Learning genres of music you don't like? | Q+A #45

THUMBNAIL DISCLAIMER: I actually dig Bieber's music sometimes. Also, questions about live streaming, aesthetics and the harmonic series!

GIG VLOG MIXTAPE

Many thanks to The_Great_Benzoni, alex santini, Joanne Mitchell, Thomas Stephens, Thomas Håkanson, Alexander Burns, Anton Kurdakov, desconcerto, Pat Bauman, Vincenzo Frosolone and Željko Rački for their insightful questions!

0:18 It’s weird seeing you with hair
0:28 Why do I hear power chords as being major?
1:28 Should you listen to music in genres you don’t like?
3:39 What is the music that you use in your vlogs?
4:13 What are your thoughts on live streaming the creative process?
7:06 How do I get out of my jazz harmony rut?
9:00 What are some tips on writing sheet music that doesn’t “make eyes bleed?”
11:02 F*** theory, do whatever you want!
13:14 I don’t like your curtains
13:27 Do you have any tips on writing video essays?
14:32 What do you mean by the term “bandleader?”

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Peace,
Adam

[mhoover]

1. You look better with hair.
2. You're not smug, you're confident.
3. That little piano riff sounds so familiar. Where have I heard that...

[garethahopkins]

"I think the landscape - and you can quote me on this - is going to shift more and more toward live streaming" Nostradamus-level foresight here, Adam.

[grandmaitredesmarionnettes]

PROTIP : Make sure the cat and the LICC are in the SAME KEY!

[manny]

My problem with the “fuck theory” crowd, is that there is always some theoretical framework that can “explain” what you did. Knowing theory can expedite your writing process. Just the first chapter of the Persichetti book instills that notion when discussing intervallic relationship.
Theory isn’t a limitation unless you want it to be one. It is a set of tools to help you find the sounds you are seeking more efficiently.

[o.steinman]

Now I’m sad I’ll probably never get to hear a Rolling Stones trap album

[inaquiilarragorri]

WHAT WOULD MILES DAVIS DO?
you got your next shirt concept

[topazzeb]

"Hey dude, what's the clock?"

"What would Miles Davies do?"

"Wow dude, thanks!"

[shiritzhaki]

You are so healthy to all of this toxic internet!

[AdamTuminaro]

For the next QNA: I’m a drummer who dabbles in other instruments, and have seen my rhythmic knowledge carry over seamlessly to instruments like guitar and piano. Are there any benefits that a student of rhythm (like a drummer) could gain from studying subjects like melody and harmony? Is knowledge of rhythm the exclusive skill set that we can all benefit from, or are there more?

[Andrweiols]

Damn, hearing Adam talk about livestreams becoming more popular in the future turned out to be an incredibly accurate prediction, especially looking back at this video during COVID times.

[thenotsoguitarguy]

In relation to the Band Leader question:

I played drums in a band where the whole process, from songwriting to what gigs we played to how we recorded, etc, was completely democratic. Individual members would bring in song ideas or riffs or whatever. If any one member wasn't digging it, then we would throw that idea out and move on. Everyone had input. Anyone could suggest changes. Nothing was finalized until everyone was satisfied. Ultimately, every song we put on stage was something we could be proud of. It was completely satisfying from a creative standpoint, especially for someone like me who as the drummer was also a multi-instrumentalist.

The downside to this arrangement, though, was that our songwriting process was excruciatingly long. We worked for almost a year before we had enough material for the stage. We played together for something like 5 years and managed to write about 15 pieces of original music. We compensated for this by limiting our sets to 30 minutes, meaning we never moved beyond the realm of featured act. We only booked shows every couple of months.

The upshot of all this is that this completely organic, all-for-one, leaderless band could only exist as a side gig. A completely satisfying, extremely rare, entirely unprofitable side gig. It was the project that made our other gigs, where we were hired guns, palatable.

It was the experiment that proved what we already knew: if you want to get anywhere, somebody has to be driving.

[ajadrew]

I'm not going to mention the cat even though it's licking the licc...

[EBjeebies]

So mindblowing to me that at 0:59 as Adam layers more and more harmonies into the sine wave the more I start to hear a lower octave of the root note

[oreobunbun]

For the next Q&A:
Do you think the world of music theory has room to grow? Not necessarily refining currently outlined concepts, but discovering completely new function out of "non-functional harmony."
I've been thinking of this ever since you discussed Ben Johnston's String Quartets. They seem strangely functional, but in a way completely uncharted, and they remind me of the harmony of Gregorian chant, which leads me to think there may be a whole realm of harmonic possibilities we haven't even begun to explore...
Interesting thoughts :)

[MarkedForJazz]

"It's going to shift more and more towards livestreaming." The foresight on this guy...

[CoryMck]

If you keep your hair resolution up the internet might start calling you Daddy Neely.

[felixdeckers]

Jacob Colier's writing streams are not boring at all

[jacobsellars]

The way you seem to have gotten healthier is encouraging to me. I soaked in your videos like crazy when this one came out, but i was generally a lot less healthy, and seeing that we’ve both healthed up a bit in retrospect makes me feel good. Obviously has nothing to do with the subject matter of your videos, but I’m comforted by the thought.

[greglane]

Three years later Adam's comment about livestreaming being the future is 100% right. Covid pretty much made sure of that

[shayakoo]

Looks like Adam from 5 year old videos 😌