thehauntingsoul Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 I'm pretty ignorant of music theory in general, but I'm often struck by how distinct plaid's melodies sound. I figure that a lot of it has to do with the unconventional chord progression which does all sorts of cliffhanger and sour resolution work, but I feel like just their choice of notes in general is very indicative of their style. A couple tracks that particularly embody this sound: Zeal Thank At last Unbank Hawkmoth Los Dancers Modenet Is there a more specific way to describe their melodic tendencies in terms of music theory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignatius Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 no. no. it's just the Plaidness that makes it sound Plaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xox Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Wrong notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cern Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Snappy percussions and smooth melodies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayhook Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Gamelan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azatoth Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 I can't add anything but to say that yes, Plaid has a certain je ne sais quoi with their sound. I have the same with anything Trent Reznor produces. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neurone Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 27 minutes ago, azatoth said: Plaid has a certain je ne sais quoi with their sound 1 hour ago, ignatius said: Plaidness that makes it sound Plaid 1 hour ago, thehauntingsoul said: which does all sorts of cliffhanger and sour resolution work I agree with all of that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOS Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 I've had a quick look at some of them. Zeal is pretty much chromatic. In At Last, they are in the key of Eb minor { Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db } for the first 3 chords, but on the 4th chord Cb becomes C (so apparently we're in the key of Bb minor). Unbank is in E minor i.e. { E, F#, G, A, B, C, D }, so that one is more straightforward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exitonly Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 where’s whatshisface when you need him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyrofen Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 When I think of a "Plaid" melody, I think of "Tender Hooks" immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Key Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 Meandering, labyrinthine, only partially resolved, sometimes implied. Something exotic and alien in the scales. Then sometimes theyll do a massive obvious cheesefest like Dang Spot or Nightcrawler and it sounds just as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
President Squidward Posted November 19, 2022 Share Posted November 19, 2022 I wanna know how the fuck did they make E.M.R., aka their best melodic touches ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phudoshin Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 My least fave of the features artists - just generally a bit "plinky plonky" for me if that makes sense. If anyone has a megamix of them I'd be happy to dive in to be be converted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubin Farr Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 plaid + plone = plain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 11/17/2022 at 8:31 PM, Key said: Meandering, labyrinthine, only partially resolved, sometimes implied. Something exotic and alien in the scales. Then sometimes theyll do a massive obvious cheesefest like Dang Spot or Nightcrawler and it sounds just as good. I'm glad you get along with the cheesefests (I mean that genuinely!) but I just can't get along with most of those tracks. I don't understand their point in the albums, although I'm sure that's my issue. And this has nothing to do with elitism or anything, it's just that the actual magic of Plaid for this brain *is* those more fantastical, unpredictable (but still beautiful) harmonies and melodies. When they go straight it's just not that interesting sounding. And this is coming from someone who doesn't even need a melody at all! (if the rest of the tune has got enough cool noises / nice beats.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendly Stranger Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 11/28/2022 at 3:37 AM, phudoshin said: My least fave of the features artists - just generally a bit "plinky plonky" for me if that makes sense. If anyone has a megamix of them I'd be happy to dive in to be be converted Roel Funcken did a pretty damn good Plaid mix, it’s 3 hours long and runs through a wide spectrum of their sounds. Hope you become a bigger fan! https://on.soundcloud.com/NXkFDuvRbdkWFXZy6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 a while ago i was astonished to find this which is used in Tearisci (from Rest Proof Clockwork) so maybe it's fair to say there is a strong Erik Satie influence? 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Little Helper Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 (edited) Yeah, I thought there were more examples of them “borrowing” melodies from classical composers. I’m afraid I can’t name any at the moment. But it’s not the first time I was surprised how blatantly they lifted melodies from classical pieces. other than that, it’s also the types of sounds they’re using which make it typically plaid. Edited February 10, 2023 by Satans Little Helper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phudoshin Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 4 hours ago, Friendly Stranger said: Roel Funcken did a pretty damn good Plaid mix, it’s 3 hours long and runs through a wide spectrum of their sounds. Hope you become a bigger fan! https://on.soundcloud.com/NXkFDuvRbdkWFXZy6 cheers .. its going on the carousel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o00o Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 plaid needs time and a couple of listens from start to finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Ostanek Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 Don't they have an omnichord? To me it always sounded like they were button-bashing chord progressions without really knowing what they were doing. You'd get the same effect from letting a five year old poke at the bass side of an accordion 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 20 hours ago, Walter Ostanek said: Don't they have an omnichord? To me it always sounded like they were button-bashing chord progressions without really knowing what they were doing. You'd get the same effect from letting a five year old poke at the bass side of an accordion Is "knowing what you're doing" in this case using chord progressions that are more commonly used, or that more people agree is the "right" progression? It's weird to me when anything outside their approach is seen as "random" by classically trained friends. I like Plaid's unpredictable chord progressions, and they hardly sound random. (I have also seen kids piss around on instruments, never sounds like Plaid. I understand you meant the omnichord specifically and were sort of using metaphor, but still very much doubt there'd be an even passing resemblance.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubularCorporation Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Bagpipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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