Play him out, audience machine!
August 1, 2009 8:53 PM Subscribe
Bobby McFerrin makes the audience an instrument at the World Science Festival. He's using the pentatonic scale. Here's why this works. The pentatonic scale forms the basis for traditional music in a number of cultures, including Chinese and Celtic music. Enjoyed all that? Go play with the pentatonic scale yourself (previously).
This post was deleted for the following reason: It's still a neat trick, and the tone matrix thing is still a cool toy, but we've seen 'em both before. -- cortex
This is a triple, albeit one with a nice title. Ba dah dee.
posted by allen.spaulding at 8:59 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by allen.spaulding at 8:59 PM on August 1, 2009
I'd be interested to find out what this sounds like with individual people. You can tell that some of the audience members are off in pitch, but it sounds fine because as a whole they hit the "right" note.
Also, for those who weren't aware, the pentatonic scale is the backbone of major and minor scales, but also serves as the starting point for basically every guitar solo in pop music (and, in some way, to blues riffs).
posted by spiderskull at 9:00 PM on August 1, 2009
Also, for those who weren't aware, the pentatonic scale is the backbone of major and minor scales, but also serves as the starting point for basically every guitar solo in pop music (and, in some way, to blues riffs).
posted by spiderskull at 9:00 PM on August 1, 2009
Wow. deja vu. Crap. There were things that I'd wish I had mentioned in the double, but now can't remember.
posted by xorry at 9:06 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by xorry at 9:06 PM on August 1, 2009
Hey, I've got this great Bobby McFerrin link.
posted by philip-random at 9:12 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by philip-random at 9:12 PM on August 1, 2009
Or as Goldfinger told Bond, "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
posted by philip-random at 9:13 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by philip-random at 9:13 PM on August 1, 2009
Everytime I watch Bobby McFerrin do this hopping around singing thing I get angry.
I don't know why.
posted by mrnutty at 9:18 PM on August 1, 2009
I don't know why.
posted by mrnutty at 9:18 PM on August 1, 2009
"This implies that they instinctively know the difference between the different muscial scales."
Nope. This might suggest that have been socialized to predict that a melody will most likely be in the major mode rather than minor and that larger leaps suggest a larger interval between pitches. But there is nothing universal about this particular pentatonic scale, nor is it foundation of other scales (except in the sense of some lines of thought in Western music theory.)
I wish there was more context to the video. I really have no idea what he McFerrin is trying to demonstrate with that example.
(Yes, I am a little bitter about the spread of Western music and equal temperament around the world.)
posted by imposster at 9:22 PM on August 1, 2009
Nope. This might suggest that have been socialized to predict that a melody will most likely be in the major mode rather than minor and that larger leaps suggest a larger interval between pitches. But there is nothing universal about this particular pentatonic scale, nor is it foundation of other scales (except in the sense of some lines of thought in Western music theory.)
I wish there was more context to the video. I really have no idea what he McFerrin is trying to demonstrate with that example.
(Yes, I am a little bitter about the spread of Western music and equal temperament around the world.)
posted by imposster at 9:22 PM on August 1, 2009
The "here's why this works" link does not explain why this works. It just states what happens and says "gee whiz, it just worked".
Certainly I don't think there's anything natural about the scale. More likely, enough people have been exposed to Asian cultures (or Asian stereotypes, e.g. in movies) to have that scale ingrained in them.
posted by intermod at 9:29 PM on August 1, 2009
Certainly I don't think there's anything natural about the scale. More likely, enough people have been exposed to Asian cultures (or Asian stereotypes, e.g. in movies) to have that scale ingrained in them.
posted by intermod at 9:29 PM on August 1, 2009
My partner has an undergrad from Eastman School of Music, during which he learned a lot of music theory. He loved the video but says that the crowd is clearly programmed to hear and repeat Western scales. If McFerrin was in front of a Chinese crowd, the results would have been much more chaotic and dissonant (to Western ears).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:31 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:31 PM on August 1, 2009
Those may be two of the best grouped comments ever.
"It's because it's an Asian stereotype"
"It's because it's a Western stereotype"
posted by yhbc at 9:40 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
"It's because it's an Asian stereotype"
"It's because it's a Western stereotype"
posted by yhbc at 9:40 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I wish I had been there. I would have shrieked the most dissonant notes I could.
Bobby McFerrin should really be hosting a local cable TV show for kindergarteners by now.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:50 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Bobby McFerrin should really be hosting a local cable TV show for kindergarteners by now.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:50 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
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