How all 12 musical notes are contained within one note | Matthew Barley | TEDxHousesofParliament

Matthew Barley is a world-renowned cellist with a passion for education, improvisation, multi-arts projects, new music, and pioneering community programmes. In this talk he demonstrates how all musicals notes are really contained in one note.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[spacevspitch]

Our 12 tone system in western music is a circle of 5ths that are all detuned by about 2 cents in order to space them evenly within an octave. The fact that other intervals in this system are "close enough" to a handful of other harmonic ratios is a happy consequence of the mathematics of the whole thing. But it's really only the 3/2 relationship being wrangled to fit into the 2/1 relationship that generates the 12 tones of our western equal tempered scale.

It would be nice if these Ted talks on the harmonic series in music would start with that. THEN show how, when you use the 3/2 ratio in the harmonic series to build a 12 tone, equal tempered scale, you ALSO end up with a number of other intervals that closely resemble other 3 and 5-limit ratios from the harmonic series. Which in turn makes for a musically useful tuning system from which to create.

However, it's clearly NOT the only tuning system in the world. There are many others used by other cultures that are equally valid.

Also, people keep mentioning Indian music which is only "microtonal" in so far as they tune 3 and 5 limit intervals purely, unlike our tempered scale. Otherwise, they do not use quarter tones for anything other than embellishments.

Turkish Maqam music actually DOES use quarter tones, though. Not just as embellishments but as distinct pitches in their scales.

[PaulJosephQuartet]

His exposition describing the natural overtone series refutes his own thesis that there are 12 notes, since the 12 tone equal temperament tuning system we use is NOT tuned to the overtone series. And he never states how he came to the conclusion that there are 12 tones. And BTW, Mozart didn't compose Twinkle Twinkle - he wrote variations on it.

[frderek]

Only 12 notes in ALL the world? What about the quarter tones in (e.g.) Indian music?

[lucashoffses]

"220 hertz per second" Nope. Just 220 herts.

[johnfleff]

You are brilliant...Truly, there are "ONLY" 12 notes! ... If you were to purchase a set of harmonicas...you would only get `12 harmonicas...why???...There are "ONLY" 12 Keys (notes) to a harmonic set. Great Job!

[williamdavis]

He contradicts himself almost from the outset, when plays the harmonics of a single string then (correctly) claims there are an infinite number of harmonics, integer subdivisions, of the string.

This is a bad explanation of why (contemporary, western) music subdivides an octave in to 12 tones. He plays a fretless instrument too - he should know better.

Bad title too, the thesis of which is totally unsupported by the talk.

[kaiasher]

To be honest the title of the talk was maybe the wrong choice, since I was left wondering a little whether Matthew had really ''Answered', and explained the Answer to the question...

[paulflute]

"Every piece of music you have ever heard is made up of the same 12 notes"
How do you get tot he point where you're giving a public talk on a subject without doing even the most basic research..?

[MarionFiedlerMusic]

I really like your sound, Matthew. Thanks. The piece is beautiful as well! Really appreciate it!

[stephenweigel]

Wow, this dude needs to listen to some non-Western music, fast!
"All 12 notes in music" :/

[bingochoice]

in India they use quarter tones which means there are 24 tones..

[tgay]

what the Bohlen pierce scale (I think that’s how it is spelled) has infinite notes because it’s not divided into octives. there are more than 12.

[MLFranklin]

Wonderful talk. But I was expecting his first words to be "You rang"...

[yoMURVY]

I don't think people without musical history really understood that...

[eskrimadecampodumaguete]

At first I thought. "Wow, what a great mime" but then I realized I didn't turn the volume up. Then everything goes down hill.

[musicartgeek]

The Bach prelude demonstration was excellent

[ERICtheLATE]

This captured and emitted the true force and upfront mystery of music, it's math saturated in logic at the edge of perceived tolerances, against two thin pieces of skin, and for once, a classical piece had crowd involvement, rather than the usual coda of applause, then silence, all on the set of TEDx, with enough flaws to feed the haters, and contrive the true geniuses to voluntarily add more information on a subjective topic, of the musing of only one of 5 physical senses.

[utonic]

I wanted to know what the order of those 12 notes in the harmonic series are so i could make them into a 12 note row....but he stopped halfway through.

[williamrasasane]

Twinkle twinkle little star actually wasnt written by Mozart

[redmed]

Am I going crazy? How come when he did individual notes, as his fretting hand moved towards the pegs the notes got higher?