Jacob Collier Explains Music in 5 Levels of Difficulty ft. Herbie Hancock | WIRED

Summary

Jacob Collier, a musician, explains the concept of harmony through five increasing levels of complexity. From its simplest form—two voices blending to create a pleasing sound—he delves into more advanced ideas like triads, major and minor chords, and reharmonization. Collier explores harmony's natural existence in the harmonic and overtone series, while emphasizing emotional expression through music. Through personal stories, such as his learning experience with Miles Davis, he showcases the importance of breaking traditional rules and making harmonic choices that align with emotional intent, making harmony not just a technical skill but a deeply personal language.

Takeaways

• 😀 Harmony is about creating a rich emotional experience by adding layers to a melody.
• 😀 A simple example of harmony is singing together in different vocal ranges to make a melody sound fuller.
• 😀 Musical harmony involves both major and minor chords, which can change the emotional tone of a song (e.g., major chords feel happier, minor ones feel darker).
• 😀 The process of harmonizing a melody is about creating a 'narrative' that makes sense emotionally, using chords and notes that guide the listener's feelings.
• 😀 The Circle of Fifths is a tool musicians use to create smooth transitions between keys, moving from brighter to darker tones.
• 😀 The harmonic series exists in nature, with the overtone series providing a reflection of the primary note and creating harmonic richness.
• 😀 Understanding and applying inversions of chords can be a powerful tool in harmonization, offering more emotional flexibility.
• 😀 Every melody note can work with any bass note, opening up endless possibilities for harmonic creativity.
• 😀 Negative harmony, a concept that flips traditional harmonic progressions, can alter the emotional effect of a piece (e.g., making a major chord feel sad).
• 😀 Emotion in music is tied not only to the harmony but also to the context in which it is applied, demonstrating the importance of choice and intention in musical arrangement.
• 😀 Life experience shapes a musician's harmonic choices, and making courageous, non-traditional decisions can lead to surprising, innovative results in music.

Q & A

What is harmony in music?

Harmony in music refers to the combination of different musical notes played or sung together to create a pleasing sound. It can also refer to how melody and accompaniment interact to evoke different emotions.

How does Jacob Collier explain harmony in its simplest form?

Jacob explains harmony as the interaction of different voices or notes to create a richer and more emotional sound. For example, he uses the melody of 'Amazing Grace' to demonstrate how adding harmonies to a lonely melody can make it feel more complete and emotionally resonant.

What is the difference between major and minor chords?

A major chord typically sounds happy, bright, and uplifting, while a minor chord often feels darker, sadder, or more melancholic. Jacob uses the example of 'Amazing Grace' to demonstrate the contrast between a C major and C minor chord.

What is a triad in musical harmony?

A triad is a basic three-note chord that forms the foundation of most harmonies. It typically includes the root note, the third, and the fifth intervals, such as a C major chord.

How does Jacob describe the role of harmony in emotional storytelling?

Jacob compares harmony to a language where the more notes you can use, the more you can express. He discusses how harmony helps to craft a narrative in music, guiding the listener through emotional highs and lows, much like telling a story.

What is the 'circle of fifths' and how does it relate to harmony?

The 'circle of fifths' is a musical concept that arranges the 12 notes of the chromatic scale in a circle, showing their relationships. It helps musicians understand key signatures, and Jacob explains how it can be used to create different emotional effects in music by moving between bright and dark key centers.

What is the overtone series and how does it relate to harmony?

The overtone series refers to the harmonic frequencies that accompany a fundamental note when played. It helps define the tone quality or 'timbre' of a note. Jacob uses the example of the note F to explain how the overtone series naturally leads to certain harmonies that feel grounded or uplifting.

What is the significance of chord inversions in harmony?

Chord inversions involve rearranging the notes of a chord so that a different note is in the bass. Jacob emphasizes that inversions allow for smoother transitions between chords and can delay the resolution of a chord progression, adding emotional tension.

How does Jacob approach reharmonization in music?

Jacob explains reharmonization as the art of rearranging or adding new harmonies to an existing melody. He emphasizes that sometimes it's not necessary to add more notes; simply changing the inversion or order of the notes can transform the emotional impact of a piece.

What is 'negative harmony' and how does it change the emotional feel of a piece?

Negative harmony is a concept where musical elements are inverted to create a different, often more introspective or darker emotional effect. Jacob explains how using negative harmony can take a major chord and make it feel sadder or wistful, giving it a different emotional context.