Bobby McFerrin at the World Science Festival performed this demonstration of how music is ingrained in our brains to the point we can, universally, predict and perform music. Keep in mind that the audience here is primarily scientists, not artists. That makes it all the more impressive.

[vimeo 5732745 500]

If you have time (about an hour) and the interest, you can see the entire session at the links below.

1 of 5: Ten minutes of Bobby McFerrin’s improvisational music. Not beat-box. Not scat. Something in between. Relaxing and fascinating. He also introduces audience interaction which opens the question, “How do our brains pick up on musical cues so easily?” Then five minutes of discussion with the scientists.

2 of 5: Now for the science. Discussion of brain study, the physics of music, etc.

3 of 5: Cultural differences in the mechanics of music and brain expectations.

4 of 5: Do tonal expectations come from nature or nurture? This contains the video displayed above.

5 of 5: More improvisational music with Eastern and Western artists performing with Bobby.