Ben Folds Composes a Song LIVE for Orchestra In Only 10 Minutes

NSO Artistic Advisor Ben Folds composes a piece live with the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Edwin Outwater during Sound Health in Concert: Music and the Mind, an initiative spearheaded by Artistic Advisor At Large, Renée Fleming, presented by The Kennedy Center and National Institutes of Health. Introduced by Dr. Charles Limb.

[formalChowd]

"so, here are your notes for the next concert"
"but they're blank?"
"exactly"

[jacobs]

"If there's any trumpets who want to do a solo"

Every single trumpet player in a 3-mile radius instinctively raised their hand

[tomregan]

I love after he gives direction to the first few sections of the orchestra, and then starts saying 'double bass, you know what to do", and 'drummers, you know what to do"....trusting that professional musicians will 'find their way' after being shown in what direction this musical vessel is heading. Trusting others to 'fill in the gaps', that's really what a true band/orchestra does for many band leaders.

[madrooky]

I never memorize lyrics, but i will always remember that these spaces were designed to be flexible.

[SheenCorp]

This is the musical equivalent of a speed run.

[White-tqsi]

What this dude just did is the literal 'doing the homework while the teacher is collecting it'.

[leadcreekmusic]

I think the coolest part of this is that this isn’t a one time thing - Ben does this with basically every orchestra show he does around the world. Every time. New song each time, it’s great.

[MrDrumzOrz]

"Fortissimo! FIVEtissimo!!" is an unbelievablely good line, god I love Ben Folds

[ya_bye]

"Sorry, this takes a second to create a whole song." Absolutley golden.

[juanpena]

11 minutes before concert
Whole orchestra: wait, we need another song for the end
Ben Folds: hold my beer

[Kingjay]

I have a long history in music. Playing trumpet for over 20 years in both a classical and jazz ensembles. This is absolutely insane what he just did. It's not just a little improvised thing on a piano but to turn that into a composition is nuts. I had know idea Ben Folds was on that kind of level. That goes beyond talent.

Thanks YouTube algorithm for randomly recommending this one!

[tarekabdallah]

I once read that his college friends used to watch him do this. That he would sit by the window of his dorm and write songs on the fly about people walking by. He's truly a musical genius, there is no doubt.

[thefuriousfluff]

Audience: “Give us an up-beat tune!” MC: “Ok, cool. In what key?” Audience: “A minor” Ben Folds: guess we’re going to write a tragedy”

[lnwlltt]

"Double basses, you know what you must do" followed by quarter notes is the most relatable thing I've ever heard.

[janatan]

Can we also talk about the fact that the orchestra is just as talented as Ben Folds here?

[Pointillax]

I love the fact that every skilled musician knows that the bass and percussions sections always know where to go once the idea is shaped.
I remember when I started guitar in highschool the guys who told me "meh, start with basse, less strings, easier", or when I heared that "if you don't know how to play an instrument, just take drums, it's just hitting thing vaguely in rythm". Then I learnt that a good bassist and drummer knows and understands exactly what the piano is doing and where he's going, same with brass, etc. They're trully the backbone of any band or orchestra <3

[husnainali-gnbo]

I feel like the musicians don't get enough credit here those guys have great ears

[sergeantseven]

"Trumpet player that wants to do a solo after I run out of ideas" seems like a legit music notation.

[derek]

He is randomly composing in front of hundreds of audience! That is super talent right there! Good job Sir!

[kinglll]

The finished product starts at 9:55 but I suggest watching it all the way through, as it is a masterpiece