Are there RULES in music??

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[meismofo]

one tiny problem, the random chord progression you played that "doesn't sound very good" slapps major asscheecks. *insert Barbossa quote here*

[NathanJamesLarsen]

I want to be really clear - these "rules" CAN BE BROKEN and there are LOTS of times you would want to "break" them or get creative - in NO way am I advocating for making music "un-emotional" so please try to see the nuance in this conversation and not go black and white by saying there either "are" or "are not" rules - you can find 100 ways to do different and creative things but if you ignore the reality that music IS governed by a large set of guidelines then you are missing out on a lot of potential.

[musiclore]

Music theory is like learning a new language, you become an interpreter, so cool

[ChrisGilland]

Nathan, you are very rapidly becoming one of my favorite Youtubers. I love your firm/blunt directness, but also the friendliness in how you don't just say this is how it is, but you explain the reason behind why things are the way they are. Also, I have been totally blind, literally speaking since birth. I use a screen reader on my computer and phone to read to me. What is on my screen with computerized speech. Thank you for being so verbally descriptive and not just flashing visual musical charts up on the screen like a lot of content producers do. You actually audibly show and demonstrate why certain things work or don't work. That is incredible. How you do that. Thank you for taking that into consideration, even if you did not intentionally mean to. Please keep making more content like this, as more than mixing, this is exactly the type content I have been looking for for years upon years upon years. I really do appreciate what you're doing.

[benedit]

I feel the exact same! Having rules in music doesn't block your creativity, it just let you "play" in the music world while having some guides

[Tachy_Bunker]

I feel like it's just missing one point: subjective taste. Something that sounds great to someone will sound absolutely rubbish to another. So the ultimate rule is to make what YOU like and don't tell other people they make garbage music since they are liking it.

[jaciel.a]

This is great! As someone new to music, I sit and play around on the keyboard and have no idea why certain chord combinations sound good together. Understanding the "rules" definitely helps identify why something sounds good or not.

I'd love to hear more from you on these topics, particularly related to different combinations of chords, and the feelings these combinations can provoke. Keep up the great videos!

[onoesmurlocs]

As a art and designer we use the rules of 3 all the time it's an actual term rule of 3 too, one of the biggest things I learned early on was you that can't just do what the fuck you want, It's what you do within the certain boundaries that make you unique.

[davidabhishektheethythee]

ngl the 1st chord progression (c, gb m, Bb, E) sounded really cool. can envision that as a bridge of a song

[davebops]

Nathan I have watched your recent videos with growing admiration. You are a musician, and you feel a responsibility towards your viewers. Personally I think being a musician is about understanding music, as well as being able to produce it. I look forward to your next video - keep spreading the message!

[eskrimadorchris]

I believe you hinted at the root of this topic when you were talking about "the last 20 years" and "young people" (which I would suggest generally as those young in their musical knowledge/experience). Stating that "music has no rules" is what I would say (and have heard) comes from those who want to just purely create without form or restriction. You absolutely can...but it may not be received well. Having structure is necessary...even in music...or it's like trying to speak without knowing language. Music theory is the language of music and without having that framework to build from is chaotic, atonal, random, and difficult to follow.

I agree that "Guidelines" is a much better term and wish it would have been presented in this manner when I was studying music theory. With the analogy above of music theory being the language of music...much like a language it can be manipulated and augmented to a point and still convey the right message, but there are still some basic guidelines at work for it's base structure.

Good stuff Nathan. I am enjoying following your work. :D

[satwikjain]

Great Video
Your delivery is super awesome and the way you are passionate about music, Nobody is.
Everyone is talking about plugins and hacks.
You my brother, talk about music. The soul of music.
It would be really helpful if you could put more videos on Music Theory or videos like this on this Channel.

[isaachagoel]

As you alluded to, the word "patterns" would probably be much more accurate than the word "rules". I don't think "patterns" would get any of the pushback that the word "rules" is getting and it highlights some of the limitations/downsides as well, e.g you can get stuck in patterns in an unproductive or at least unimaginative way. As many top-tier musicians have said (in interviews) multiple times (Steven Wilson comes to mind most recently) - once you can't surprise yourself anymore you are kind of doomed, creatively speaking, and you have to switch things up (e.g pick up an instrument you are unfamiliar with, try a different genre) to make surprises possible again. Creativity is about walking the line between order (patterns) and chaos, isn't it? This is no excuse for ignorance btw, I'm 100% with you on that.

[Lu]

Great video!
I think the reason some people are afraid of learning rules is because they are afraid they will not be unique and don't see it's possible to be "unique" by following rules or standards (if not, everyone would sound litteraly the same)
I definitely think some composers almost 100% have/would be able to break those rules, but in the end if they create a new genre, a new approach to music, this approach will have rules
It's a never ending story

[peace]

2:05 this is what I think is the most important lesson from this video that each genre of music has a "different" set of "rules". And to imply that "music doesn't have any rules" is however true to an extent but the thing is "genres do have rules". This is exactly where most people get confused.

[ripcordrevival]

BRO! This video is acually so helpfull! You nailed this topic! Way to go!

[tobiascasco]

Great video. I love your content! Hoping to soon start producer accelerator course!

[yophosy]

probably said already but Gm ? the screen showed G Fm still while you played - unless I am going bonkers - thanks for the great explanation of borrowing notes/chords - really clarified it.

[ricobonimusic]

I'm part of the people you mention at 8.20, I mean I already knew the rules since I have memory...just knew them, therefore how to break them, and I have perfect ear and pitch; I only learnt how to NAME properly what I was already doing/composing, with time, but that was a natural process. I wish I had the same talent when it comes to producing, arranging, know what I really want to do and organising stuff😂(but I guess that comes with EFFORT, WILL and WORK, which is what I lack). Anyways, if one person does not have it "stock", he should definitely learn the rules as soon as he can. Because I see a lot of new producers making musical messes, instead of trying to stick to something more simple, learn theory and onlt THEN move into more complex harmonies.

[StageShout]

Nice video Nathan. Thanks for all you do for us each day! Means a lot!