Comments on: Bobby McFerrin Makes a Keyboard…Out of People

By: Steve from San Diego

Steve from San Diego — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:53:34 +0000

Awe. Some.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:28:49 +0000

So cool. The pentatonic scale is built on notes that occur naturally in the harmonic series… which is essentially defined by the laws of physics… how air molecules vibrate and resonate. So the audience “guessing” which notes are next comes from the fact that every sound we hear has built in harmonic content that our ears get accustomed to. As long as a starting pitch is given (as Bobby McFerrin does at the beginning of the demo), our ears naturally grab the “other” notes and expect them. Leonard Bernstein had a great lecture on this subject in his Harvard lectures.

By: Lynley

Lynley — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:42:29 +0000

How cool! I have to admit I had no idea that Bobby had so much musical talent – “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” didn’t really do him justice. Thanks for sharing!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:06:44 +0000

I canâ€™t wait to go home and see this video. Bobby McFerrin is greatly underappreciated. Several years ago, my local paper wrote a review of a show he did, conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It sounded so wonderful that my parents and I went to see his show that night. We were absolutely blown away. He conducted several traditional pieces, then took requests from the audience (not something you see often with an orchestra). He also performed several things on his own, including The Wizard of Oz using only his voice and body. During his solo work, we could see members of the orchestra watching from the wings. They seemed to be enjoying him as much as we were. I always wanted to try to get to St. Paul to see him conducting the orchestra there but it never worked out. Iâ€™m going to continue to watch for his performances in the area, though. He is inspiring.

By: the creature

the creature — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:32:30 +0000

i was singing along myself!

By: Mangesh

Mangesh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:04:17 +0000

so fun!