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An Innate Pentatonic Scale? - gsloth - 01-11-2010 10:25 PM
OK, time to stretch the mind a little bit. Check out this demo, where Bobby McFerrin gets a random audience to provide the appropriate notes for his pentatonic scale. This was done during a neuroscience discussion at the World Science Festival, but he apparently does this in concert, too.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/08/bobby_mcferrin_tickles_the_pen.html
Then check out some of the discussion on this thread:
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/01/bobby-mcferrin-hacks.html
I'm still working this one over. Gotta check with a couple of friends who focus on neuroscience.
RE: An Innate Pentatonic Scale? - Caelligh - 01-12-2010 11:01 PM
I'm gonna google me some Indonesian microtonal music.
Interesting links! I'll have to think on them a bit as well.
RE: An Innate Pentatonic Scale? - emmiesix - 01-14-2010 07:46 AM
Most harmonious sound combinations (chords) have a mathematical basis. Presumably there is a resonance/beat frequency effect going on which can be perceived by the ear/brain. Personally I think this effect is because discordant sounds don't make nice ratios, so you can't build on them, like you can with, say a C major chord. (C-E-G).
Once you play something nasty and unharmonious, you can't lay new ratios on top -- information is lost. For example, if I play a 5-note chord, my little brother (the musician with perfect pitch) can tell me what tonic & key I'm playing. If I mash 5 random keys at once, he can't tell me what that is. I'm not sure that would just be musical training, but it might be.
I am totally conjecturing, I just play the piano and understand very basic music theory. But given the likelihood that early man developed song/speech to carry important information, it makes sense that a kind of mathematical mnemonic would emerge.
RE: An Innate Pentatonic Scale? - RiceDoc - 01-14-2010 01:27 PM
(01-14-2010 07:46 AM)emmiesix Wrote: If I mash 5 random keys at once, he can't tell me what that is. I'm not sure that would just be musical training, but it might be.
I am totally conjecturing, I just play the piano and understand very basic music theory.
Clealy didn't take "Clapping For Credit."
