Saturday, September 26, 2009

Pondering the Pentatonic

In this video, Bobby McFerrin demonstrates how the pentatonic scale seems to be embedded in our brains, no matter what culture, gender, or age we are.

I think this demonstration sheds light on how musicians learn to improvise with each other in real time: By finding common musical ground and following each others lead; exploiting the knowledge they have of where their musical comrades might be heading to next, and meeting them there.

In a way, this video is like a jam session where Bobby is the soloist and the audience is holding down the chord progression.

so cool

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

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