Music Theory and White Supremacy

Thanks to Phil Ewell and his paper:

SOURCES

0:00 Introduction
2:53 Part I - The White Racial Frame of Music Theory
8:28 Part iim - North Indian Theory and Perspectives
16:52 Part IIIm7b5 - Alternative Perspectives to Western Theory
22:04 Part IVmaj7 - Music isn’t a Universal
28:24 Part V7(b9,#9,b13) - Heinrich Schenker
36:16 Part vim - Responses to Phil Ewell
40:19 Part viio - Coda

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[samuraiguitarist]

It would be a great feature if youtube showed what percentage of the video you watched beside your comment.

[vernise]

In high school I used to compose music heavily inspired by Japanese video games. When I showed my piano teacher, she said "it's not supposed to end on a chord like this" "there are certain rules you need to follow" this video helped me gain a new perspective on what that could have meant because she definitely didn't explain lol

[metallica]

Hi, I am an Indian. While it's nice to see you highlighting the fact that we have our own theory and a very elaborate grammer divided into multiple scriptures. I would also like to point out that our music theory doesn't do harmony very well. It's mostly about the mood of the melody. Raag's even have their own catchy tune written inside the raag. But for an outsider trying to learn western music the traditional method did provide a good framework (credit where it's due). Also I can't fathom the fact that people actually believe that there is only one music theory.

[basedokadaizo]

i think what really grinds my gears about music theory is that they laud composers that broke the rules of the time (like Beethoven, Stravinsky) or had immense talent (Bach, Paganini), but we in the modern day under formal tutelage cannot break any of the rules ourselves because then it won't sound "correct", despite it being a more genuine expression.

[ichigo]

I'm so glad you specified NORTH Indian music. Lot of people aren't aware of the stark difference of cultures throughout all India and Asia!

[roelofvandermerwe]

"Western Classical Music theory". That's what it's called here in South Africa, there is clear line here say between, cape jazz theory, and western classical theory

[zitnbit]

Interesting. We in Korea learn three kind of music theory in a school. Classical music(old European), practical music(contemporary African American) and Korean traditional music.

[Siskos-pnnd]

I am 77yo, played by ear most of my life, but decided to learn music theory since everyone said this was a must know for song writers like me. Jazz was my main inspiration because being able to improvise is what motivated me to play for over 60 years. Music theory is not bad, but it does limit your music to a European based music. I like all kinds of world music because music they sound nice and do not stick to western rules.

[maxfliegner]

Adam, I would definitely pay top dollar to see you debate Ben Shapiro’s MUSIC THEORIST father who went to music school.

[АмальФарук-вд]

I didn’t even think that there are other “musical theories” but now I don’t understand why such an obvious thought has never came in my mind

[ronshirt]

“Works of art make rules, rules do not make works of art.” --Claude Debussy

[stinnaplaysmusic]

I feel very lucky that in my school (Higher School for the Arts, department Music and Technology, Netherlands) we are being taught "music theory" in a different way. I started last year, about to start the second. I had a significant basis in understanding western harmony and had trained my ears passionately. When we started going to these theory classes, I was surprised to see that we were not only going over the origins of western theory (think Gregorian singing, unison, that kind of thing), but also traditional Indonesian instruments, composing with it, playing it, and even synthesizing it to make it playable with al the weird temperaments included. Furthermore Balkan music, clave rhythms, Jamaican and Caribbean rhythmic composition made the rounds and it felt new and refreshing, comparing what I already knew and understood about western music to this new thing I hadn't heard of before.

Edit: "... with all the weird temperaments..." is not the right thing to say. 
Let's change it to "... with all these - in western - uncommon temperaments

[Wyatt]

I'm a guitar player, and this is a great excuse for me to continue the guitar player tradition of not learning stuff

[KazKasozi]

In Uganda we don't really have a word equivalent to "music". Rather music is defined by how one dances to it. Studying it therefore invariably means studying the dances.

[NahreSol]

I’m constantly perplexed by how you manage to cover ...several dissertation’s worth of material in each video. So awesome!!

[scipio]

I remember learning music theory in high school. It was interesting because somehow they taught me that figured bass was antiquated and not worth learning until college, if at all. BUT somehow when I wrote a piece for an exercise that resolved from a V7 to a IV to a I, I was wrong because that couldn't happen. Except, of course that I had learned it from blues and blues-based rock, where it's the most common resolution. In other words, traditional music theory doesn't even explain blues and classic rock very well (even ignoring neutral 3rds and 7ths). And forget about explaining something as harmonically sophisticated as bop or modern jazz. How can it be universal?

[surrealistidealist]

The best music genre and tradition, in my opinion, is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater & Underground soundtrack.

[LON]

Adam: You can't dance to Bach's chorales
Me: You haven't seen me drunk

[theautisticguitarist]

"You can have the pentatonic scale without the bending."

*blues has left the chat.*

[gregdyes]

While I have been a great admirer of your channel for several years and have been inspired by your insights into music, I have not been compelled to express by admiration of your work until viewing this video. I am a black man, with a doctorate in music composition, who taught jazz theory and improvisation over twenty years ago at an "illustrious" institution that only with great trepidation indulged my passions. I say trepidation, but also great resistance to changes in music curriculum that I represented and which most of my colleagues viewed as unfortunately necessary. Viewing your video brought back some pain and anguish that I thought I had "gotten over, " but it would seem had only repressed. Alas, that I didn't have the presence of mind and the calmness of spirit to express back then what you have done with such passion and aplomb. I salute you!