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33 - Hope Leaves (Opeth) · Barracuda Breakdowns

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, we're gonna dive into some Opath.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: Here's Hopelie off the Damnation album.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, Stephen Wilson produced it, Stephen Wilson from Borg Pine Tree.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I just read that Mikhail Ackerfeld, the From Man of OPED, his grandmother died during the recording of Deliverance and Damnation.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: So he dedicated both of these albums to her.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I bring that up because there's so much added in this song.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: And it's called Hope Leaves, right?
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um let's get into it.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a lot to say about it.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's pretty much like three intersections and they're all just so beautiful, and that's like why I chose to break this one down.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's on capo two, right?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just gonna label everything like E minor, A minor.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: The song is in A minor.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually in B minor because of Kot 2, but I'm just gonna call it A minor to keep things simple.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: And the riff, the sound of it, look.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, it kind of has like a radio-y kind of effect to it.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm getting this sound, which is similar to the original, by a little bit of reaver, but I'm doing a high pass and a low pass filter.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: So the high pass kills the lows so that the high frequencies pass up, right?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then a low pass kills the highs so that the low frequencies shine more.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm doing both of them, and then when you do both of them, it kind of if you really accentuate it, it sounds like a telephone kind of effect.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like moderately accentuating it, nothing too crazy.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Killing lows, killing highs, letting the mids cut through.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how you get that kind of radio effect.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: I also have a sansamp plug-in, which is uh kind of like a little bit of saturation, a little bit of distortion.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Such a gorgeous riff.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: This is uh section one, right?
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: We'll call it section A or section one.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the way I'm playing it is 5x550.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's like the main pattern, and then the bass goes and then everything else repeats.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then what's going on if we were to just simplify it?
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're doing A minor, but it's like A minor seven.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually A minor nine because it has the which is the major ninth or the major second.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: The major ninth is just an octave up.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like an A minor seven chord with the added nine, so it becomes A minor nine.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then so that that's very important.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's like the other chord here.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's essentially just A minor to F, which has the G as the gap.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like it like bridges the G kind of bridges both chords.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like A G E F G A F.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it's pretty much A minor to F, right?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: The G and the and that quick E are just acting as like a bridge.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: And anytime you go from A minor to the six, which is F, it just sounds like deep and dark.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: I talk about this chord all the time, and so many of my favorite songs, so many of your favorite songs have the six in it.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's a very I I always describe it as deep, dark, it's very emotional, right?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Look how different it sounds if you just do A minor to G.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's very different than that's the sixth chord, okay, in the key of A minor, the sixth chord.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: F.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now this song, section one really relies on this chord progression, and Mikhail's vocal melody corner beside a window.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: He's just outlining the key of A minor, um, but it's just so beautiful, right?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: And the corner beside my window hangs a lonely full ground.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: There is no reason I never notice memory that could hold me back.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: I watched here be here comes section B, okay.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Section two.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: He does like this is Opeth right here, okay.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Oh like that is Opeth, and that's what he does.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, apparently I've heard comments in my Harvest video that Mikhail doesn't like know a lot about like formal music theory, like education.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: He's not formally educated on music theory, rather.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he just kind of explores things with with his fingers and his chords, right?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I could see that.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look at this chord is insane.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like those chords are insane, but what you have to know is that in the key of A minor, he's playing F sharp, which is the major six.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't belong in the key of A minor, but not only that, he makes it a crazy chord.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's like F sharp, right?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Sus, suspended, with the flat five.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: The flat five is like kind of devilish, it has a tritone in it, right?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like look at that.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then we go down to F, which is the six, right?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: But he does a crazy chord.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's like F major seven with a flat five or a sharp eleven, they're like the same thing essentially.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is like the most opet section.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Pretty much every OPET song has stuff like this, just like outlandish dissonant chords.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: But it's right after that beautiful A section, right?
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: So one more time it's like memory that could hold me back.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: And then there is a wound that's always bleeding.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: There is a room that's always walking, and I know.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I love that he's saying there is a wound that's always bleeding, right?
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: There is a road I'm always walking.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's very tense in this moment.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: I mean like it's like falling down.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's like devilish raindrops, right?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: There is a wound that's always bleeding.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's just saying bleeding, it's just like falling down.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: There is a room I'm always walking.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now we're gonna break out of this tension, right?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: Watch, it's so beautiful.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I know you'll never return to this place.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: This riff is insane.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: This song has always stuck with me in the Damn Nation album.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: I remember when I as I was listening to this album for the first time, I was like, yeah, this song really sticks out as being so beautiful.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love the mix, like the reverb on his voice, his vocal performance is like insane, right?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's so well delivered.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I love the tone of the electric guitar.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I love the bass too.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, we'll talk about that.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: But the way he gets out of this progression.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Watch.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: And then so now he doesn't do the F sharp anymore, he goes F G, which is like makes a lot of sense to the return to A.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So just like the A section, the first section one, right?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's an A minor, and then section B, the that's like revolves around like a weird F sharp chord and then F.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: Now when we get out of it, we go F G A.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like is outlining the key of A minor.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: In a very like clever, like just beautiful way.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's just one, two, three, four, five, seven.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's just the A minor scale right there.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it this is the chorus, and it's lyricless, right?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: He just he just like fades into it.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: You'll never return to this place.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now watch this.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Right here.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: That only happens once that transition.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: He goes.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so he's just doing the power chords F, G, and then right here.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's the flat second.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: He's outlining B flat.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: He's outlining B flat.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a Phrygian move.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Phrygian is a minor mode often used in like flamenco music.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's I just love the timing.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: And then the Lee guitar joins in, it's like And then the bass joins watch.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: And as he does that, like he goes, Oh man.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then the drums.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's such like a vibe, it's such like a great groove, nice and clean groove.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And this might be my favorite verse.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: I just love watching this.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: He goes, On for days without talking.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: There is a comfort and silence.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh man.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: There is a comfort and silence.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's so sad.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: Man, this this was my favorite part growing up.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: So used to lose.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: Right here.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: Whole ambition.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like the way he says it, it sounds like he says haul, but he's he's saying so used to losing all ambition.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: But he's like, whole ambition.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Beautiful words.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: It just like sounds really nice with the melody, and his voice and the mix, like the reverb on it is great.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: Struggling to maintain what's left.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then back to the troubling chord, super tense B section.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_02: There is a one that's always playing.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: There is a road I'm always walking.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: But I know you'll never return to this place.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: And he doesn't do the He doesn't do that, right?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: He goes.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: And then it falls into That's so nice.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's like open 225.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then we do like the flat five.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Or the sharp 11, whatever you want to call it, like raise fourth or flatten fifth.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Really?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like OPETH, right?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Look at this.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: This is OPETH, just dissonance, beautiful dissonance, and then love that.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think he does that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: He goes.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's like two, two on the D and G and then two open open.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Starting on the A, and then that's the six chord, right?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: It like catches you.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: Up to the G.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like beautiful movement.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're late.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like we're like A.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So we're like A leading to the F, the six, and then the seven chord.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: And here's the five chord, but like first inversion, like the third is on the bottom.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: Look at that.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: And beautiful.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I love this.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: I love.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: He lets all those notes ring.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think they like tur slowly turn like that amp feedback.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of feedback.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's like ringing notes.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's so beautiful.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a thick condensed cloud.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's like.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, listen to that moment.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like the the the tom fill.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: The moment going into this final verse is beautiful.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: Once and done.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: I always thought he said once I'm done, but he says once undone.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: Once and done.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: There's only smoke burning in my eyes to blow to cover up.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: What really happened?
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: Right here.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: Force the darkness unto me.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Right here.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: There is a road that's always bleathing.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: There is a road I'm always walking.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I know you'll never return to this place.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: The gates are opening.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: So just to recap, there's essentially three sections.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: The first section is right.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Pretty much A minor to F.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Again, I'm on Cape O two, so it's actually B minor to G.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: But A minor to F, the minor one to the seven, and then the next section, we got this crazy F sharp chord.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's just the it's just F sharp O peth, is what it is.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then and then F G.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like an interesting chord, right?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's like with the add nine, suspended nine, I guess, suspended two.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then the C section, the third section is that like it's so beautiful it didn't need the vocals over it, right?
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: Just please.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Serene.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's so gorgeous.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you enjoyed that, guys.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always happy to break down some mo path.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: If you'd like some free ear training, check out my audio practice guide.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's at learn.dambericuda.comslash practice.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're interested in working with me on a production level to bring your songs to life and work with me to really craft out your sound, check out learn.dambaricuda.comslash own your sound.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Really appreciate you tuning into Barracuda Breakdowns, and I'll see you in the next episode.