Theory & Arrangement | Disclosure - Latch

[@brunopeterson5909]

Respectfully... The song is in F Minor (the relative minor of Ab Major). The melody is mostly an Ab major pentatonic scale (same notes as Fmin pent). You can hear that the tonal center is F if you sing the note F after listening to the progression or while listening to the song. That's where the resolution is. Sams melodic phrases, along with using Abmaj/Fmin pent, resolve primarily on notes of the Ab major triad, another key clue of the tonality and key of the song (as Ab maj and Fmin are relatives, they share the same key signature). In fact, you sort touched on this when you played row row row your boat, which also has a melody clearly in Ab major. Sams melodies never resolve or cadence on the notes Bb or Db, the root and 3rd of the Bbmin triad.The primary reason we hear it in Fmin instead of Ab maj is the chord progression, and harmonic context provided by other background melodies in the production. Que the sad, and maybe more true to life version of row row row your boat... A chord simply being the first in a progression of chords is not enough to define the key (as in the Bbmin here). But if we in fact listen to the track, the very first pitches we hear are a 2 note (Bb and Ab) Ab/Fmin pentatonic vocal riff, and then repeated F half notes. This all together is heard as a classic Fmin pent riff/phrase. Then the repetition of the F notes on beats 1 and 3 give importance to the pitch F and continue to define an F tonality, which is then reinforced by the chord progression. A lot of words to explain what the ear picks up on immediately... The chords used are very specific and colorful voicings. Part of what bothered me about your explanation is that when you go to analyze the chords, you play and analyze different voicings than the ones from the logic session (which to my ears sound the most accurate). Why?... I digress..These chords all use extensions, which make them quite rich and colorful. This can also make naming them a bit more involved. The extensions also affect how we hear the movement of the chords, and add some nice ambiguity to how we hear the tonality of the song, which i'l get to later. Basically there are two ways that are pretty standard that we can go about naming these. 1. Root of the chord with all extenions listed, which is tedious but again these are specific voicings with a specific sound.. OR 2. Slash Chords, which are basically a chord over a root note that is not contained in the chord tones of that chord. Based on what is played from your logic session at 7:53-8:00 , the chords are Bbminadd9, Fmin11#5, Ebadd9&11/G (a first inversion Eb triad with 9&11, not really a slash chord), and yes, Gbmaj9#11. If we name with slash chords it can sometimes simplify things a bit (Pianists often think like this). Bbminadd9, Dbmaj13/F, Bb7sus/G, Dbmaj7/Gb. Not pretty but there it is. As you mentioned the do play with the bass, in the chorus for example, so the progression changes a bit there. In a basic Roman Numeral Analysis it is: IVmin, Imin, bVIIsus, bIImaj. The last thing I'll mention is how these extensions and chord choices affect how we hear the key of the song. On the Fminor chord, the Db note (#5) adds tension to what is otherwise the place of resolution (I chord). This adds a nice ambiguity and tension to the music that keeps it from feeling completely at rest in the verses. The Ebadd9&11/G is another interesting choice. I hear it as being slightly quartal with the Bb Eb Ab on top of the G. I also here it as a first inversion Eb triad with the 9th added, and the Ab melody note sustaining onto the next chord (as the Bb note sustained on the previous two chords). That top melody part, Bb for two chords then Ab for two chords, can be heard and thought of as outlining V to I in either F or Ab :).. lots of ways to look at it, but it sounds good so there you go! Lastly I'll say that the Gbmaj9#11 chord also adds some ambiguity because it is the bVI in Bbmin (if you thought you were hearing it in Bbmin) and does resolve to the Bbminor chord. However, for the reasons mentioned above the song is in Fminor and so an analysis of it in that key is as the bIImaj chord.

[@TheGiftof7PRESENTS]

It's the "rise & fall" of the arrangement/melody that moves the song.....then the short bridge is what makes you feel the change....but it's just the drop of the main instruments and the spotlight on Sam's Vocals. It's beautifully arranged and simple.

[@stevesimpson9394]

Matt, you were born for this. And we've been waiting for you. Went to music school in NYC and didn't receive this wealth of knowledge, especially on the tracks a lot of us want to hear about. So much appreciation.

[@VivanteMixes]

damn when i watch videos like this I get so motivated to learn more theory, awesome analysis

[@ahzootube]

Hey Pyramind team and Matt. Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed your way of deconstructing the arrangement. I would like to see a video from you talking about "Nicolas Jaar - Don't Break My Love" or any other track from him or his Darkside project which has the similar complexity (simplicity). I really like his stuff and am into making music however there is almost no information on anywhere about his style nor there is an exact name for his style.. That would be amazing if you can do this. Thanks.

[@ahzootube]

Haha sorry about posting my comment twice! I am so glad it worked though! i just wanted to make sure that it finds you.. Because your way of explaining the arrangement is really good which is more conceptual and based on the underlying magic of music theory. I will be looking forward to see the video made for Nicolas Jaar's music style. And i am sure there are many people out there would like to learn more about the concept behind his style of electronic music. Especially since his music is generally not following the standard club music arrangement but still has the same kind of tension and release... I would like to learn to build a similar system into my music. Thank you!

[@74hz15]

"you don't need theory" They say.

[@Submersed24]

74hz Disclosure actually does use theory, not just random. Their parents were both classically trained

[@Essenjul]

Been 3yrs how’s that theory coming along?

[@tylerflip8121]

I’ve watched this over a million times and I don’t make music, but I’ve been latched on to this song lol since 2013(6th grade). Disclosure’s music around that time frame is absolutely untouched.

[@peterlongfield3141]

I have been watching tutorials on KZbin (and on some educational platforms) for several weeks now - and that is the first time I hear somebody with such a professional elocution and sentence construction. I am only 2 minutes in but I though you deserved me to pause and write this down. Thank you Matt Donner

[@danhealy79]

I love hearing about the Theory and Arrangements behind the songs. More please!

[@PyramindSF]

+Daniel Healy Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Any specific songs or genres you are most interested in ?

[@danhealy79]

Pyramind I enjoy good pop (from the 80s) plus House/Electro/EDM. How about David Bowie's Let's Dance? One of my all time favorites.

[@noahdurbin]

I think it would be cool to see a breakdown of "where are you now"

[@celestalsoundsroyaltyfree9714]

Why not try the new skrillex songs, they're fire. Saint Luarent or something

[@PiotrSupski]

I started learning music and music theory about 4 months ago by buying a guitar This is probably the best resource I found to date for people interested in both theory and practice.

[@logicprohacks]

"...Complexity gets you Simplicity." Amen! - I've been trying to say this for years to my peers! It goes along with the concept of striving for absolute perfection in everything you do, taking the time to embrace every detail of the track, from the EQ's, Compression, side-chain, to Reverb matching... Notice how simple the chords are in all the Hans Zimmer tracks, but notice how complicated the sounds are!!! It's in this concept that will make you successful! The pursuit of perfection will create an energy of success in the music you produce.

[@stufisher5105]

this wasn't what i was expecting when i read the title, but i'm sure it's valuable for people who are ready for advanced music theory. some day i will get this too :)

[@PyramindSF]

+Stu Fisher Glad you liked the video - practice makes perfect! If you're interested in learning more about our theory & piano courses, visit this page: www.pyramind.com/training/courses/music-theory-and-songwriting-courses/

[@fervlogg]

this is gonna be so useful in my future bass tracks. I am going to watch more of your videos because you clearly know what you are talking about and i dont have any idea what i am doing, so there i am sure there will be lots to learn

[@saffel2297]

Very informative without preaching advanced theory down our throats. Thanks for this.

[@sierra6music]

this is one of the best channels i have found.

[@haui82]

Right? I haven't seen a Pyramind video that was not teaching me something.

[@jjjuhg]

I didn t want this video to finish. thank you !

[@iwillmaceyou]

This is such an incredibly useful video for people who get stuck on music theory and need real world examples to stay engaged. I could watch these all day. THANK YOU.

[@CasualChrisMusic]

your sponsored post worked, I'm a new fan, you broke it down perfectly for me thanks for the video!

[@kingklassic3522]

This is GENIUS!!! This carriws to all platforms of music. I now am building my productuins like this. Make the hardest version them cut it uo and create the arrangenebt after and then mix and complete. This is so much easier

[@colinwarn4606]

Can we just make the rest of these videos around dissecting tracks. I could watch these forever.

[@fortressofgraves]

Really awesome explanation of these theory concepts, thanks for teaching this stuff. It seems like most theory I've read in books or online show theory in the most boring way without showing the creativity or showing how it is used in modern music like this. This video helps a lot.

[@cgarcia23777]

Complexity = Simplicity. I'd like to watch more examples, Matt!

[@joebegley6928]

Great video. Love this, and love the idea of doing that Seven Lions song.

[@Thomaskam17]

fantastic concept for a video, please do more of these!

[@PyramindSF]

More on the way! :)

[@ariston111]

+Pyramind Can u give me critical feedback on one of my tracks?

[@sagenoise]

These videos are a game changer.

[@JakeAlstad]

thank you guys for always putting out these super high quality videos for free!

[@liamselfors8719]

Bb Dorian is NOT the same as Bb Minor, they have different implied scales and resolutions. The song is in the key of Ab with a Bb Dorian tonality rather than Bb Minor as said in the video. This explains the vocal melody following the Ab Major scale so closely and allowing the harmony to be complex and modal. The entire song resolves cleanly and clearly to an Ab Major chord.

[@LukeWalstead]

I think he was trying to simplify away from Dorian so as to make it less intimidating for people who don't understand modes. I don't think it was a good idea because if you don't know modes the rest of the theory was probably pretty confusing. And if it wasn't, then "simplifying" to Bb minor actually makes it more complicated and doesn't help you at all.

[@MVPhurricane]

he literally says that it's Bb dorian, does *not* say that it's the same as Bb minor, and says that he is doing this "for simplicity's sake". but then again, i watched 6 minutes and 35 seconds further into the video than you did...

[@emailpepin]

Thanks for the added explanation. That is an interesting take. You know, a lot of in music is relative. You COULD have just made your own video instead and explained your theory...

[@michaeljacques491]

that was an absolute pleasure to watch, thank u!

[@federicovalse3800]

The fourth chord is actually an hybrid, the superior structure are the tension to the bass and it doesn't have third, in that case its a lydian sound (the structure common to the bVI maj7 in minor harmony). So, like the software says its an Gb maj9 #11 (omit3), the common way to write it its Dmaj7/Gb and its a bVI. Great video!

[@tmbs1139]

so lucky to found this stuff! im a bassplayer and songwriter and now I'm working on my piano chords spice. thanks, looking for something more advanced

[@steedcubus1220]

Wow! Great video. Never really noticed the complexity in the chords. Quite a fascinating idea for composition. Complex chords over a simple repetitive structure. Gonna have to experiment with this idea. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

[@J5o7h9n1A3]

OMG THANKS MAN !!! I knew all these chords on ultimate guitar and youtube covers aren't the right chords, lucky you figured it out :) THANKS ALOT

[@NicHasegawa]

I'm glad I wasn't completely lost during this explanation. I'm making slow progress after all...

[@danvanhalen434]

Great break down on this track, really valuable explanation and demonstrations! thanks!

[@Salt9696]

I know nothing about theory but you made this easy to understand. Thank you!

[@MacedonianGrace]

My songs started staling , now I am getting ideas to finish them. Thanks

[@dnnysrock]

thank you sir! reminds me of my music school days, greatly miss them

[@arsewipe5036]

Your explanations are crystal clear. Great teacher.

[@JackconReecetV]

Awesome video and Matts awesome, kept it very interesting kept the energy going

[@julienm702]

Great!. Thanks for the lesson. Really usefull.

[@flypurplestars]

Matt is awesome! Has to be the best tutorial I've ever seen regarding a hit song and theory. I've taken theory, but sometimes it's hard to understand what is going on in a lot of big records such as this one. Please do more tutorials and make this a regular series of videos "Complexity equals simplicity". Zedd "Spectrum & Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" would be great!

[@PyramindSF]

Here's Spectrum! kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2evZpKfataSb7s&lc=z13hh1qwoyrszn5ri04cevbiclqmwlmqelc0k

[@flypurplestars]

+Pyramind thank you so much!

[@axelcruz5394]

Amazing. Can't ever ever learn enough!

[@Charlyfromthenuclearcity]

2 minutes into this video and I'm already pretty certain this is an amazing channel. Subscribed !

[@dabuck204]

Love the breakdown, and your style to go over everything. Instant subscribe.

[@romaindelalande4743]

This was EXTREMELY interesting and you explained it perfectly ! Makes you realise that these two guys are really really good !

[@Frecuenciasparavivirmejor]

I really love you Theory & Arrangement videos, you should make a online course about it, I will be a student for sure!!!!

[@vk6644]

you are an amazing instructor ! keep on doing this!

[@katemarsh6955]

Very good video. KZbin needs more of you :) keep up the good work.

[@maudonnet]

A M A Z I N G video !!! I've been looking for this kind of break down for a long time. very interesting bass choices and great harmonic analysis. Thanks Matt !

[@Electrotranqui]

I love this kind of dissection. I want more please... is sth good to know and then analize it Thank you a lot.

[@barrycoulter6951]

Good peak behind the curtain of theory....! Thx!

[@musictruck9831]

loving that Porgy and Bess in the background.

[@Digiphex]

Brilliant analysis. You are right on point.

[@yungphil88]

Good stuff! Especially since ive been struggling songs sounding plain. This changes alot for me, i will start experimenting more with my chords! Thanks Instructor/Pyramid

[@EzyoMusic]

Arranging is the coolest thing in the world!

[@christophernwokoye]

This is amazing! It opened m eyes to music theory in pop music!

[@AryamanAgarwal]

So good! Miss you and Pyramind Matt

[@9Syren9]

I've just watched this, the Zedd one, and the Seven Lions one. These are super fun to watch and I love learning how songs I love actually work. Please do more.

[@leonsolo01]

the reason why it's not usual to think of a 11th (or 4th) in the bass is that the bass note is too much important to the harmony to be pushed to a "function" (11th) so distant to the root. the bass note, as the lowest note, projects its partials (harmonic series) upwards to where the other notes of the chords are, in a way that the bass note and its partials are predominant over the other notes of the chord. so that's why it's more usual to interpret the bass note as a more important "function" in the chord (root, 3rd or 5th) than as a extension of the chord (9th, 11th, 13th).anyways, i agree that it doesn't matter very much how you name the chords, but it's nice to understand the concepts behind the nomenclature we use. nice video!

[@Paskcserj]

i finaly find my new teacher :) thanks for your work mr !

[@someclevernickhere]

Really love your approach to breaking down one of my favorite songs, especially love that you clearly enjoy the subject material!

[@Taichientaoyin]

i love this will be watching more.

[@buddymiles7210]

holy shit, best video iv seen on music yet. great job. do more

[@PyramindSF]

Thanks! Much appreciated

[@staudtgc]

Another way of looking at it: instead of naming the chord progression Im9 Vm9 IVma7 IIIbma7 (extended), you could think of it as IIm9 VIm9 Vma7 IVma7...after all, Bb is the "relative dorian" of Ab major. :)

[@arisemedia]

these videos are TREMENDOUS, thank you so much!

[@ryanwrice7482]

This was quite helpful. Great to be able to follow along;.

[@riverkelly9374]

I love your videos man !! your channel is so awesome

[@KD-Lonely_vibez]

happy to run across this video

[@giuniral]

It is funny how sometimes we do things without even knowing their proper names. Or even if they are "a thing". Great video, thanks.

[@fundementalroast7002]

Matt you are a super star professor. I learn so much from your videos. Thank you.

[@gordeevious]

Key: F-minor. intro: Bbm9 - Fm9 - Eb(add2)/G - GbMaj9 (sometimes it sounds like Ebm11, they're interchangeable) chorus/drop: Bbm9 - Fm9 - Eb(add2) - GbMaj9 over weird C, Db, C, B bass movement, which can really be analyzed as passing notes leading into Bb again. What they did with the GbMaj9 chord and the bass is genius. It works because the bass is playing very short percussive notes. Genius. This song started my love affair with Disclosure.

[@AnthonyNguyenlol]

I'd definitely like to hear a breakdown of Strangers!

[@fervlogg]

by skrillex and tennyson yes

[@nanakizzz]

Please do more , those videos are awesome :D

[@frankthomas8782]

This was perfect... great theory refresher. The power of voice leading!

[@FraktalPriest]

"Copied, simple chord progression is not enough for complex song structure - It won't stand up." - *Matt Donner 2016* I got a lot from this, thanks! Subscribed 🧙‍♂️

[@decals4guitar828]

I saw the deconstruction of the same track by point blank academy (nice and helpful vid btw) but you guys really dug into the track revealing its essense, great vid guys,

[@elicompositor]

Dear Pyramind thanks for share this incredible videos!

[@JTRAN408_]

This was honestly the best breakdown I have ever watched. Keep it up! Definitely hit the subscribe button.

[@ayush.6083]

really good of a tutorial even tho i didn't like the song much or found it really that fascinating but its good to know how one complex element can give that special feel to a song with a simple arrangement(im more of a all complex kinda guy probably thats why i didnt like the song much cause the arrangement was basic).I want many more people to discover this video, just like to give you guys a tip that swap the title of the video name it like, ' Disclosure - Latch | Theory & Arrangement ', KZbin's all about clickbait even if someone's not exactly looking for this particular kind of video but something similar like A remake or how the chords or stuff works, they will get this video in there result and im pretty sure once whosever searches discovers this video would be soo happy that he found it :) hope this helps,cheers good video indeed

[@LukasSvobodaNZ]

Excellent Video, this is fantastic - whilst my theory isn't brilliant or well practiced I can definitely follow the concept and understand the notions discussed. Very very useful. Thanks, please keep doing these!

[@JoetJoepEva]

GREAT video, thank you

[@mattphillips7996]

Awesome analysis Matt. I wasn't able to figure out why tabs and chords I found online sounded wrong until this

[@SeanWyseman]

How cool. It's a fact that the mind needs something to do. It needs a certain level of detail and departure from pure repetition. Using a complex background establishes the atmosphere in a richer way that lends to doing something simple in front of it. So doing puts a soundstage in place that carries the simple melody and draws focus to the message but occupies our natural situational awareness with a stable undulating but progressing atmosphere that guides the intent of the message.

[@MaLe_DEJP]

Awesome, high quality video. Extremely well presented, entertaining and informative. Had a lot of fun watching and learned a bunch. You guys rock, keep it up! I'd be very interested to have you analyze this song further and explain how he manages to build around the chords used. What does he do to bring variety, tension etc while using the same 4 chord loop? Would love to hear about that. Thanks!

[@embracedj]

Excellent work. Thanks Matt!

[@14erskier]

Great video! Please do more!!!

[@NoahThul]

These sessions are really helpful! Thank You!

[@Wwiwiwimi]

Can only figure the theory part of most songs(which already takes me years to understand)and might be think of other song with similar chord progression or playing style and pick it out as example. but the idea to introduce a song from multiple musical aspects just can't make it to real due to the lackness of acknowledgement. So happy to see someone made it, this is way helpful than watching bunch of how to video. and also inspiring for acquiring information to use it as a concept when creating or produce music. Keep them coming dude !!! however just found some blizzard on 07:56 it obviously is a Fm sus4 add b6 , but what you demonstrate afterward is a Fm7 add b6.

[@ignaciochirino6415]

The best part of the video 7:53, very good tutorial !

[@Kebabtsu]

Thanks for making this! Realy helpful

[@elijahfiest6288]

i love this kind of thing, its so cool to see that popular music isnt always as easy as a lot of people make it out to be. itd be really cool if you guys could do a breakdown of a song by an instrumental band called Chon.

[@theoliviabui3135]

This is the most fascinating thing... I love this, thank you for your commitment to teaching us :)

[@rileystratton6232]

Amazing video!!

[@bradennix7823]

Great video I really enjoyed it! I actually hear it in Fmin, mainly because of the melody. The melody outlines an F min7 chord for the majority of the tune with some passing Bb's in there as well. The chords definitely could work for either Bb or Fmin, but I feel like the melody hovers around the F min7 more often then not! I could be wrong but that is just what I've heard it as! Enjoyed the video!

[@Deejayirie]

You sir, are freaking awesome! Thank you very much.

[@TroyMonroe]

this is awesome please make more!

[@janks7192]

Hey amazing tutorials dude, greatly appreciated :)

[@pineoandloeb]

Love this! Would like to see more, maybe across some different genres and styles.

[@sunloveone]

Informative and clear explanations... thanks!

[@Woolookologie]

Thank you so much for this video, that was insanely intresting! Really amazing harmonies here.

[@ge0metr1xx]

Thank you you for the video, I found your facebook can't wait for more! been looking for theory and arrangement of Sade tracks.. In general I have spent the last two weeks trying to demystify 90's RnB and slow jams that lean towards pop/smooth jazz

[@edwinmusic8068]

This video is so well done, thank you !

[@djspiff8526]

i love learning from you!