Music can be found in everything—every passing car, every shattering glass, and every noise uttered by human or animal. That's the lesson to be learned from Publio Delgado’s YouTube channel.
Delgado is a 33-year-old Spanish guitarist best known for what he calls “harmonizators.” Basically, he takes a viral video like David After Dentist or Jones’ Big Ass Truck Rental and Storage, composes a melody line that matches the pitch of the audio, then layers a series of complex jazz chords that complements the melody and suits the video’s mood.
These harmonizators recall the late-’00s autotuned classic “Bed Intruder,” and they’ve even sparked additional interpretations by bassist MonoNeon and drummer Felipe Continentino—who join forces with Delgado to form a novel kind of internet band.
Delgado’s YouTube channel doesn’t end with harmonizators, though. He's an explorer who studied jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston but is more interested in the percussive style of solo guitar popularized by Andy McKee. Delgado plays everything from trombone to ocarina and actively seeks out musical properties of everyday objects.
In one video, he finds a plastic wastebasket that, when rubbed on a countertop, sounds just like John Coltrane. In another, he plays Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” on the shower wall tiles in his Korean hotel room.
Though he is an exceptional case, Delgado’s story is hardly unique—he is a trained musician simply trying to get by. His YouTube channel, albeit a treasure trove, can hardly sustain him, and he derives the bulk of his income from the albums he's released on Bandcamp and from busking around Europe, Asia, and South America.
We spoke with Delgado about his musical education and philosophy and the process behind his amazing harmonizator videos.
When did you first discover your passion for music?
I always had a keyboard at home when I was a kid, and my father always played guitar—like Brazilian music and flamenco. So I was always surrounded by it. I always loved it, and I used to play the keyboard without knowing anything. Without receiving lessons. That was my first contact with music. I remember my father teaching me when we used to sit together at the piano. I could recognize pitches before I could even recognize words. Somehow I developed music skills before language skills.
How old were you?
I was like two or three years old when my father first played a note and I could say Dre, or D, whatever. I couldn’t even remember, but [he told] me that story.
The first time I officially learned music from a teacher, I was five years old. I went to a piano school and I used to play songs for kids. Like, classical-oriented education, which I didn’t really connect with much. I did that for three years, then I picked up guitar again when I was 15. I was influenced by punk rock music, actually.
Then you went to Berklee. What was the focus of your studies there? Jazz composition or performance?
I always considered myself more of a composer than a performer. I started majoring in jazz composition, but I realized that I could just learn that by myself. I didn’t really like the way they taught it anyway. I maybe needed more help in performance skills—in instrumental skills—so I switched my major to jazz performance. I thought it would be better for me, and easier to graduate as well. I was a little lazy about all the projects in jazz composition.
What was the inspiration for the harmonizator?
I remember the first one I ever did in 2009. I was still in Berklee. I remember being in my room there in Boston and I got inspired by this piano player called Henry Hey. He did a George Bush thing. Those were the ones who made me say, 'Ahh, I really want to do that by myself.' I have heard some stuff about Hermeto Pascoal from Brazil. He’s maybe the pioneer or most well-known harmonizator.
There was also a Spanish guitarist who did something else, covering a Spanish comedian, and I wanted to try myself. I guess the difference between me and those people is that I made many of them, and they just played it once.
Have you always watched videos in terms of tonal shifts, even before you were doing the harmonizators? Has that always been something in the back of your mind?
Yeah, even before doing harmonizators I used to hear music in human speech. Sometimes I just hear a fun phrase and jam it with my brother or whoever and then make a song out of it. Since I started doing this with viral videos, I think I’m going crazy. Sometimes If I’m talking to somebody, I can’t even focus on the words anymore. I’m just hearing the music. Especially if it’s just like, “Hi.”
What’s the process of actually coming up with the melody and chords like?
Replaying the melody. That’s the hardest part of the video. And it’s really important, because it’s not that obvious that he’s singing those notes. Like, I feel like I have to play the melody to make it more clear. And then finding chords is the most fun part.
Since I started doing this with viral videos, I think I’m going crazy. Sometimes If I’m talking to somebody, I can’t even focus on the words anymore. I’m just hearing the music. Especially if it’s just like, “Hi.”
That’s like the reward, probably. After you’ve found the melody.
Yeah, that’s exactly it. It’s a reward for the hard work.
When you perform live, have you tried to incorporate your harmonizator videos at all, or do you focus more on solo guitar?
I keep doing videos because that’s actually what’s giving me subs on YouTube, and it was a big surprise when the big one got like hundreds of thousands of views. I feel like there are people who want me to do that, but it’s a secondary thing for me. I actually survive by playing in the streets and traveling the world with my solo guitar thing. That’s my main thing.
There’s this video of a guy who farts, then slows it down and analyzes it musically. It’s like a major arpeggio with a trill. Have you seen it? It made me think of you.
I heard it. I actually thought about that. There’s somebody in my life that has the most incredible farts. He has a real insane ability to fart musically. I told him, 'We should do this, it’s gonna be viral!' And he said, 'No, I never want to do this.' And then this guy came out and did it, and I was like, 'Shit, we can’t do it anymore.'
There’s somebody in my life that has the most incredible farts. He has a real insane ability to fart musically. I told him, 'We should do this, it’s gonna be viral!'
Your Bandcamp material is totally different. How did you become interested in that percussive style?
When I was struggling in New York, as I told you before, sometimes I was relying on a second musician, and I was depending on that to earn my money. So I thought I had to do something by myself. And as a guitarist, it’s not really easy to do something really incredible that catches people’s attention and lets you make a living unless you’re a good singer or you play like flamenco or classical or something really classified in a style that everyone knows.
I thought I was following Andy McKee. I really liked his way of playing. But not only that—I was really inspired by him. And I thought, 'Okay, I think I want to go in that direction.' I have an acoustic guitar—it was an electric guitar before—I started playing acoustic like five years ago. I wanted to travel the world as well and play the streets, so I thought that it would have to be something really visual, and Andy McKee’s style was a really good model to follow at the moment.
You’ve traveled everywhere. Do you have much of a plan when you go to these places, or do you just find a good spot?
That depends on where. For example, I went to Japan once a year, and I know I do have some places there I can play. So I try to get something booked before I go. But if not, I know there are some places that I can play in the streets as well. There are some other countries I traveled to without any plan. For example, in South America it’s better to not have a plan because you have to let the continent lead you—it’s different. There, I’d book the flight, maybe the first few nights, then who knows? Maybe I’m just going to a different country every day, who knows.
about five years ago, I had a dream. It was just to be able to travel and survive with it. And it’s happeninG.
Do you take loop pedals or anything like that, or just a guitar?
Guitar, amp, and CDs.
Where do you see your career going? Are you content with how it’s going?
I’m pretty happy about how it’s going. I remember about five years ago, I had a dream. It was just to be able to travel and survive with it. And it’s happening. So I don't know, I want to keep going like this as long as I can, and maybe learn new disciplines—like piano. I want to be able to play as many instruments as I can so I can record bigger formations by myself. And get to know as many countries as I can. I really like traveling places I’ve never been.
Check out Delgado’s music on his YouTube and BandCamp pages. You can also support him on Patreon.
