TED Fellows Retreat 2015
Meklit Hadero: The unexpected beauty of everyday sounds
Filmed:
Readability: 4.1
1,132,751 views
Using examples from birdsong, the natural lilt of emphatic language and even a cooking pan lid, singer-songwriter and TED Fellow Meklit Hadero shows how the everyday soundscape, even silence, makes music. "The world is alive with musical expression," she says. "We are already immersed."
Meklit Hadero - Singer-songwriter
Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter living the cultural in-between, both in her own luminous compositions and as a co-founder of the Nile Project. Full bio
Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter living the cultural in-between, both in her own luminous compositions and as a co-founder of the Nile Project. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
As a singer-songwriter,
0
1309
2079
Bir şarkıcı - söz yazarı olarak
00:15
people often ask me about my influences
or, as I like to call them,
or, as I like to call them,
1
3412
3715
İnsanlar sıksık etkilerim ya da söz köküm
00:19
my sonic lineages.
2
7151
2388
ile ilgili sorular sorar.
00:21
And I could easily tell you
3
9563
1628
Size kolayca söyleyebilirim ki
00:23
that I was shaped by the jazz
and hip hop that I grew up with,
and hip hop that I grew up with,
4
11215
3420
sesim Etiyopyalı atalarımın mirası jazz ve
00:26
by the Ethiopian heritage of my ancestors,
5
14659
3311
hip hop ile şekillenmiştir,
00:29
or by the 1980s pop
on my childhood radio stations.
on my childhood radio stations.
6
17994
2903
veya 80'lerin radyo istasyonundaki Popuyla
00:33
But beyond genre,
there is another question:
there is another question:
7
21783
3591
Ancak çeşidin ötesinde,
başka bir soru daha vardır:
başka bir soru daha vardır:
00:37
how do the sounds we hear every day
influence the music that we make?
influence the music that we make?
8
25398
4842
Her gün duyduğumuz o sesler yaptığımız
müzik üzerinde nasıl bir etki bırakır?
müzik üzerinde nasıl bir etki bırakır?
00:42
I believe that everyday soundscape
9
30547
2053
Inanıyorum ki her ses
00:44
can be the most unexpected
inspiration for songwriting,
inspiration for songwriting,
10
32624
3441
En beklemediğimiz ilham olabilir
söz-yazılarımız için.
söz-yazılarımız için.
00:48
and to look at this idea
a little bit more closely,
a little bit more closely,
11
36089
2515
Ve bu fikre biraz daha
yakından bakalım.
yakından bakalım.
00:50
I'm going to talk today
about three things:
about three things:
12
38628
2121
Bugün 3 şey hakkında konuşacağım:
00:52
nature, language and silence --
13
40773
3024
Doğa,dil ve sessizlik --
00:55
or rather, the impossibility
of true silence.
of true silence.
14
43821
3333
ya da onun yerine
tam sessizliğin imkansızlığı.
tam sessizliğin imkansızlığı.
00:59
And through this I hope to give you
a sense of a world
a sense of a world
15
47827
2530
ve bununla birlikte bir dünya
hissi vermeyi umuyorum
hissi vermeyi umuyorum
01:02
already alive with musical expression,
16
50381
3051
zaten müzik edasıyla canlı olan,
01:05
with each of us serving
as active participants,
as active participants,
17
53456
3981
hepimizin aktif bir eleman olarak
hizmet ettiği,
hizmet ettiği,
01:09
whether we know it or not.
18
57461
2255
Biz bunu bilsekte bilmesekte
01:12
I'm going to start today with nature,
but before we do that,
but before we do that,
19
60136
2818
01:14
let's quickly listen to this snippet
of an opera singer warming up.
of an opera singer warming up.
20
62978
3272
01:18
Here it is.
21
66602
1156
01:20
(Singing)
22
68700
5000
01:35
(Singing ends)
23
83910
1150
01:37
It's beautiful, isn't it?
24
85571
1837
01:40
Gotcha!
25
88201
1151
01:41
That is actually not the sound
of an opera singer warming up.
of an opera singer warming up.
26
89376
3436
01:45
That is the sound of a bird
27
93161
2499
01:47
slowed down to a pace
28
95684
1922
01:49
that the human ear mistakenly
recognizes as its own.
recognizes as its own.
29
97630
3722
01:54
It was released as part of Peter Szöke's
1987 Hungarian recording
1987 Hungarian recording
30
102012
4804
01:58
"The Unknown Music of Birds,"
31
106840
2382
02:01
where he records many birds
and slows down their pitches
and slows down their pitches
32
109246
3871
02:05
to reveal what's underneath.
33
113141
1607
02:07
Let's listen to the full-speed recording.
34
115615
2029
02:11
(Bird singing)
35
119650
3460
02:15
Now, let's hear the two of them together
36
123638
1912
02:17
so your brain can juxtapose them.
37
125574
1572
02:20
(Bird singing at slow then full speed)
38
128167
5000
02:38
(Singing ends)
39
146338
2000
02:42
It's incredible.
40
150063
1191
02:43
Perhaps the techniques of opera singing
were inspired by birdsong.
were inspired by birdsong.
41
151864
4262
02:48
As humans, we intuitively understand birds
to be our musical teachers.
to be our musical teachers.
42
156880
4888
02:54
In Ethiopia, birds
are considered an integral part
are considered an integral part
43
162439
2904
02:57
of the origin of music itself.
44
165367
2606
03:00
The story goes like this:
45
168542
1475
03:03
1,500 years ago, a young man
was born in the Empire of Aksum,
was born in the Empire of Aksum,
46
171538
5033
03:08
a major trading center
of the ancient world.
of the ancient world.
47
176595
2547
03:11
His name was Yared.
48
179525
1541
03:14
When Yared was seven years old
his father died,
his father died,
49
182402
3208
03:17
and his mother sent him to go live
with an uncle, who was a priest
with an uncle, who was a priest
50
185634
3623
03:21
of the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition,
51
189281
2295
03:23
one of the oldest churches in the world.
52
191600
2134
03:26
Now, this tradition has an enormous amount
of scholarship and learning,
of scholarship and learning,
53
194892
3461
03:30
and Yared had to study and study
and study and study,
and study and study,
54
198377
3012
03:33
and one day he was studying under a tree,
55
201413
2616
03:36
when three birds came to him.
56
204053
2527
03:39
One by one, these birds
became his teachers.
became his teachers.
57
207321
3068
03:42
They taught him music -- scales, in fact.
58
210912
3292
03:47
And Yared, eventually
recognized as Saint Yared,
recognized as Saint Yared,
59
215579
2503
03:50
used these scales to compose
five volumes of chants and hymns
five volumes of chants and hymns
60
218106
4438
03:54
for worship and celebration.
61
222568
2172
03:56
And he used these scales
to compose and to create
to compose and to create
62
224764
3389
04:00
an indigenous musical notation system.
63
228177
2750
04:03
And these scales evolved
into what is known as kiñit,
into what is known as kiñit,
64
231645
3623
04:07
the unique, pentatonic, five-note,
modal system that is very much alive
modal system that is very much alive
65
235292
5893
04:13
and thriving and still evolving
in Ethiopia today.
in Ethiopia today.
66
241209
4224
04:18
Now, I love this story because
it's true at multiple levels.
it's true at multiple levels.
67
246531
3163
04:21
Saint Yared was a real, historical figure,
68
249718
3023
04:24
and the natural world
can be our musical teacher.
can be our musical teacher.
69
252765
3949
04:29
And we have so many examples of this:
70
257057
2154
04:31
the Pygmies of the Congo
tune their instruments
tune their instruments
71
259235
2223
04:33
to the pitches of the birds
in the forest around them.
in the forest around them.
72
261482
2600
04:36
Musician and natural soundscape
expert Bernie Krause describes
expert Bernie Krause describes
73
264396
3178
04:39
how a healthy environment
has animals and insects
has animals and insects
74
267598
3374
04:42
taking up low, medium
and high-frequency bands,
and high-frequency bands,
75
270996
3428
04:46
in exactly the same way
as a symphony does.
as a symphony does.
76
274448
3194
04:50
And countless works of music
were inspired by bird and forest song.
were inspired by bird and forest song.
77
278066
4363
04:54
Yes, the natural world
can be our cultural teacher.
can be our cultural teacher.
78
282972
4873
05:00
So let's go now to the uniquely
human world of language.
human world of language.
79
288751
3373
05:05
Every language communicates
with pitch to varying degrees,
with pitch to varying degrees,
80
293083
3244
05:08
whether it's Mandarin Chinese,
81
296351
1438
05:09
where a shift in melodic inflection
gives the same phonetic syllable
gives the same phonetic syllable
82
297813
3992
05:13
an entirely different meaning,
83
301829
1757
05:15
to a language like English,
84
303610
1342
05:16
where a raised pitch
at the end of a sentence ...
at the end of a sentence ...
85
304976
2370
05:19
(Going up in pitch) implies a question?
86
307370
2018
05:21
(Laughter)
87
309412
1609
05:23
As an Ethiopian-American woman,
88
311045
1659
05:24
I grew up around the language
of Amharic, Amhariña.
of Amharic, Amhariña.
89
312728
2408
05:27
It was my first language,
the language of my parents,
the language of my parents,
90
315160
2479
05:29
one of the main languages of Ethiopia.
91
317663
2557
05:32
And there are a million reasons
to fall in love with this language:
to fall in love with this language:
92
320716
3194
05:35
its depth of poetics,
its double entendres,
its double entendres,
93
323934
2841
05:38
its wax and gold, its humor,
94
326799
2617
05:41
its proverbs that illuminate
the wisdom and follies of life.
the wisdom and follies of life.
95
329440
3890
05:46
But there's also this melodicism,
a musicality built right in.
a musicality built right in.
96
334038
4079
05:50
And I find this distilled most clearly
97
338734
1875
05:52
in what I like to call
emphatic language --
emphatic language --
98
340633
2473
05:55
language that's meant
to highlight or underline
to highlight or underline
99
343130
2236
05:57
or that springs from surprise.
100
345390
2055
06:00
Take, for example, the word: "indey."
101
348036
2407
06:03
Now, if there are Ethiopians
in the audience,
in the audience,
102
351204
2102
06:05
they're probably chuckling to themselves,
103
353330
2007
06:07
because the word means
something like "No!"
something like "No!"
104
355361
2084
06:09
or "How could he?" or "No, he didn't."
105
357469
1811
06:11
It kind of depends on the situation.
106
359304
2101
06:13
But when I was a kid,
this was my very favorite word,
this was my very favorite word,
107
361429
3851
06:17
and I think it's because it has a pitch.
108
365304
3100
06:20
It has a melody.
109
368721
1211
06:21
You can almost see the shape
as it springs from someone's mouth.
as it springs from someone's mouth.
110
369956
3001
06:24
"Indey" -- it dips, and then raises again.
111
372981
2729
06:28
And as a musician and composer,
when I hear that word,
when I hear that word,
112
376391
3089
06:31
something like this
is floating through my mind.
is floating through my mind.
113
379504
3069
06:35
(Music and singing "Indey")
114
383982
5000
06:45
(Music ends)
115
393832
2000
06:48
Or take, for example, the phrase
for "It is right" or "It is correct" --
for "It is right" or "It is correct" --
116
396711
3991
06:52
"Lickih nehu ... Lickih nehu."
117
400726
1572
06:54
It's an affirmation, an agreement.
118
402322
2633
06:56
"Lickih nehu."
119
404979
1158
06:58
When I hear that phrase,
120
406161
1152
06:59
something like this starts rolling
through my mind.
through my mind.
121
407337
3497
07:04
(Music and singing "Lickih nehu")
122
412031
5000
07:11
(Music ends)
123
419572
2000
07:14
And in both of those cases,
what I did was I took the melody
what I did was I took the melody
124
422199
2817
07:17
and the phrasing
of those words and phrases
of those words and phrases
125
425040
2459
07:19
and I turned them into musical parts
to use in these short compositions.
to use in these short compositions.
126
427523
4566
07:24
And I like to write bass lines,
127
432539
1481
07:26
so they both ended up
kind of as bass lines.
kind of as bass lines.
128
434044
2051
07:29
Now, this is based on the work
of Jason Moran and others
of Jason Moran and others
129
437387
2626
07:32
who work intimately
with music and language,
with music and language,
130
440037
3038
07:35
but it's also something I've had
in my head since I was a kid,
in my head since I was a kid,
131
443099
2944
07:38
how musical my parents sounded
132
446067
2031
07:40
when they were speaking
to each other and to us.
to each other and to us.
133
448122
3152
07:44
It was from them
and from Amhariña that I learned
and from Amhariña that I learned
134
452070
2374
07:46
that we are awash in musical expression
135
454468
2880
07:49
with every word,
every sentence that we speak,
every sentence that we speak,
136
457372
2615
07:52
every word, every sentence
that we receive.
that we receive.
137
460011
2752
07:54
Perhaps you can hear it
in the words I'm speaking even now.
in the words I'm speaking even now.
138
462787
4259
08:00
Finally, we go to the 1950s United States
139
468237
2415
08:02
and the most seminal work
of 20th century avant-garde composition:
of 20th century avant-garde composition:
140
470676
3911
08:06
John Cage's "4:33,"
141
474611
2124
08:08
written for any instrument
or combination of instruments.
or combination of instruments.
142
476759
3234
08:12
The musician or musicians are invited
to walk onto the stage
to walk onto the stage
143
480912
3559
08:16
with a stopwatch and open the score,
144
484495
3190
08:19
which was actually purchased
by the Museum of Modern Art --
by the Museum of Modern Art --
145
487709
2931
08:22
the score, that is.
146
490664
1382
08:24
And this score has not
a single note written
a single note written
147
492641
3508
08:28
and there is not a single note played
148
496173
2474
08:30
for four minutes and 33 seconds.
149
498671
2732
08:34
And, at once enraging and enrapturing,
150
502540
4690
08:39
Cage shows us that even
when there are no strings
when there are no strings
151
507254
2888
08:42
being plucked by fingers
or hands hammering piano keys,
or hands hammering piano keys,
152
510166
5048
08:47
still there is music,
still there is music,
still there is music,
153
515238
2477
08:49
still there is music.
154
517739
2062
08:51
And what is this music?
155
519825
2128
08:54
It was that sneeze in the back.
156
522903
2205
08:57
(Laughter)
157
525132
1546
08:58
It is the everyday soundscape
that arises from the audience themselves:
that arises from the audience themselves:
158
526702
5060
09:03
their coughs, their sighs, their rustles,
their whispers, their sneezes,
their whispers, their sneezes,
159
531787
4269
09:08
the room, the wood
of the floors and the walls
of the floors and the walls
160
536080
2541
09:10
expanding and contracting,
creaking and groaning
creaking and groaning
161
538645
2458
09:13
with the heat and the cold,
162
541127
1404
09:14
the pipes clanking and contributing.
163
542555
3091
09:19
And controversial though it was,
and even controversial though it remains,
and even controversial though it remains,
164
547306
3640
09:22
Cage's point is that there is no
such thing as true silence.
such thing as true silence.
165
550970
4244
09:28
Even in the most silent environments,
we still hear and feel the sound
we still hear and feel the sound
166
556107
4505
09:32
of our own heartbeats.
167
560636
1527
09:34
The world is alive
with musical expression.
with musical expression.
168
562646
3168
09:38
We are already immersed.
169
566383
2207
09:42
Now, I had my own moment of,
let's say, remixing John Cage
let's say, remixing John Cage
170
570330
3693
09:46
a couple of months ago
171
574047
1667
09:47
when I was standing
in front of the stove cooking lentils.
in front of the stove cooking lentils.
172
575738
3003
09:50
And it was late one night
and it was time to stir,
and it was time to stir,
173
578765
3142
09:53
so I lifted the lid off the cooking pot,
174
581931
1972
09:55
and I placed it onto
the kitchen counter next to me,
the kitchen counter next to me,
175
583927
2433
09:58
and it started to roll back and forth
176
586384
2263
10:00
making this sound.
177
588671
2761
10:04
(Sound of metal lid
clanking against a counter)
clanking against a counter)
178
592765
5000
10:10
(Clanking ends)
179
598929
1150
10:13
And it stopped me cold.
180
601525
1534
10:15
I thought, "What a weird, cool swing
that cooking pan lid has."
that cooking pan lid has."
181
603727
5223
10:22
So when the lentils were ready and eaten,
182
610200
4584
10:26
I hightailed it to my backyard studio,
183
614808
3494
10:30
and I made this.
184
618326
1843
10:33
(Music, including the sound
of the lid, and singing)
of the lid, and singing)
185
621187
5000
10:50
(Music ends)
186
638271
1150
10:52
Now, John Cage
wasn't instructing musicians
wasn't instructing musicians
187
640479
2412
10:54
to mine the soundscape
for sonic textures to turn into music.
for sonic textures to turn into music.
188
642915
3695
10:59
He was saying that on its own,
189
647060
2853
11:01
the environment is musically generative,
190
649937
3461
11:05
that it is generous, that it is fertile,
191
653422
4241
11:09
that we are already immersed.
192
657687
2163
11:12
Musician, music researcher, surgeon
and human hearing expert Charles Limb
and human hearing expert Charles Limb
193
660765
6013
11:18
is a professor at Johns Hopkins University
194
666802
2055
11:20
and he studies music and the brain.
195
668881
2269
11:24
And he has a theory
196
672739
1766
11:27
that it is possible -- it is possible --
197
675735
3096
11:30
that the human auditory system
actually evolved to hear music,
actually evolved to hear music,
198
678855
5148
11:36
because it is so much more complex
than it needs to be for language alone.
than it needs to be for language alone.
199
684027
5071
11:41
And if that's true,
200
689733
1775
11:43
it means that we're hard-wired for music,
201
691532
2945
11:46
that we can find it anywhere,
202
694501
2113
11:48
that there is no such thing
as a musical desert,
as a musical desert,
203
696638
3078
11:51
that we are permanently
hanging out at the oasis,
hanging out at the oasis,
204
699740
3699
11:55
and that is marvelous.
205
703463
2057
11:58
We can add to the soundtrack,
but it's already playing.
but it's already playing.
206
706135
3193
12:02
And it doesn't mean don't study music.
207
710260
1854
12:04
Study music, trace your sonic lineages
and enjoy that exploration.
and enjoy that exploration.
208
712138
4496
12:09
But there is a kind of sonic lineage
to which we all belong.
to which we all belong.
209
717355
3735
12:14
So the next time you are seeking
percussion inspiration,
percussion inspiration,
210
722267
2623
12:16
look no further than your tires,
as they roll over the unusual grooves
as they roll over the unusual grooves
211
724914
3349
12:20
of the freeway,
212
728287
1724
12:22
or the top-right burner of your stove
213
730035
2178
12:24
and that strange way that it clicks
214
732237
1709
12:25
as it is preparing to light.
215
733970
2062
12:28
When seeking melodic inspiration,
216
736733
1612
12:30
look no further than dawn
and dusk avian orchestras
and dusk avian orchestras
217
738369
3492
12:33
or to the natural lilt
of emphatic language.
of emphatic language.
218
741885
3228
12:37
We are the audience
and we are the composers
and we are the composers
219
745137
2999
12:40
and we take from these pieces
220
748160
1795
12:41
we are given.
221
749979
1151
12:43
We make, we make, we make, we make,
222
751154
1868
12:45
knowing that when it comes to nature
or language or soundscape,
or language or soundscape,
223
753046
4420
12:49
there is no end to the inspiration --
224
757490
2997
12:52
if we are listening.
225
760511
2434
12:55
Thank you.
226
763421
1152
12:56
(Applause)
227
764597
5774
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Meklit Hadero - Singer-songwriterMeklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter living the cultural in-between, both in her own luminous compositions and as a co-founder of the Nile Project.
Why you should listen
Meklit Hadero's music is imbued with poetry and multiplicity, from hybridized sounds of Tizita (haunting and nostalgic music) drawing from her Ethiopian heritage, to the annals of jazz, folk songs and rock & roll. Hadero describes her music as emanating from “in-between spaces,” and the result is a smoky, evocative world peopled by strong bass, world instruments and her soothing voice.
In the Nile Project, founded along with Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis, Hadero set out to explore the music of the Nile basin, pulling influences from countries along the river, from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and finally to Egypt. The project brings together hip-hop, traditional and contemporary music, with instruments and traditions old and new. As she says, "My work on a lot of levels is about multiplicity." Their new record is Aswan.
About her own music, here's what people say:
“Soulful, tremulous and strangely cinematic, Meklit’s voice will implant scenes in your mind — a softly lit supperclub, a Brooklyn stoop, a sun-baked road. Close your eyes, listen and dream." -- Seattle Times
"Meklit… combines N.Y. jazz with West Coast folk and African flourishes, all bound together by her beguiling voice, which is part sunshine and part cloudy day.” -- Filter Magazine
Meklit Hadero | Speaker | TED.com