Understanding Black Hole Sun

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Chris Cornell was a brilliant singer, songwriter, and arranger, and in honor of his passing, we'd like to take a look at one of his most famous songs, Black Hole Sun. Described by Cornell as a "surreal dreamscape" and by Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil as "not safe as milk but [not] glass in someone's eye, either", Black Hole Sun is a disorienting but moving piece that uses some pretty advanced harmonic devices in some very clever ways. Chris Cornell's passing was a great tragedy for the world of music, and his legacy lives on through his many works of art. Rest in Peace, Chris Cornell.
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Last: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RM64qHJ9KnQ.html
Black Hole Sun: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3mbBbFH9fAg.html
Quarter Tones video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bWG6CGKMnNA.html
Diminished 7ths video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4jLJHiff1B4.html
Neapolitan Chord video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ec7D6KOgCIQ.html
Polychords video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xhuflgxovQQ.html
Transcription sources:
guitaralliance.com/dmdocuments/drop_D/soundgarden_black_hole_sun.pdf
www.e-chords.com/chords/soundgarden/black-hole-sun
tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/soundgarden/black_hole_sun_ver5_crd.htm
tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/soundgarden/black_hole_sun_ver2_btab.htm
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Also, thanks to Jareth Arnold and Inés Dawson for proofreading the script to make sure this all makes sense hopefully!

Опубликовано:

2 июн 2017

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Комментарии : 1,7 тыс.

@12tone 6 лет назад

Hey, folks! These analysis videos are based on suggestions from our Patreon patrons, so if you have a song you'd like to suggest, just head on over to www.patreon.com/12tonevideos and pledge at any level!

@keeelane 6 лет назад

Great video thanks. :) However, I have couple of minor constructive criticisms: especially my small laptop the actual note markings are very difficult to see and I also found the other drawings a bit distracting. I think zooming in on your score writing would be enough to make it visually interesting so you don't need the other scribbles. Anyway, a great video and keep at it!

@williansuarez9522 Год назад

The Eb is a sus4 with the G#/Ab

@joealexander9548 7 лет назад

After reading some of these comments, it's incredible to me how many people don't understand that this isn't a video of HOW the song was written, but the musical concepts in play AFTER the song was created. Personally, I love these music theory breakdowns. Here's some recommendations for you: Achilles' Last Stand by Led Zeppelin, Roundabout by Yes, and 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, whether Cornell did this on purpose or not isn't really the point, and it's been a bit weird seeing so many people act like it is. I kinda get where it's coming from, but still. Strange.

@browncoat697 6 лет назад

Yep, I'm pretty sure very few musicians, even ones who know theory well, set out with a particular set of theory ideas they want to apply to their music. That sounds like homework. What theory is, is a way for us to look at how stuff works. It's less like a how to guide for making good music (because there is some music that is damned interesting from a theoretical perspective but boring as hell to listen to), and more of taking apart what already exists and figuring out how it works. Less prescriptive, more descriptive.

@keykrazy 4 года назад

You know, i had a similar thought this morning -- that some of our best art is "like a finger pointing at the moon" as the Buddhists say. By way of explanation, i listened to The Police's "Spirits in the World", then this song, followed by "Fell On Black Days". Figured someone else might find these quotes interesting: Sting explained the song's meaning in Lyrics By Sting: "I thought that while political progress is clearly important in resolving conflict around the world, there are spiritual aspects of our recovery that also need to be addressed. I suppose by 'spiritual' I mean the ability to see the bigger picture, to be able to step outside the narrow box of our conditioning and access those higher modes of thinking that Koestler talked about. Without this, politics is just the rhetoric of failure."" "A black hole is a billion times larger than a sun, it's a void, a giant circle of nothing, and then you have the sun, the giver of all life. It was this combination of bright and dark, this sense of hope and underlying moodiness." "I even liked the way the words looked written down," Cornell added. (Also of note: Black Sun is a 1969 sculpture by Isamu Noguchi located in Seattle, Washington's Volunteer Park. Chris had said elsewhere he'd visited the sculpture.) "'Fell On Black Days' was like this ongoing fear I've had for years. It took me a long time to write that song. We've tried to do three different versions with that title, and none of them have ever worked," he said. "It's a feeling that everyone gets. You're happy with your life, everything's going well, things are exciting - when all of a sudden you realize you're unhappy in the extreme, to the point of being really, really scared. There's no particular event you can pin the feeling down to, it's just that you realize one day that everything in your life is f--ked!"

@mattg2123 4 года назад

I once read that the dudes in Soundgarden had no idea what time signature they played in, it all happened by chance. When you jam with friends and you hit the zone you know your there and that's when you make real music.

@PmrGuitar 2 года назад

I mean unless you write or play music yourself it porobably really easxy to not realized that i want say 98% no one put this much thought in what their music is doing while writing it.

@viralvideomaker5159 5 лет назад

It's crazy how all of this came to him while he was driving , he was definitely tapping into something divine

@VoidPaul97 11 месяцев назад

@@j.pslaym0666 As someone who has written one or two songs, I can confirm that this is how it usually works. But in this case it was AMAZING!!!

@CrazyStarr_ 6 лет назад

Yes... mhmm... I know some of these words

@jackanderson6664 5 лет назад

Blander Alexander Is having a stroke is it because I’m black?

@aarongaytan9977 4 года назад

Good Burger

@kuko6 7 лет назад

my head just explode

@12tone 7 лет назад

^_^

@dallimamma 7 лет назад

He's left-handed, think like a mirror, and let the genius awaken!

@markgarcia1851 7 лет назад

dallimamma im left handed except on certain cameras.

@rolandoriley 6 лет назад

Couldn't avoid laughing.. .haha

@LaTortuePGM 6 лет назад

unexpected, have a nice day.

@AnAmericanComposer 7 лет назад

If you are going to talk about Soundgarden in the future you should really talk about Limo Wreck. That sound has incredibly intense harmonies in it, as well as its very non-standard guitar tuning, CGDGBE

@12tone 7 лет назад

I'll add it to the list, thanks!

@harrycallahan9143 6 лет назад

Theres something really haunting about this song, very moody chords but the chords that Kim plays over the top reminds me of an ice cream van for some reason which gives the song a creepy but uplifting feeling, Chris said he wrote the lyrics to whatever he thought sounded good with the mood of the song, like painting a picture and went with the flow, maybe this why he mentions "Boiling heat, Summer stench" thinking of the ice cream van you always get in the summertime, who knows. A lot of people get tired of it and say its nowhere near Soundgarden's best song, I think its a masterpiece, that dreamy intro gets me every time, beautiful chords, its baptising ending, the songs like looking through a keyhole into Cornell's dark, disturbing thoughts like Alice in Wonderland, "Hang my head, drown my fear, till you all just disappear" R.I.P

@mariahmueller579 Год назад

The melody in the beginning reminds me of something from a Spyro level. Particularly from Spyro 1 or 2 on PS1. Such a beautiful song. And a good nostalgic video game!

@joshajcip 3 года назад

Its amazing how Chris Cornell thought about this all in his head, not knowing the terms or words for what he was writing, but it just sounded good to him. Love this breakdowns!

@stevenconnell5628 Год назад

He knew music theory

@elmaroosthuizen397 7 лет назад

This is like minutephysics but about music. I love it.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks, I love minutephysics!

@__-bm4ej 4 года назад

The difference is that I actually understand most of the things minutephysics says

@soro3973 7 лет назад

This is the first time I've seen one of your clips. I hardly understood anything you mentioned, however, your explanation has reminded me that most beauty is surrounded with a marvel of complications. thank you

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@m1k3l1f3 7 лет назад

This too is my first viewing of your video. Reminds me of Vihart but for music instead of math.

@NinjaPirate239 7 лет назад

Ditto! I'm a new subscriber noe

@TheOutZZ 7 лет назад

Vihart talked about music topics too.

@dylc413 6 лет назад

The guitar is tuned "a little flat", the bass has the E tuned 1 step down to D and then the rest tuned half a step up It's the most scary tuning I've played in because there's so much tension, you feel like the strings are gonna snap

@infinitenumeric7235 5 лет назад

Wouldn't be a little sharp

@L33M_0 5 лет назад

i think it’s tuned to 433hz? around there i think

@slipstream4572 4 года назад

Just tune the low E to D, don’t need to change any other strings (this is a common tuning, drop D)... when you play in this tuning, it is the simplest to play, like smoke on the water, mostly bar chords but sometimes without any other fingers other than your first

@jonahlouque9621 4 года назад

It’s a half step down/D# not D.

@smoothluke6151 3 года назад

*Laughs in DAEAC**#e*

@MagiConch28 7 лет назад

Just shows the true genius to his work, RIP Chris Cornell

@12tone 7 лет назад

Totally agree. He was a master.

@PrinceWesterburg 7 лет назад

Jeeeesus man, I did the Royal Academy Jazz Course and completely forgot all this theory for the last 25 years. Its like being hit over the head with a music encyclopedia and just what I needed! LOL Thanks man! :D

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks, that's really great to hear!

@PaulMcMinotaur 3 года назад

This song has always baffled me, and even after watching this video and grokking everything you've said about it, I have to admit that I "get mystified" over it. I think Cornell invented his own music theory rules for this one.

@timcwalker 7 лет назад

Soundgarden didn't think about this song as much as this video did.

@12tone 7 лет назад

I suspect they thought about it quite a lot, although probably not in the same terms!

@UnexistingChannel 7 лет назад

timwalkersings you're wrong tho

@smittoria 7 лет назад

this song was written in 15 minutes

@yunggrimbo 7 лет назад

most rock musicians write music mostly by playing first and then writing it down instead of the other way around, i believe. its a less "technical" way of writing than what is used for example in classical music, i would say.

@chanchaokiitos1184 7 лет назад

Alex Gray Many of them don't even write it down (they are not approaching songwriting theoretically).

@tobiasgilsenan 7 лет назад

that's so awesome mate, one of the best songs ever made. Cornell is so sorely missed and I never got to see him. Ok another song for you, break down Epic from Faith No More. that would make my life.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks, I'll add it to the list!

@hekstf 7 лет назад

12tone legit subbing to see you analyze Epic, such an amazing song, FNM had some amazing shit

@anonb4632 7 лет назад

Epic would be a good choice.

@ROOKTABULA 7 лет назад

Tobias Gilsenan I did in 94 and in 2015, solo. 2015 was 1 of 2 concert situation in my life that have been the only "religious experiences" I've had.

@chrisbassartist4344 7 лет назад

Tobias Gilsenan great song but not really complex

@drali 7 лет назад

LOVE this video! Thanks so much for making it. This was the first song I heard as a kid that felt uniquely mine and not my parents' music. A great tribute to Chris Cornell.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks! I know the feeling: For me that artist is Rob Zombie, and I'm hoping he lives forever 'cause I am not prepared to deal with that.

@mrimpossible4353 7 лет назад

this is so over my head

@ZeranZeran 6 лет назад

You are not alone. Also, 95% of what he's talking about here is completely not necessary to create music. Play every day and you will get better.

@deew_knird_reeb_ekomS 4 месяца назад

⁠@@ZeranZeranAll of what he said is necessary to write or perform music. If you don’t know at least basic music theory then you’re gonna have a hard time writing a song. I speak from experience.

@ZeranZeran 4 месяца назад

@@deew_knird_reeb_ekomS Music theory is important. Following this video as a guide is not, and would hold people back

@joerodriguez5036 7 лет назад

you failed to mention the unintended reverberation of physics, which undoubtedly shapes all the directions that Soundgarden was using to describe time travel. Through a Black Hole Sun, of course.

@12tone 7 лет назад

I suppose I'll have to reach out to one of my physicist friends for a collab, then!

@TheGizzle85 6 лет назад

Joe Rodriguez how do I get to the hole? Astral, dnt, or _?? To get to the father, have to go through the son!

@no-relic 4 года назад

@@TheGizzle85 you uhh... You might be on to something there as far as the lyrical content of the song goes

@Random-ul2gv 2 года назад

And that the first chord is a lil sus

@cristafollowerofchrist8176 2 года назад

@@TheGizzle85 Yes!

@tomiyu2297 7 лет назад

The entire song was always very unnerving for me, but i loved every second of it. And now that he's gone, as cliche as it sounds, it's even more haunting now. Kinda like Black Sabbath' s Black Sabbath. And honestly, before I started guitar, i always felt like maybe it was something supernatural

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, I get that. It's a really weird, disorienting song, and the bizarre harmony really helps accentuate the lyrics.

@rvprsd8299 7 лет назад

Kakyoin Noriaki Man fuck black sabbath. Tired of that overhyped band.

@Shokan-mm8sj 7 лет назад

RVPRSD yeah the band that influenced every metal band and some very good rock bands is overhyped.......

@rvprsd8299 7 лет назад

Jose D They are overhyped. So they were the first to do metal big deal. I dont hear people giving the first car props for being the first to do it. lol

@Shokan-mm8sj 7 лет назад

RVPRSD if it weren't for them metal wouldn't be the same that's the big deal, if you don't like them that's fine, but you can't say they are overhyped.

@BogdanEchoMilosevic 7 лет назад

Wow, this is an excellent video! Reminded me of an essay I wrote back in college on all the production and mixing approaches and techniques used while recording Black Hole Sun. Brilliance in every way!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@hypnovia 7 лет назад

Analyze a Beatles song... I am fascinated by their ability to make complicated harmony sound familiar.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks for the suggestion! At this point, though, we receive so many song requests that we can really only focus on the ones from our Patreon patrons. We just don't have the time to look at every song that comes in, unfortunately. There's a link to our Patreon in the description if you're interested in checking it out, though! There's definitely a lot of amazing harmony in Beatles music, though. We've already examined McCartney's Blackbird (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-w1fO6eqVdGQ.html ) but there's definitely plenty of other ones worth looking at!

@mrtoastey Месяц назад

Wow, I've just witnessed the single greatest thing the internet ever made. Thank you, I grinned stupidly through all of it, grasped 1/2 of it, and was inspired to grasp more. Five stars, will return.

@bernardoestrela6029 6 лет назад

this is absolutely amazing. Genius channel, keep this coming as much as you can man

@pellelindbergh7483 7 лет назад

Fantastic break-down, sir! I feel like I'm back in music theory class!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@ricardosiahaan5287 7 лет назад

Kim Thayil is one of the best guitarist from 90s

@MustObeyTheRules 7 лет назад

Ricardo Siahaan Chris actually came up with most of their best riffs including this one.

@mainsmain 6 лет назад

Jerry Cantrell

@Foxikaze 2 года назад

@@mainsmain Billy Corgan too

@Berbs73 6 лет назад

This is very cool. Thank you for your efforts. I sure do miss Chris as well.

@HJCF0520 6 лет назад

You guys are purely genius. Incredible videos!

@Dlabanec64 7 лет назад

How does tuning everything 1/4 note charp make it feel unnerving? Shouldn't only people with perfect pitch notice this? Or is only meldoy line tuned up?

@Dlabanec64 7 лет назад

*melody

@Dlabanec64 7 лет назад

Wasn't it proved that as long as you use 12-tone equal temperament you can't tell difference in Hz (like A=440 and A=432) of the pitches as long as whole melody is shifted the same?

@12tone 7 лет назад

I think there's a difference between conscious identification and subconscious comfort. I certainly don't think that, listening to it, most people will notice that it's out of tune, because everything's out of tune by the same amount, but it still stimulates a different set of hair cells than we're used to having stimulated. I could be wrong, though: I'm not a neuroscientist, and it's kind of hard to separate the tuning thing from everything else that's going on, but it's a thing I've noticed in a lot of songs that are trying to sound dark and uncomfortable (Pantera, for instance, used it a lot.) so I feel like there's something there. If nothing else, it will certainly seem strange if you've recently been listening to other music that's tuned normally, because then your brain has something external to compare it to.

@Dlabanec64 7 лет назад

Okay, thanks for super-fast answer! :)

@recoveringsoul755 7 лет назад

+12tone Does it have something to do with the "standard" of tuning the A note to 440 Hz even though it used to be 432 Hz because 432 is more in tune with human anatomy and brain waves? I heard John Lennon took great pains to have his piano tuned for "Imagine" so that the D would be at 528 Hz because 528 is supposed to be "healing to the heart or brain" ...or something like that. I'm not a musician, but I find this fascinating how everything ties in together. I read that 440 was made standard around Hitlers time, and you can see videos about how sand and water react to the sound here on YT. At 432 Hz the sand makes beautiful patterns, but at 440 not so much, water seems more "at peace" at 432, where 440 seems to disrupt it. Since our bodies are mostly water, I think having standard tuning set to 440 is purposely designed to make people more aggressive and violent. Everything is vibration, I heard the word Cymatics, but not sure what it means I haven't researched it yet. too many irons in the fire. I still have my old violin and my dad's guitar. I wonder if I could learn it better the second time around?

@sleven8013 7 лет назад

Hey man, really great video and channel! It's so fun to use music theory and I'm having a blast watching your vids and learning a lot. Black Hole Sun was a really great song to analyze, I've always wondered about the chord progression in it. :) Love Soundgarden. RIP Chris Would be really cool if you continued analyzing specific songs like you did with this one! It's awesome! A suggestion, if you're taking any, I've always thought many of Nirvanas songs to be ambiguous. The excessive use of power chords confuse me. In Bloom would be a great subject to break down.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks, and thanks for the suggestion! At this point, though, we receive so many song requests that we can really only focus on the ones from our Patreon patrons. We just don't have the time to look at every song that comes in, unfortunately. There's a link to our Patreon in the video description if you're interested, though!

@kevinspohn7392 3 года назад

You just melted my brain, man. I thought I loved/“understood” music....until I watched this. Thank you.

@ellaplayscello6332 7 лет назад

Dude, I'm subscribed. If all your videos are like this, I'm sold! Brilliant!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@lucaschacon8362 7 лет назад

I think that Chris didn't wanted to write such a complex chord progression, but it just sounded good enough for the feeling that he wanted to put into the song. Thanks for making this video, seems like another example of a creative leftie haha! Greetings from 🇨🇱 🎸, I really like the content of your channel.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, probably! Or rather, I think he probably just didn't care how complex it was, he just wanted a specific feeling.

@Hello-hello-hello456 Год назад

That’s how the greatest music is created. Not with overthinking and theoretical analysis.

@tasfa10 7 лет назад

Great! Still a bit confused by it tho! And I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the fact that all your elephants have amputated trunks...

@12tone 7 лет назад

Heh, true... It's just so much cuter and easier to draw that way, though!

@MuzikBike 7 лет назад

I thought they were mice. I must be some sort of idiot.

@insederec 7 лет назад

Their trunks are truncated.

@coralaisly 7 лет назад

I just assumed it was all the same one or two elephants, just doing different things...

@Asentro76 7 лет назад

I honestly thought they were mice...

@dennisrusde 5 месяцев назад

wow, what a masterpiece! The video is just insane! Both the author of the song and the author of this video breakdown are very talented!

@VDVJakeTheDog 6 лет назад

I never supported an artist on patreon until this day, this concept is totally worth investing - keep the content coming, glad I stumbled upon your channel by accident!

@redwolverine5496 7 лет назад

You know looking at some of these comments, I have no idea what they are talking about. I didn't understand what an ok amount of what you said meant 5 seconds later, but I liked the video a lot still. Mainly because now I know why the song sounded the way it did.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks! By the way, if you'd like to understand more, we have a series called Building Blocks that looks at music theory from the bottom up: ru-vid.com/group/PLMvVESrbjBWplAcg3pG0TesncGT7qvO06

@pomax1464 2 года назад

1:05 i hate the fact i couldnt hear this without smiling

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Leave

@crowsoaa4802 6 лет назад

The amount of work you put into this one video it to say the least impressive. Well done ! Subbed:)

@sasukesarutobi3862 7 лет назад

Watch this video twice in a row. That's about as much time as it took Cornell to write the music AND lyrics. The man was a sheer musical genius, and the world is that bit emptier for the loss of his talent, and for the loss of a great man.

@SpiritedSpy 2 года назад

1:04 *shivers*

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

I know right

@meian1 2 года назад

1:05 don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it

@namelessLesbian 2 года назад

the mon

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Leave please

@jeffrey322 5 лет назад

Love these! I've been playing/writing all my life and still learning!

@Saber7ooth 7 лет назад

Jaw just fell.. Kudos to You, 12tone. Your insight and analysis blew my mind..! big thumb up for your work and presentation, this should be published all over. Gonzalo from Portugal

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@GuardianNoodle 2 года назад

I never realized that without the lyrics black hole sun sounds like the theme from a legend of Zelda water temple

@music-theory-practice4131 5 лет назад

I had to teach this song the other day in a class and we ended up watching this video halfway through -- very nice work! My analysis differed somewhat: I called the Eb chord in the chorus a version of an augmented 6th chord (not any of the common varieties, but just a basic triad), or, a tritone sub of the V/V of V, i.e. treating Dsus as the V, and the Eb chord as a tritone sub for A (V/V in G). I also think the Ab chord at the end of the chorus is better thought of as a tritone sub of the tonic's dominant, D, not as a predominant or subdominant, especially since the next chord is G.

@texasnewt 2 года назад

Incisive, interesting analysis ...

@syondas6203 5 лет назад

Spoon man and black hole sun are some of the best songs in history. Great video and explanation! Chris had a unique and uncanny knack for making simple but really catchy and dark melodies

@luckluster 7 лет назад

Just saw this video randomly while searching for Black Hole Sun for a video I've been editing. It grabbed so hard I just had to watch and I'm definitely going to see more of your stuff as well as subscribe. Well done mate~

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@yeezybreezy9350 2 года назад

GUYS GUYS GUYS DONT GO TO 1:04, WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Thank you

@xxa411xx 7 лет назад

While your dissection is phenomenal, Cornell himself said that he didn't know music theory and never had formal training on guitar. He played what came to his mind, and Soundgarden's unique sound was mostly from Chris's abstract approach at music. He played what he felt, and sang with the music. Simple as that. He was a musical genius. Rest In Peace.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, it's really phenomenal the level of complexity he was able to reach purely by instinct. Absolutely a genius.

@MustObeyTheRules 7 лет назад

Damian yep he didn't know theory. he couldn't shred an awesome guitar solo but damn could he come up with some neat riffs and melodies.

@ZeranZeran 6 лет назад

That only makes this more impressive.

@ValveSpecial 6 лет назад

It doesn't matter whether he knows what the building blocks of music theory are called: those blocks can be discovered by anyone who really listens and experiments with music. For example he knew that a dominant or a secondary dominant could be used to lead back into the start of a chorus in the relevant key but he didn't know the technical term, in fact anyone who has played guitar and written songs knows this relationship on the fretboard by feel because it is obvious.

@browncoat697 6 лет назад

It's also fitting when you consider the rhythmic elements (I'm a drummer so this is the stuff we think about) of Soundgarden, and how they fucked with rhythm and time signature (for good examples of that, see this song's solo and the entirety of Spoonman). They did it unintentionally, but it ends up being really cool.

@jjosemayorga 9 месяцев назад

Nice analysis, man. You did an excellent job 👍. Came across this video while looking for a tutorial on how to play this song and liked and subscribed right away.

@michaelpadan6375 4 года назад

thank you for drawing pretty pictures that was very helpful, like knowing about music theory is as helpful

@mwm48 7 лет назад

He is leaving out that much of this song seems to be written based on the guitar itself. Some chords are naturally easier to walk-down than others. In other words - He pretty much put it in drop D and walked the chord down. It's still fantastic tho. 😀

@12tone 7 лет назад

True! As a theorist I tend to focus more on the structure of the notes than the instrumentation, but it's definitely a song that uses the guitar well.

@sebastiangomez1700 7 лет назад

do a breakdown of "I Talk to the Wind" by King Crimson!!!!

@sebastiangomez1700 7 лет назад

please!

@12tone 7 лет назад

@sebastiangomez1700 7 лет назад

Its okay, I get it. Once I have some money to donate I would definitely love to help out! Keep on keepin on!

@narta11 2 года назад

This is amazing! So well done.

@user-wh8id2dw6j 7 лет назад

thank you for that.he will be missed so much

@12tone 7 лет назад

Agreed.

@beoz658 7 лет назад

you should probably be saving the world you seem very intelligent

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@marydoran5390 7 лет назад

12tonefaphwenb

@fonzimendoza1979 7 лет назад

Please do Deacon blues! Steely Dan

@12tone 7 лет назад

I'll add it to the list1

@HigherGroundCC 7 лет назад

yeah, anything by steely dan would be amazing!

@ednaoverboard1052 7 лет назад

You made that video so understandable and exciting! I'm so happy this was recommended!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@DancingCurrently 7 лет назад

Brilliant theory break down! I studied music theory and I still don't know what to call some chordal harmonies I hear. Steely Dan stumps me frequently, but I can theoretically explain what Donald Fagen does most of the time. This song seemed like a mysterious structure I would never figure out and I decided not to analyze it and hurt my head. You explained it so very well and included the ambiguous nature of some of your choices as to what "name" to give some of the chords. Excellent job... fun little doodles, too. Now... Chris Cornell's passing was very traumatic for me. I have never cried so hard and so long for a stranger. I can't bear to see any of the press or pics about his funeral... not yet. Thank you for this tribute to him. We can't let his passing be just another day. We can't let his soulful, vulnerable, heart-wrenchingly beautiful works of art be forgotten.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks! I think Chris's passing was pretty traumatic for a lot of people. He touched a lot of lives. We still have his music, though, so at least there's that.

@santiagosanz4157 7 лет назад

I came expecting physics, anyways i'm amused

@12tone 7 лет назад

^_^

@KurosakiYukigo 6 лет назад

Black Hole Sun is tuned .25 sharp?! No wonder the guitar on that song sounds a bit... odd.

@MisterModder123 6 лет назад

I'm so happy I found this channel. Entertaining and educational. SUBBED!

@tyronwatzinger3784 7 лет назад

Oh my gosh, that's the best YT vid I've seen so far 👌🎉🙏👍🤘🎉 Just AWESOME!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks!

@bloodakoos Год назад

1:04 a WHAT chord

@ghillieshark6437 Год назад

A mogus

@enterprisekid Год назад

We have all been damaged

@crazedtimo2862 Год назад

I was looking for a comment talking aout the SUS

@creekline5009 2 года назад

1:06 sus sus sus among us sus

@eggisawesome Год назад

Shut up. Please

@PJLifeofPJ 2 года назад

Chris will be happy to see this. Such a great analysis and interpretation

@agraciotti 7 лет назад

That was awesome, man! Thanks

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@23hojojo 7 лет назад

please can you do more jazz??? moaning, love supreeme, afro blue impressions?? more coltrane??

@12tone 7 лет назад

I'll add them to the list, thanks!

@recoveringsoul755 7 лет назад

I'd love to see Green Onions if you haven't already done it. This is the first video of yours I've watched. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us!

@joanthemad5894 6 лет назад

Josipa Horvat ya like jazzz?

@texasnewt 2 года назад

Ditto: Coltrane's Love Supreme.

@TheSquareOnes 7 лет назад

There's a disturbing amount of ignorance worship here. Look, it's fine if you can make something awesome without knowing how but that doesn't mean knowing how to do the thing suddenly takes away that creativity. Not knowing theory is totally fine but it's bizarre to be actively proud of it or to try to lecture those who do as to how they aren't "real artists man."

@timbeaton5045 6 лет назад

Yep. Have to agree. As someone who has been playing music on and off for decades, now. (Jeez! Am i really THAT old??) i DID study classically on the violin as a child, but sort of dropped out of that world, but then got into other stuff, like guitars, and bass, and have gone through my musical life with some, but pretty sketchy at best, knowledge of theory. And boy do i regret it, now. I find a disturbing rejection of theory, especially amongst guitarists who equate musical knowledge with a block to creativity. Which i simply don't understand, It seems that for every guitarist who proclaims they have no need for theory, they will site a favourite player (Steve Vai, John Petrucci and the like) who you know are pretty good on their theory. This is a big and divisive subject, and i guess there will be no convincing the players who claim they don't need it. Shame to limit yourself so much, but there you go.

@happysaffa8871 6 лет назад

Dave Grohl is a good example. Self taught, doesnt read music.

@notyetskeletal4809 6 лет назад

I don't know these people you speak of but will treat them gently if i ever come across them. i dont have the same coloured pool of knowledge as before and know there are many approaches one can take to create music.

@AceBambam 6 лет назад

Cyan Light but is it not their right? Unless they shovin it down your throat that's a different story, as a music lover not knowing theory, i had fun watching this vid

@1SquidBoy 6 лет назад

tim, they learn just enough to get confused and not enough to see the depth of knowledge and utility that can come with being fluent in this kind of stuff. I'm a classical horn player and I play keyboards in a rock band. I can't fluently read sheet music for piano. I mostly use my ear/asking band members what the changes are. It seriously makes things so nice. It's infinitely easier to understand why certain styles work the way they do, how effects are achieved, etc etc. These things work together with each other. theory is descriptive, not prescriptive, and I guess these guys don't learn that.

@XxImaFunGuyxX 7 лет назад

Immediately subscribed!!! Loving this channel and the attention-to-detail with the analyses!!! Looking forward to more of your videos :D

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks!

@philblack5936 3 года назад

You sir are a musical genius. No word of lie. Mind blown....

@unclecritic 3 года назад

WHEN THE IMPOSTOR SUS 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂GET IT (sus) CHORD😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Stop and change your profile picture because it is a dead meme and isn’t funny

@MUN00K 7 лет назад

What's funny is that I can almost guarantee you Soundgarden didn't put *nearly* that much thought into it. That's the difference between a musician and a musical artist. While they probably did consider the emotional feel of the the music in great detail, this piece was likely just the result of an artistically & creatively geared mind in combination with music theory knowledge & some type of mind altering substance. Great video, though!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks! You're probably right, they most likely just played things that felt right to them. Still fun to look at why it all works, though!

@johnt.campbell316 7 лет назад

When you write music, I don't think any thought goes into the theory behind it until you've already written it. I don't think bout it until much later; not until we've already played it a few times.

@Spermofdog 7 лет назад

MUN00K like many other great songs this one was born from it's name. Chris thought that he heard that someone said "black hole sun" on TV and he liked that. It's lyrics were written intuitively, without any concrete meaning. And that's the beauty of it - their most popular song is a result of spontaneous creative blast.

@MUN00K 7 лет назад

thumbs down

@groovemachine3512 7 лет назад

MUN00K well thanks for explaining that to 12tone, Captain Obvious. Did you seriously think he didn't know that?

@matthewervvin 6 лет назад

It's incredible the layers of dynamic complexity that was probably written one drunk afternoon. It's definitely one the the top ten songs of the nineties. Thanks.

@guaiamum8864 7 лет назад

This was amazing! Thank you so much!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks!

@Random-ul2gv 2 года назад

1:05

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Stop

@billyroberts5241 6 лет назад

To the people who are concerned with over thinking music - there are soooo many great composers out there that have written very deep insightful books/papers about composition. Stravinsky is one of them(www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674678569) and Arnold Schoenberg is another. It's a unfortunate myth to think that good music just falls out of your fingers somehow.

@ricardorodriguez-xc3qr 7 лет назад

this is one of the most interesting videos that I've ever seen in youtube..thank you!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks!

@kevinburnes3216 7 лет назад

That was amazing! I have ADD, but this brings it home for me, thank you!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@ryanulmer2541 2 года назад

:106 sus😳

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Leave

@DANKKrish 3 года назад

1:05 GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Yes thank you

@loveloss8590 7 лет назад

Thanks for this analysis man! Sad for Cornell's loss.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, I think a lot of us are. We still have his music, though, and that's pretty amazing.

@phillipsantana2633 7 лет назад

Wow Big Thanks for that as a listener to that track alone your realy blown away but when the whole process of the composure of it is explained it heightens my appreciation of this peice Soundgarden Rocks.Chris Cornel You are Forever Missed!

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks!

@wolfboyyt7696 3 года назад

Sus chord

@slayr4862 3 года назад

AHAHAHHAHAHA

@herbstone7310 3 года назад

G sus

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

All of you stop. Now

@fruitymcgaygay6559 7 лет назад

I failed music theory....

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, music theory's a pretty hard class, especially if it's not taught well. If you'd like to learn more, though, we have a series called Building Blocks that looks at music theory from the bottom up: ru-vid.com/group/PLMvVESrbjBWplAcg3pG0TesncGT7qvO06

@templariclegion2826 7 лет назад

Not being a music artist, I used to think about how many variations of music there are and how a day may come where music will start to repeat itself but after watching this I think that day may not come as soon as I anticipated it too. There's a lot more that goes into music than I could have imagined. I'm subscribing.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks! VSauce actually did a really good video a while back about the possibility of running out of music, if you're still interested in that topic: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DAcjV60RnRw.html

@swistedfilms 2 года назад

Watching your videos I realize there is a lot I didn't know about music. Like, a lot a lot. But this is one of the most powerful songs written in my lifetime. It's not just a song; it's a chant, a prayer, an incantation that brings about change. In times of darkness it should be played at great volume. Though it can bring great sadness it will, by the end, bring about the energy necessary to carry on, as one feels the "black hole sun" pulling all things into it and transforming them. There's even science behind this. In a black hole all matter and energy becomes part of the infinitely dense singularity at the black hole's core. Now this may seem like an end and, from our point of view, it is. However, time is so severely dilated in a black hole that it essentially exists outside of our timeline. If we were to fall into a black hole (never mind the incredible pain of the spaghettification [and yes that's a real word] that we would be suffering) we would see the entirety of the universe passing before our eyes and ending in its eventual heat death. The black hole is, from its point of view, the beginning of all things and is capable of creating any and all matter, from hydrogen to the heavier elements that are only theoretical. This song is therefore a marriage of the spiritual and the scientific, lyrically speaking. The black hole sun is both metaphorical and literal and the song takes us into a trip into the singularity and leaves us on the precipice of the new possibilities that it will eventually create. It's truly one of the most brilliant songs ever made. Thanks for sharing your analysis with us!

@theloser8109 3 года назад

A sus chord

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Stop

@joemomma8028 7 лет назад

originally a Frank Sinatra song

@acarlovonsexron1994 7 лет назад

The producer had Chris listen to Sinatra before cutting the vocal. One amazing thing about the song is Chris heard the melody in his head while driving in his car, hummed it until he could get to a phone, and called his house to leave it on his answering machine.

@steadyrhythms9571 7 лет назад

Carlo Von Sexron I come up with melodies in my head all the time, sometimes in school, which is terrible because I don't have somewhere to record it or whatever and I still have hours of thinking so I don't remember it. It's very disappointing.

@elsoil3387 6 лет назад

Ever heard of a mobile phone? I record things all the time. Sometimes have to whisper so not to cause embarrassment!

@mottahead6464 6 лет назад

More complex than a Frank Zappa song.

@timbeaton5045 6 лет назад

Hardly. Not that complexity in itself matters, but Zappa covered such a huge range of music, from Doo Wop to pretty abstract stuff (see Jazz From Hell or the London Symphony Orchestra albums to name but two). Few people have come anywhere close to Zappa's range of styles. Don't get me wrong, i'm not denigrating Black Hole Sun, it's a great and powerful song, but i personally think there are very few people whoo can rival Zappa for sheer breadth of vision. If any???

@brendoncarmo2303 7 лет назад

Your channel deserves a lot of subscribers, and i'm sure you'll got it! Thank you.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Aw, thanks! Feel free to share it if you know anyone else who'd be interested!

@neilanadams5173 7 лет назад

Love getting technical like this, thank you.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@ira374 7 лет назад

This makes me glad I didn't take IB Music

@themusicalpickle163 6 лет назад

The good ol' days when people actually put thought into music.

@heelstevenmaggle5615 5 лет назад

Yet you like Gorillaz.

@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid 6 лет назад

Thanks for isolating Kim Thayill's guitar parts (unless Chris wrote the stuff you analyzed?) and allowing me to see the genius; godsdamn that is beautiful and haunting. You sure know music bro

@theswime945 Год назад

Brilliant, thanks! I thought I already understood the harmony, but REALLY enjoyed your visual take on it and your explanation. Cheers.

@CelibateYoda 2 года назад

SUS??????

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

Please leave this comment section and take your non funny jokes to your grave

@CelibateYoda 2 года назад

@@eggisawesome u kinda sound like an imposter rn,,

@eggisawesome 2 года назад

@@CelibateYoda I seriously hope you go to a psych ward

@ghillieshark6437 Год назад

@@eggisawesome I hope your dad comes back

@YRUACNT 7 лет назад

I think the Irony here is he probably didn't think it through with music theory, he wrote from feeling not maths. That is where the genius is, when you try to be clever you fail, but when you write from feeling the clever happens without knowledge of its existence.

@12tone 7 лет назад

Yeah, I agree, he definitely wrote this much more from instinct than theory. I don't really agree that theory can't produce great results, but it's pretty impressive how theoretically complicated things can get when you're not thinking about theory at all!

@TheRubberStudiosASMR 7 лет назад

I think the same could be said with films especially those of David lynch. He never gives answers to what things mean, instead he gives vague answers like things have many meanings. It's because he is probably using ideas that just come to him/ not to do with the fucking planets aligning or satanism

@rileywitting2961 7 лет назад

12tone im taking lorazepam like Cornell did and its really fucked up. Ive gotten so much help but nothing works. I went 1 year clean with literally nothing but caffeine and Im still really depressed. At this point the only thing thats keeping me alive is luck. And I'm only fucking 16, why couldn't this happen to my brain once Im at least a little older. If ur reading this go check the song "schism" but tool, the lyrics describe this perfectly, it will probably just confuse you though.

@Stucknnmx 7 лет назад

Riley Witting don't give up. It can sometimes take a long time to find the right balance of meds, dose, therapy, etc. if there's one silver lining to your struggles, pain can be the purest form of inspiration for art. Find your niche and pour yourself into it. You may find it cathartic and at least slightly helpful. I've been to some pretty dark places and felt like luck alone was keeping me here, I know in your current place these words may ring false or empty, but it gets so much better (consider this a message from your 33 year old self). Best of luck, and know that you're cared about, even by a stranger from the ether of the Internet.

@rileywitting2961 7 лет назад

Stucknnmx thanks so much