Although this video is a couple of years old, it is amazing in its power and simple truth – we have a certain musical instinct in us that is easily called forth.
At a forum in the 2009 World Science Festival, McFerrin took center stage to show how by simply suggesting a phrase and an intervallic leap, the inherent musicality in all of us takes over and we find the correct note. He moves one step physically, we move one step musically, and so on. It is amazing to watch.
Here is the description of McFerrin from the event:
What Bobby McFerrin does is not an act; it’s spontaneous invention. He peers over the edge of the cliff, acknowledges the void below, and dives head first, buoyed by the element of surprise. Bobby uses dense rhythms, extraordinary scales, and complicated intervals that accomplished musicians and educators have studied and dissected.
Notes & Neurons In Search of the Common Chorus
Join host John Schaefer, scientist Daniel Levitin and musical artist Bobby McFerrin for live performances and cross cultural demonstrations to illustrate music’s note-worthy interaction with the brain and our emotions.
Source: Buzzfeed