A channel to explore creative, practical, and fun music theory.
I am a theorist, composer, organist, drummer based in New York, with a Ph.D in music theory. I believe that animation and virtual orchestration software have extraordinary potential to enhance music pedagogy.
Making high quality videos is often very labor intensive, and, as a result, new uploads are not always so frequent.
Get more educational content (such as my post-tonal ear training materials, polyrhythm bundle, and tutorial on animating a score video) through the Patreon shop and help support my vision to make music theory more inspiring and accessible.
For professional inquiries, please use the contact info on my personal website or DM me on Instagram.
Please note that I am not interested in being sponsored by an AI music company.
Galen DeGraf
I got tired of the constant influx of email requests for sponsorships... If you're a human that is NOT trying to get a sponsored segment about your new AI music app or hair loss treatment (that one actually happened despite me being a faceless music theory channel run by someone who isn't bald!), you can still get in touch via the contact link on my personal website www.galendegraf.com or by Instagram DM.
(However, I've taken down the email link in my youTube channel description.)
Happy summer! Stay tuned for ear training on the channel.
-Galen
1 week ago | [YT] | 22
View 1 reply
Galen DeGraf
I'm working on a huge ear training project and not sure how long until some of that will show up on the channel. It's a lot of work, so please be patient. I want my content to be high quality and that means less often. In the meantime, I recommend watching some of my videos which were buried by the algorithm if you haven't already, such as:
"Interstellar voice leading, Heartbeats Between Stars" https://youtu.be/j1UbPAJeEzE
"How to add to music by taking away from it" https://youtu.be/Pzs8DuGx68E
As always, thank you to all the supporters on Patreon, whether you're a monthly member to get free access to a lot of stuff, or a shopper who picked up my tutorial on score videos, the polyrhythm bundle, or the post-tonal ear training bundle. I appreciate you all!
(Photo of me as a kid for the algorithm.)
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 21
View 0 replies
Galen DeGraf
When it comes to ear training pedagogy, what do you wish you had more of?
(Spoiler alert: I'm already working on all of these.)
1 month ago | [YT] | 6
View 6 replies
Galen DeGraf
Up next on the channel!
April 1st:
A modest traunch of fun, currently unlisted videos being set to public (probably for a limited time)
Longform topics on the horizon (release order TBD)
Theory pedagogy
Modulation techniques
Harmonic progressions
South Indian solkattu and rhythmic theory
Ear training
(Please be patient, animation takes me a while.)
1 month ago | [YT] | 19
View 3 replies
Galen DeGraf
New video is out!
Also, I'm currently putting together my music theory for film scoring materials from years of teaching into organized modules. A little of that will make its way onto this channel, but most will be hosted outside of youTube.
If you want any updates when it's available, head over to www.galendegraf.com and sign up for my mailing list. My mailing list boasts the world record for least frequent messages as it currently has existed for years with a total of ZERO emails sent.
P. S. Might make some of my unlisted videos public for April Fools, but not sure yet...
2 months ago | [YT] | 15
View 0 replies
Galen DeGraf
For my video on Ludwig Göransson's score to Oppenheimer, I created a custom hexatonic grid notation so that you can literally see the beautiful non-heptatonic pattern he composed into "Can You Hear the Music?" You can access that video through Patreon right now www.patreon.com/c/GalenDeGraf while it undergoes copyright review.
Can't say how long that process will take, given the rights holder I'm dealing with though! Will release the video here if/once that all clears.
2 months ago | [YT] | 32
View 0 replies
Galen DeGraf
PSA TO ANYONE WHO LIKES MY FILM MUSIC ANALYSIS VIDS
If you haven't seen Oppenheimer yet, the time is now. (Or at least somewhat soon.)
2 months ago | [YT] | 22
View 0 replies
Galen DeGraf
New video is out!
Incredibly, this one actually passed content ID checks upon upload. I cannot remember the last time one of my videos over 10 minutes did that.
Future video topics in the works on the channel:
1.) Music pedagogy
2.) Ludwig Goransson
2 months ago | [YT] | 44
View 3 replies
Galen DeGraf
I'm concurrently working on 4-5 videos for the channel. Which of their topics do you expect to be most interested in?
(Eventually I want to do a South Indian rhythm video, but it isn't in this batch.)
4 months ago | [YT] | 11
View 0 replies
Galen DeGraf
Income from Patreon goes back into channel costs (hardware, software, paying musicians/other helpers, image license fees, purchase of fonts, etc.) and is essential because I try to turn down ad plays on videos where I can (although this isn't possible on some videos with copyright claims).
If you want to support content here, the best way is to become a monthly member on Patreon or buy something in the shop there. I've got worksheets, exercises, ear training modules, tech tutorials, and sheet music.
www.patreon.com/c/GalenDeGraf
If you've actually read this post all the way until the end, that should be rewarded too, so please use code INTHEORY to get 50% off anything in the shop. Code expires one week from making this post.
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy end of semester and holiday season!
-Galen
5 months ago | [YT] | 15
View 1 reply
Load more