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I want to see him use only major chords to make something sound spooky

I love the idea of an 11 year old going to Disney and being excited about the dissonant relationships in the melodies of the music in various attractions

Charles: "Let's choose some spooky songs..." Charles: *chooses Danny Elfman* Well, I mean, if you're gonna talk spooky you might as well start with the best.

I really have very little musical knowledge or ability. I watch because it's a joy to see how much passion Charles has in figuring out what's happening in a song and hear some stunning piano licks.

Honestly some of the most brilliant song writing. Just so many harmonic ideas that marry so well with each other.

This is the Danny Elfman style. I’ve been a fan of his since Spider-Man. I love the way he harmonizes.

Stuff like this is why I watch Tim Burton films. Not just the strange worlds, but the music Danny Elfman puts with those worlds that really makes each and every film a memorable experience.

I thought going by the thumbnail that the video would be about Tim Minchin's "F Sharp", which is both hilarious, actually scary, and musically absolutely astonishing if not nerve-wracking. That'd be an amazing one to pick apart - or anything by Tim for that matter. Dude is a magnificent musician.

Around 7:10 I heard "classically spooky" sound related back to the "Funeral March", but I also like how you brightened it up, added some hope, and made it the Avengers theme.

I remember reading somewhere that Danny Elfman just wrote what he thought sounded cool to him, not necessarily what would be considered “conventional” I suppose music composition wise, which makes me honestly love him more because that means this man has an amazing ear

The way this man processes music is fantastic. Like every time he’s like “WOAH” it just brings me so much joy

First, when Grim Grinning Ghosts switches to 3/4 you’re in the Ballroom scene. Second I’d love to see you talk about other Disneyland music specifically Michael Giacchino’s Space Mountain score, it’s amazing

At 7:03 the running gag of you finding the Avengers theme in EVERY breakdown is always freakin hilarious

In my choir class, we sang a (shortened) version of This is Halloween and (I kid you not) the composition put the entire thing in C major because the key changes were too much to even bother inserting.

Timbers gonna be shivered

Composer: We’re gonna play “This is Halloween” Band: ok what key is it in? Composer: Yes.

Also, the awesome chord shifts that you have in this score really comes from Danny elfman's training, and his lack thereof. He trained in music by traveling all around through Africa and Europe, but he has no formal training in that sort of music theory of Western academic music. Music. It serves to his benefit many times, especially since he's always had such a lock on for the macabre. Check out some of the music of Oingo Boingo, like Nasty Habits.

Lol This Is Halloween always gets me hyped now thanks to beta club. We played a medley with that song, What's This, Oogie Boogie Man, Sandy Claws, and Sally's Song, which was my first time performing rock and performing on an organ sound. Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Charles!

I know there’s a lot of great Halloween music, but a look at Vince Guaraldi’s music from the Peanuts Halloween special would be fantastic

That passage from minor to major that he talks about at 7:05 has massive The Batman vibes

07:05 I just hear the Chopin funeral march or whatever it’s called. I imagine that had a huge influence and might be the reason this chord relationship appears often in darker compositions.

Gollum’s Song (Emiliana Torrini). The chorus uses that “minor-chords a major third apart” device. Doug Adams book on that trilogy’s film scores is a great read!

Minors are indeed very spooky

Yah know it's reeeaaal good when someone says "WHOA" more than twice. Hahaha. Danny Elfman is the GOAT of amazing orchestrations and cool key changes in cool and kooky film music! Always loved his pieces and songs! 🔥🔥🔥

Some of the chords he played sounded very star wars villains and others were very batman. I love this channel.

I love how I went from understanding nothing but just loving the sheer passion in his voice, to starting to understand some of what he’s talking about and pick up on it in other music once I started taking theory and comp classes.. Like woah, now I want to be this passionate!

Please react to the Blade Runner soundtracks! Vangelis’ synth compositions are so beautiful and Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch managed to recapture that signature sound perfectly.

Charles, I’ve been following you for a long time. Just letting you know that you’re amazing. Keep doing what you’re going cause you’re making an impact in the musical community. We always learn a lot with you.

Ever listened to Patapon 1/2/3 music? That game series and it's music is a diamond in the rough (remasters are less so 'cause of some bugs, but still good). I think you might enjoy it. The music is also dynamic, with extra vocals and sounds playing in-game based on what the player does, and what song is playing. Each bit of music has a few stages. There's stage 0, 1, 2, then Fever Mode, and each point will change the music depending on how well the player keeps their beat. I recommend seeing the early gameplay of Patapon 2 for a bit of context, then listening to the Instrumental tracks especially Gyorogyoro, Acchichichi/ Hot Hot Hot (desert theme), Pokkurimakka (which a really good instrumental can be heard for Patapon 3, on a level (Evilmass of Adamance) which on Floor 1 and 2 fits really well with the traps), and last: Hey Whazzat (final boss of Patapon 2, who also acts with double speed, challenging the player's rhythmic mindset along with music that is so chaotic yet somehow melodic.) And if you're fine with spoilers, watch the boss fights of Patapon 2, and Patapon 3's Evilmass of Adamance level (Floor 1 and 2 only). You'll hear the dynamic aspects kick in, and it's great. Just one last thing to note: Videos with instrumentals and gameplay vary in quality. A range of "Instrumental" videos include the dynamic audio too, but that's not a good representation without gameplay with the dynamic audio. And gameplay can potentially be brute-forced, especially stunlocking Patapon 2's final boss or just nuking things so fast you don't get to listen to the music enough.

I learned Victor's Piano Solo from Corpse Bride by ear, and improvised an ending with arpeggios... Danny Elfman has such a different style! Great video as always!

12:25 - my wife and I spent LOTS of time at Disneyland when annual passports were more sanely priced. That scene is the child blowing out the candles when the ghosts appear and disappear during the party. Side note is the BTS videos on how they accomplished that so many years ago is pretty amazing!

The two chords in the thumbnail, transposed, are the main pulse of the Imperial March from Star Wars

Thanks I really needed to set the mood when my nemesis enters my lair while I play the organ in the shadows

its really cool that you can hear bits of sally's song inside this is Halloween showing the strong connection between her and the pumpkin king jack,

If I were to have this man’s level of musical understanding I would be simultaneously interested in all music and completely bored by it. Great video btw

Those three chords at 7:06 give me the chills.

God I love this channel. After watching literally every video you upload I find myself improvising for like 2 hours. So many ideas in such short videos. Keep it up!

Playing the “classically spooky” sound on piano makes it sound like i’m walking through a dark gothic mansion alone waiting for something to jump out at me. I think our mind makes up the context even without having been exposed to movies with that music in that context. That’s kind of just how music works in the brain. Just like certain chord progressions are inherently melancholy.

Analysis of Danny Elfman's key changes in Nightmare Before Christmas would be amazing! Charles got the i-iii, and there's some typical Disney key changes (just going up a half or whole step to keep the tune from getting stale), but linking those to ducting in the song (anticipation, payoff, misdirect) would be super interesting.

The little 'hehehehehe' grin when you connected the Avengers chord progression KILLED ME 🤣🤣💀

I feel like im hearing the Imperial March in those disney song chords. Thanks for a wonderful video, Chaz. I finally got my musical keyboard set up under my desk so i can get the feeners movin' while I watch ALL OF YOUR VIDEOS! Keep doing what you do. I love it.

I feel like, even if you didn't know the name or where it had been used, Danse Macarbe by Camille Saint-Saëns would still feel spooky to listen to.

The amount of ideas composers can get from almost any of your video's is absolutely crazy, but this one has topped it for me. Thank you for this!

I just think that it's fantastic that there's people that still haven't heard this song or just like any of the stuff he reacts to and it's fantastic to watch him discover it!

Chromatic thirds always work, unless you're in a band called Chicago. I'd love to see you analyse some Edward MacDowell. He did some great spooky pieces, sometimes for for hands, so you have the whole range of the piano.

Out of all the spooky songs, you picked my favorite movie, and I'm still amazed how you recognize the specific chords, keep it up, I love this.👍👋

7:08 The Avengers...nice

7:07 You know better than this, Charles. The Avengers theme on piano should always be preceded by a trigger warning, ever since Infinity War

I didn't even notice how harmonically complex "This is Halloween" is until you tried dissecting it. Holy crap!

06:45 I hear two thing here: one is the half-step transition of one of the notes, the other one is some kind of diminished flavour, kinda like the B chord in C major scale. So pretty much the two most dissonant combinations that introduce the most of uncomfortable tension.

I was literally playing around with this song in the whole month of october and now he makes a video about it! Amazing :D

3:08 fundamentally, this rift is very reminiscent of Holst's Neptune Suite. Obviously written before spooky music was associated with spooky films. I wonder if that type of music sounded spooky to those in the audience in the early 1900s.

As always, Charles delivers very informative content. The first time I listened to Elfman's "This is Halloween" instruments only with the intent of making a chord map, I just about had a heart attack. That song is all over the place. It's like trying to predict where a fly is going to land next! Excellent video, timely, and massively fun!

hey! I've had Killing Me Softly With His Song running through my head for like a week, and I don't have the music theory know how to decifer what's going on and why it's SO GOOD. Especially the chorus. That's the part that gets me. I would love to see a video on that someday!

I had that same Disney CD when I was a kid, so many classics

7:03 I thought you were going for the avengers them 😆😭

I am slowly learning musical terms and phrases for things for notes, and things that I missed out on in my piano lessons after I moved, and I could I never found another piano teacher never got back into it I suppose. So thank you for the knowledge.

Im self thought piano player and I hear music exactly like this man, finally I found somebody "insane" like me

The Rachmaninoff Prelude in G starp minor has that delightfully eerie g sharp to e minor and back again quite a lot throughout. The love theme from Flash Dance fades out with A minor to F sharp minor and back again.

Wow. That short footage of Disney's Haunted Mansion ghost ride came in as a real kicker. Haven't seen that since 1979 and the footage brought me right back.

I love this channel ❤. I kept wanting to sing the Imperial March from Star Wars when he describes the triad chords 😂. I’m trying to remember if it was this channel that had a video about the “Devil’s chord” that originated in various classical Dies Irae pieces, and now makes almost every movie more dramatic/spooky

As a massive WDW fan (especially the music in the parks), this is easily my favorite video of yours.

6:36, going from a minor up a major 3rd gives off ominous vibes in my ears.

It reminds me so much of the chord progression in Star Wars' imperial march

Obviously there were no moving pictures when Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and composers alike would write melodies that seemed spooky or mournfully haunting. So I do believe music gave us that feeling before film gave it context. Even before their time people wrote melodies from what they felt. Music is a feeling first, so it takes a feeling of dread or pain to then write a melody that would convey that same feeling to another person. Blues is a perfect example of that.

7:05 I understood that reference! :D

I think it’s because this type of music is both whimsical and poignant, which fits being spooky. It’s a festival for honouring the dead, so there’s both whimsy or a sense of celebration, but poignancy in reminiscing and honouring those who have passed.

Love seeing you analyze The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've watched the movie so many times and I love seeing it spelled out and seeing your reactions to everything that jumps out at you.

For a great example of spooky in a (mostly) major key, check out Lizst's Mephisto Waltz #1. Superb use of chromatics to produce a feeling of unease, madness, and malevolence. Cameron Carpenter's transcription for organ is a favorite.

6:15 The major third shift down to a major chord is the chord change associated with the traditional Funeral March.

I’m working on a piano concerto and I’m making it spooky, so this helped! Thanks!

I'm learning a lot about music theory through this channel, which is helping me out a lot as a newbie composer. Request - what makes things sound like winter? Not so much Christmas, but like January and February in Siberia or Greenland where you want to evoke a blistering chill and not so much festivities. I'm guessing minor chords, high pitched notes, echo-y reverb.

I am *this* close to buying your intro to piano course. Content is so good

I love your videos! Just seeing you fun with this.

I heard when the composer for 'Grim Grinning Ghosts' was working on it, he was constantly asked to make it sound more chaotic and cacophonic. He really struggled to do so, as he was a well trained musician and wanted to stay on key. I'm really happy with the result though. It's a classic.

7:03 😂 these changes just happen to come directly from the lord of the rings score 😍 when Gandalf comes back to helms deep … followed by the two cords of the fellowship motive 😋

Currently taking your intro to piano course and I love it!

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” has a cute story, but while it is original, I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking. The animation, however, is executed brilliantly. And the music is smart, and it’s full of gems like the bombastic key changes you point out here that make it a delight to listen to.

Love the spooky special !! If you’re looking for any anime OST’s to take a look at, I really think the 3rd Bleach OST is a wonderfully composed soundtrack. There’s tons of crazy piano solos and the way Shiro Sagisu uses strings and brass in combos is actually awesome. Keep up the awesome work !!

I love watching your videos. I get so many more ideas for improvisations

I really love this song from the movie so it's nice to see this!

I would love if you did a video on the music in My Neighbor Totoro like you did for Spirited Away. I love the music from that one as well. These videos are always so interesting!

😂 I always love how you always somehow find the avengers theme within other songs. Cracks me up every time.

man i love the sound of your piano i can listen to it forever

I love that you brought up the haunted mansion music, I love that ride and track

Man, I love your videos. I always feel like I not only had fun, but that I learned something cool too. Any chance you'd take on a student who's a guitarist?

Just purchased the ultimate bundle last night! Let the grinding begin

Thanks for making me hear the Chopin funeral march in the Marvel theme. That's not leaving my head radio anytime soon

jason becker used this change during the first sweep solo on perpetual burn! really really cool way to make a haunting climax

Chopin’s Funeral March, the original spooky piece.

this is actually used in Bury The Light's chorus and it gives it a really dark feeling

Chromatic mediants is used a lot in film . You can pick any major or minor chord then go up or down 3 or 4 half steps and play that chord major or minor you can keep going until you have all the chords you want

Hey Charles love what you do :) Could you make a video about Anomalie - Velours ? Love the harmonies and rhytmic in it, blows my mind. Thanks

Just wanted to say your hair looks fantastic like this! Thanks for the video!

You could complete the cycle going F#m Dm A#m and then back to the start. And if you play with the maj7 and the aug4 youll be spookily delighted

Make a video about music celeste plsssss. I love the music in that game. Also dont forget Farewell. Some of my favourite tracks come from there.

6:36 Sinester, You're Welcome

That piano in the background is beautiful

I love your vids man keep it up