Jacob Collier, Negative Harmony & How to Write a Negative Melody 

L. Harrison thats a really good comparison

YES!! That's exactly it L. Harrison! Thank you so much for watching and connecting, we really appreciate it :) By the way, what kind of music do you make? Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

Well put! 👍

Awesome work Sam, thanks for sharing, and thanks big time for watching our video, really appreciate it! What kinda music are you into?

Both scales with a tritone off the root invert to each other. Neat

Very well said.

I love this idea that 'frequency relationships' are the language of our moods.

This might be the best comment on youtube.

@@notadogorcat ikr! We are not worthy

What a marvelous posting !!

Aww, what a lovely note Igor! Thank you for your kind words and congratulations, we are very lucky indeed to have found each other and are grateful every day! We are so thrilled that you took the time to watch our video and connect with us, it means the world to us. We're pumped to welcome you to the Hack Music Theory revolution, and look forward to hearing from you again. By the way, what kind of music do you make? Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

Hello Kate, thanks for the kind answer yourself! I'm kinda like you guys, my degree is in composition, so I am kind of a music theory enthusiast too, but I like producing a lot of styles, from hip hop to jazz, to metal and others. I have a question: do you guys ever think of approaching timbre on the channel? Like, the choosing of configuration on synths, doubling voices (like your husband did on the bass on this video), or processes that have to do with the electroacoustic side of popular arrengements? Thanks again, good luck with you guys' projects!

Aw thank you sincerely David, that's really kind of you, and thanks also for taking the time to watch our video and connect, we're truly grateful. By the way, what kinda music are you making over there in Hamburg? :)

Hej you guys! I really appreciate your sorrow explanations - turns out I didn't understand everything before now! :-) Working as a session musician for different acts in different and my own studio, some work as a producer for pop and commercial music. You know.... (a little more about me here: www.alleckna.com). Looking forward to your next vids and sending big cheers! And hey - say hi when you should be over in town!

Hi David! Aren't we all just learners on this big adventure of life. It would be boring if we understood everything! haha. Sounds like you are just as busy as we are! Thanks so much for sharing a little about you, looks like you spent some time on the coast of Canada? We like in Victoria, BC :) When we eventually go on a honeymoon, I think it would be cool to visit our music theory friends in Europe, so you never know, we may meet! We're really excited that you're along for the Music Theory Revolution, thanks again for your kind support! Kate :)

True story about this big adventure! And yes indeed - my family lives pretty much across from you guys in Chilliwack and I used to study in Fort Langley - miss this area! And yeah - you guys should come over to Europe for your honeymoon and enjoy the good wine! So - see you soon? :-)

Yes, see you soon!!

Hi Sammeiii! Thank you so much for taking the time to watch our videos and for connecting, we truly appreciate that. We're so glad you're finding our offerings helpful :) We're always curious to know, what kind of music do you make/listen to?

Revolution Harmony Right now I am focused on understanding music theory especially as it relates to my instrument.. Your hacks come in very handy.. Keep it up ;)

Aw thank you kindly, it makes us sooooo happy to know that our music theory hacks are helping you, and yeah we do a lot of hacks specifically for bass, so stay tuned for much much more! Lovely to meet you, Sammeiii, and thanks again for taking the time to watch and connect, we're truly grateful to you :)

Hey thanks for watching and connecting, Leon, it always makes us happy to know that our hacks are helping musicians! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting :)

Nice to hear from you Andrihasina! Thank you for your big support and the congrats, it means the world to us :) Until next time, take good care.

Oh and while we have you here, we'd love to know what kind of music you're into and where you're based?

Well, I'm from Antananarivo, Capital of Madagascar Island in the Indian Ocean and I'm trying to mix all of my favourites genres such as Trip-Hop, Electro, Metal, Rock and Classical music, also has tried some Experimental stuffs in a band :)

Amazingly amazing!!! Fusing genres is our favourite thing to do, and that's where the most interesting music is often found, so keep up the inspiring work (by the way, that's an awesome list of genres you have there!). Also, that's so cool that you're in Antananarivo, I was actually born and raised in South Africa, so we were neighbours :)

Thanks so much for watching and connecting Charles, it means the world to us! I like your attitude, and you're absolutely right, there's so much to learn!!! We love music theory too, so you've come to the right place :D By the way, what kind of music are you into? Kate :)

Thanks so much for watching, connecting and subscribing Matthew! We're thrilled to be of service and pumped to welcome you into our Hack Music Theory revolution! What kind of music do you make? Kate :)

Hello Kate! I mostly make Hip Hop with EDM and jazz influences, but I listen to quite a wide range of genres so I try to experiment with everything. I have a SoundCloud if you would like to take a listen. I would be honored if you would be willing to provide some feedback. 😊 soundcloud.com/open-the-floodgates I will say, I don’t usually integrate my theory knowledge into my productions, but it has come in handy in a few dry spot circumstances. Thank you for connecting! Looking forward to your future videos! -Matthew

girllll, take him on a honeymoon!

Andy! Thanks so much watching and sharing your epic experience! We're always very happy to know that our hacks are helping musicians. Not knowing music theory is a wonderful place to be, because there's so many incredible things to learn! When I learned music theory from Ray, I still remember all the light bulbs that went on...it was like Las Vegas in my brain! If you haven't already, I would recommend downloading Ray's free music book, which will help set you up with a solid foundation. You can find it on our website: revolutionharmony.com/books. Welcome to our Hack Music Theory revolution! Take care, Kate :)

Hey hey Wayne, thanks for watching and connecting! Happy to hear we're on the same page :) All the best to you with your music making, and we hope to hear from you again! Until then, take care. Kate :)

Beyond happy you're diggin' our videos over at Hyper Production! Thank you kindly for taking the time to watch, connect and, subscribe, we are deeply grateful to you. Glad to hear you're on board with theory, we couldn't agree more! I really appreciate the high-quality and production of your videos, they look great. Where abouts are you based? Until next time, take care. Kate :)

Thanks, Ren! Hope this finds you happy and healthy :)

Awe Maemi, thank you so much for watching and connecting. Your enthusiasm has made us both smile ear to ear! We're so glad you have joined us on this music theory journey. We're always curious...what kind of music do you make? And where are you based? Take care. Kate:)

Hello :D I make eletronic jazz music, most for games. I'm from (and based on) Brazil. Your channel is great!! it's hard to find channels like this, that has such enthusiasm! I love this. This video actually helped me a lot to understand how to use negative harmony

Hi Wangülen! Thank you kindly for the love and support, it means the world!

I like it, why not?!

Hey Volker! We're really happy you enjoyed our video. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and thanks for your very kind congratulations, we're deeply grateful to you. I'm curious to know what kind of music you make? Until next time, happy songwriting! Kate :)

Awesome question, David, and we're planning on making a video on harmonising a negative melody as a follow-up to this video, so subscribe and stay tuned for how to add chords to the melody in this example! Thanks big time for watching and connecting, we really appreciate it. By the way, what kinda music are you into? Kate :)

Awesome question, David, and I'm actually planning on making a video on harmonising a negative melody as a follow-up to this video, so stay tuned for how to add chords to the melody in this example! Thanks big time for watching and connecting, really appreciate it. By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Hi Krish, lovely to see you again! How's your music making going these days? Hope this finds you well, and we wish you a lovely weekend :)

Haha! That's awesome! Let us know how it goes :) Thanks for watching and taking the time to connect. Until next time, take care. Kate :)

Sooooo happy you dig our video, thank you kindly for taking the time to watch and connect, we are deeply grateful to you! By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Awe Amos, thank you sincerely for your kind wishes, you're the best! 💛 I hope the weather is gloriously sunny where you are. When Ray and I eventually go on a honeymoon, we will definitely be visiting your neck of the woods :) How's the composing going?

Taking a bit of a break from work and music making... off to enjoy the beautiful weather with a few thousand others in some woods for a few days... sun, fun, music and friends.... can't ask for more than that :)

Good for you! Well deserved, no doubt. What's summer for, if not for having fun and enjoying the sunshine and friends...we'll have to keep that in mind! lol. Take care out in the woods :)

ha! So glad you worked it out, we really appreciate your enthusiasm!

So very happy you enjoyed our video, thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you! By the way, what kinda music are you into? Based on your name, shall I assume Blues? :)

That's right! Mostly blues, jazz and pop :)

Aah very nice! Thanks for letting us know, we're always interested in what kinda music the musicians in our RU-vid community are into. Have a lovely day, and thanks again :)

You too!

Yup really fun! Thanks for the Congrats Rob, really appreciate it :)

We're really happy you enjoyed our video, Luis! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you. By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Revolution Harmony I have weird taste, mainly jazz but then I'll sometimes listen to metal or pop punk which i know is roast-worthy but yeah that's what I'm into. Thanks for asking!

Haha it's good to have guilty musical pleasures, thank you for being brave enough to share yours! Our tastes are pretty similar actually, I mainly listen to jazz and metal too, though I force myself to listen to the new pop releases every Friday to stay up to date with trends. By the way, do you know the band Tatran? I'm loving their album Shvat (it's been my daily go-to listen for months), check this out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x79F2L-4ZLM.html

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c5FqpddnJmc.html Here you are my fellow!

We're really happy you're enjoying our videos, Schecter! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, we're deeply grateful to you. By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Hey hey Ryan, hope this finds you and the family all safe and healthy! That's an awesome question, and a fascinating topic! So, while G is the standard place to start for C "negative major" as explained by Jacob (watch his June Lee interview for a detailed explanation), I encourage musicians to explore the negative harmony/melody concept as another creative tool that can be applied to songwriting (not a rule that must be followed). Songwriting is about finding your own artistic voice, and creativity is about freedom of expression, so if you wanna use another degree of the original scale to start your negative scale from, then that's great! Start the negative version wherever your melody wants you to start it. Negative harmony is just a theoretical concept, so have fun with it :)

Hack Music Theory all is well with myself and family! thank you for your concern, iv been spending everyday of the quarantine studying music in all shapes. production, theory, techniques. everyday has different vibes. you two are a mass part of my musical inspiration! so i will continue to thank you! i did watch jacobs video and am amazed. negative harmony is an excellent concept and i love exploring it. on another note, iv become an excessive tea drinker 😂😂😂 and love it haha

Awesome news all round, Ryan, especially the excessive tea drinking ;)

Aw thank you sincerely dude, your ongoing support means everything to us! By the way, this negative melody hack would work amazingly amazing in Thigma :)

Hey Seddik, thank you sincerely for your kind comment, we truly appreciate your support! The concept of negative harmony is from the book "A Theory of Harmony" by Ernst Levy (1895-1981). If you haven't watched Jacob Collier's Part 1 interview with June Lee about this topic, I highly recommend checking it out! Watch from 1:31 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DnBr070vcNE.html Thanks again Seddik! By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Very old phenomenon, only happens to be trending right now.

Alex Cazet Indeed, the idea of inverting melodies has probably been around since the early days of Guido's notation, at least, because as soon as composers could see melodic contours they would undoubtedly have thought to invert them. But, how cool is it that a music theory topic is trending!? Yeah music theory!!!

So happy you dig our video, Andrew, thank you kindly for taking the time to watch and connect, we are deeply grateful to you! By the way, what kinda music are you into?

Wow that is absolutely amazing!!! It's always a great pleasure and honour to connect with a fellow teacher, thank you sincerely for taking the time to watch our video and connect, it's really lovely to meet you! What's your name, by the way? And where are you based? So to answer your questions. Firstly, we highly recommend the digital audio workstation Reaper, which is what we use in all our videos. It's only $60 and they have a free 60-day trial, too. Also, I'd recommend Native Instruments as being the best value for money for virtual instruments, and that's what we use, too! Their Komplete Essentials is a great starting point, and it's not a big financial commitment either: www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/bundles/komplete-11-select Regarding your other question. That's a fascinating topic indeed! So yeah, while G is the standard place to start for C "negative major" as explained by Jacob, I encourage musicians to explore the negative harmony/melody concept as another creative tool that can be applied to songwriting (not a rule that must be followed). Songwriting is about finding your own artistic voice, and creativity is about freedom of expression, so if you want to use another degree of the original scale to start your negative scale from, then that's great! Just start the negative version wherever your melody wants you to start it. This is all just a concept, so have fun finding your own way of using it! Hope that helps, and thanks again for your interest in Hack Music Theory! Ray :)

Thanks for the reply, Ray! My name is Rick McGee and I'm in Florida. Been writing songs for many years in several styles - rock, pop, country and currently writing for two contemporary Christian rock bands. You've opened up some great new possibilities for me to explore with your theory videos! Thanks! BTW... downloaded Reaper and it looks like just what I need. Thanks for that, too!! If you'll pardon my indulgence, I'll share something from my "rockin' blues" catalog. Would love to hear your feedback! Thanks again! soundcloud.com/rick-mcgee-314781879/boogie-tonight

Hi Rick from Florida! Thanks so much for sharing a little bit about yourself and your music, it's wonderful to know who's out there watching our videos. It's brilliant that you're into diverse styles of music, it really helps keep our songwriting alive and inspired. We're thrilled that our hacks are providing inspiration for your music making, as a teacher yourself, you know that that is the best possible outcome! Thanks again for your support and all the best with Reaper. Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

Same thoughts

Hey Jesh, thanks a bunch for watching and subscribing, we truly appreciate you joining our music theory revolution! This is an awesome question, and a fascinating topic. While G is the standard place to start for C "negative major" as explained by Jacob (in June Lee's "Part 2" video interview, at 4:21), I instead encourage songwriters and producers to explore the negative harmony/melody concept as just another creative tool for making music, not a rule that must be followed. Songwriting and producing is about finding your own artistic voice, and creativity is about freedom of expression, so if you want to use another degree of the original scale to start your "negative scale" from, then that's great! Start the negative version wherever your melody wants you to start it. This is all nothing more than a concept, so have fun finding your own creative way of using it! Hope that helps, and thanks again for your interest in Hack Music Theory. Happy songwriting & producing! Ray :)

Thank you !!! for replying and clarifying my doubt..I was wondering if you did a video on negative harmony with more unusual and exotic sounding scales like diminished,whole tone and all that stuff .That would be like weirdly cool sounding

Awe that's super kind of you Colin! Thank you very much :D

Hi Jack, thanks so much for watching and connecting! Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

We're so happy you enjoyed our video, Threepac! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Happy songwriting! Kate :)

Hi Enrique! Thanks for watching and connecting. We use Reaper as our DAW. Here's a link to their website: www.reaper.fm/ It's super affordable, really user-friendly and they update it constantly. What kind of music do you make? Take care :)

Revolution Harmony I'm guitar player and percussion learner.. trying to make jazzy fusion whith Indian flavour...

I like that, "percussion learner". Aren't we all just learners in most things! I'm also curious to hear what you're making, it sounds right up our alley! Feel free to share a link. Kate :)

Hey Nigel, thanks for watching and connecting! Great question, too. You'll definitely want to write a new chord progression for your "negative" melody, using chords from the "negative" scale/mode. Thanks again, and happy songwriting :)

Hey hey ShadowViper001, thanks big time for watching, and that's a great question too! Regarding harmonising a "negative" melody, I'd approach it as a new melody in a new key, and I'd have a bunch of fun coming up with new chords for it that way! Thanks for the congrats too, we truly appreciate your well wishes and support. You're awesome!!! Ray :)

Revolution Harmony ah, I see, ok. So the chords/Chord Progression is not "Reflected over an axis", but instead just made anew, alright. So, if I understand this correctly, then the concept of Negative Harmony is just a special type of modulation? And once you create a negative melody, you are in a new key?

There are a couple different approaches, but as this example started as a "negative" melody (not harmony), I'd approach it as a new melody in a new new key, then re-harmonise it in that new key afterwards. However, if you were flipping a chord progression over an axis, then you'd obviously start with the chords, then re-write your melody in that new key afterwards. To be honest though, it's all just a concept and nothing more, so just have fun creatively applying it however you want! Happy songwriting :)

Revolution Harmony Fair enough, that makes sense. Anyways, thank you so much for explaining this to me. It was very helpful. Thank you so much, and have a nice day.

Aw you're most welcome, my friend! Chat soon :)

Amazing!!! Thank you sincerely for watching and sharing, Jonn , it means a huge amount to us! Please feel free to share the music you make using our hacks too, as it's always thrilling hearing them come to life in other musicians' music! What kind of music do you make, and where are you based?

Hey thanks Wayne! By the way, what kind of music do you make?

I make primarily instrumental music of dubious quality as a hobby, currently getting back into working on my own stuff again after a long absence. The most elaborate piece I created was way back in 2004 which explains both the outdated topic and the not-very-good mix: soundcloud.com/mutant-ant/2000-man-of-the-year

Hey Wayne! That's fantastic to hear that you're diving into the wonderful world of music making again, we're cheering you on 100%! Thanks for sharing your song, it was a throwback for sure! It seems like you have a whole new topic to cover these days ;) Hope you're having a great week filled with music. Until next time, take care and happy songwriting! Kate :)

Hey hey jeff7775, thank you sincerely for taking the time to watch and connect, it's lovely to meet you! This is an awesome question, and a fascinating topic! So, while G is the standard place to start for C "negative major" as explained by Jacob, I encourage musicians to explore the negative harmony/melody concept as another creative tool that can be applied to songwriting (not a rule that must be followed). Songwriting is about finding your own artistic voice, and creativity is about freedom of expression, so if you want to use another degree of the original scale to start your negative scale from, then that's great! Just start the negative version wherever your melody wants you to start it. This is all just a concept, so have fun finding your own way of using it! Hope that helps, and thanks again for your interest in Hack Music Theory. Happy songwriting! Ray :)

Revolution Harmony thanks Ray, and great meeting you too! Yes I understand: theory provides tools not rules. I'm just curious to understand why Collier (via Ernst Levy) starts the Negative Harmony on the dominant. I've watched a few vids on this and nobody's really explained it truly clearly beyond making references to the overtone series, and somehow that being a factor in Levy's theory. (Although that doesn't really answer the question as there's many audible notes in the lower partials of The overtone series). And then there's chatter that Collier is really doing his own thing, being only loosely based on the Levy concept. And that Levy's book was an obscure, marginally fathomable read, LOL, that was ambiguous to the core (swinging around this notion of Harmonic Polarity and such). Anyway, fun stuff to muck about with. And yes: mind-blowing to see just how popular and viral music theory could be! Rock on!

jeff7775 I had the same question in my head.. did you ever explore that more Jeff?

Hey Szymon, thanks a bunch for watching and connecting, we truly appreciate it! That's an awesome question too, and a fascinating topic. So, while G is the standard place to start for C "negative major" as explained by Jacob (in June Lee's "Part 2" video interview, at 4:21), we instead encourage songwriters and producers to explore the negative harmony/melody concept as just another creative tool for making music, not a rule that must be followed. Songwriting and producing is about finding your own artistic voice, and creativity is about freedom of expression, so if you want to use another degree of the original scale to start your "negative scale" from, then that's great! Start the negative version wherever your melody wants you to start it. This is all nothing more than a concept, so have fun finding your own creative way of using it! Hope that helps, and thanks again for your interest in Hack Music Theory. Happy songwriting & producing :)

Thanks so much Vegechops for watching and for your kind comments about the music! What kind of music are you into?

Aww thanks so much, that means the world to us! Hope you're well and enjoying life :) Kate

Absolutely! In fact, I was just chatting with another person in the comments about this, too. I was saying that the idea of inverting melodies has probably been around since the early days of Guido's notation (at least), because as soon as composers could see melodic contours they would undoubtedly have thought to invert them. I haven't read Schillinger's System of Musical Composition, but it's on my book list, so thanks for reminding me. I'm beyond excited to explore his concepts :)

The book itself is a tough read because of the somewhat haphazard way it was written (by his students after his death) but also chock full of amazing stuff if you have the time and motivation.

Thanks for the heads up Kuasm!

Hey Rapid Spectre, really great question! The best answer we have is to keep watching our videos, and reading our books. We've had subscribers say that they've learned more from our videos than they learned from their music degree. It's taken Ray decades of learning, composing and teaching to get where he is and now he's generously sharing it with the world. So you're already in the right place! By the way, I'm curious what kind of music do you make and where are you based? Hope you're having a lovely day! Kate :)

Awe thanks Shitij for the love, that's very kind and thoughtful of you! Please share with us what kinda music you are into?

Revolution Harmony hi great tutorials doing a great job and my english is not that good i like to listening to metal and solo pino but i am into trap and dubstep i and i realy strugal with making melodies

Thanks again for your kind words Shitij! You're doing a great job with your English :) If you like metal, you may like Ray's song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8ojg4vEDGjs.html As for making melodies, I suggest watching both these videos: How to Write Bass Melodies - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jvb-mcbRd_k.html How to Write Vocal Melodies - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oY30I6hztOk.html Also check out Ray's ultimate melody checklist in our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF, here: revolutionharmony.com/books :) Hope this helps and keep us posted on your melody making! Take care, Kate

Hey thanks so much SpoonWood! We really appreciate you watching and connecting :)