Bobby McFerrin

Name: Bobby McFerrin
Uploaded: 2023-03-30T13:21:19Z
Duration: 3 min 4 s
Description: The universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.

The universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.

Wesleyan Virtual Instrument Museum 2.0 (https://wesomeka.wesleyan.edu/vim2)

The atumpan, talking drums of the Asante people of West Africa.

Observe a man playing the atumpan, a talking drum of the Asante people of West Africa
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Gini Gorlinski, associate editor of music and dance of Encyclopædia Britannica, discussing the relationship of African music to popular music of the Western world.

Comparing traditional African music and rap
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Questions and answers about Duke Ellington.

The musical legacy of Duke Ellington
© World Science Festival (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

The universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.

Bobby McFerrin

Transcript

BOBBY McFERRIN: Talking about expectations. Expectations, watch. Bah--

SPEAKERS COMBINED: --bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah.

BOBBY McFERRIN: Bah--

SPEAKERS COMBINED: --bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah.

BOBBY McFERRIN: OK.

[LAUGHTER]

SPEAKERS COMBINED: Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah

[LAUGHTER]

BOBBY McFERRIN: Bah, bah--

SPEAKERS COMBINED: --bah. bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. dah, dum, doo, doo, doo, doo, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah bah, dah, dah, dah, bah, dah, dah. Bah, bah, dah, dah, dah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah--

[LAUGHTER]

--bah, bah, bah, bah, bah--

[LAUGHTER]

--bah bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah.

BOBBY McFERRIN: Yeah.

[APPLAUSE]

BOBBY McFERRIN: Now what's interesting to me about that is, regardless of where I am, anywhere, every audience gets that. But it doesn't matter, it's just the pentatonic scale for some reason.

SPEAKER 3: If you're looking for a job in neuroscience, I think--

[LAUGHTER]