Beginner's Guide to Voicing and Voiceleading || How Nobuo Uematsu Writes a String Part

I'm getting back into piano since not playing for years and these videos are so informative and helpful. The worksheets are also so sick. Thanks man

Genius..❤

Waaay too complicated for me

genius, simply put

Why does your video have a tone at like 17 kHz playing in the background? It's driving me mad

Hey, I'm not sure this was mentioned, but I've noticed a few of your videos have this high pitched sound that plays over your voice? Most people probably can't hear it but if you can it can be really difficult to pay attention to both the voice and the high pitched sound. Don't mean this as a slight on your production, just pointing it out.

DUDE. I'm writing an orchestral piece rn and this was a HUGE help in making my chord progression sound nice on a string section. Seriously, you made it really easy for me to understand what I need to change and it sounds SO MUCH better. Cheers!

So you are talking about counterpoint.

voicing chords can do a lot for the sound you end up with. take inversions for example. a root position Major triad is formed by stacking a M3 + m3 together & having a P5 between the outer voices [CEG, where C-E is a M3 & E-G is a m3, while C-G is a P5]

when you place it in 1st inversion, you get new interval combinations, even though its the same chord (EGC, where E-G is a m3, G-C is a P4, while E-C is a m6.)

the "science" behind why the chords sound different, is because the bass note forms different intervals with the upper notes & the existence of harmonic overtones. some intervals produce more "simple" ratios, while others form "complex" ratios.

neither is better, but they each have their place & time to be used, which is why thinking of music in both vertical & horizontal ways, is beneficial to anyone composing or breaking down their favorite music.

This is excellent.

This video has really helped things click for me about voicing, and I just want to say thank you and that I appreciate all you do so much!

Splendid exposition of a fundamental and beautiful concept! Thanks!

This was great!

This was amazing

I improv a lot and I'm looking for exercises that can help with voice leading on the fly. I guess I could just randomly search up chords and then do the voice leading slowly, but I'm wondering if there's like a book on exercises that could help that process

Thanks this helped a lot

Oh my gosh I wish this guy taught my music theory class. I go to a freaking conservatory and they can't even get the music teacher right

I understand nothing

Taught myself how to arrange by copying Uematsu's music back in the late 90s. It's so weird finding out that the stuff you learned through trial and error has actual names 😅

What an incredible video, very informative and the pacing is great

I studied music theory, aural skills, jazz theory, and everything in university, but I left without having any true skills in voice leading. This video has completely opened up a new world for me! Thank you!

Man, you are one of the greats. Seriously. The stuff you put out here is so accessible and helpful. So glad you're here to make this for us.

Excellent! Thank you!

Been playing music my whole life, and I’ve always wanted to get into composing music. This channel has helped me immensely, everything is described so clearly and concisely, just thanks a lot👏

Really great video. Keep going and I enjoyed and learned a lot!

This video saved my music diploma I'm not even joking. I was severely struggling with voice leading and the way you explained it here just made it click

Omg I’ve been wanting someone to do some music theory on FFIX for years and it was in my watch later this whole time!

Please do more nobuo uematsu content

I think I have subconsciously done the "Drop 2+4 voicing" trick before, simply by mimicking what I've seen in other choir music. Seeing an actual method behind it is very eye-opening!

Brilliant !

Thank you bro... Voice leading was much simpler than I thought.

Really useful ❤❤❤

as an absolute idiot trying to approach music theory through your videos, thank you so much for explaining what voice leading means.

I often thinking why many FFIX songs had voice leading as main design, because FFIX is stylistically use a theater approach... some Scene and Active time event is very-very theater like experience (I had played it for several times, so I quite remember many of the scene), and I just notice it now thank to your video. The character had many resemblance of traditional character, which had comedy and agony with it, which making the game very theatrical. But unfortunately the game not have any kind of voice over on any character, only some NPC does had ones (but only occasion); which make Nobuo Uematsu decide use voice leading as so sort of kind of "voice" for the character to tell their story in the scene, and combine it with effective MV, we had a full theatre experience in hands..

on of example is when the ending, when Zidane in the play, planed to reveal himself to Garnet in the ending, you can feel the songs at the first of the play reflect the sadness of Zidane, then transend to reflect the relieve, happiness & agony of Garnet, which leading to happy ending. Nobuo Uematsu clearly develop the song not as an orchestra, but as a theatre, which make many song use voice leading in many of their scene.

gahhhhhh i love using voice leading!!!!! i write a lot of quintet arrangements in my spare time, and for the long beautiful chord changes, voice leading is amazing 💖💖💖

thanks for the class

Bro that Fm6 gave me life

Thank you a million ❤

Retired engineer/intermediate piano student here with a bucket-list-commitment-to-piano (six years and loving it). Currently learning harmonization from a very capable piano teacher/composer, but one hour a week makes it hard to bridge the gaps sometimes. Your material really helps fill in between one-hour-weekly lessons. It also connects well with my engineering background. Voice leading has always seemed like something that makes sense for analysis, but which is difficult to work with as a constructive/creative tool. Glad to have found your channel. Subbed with thanks.

Gosh ive never hit the subscribe button so quick

Nah this shit is too hard, I give up

My friend, I am a flute student at the university, on my second major (my first one was Japanese Literature) and I am praying HARD for you to become a university professor! Your teaching is awesome!

Cheers from Brazil, my friend!

Best demonstration of voice leading I've found yet! I'm a novice arranger and this has gone a long way to clearing up questions I had about why my attempted arrangements sound off. Thank you!

Small bit of feedback, don't introduce the song and then wait so long to play it for the listener. Either introduce it later, or give a sample of it earlier. Love what you do and thanks!

This is an absolutely wonderful video and piece, and I am by far no critic nor capable of composing at this level. However, I do wonder what we think of the parallel fifths between measures four and five, and wonder if it could be rearranged to avoid them. Or maybe it’s just worth having them for the sake of the following measures? I honestly am not sure.

Extremely helpful!