Rest in piece to a legendary pianist and composer. No one will ever be like him.

congratulations on this analytical fragmentation of this masterpiece by the late Lyle Mays

R.I.P. Lyle. One of the greats

1. This analysis is A.) expert, B.) generous, C.) kind and emotional and heartfelt
2. The details of the harmonic and melodic contours are enlightening and elegant.
3. I end up feeling so deeply happy deep within whenever I encounter people that appreciate this music as much as this. Part of it is because it is a lonely world living amongst a general public who, somehow, just doesn’t get it. (I don’t understand why but they don’t.)  Secondly, when I encounter appreciation at this level (musically knowledgeable, relationally insightful, emotional yet measured) I feel like I have found a member of a long lost tribe to which I have always belonged. Its validating.
4. Thank you for digging into the details of this piece, thank you for taking the time to communicate what you found and thank you for sharing it with the world.

Went to North Texas University ( now UNT). 74-78 ...met my wife there while in school of music -Lyle had a little quartet that played at place called the “Mug and pitcher “ ( sadly -now a parking lot ) -Kerby Stuart on bass -Steve Houghton on drums -Pete brewer on sax ...so incredible ...beyond words -this tiny little place -with half the people drinking /oblivious and playing foosball -the other half -about 20 people crammed up close to the band -listening -was an amazing time -Lyle was roommates for a while with Pat Coil -another incredible keyboard player -(played on “Lab 74 “ -including a couple of Lyles charts ...then Lab 75 was for the first time ever just the charts of Lyle ( except for one Chick Corra tune ) ....incredible ..that was a few years before he went with Pat Metheny. -anyway -lots of memories about those times ...but Lyle Mays was a true musical genius.   He is missed.

Lyle was 34 years old when he composed his contributions to this masterpiece. Everything he wrote was golden.I was so fortunate to the Pat Metheny group with all of the original players that played on "Still Life Talking". It was a true gift. It was, no doubt, the best concert I have ever seen thus far. Every player in the group was a master of their instrument(s). Steve Rodby is one of the greatest bass players to walk the planet. He glued the pocket together. Pure precision.

to me this song is a prayer

For me Metheny and Mays are the classical composers of our time. Great video again Guy!

As always, a great analysis. What I really appreciate about you is the combination of deep musical insights and the love and respect you show to great musicians and their craftsmenship.

Thank you this explanation. Lyle did his part to support the music in the best way he saw fit. That's exactly what he did with Pat's core of Minuano.

Thank you so much for sharing with us this clear analysis, Guy. I hugely appreciate it. Minuano is one of my favorite tunes of all time. This intro by itself is a masterpiece.  Lyle is forever.

Thank you. You are spreading knowledge and love

I've always loved this tune without understanding it's true complexity. Hearing your musical theory take on things makes me appreciate this and other masterpieces even more. Thank you. Would you kindly consider doing a take on September 15th.

Lyle was  probably one of the most under-rated pianists ever. He was absolutely brilliant. Gone waaay too soon.

Good stuff! 🔥

Great track of all time,  it is amazing what Lyle did with Pat to get their body of work so refined like gold.

Lyle understands divine language!!
All chords exist in their chosen order.
They just wait to be discovered.
Lyle knows and possessed the keys to discover them.

Guy, as always, thank you for another great video. Maybe it's a "beginners problem" but I keep failing on counting the beat, due to the offbeat being so imposing (specifically in the very beginning, before the rhythm section comes in).
Anyway, it's magical, and the way you explain all the harmonies and progressions make it even more wonderful. When you demonstrate the last chords, how they resolve to an A major and then says "Lyle gently hands the music for Pat" to play it on his B minor... this is a beautiful way to explain things, and makes so much sense...
Thanks to your videos, me and others (I believe) are able to see how important Lyle was to the sound of Pat Metheny Group. Now when listening to PMG songs, actually I can distinguish if "this is a Pat thing" or "that's a Lyle thing".
Thank you so much Guy! Sorry for the long comment by the way.

Kindness and I should add devotion. As he said in We Live Here interview, he was dedicated to this group because it allowed him to create and play the music he wanted and let Pat having "media recognition". It is like the background in painting... It is true that most of Minuano is Mays. I love the C altered as a Triton before the B minor by the way... How many musicians in the world are considering the music more important than their success... It is a great lesson of life. Thanks for the video. And what about the H part after the Marimbas... It is really incredible and deserve a video on its own :)

Also the way the organ comes in after the intro with the rest of the group is just magical, that kind of special drama is so unbelievably rare to come by in music in general. Alllllllll of those ideas man.