The greatest synth solo of all time

[@TimothyGondola]

🎁There's just a few hours left for your opportunity to get my courses 50% OFF! tinyurl.com/5y4cyp3x

[@Sphereal]

The best part about watching Cory play is seeing established musicians around him freaking out at how creative he is.

[@roccox9510]

shawn.

[@kapetandijabola]

Just take a look at the bass player🤪

[@r0binho386]

Shawn and Michael just absolutely digging it

[@mollepolle]

Corey is an established musician.

[@borj_1]

@@mollepolle we know we’re just talking about how how the OTHER established musicians are vibing so hard to his playing.

[@matthewgoodwin2008]

the energy between the bassist and corey is a wholeee mooddd. what a vibe

[@Mysc1]

Come on bruh that's Michael League

[@bennyelsensohn9299]

@@Mysc1 come on bruh, not everyone knows every musicians name. Maybe he just discovered the Band recently, never cared about their names, just randomly saw this video

[@noamguitar4413]

@@bennyelsensohn9299 Michael League is the band leader tho, I think that Corey Henry steals the show quite commonly in Snarky Puppy, but everybody knows League

[@bennyelsensohn9299]

@@noamguitar4413 Yeah but there are still People who have heard of Cory Henry but don't know Snarky Puppy. He has his Cory Henry & The Funk Apostels and there are many videos about him playing Keyboard on Music Events. And just as i (as a guitarist) am nerdy about guitarists, maybe keyboard players just focus on keyboard players and not bassists. And we don't have to mention the people who really don't care about or know names or artists, no matter how often they listen to their music. Everybody who cares knows their names, but not EVERYBODY.

[@cloudambient]

@@Mysc1 Lots of people don't know an don't care who that is.

[@musicunderstress]

Man this solo takes me back. This was the first solo i transcribed in college! I remember listening to this track a million times lol, took me a solid month to get down. Now that I can see a transcription of it by a professional, it's very funny to see the differences between your notation and mine! So interesting how even in music, we still speak our own language. And Cory Henry is definitely speaking the language of the cosmos when he plays! Still as wonderful as the first time i heard it

[@NInjatam]

hope your transcription is better than this one cuz this is not Timothys finest work lmao

[@klop4228]

@@NInjatam it's a great transcription, but there're a lot of spellings/enharmonics that obscure what exactly is going on in the solo

[@flyingisland7583]

Wonderful words 👌

[@jaycielle]

I had a similar experience, was watching this just now going "huh this is familiar, have I seen this?", then he played that chromatic triplet up-down-up-down phrase and I had vivid flashbacks to me and my mates always quoting that at jam nights, just to mess with each other and remind everyone that they weren't Cory 😂 and also because it's fun and can make a room go crazy haha

[@therobotFrom94]

I've never seen anyone so deep in the groove but looking so spaced out at the same time. He's on his own planet but still locked in *tight* with the rest of the band

[@Diego24fps]

Wherever Cory goes... I wanna see it just once. Even if I only get to see it briefly as I transition out of this mortal coil.

[@lafemmedevastation]

@@Diego24fps this sounds exactly like something i'd say ...generally about several things lol

[@nomannic1]

Cory knows how to use those triads man!!! He has an incredible ear and reharmonizes beautifully while still keeping the integrity of the melody. incredible stuff!

[@enrybmusic2050]

2:56 Even the greatest solos must have the licc

[@ryanhassell7617]

You can see Shaun crack a smile when he plays it.

[@HiLine]

This guy is a world-class drummer and a world-class pianist combined.

[@jonathanmercurio5865]

When the bass player was walking down to the 2-5-1 and I heard it from a mile away. it came and i got the CHILLS. AMAZING!!!!

[@musicforthecause]

yo same here,

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

Love that the "whooooooah!!!" from the audience was for the harmony and not the solo as usually happens

[@sandenson]

Michael, Shaun and the audience all went nuts when it happened!

[@harr2345]

It's my new fav 2-5-1 oml it's pure fuel

[@doomination1408]

It's so sad seeing Shaun Martin in this man, RIP

[@WarWarriorx]

Man... i like to imagine him vibing playfully like in the last seconds. RIP

[@koithr]

1:42 “keep playing” so awesome 😂

[@TimothyGondola]

I've been enjoying this solo for years, must have listened to it easily 300 times...! Sheet music trivia (first to answer correctly gets PDF): most of the Snarky Puppy guys studied at what school?

[@richy4292]

university of north texas!

[@smkim6103]

University of North Texas

[@smkim6103]

correct spelling and punctuation! :)

[@ikehays4373]

Hey Tim i like this solo because Cory takes inspiration from his performance in a night in Paris. It’s a really cool video If you haven’t seen it. Anyways I think it’s cool because at the end of the first song after Cory gets a crazy solo part Kevin Powell starts playing this little riff on the piano and the song transfers to a more modern r&b beat. Cory plays that riff in this solo and maybe by coincidence it sounds like he’s in the same mode as well. Go to 10:50 if you want to hear the riff. I think it’s really cool how Cory draws alot from a night in Paris it’s an awesome performance.

[@AndyBonitz]

My best guess is UNT in Denton. How do I get the PDF? Haha. Everyone in the band is amazing.

[@tukynii]

1:26 when he hits the 2 5 with that sixtuplet run, look at everyone's faces flip the hell out

[@tukynii]

@Un árbol hello, a tree (I think that's what un arbol means). It's an extremely impressive run. It displays the highest level of mastery over the keys, but also, it just sounds super tasteful and cool.

[@dariopiano]

Michael League genially called it.. great chemistry!

[@MyChannel-pq6wf]

Can you explain what happened there? I didn’t get it

[@invsi6231]

@@MyChannel-pq6wfsorry it’s super late and no one explained it, but basically they had his super cool run timed perfectly right so it ended up together on the root so it sounded epic 😂

[@musical_lolu4811]

*sex... tuplet.

[@casey7411]

I've listened to this solo so many times. It's so legendary, the way that everything aligns... One of the most perfect moments in the history of sound

[@alildaisy2180]

You know it’s good when they make a measure of 4/4 quarter notes sound syncopated

[@88pynogrl]

Right!?!?!? I was like, after all that rhythmic complexity, and chromaticism- those 4 simple quarters were the coolest!!!👍🏻♥️

[@alildaisy2180]

@@88pynogrl wow you put that so succinctly! Thank you! ❤️

[@cormaccullinane7930]

2:02 when youre thinking to yourself "is this gunna sound good?" and then the nod of self reasurance right after "okay that was dope"

[@Josh_Casas]

The solo is magnificent. Also at 3:39 the organ playing with the horns is so good too

[@stanvasic8592]

The dude on the bass could not believe it him self, and thats probably the gazillionth gig they already played together 😂

[@dictatorshipoverdemocracy]

The bassist always looks like he's having the most fun. I love it. And the organ at the end 3:40

[@hoangkhanhtruongnguyen8197]

It is Micheal League. He is incredible.

[@ThiagoSMontanher]

I absolutely love organs at 3:40

[@beatbishop_official]

Indeed, this is one of my favourite solos. Transcribed it for my bachelors exam. Also the Rhodes part is super nice! Nod your head.

[@josmulder3060]

Thank you, I love this solo. But I also really dig the turnaround that Shaun Martin plays after the breakdown (3.39), so groovy.

[@chiem5719]

Absolutely, I would love for this little part to be transcribed too (after trying myself). But man, this solo blows me away time and time again! Insane!

[@nintendofan1750]

At first I was like: ThAt'S nOt A sYnTh ThAt'S a JaZz OrGaN And then the synth came in 🔥🔥 It's all incredible though!

[@rickc2102]

More Rhodes electric piano than organ, regardless synths all around.

[@anthonyodonnell6105]

Yeah, not synth, but electric piano rather than organ.

[@riley6646]

i mean, it's still a synth. he's not playing an actual organ (or rather an actual electric piano which is what the sound is)

[@jukkageisler2312]

Since a Rhodes has tonenbars (baby pitch forks) and pickups, it is not a synthesizer. But a Hammond is one, the foundation sine waves are produces by a tone generator :)

[@Keyano_keys]

Did you see how Shaun turned when they did the wall down 251. Not to mention Michael called it out in the middle of cory doing a crazy lick and cory just handled it like a gee . One of the greatest solos of all time indeed

[@rossanopinelli5150]

This man's talent is simply monstrous. His ability to integrate - in improvisation, that is, in real time (!!!!) - melodic, rhythmic and harmonic (but also timbral, Cory Henry's touch is ALWAYS the right one) elements into perfect structural control has the miraculous. With the maddening, staggering ease he finds himself with, if Cory systematically devoted himself to composition we would have a modern-day Mozart. Thank goodness we have a profusion of explosive young talent, Henry is part of today's cohort of the elect (to name a few, Louis Cole, Genevieve Artadi, Jacob Collier, Fuensanta Mendez, Michael League himself and others of this fantastic generation of phenomena - and I apologize for the names that no doubt escape me at this time).

[@Ihitthings3]

I got the special opportunity to play percussion behind Corey a few years ago as part of the BRYAC funk night band in BlacK Rock, CT. It was a seriously badass jam. I think it’s somewhere here on KZbin.

[@SethIsDavid]

came for Cory, stayed for the goated acoustic guitar player

[@rgbfrog]

Awesome to see you here!

[@jwaj]

🕺💃🐊🐊🐊🌈

[@rautshsale1948]

lol what? i don't even hear it

[@traduzindo_shorts]

@@rautshsale1948 I also can't hear it.

[@acadela3506]

he's not even playing

[@emilandresen7577]

I've watched the original video probably like a 1000 times, glad someone finally transcribed it

[@anweshbhattacharya8017]

Love the sound of the repeating modal interchange.

[@jacktaylor1516]

Cory doesn't just solo. He takes you on the journey with him. Forever legendary.

[@AndyCmus]

Incredible! I had the pleasure of finally seeing Corey play live down here in Sydney Australia a few weeks ago Just an inspiration!!! Thanks for your channel and transcribing genius !! Legend 👍🏻

[@NInjatam]

same man, got to meet him backstage at Bluesfest a couple weeks ago was such a crazy experience

[@noahmay7708]

@Venater No way man i was at the same show! Did he ever show up for signing? I had to leave before he showed.

[@AndyCmus]

@@noahmay7708 yeah he did - he headed back for signing not long after the show ended

[@LokiBeckonswow]

yeah wow, that was really really really good - this is such a good channel, you've shown me some of the best musical performances I've ever seen, and I only found your channel a month ago haha

[@LEW95alo]

If this is your first time hearing Snarky Puppy (and especially Corey Henry), i highly suggest checking out their song: Lingus

[@Ken-fx8rb]

1:25 One of the best moments of top tier musicianship on the internet

[@stephenrhea5677]

Can you explain to someone who doesn't really understand music theory what he did at that point? The other band members were blown away as well, but I don't fully understand what's going on.

[@rebmendoza4098]

@@stephenrhea5677 On m. 33, Cory Henry started doing a whole tone pattern which does not have a tonal center, basically it's a sound that's not very grounded music-wise. In response, Micheal sets Cory up with a chromatic walk-down to something called a 2-5-1, which is a very common and grounded sound in jazz and other modern music. Cory picks up on the bass walk-down while simultaneously playing his fast chaotic patterns, and the two of them play that juicy 2-5-1 together from counts 3 and 4 of m. 34. Basically, the bass player sets up the nastiest alley-oop out of nowhere and the keyboard player's dunk shattered the backboard. It's like if two people randomly said the same sentence in the same way at the same time.

[@stephenrhea5677]

Thanks for that explanation, @@rebmendoza4098!! It makes enough sense to understand why everyone freaks out in the best way.

[@SomeSlushies]

SO incredibly stoked to see Cory on the lineup at Electric Forest this year, who would have guessed my most anticipated artist at an EDM festival would be an improv artist

[@Timecop1983]

This man is a synth god! Everything he does is just magical.

[@brown9671]

He’s been taking synth to the next level, really got at actually using the features of a synth, like an organ

[@sergiomeza9854]

More of Cory Henry please!

[@fasanov123]

oh man! One of my favorites ever. I was sold on lingus, but found this shortly after and i was converted to the church of cory! He’s a genius his solos are on another level of thinking. I always wished this recording went on longer. I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find any more of this performance

[@retromograph3893]

Love the fact that while the solo is full of beast-mode shredding, the thing that kills them the most is the 3 simple left hand chords at 1:28!

[@madqueensarai]

Tbh this is pretty normal for Cory Henry. You should definitely see him live one day. Your mind will be blown! I saw him in Oakland and every second of the show was like this or even better. Awesome transcription though!

[@edwardv4546]

I can vouch. He came to Chicago (performed in Evanston). The entire show was amazing. Literally. Never heard any show THAT good.

[@JewelzFin]

Daniel is always right on with Corey. Shaun Martin is dope too. I still remember when he got up and walked off the set of the recording during one of Corey's solos lmao.

[@imrlyboredful]

I love the gospel sound Cory so often brings, it's just awesome to my ears

[@mrbigg151]

Talk about staying in the groove! These musicians are 🔥

[@thenewninja4726]

Cory chilling like that's not his hand doing all that

[@Bryantittle5342]

At 2:39 when the drummer catches that it gets me every time

[@MiloGiraldo-Soundtrack]

Perfectly cut scream at the end

[@billywilson1389]

And it was this day I fell truly in love, with everything. This jam just makes me love! Props

[@markboomrang5716]

Timothy, Thank you for your KZbin channel and your web page. Both are great resources.

[@TimothyGondola]

Glad you think so!

[@acepherman6866]

Stuff Corry plays is delicate yet he manage it to sounds like an easy listening type music....that is a gift.

[@profoundresolve]

I already knew who this was about before seeing the thumbnail/video. Such raw talent.

[@bartomiejtarkowski9327]

I'm so disappointed that no one is commenting on the great bass playing by Daniel Radcliffe.

[@yoannmery]

A true magician

[@0777coco]

i'm so glad he gave up acting to found snarky puppy

[@-dezz3202]

Hes the Swiss army man, No Suprise I expect nothing less.

[@alessandrorossini8704]

Maybe it's because we all know that the whole band is a blast, as usual, they're all equally great.

[@Glee73]

the whole band are from the same school and house.

[@pablors6718]

Years ago i was watching this Cory solo every day.... thiking "this is the best Synth solo".. thank u for share this sheet!

[@drb141719]

Such a fine piece of music to start a sunny morning.

[@paulmorton3259]

I’m a synth player myself. This though is really humbling stuff

[@francoisb.1513]

How can there be wars with such a groove on Earth ?

[@caydencrawford4948]

This is so smoooth, amazing I love watching him groove to it too

[@zackmash851]

people often speak about how epic snarky's more recent albums are but Tell Your Friends was truly a masterpiece, albeit a short on. the back half of the album are 3 of snarky's most profound tunes they've done.

[@doubts]

Nobody on that stage is claiming they are the greatest at anything. As brilliant as it is ❤

[@ZodiakGFXNovato]

I need the rest of the video man you can't do this to me

[@JordanMayjor3p7]

As a synthesizer player of nearly 30 years I can say this is great!

[@JordanMayjor3p7]

I can also say that in 2003 I played a better one than this IMO LOL! But our styles are so vastly different it is hard to compare them.

[@benjaminbolton7821]

LOL no shot

[@rickym6301]

He makes it look so easy

[@noahmay7708]

I cant believe Cory played 4 straight quarter notes.

[@korbanpyke5996]

And this, the whole world involuntarily bopped up and down in perfect sync

[@Newambientmusic]

Cory Henry is my hero 🙌🏻

[@fartfountain]

Holy Mountain used to be a dope spot! I opened up for Ghost Note back in the day there. Brings back memories on Red River 😀

[@OlaftheGreat]

I was waiting for the synth to kick in...was not disappointed

[@Cloyd1]

He's so good that I thought the first half was the solo

[@noewantstosleep]

this is the kind of music that feeds your soul

[@guillaumedehome]

we need this everyday. incroyable cory.

[@donthomas2859]

I grew up on this man's music. If there is truly a GOAT, then James Brown is it! Rest in Soul Power, Mr. Brown.

[@cocacraesh]

The chromatic sixteenth note triplets that he does after some 4 bar groups during the synth solo remind me of First Gen Pokemon cries :D

[@jakereosti]

Why did you transcribe those measures like at 23 24 with 4 sharps? I was hearing that chord like D lydian, or A major, or like he’s playing E major pentatonic over a D chord, 3 sharps. Dmaj and Amaj. Is it because he’s playing some E major pentatonic there?

[@calvincooper5597]

this video made me feel things

[@egg5578]

Man, this is all just so fun

[@aaronleadley8245]

It's up there, but I still think his Lingus solo on the record is better. Thanks for transcribing it awesome work!

[@XxMETALJAREDxX]

Awwwww man. RIP Shaun.

[@Canadian169]

Corey Henry with snarky puppy is the goat!

[@Dxrnit420]

0:33 giant steps

[@richthe1]

I listened again immediately... where is this from? the set like?

[@benodaboy]

Bass player the real og .... damn he really worked that solo to perfection

[@or_not-o8i]

next level

[@dariopiano]

@1:25 Michael League had the brilliant idea.. perfect! great chemistry!

[@willisverynice]

I couldn’t see the thumbnail really because it was on my phone but as I clicked it I thought “I doubt it’s better than snarky puppy.”

[@fj3571]

The fact he's not even looking down most of the time is crazy

[@TheMtotheF]

The opening solo sends me, and it sends me to Super Mario World. Love it.

[@Wawawaraccoon]

The perfectly cut scream at the end just sends me

[@alessandrorossini8704]

Mindblowing as usual, but not only Cory, the whole band is something...

[@alexandermarichal2312]

I aspire to be like that bass player homie was GROOVIN!

[@DiegoooTech]

Wihtout considering how much funky Cory Henry still is with an absolute solo like this....

[@THuang-lt1ob]

synergy with the bassist was amazing

[@dosterix6034]

Ahh! The groove is killing me!

[@juanfernandocastilla2845]

Thanks for this

[@MatNewtonTrio]

Crazy solo and great transcription 👊

[@RJGODLIFE]

Before I can learn one solo, this beast goes and does another spectacular one. I can't keep up! Lol

[@Mr-NutnGo]

This the best solo I’ve ever heard holy shit

[@Kennyaj123]

Oh my god

[@subtituru9486]

BRU I KNOWN THIS FOR YEARS! Can't believe what im seeing

[@matthewmakesmusic1]

Same haha, been watching this video like 5 times a week for months, crazy to see it here

[@flyingisland7583]

This is my new favorite video

[@VexylObby]

The clip cut off is great: “WOO-“

[@GuitaristGuyJames]

This looks like it was a phenomenal show