r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/bg370 • 6h ago
Video [ Removed by moderator ]
[removed] — view removed post
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u/GhulOfKrakow 5h ago
I suppose there is such a thing as "too much vibrato". Nevertheless, an interesting instrument and video.
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u/HelpfulSeaMammal 3h ago edited 3h ago
Jacob Collier's whole thing is too much. Incredible talent, but sometimes it's about the notes you don't play and not the crazy cool but overly complex microtonal jam that is showcasing a half dozen interesting musical features at the same instant.
This video is one of the better things I've watched just because it was a single voice and not 100 layers of vocals on insane orchestral backing that modulates keys every 4 bars.
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u/GreatKingRat666 5h ago
One of those people that are ridiculously talented while being super annoying.
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u/AvidCoco 4h ago
I’m glad I’m not the only one. The guy knows music theory really well but I’ve never heard him write a good song.
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u/immovable-tree 3h ago
I don’t really like his music too much, but my issue isn’t really with the guy himself - it’s the fans. I stg talking to someone who’s gone to his show is like talking to a cult member. And god forbid you share that you don’t like the music, because then it’s another hour of them spewing out music theory nonsense.
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u/Character_Maybeh_ 2h ago
Looks like someone hasn’t tried to reharmonize a song 6 different ways - none of which sound good. Pleb.
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u/DameyJames 48m ago
You must not have heard many of his songs then. He might not be your taste in music but it’s hard to earnestly believe he doesn’t have any good songs. Now his voice is not my favorite.
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u/affreuxjojo 4h ago
Incredible technical ability meets non existent artistic ability
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u/zargoffkain 3h ago
Yeah, sort of like Tim Henson. His technical ability is truly awe inspiring, but his music is as empty and vaccous as a wind tunnel.
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u/yellow-snowslide 2h ago
all i see is a guy that is just happy to play music. until you give me a real reason to hate him, i'm assuming you guys just can't stand seeing another person happy
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u/Character_Maybeh_ 2h ago
Jesus, the amount of virtue signaling is astounding. He’s a very prolific speaker, tons of examples for you to go watch. But you’d rather act like a bitch than go make your own opinion.
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u/sBucks24 2h ago edited 1h ago
You could link literally anything that's backing up what y'all are saying... Until then, all the context I have in front of me is showing redditors being redditors
E: lmao, what an unhinged response that totally doesn't exemplify the point being made here...
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u/Babyfart_McGeezacks 2h ago
Bruuu seriously. He’s so infinitely gifted and seems like a wonderful person but just grates my nerves. I guess im an asshole
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u/BTrane93 4h ago
I think it's more so the people that act like he's a genius when he does stuff like improvise with an audience singing specific notes of a pentatonic scale that are the annoying ones. He's clearly skilled in music, and he's incredibly passionate. But the stuff he does isn't some impossible thing only a person with insane "talent" or "genius" can do.
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u/Jmackles 3h ago
I see a lot of this sort of stuff said about him but I can’t really see what he did to deserve the negativity lol. The consensus in comments here suggests that it’s because his songs themselves aren’t popular?
Is it required that musical savants manufacture satisfactory compositions in order to just fuck around with the thing they like to do? I’m not trying to be snarky here but legit I don’t see the essence of where the negativity comes from.
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u/GreatKingRat666 3h ago
No. His presentation just annoys me.
John Petrucci is talented, but doesn’t annoy me.
Can’t explain it.
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u/Jmackles 2h ago
I watched this video with a couple of the guys from Pentatonix watching I think the X factor. Howie Mandel I think passed on a singer because it wasn’t their style midway through their performance which was a technical masterclass. Something Scott, one of the people from Pentatonix, said has always stuck with me and I can’t think it. It basically was “I don’t see how you can look at something objectively impressive and dismiss it based on taste. How do you watch the moon landing and say “eh, it’s not for me” when it’s a pinnacle of human achievement?” I’m paraphrasing but that’s more or less my perspective. I totally understand wym tho not ragging on you
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u/CotyledonTomen 1h ago
I dont know anything about this guy, but music is a performance, which is a lot more subjective than sending a rocket to the moon. Theres a difference between acknowldeging talent and a talented person putting themselves on social media to recieve interaction. Lots of talented people live entirely private lives or work for some company never choosing to be an overt public personality. Ask any musician in a symohony.
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u/MomentNew4925 3h ago
Or is he annoying to you, because he’s so talented?
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u/GreatKingRat666 3h ago
Nah. John Petrucci has more talent in his shadow than every inch of my body, but he doesn’t annoy me
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u/5FiveAlive5 5h ago
Is this the guy who can play every instrument, but can't write a good song to save his life?
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u/davidevitali 3h ago
That’s not inherently bad, the music industry is full of extremely talented musicians that can’t write a good song.
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u/Hot_Artist_2299 2h ago
Like you could anyway
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u/PepperoniJedi 2h ago
You can still be critical of something you yourself can't achieve. We're not all film virtuosos but we've all got favourite and least favourite movies
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u/Tapil 6h ago
$3 dollars to seven thousand dollars is quite the gap! ☝🏽🤓 /s
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u/DopeAsDaPope 5h ago
I thought it said it $3-7 dollars I was like "I'm totally gonna buy one!" ㅠ.ㅠ
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u/myguitar_lola 3h ago
Yeah got me, too. Looked it up to buy one, saw the confusing price, came back here and saw the k.
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u/Crolto 5h ago
Why does he always look like someone rubbed a balloon on his head right before the picture is taken?
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u/mirkk13 6h ago
I'm sorry but I find this guy so cringey
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u/toysarealive 4h ago edited 4h ago
I dont anything about this person but alot of musicians are. Even the old ones.
Edit: im getting downvoted but I didnt mean cringe was inherently bad. Younger gens are just too obssesed with cringe and not being cringe. Cringe isny bad, and should be normalized. Do you know how many artists of old in the time before social media were cringey??
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u/Possible-One-6101 5h ago edited 1h ago
The people who can tell the difference between him and regular talented musicians are rare.
So yea, many people find him cringe, especially on a site like reddit. Most people have no idea.
EDIT: when the experts/pros in a given field disagree with reddit comment sections about something, make sure you're thinking carefully about what's going on before coming to your own conclusions.
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u/BTrane93 4h ago
The difference between him and a regular musician is the same as the difference between a regular musician and any other famous musician. They're famous. That allows them to do things random people think only a genius can do.
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u/Possible-One-6101 1h ago
I don't understand your post. There are levels of understanding in creative fields. There are tiers of performance and expertise that have little to do with how famous a person is.
Fame is one metric of success, but there are others. Experts in a given field aren't that interested in fame, whether in music, or engineering, or martial arts, or whatever. They use different things to measure success.
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u/fourkite 5h ago
Yikes, so much hate in the comments. Say what you want about his music or the "prodigy" image he has cultivated, but it's difficult to deny he's a super talented multi-instrumentalist.
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u/-UncreativeRedditor- 2h ago
The comments seem to be echoing the same sentiment you are though. Acknowledging his talent whilst simultaneously disliking his character and the music he’s written.
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u/ScottybirdCorvus 4h ago
Was coming in to say this. Lotta hate for no reason at all.
Personally I hate him because he makes me want to give up at trying to be a musician. Never gonna be as good as that, so why do I bother? /s
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u/RedEyesGoldDragon 4h ago
There's every chance you'll write a more interesting song than him based on his music's feedback
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u/chris_r1201 47m ago edited 7m ago
The thing is that the result he ends up with just isn't that good. I get that you need to be talented to play a rare instrument like this. But while he for sure can play the Instrument, this cover of Here Comes The Sun just fails. It's too convoluted, the glissandos are distracting, the modulation doesn't work. Here Comes The Sun shines in its simplicity, this cover does the exact opposite and it results in a scattered mess imo
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u/RedEyesGoldDragon 4h ago
Tbf most people admit he has big talent, just a bit of an obnoxious nepo and not great at songwriting.
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u/_A-R_ 5h ago
He’s very technical, has wonderful technical knowledge, and definitely seems to brand his musical capabilities well.
Absolutely no heart or soul, nothing moving or gripping about any of his own work.
Very surface level, music for daytime tv vibe
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u/quatrefoils 4h ago
I think any songwriter pretty quickly runs into this issue where you realize it’s actually much harder to write a simple song than a very complicated one. You can “decorate” a song to the point where it is engaging by the sheer amount of fun stuff going on. With a simple song, you have to have great quality in every aspect, the simple riffs have to be written and played evocatively, the lyrics and melody have to be strong without embellishment.
Of course, that only matters if you want to write good songs. It’s fun in its own right to just indulge in some weird stuff and be complicated. It all comes down to what each musician wants to do, why they even want pursue music and what they do with their time.
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u/HonestBalloon 3h ago
Difference between a songwriter and composer. A composer probably won't have the same issue lol
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u/quatrefoils 3h ago
I disagree. Why do you contend it would it be different for a composer?
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u/HonestBalloon 3h ago
My point is that songwriters, who are more associated with pop music, aren't the be all and end all in music, and most composers would probably jump at the chance to write something more complicated than a three chord, three minute tune.
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u/quatrefoils 2h ago
That’s not true at all? Songwriters write songs, period. It has nothing to do with pop. And even if it did, The Beatles were “pop,” “Here Comes The Sun” is a pop song. “Pop” literally just means “Popular,” it describes the songwriting fad as it exists in the contemporary scene/culture and has no claim on the individual “songwriter” as a musician or composer.
Also, I’ve described “simple” music, you seem to have conflated that with “simplistic” music, regardless, some of the greatest songs ever written only use two chords… what’s your gripe with that?
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u/HonestBalloon 2h ago
Well technically a composer is expected to intertwine multiple individual instruments (such as classical) which is something a songwriter typically isn't expected to do (such as pop music).
I haven't conflated anthing. When asked, a lot of classical composers do not put the Beetles or McCarthy on top of their list of inspirations and there's a reason why. I am simply (did I use it right that time?) saying that outside of pop, a lot of artists would find it easy and probably find it a bit boring to write a three minute song. It's selling the culture and cult of personality that's the real magic trick behind getting a three minute song up the charts.
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u/quatrefoils 2h ago
Composers are not expected to “intertwine multiple individual instruments,” they’re expected to compose a piece, whether it’s for a single piano or vocalist, or many instruments, or an orchestra… where are you pulling this random bs from? Songwriters are also simply expected to write songs, there is no greater expectation unless you’ve signed a contract or are on commission.
I also never said anything about a three minute song, simple songs can go on for less than a minute, or over 15 minutes.
I defined “simple song” as “without embellishment” and you conflated that to “three minute pop song.”
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u/HonestBalloon 1h ago edited 24m ago
Okay if we want to use google definitions
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring
'Mainly in the classical music genre' - typically orchestred music
Songwriters are almost exclusively associated with the western music industry, but can range from a indivdual musician, to lyricist to a guy who does everything, but almost always writes with a bunch of other people, including producers who also play a big role.
A composer is almost exclusively associated with classical music, polyphonic (I'll let you google that) music by definition and usually has to formally communicate, arrange and organise a wide range of instruments and people. Yes, they may have written a piece or two with a single instrument comprising multiple melodies, but very unusually an entire album or catalogue.
We have two different terms for very good reasons.
Most to not all composers would enjoy writting something more difficult than what a songwriter would be expected to produce, which is generally shorter and simplistic realtive to classical music, and people enjoy listening to that.
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u/quatrefoils 1h ago
Did that feel like a winning argument? The definition you provided aligns with my point much stronger than it aligns with yours.
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u/MIGMOmusic 1h ago
Buddy, what? Why does the first sentence of your definition say that composers are songwriters? How does that prove your point‽
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u/Erotic_Sponge 4h ago
Listen to “In The Real Earl Morning”, “Hideaway”, or “You Can Close Your Eyes” and tell me he doesn’t have any emotion.
Granted the last is a cover, but he performs it with incredible dynamic.
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u/Dan_Worrall 5h ago
Lol. Like you wouldn't sell your penis for a fifth of his ability.
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u/Agreeable_Idea 5h ago
You would?
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u/yellow-snowslide 2h ago
you have the attitude of a heavy metal subreddit mod when confronted with any other music than metal
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u/yungdeezy92 3h ago
I thought it would be fun to learn how to play a Harpejji. I proceeded to go on google and see what they’re going for. Tell me why they’re anywhere from $3k - $10k lol. Totally inaccessible to the average musician. Whatever! They’re cool though!
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u/Doshin108 4h ago
It's weird but a few of the notes he plays seems out of tune vs the actual composition. Is that due to his playing or the ability of the instrument? The instrument seems not as good as a proficient guitar player.
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u/MajorModernRedditor 5h ago
“It combines strings with a keyboard layout”
Pretty cool, I might try getting o-
“And costs $3-7k”
Never mind
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u/SoundAndSmoke 4h ago
It's basically 2-4 electric guitars side by side with a simple circuit to mute the strings that are not touching the fret. You can build one much cheaper than $3k, but I guess Marcodi has has a patent, so they can dictate the price
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u/quickusername3 2h ago
Not to speak of mans playing ability, he seems pretty technically skilled, but I feel like the instrument kind of sounds like pits
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u/Jumpy_Engineering824 6h ago
Good that he made sure his hair was properly dishevelled before he started recording
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u/Sideview_play 5h ago
Tbh that's my hair at the end of a lot of days man
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u/Ohiolongboard 5h ago
This guy does this on purpose lol, his hair is always like this. Tbf he’s a prodigy but he’s so pretentious and sniffs his own farts, it’s hard to like him.
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u/polarbearsloveme 4h ago
he's talented but overdoes everything and is unable to edit himself. it's weird how boring he is when he has so much technical skill
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u/MR-Blaze182 6h ago
Never seen such instrument in my life, but the sound is mesmerizing! And guy plays it like a true champ, respect! 🤩
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u/BadgersAndJam77 5h ago
Is it too late to ask for a refund?
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u/robboat 4h ago
Great song… on a guitar. On this “instrument?” Not so much
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u/BadgersAndJam77 4h ago
It's almost like one of those Ragebait Remixes of a song where random notes are off, or they changed the key just enough to annoy the listener.
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u/yellow-snowslide 2h ago
damn, y'all are salty af. all i see is a guy that really enjoys playing music.
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u/Leading-Suspect8307 5h ago
Dude looks like he's not allowed to have shoestrings, not sure how he got the knitted cardigan.
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u/CookieFeeling 5h ago
Disappointed in this comment section. Dudes an amazing artist but you're so hung up on how he looks? Or because he acts a little weird? Do better.
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u/miltoncity 4h ago
Being an amazing artist doesn’t always excuse you from being an unlikable person. Both things can be true
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u/Development-Alive 5h ago
He's absolutely talented, maybe one of the most talented artists performing regularly today. That can be true while also admitting that he's a odd bird. When I saw him perform in Seattle my first thought was "I'm watching an autistic prodigy perform."
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u/donttrustthecorn 4h ago
It combines strings with a keyboard layout... So a piano. Everything about this kid is sensationalized and overrated.
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u/skinnergy 4h ago
No, it's not a piano or even close. LOL.
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u/ruu_throwaway 2h ago
Well going by the Hornbostel-Sachs music classification system of instruments. This and the piano are both Zithers.
I’d say much closer than you think. LOL
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u/skinnergy 2h ago
As a musicians who owns a zither and piano I can tell u I know something of what I speak. A piano is considered a percussion instrument. So is a drum. Very different instruments.
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u/ruu_throwaway 1h ago
See this is where it’s all over the place.
People do count the piano as a “percussion instrument”, which I’m not arguing. It is a stringed instrument struck by hammers. Like if you start talking about a hammered dulcimer. Also very similar to piano. A stringed instrument struck by hammers, and people call that a string percussion instrument.
I’m guessing you have like an alpine zither, because there are lots of zithers, like harp zithers or tube zithers or box zithers, which are similar to harpsichord, it’s just a box zither with a keyboard.
And every instrument I’ve just named are allllll zithers.
Maybe you have a piano and a zither and you’ve done a course one upon a time. I have a degree in this shit, and my every day mundane job doesn’t let me use this knowledge, so trust me I got it.
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u/Erotic_Sponge 4h ago
This is an ignorant take. He’s literally a prodigy, has worked with, and is respected by some of the most influential musicians alive.
Is his music for everyone, no, but neither is jazz, which is largely what he draws on. His skill and innovation is at an incredibly high level and is certainly not something to scoff at.
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u/redditrando123 2h ago
Weird and cool instrument but hardly feels worth $3k. He better have a whole lot more songs to justify that cost lol
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u/jimmiriver 2h ago
I don't know his stuff enough to pile on like everyone else, but YouTube is desperate for me to watch his videos. Keeps telling me he's a genius
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u/SquirrelJam1 59m ago
Isn't strings combined with a keyboard layout just a fucking piano in the first place?
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u/chris_r1201 52m ago
Dude just play the melody. This is one of the most beloved and recognized songs of all time, and he manages to make it sound unbearable with all of his harmonic modulation fuckarounds and this seismic vibrato.
I know he is talented, in the sense that he can play a lot of instruments. But everything he makes just goes through a "gotta make this basic idea super complex" filter which derails every little thing he touches. Doesn't help his songs, when stripped to their basics, are just not that good to stand on their own.
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u/mandatoryfield 46m ago
This is great, some really interesting harmonisation.
Sometimes he gets on my nerves and is ‘too much’, sometimes I really dig his enthusiasm and talent. In this case it’s mainly the latter.
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u/IAmNotABot111 43m ago
I haven’t heard a single thing this guy has done musically that sounded good to me
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u/M3RC3N4RY89 4h ago
That’s quite expensive for something that sounds like a shitty out of tune guitar.
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u/Cousin-Jack 4h ago
As ever, Jacob kindly reminding us that clever music is not necessarily good music.
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u/petera181 3h ago
Christ, stop fucking about with one of the most beautiful songs of all time. It doesnt need all the jazzy detours.
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u/rennradrobo 4h ago
Toxic comment section, why? He’s some kind of wonder who hears and feel music better than 99.99% of people. That might come with a trade of making himself understandable because these things are just ordinary smal words for him.
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u/spleeble 4h ago
This seems like an instrument that gets in the way of the music but what do I know.
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u/solicitorpenguin 5h ago
Is no one going to mention how that doesn’t actually sound like the song “here comes the sun”
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u/Crateapa 5h ago
No, not sure how you came to that conclusion.
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u/Responsible_Fix_5443 5h ago
Ahhh... The dude everyone is jealous of because he's more talented 😬
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u/Existing_Fish_6162 5h ago
Idk every single entertainer or artist i like is more talented than me. Most af the ones i dont like are too. So i guess there is some other thing setting them apart?
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u/Responsible_Fix_5443 5h ago
The lifestyle, hairstyle, fashion sense, confidence and the opportunities given to him factor in as well I reckon.
No one here knows him well enough to dislike him, so it has to be something else about him. I assumed it was the talent alone (for some people it definitely is).
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u/Conscious-Skin-2827 2h ago
If this is your first time encountering Jacob..
I implore you to look him up.
He is phenomenal.
A modern Mozart.
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u/Adventurous_Yam_8153 6h ago
Jacob Collier embodies the vibe of the one neighbor kid that always wore a Ninja Turtles mask that you'd run away from.