A Modal Bag O’ Chills
One more story…then back to work! (break time’s over…back on your heads!) This one is for everyone who enjoys music theory on a human easy-to-grasp visceral level–as opposed I suppose to the META HUMAN level that my man Jacob Collier lives his amazing life.
In this case, it’s the ever-so-excitable and entertaining Charles Cornell (I SO relate to the noises he makes at the hippest parts of the music he’s listening to). I HIGHLY recommend that you spend some time in his realm on YouTube…HUGE fun!
Behold The Charles Cornell YouTube Crib
In this particular episode, he breaks down the ASTOUNDING and beautifully emotional ending of The Crown via the genius score by Martin Phipps. WOWZA! The almost minimalistic and metaphysical “less-is-more” approach here is epic.
Using one of my all-time favorite instruments, the bagpipes, (as you can tell from my mane of pure-white hair, there is more than a bit of the Scottish Highlander in my blood, laddie!) Charles breaks down the limitations of that most hypnotic of Celtic musical beasties while taking apart Martin’s treatment of the score and how the simplest change of notes–all the while using the modes of E major–elicits emotions and seismic textural shifts of the most profound level. BRILLIANT!
This is Charles’ show: top-to-bottom, but I share it here with my commentary as it truly spoke to me, and therefore I hope it does for you as well. For you composers out there…BEWARE…you will need to set aside some time to get to work the instant this clip is over!
Enjoy!
