Jacob Collier: Harmony Is a Production Decision

One subject, different levels of explanation

WIRED’s 2018 video follows Jacob Collier explaining harmony to people at different levels of musical experience, ending in a conversation with Herbie Hancock. It is a useful invitation to think about musical relationships before technical complexity. You do not have to master the entire discussion to make a meaningful change in your next session.

Work on the feeling with a deliberately plain sound

Our exercise uses a basic piano or another clear, unmodulated instrument. A lush preset can make almost any held chord feel finished. A plain sound makes it easier to hear which decisions belong to the notes themselves: the bass, the spacing, the movement of one voice, and the point of arrival.

Start with a melody you wrote. Hold the lead steady and try different supporting notes under it. Some combinations will feel settled and others unresolved. Neither is automatically the right answer. Ask whether this moment should sound like an opening, a question, a temporary pause, or an ending.

Try this: three versions, no new plugins

Make three short versions of the same four-bar idea. This is our production exercise rather than a set of Collier’s settings. Keep the tempo, lead sound, and lead notes identical.

• Version one: play simple triads with the root in the bass. Leave space below the lead.
• Version two: keep the same chord tones but use inversions. Move each supporting voice by a small distance when practical.
• Version three: change one bass note or one inner voice. Listen to how that change affects the next chord, not just the current one.
• Record all three at similar levels. Write one emotional description for each without using “better” or “worse.”
• Choose the version that matches the section’s purpose. Only then audition a more characterful instrument.

Complexity needs a place to live

A dense chord can be beautiful on its own and crowded beneath a busy lead. Thin the voicing, move a supporting part to another octave, or let a note arrive later. A simpler accompaniment may leave more space for the lyric or melody you want the listener to remember.

Treat theory as a way to name an audible choice, not a test you must pass before writing. If you like a transition, save it and identify what moved. If a sophisticated progression weakens the song, keep the simpler one. The exercise succeeds when you can repeat a deliberate effect rather than accidentally find it once.