![]() ![]() In Dungeons and Dragons terms, the song has high Intelligence, fairly high Charisma, and low to medium Wisdom. It’s intellectually interesting, but nobody could actually dance to it. This strange meter is the rhythmic equivalent of modulating to G half-sharp. Lee Rosevere points out that Collier has done some beat-driven electronic music, for example: But now maybe it’s time to get in the studio with some other people who don’t have your chops, but who are cooler than you, who listen to more hip-hop and dance music, who can balance out your intellect with some guts. So, Jacob Collier, if you’re reading this: you’ve proved your point, you’re a next-level harmonic genius. Collier’s virtuosity is balanced out by the more ordinary-sounding people he’s accompanying, and the short length of the clips keeps him from chasing every idea to florid extremes. ![]() #People are crazy chords seriesSo for a recent Disquiet Junto project, that’s exactly what I did.Ĭollier first came to my attention from his viral YouTube series in which random people sent him short pieces of music and he accompanied them with intricate vocal overdubs. But it would sound even better looped over some beats. I find the video of Collier explaining the four magical chords to be more emotionally engaging and appealing than the song itself. I wouldn’t mind hearing fewer modulations and far-out chords if it freed up Collier’s creative bandwidth for other aspects of the arrangement and production. But for such a lavish and complex arrangement, the soundscape is surprisingly conservative. There are some small production touches on “In The Bleak Midwinter”, for example, the little tinkly bells. Collier pays too much attention to the chords and not enough to everything else. But the music isn’t as satisfying as it could be. It seems like the kind of thing I should enjoy. However, the question is: does all this harmonic trickery result in good music? Or is it just showing off for the sake of showing off? Luke Pettipoole says of another Collier track that “it’s like if music could wink at itself the whole song.” I agree.Īll of Collier’s music is smooth and attractive, and his harmonies are intellectually fascinating. Jacob Collier has unbelievable technique, no question about that. David Bruce explains how this works in detail in his excellent video – the crucial part is here. Each of the four magical chords is overall a little bit sharper than the one before, but it still sounds in tune because it also shares a tone exactly in common with the previous chord. ![]() He’s able to accomplish this feat by exploiting the subtle differences between interval sizes in equal temperament versus the ones in “pure” harmonic tuning. Over the course of his “four magical chords,” Collier doesn’t just change key, he changes the entire tuning system he’s singing in. ![]() Modulating there is a bananas thing to do!Ĭollier explains the modulation in this video: That’s the key which is halfway between G and G-sharp. The most remarkable part of this arrangement comes between the third and fourth verses, when Collier modulates from the key of E to the key of G half-sharp. Here’s his mostly acapella arrangement of a Christmas carol called “ In The Bleak Midwinter.” Jacob Collier is the internet’s favorite musical virtuoso. ![]()
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