You Know This Song (but the Orchestra Doesn’t) | Jacob Collier & VSO School of Music Orchestra | TED

What I'm about to do with the musicians on stage is to create a piece of music for which we have had no rehearsal. There is no sheet music. We have had no plan or pride discussion of any kind. So none of you know what's about to happen. None of you have any idea what's about to happen. And without further ado, let's begin. Are you ready? >> Are you ready? [applause] >> It's the correct answer. Let's start. Hi everybody. Let's start with the violins. I'd like for you to play a D. That one up there. Perfect. Keep playing that. Can you play an A next door? Could you play a G? That's the one. And a D. Perfecto. Gorgeous. Can you try tremolando? [music] It's fun, isn't it? Back to Aco. No. The tremolando is better. Cool. Harp. Actually, no. Before I get to you, violas. Violas. Um, could you play a G and you play a D? Okay, stop playing for a second. This is the tempo. Everyone, you guys keep playing. This is the tempo and we're going to go. You're just going to play every beat. So, it's going to go [music] perfect. Beautiful. Okay. Harp G major. We do a gissando from the bottom to the top of the harp.

And one, two. That's lovely. And again. [music] Yeah. Isn't that nice? One, two. Yeah. And vi prefer. Could you put a note on the top of that? Um, [music] try a try a G. What's the highest G on the vibrophone? [music] That's a good one. Can you play that and the G above it? Even louder. One, two. [music] I love that. You two stop for a second. Everyone else keep going. So, cello and flute. [music] Let's see. Could you play three notes? And you play three notes. So your three notes are arone. It's going to be [music] G, F sharp, E like that. Can you do that? That's so lovely. And again. And flute. Can you play? Now you're going to go A [music] three. Go. Try octave lower. Go. That's lovely. And again, go. Okay, you two stop. Everyone else, keep going. You're going to be going for a while. I'm sorry. So, that happens two times. Two times.

And the second half of the This is the verse, by the way. Second half of the verse is bass, cello, clarinet. And the bass, you're going to play down the G major scale starting on A D on the G string. Yeah. Exactly. It's simply go. [music] [music] Keep going. D C B D A D and G. Okay. Stop. That's wonderful. That's superb. So all the way down. Yeah. [music] Okay. Uh clarinet, can you do the same thing but starting on C con there? So, does that make sense? Yeah. And I'd like you to play just [music] the not just goes through the whole thing. Can I can I hear the note? Exactly. Yeah. Okay. So, you want to do solid C. 1 2 3 go. [music] [music] That's it. Beautiful, beautiful work. So, I mean, it's really good. Okay, [applause and cheering] keep playing. Keep playing. So, when you land on that G, when they land on the G, then you two start again. So, it kind of loops around. Does that make sense? So, G like that. And that whole thing happens twice. So, let's let's try the whole thing. Let's try the verse all the

way through. We're going to add some harp at the beginning. So, play on my signal and let's see if we can get all the way through this. So 1 2 1 2 3 [music] [music] [music] and stop. Okay, give these musicians a round of applause. Come on now. Yeah. [applause] Fantastic. Fantastic. So that will be our verse, but every good song needs a chorus. So this would be our chorus. Brass, are you with me? Okay, sweet. We got tuber, got trumpets, trombone, horn. Oh, we got a Have you got a snare drum? Are you Yeah, you got a snare drum and a kick drum and a symbol. You're you're on double duty today. Okay, fantastic. So for the chorus, I want to start with trombone one, trumpet one, and horn. And you have three notes each. And you play those three notes twice each. So trombone, you go G, A, D, or in trombone, that's Is that right? Let's hear it. Exactly. Right. trumpet your part is um uh G G F sharp. Yeah. And horn your part

is uh B C sharp D. Right. So [music] that's in that's in horn. Yeah. Can you hear it? 2 3 go. [music] And again. 2 3 go. >> [music] >> That sounds lovely. That sounds really great. [applause] So, I have two changes I want to make to that. The first change is I want you to do it five times louder. And the second change I want to add some percussion. So, could you play a snare drum roll? So, it's like and then hit the kick drum and the symbol at the same time. Can I can you just do that by yourself? So, do the snare drum roll on beat three to land beat one. So, it goes one, two, three, and there you go. It's pretty good, eh? It's like I told a joke, but I couldn't think of one. Okay, so you want to do that and land on this brass thing. And you're going to do that thing twice. So, let's let's just try that. Let's try it with drums and like really loud, like louder than is responsible for the TED theater. Okay, ready? So, 1 2 and [music] 2 3 go. Was [music] that loud enough for you? >> Just about. Okay. So, the second half of the chorus is Who's left? Tuba, trombone, trumpet. Um, tuber, can you play

seven notes, but don't worry, they're like in a sequence. You're going to go G, F sharp, E, D, C, which is all the G major scale, and then D, G. So, it's like D. You got it. 2 3 go. >> Yeah, just kidding. [applause] Tubers are so great. I love tubers. Death. It's good. It's good vibes. Trombone. Um, could you go uh B A G G C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C B Right. [music] He's good. He's good. And then trumpet. Could you play um chromatic? So it starts on D and it goes it's a sneaky little part. It goes D like that. That make sense? Starting on D up to F and back to D. [music] Pristine. Can you do octave lower though? Octave lower. And let's hear everyone together. Three of you together. So 1 2 3 go. [music] Stop one second. That's totally my bad. Half speed trumpet. Half speed. Yeah. Okay. 1 2 3. [music]

That's gorgeous. That's lovely. [applause] You're doing so well. You're doing so well. So, that whole thing happens twice as well. So, the verse happens twice and then the uh then the chorus happens twice and and the drums only the only that that first that first time. And on the repeat of the chorus, don't do the drum roll, but do do the hit and the Does that make sense? Okay. She She's amazing. So, okay, that makes sense. And after that, we're going to go straight back to the violins, so be ready. Um, yeah. Does everyone have something to do? Okay. Well, you don't have something to do. You should have said no. Okay. So, I'm going to give you a part. Your part is really simple. It goes, can I hear that? much louder than that. Go. >> You do like more drunkenly. Ready? And >> that's exactly the vibe. That's the vibe I'm talking about. So on my signal, you go >> sublime. Right now, I have a part, too, but you don't know that part yet. And we're going to do Jethro the crocodile, by the way, does not have a part. He's just listening today. He's listening. But we're going to go for the top of the song and then you're going to do your part and we'll get to the end of the song and then we'll be the end. That'll be sad. >> So we'll do violins and then vias and harp vibes and then cello flute clown tal bass chorus audience. Okay, great. I think we're ready. Is everybody ready? [cheering] [applause] >> It's the correct answer. >> Okay, violins. You ready?

>> One, two, three, go. First 2 3 [music] 1 2 1 2 [music] There's nothing you can do that can't be dark. [music] Nothing you can sing that can't be soft. There's nothing [music] you can see, but you can learn how to play the game. It's easy. [singing] Oh, [music] there's nothing you can make that can't be made. Nothing you can say that can't be saved. Yeah. [music and singing] Yeah. Go. There's nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time. It's easy. [music and singing] Cross high. All you [music] need is [singing] love. Again, go. All you need is [music] love. All you need is love. Love. Love is [music] all you need. And again. 1 2 3. Go. All [music] you need is love. Go. All [music] you need is love. Yeah. All you [music] need is [singing] love.

Love. Love is all you need. [music] 1 2 3 [music] [music] love. Ready? Go. [music] >> Yeah. Keep saying that. Go. Love, [singing] love, love. 2 3 go. [singing and music] 2 3 go. 1 2 3 go. >> [singing and music] >> 2 3 [singing] [music] [singing] love 2 love [singing and music] [singing] love Love [singing] come. [music] [singing] [music]

>> [music] [applause] >> Heat. Heat. [applause] >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you everybody.