Ghost Notes

Cory listened to 500 songs for a video about chord loops and Noah was generous enough to let them rant about the experience for a full hour.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah consider the surprisingly complicated impact of headphones on music culture, and the tectonic musical shifts that single piece of technology has left in its wake.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah consider the dueling myths of the starving artist and the sellout, ask where each one comes from, and explore the lessons each can teach us about what it means to be an artist.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah explore the complicated history of narcotics in popular music, how they've affected the creation of art, and the dangers of telling those stories incorrectly.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah discuss how the practice of music theory has been changed, for better and for worse, by the rise of social media in the modern age.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah discuss what it means for a song to tell a story, what makes musical stories different from other mediums, and examine many of their favorite story songs.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah take a broader view on the concept of rhythm, exploring this fundamental part of music from as many angles as they can think of.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah discuss how decades shape our understanding of musical movements, and how they shape those movements themselves.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah attempt to discuss the way modern music discourse is often so focused on making audiences angry, rather than informing them, but then we get sidetracked into discussing how modern media in general is being destroyed from within.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah reflect on their experiences with early rock & roll from their childhoods and reflect on what that trend says about both the music and the culture it grew out of.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah reflect on the trend of rockism, its influence on music culture, and the ways in which it misunderstands what rock is all about.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah consider invisible listening games, or the ways we structure our musical listening in order to get the most out of our experiences.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah consider the thorny question of what to do with art that you love made by people who've caused real harm.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://bsky.app/profile/polyphonic.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah discuss the complex history of song sequels and try to figure out why they don't happen that much.

Cory and Noah discuss the rich, complex music culture of Noah's home country of Canada, with a look at both how it differs from American music culture and some of the ways the two interact.

Cory and Noah discuss the surprising impact of music venues on the music played in them, and how those impacts have shaped musical movements throughout history.

Cory and Noah discuss their recent collaboration, where they both made videos about the same song, and look at how their different perspectives and processes created two completely different analyses.

Cory and Noah are joined by Nick from Mic The Snare to discuss the history, legacy, and practice of music piracy, all without confessing to anything.

Cory and Noah discuss the long-await conclusion of Cory's third-album experiment, including lessons learned and some of the unexpected highlights. (Plus why it took so much longer than expected...)

Cory and Noah discuss what makes the music of Christmas so unique, and how our relationships to it have changed over the years.

Cory and Noah are joined by Will from Maggie Mae Fish to discuss their fascination with noise music, as well as the broader concept of noise in music, and it only took us one try to record this episode.

Cory and Noah discuss what makes a guitar solo and what makes the guitar so perfect as a solo instrument in the first place.

Cory and Noah discuss the complicated world of genre revival scenes, from the folk revival of the '60s to the swing revival of the '90s to... well, to whatever's coming next.

Cory and Noah are joined by Boundo to discuss all the various ways that people discover new music, to consider the pros and cons of different approaches, and to ramble about why that's a good thing in the first place.Check out Ghost Notes on Nebula, where you can hear the new episodes a month early: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://bsky.app/profile/12tone.nebula.tvhttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://twitter.com/WatchPolyphonichttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonicIt's Boundohttps://www.youtube.com/@itsboundo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah explore the surprisingly rich history of music videos made before the MTV era and ask what a music video even is.

Cory and Noah dive into one of their favorite topics, the genre of Classic Rock, and ask what it means for rock to count as "classic" in the first place.

Cory and Noah are joined by Lydia Bangura of Her Music Academia to talk all about the complicated world of music academia and the strengths and weaknesses of moving those discussions to more public platforms. (like this one!)

Cory and Noah finally resolve their bitter dispute about the death of genre by diving deep into the question of what genres are actually for.

Cory and Noah discuss the cultural phenomenon of new album drops, the excitement of collectively experiencing a new work of art, and also get sidetracked about the new Billie Eilish album a bunch.

Cory and Noah are joined by Jessie Gender to talk about the complex process of scoring a film, drawing from Jessie's recent experience making her own directorial debut!

Cory and Noah talk about the effect album artwork has on the music it represents, as well as the role of packaging in the experience of art. Plus they list a bunch of cool album covers, so that's fun.

Cory and Noah talk about playing games with your listening habits, including Cory's recent experiment with only listening to third albums, and what you can gain from adding restrictions to your musical experiences.

Cory and Noah are joined by a mysterious author to announce a new and exciting book project about the history of American popular music.Check out Ghost Notes on Nebula, where you can hear the new episodes a month early: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://twitter.com/12tonevideoshttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://twitter.com/WatchPolyphonichttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonicBarnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/century-of-song-noah-lefevre/1145020557?ean=9798890031235 Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9798890031235 Indie Bound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/century-of-song-the-most-important-music-of-the-last-100-years-noah-lefevre/20973989?ean=9798890031235 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Song-Songs-Shaped-American/dp/B0CLTPTXZL/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GmfMOtSbXGWZg9SVsfLt4w.mdFf7ZOxmRWExprIn8biaM4Pj4BmcAyDtR1V0nBlcS8&qid=1710179613&sr=1-1 Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Century-Song-Important-Music-Years/dp/B0CLTPTXZL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32LY5YN8H5PR7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GmfMOtSbXGWZg9SVsfLt4w.ihn6fa-9IspGp5P71tClne1x_LJeD_WveU6zKCxXlOs&dib_tag=se&keywords=9798890031235&qid=1710179600&sprefix=9798890031235%2Caps%2C56&sr=8-1 Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Century-Song-Songs-Shaped-American/dp/B0CLTPTXZL/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GmfMOtSbXGWZg9SVsfLt4w.pUOO5G50oh-LnjBzcYZrMZ0V50y9HjwdLbxb8ALKmjY&qid=1710179587&sr=8-1 Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Century-Song/Noah-LeFevre/9798890031235?id=9047423686035 Books Inc.: https://www.booksinc.net/book/9798890031235 Chapters: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/century-of-song-the-most-important-music-of-the-last-100-years/9798890031235.html?searchType=products&searchTerm=noah%20lefev&relatedTerms=noah%20lefevre See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah explore the impact of our unprecedented access to music through filesharing and streaming services, and as whether having so much music available all the time might actually be a bad thing?

Cory and Noah discuss the practice of musical standards, what makes a standard different from a cover, why we don't see many new standards anymore, and why we probably should.Hear new episodes a month early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/ghost-notes12tonehttps://twitter.com/12tonevideoshttps://nebula.app/12tonehttps://www.youtube.com/c/12tonevideoshttps://www.patreon.com/12tonevideosPolyphonichttps://twitter.com/WatchPolyphonichttps://nebula.app/polyphonichttps://www.youtube.com/c/Polyphonichttps://www.patreon.com/polyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cory and Noah are joined by Tristan Johnson of Step Back to talk about the genre of Dungeon Synth, the value of microgenres, and the music's complicated origins.

Cory and Noah discuss Spotify Wrapped and the growing trend of datafication in music listening.

Cory and Noah discuss the idea of the greatest song ever, and the cultural significance of even asking that question in the first place.

Cory and Noah are joined by Mike Wuerth to discuss the cultures, stigmas, and opportunities surrounding modern recording technology.

Cory and Noah discuss tuning theory, just intonation, equal temperament, and what exactly makes different notes sound good or bad to different listeners.

Cory and Noah explore the similarities and differences between music and sports, to see what that analogy can teach us about both topics.

Cory and Noah are joined by Thomas Frank to discuss the age-old question of how to take good ideas and turn them into good songs.

Cory and Noah discuss how the art form of music videos can be utilized to its fullest potential, and why it so often isn't.

Cory and Noah celebrate 50 episodes by looking back at the last three years of conversations and reflecting on how their perspectives have changed over time.

Cory and Noah are joined by Maggie Mae Fish to discuss how artists grow and change as they move into their late careers, along with what a "late career" even means.

Cory and Noah discuss music copyright, why it's bad, and whether some version of it might actually be good?

Cory and Noah discuss the role of music criticism, explain why they're not huge fans of rating music, and explore what they look for instead when it comes to music journalism.

Cory and Noah are joined by Matt from Extra Credits to talk about the struggle of finding new music as you get older, and unpack the anxiety around appreciating music wrong.

Cory and Noah discuss what makes a great concept album, what it means to call something a concept album, and the difference between a concept and a theme.

Cory and Noah discuss the oft-repeated claim that music is "the universal language", ask to what extent that's actually true, and explore why so many music experts find this claim so frustrating.

Cory and Noah are joined by music educator Nate Holder to discuss the ways we teach children about music, the point of music education, and how we can maybe do things a little bit better.

Cory and Noah discuss instrumental music, the challenges it presents to the listener, and ways to enjoy and engage with music when there are no vocals.

Cory and Noah explore the benefits and drawbacks of different music listening technologies, from speakers systems to physical formats to streaming services.

Cory and Noah are joined by Lola Sebastian to discuss artist eras and the messy lenses we use to understand our favorite artists' lives.

Cory and Noah discuss the latest controversy in music theory twitter, the recent finding that songs don't change keys nearly as much as they used to. What does it mean, and does it mean anything?

Cory and Noah discuss the potential, as well as the risks, of the coming wave of AI systems built to generate their own music.

Cory and Noah are joined by Dr. Rohin Francis to discuss the possible biological origins of rhythm and why humans may have developed music in the first place.

Cory and Noah talk about the concept of deep cuts, the value of exploring an artist's whole discography, and how to share that experience with new fans.

Cory and Noah discuss the power of music to help people find and shape their identities, and how the process of finding yourself through music can be a great and meaningful experience but also one that can go very wrong.

Cory and Noah are joined by Aimee Nolte to discuss the difficulties of making and marketing music on a platform like YouTube, even as an established music analyst.

Cory and Noah take some time to reflect on two years of making Ghost Notes and answer a bunch of audience questions about music and life.

Cory and Noah discuss music notation, including questions about how it works, what it's for, and how various popular systems tend to come up short.

Cory and Noah are joined by Patrick Willems to discuss the lost art of the blockbuster tie-in single, the legacy of Will Smith, and why you should watch the video for Batdance.

Cory and Noah explore the reasons they spend so much time thinking about music, how they got to this point in their lives, and why they believe that understanding music matters.

Cory and Noah talk about children's music, the role it serves in musical cultures, and why there aren't very many critically acclaimed songs written for toddlers.

Cory and Noah are joined by comedy musician Scott Greenberg to discuss the difference between "art" and "content", and what that distinction can tell us about the things we make.

Cory and Noah discuss the complicated politics of musicians using their platforms for activism, as well as how artists and listeners can navigate those spaces successfully.

Cory and Noah discuss the ways we describe the music we love and what those descriptions tell us about the music itself.

Cory and Noah are joined by Foreign to discuss cultural appropriation, cultural conversation, and why those aren't the same thing.

Cory and Noah discuss whether there's such a thing as bad music, and what it would mean if there wasn't.

Cory and Noah talk about what makes a good live show, what makes a good live album, and how we're both too old to appreciate them anyway.

Cory and Noah are joined by Sarah Feldman to discuss authenticity, professional musicianship, and the craft of making music under capitalism.

Description: Cory and Noah discuss how the intersection of comedy and music, how the two can complement each other, and why musical comedians rarely get the respect they deserve.

Cory and Noah talk about artistic intent, when and why it matters, and what it's actually useful for.

LadyKnighttheBrave joins Cory and Noah to talk about one of her favorite art forms: Musical Theatre. Together, they explore what makes the medium so unique and discuss some of the wildest, most bizarre examples of the form.

Cory and Noah talk about music lists, canonization, and our collective fascination with determining the "best" music.

Cory and Noah talk about talking about music professionally, including the pitfalls and responsibilities of presenting oneself as an expert on music and the ethics of having an audience for your opinions.

Cory and Noah are joined by Alex the LowSpecGamer to talk about game music, the idiosyncrasies of the medium, and the difficulty of preserving a play experience through sound.

Cory and Noah talk about great singers, vocal technique, and the difference between the two.

Cory and Noah discuss the role of composition in music-making and whether or not it's really an important skill to have.

Noah and Cory talk with Alex from Technicality and Alex Goes Bananas to discuss his show, music and being in Gen Z.

Noah and Cory discuss the implications of finding some music unenjoyable and when and when not there are benefits to broadening your horizons with music you may not initially want find interesting or fun to listen to.

Cory and Noah discuss what you get from music school, whether it's worth it, and what to do if you decide it's not for you.

Cory and Noah are joined by Laura Crone to discuss what makes a film score "good" and why there should be a Starlight Express movie.

Cory and Noah discuss the development and theory of chord loops, and how these simple progressions have radically changed the world of music.

Most people can associate colors with songs and music in some way. Some songs just feel "red". What is the relationship of color and music like for the typically listener and for someone with synesthesia like Adam.

We've talked a lot about music on the podcast so far but what actually is music?

Do albums still have a place in a world of playlists and auto-generated mixes?

Cory and Noah discuss the different types of covers from good to bad to Limp Bizkit's Behind Blue Eyes to find out what artists do to make their covers interesting to the audience.

Noah and Cory discuss how artists use lyrics in their songs and how the removal of lyrics can even enhance the listening experience sometimes.

Cory and Noah discuss the myth of the lone genius and why it's a bad way to think about music.

Cory and Noah discuss the role of genre in musical analysis and why so many people seem to use it wrong.

In the first episode of Ghost Notes we discuss how we go about finding new music and touch on some recent controversies in the music academia and share some thoughts on music analysis.12tone: https://twitter.com/12tonevideosPolyphonic: https://twitter.com/WatchPolyphonic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ghost Notes is coming soon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.