Pat Metheny - Letter From Home: Analysis

Analysis of Letter From Home by Pat Metheny (1989). Modal mixture chords and the ambiguous tonal plan of the piece.

The music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays

First Circle by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays

Videos on the album Speaking of Now

#patmethenyletterfromhome #patmetheny #lylemays

[anavonrebeur]

So much clever tension resolved, makes me imagine a dialogue between two people, with tears in the end. Reconciliation tears

[JeffBostick]

Mind blown! So funny that when you show how the chord movements could go against what Lyle played, they just don't do it for me....they sound almost sour against the beauty of the original. Thank you for breaking these songs down. And by the way, when you were first playing the song in this video I swear I could see the love for the beauty of this song on your face.

[devanwiech]

I love that you explore all these deep musical concepts through Metheny's work. Remarkably insightful, thanks!

[AllanKoayTC]

wow, this tune always sounded like modulation to me, until you explained it now. i have even deeper appreciation of it now.

[avatacron]

Man, your videos are worth more than gold!

[mikeo]

Love these videos, even though I have no knowledge of music theory, they are still beautiful and fascinating!

[SuperPantera]

one more great lesson teacher..thanks again

[FacundoRigido]

This is the best channel of youtube i finded! thanks for sharing all of this study work. It's amazingly clarify!

[HashMagician]

beautiful playing and amazing explanation of a really clever composition!

[barbarapeacock]

If art, all art, makes you want to cry, or stop everything you are doing to feel, breathe and be grateful for living then it is probably a masterpiece. But my word, what if the created piece does that to you every time you hear it for over 30 years! - ( as well as so many other's of Pat's and Lyle} I call that flat out genius - I call them masterful artists and I am grateful to live during their time.

[ynzowpb]

I love this song 🎵 great video. Thank you

[maxpower]

I’m so happy I found your video – Not that you’d ever really need theory to appreciate the awesome beauty of this piece, but I've been playing this for days now and I've been completely confusing myself trying to find the “functional logic” within some of these changes. Now I feel very much illuminated - Thank you!
Your video also made me appreciate again the genius of using such misdirection and ambiguity to unsettle and delight the ear.
“The F Major tries one last time ….but the Db is saying no.” that really worked for me :)

[stevew]

These videos give me such peace and enjoyment

Thank you very much for your videos... They are really enlightening... I would like to point one little mistake in this video, Letter from Home...
In the 9th measure, you play C7 after Bbm6... But it must be not C7... The original notes are on the left hand would be C - A - E - A that is Fmaj7 with C on the bass... I transcribed that song note by note from the original record. So I could realise... Blessings for your work...

[willieglenn]

perfect thank you keep up the good work

[AllanFelipe]

That's awesome, I'm glad I found this channel, you're doing a great job. Couldn't you think the beginning can also be heard as being in F? In this case the initial Bb sounds almost like a breathing into the F in a IV-I movement.

[vickyrr]

Sus melodías acarician el alma... <3

[paranjazz_barua]

Really an amazing video helped me to get clear about this song, but I think there might have been one other chord. On the Bb section. When we go from Eb to F we have that Gb note. And to incorporate that I think there is a Gb7 chord between Eb and F.
I might be wrong about this but it sounds really good when applied.

[andreaguitta]

"D Flat says No" - pure poetry

[frederickakon]

Hey my friend between 0:35 and 0:36 have you ever noticed that You play F Eb D and C to conclude the phrase and I have always heard F F D and C. Not the Eb. I have checked on the Letter From Home version from More Travels and in fact there are two versions. One of the record which is with the Eb (yours) and one on More travels with not (mine). And in both part on More Travels version they play F F D and C. So it is not a mmistake. I suspect Pat or Lyle judging afterwards that the melody works better without this Eb ! Details are important in PMG :)