Understanding Chop Suey!

Support the National Bail Fund Network: secure.actblue.com/donate/bailfundscovid BLM resources: blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ Music Theory's White Racial Frame: musictheoryswhiteracialframe.wordpress.com/ Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) I'm sure I'm gonna get some folks mad at me for "getting political", so if that's you… sorry. I guess. Here's the thing, though: I don't view the question "Should black people in America be killed for no reason during routine interactions with people sworn to serve and protect them?" as having more than one valid answer. If that bothers you, maybe it's worth asking why. What part of that statement feels incorrect? It's a hard thing to sit with, and I understand the knee-jerk reaction to push back, but try to push past that and ask yourself why it's so important to you that I'm wrong here. Trust me, it's worth it. 2) Yeah, I decided to switch to using real stems for this 'cause it turned out to be basically impossible to make those chord trills sound decent in MIDI. I may do it again, I may not: This one got an automatic copyright claim from a company I've never had to deal with before, so we'll see how that plays out. I do think it's a quality improvement, but is it worth the hassle? Dunno. We'll see how I feel next time. 3) To be a bit more precise on the high guitar strum in the intro, I slowed it down and counted it out and I'm pretty sure it's roughly playing an 21:16 polyrhythm against the main tempo. (Triplets are a 24:16 polyrhythm, which is why they sound close to but not quite correct.) I didn't really get into the specifics in the video, though, because at that speed I don't think it comes across as polyrhythmic. It just feels generically fast. 4) I should note that the bIII chord is actually somewhat complicated functionally: It can be tonic or subdominant, depending on usage. Here, I think it's better viewed through a tonic lens, but I wanted to acknowledge the ambiguity somewhere. 5) Seriously, please donate to the national bail fund or other anti-racist organizations if you can. Speaking up helps, but in order to sustain a movement you need resources.

'when death is unjust anger and sorrow are both valid responses' Well that's worryingly timely

"Sloppy doesn't mean bad, you just need to know how to use it" words to live by!

"Never met a metalhead that doesn't like System Of A Down" Truth!

"The song starts like this" acoustic strumming Me: NO IT'S "we're rolling suicide"

12 Tone: Why did they do this? Me: THEY WANTED TO! 12 Tone: Short answer is because they can. Me: awwww.....

This song was originally titled “Suicide”, but the band was forced to change the title by the recording company, so they used the cheeky title “Chop Suey!”. Right at the start you can hear Serj saying “we’re rolling Suicide”.

I have never understood what this song was about until this breakdown. When you pointed out the bass that represents death followed us throughout the entire song it did something to me and I couldn't stop crying. Thank you for sharing this with us.

"...the most beloved metal bands of the last thirty years." Me like, wtf am I doing with my life 1990 is 30 frickin years ago!

The bassline's like, "Guys, where are you going?"

I'd love to see a breakdown of B.Y.O.B - because that song goes alllllll over the place, haha

Now I understand why the "why have you forsaken us" part is so powerful. Of course the vocal delivery is one of the best from Tankian but it also feels like home, like the final resting place. A great example why I love Bass. It's so subtle most of the time, like foreshadowing in movies and then has a big payoff like in the song. Great stuff!

Everyone talking about his fingernails but no one talking about how he holds his pen. His thumb isn’t even touching it. How?!?

Every time I watch a 12 Tone vid, I have to go immediately listen to the song, to appreciate it with my newfound wisdom

"Battalions of riot police with rubber bullet kisses, baton courtesy, service with a smile." From "Deer Dance," about police brutality against peaceful protests, only 3 songs before Chop Suey in the album Toxicity, 2002.

0/10 not a single Wake up or Table joke

Bruh when the bass part payed off my brain literally melted that's so ingenious

I think it’s important to note that he’s not just “screaming bible verses.” He’s quoting some of the Bible’s account of what Jesus said on the cross. This fits perfectly to the song and it’s message because Jesus said what he said because he had to come to terms with his own forthcoming death, as we all do

Your midi guitar sounds have gotten a lot better!!! It felt almost like i was listening to stems from the recording!

“Father, into your hands, I condemn my spirit. Father, into your hands, why have you forsaken me?” Dang this song is hella powerful, especially now.