u/JJHH50

My favorite band is Tool, and I never was a big music theory guy but they’ve definitely spearheaded that as an interest for me.

One thing that I love they do, and specifically for the vocalist Maynard James Keenan, is using unexpected notes to “clash”, or go against the tuning.

You develop a sense of the tuning as you listen throughout the song, which for Tool usually sounds rather haunting and melancholic, and then there’s that one note that seemingly wouldn’t fit but it does, in uplifting sort of way. I don’t know what you would call this in music theory?

Examples in songs are:

The Patient, line starting at 4:02-4:14 when Maynard says “by now”

Jambi, line starting at 3:36-3:45 when Maynard says “gone”

Right in Two, line starting at 2:38-2:50 when Maynard is elongating the “twooooo” and he’s playing around with the notes

Pushit, line starting at 6:17-6:30 when Maynard elongates the word “again”, but this time, Adam and Justin join Maynard’s tonal shift instead of staying with the initial tuning like the other examples.

They also have more examples I have heard, but these were the most obvious examples I have heard.

We all know it’s great live. Danny likes to change it up with different synth rhythms and freestyles, but what is everyone’s reaction to the track when listening to the album going on 7 years later? Stay to listen or is it a skip nowadays?

As a drummer, I absolutely love it every time it comes on. I love listening to Danny’s flow on the kit. But I know for a lot of others, the synth track might be a bit jarring and there’s overall not a whole lot to the track other than just the same Danny drum solo they’ve heard a thousand times over since it can’t be changed like a live show.

I have generally fared well with counting most Tool songs after a couple of listens but one part that’s always stumped me was Eulogy from 5:05-5:18 after Maynard says “nine-one-two” before it goes into the little drum roll leading into the next part where he’s whispering. Does anyone know?