What Is Wrong With Everyone?

Rick Beato
18 Apr 202405:55

TLDRIn the video, the speaker recounts a series of incidents highlighting a common misunderstanding about musical tuning among his family and friends. Starting with his son Dylan's guitar going out of tune, he realizes that many people around him, including his wife and sisters, cannot discern when an instrument is out of tune, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the song. This confusion extends to the concept of being 'in tune with itself' versus matching a standard pitch. The speaker expresses his bafflement and frustration over this apparent lack of musical sensitivity, which he suspects is influenced by the prevalence of auto-tuned music and digitally corrected rhythms in contemporary music. He invites viewers to share their thoughts on whether they can perceive tuning discrepancies in music.

Takeaways

  • 🎶 The speaker discovered that their turntable was running sharp 9 years ago while playing a song with Dylan, leading to a realization about pitch accuracy.
  • 👂 Dylan, who had never heard the song before, was unaware of the turntable being out of tune, suggesting a lack of familiarity with the song's correct pitch.
  • 🤔 The speaker pondered whether Dylan's perception of pitch might be skewed due to exposure to songs that are not in standard tuning or are altered in speed.
  • 🎸 During a guitar practice session, Dylan's guitar string went out of tune, but the speaker's wife couldn't identify it as out of tune without knowing the song.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker's attempt to explain the concept of being in tune with oneself, rather than the song, was met with confusion from both his wife and sisters.
  • 📈 The use of autotune and digital quantization has led to a general expectation that music should be perfectly in tune, affecting how people perceive pitch.
  • 👧 The speaker's daughter, Laya, also couldn't discern the out-of-tune guitar string, reflecting a potential generational shift in musical perception.
  • 🎵 The concept of being 'in tune' can refer to matching a standard pitch, aligning with other instruments, or the instrument being in tune with itself.
  • 🔄 Some songs require retuning of instruments to match the altered pitch caused by changes in recording speed.
  • 🤷‍♂️ The speaker expresses frustration and confusion over the lack of understanding regarding musical tuning among those around him.
  • 📺 The speaker questions his sanity and seeks validation and thoughts from his audience on the matter of musical tuning and perception.

Q & A

  • What was the incident that made the narrator realize his turntable was running sharp?

    -The narrator was playing a song on his turntable and simultaneously playing the note D on the piano. The mismatch in pitch between the piano and the turntable made him realize that the turntable was running sharp.

  • Why did the narrator initially think his son Dylan might not notice the turntable being out of tune?

    -The narrator thought Dylan might not notice because he had never heard the song before and might be used to hearing songs that are sped up, slowed down, or not quite in pitch due to various factors in the music industry.

  • What was the situation with Dylan's guitar before his concert?

    -Dylan was practicing his guitar for a concert when a string slipped out of tune. The narrator pointed out the out-of-tune string to his wife, but she didn't understand what 'out of tune' meant without knowing the song.

  • How did the narrator demonstrate to his wife that the guitar string was out of tune?

    -The narrator used a tuner to show his wife that the low E string was in tune (indicated by a green light), while the A string was flat (indicated by a red light to the left). After adjusting the A string, it too lit up the green light, signifying it was now in tune.

  • What was the narrator's reaction when his sisters didn't understand the concept of a guitar being out of tune with itself?

    -The narrator was confused and surprised, as he believed the concept of being in tune or out of tune with oneself should be a universal understanding, regardless of familiarity with a particular song.

  • How did the narrator's daughter Leila respond when asked about Dylan's guitar being out of tune?

    -Leila also didn't understand the concept of the guitar being out of tune with itself, suggesting that it's common for songs to be tuned differently, such as 'Hard-Shaped Box' being tuned down a half step.

  • What does the narrator think about people's perception of being in tune due to autotune?

    -The narrator believes that people have become so accustomed to autotune that they are hyper-sensitive to anything that sounds out of tune. This has led to an expectation that everything should be perfectly in tune, which can make natural human elements in music seem off to listeners.

  • Why does the narrator think modern music might sound weird to some people when it's not quantized or using a click track?

    -The narrator suggests that because many songs today are programmed or quantized to a grid, listeners have become accustomed to a rigid, machine-like rhythm. When they hear music with a more human feel or slight imperfections, it can sound strange or off-putting to them.

  • What does the narrator conclude about his own understanding of being in tune or out of tune?

    -The narrator concludes that he may be in the minority in his understanding of musical tuning. He expresses a sense of confusion and a feeling of being 'crazy' because his perception of what constitutes being in tune or out of tune seems to differ from those around him.

  • What is the narrator's final call to action for his audience?

    -The narrator invites his audience to share their thoughts and opinions on the matter, asking them to leave a comment and subscribe to continue the discussion on the topic of musical tuning and perception.

  • Why does the narrator believe that some songs require retuning of the guitar to play along?

    -The narrator explains that certain songs, such as those by Van Halen, Jimmy Hendrick, or the Beatles, may have been recorded with the tape sped up or slowed down, which changes the pitch. To play along with these songs, one would need to retune their guitar to match the altered pitch.

  • How does the narrator describe the relationship between being 'in tune' and the standard of pitch?

    -The narrator describes being 'in tune' as being related to a standard of pitch. If a musical piece or instrument is not aligned with this standard, it is considered 'out of tune'. This standard can vary, especially when playing along with songs that have non-standard tunings.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 The Discovery of a Turntable's Pitch Issue 🎵

The speaker recounts an incident from nine years ago involving their son Dylan and a turntable. While playing a song, they noticed the turntable was running too fast, causing the music to be out of tune. The speaker reflects on how Dylan, never having heard the song before, might not recognize the turntable's pitch issue. The narrative continues with a recent event where Dylan's guitar string went out of tune during practice. The speaker's wife, unfamiliar with the song, couldn't identify the out-of-tune sound. This leads to a discussion about the concept of being 'in tune' and 'out of tune' with oneself or with other instruments, and the speaker's realization that not everyone understands these terms. The speaker also touches on the impact of autotune and how it has made people more sensitive to perfect pitch.

05:01

🤔 The Impact of Autotune and Quantization on Music Perception 🤔

The speaker expresses concern over the modern listener's perception of music due to the prevalence of autotune and quantization. They note that listeners have become so accustomed to perfectly tuned music that any deviation, such as a bluesy note or a human-like rhythm, sounds strange to them. The speaker questions whether they are alone in their observations and invites viewers to share their thoughts and opinions on the matter. They encourage viewers to comment and subscribe for further discussion.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Out Of Tune

The term 'Out Of Tune' refers to an instrument or voice that does not conform to the correct pitch according to a musical standard. In the context of the video, the narrator is perplexed by his family's inability to recognize when a guitar string is out of tune, even when it does not match the other strings on the instrument. This concept is central to the narrator’s frustration, as he believes that recognizing something is 'Out Of Tune' should be obvious whether one knows the song or not.

💡Pitch

Pitch in music refers to the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone. In the video, the narrator describes his discovery that his turntable was playing music at a higher pitch than standard, which leads to his realization about different perceptions of musical pitch.

💡Turntable

A turntable is a device for playing vinyl records. It is mentioned in the video when the narrator discovers his turntable is running fast, affecting the pitch of the music. This incident sparks his reflections on how accurately people perceive musical pitch.

💡Tuning

Tuning is the process of adjusting the pitch of one or many tones from musical instruments to establish typical intervals between these tones. The video frequently references tuning, particularly when the narrator tries to explain to his family how a guitar can be out of tune with itself by showing the difference in pitch between strings.

💡Power Chords

Power chords are simplified chords in rock and pop music that consist of the root note and the fifth. In the video, the narrator uses power chords to demonstrate to his wife how a guitar sounds when it is properly tuned versus when it is out of tune.

💡Autotune

Autotune is a software tool that corrects pitch and helps vocal and instrumental performances to be perfectly tuned. The narrator discusses autotune to express a broader point about contemporary music listeners being accustomed to perfectly tuned music, which contrasts with his family's apparent inability to detect out-of-tune instruments.

💡Standard Pitch

Standard pitch is a reference pitch to which a group of musical instruments are tuned for a performance. Standard pitch is a recurring theme in the video as the narrator deals with issues of instruments not aligning to this standard and how it impacts the perception of music.

💡Quantize

Quantizing in music production is the process of aligning notes to a strict timing grid, which can make performances sound perfectly timed. The narrator touches upon this concept when discussing modern music production techniques that make music sound more mechanical but consistently in time.

💡Human Feel

Human feel in music refers to the slight imperfections and timing variances that occur when music is played without mechanical aid. The narrator contrasts this with quantized music, highlighting how these human elements are becoming less familiar to listeners used to digitally perfected tunes.

💡Pitch Standard

Pitch standard is the conventionally agreed upon frequency of a note, typically the A above middle C, set at 440 Hz. This standard is crucial for musicians as a reference point. The narrator’s story about tuning issues reflects the conflicts between varying pitch standards and individual perceptions of sound.

Highlights

The speaker discovered their turntable was running sharp after playing a song for their son, Dylan.

Dylan, having never heard the song before, was unable to notice the turntable was out of tune.

The realization that people may not recognize when music is out of tune unless they are familiar with the song.

The speaker's wife also couldn't identify the guitar being out of tune during Dylan's practice.

The concept that being 'in tune' can be relative to the song itself or to a standard pitch.

The use of a tuner to demonstrate to the wife how the guitar string went from being flat to in tune.

The speaker's sisters also lacked the ability to discern the guitar being out of tune without knowing the song.

The idea that people might not understand the difference between 'in tune' and 'out of tune'.

The impact of autotune on listeners' expectations of pitch perfection in music.

The observation that modern music production often uses quantization, making human imperfections seem out of place.

The speaker's daughter, Laya, also couldn't identify the out-of-tune guitar without knowing the song.

The notion that the ability to recognize if something is out of tune might be less common due to the prevalence of autotuned music.

The speaker's confusion and questioning of whether they are the one who is 'crazy' for expecting others to understand tuning.

The importance of retuning instruments to match the pitch of songs that have been altered in speed.

The speaker's call for audience opinions on the topic and an invitation to comment and subscribe.

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