TEDxMIA - Scott Rickard - The World's Ugliest Music

SCOTT RICKARD
Scott Rickard has degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering from M.I.T. and MA and PhD degrees in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Princeton University. At University College Dublin, he founded the Complex & Adaptive Systems Laboratory, where biologists, geologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, social scientists and economists work on problems which matter to people. He is passionate about mathematics, music and educating the next generation of scientists and mathematicians.




TEDx
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)

• Category

  Music

[imagineerboi]

Still better than Justin Bieber.

[Randy Hurd]

It had patterns in overall pitch. You could anticipate the lower tones, witch created a motif. It wasn't that bad. It was possible for me to experience a sensation of resolve. In other words, there was an enjoyability factor. Listen to it 30 times in the background while doing something and I bet you would start to hum it in the shower.

[kratanuva725]

Dude, quarter tone music is awesome! :) Just go to my channel, I've got a quartertone prelude for two harps.

[forevermercy]

Geeeeze....shut up and play the peice already! If he says "world premiere" one more time....

[joelaureate]

Choon.

[fenderstratguy]

08:40 he made a little mistake there. I wasn't gonna mention it, but it was so obvious.

[organs]

Ah yes, serialism. Gotta love it.

[Matthew Wilson]

the dynamics are repetitive

[eyemagistus]

Now play it backwards.

[Khristafer Sheffield]

I read "ugliest music" and was sure it'd be quartertone music. You want ugly music, listen to quartertone music.

That being said, for this piece, I definitely enjoyed the liberated feel that it gave-- of course I longed from something, but there were patterns of horizontal motion. We had a middle section, and it went higher for awhile, then it went lower, but we came back to the middle-- and that was pleasing.

[remboy3000]

Play it faster and you get the kind of "piece" commonly played in horror films. They're kind of creepy like that because there is no structure. Therefore pieces like these fit well in horror films because they suit the kind of situation. And people because afraid when they are unsure of what's about to happen or feel anxious. It can be as deep as you want it to be but it doesn't need to

[Rafael Robayna]

Not really that ugly. Your thesis is flawed. Do you think Schoenberg intended on making ugly music? The choice for playing every note fortissimo was probably an artistic decision made by the performer and happens to be the only really annoying part of the recording.