea4060]

"I roll to seduce the executioner'

[@00Linares00]

Only works on heathens

[@crystallinecrisis3901]

@@Korgull6669 “They asked if I had any last words. They didn’t say they had to be spoken.”

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@spicetea4060 Critical Role would be proud of such blatant horniness!

[@hallamhal]

I've been thinking it for years - music is one of the closest things to magic in the real world as it is. We can make objects make sounds that can affect people's emotions, or make them move in time? Magical!

[@snaketooth0943]

I heard somebody in a video I watched in Information and communications technology say that coding is the closest thing to magic.

[@althechicken9597]

Coding is a hard magic. You can do cool stuff with for sure if you know how to. Music is the soft magic of the world. You don't need to know music theory to play a song that makes someone feel things. You don't need to know how to read music, to recall a tune you heard years ago.

[@madladdie7069]

I feel like this is downplaying everything else we do as a collective, lol. like...."affecting emotions" is not a particularly notable feat.

[@jeffreystewart9809]

​@@madladdie7069 emotions have caused wars. 🤷‍♂️

[@Peagaporto]

​@@snaketooth0943I'm doing both for my book, music interacts with the "coding" of reality. Certain songs are essentially console commands.

[@isohora]

Just like you said in one of previous videos: Fire Nation suppressing dancing suppressed the fire bending itself. Every dance is accompanied by a tune, even if in one's head.

[@Nothing2150]

Oooh, that could have been a fun plot point to follow after the war. Where the rest of the nations bending start to eb due to technology replacing the need and spirituality. A repressed fire nation culture set free again could have a resurgence in bending and could set up some good tensions. It would basically be the post ww1 re-arming of Germany where the nation's would fear that history would repeat.

[@TKG785]

​@brandonm6193 It's interesting to think about. Aang & Zuko helping restore lost history of the Fire Nation and actually teaching school kids about dragons, the dragon dance and everything else lost to the war.

[@boredgrizz6037]

The fact that I’ve been trying to write a book about this very subject for months only to have you post a video about it. What a boost to morale that one of my favorite channels also considered this enough to make content out of it.

[@Calebgoblin]

As someone who abandoned learning the guitar a few years ago, it seems that my hero's journey is calling to me to fulfill a destiny. Thanks Tim, I'll be back with a quest item

[@loufrancis238]

The Broken String of Perseverance??

[@Calebgoblin]

@@loufrancis238 hell yeah

[@patrickmcgovern8615]

Hope you have a good time on your guitar journey! The longer it goes on, the more fun it becomes :) A little advice: consistency is key! 5 minutes everyday I better than 1 hour a week even though the 1 hour is technically more time.

[@Calebgoblin]

@@patrickmcgovern8615 thank you! Will keep that in mind

[@marnenotmarnie259]

did you get your quest item?

[@poenpotzu2865]

I remeber fondly when older zelda games had music segments not only to solve puzzles but also to play the heroes journey to heal the master sword

[@andreassundberg9426]

Which game uses music to heal the master sword? I can't remember that at the moment

[@iampie6954]

@@andreassundberg9426 Wind Waker I think.

[@andreassundberg9426]

@@iampie6954 thank you!

[@Altrantis]

In The Elder Scrolls, there's several *magic* systems which involve using the right worlds or tones to change reality. Ra Gada sword singing, Dwemer tonal architecture, and, most famously, the Thu'um. They're one of 3 ways of changing reality that don't involve becoming a god (there's also 3 ways of doing that, possibly 4 depending on how you count it), the others being regular magic, which is using the essence of Magnus, the architect of the world; and employing the eleven forces which is what the Psijics do.

[@konstantinriumin2657]

Isn't it because world in Elder Scrolls is literally made of some kind of sounds?

[@watcher314159]

​@@konstantinriumin2657"Tamriel. Starry Heart. That whole thing is a song "

[@watcher314159]

There are actually Six Walking Ways to Godhood, not three or four. Though if anything that undercounts the number of ways to become a god; it's complicated, but I usually model it as two sets of six. In the Love Letter Jubal lists the six attempts at Amaranth that are apparently the Six Walking Ways. But also according to Nu-Hatta there are at least four methods of Mantling to become a god (Talos used the fourth, the Steps of the Dead), and it's pretty easy to identify six methods (Anticipation, Making a new Mantle from scratch, Nymic Surgery, the Steps of the Dead, CHIM, and Soul Stacking). Also, the Psijic Old Ways aren't a weird third thing. By all accounts they're a curious blend of Tonal Magic (curiously distinct from what Schick implied to be the normative Altmeri tradition (basically every culture seems to have their own version of Tonal Magic) that seems to involve poetry) and standard Magicka use (specifically the school of Mysticism). The 11 Forces are just a philosophical construct, like how the 8 Attributes are part of Altmeri philosophy (hence why they don't appear in Skyrim, what with having done its best to divest from Merish influence). And that's without getting into how both Tonal Magic and Magicka can be part of the process of becoming a god. The Greybeards for example seem to treat their training in the Thu'um as a form of Nymic Surgery (hence their refusal to learn Dragonrend; learning a Thu'um involves becoming it). Azra Nightwielder's attempt to use Shadow Magic(ka) to Soul Stack his way to godhood is also a good example.

[@devinmes1868]

I'm so glad someone mentioned the Elder Scrolls for this topic :)

[@andreassundberg9426]

As a swede I was not prepared to learn about swedish history and belief xD I know about Blåkulla as most swedes but only in the most basic terms. Fun to learn something new!

[@jizburg]

Same.

[@Sundbergeh]

Tänk extrashocken att jag bor I mora i byggnaden bredvid vart bränningarna hände. Och också, vadfan, jag heter också Sundberg xd

[@jizburg]

@@Sundbergeh haha världen är bra liten iblabd

[@Sundbergeh]

@@jizburg verkligen

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

Lol, I did not expect 'Blåkulla' to be the spelling after Tim pronounced it as 'Blockula'. Sincerely, a Dane who doesn't envy that history in any way, both because it is awful in its own right and because we had our own awful shit happening at the same time.

[@chickenborn7697]

At the start of the video now. I hope you'll cover the magic system of Finnish Folklore. Which includes singing people into swamps, singing trees to shoot to the skies, and more. Modernised in a local folk poetry epic: Kalevala. Regardless, this is an awesome topic!

[@beetlez_honey]

Also singing and telling rhymes to heal and to “cast spells” was a big part of Finnish “paganism” back in the day. Lorut, runolaulut ja loitsut. Though demonized as “witchcraft” and such by christians, they are a very important part of Finnish culture and history 🇫🇮💪

[@Ferytowa]

I'd love to read about it! Do you recommend any sources to learn about Finnish folklore?

[@kemerydunn9532]

I just commented about Finnish magic too! Finnish mythology and folklore is so cool and sooo overlooked. I kept waiting for Väinämöinen or Finnish shamanism to come up in the video

[@kemerydunn9532]

​@@Ferytowawiki is a good jumping off point, there's a pretty in depth outline for the Kalevala. There are a variety of translations available online, either in poetic or prose form. The whole magic system is based on singing, so I'm surprised it got skipped in the video, especially since it's one of the things that Tolkien was inspired by to include in LOTR

[@chickenborn7697]

@@kemerydunn9532 Aye! It was so close as the video began with the camera focusing on Scandinavia... And then Sweden got highlighted. XD Missed opportunity? Perhaps. :D

[@EmilyParagraph]

As someone not musically inclined, music has always been magical to me. The Echorium Sequence was one of my fav trilogies as a middle schooler, and I adore bards to this day

[@TheOmaga13]

There's nothing quiet as incredible as the feeling of singing in a massive choir. Being in the middle of a 100 voice choir surrounded and encased by that sound is enthralling. I've never read a book where they wrote about music magic systems as a group. If anyone has suggestions please let me know!

[@lilaclaza]

As a musician/writer, this video is my destiny.

[@jjChibi]

Coincidentally, I have spent the past week worldbuilding for a country that runs on a similar magic system - Where magic is not expressed through books and science, but through art and self expression. Not just music, or paintings, but also through unconvential methods like cooking and smithing. This video was really insightful to me because of that, and gave me just the right inspiration to finish my work so far. Thank you so much!

[@cheddarcheese3296]

That sounds like a magical piece of work that you're crafting. Best of luck.

[@infjelphabasupporter8416]

Music has such a strong impact on our minds. There's not even an entirely rational explanation to it yet. It's a wonder there aren't more magic systems that play with that.

[@anivijudi]

One of my favorite authors growing up, Tamora Pierce, wrote about what she called the magic of every day things. Some of her characters have magic embedded in weaving, forging, dancing and cooking. I think music qualifies, it's something so simple in theory that can reach a level of stunning beauty and complexity. And it is absolutely magical.

[@marietta3277]

I'm writing a book where the Pied Piper is the villain, controlling changeling children through his flute music, and turning them into a hoard of rats if they displease him. It's similar to the story you share about the women who were accused of working with the devil, and I'd never heard that story before, so I'm interested in checking it out. I've also been trying to read poetry for the sake of honing my prose style, which has been beaten into an analytical passive voice form thanks to engineering school. Including short songs within the book itself, like Tolkien did in LOTR, has been a great exercise in expanding the world. Thank you for sharing this, I really enjoyed listening to it.

[@nellym46664]

Why does your 1st sentence remind me of R Kelly?😅

[@Altrantis]

I've seen mainly 2 types of music or sound being use as magic. One is as an enchanting tool that forces people to do what the magic practitioner wants. The other is that there is music somehow inherent to the world, maybe the universe is a song, even, and knowing how to interfere with it with your own song changes the rules of the world. This is essentially how magic works in LotR, since Eru created the world through song, singing the right way adds interference to the world's melody.

[@hanzquejano7112]

Oh Tim, you'll love Eda and Raine from The Owl House. Dana wrote bard magic well.

[@Borgcow]

OWL HOUSE!!! Yeah they animated it well, too

[@elipsis7651]

Unpopular opinion, but I disagree I was a little disappointed to see Bard magic for the first time. It's just "regular magic", but done with musical instruments instead of a wand or staff. Every other coven in The Owl House has set abilities and limits. Abomination witches manipulate goo, Plant witches manipulate plants, Beastkeeping witches command beasts and animals, but Bard magic? They can just do whatever apparently.

[@hanzquejano7112]

@@elipsis7651 To be honest, some coven magics can overlap with the others. Like the tea Terra used to brainwash Raine, can't that be considered a potion? Potions too has a wide coverage, just magic cast with liquids, can't there be a healing potion or a plant potion? Also, coven magics also include sub-magics that compliment the main magic, like Willow casting water to water a plant. So, I think beast keepers have a little bit of healing magic because that compliments their main magic.

[@millenium8302]

FINALLY!!!! I've been trying to work on a story involving music as magic for a long while now. I've made characters and bands but I've always struggled with grasping how exacrly it would work as a hard or soft magic system for a while now, but this video really got me thinking in new ways about it. Thank you so much for putting the magical feeling of music into words too! Music has been an integral part of human culture for millenia, and it cannot be understated how it plays into spiritual beliefs & values. The cultural value of music transcends borders and human conflict because it's a shared experience, we all just have different ways of interpreting it through the instruments we play, and the songs we write. That's not even touching how language plays a part of it! So much can be said about music but i think I've ranted long enough. Keep up your work, it never misses

[@THESP-rz3hg]

Can't help but connect the power of music to the power of dance, and the thoughts of witchcraft to the dancing plague .

[@marocat4749]

XD Though there are serious similarities about the powerof crative expressions.a lot actually

[@Persewna4]

The series mentioned in the video, The Wind on Fire trilogy, does use dance in its second book as a kind of natural progression from the use of music in the first book. The characters most affected by the dances find themselves unlocking facets of themselves they did not realize was within them until they felt the power of the dance, and they feel almost drawn to it, as though under its spell.

[@kemerydunn9532]

Rest in peace for our oft-overlooked Finnish mythology with music based magic and Väinämöinen's magic kantele

[@pietervanderveld3096]

Yes, a pity that the Kaleva is so overlooked, it´s beautiful

[@trashpanda2200]

I've always found finnish myth and history interesting and it is such a shame that it's not talked about more. Especially as a swede I find it fascinating since we're right next door and so our histories are entwined yet the cultural beliefs, traditions and myths are so different

[@JudgeEomer]

The Wind on Fire was also one of my most beloved series growing up. I've never really found anyone else who had heard of it. Thank you for putting into such eloquent words just what is so special about these books.

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

That's a pretty great Mora pronunciation for a none Swede! Kudos! (MOO-ra is how we say it where I live next "door" in Hälsingland at least. Might be a slight regional difference, though!)

[@benharkin4909]

Only tentatively related, but if anyone is interested in an action packed anime where the characters have their abilities powered by song, go watch Symphogear. Think of it like if Gurren Lagann, Power Rangers and Madoka Magica had a baby and that baby was then adopted by an idol anime. The result is a show about a lesbian punching God using a fist formed by literal Song in order to save her girlfriend. This is not a joke, that is the actual plot for season 5 and it's the most underrated show out there and deserves a hell of a lot more love than it got.

[@Altarahhn]

Hah, nice. And apt description of XV if there ever was one! 😁

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

Ooooh! Fresh off the oven! Imma have a field day with this one!

[@camila_moura]

Of course, when I started watching, I immeaditely thought of The Name of the Wind and The Silmarillion as well, but I also remembered Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. Unlike EVERYONE ELSE, I am not the biggest fan of the series, but I do appreciate the use of music with the Parshendi characters. Not only they communicate with rhythms (I mean, the title Rhythm of War is a lot more literal than it seems), but finding ancient and lost rhythms is a key factor for them, a exploited minority, to be able to find more strength, connect with their origins, fight back, etc. The Shakespeare part reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe, who despite being more known for his short stories, actually considered himself more of a poet. And IT SHOWS. His prose is extremely rhythmical, and if you read out loud, you start to notice that. In The Tell-Tale Heart (spoiler for a 150 year old short story), the murderer starts to hear the rhythm of the heart of the person he just killed - as this rhythm gets faster, the phrases get shorter and shorter, the prose itself mimicking the heartbeat. By the end, the phrases are less than a word long, the narrator succumbs and confesses his crime. Rhythm is also a huge part how accents work - a huge Brazilian classic The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, is nearly impossible to read without reading a few parts out loud, because he bends the language itself to mimic the rhythm of the pronunciation of a certain accent of Portuguese, and without understaing de correct rhythm, you can't understand what's written (that makes the book pretty much untranslatable). I heard that James Joyce does a similar thing with the English language, but I never read it. Getting the rhythm of the prose right is also key to reading José Saramago's Blindness (which IS translatable and I highly recommend).

[@JoriamRamos]

My grandmother is quite the renowed pianist, at least as far as Brazilian pianists go. She's the archetype of the wizard mentor: stern and powerful, in total control of her arcane language represented by old, dusty sheet music and lightning fast fingers. Some of my earliest memories are crawling under her grand piano, Beethoven booming on top of me like thunder. I guess she's one of the main reasons why I adore art-based magic so much. I know a lot of people love nature-based magic, but I'm cityborn. I was an urban child and the beauty of Chopin played over me is more akin to my early experiences than the beauty of trees and rivers. I've never been a good musician myself, but at least I got to explore music with some depth. I studied in Rio de Janeiro's public university system and that gave me the opportunity to apply for classes in any course. I applied for many music ones - I learned to read my grandma's arcane language, I learned perception and composition - I even ventured writing some pieces with ancient greek cadences. That magic would sprout from the beauty I witnessed is no surprise. Later in life, I've even joined some pretty scary music-involving rituals. Far from the Christian ethos, I might add, think possessions and djembes rather than beautifully harmonized choirs. But that's also an experience I wouldn't share through a youtube comment. One thing I dare share, though: what I saw was real magic.

[@KrimsonRogue]

Awesome video dude! Very informative and your editor did an incredible job with the visuals. Another great example of music as magic is the Sabriel series by Garth Nix. Sabriel is a necromancer (of sorts) who controls the dead through the use of seven bells she wears on a bandolier, each note creating a different effect. She can use this to guide the undead through death and travel the underworld herself, creating a somber, but poetic image. It also made me want to make a multiclass character in D&D as a bardic necromancer. You could sing people to death, so I guess it'd be like attending a White Stripes concert.

[@CyberGirl1234]

yessssss i just finished reading sabriel last month ❤ i was definitely looking to see if anyone mentioned this book!

[@EchoCian]

The Wars of Light and Shadow was the first series I read with such a focus on magic music, where the world is made of vibrations and a skilled enough musician can manipulate it. I've used some form of the idea in most of my stories and several RP characters since. One of these days maybe I'll get back to that short story about a harp player and try actually doing something with it.

[@davidfwooldridge3430]

The whole universe as harmonies is interesting because electrons in atoms due to boundary conditions form patterns described by spherical harmonics (math term) and how these patterns merge and interact are fundamentally what gives matter its properties.

[@braydenpreston7659]

"See! Bard magic can be cool!" -Raine Whispers

[@itisALWAYSR.A.]

Was wondering if there'd be an Owl House comment. (Even if I'd argue it doesn't follow a rule beyond "music is magic": it's cool though)

[@tschohanfaitscher3481]

I can feel you on the worship part. I also had those moments where you think you can feel gods presence. For me, I decided that it's just the music which really elevates the power/magic of music. But what's behind that?.. takes time to reflect on all of it I guess...

[@kairasakamoto3187]

Legit started tearing up during this, as art--particularly music, dance, and poetry--has been the basis of the world and magic system in a story and world I'd been building and writing for over ten years now. I was in love with music and poetry and song being a physical and magical force before ever reading Tolkien's works, but seeing it in the Silmarillion solidified how I felt. There was a rhythm to words, a beauty to them, that touched and changed me. Thank you for making this video. I'm glad to see that others have had the same thoughts.

[@DamienZshadow]

I am an artist working on a graphic novel with a magic system based on cymatics because I don't sing or play any instruments, but I admire it in others. When musicians talk about tone or pitch or being in key, it sounds like magic to me.

[@emberdragon3436]

Ever since I started playing music while I write, I discovered: A: the joy of film scores B: how much more emotion it adds to a scene I've always loved music, and the idea of a musical magic system seems really cool

[@44hydras28]

I've been working on a music based magic system for YEARS now. Hopefully this vid helps me flesh it out!!!

[@WanderWide]

You bring to my mind the Spellsong Cycle by L.E Modesitt Jr. that focuses on a Soprano singer who is teleported into a land where music is magic. I never got a chance to read the series, but have very fond memories of the recluse series by the same author. If it is anything as good as that series, I would highly recommend it.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

As a musician, I loved seeing the different interpretations of harmony and dissonance as "magic." Morgoth was Arda's first goth kid.

[@AlixL96]

Alternately you could go the route of the Swords comic, where a man named Silvertongue can literally slash your skin by whistling sharp notes. I've always liked how tangible and straightforward that is.

[@Gaawachan]

Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series brushes on this with the bells of the Abhorsen, magic pan pipes, and whistles. Zelda is probably most obvious video games series that has this, but I'm partial to Tales of the Abyss' hymns. There is a sub-plot in Dragon Quest line that revolves around the strength of musical power to awaken the memories of objects, and how to strengthen that music. "Magic begins with a word. Music begins with a voice." and so the spell the speaker casts with his harp is empowered with a party member's singing aid.

[@TAP7a]

Oooh we dont have to figure out a tune for death - we already have one! In its original key with lyrics: F-E-F-D- Di-es I-rae (approx. Wrath of God) There's a longer history to this ancient melody that goes back at least 800 years, possibly even more like 1400 depending on what source you trust, but its inescapable ties with death are felt even today. It's been in the Requiem mass, its been in sacred and secular misic for centuries. Rachmaninoff was obsessed with it and almost used it as therapy for his fear of death. It's in everything from Charpentier's Prose des Morts to George Crumb's Black Angel, always death. It's in so many movies to represent death: it's in Metropolis, Citizen Kane, Return of Dracula, the Shining, Star Wars, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sweeney Todd, it's even in Frozen 2. If I ever write that tone poem I've been dreaming off, that motif will be there and it will represent death, because at this poiny it simply is the musical incarnation of death itself

[@wayfaringspacepoet]

yes, but that motif is only associated with death in a western classical context, outside of it you can find the same melody in folk songs that have nothing to do with death - a couple of which from Ukraine being about spring - the famous Shchedryk that sings about a swallow coming home and alerting the master of the house of newborn lambs and a bounty that his wares will get him, and a vesnyanka adapted by Go_A where the speaker rejoices in a field, that after a winter of doing nothing but sewing and mending she gets to greet spring with song The people singing these old melodies had hardly any contact with the monks in Western Europe who composed the Dies Irae so it's not just the melody that is important when invoking whatever mood you're going for, the performance style would also greatly impact its effect - much like tonal language makes words that look virtually the same in pinyin mean completely different things when intoned differently

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I recommend your channel to my clients and viewers more than any other channel, and it's for video essays like this. You are fantastic, Tim. I hope you get your writing career underway, but I'm thankful for any instructional books and video essays like this that you find time to put out.

[@magikot]

As somebody who absolutely loves bards/minstrels/troubadours/etc. in every system and game I play, I appreciate this video and the work you do.

[@NeonSwaglordChen]

Symphogear would have been a more appropriate title to use than hunter x hunter since the entire show revolves around drawing power through singing. It's a core narrative to the entire series.

[@Altarahhn]

Pretty much. Heck, even Alchemy draws from it in some way, such as the elements being called the "Octaves of Aristotle," and the fact that Alchemy can _also_ draw its power from singing, with Phonic Gain being a substitute for other sources like memory burning. And then there's the the planets either corresponding with or _being_ the "Seven Scales," a clear reference to music. Granted, I might not have paid as much attention there as I'd like to believe, but still, it's there. TR:DR It's kind of ridiculous just how central song is to the series, from the premise right down to the actual lore, you know?

[@alexhilden4815]

I didn't expect it, but this was one of my favorite videos from you. Thank you for reminding me of some epiphanies I had forgotten.

[@moondog548]

So beautiful. You're work is better than ever lately!

[@davedougal2748]

This pretty much sums up the way I made the angels speak in my story. They sing, rather than forming words, each tune their own meaning, a language only they themselves, their descendants and the very God of my story can understand. And while they usually don't need to sing in order to conjure magic, it is a great help with the more complicated spells. Also, the angels of my story have no gender, as it would vary their vocal reach too strong. As it stands, my angel's voices can sing notes both higher and deeper than any normal beeing can.

[@writererics]

Fascinating stuff. As someone interested in finding different ways to write sounds, I found this particularly interesting.

[@HollyDunnDesign]

Oooh this is great timing! I've just started the second draft of my WIP where the magic system is based on classical music. It's a concept I've been fascinated in for a long time but never seen done in the way I'd like to see it. Thank you for another incredible video, Timothy!

[@daeuslamb8191]

Very inspiring. This is something I’m exploring with my own novels. I love thinking about the power of music.

[@danielwoltanski1413]

Thank you for this one! I've been in the beginning stages of revision on my novel which uses song as magic system to explore concepts of quantum phsyics, mythology, and faith, and I really appreciate your insight and dedication!

[@jecaba97]

The last 16 minutes have become one of my favourite moments in my whole life. You have turned into words something I have often thought about, but I never really knew how to say it. Thank you.

[@Rainears129]

You know, a couple of the shows I watched growing up had a character that used the power of music as their main thing: Ember from Danny Phantom (who uses it as more like a siren, controlling people with her music) and Musa from Winx Club. I more wanna shout out Musa, who is one of the main heroes, is shown playing all kinds of instruments, was said to be able to hear the secret melodies in everyone's hearts, and used a rain dance to snatch a storm from the Witch of Storms. Additionally, her love of music was very understandable, as it was her way of connecting with her late mother, who was a singer. Overall, Winx did a fantastic job when creating the Fairy of Music (now if only they let her and her friends actually graduate and grow up, oh and stopped getting back together with Riven).

[@drpacobell45]

Another wonderful work I literally just saw an anime with music as magic the other day (takt op)

[@darknessoftruth9314]

In the Silmerilian, it is by song that Eru, the Valar, and the Maiar forged the world of Middle Earth. Song was also the main weapon of chose when Finrod dueled Sauron.

[@pyeitme508]

Amazing!

[@spesheddy17]

This idea is so cool and I love all the examples given. However, my mind immediately went to a little-known tv series called “Motherland: Fort Salem”. In an alternate history, witches are embraced rather than persecuted and their skills are used in modern armies around the world. Their abilities stem from genetic mutations to their vocal chords and ears. Therefore they can make tones and sounds that the average human cannot hear. Certain tones have certain effects on reality. Weave them into a song and you simultaneously weave a spell. It’s a unique original series that I love, though not many people seem to be aware of it. Absolutely recommend!

[@Gr0g_UwU]

There are two more remarkable instances of using Music in a Magic System. First we have the book "Momo" by Michael Ende. There, Time and Life itself are being distributed through a kind of heavenly otherworldly Music. While it does not really impact the plot very much, it serves both as a beautiful Symbol for the central Themes of this book, time and life, and also as a way for the author to talk about the philosophical Ideas regarding those themes. Second we have the Battle of Sauron and Finrod Felagund in the Story of Beren and Luthien, as recounted in a beautiful Poem in the Silmarillion. Both use Music as their Weapon, not in a physical sense, but to overwhelm the other with Ideas and Concepts. Finrod only loses, because he mentions Valinor and Sauron uses this to mention the Banishment of the Noldor. Finrod cant answer to that, because he is burdend with Guilt and so Sauron manages to overwhelm his Opponent with Sadness, winnig the Battle. Also I find it very funny, that Sauron cannonically has a Rap Battle against an Elve.

[@gardenshed6043]

I do truly believe music has an immense power. As The Doctor said, “It can make men weep, cry with joy.” That alone is a great power. When I am having a day where I feel shit. Sometimes I will just put on a playlist of some music and sing and dance along to it in my bedroom. And suddenly, I feel substantially less shit. Words also have this power. Not just in music but in writing, in media in general. On a shit day if I’m too tired for dancing and singing I will reread a favourite story of mine. The story My Hero Academia Vigilantes is one that always puts me in a good mood. No matter how many times I’ve read it. There is simply some quality the main character has that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. More along the music and sound angle, the KZbinr BDoubleO100. His voice makes me feel happy. In fact I think cosy is the best word to describe the way his voice makes me feel. He is the only 40 year old man who I can honestly describe as Adorable. Sound can invoke something in us and we can have no idea how it was accomplished. I don’t know how his voice makes me feel cosy and happy. But it does. And to me, that is a superpower all on it’s own.

[@astralaegis6283]

AHHH I WAS LITERALLY JUST WORKING ON THIS FOR MY TABLE TOP SYSTEM

[@96Animaster]

Love the music at the end ❤

[@Tom-tz5ed]

Got me thinking a lot. Great vid

[@ultimatefangirl5718]

I've been wanting to write about a music magic system for a while, thanks Tim:)

[@e.m.r.a5089]

This video came in just the right time for me, ive spent almost the entire month trying to Write original and (hopefully) more exotic (is that even the best word for it?) Systems and making them have their own identity and being memorable and fun when compared to other magic systems, while also trying to not just make them different just for the sake of being different, but making them activily (i think i just spelled that wrong) important vessels for my narratives themes. Sorry for the massive text for what is essencialy just a "hey bro, awesome video", I just wanted to really thank you for the inspiration boost I so desperatly needed! :D

[@wheelsrolling369]

im writing a music magic system currently so good timing on this vid.

[@bleachelf]

What a cool subject for a video! I enjoy it when music is used as something magical in books. I've even read or heard about all the examples, and I also thought about some of Garth Nix's books.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Your content is awesome 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

[@Petra-yd1fi]

I love this! I don't think I've seen much discussion on the relation of music and magic. Another amazing video.

[@elishs7426]

Your back! 🎉❤

[@TKDB13]

I've always loved the idea of music-magic, for all the reasons you highlight in this video! In my currently ongoing TTRPG campaign, I've been explicitly invoking the notion of the music of the spheres as a major piece of worldbuilding and a key element of the BBEG's master plan.

[@lifeisbutadreamm]

You're an international treasure Tim, keep on keepin' on with your thoughtful and philosophically-minded analyses and world-building content etc etc etc, your vids are easily some of the most meaningful time I spend on this app lol

[@Katerina_Alexandra]

I'm so glad Tim mentioned the Windsinger!! I loved those books growing up and I feel like they're underrated or not as well known. I also thought of the Name of the Wind as soon as I saw the video thumbnail!

[@Persewna4]

Same with Windsinger! Very underrated series, but one of my personal favorites.

[@AngelofGrace96]

I read the wind singer when I was in primary school! I forgot how good it was, I should definitely reread it

[@GrayMongerArk]

Fascinating

[@elenadirectorofmiiss7942]

Having music as a magic system is all fun and games until someone with no business singing or playing music has to step up to break the spell and breaks people’s eardrums in the process.

[@trashpanda2200]

With a lot of love and appreciation for your content, Hearing your pronunciation of swedish words and especially "Blåkulla" is very entertaining to me as a swede

[@WryAun]

Thanks for the great ideas in this one, I can feel my creative juices starting to churn. My D&D groups are in for a treat!

[@jackwriter1908]

The background in the end of your videos never get old. Something about the rain... whatever. Great video and truly fascinating. I never really thought about it too much, but it is true how music is influencing. I mean listening to the right kind of music helps you to push yourself, work faster, relax more easily... Music is fascinating.

[@blehnameless8096]

Its crazy to see the evolution of your presenting style since you started. You've grown so much, initially sounding like a discussion amongst friends to a very impactful documentary presenter/narator. Keep up the awesome work mate!

[@sleepingalligator]

what a great video, and thanks for making it. for sometime now, i've been thinking about this magic system that revolves all forms of art, and how it affects humans and the surroundings. this video will definitely be of help

[@TarninTheGreat]

Great video! Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Music is the Messenger that no man can silence."

[@TheStickCollector]

Good to see

[@suto5704]

Fantastic video

[@FlyToTheRain]

as i've gotten into my adult life, i really miss making music regularly. i didn't appreciate the opportunity i was given with my parents providing piano lessons and getting to have choir as a course option all the way through college. i think i'm a pretty decent singer, but i definitely wasn't as good as my many gifted classmates, seriously i think there was something in the water the year everyone in my class was born we had so many amazing vocalists. i only made it into an auditioned choir once in my senior year, and because the auditioned groups were usually the mixed voice choirs, i spent a lot of time in women's choirs and grew to love being part of them. my junior year of college my women's choir got the "hallelujah moment" song at the christmas concert and we sounded fantastic. i can still see the entire audience perking up as the lights were raised and our belted three part harmony echoed through the rafters. i remember that same school year doing warm ups in rehearsal one evening and we got about two scales in before our director took his hands off the keys and earnestly told us he just loved working with us and we were his favorite rehearsal of the week. now in my working adult life i've been without those regular rehearsals and performances for six years and i miss it so much. when i mention this to folks their first suggestion is to join a church choir since that would be an opportunity to sing at least once a week, but much like you i was raised religious and now have complicated feelings about it. my current stance at least is that if i'm not attending mass on my own, it wouldn't be genuine to go just to get my musical fix. my next thought would be to ask one of the local colleges if i could join one of their student choirs, but the excuse i keep telling myself is that i would hate driving through my city to get to the campuses. maybe i could ask my music teacher coworker if they know of any singing groups in the area. i'm just ranting my personal issues at this point haha to bring it back around, yes i agree, music is magical, and i'm glad no one is going to burn me at the stake for believing so.

[@KAITLYN-wq2rq]

We need more clubs and things to socialize outside work. I joined a adult drawing/clay thing but other skills should have the chance to be practised. Maybe start an acapella band? Idk. I hope you find something anyways.

[@ShadowProject01]

I have a special love of music. It’s one of the few things in this world that transcends boundaries. You don’t have know what the lyrics are in any given language and still feel what’s conveyed through melody and voice. One of my favorite anime watches was Macross Plus. Music was used as a form of entertainment and combat.

[@bariscankastas]

This was an amazing video, the editing is sublime and really different from the "standard fare" videos of the channel (though I love those too!). I knew this would be one that deserved my full attention, so it's been on my Watch Later list for the last 12 days. I've seen its name and thumbnail change a dozen times, and I fear that it did not do as well as it should have in terms of pure numbers. I feel bad for not watching it when it got out as well, since I know KZbin's algorithm tends to be annoying when videos don't grab a lot of people's attention the moment they get out. Still, it was a great experience, and I liked hearing your perspective on musical magic systems. I really hope you make more videos like these!

[@89volvowithlazers]

My son a music phd candidate would share with me the imaginary yet real power of the voice and church music back in the 8th and 9th centuries and on forward. Now this story wow

[@xylonpesquera8605]

Perfect!

[@parasocialbondsmetaswvoits9078]

oh, boy, that's a good day when Tim Hickson uploads!

[@kikankuro]

I really hope this one ends up in a future book in the world building series!

[@juliahenriques210]

If you want to go sci-fi, there's also Macross, the anime space opera franchise, preaching the power of music since 1982. The series' understanding of this power has evolved with the zeitgeist, from an idealistic view of culture as the panacea for the galaxy's problems... to bioweapons that make whole populations succeptible to musical hypnosis... And everything in between as humanity crawls out of near extinction to expand throughout the Milky Way and actually lives long enough to become the villain. O.O The franchise's lows are so ridiculous that they're actually funny, but the highs (also where music score is concerned) are really top notch.

[@ambienceandmusicstudios]

Thank you for this

[@omnipenne9101]

I remember reading about Galdr which is also a sung form of magic.

[@sarahd6081]

it's the first time I hear someone else talk about the story of kestrel and bo

[@saraha.9837]

Thanks for posting this. I appreciate and understand hearing about your religious experiences with music. I was also raised religious and a part of a choir, and it meant a lot to have someone verbalize the feeling of participating musically and the feelings evoked from that experience.

[@PhoenixCrown]

A book you didn't mention is The Wishsong of Shannara. I read this series when I was a kid--kind of my intro into fantasy. The wishsong is presented as an old magic, and the heroes really struggle to master its power. The way it was used wasn't always my favorite, but the concept was cool. So far as physicists understand subatomic particles and the building blocks of the universe... I heard String Theory describing these tiny tiny "strings" that vibrate at different frequencies. All waves (light, sound etc.) have characteristics that we can translate (maybe only theoretically as our biology didn't adapt for gamma rays) into pitches and timbres, rhythms and beats, tones and time. In other words, our entire existence is just one, big, cosmic dance. "God" or "magic" can be found (if not harnessed) in the mix.

[@Dieguillo26]

Loved this essay. When you started talking about music in fantasy worlds I instantly remembered the beginning of the Silmarillion. Also, some videogames, like TLoZ: Ocarina of time/ Majora's Mask, are wonderful, thou they have the advantage, like series and movies, of having the actual music. Great job!

[@aerin_xox]

I love these videos so much 🤍