What time signature is Radiohead's "Myxomatosis" in?
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Thanks again to Joe for allowing me to use his amazing cover of the song: • Radiohead - Myxomatosi...
And here is my video analysing "Sail To The Moon" by Radiohead: • Radiohead's most compl... 🌙
Myxomatosis was not only the first Radiohead song I ever heard but it is also one of my absolute favourite tracks of all time. This track is also not the first time that Radiohead have managed to make a 4/4 metre sound very un-4/4! Let's have a closer look at how the rhythm of Myxomatosis works...
The outro music to this video is my track "Clap" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ...
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
0:00 Myxomatosis
0:30 Time signature?
1:51 Polyrhythm
3:28 the rhythm
4:05 Daydreaming's polyrhythm
4:35 HDpiano
4:59 the drums
5:59 the chorus
6:58 Joel Edelmann
7:41 Patreon
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Пікірлер: 152
Loved the bit where you were chanting "nice cup of tea" over the remarkably dark & angry guitar riff.
@wyattstevens8574
10 күн бұрын
Callback to his previous video!
@gnoelalexmay
10 күн бұрын
😆 yeah! ...I especially liked the full pronunciation - none of this "nice cuppa tea" business! 🤣
@dancoroian1
9 күн бұрын
It's got the vibe of like a little kid's mantra as he holds his hands cupped over his ears while mommy and daddy are fighting lol
@Gameboy-2007-yt
7 күн бұрын
Yeah the tea was indeed good
The biggest champion of Radiohead on the internet gets copyright strikes for enthusiastically promoting Radiohead. Yay, corporations.
For someone who loves Radiohead so much, you don't do that many analysis videos of them (at least, not anymore). This took me by surprise
@LightspeedAstronaut
11 күн бұрын
How is your comment 13 days old when the video was uploaded an hour ago ?
@TheNextDoorNeighboor
11 күн бұрын
@@LightspeedAstronaut it was originally unlisted
@wyattstevens8574
11 күн бұрын
@@LightspeedAstronautI think there is a one-word answer that could make sense: Patreon!
@SonyaBladesBooty
10 күн бұрын
He doesn't really care much for Radiohead. He's said so
@WizzDude
10 күн бұрын
I thought Radiohead fans didn’t like surprises (or alarms)
Thanks for the shout David - another fantastic video! Never really thought deeply about the 3s on this one but it makes a ton of sense. It gets even crazier with the double drum variation they do live nowadays, with Clive Deamer adding some of the mid-bar switchups from the studio version.
@gnoelalexmay
10 күн бұрын
I was truly blown away by your version of myxomatosis! I initially didn't realise it was a cover, and thought it must have been an alternative mix. Though I was only listening through my TV, I honestly thought the bass/synth rivaled the original and was perhaps more to my taste. Will defo check out more of your stuff.
finally a radiohead video, it has been to long
@mungofinalfi4480
11 күн бұрын
*too
@rocketshiptoaltair
11 күн бұрын
@@mungofinalfi4480 tooo ;)
yess more david bennett radiohead!!! Please cover some The Smile songs! They've got tons of wonky time signatures, songs that are in 7/8, 11/8, 5/4 and so on
@th.nd.r
11 күн бұрын
Not to mention some other really weird rhythmic things, like Jonny’s use of delay where he delays notes by like 5 beats to create riffs on a few songs, or rhythmic illusions where the “1” seems like it’s in a different place than it is, or songs like “I Quit” where the “1” seems like it’s nowhere at all in a way
@HappyAppart
6 күн бұрын
Meh. To me, The Smile sounds like all they wanna do is play with time signatures.
Colin greenwood sits down in the studio and nigel hands him a mug… Colin goes “ahh that’s a nice cup of tea” Jonny swoops round on his swivel chair “What did you just say” “…. I just it was a nice cup of tea” Jonny starts muttering to himself and picks up his guitar Points at Phil “Oi Phil, play swung 3s on the hat” Two hours later, myxomatosis
Now everytime I listen to this song I'm gonna hear David saying _nice cup of tea nice cup of tea_ 😅
Phil is such an underrated drummer
@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266
7 күн бұрын
They all are underrated as individual musicians.
@Tangent_Frank
7 күн бұрын
@@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266 in all fairness, i think most people fully respect the skillsets of Johnny and Thom and even Ed, but it feels like even a lot of Radiohead fans don't seem to appreciate the genius and subtlety in the rhrythm department, Collin and Phil. Who, without Collin's subtle bass fills and Phil's iconic modern twist on snare and hi-hat beats that almost feel inhuman. They really are, at least in my opinion, the real backbone of Radiohead. But yes, each member of Radiohead really carry an incredible degree of professional musical discipline and prowess on par with classical musicians, and should be treated less as simple rock musicians, and more as sophisticated composers.
Just realized that David is making videos about my three favorite bands, Radiohead, Oasis and Blur
@marivg8948
11 күн бұрын
90s forever
@riquiffer
11 күн бұрын
@@marivg8948 and I wasn't even born in the 90s hahahah
That Myxomatosis cover is FANTASTIC! 👏👏👏
@th.nd.r
11 күн бұрын
Joe is so good at these Radiohead covers
@re5870
11 күн бұрын
He does them live as well with the tribute band There There kzread.info/dash/bejne/qoeotNmmgJXfhLA.htmlsi=DS_7wuqG-nqmlEF3
@gnoelalexmay
10 күн бұрын
@@th.nd.r must check him out. Any you'd recommend?
@re5870
9 күн бұрын
I particularly love my iron lung but all are really good
As soon as i register the drums, it just stays in 4/4 for me. The "nice cup of tea" is immediately where my mind goes.
You should take a look at The Smile. Their new album is full of rhythmic complexity like this.
I had to repeat about a minute of this video after you said "nice cup of tea" as I was so compelled to give it a go 😂
Nice cup of tea is probably the most English sounding thing David has ever said in a video!
Myxomatosis is Thom Yorke's dancing turned into music.
This is awesome thank you ❤
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
Glad you like it!
Comment for the twitching and salivating algorithm
I feel almost bad commenting this but always kind of sounded like 4/4 to me. The drum accenting isnt a standard 4/4 rhythm but its pretty easy to follow. In fact its one of the most headbang-worthy Radiohead songs. It's closest they came to sounding like early Muse (instead of the other way round)
Thanks for yet another great and informative video! I remember the first time I listened to it, thinking to myself "wow, they really outdone themselves with this one, I have no idea what this is in" until I fell back on the most basic method - simply counting quarter notes until the next repeat. Despite 12 years of music education this riff still managed to fool me.
I've always felt it in 4/4 but at half the tempo you're putting it at (i.e. the rhytmic cells would be dotted eighth notes instead of dotted quarter notes).
@huntercrawford6490
9 күн бұрын
same here
Shoutout Joe Edelman
i thinks band you should talk about more is soundgarden, they essentially music theory’s wet dream
so fucking happy to see a video on this song
I was thinking of the song before I saw this video, so I have to watch it!
Nice vid, can you do a video where you Analyse the first few minutes of shine on you crazy diamond 1-5?
Gorgegeous
I heard their song 'Creep' earlier on the radio today. For a long time I thought the little chug that happens 3 times before the guitar goes into overdrive (on the lyric 'I'm a Creep') I thought was the sound of the guitarist depressing his overdrive foot pedal. When I had a Fender 75 amp it had a foot switch for over drive allowing one to switch to ear bleeding volume of the Pete Townsend magnitude. It's a real crunch of a mechanical sound, I'm not sure if you weren't supposed to hear it. But that was back when I lived next to a boat sales dealer. Imagine roaring power chords that drown out the sound of power boats. Volume is relative/ might make an interest subject to explore..
I didn’t really like HTTF when it came out, but once you get it, you really get it. So many awesome songs, including this one
4:30 that was smooth lol
This is such a banger 😊
Nice cup of tea 🍵🍵🍵
Finally a Radiohead video, been a while, this is a banger as usual though. It’d be fun for you to do a video analysing a The Smile (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Tom Skinner) song, a lot of their stuff is very rhythmically complex so it would be interesting to hear your take on it.
It's definitely got a fun beat!
Have you talked about the chord progression of "killing moon" by echo and the bunnymen yet?
Interestingly, when it's not following the synth rhythm, the drum pattern is ALMOST a hand-foot paradiddle. And the way that I hear it, at least, is that while the snare follows the rhythmic divisions through the 3s, when it deviates, it's actually playing a backbeat. So part of what's so satisfying about the song is how it kind of "cascades" into a traditional 4/4, where the hi-hat holds the line the whole time, the snare and bass fall in line early, and the synth ties up the knot JUST before the finish line.
4/4
This is so criminally underrated song (the best from the whole album)
Awesome to see more quality content (as always). Is there a term for the 3-3-3-3-4 grouping pattern, like how 3-3-2 is tresillo? It seems to show up everywhere. Myxomatosis, Pyramid Song (rotated), event the Macarena.
Wow!! I can see why this is your favorite band. Not so much for them being popular, it's their skill. It impresses me since I'm not so skilled like that.
What a great analysis, thank you ❤
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
To carry on with the Radiohead theme, would love if you did one of those “guess the song by the isolated drums/bass/guitar/vocals” with Radiohead!
💕💕💕
One of their best songs!!!!!
‘Nice cup of tea’ was the original name for ‘(Nice Dream)’ 😉
Pls make a video about songs that use octatonic diminished scales. They're used in Bebop jazz sometimes. Some classical composers like olivier messian and bartock explored them too. And just by radiohead begins with the scale
Why are the dotted 1/4 notes that don't fall on a beat split into a tied 1/8th and 1/4 note? The ones overlapping the bar division I get, but the ones in the middle of the bar?
@salty_3k506
4 күн бұрын
because it's easier to see where the beat lies. like you said, they don't fall on a beat. but when you see a single 8th note, you know that it's off beat which makes everything easier to sight read. and the first quarter note is dotted to make a visual distinction from the other "dotted" quarter note probably.
*_Nice cup of tea_* 🍵
I never focused on the hihat, interesting I missed the 3:2! Seems obvious when you point it out! I always hear a 4:3 polyrhythm where the riff is the 4, which ofc uses that short note to sync every third (short) bar. I would instinctively write this as two bars of 12/8 followed by one of 8/8, repeat.
Hello there! I would like to know how to change the same melody over different time signatures. I am trying to figure it on my own but my results kinda feel weird. I cannot thank you enough if you could provide an answer for this. Love your work mate, Cheers!!
Could you PLEASE do weird fishes one day? I can NOT find my way around this song. Great video!
@HappyAppart
6 күн бұрын
What do you mean ? Just follow the drums
@corey8760
6 күн бұрын
@@HappyAppart the drums follow a different pattern than the guitars, they only come together at certain times when the math adds up
Hey there, I really appreciate your videos! But, have you ever concidered to make a video about Ha Ha said the clown, by Manfred Mann? I think there are really a lot of weird rhythmic shenanigans going on. Keep up the great work!
def never assumed this was in 4/4
Personally, I hear it more as two bars of 3/4, one bar of 2/4, then two bars of 4/4. The drums seem to also suggest this, so maybe that's why I hear it like that. I see your interpretation, though.
Never heard this song I love it. Reminds me of Bitches by Louis Cole.
Love your Radiohead analyses! Also, I heard the same rhythm as ‘Hot cuppa tea’, I think it works better phonologically. The H is easier to place on a beat because of the onset, whereas N has more of a gradual/indistinct beginning because it’s a consonant that continues compared to H which has a defined moment.
3:20 - "So the 3 over 2 polyrhythm can continue as far as here..." So in other words, what you're saying is: it can go this far, but no further?
David, do you listen much to The Pineapple Thief? I think you might find a lot to appreciate in their music.
one of my favourite tracks on my favourite album
It's a type of vertical hemiola rhythm
I've heard you mention on your live stream indicating other KZread channels that you love Elliott Smith, could you bring some of his songs for analysis? It would definetely be great some Elliott Smith here on the channel. Thanks for this video though!
You should take on Andrew Bird. Some era. Similar song titles. Similar levels of musical skill. One band huge one guy niche. Yeah different sound, sure. But Andrew Bird does words better and whistles.
Can you make a video on Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz
My 3 favorite radiohead song Hot take but Hail to the Thief is their best album
@efiug
11 күн бұрын
can't be a hot take when its the truth!!
@stephenbarber6533
11 күн бұрын
Not my favourite but Sail to the Moon GOAT
@scartissue121
11 күн бұрын
It didn't have the strongest impact on me upon inital listening (such as Kid A obviously), but it really is the one I keep coming back to after all these years
Good band
David! New song alert and its from WILLOW. It's called symptom of life and it seems to have a mix of 7/4 and 8/4 time signatures and a really cool piano part! You should check it out, maybe make a video on it or with it!
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
😊 kzread.info/dash/bejne/i6yNuKeaj9jYhNI.html
@lilmusicguy.official
11 күн бұрын
@@DavidBennettPiano I had no idea you already made a video! Definitely an interesting song!
I feel it like 2 bars of 3, 1 bar of 2 and then two bars of 4 due to the drums. You can count 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 to the beat and it feels very smooth.
@furiousxXxpyro
11 күн бұрын
And then 4/4 for the second part
@SamBrockmann
11 күн бұрын
You didn't listen to the drums then, did you?
would love to see a video on some d'angelo songs - especially from his album voodoo cuz man that album is just insane
You’ve done lots of analysis type videos that cover origins of certain theory or rhythm tropes, so I wonder if you know the origin of the term ‘chorus’? I always imagine the chorus like as in ‘chorus line’ - a bit of the song we can all sing along together too. So in that regard, could Radiohead be “accused” of having chorus in their songs? For me not since the Bends. Their songs are far too clever for their own good to be sing-along-able and I would argue that this song definitely doesn’t feature a chorus. But I defer to your greater wisdom on the subject.
@levanataylor790
11 күн бұрын
That is a good question. I do not know how you can determine which piece of a complex-structured song is the chorus, and maybe that is a topic for David. But if you go back to really simple songs, they have what is called a "refrain" (from an old French word meaning "break") that is a repeated phrase as a break between lines or verses. Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la. Even if you don't know the words you can join in on the fa-la-la, right? And that is the classic structure of a sea chantey, which has a true unison chorus, repeated. The chanteyman sings while everyone pulls: "Santy Ano's gone away" Then the crew readjust their grip on the line and all sing "Away, Santy Ano" And so on. "Santy's gone to Mexico -- Away, Santy Ano" So okay, how does that translate to pop and rock songs that have a few more twiddles than carols and chanteys do? Well, popular music usually still has repeated parts. It's satisfying coming "home" to a refrain between verses, and yes, you can sing it: it's most often shorter and simpler than the verses. That really is how you can tell which piece is the chorus when the structure isn't just verse-chorus-verse-chorus etc. Suppose you start with 2 verses, and then there is a shorter piece that somehow feels like a break or a homecoming? And then that piece will come around again at least a few times.
Another one for the playlist. Love this kind of thing. Have you covered the music of Cecil Taylor? There's some odd maths, I figure.
🤔 ...I've just noticed... David Bennett hasn't aged a day since I started watching, which was before the pandemic 🤔 What's your secret, David...? 🤨 ....thanks for another great video! Would you consider doing a vid on how adding a third note to a two-note interval can completely alter how we perceive it? ...my favourite is how a harsh Maj 7th interval is tamed by adding a 5th or a Maj 3rd. Thanks 🙏
@gnoelalexmay
11 күн бұрын
🧛♀️ Vampire? 🤔
hey, I want to know why you can't write two quarter notes with dots next to each other? in 4/4
@ArenHill
11 күн бұрын
As far as I know, you can - as long as you add enough notes to fill in the remaining quarter note space.
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
A dotted quarter is worth 1.5 beats. So you could place two in a bar of 4/4 and wind up with 1 beat left over in the bar. Or do you mean, why do we use a eighth note tied to a quarter note instead of a dotted quarter note?
@haykkotanjian6
11 күн бұрын
@@DavidBennettPiano yeah! i compose music and i have exactly that pattern, i thought there's an issue in putting two next to each other, I'm about the writing way only
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
@@haykkotanjian6 yeah, you can’t put a dotted quarter note on the 2& beat, you have to put an eighth note tied to a quarter note. Otherwise it’s hard to sight read it because you’ve hidden where beat three is in the bar. Hopefully that makes sense
@haykkotanjian6
11 күн бұрын
@@DavidBennettPiano oh i understand, thank you so much!
This almost sounds like messhugah
I got step dad bro sis
You should analyse the smile's work too. Wall of eyes has a lot of rythmic and harmonic gems!!
Polyrhythms or polymeters??
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
Polyrhythm
It might have taken less time for Thom to create this rhythm than for David to explain it.
This has been puzzling me for ages and I haven't been able to 'feel' the rhythm of this song to this very day. The band all seem to know what they're doing, completely spacing out. I'm just hopping insecurely.
I usually count in 8/4
Would you like to make a video about Bill Withers "We could be sweet lovers" chord progression? I think it's really uncommon... Am I wrong?
13/4?
It’s 6/8 not 3/4. The same number of 8th notes in each bar but 2 beats in the bar not 3.
Listen to Nextra by Deadmau5. It's also in 4/4. But the spacing is like 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3.
Tune into DJ Borg Bunny, Mixing the Most Hits!
It never felt like anything other than 4/4 to me.
@slidenaway
11 күн бұрын
good for you? How is this top comment lmao
@ClownWorldOrder
11 күн бұрын
@@slidenaway Because people agree with me that this video doesn't make sense. No offense to David
@familiarstranger9617
11 күн бұрын
@@ClownWorldOrder then you're not paying attention to the accents in the music i suppose
@slidenaway
11 күн бұрын
@@ClownWorldOrder no they just wanna feel superior, just like you want to I would bet a lot of money that if you asked 100 random people (or even 100 random Radiohead fans) what time signature this song is in, you’d get less than 10 4/4 answers But I can’t really back that up with any proof besides my own common sense based on 30 years of being a musician so, like you I guess it’s vibes all the way
@ClownWorldOrder
11 күн бұрын
@@slidenaway You are delusional lol
FIFA FOOTBALL 2004
@DavidBennettPiano
11 күн бұрын
That’s how I first heard this song too! And it was the first Radiohead song I heard 😮😮😮😊😊😊
third
What?! When you listen to the drums for a second, it is Cleary 4/4. Who cares if the guitar riff feels off-kilter?!
I love David Bennett videos, but I despise radiohead. No more radiohead, please!
Time Signatures are for nerds, just cram all the notes in and make it work.
Its 16/4, not 4/4.
Running low on topics.
Great video ❤ Putting out another request for an analysis of The Smile's songs! I would love it if you covered Read the Room. It's my favourite off Wall of Eyes and it's got some fun time signature stuff too!