Stefon Harris: There are no mistakes on the bandstand

www.ted.com What is a mistake? By talking through examples with his improvisational Jazz quartet, Stefon Harris walks us to a profound truth: many actions are perceived as mistakes only because we don't react to them appropriately.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/tra...

[@clipspanda]

It's so wonderful to see jazz musicians point out the beauty of improvisation and the concept of letting go. It truly is all about listening and feeling. Coming from a jazz perspective myself I find that many people aren't so comfortable with the kind of freedom jazz allows. Very eye opening, this video. :)

[@William_sJazzLoft]

Indeed!

[@JohnGeorgeHill]

One of the most intelligent things I've ever heard about music. I encourage everyone to just give this a listen all the way through.

[@jmuffaflippinwobb5899]

absolutely!!

[@William_sJazzLoft]

Humility. How refreshing a perspective he presents.

[@IdanShir]

I saw him a few years back at the Red Sea Jazz Fest in Eilat Israel. he asked the audiance to shout the name of an instrument. when I shouted "Bass!". bassist (and mastermind) Ben Williams started playing a solo. and a few minutes later the rest of the crew joined in. we were slapped in the face with an amazing piece made from scratch. and they left us with a great story.

[@RoxieSteadman]

An excellent example of successful collaborative behavior, in a media that carries us all along with the experience. "Being here in the moment, accepting one and other and allowing creativity to flow." Well said Mr Harris, thank you.

[@Shapeguydude]

"there are no mistakes", clearly he has never heard me

[@EliPorter456]

Exactly my thinking

[@amotinyabongo8136]

Or me either.

[@driver9313]

I remember Stefon from high school in upstate NY. If I remember correctly he was a year behind me in school. He was not only a good student but he was also a good athlete.

[@DaveESPI]

I have played with Stefon in a Jazz band back in highschool. Love the fact that free speach and language of music still is free :) Jazz is all about adapting and feeling for the moment.

[@JTstate44]

Love Stefon Harris and his work with the SF jazz collective. This talk really hits home for any lover of jazz

[@flylikeblackjack]

Amazing. This is what jazz is about, expanding the artistic value of creativity.

[@riceboy287]

the second run through i couldn't even hear the "mistake" until i was intentionally looking for the F#, and in the end their response made it into music.

[@timan06082]

So I'm late to watching this video & reading this comment I have to say not only does this talk not suck but you miss the point. I work as a mid-level manager in a global engineering firm & have worked with finance all with a "Jazz" degree using some of the things spoken about in this talk. Oh, & in case you forget the "E" in TED stands for ENTERTAINMENT & TED says themselves that they are also about a discourse involving the Arts, so while this may not be your cup of tea it was a great talk.

[@levinmauritz4896]

Probably my favorite Ted Talk, thank you!

[@joelpierson2628]

There is a ton of mastered fundamentals that come before reaching this level of playing but, well worth keeping the concept in mind along the way.

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

I play in bands a lot and I hate myself whenever I make a mistake. Even hitting a bum note annoys me to no end, yet really all that frustration with myself is probably unnecessary. I just care about getting it right so much, but this shows me that mistakes are only mistakes if you perceive them to be. I'll try to take that on board from now on when I'm playing next.

[@worldbridger9]

excuse me, but they deserve a f@cking standing ovation! That my friends is the essence of human harmony elucidated quite eloquently!

[@Yaarrr]

I play the piano, which is very special for me.... but playing along with other musicians like this is unreal. It's indescribable.

[@dreaminginnoother]

playing is great, the analysis is great, and its applicability to relationships and life in general is profound.

[@watericesalt]

12:05 this whole sequence is amazing

[@watericesalt]

9:27 that line from the vibes oh my goooooddd

[@kingtut416]

Very nicely done, period! That was the best explanation I have ever heard, and I can testify to everything he said. As a Jazz drummer, I look forward to those mistakes/opportunities.

[@davidkirbymusician]

I adore how this fella just hums his phrases out while he plays, great way to reverse how you play.

[@Zralf]

ok, i gotta say i didin't look at jazz like this before, makes sense and the idea sounds well, beautyfull.

[@skyblazer7]

Brilliant and applicable in many circles....I like his description of micromanagement as 'bullying'.

[@deckard247]

This TED talk smashed me in the face because, at the age of 40, I finally understand Jazz.

[@AlecSean]

I wish this was at least half an hour longer!

[@moseslozano2010]

is it just me or did TED finally lower down the volume on their intro? surprised that my ears weren't raped at the beginning

[@cnmaster01]

My god, a TED performance with more likes than dislikes! Will wonders ever cease?

[@pascal62]

Beautiful truths there! Homework for a lifetime.

[@vroomik]

i found this quote and i think it's fits nicely here: The way to discover the undiscovered in performing terms is to immediately reject all situations as you identify them (the cloud of unknowing) - which is to give music a future - (Jamie Muir)

[@MrPlatonist]

@MrHashmoney01 yes! it's also an effective way to tell people that he doesn't just play random notes. even if he improvises, he knows exactly where he's going and why. that, to me is jazz

[@FG77-]

Love this, one of my favourite TED talks this month.

[@rodnertylerduo4115]

"My favorite Twd Talk this month" 🙄 *So* ten years ago...

[@NickRobo1994]

Reasons why improv is the purest art.

[@JzHernandez77]

This saved my ass on stage so many times !

[@stutzand21]

Stefon Harris is kind of a large and well-established name in the jazz community...

[@louisgreenfield8218]

Jamire Williams (drums), Burniss Travis (Bass), Christian Sands (Piano).

[@SILOETTE100page]

@LadyJennivieve check out Steve Nelson (Dave Holland Quintet) and also Milt Jackson (The Modern Jazz Quarter), Gary Burton too. There are many you'll like them w.e you do check out Dave Holland Quintet - Lucky Seven . It's so good i call in sick for work hahaha.

[@JayPeek]

the keyboardist picked the worst "wrong" note possible in that color, lol. the recovery from that note would take much more time (or a perhaps more rhythm cues from the drummer). but he believed he could pick such a distant note from the key because thats what pros do. they are never satisfied with the "flavor of the minute". these guys are clearly pros.

[@energysage9774]

These guys are awesome. Also, I was reminded that Animals as Leaders has a new album out...

[@WhichDoctor1]

@hooloovoo1st"all he's saying is that there is definitionally no mistake possible if you have no plan. Obviously." What I took him to say is there can be no mistakes if everyone is willing to adapt to change spontaneously and freely. As he said if someone plays a note thats out of key and its not picked up on then it sounds bad, if the other people are willing to pick up the new idea and run with it then there's no problem and no mistake. Its all about free exchange of ideas.

[@robbyr9286]

They play beautifully. The takeaway seems to be about giving others room to create & learn to listen & respond in a mutually supportive way. The notion of 'no mistakes' is a bit over simplified, however. Maybe there are no wrong notes, but there are groups of notes that can be way out of context with the music. If I'm on the bandstand playing a standard & unintentionally start playing the chords to another section of the tune than we're in , there is a good chance it will sounds like a 'train wreck' (actual jargon in the field) & the other musicians & audience will be disoriented.

[@jkl.guitar]

There are no mistakes so long as you have a certain amount of skill. Obviously certain subsets sound weird but if you are skilled enough to make it resolve with voice leading then it will always sound interesting. Plus music is the balance between beautiful and ugly.

[@dreaminginnoother]

around 3:45 he plays the lick that turns it to a groove. fun to watch

[@bobness1957]

@MusicForYourFunk . again, i am most definitely NOT talkin about the choice of color, flavor, texture or shade! @ 11:01 he goes off on a tangent and maintains that defining times and directions is a kind of "Bullying" (?????), That statement is , if you'll pardon my french, Le Boule-Sheet. Don't get me wrong: I think this guy is a pretty good musician, and i totally agree with his take on the importance of using patience and active listening to enhance, broaden and intensify.

[@keoshiawilliams1870]

Absolutely loved this!

[@theseanze]

Excellent jazz 101. Of course, the true brilliance of this (intended or not) is that the essence of what's being communicated here applies equally to a functional and creatively productive conference. The compulsion to have one defining piece played by all in attendance is exactly what's wrong with our political climate and its bureaucracy. LISTEN TO EACHOTHER

[@bobness1957]

@TheCoolBand1 : if i am reading this right , you agree with my point? breakdown: His Analogy: colors, palettes, and flavors. His Supposition:( @ 11:01) that a framework of time or key actually limits the artistic and spontaneous opportunities in the creative experience. My Point: no it doesn't

[@MrHashmoney01]

Tough crowd, but a very good talk none the less.

[@arnoldfaber]

If you touch a hot stove, you react; if you hear an amusing story, you react; music is a language that you speak and perceive as well. The only difference is that you have options other than just your mouth (i.e. instruments). That is, you have other "means" by which you can express whatever it is you want to say. Also like language, you have to learn the framework that has been established up to this moment, so you can become part of the evolving process. This is about communication of ideas.

[@chessdude67]

Enjoyed this very much. Thank you!

[@charliechaplin7959]

Worth watching...even if you don't like jazz.

[@DanniBahiaBass]

Esse som é o som prair dormir. Que coisa linda meu Deus!!!

[@sdot7117]

“The great thing about the bandstand. You have no time to think about the future or the past, you are alive in this moment.” “The only mistake lies in that I am not able to perceive what it is that someone else did. Every mistake is an opportunity…”

[@murdockqotsa]

I liked his point, but if he applied it to situations outside of jazz, it would have elevated the speech imo. There's a lot to learn from this and I loved the demonstration, but it was a bit incomplete.

[@riceboy287]

he really clearly presented his ideas in the jams.

[@Jamescornelison]

love the way he uses the word palet

[@rodnertylerduo4115]

*palette

[@ckalas]

unsure how this was a tedtalk, but the front man was tearing up that glock (or whatever it is)

[@howsth1s]

feels over my head

[@um4341]

Loved it!!

[@ryanelliott5123]

So awesome!

[@Abubakershekhani]

Cool. What instrument is this? Apart from drums, piano and guitar like instrument?

[@evansmaggie]

+Abubaker Shekhani vibraphone! the guitar like instrument is upright bass

[@ImageOfReason]

That was beautiful.

[@holdmybeer]

Can't stand jazz but they were very good musicians.

[@tryfinally]

outstanding!

[@shonuffwright5922]

on the money, explains the ART of Jazz so all can understand.

[@Snapshot3]

holy shit these guys are good

[@Ruxistico]

ain't no other genre that ever were as high on itself as jazz...

[@Jochms]

this is how must musicians, including myself make music.

[@Yaarrr]

Man he fuckin rocked that xylophone

[@four-on-six]

@bobness1957 I don't think he meant that defining time is bullying. In the first example he is really forcefully pushing his ideas as a soloist and not listening. In the example after that, he still sets a steady tempo, but is listening to the other players.

[@zabacinjsh]

this was awesome!! :D

[@martinbondesson]

Pretty cool. I bet somewhere in that crowd Vincent and Max sits. I just had to, sorry...

[@IconArcade]

@jazzmasta92 So is that the normal echo on it? :/ It sounds like twice as much as necessary. :/

[@bobness1957]

not so sure if i agree with all of homies suppositions. defined form and substance do not by any means negate nor nullify a spontaneous improvisational experience. to expand upon his own analogy, why in the world would having a frame and a canvas limit your use of a vibrant( or matte..) palette? that occasional dab of mauve neither adds nor detracts any MORE or any LESS from a background (or a backdrop), just because you predefine/presuppose a shape within which a creative process must interact!

[@kelseyreiss6119]

lol at "improvisational jazz." that's like saying "egg omelet."

[@tomcurzon5186]

I dunno, I think that why they are called that is because there is no form or structure at all it seems, and so is purely improvised, without any written out stuff. they rely entirely on each other's improvisation and seemingly just see what happens according to what they hear... I could be wrong though.

[@tomcurzon5186]

Tom Curzon ie, you can have jazz which isnt improvised - big band stuff...

[@somekid7]

+Tom Curzon You could refer to "purely improvised" jazz as free-jazz, but even then you would probably be met with disagreement since free-jazz was a label attached to an offshoot of contemporary jazz. It seems a lot of jazz musicians don't like to consider most structure-less, "purely improvised" music as actual jazz because jazz's history consists of mostly music that wasn't improvised. Jazz =/= improvisation. Rather, one of jazz's foundations is improvisation. Blues is also a foundation of jazz, and blues originally had structure. I would recommend that you look into the history of jazz. It only takes a few clicks on the internet and it's actually compelling.

[@somekid7]

+Tom Curzon If you know the timeline of jazz, you'd see that structure was almost always present. Start from Swing, then go to Bebop, Hard Bop, Cool Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Spiritual Jazz, Third Stream, Modal Jazz, Jazz Fusion, European Jazz, Avant Garde Jazz, then Free Jazz. As far as I know, that was the chronological order, more or less, through the 20th century. It helps to listen to the prominent albums from each of those periods of time.

[@tomcurzon9238]

+ophidianima Cool! It would be a pleasure to progress through its history - thanks for the recommendation. Also, I agree with you, improv is a foundation, so perhaps the original comment does have a point!

[@not_and]

@325982668 it could've, but it's common in jazz performances for the players to voice out a melody/theme so they can follow their thoughts better. it's organic; not quite intended, but not avoided either.

[@Jakyle1]

@325982668 He's singing his improves... not for the audience, but for himself. If you watch a lot of players mouths they are mouthing softly.

[@amotinyabongo8136]

If you ever listen to Herbie Hancock talk about his time with Miles Davis when he hit the what he thought was the wrong chord, and Miles just worked his phraseology around the chord...and never mentioned anything about it to Herbie. But don't take my word for it...become a good student and look it up.

[@husnainanwaar1992]

if every one helps the other fellow human in his work every one will make some thing beautiful

[@MonkeyRecords]

Makes me want to dig out my old Roy Ayers records

[@arQerlovesgigibear]

AMEN!

[@herrbasan]

@Ruxistico well it is somewhat the hightech of music.

[@afro4640]

Stefon's mallet heads are huge, what model are they?

[@DolphinPain]

They're from his signature series with Vic Firth

[@winterwarden]

amazing

[@sabawernessfull]

my speakers can only go this loud....its pretty frustrating

[@herrbasan]

i just have big problems keeping my head steady while playing :) most common i think.

[@Keyblademaster123100]

yeah i love band

[@EricFontaineJazz]

Stefon explains jazz @TED.

[@TheB0P]

@arielwatsontv You can't just make up a language on the spot and expect to have any kind of conversation with anyone else... you can say something in different languages... and if the other people also speak one of those languages... than they may choose to start conversing in that language... This group of musicians is most fluent in their communication using this language that is an outgrowth of jazz history... so that is the language they choose to speak in. Just one way of looking at it.

[@zabacinjsh]

@gangliums how can it even be anyone's music :D it's just music, beautiful music

[@breekwhal]

i tell people this all the time. no such thing as mistakes! be free :)

[@Conquezz]

this guy was good, not only on music :)

[@IconArcade]

Too much echo on that xylo no? Ah well Good talk!

[@SuperCrazywheels]

RJ Moreno xylo? I see no xylo sir

[@s50201]

...after spending their due time practicing & pouring their efforts into the craft. This isn’t queue for some nonsense modern artist’s validation. Only true artists like Stefon who have true passion and hard work to back up their display.

[@Aaaronicus]

I do love the vibraphone

[@maddiedoesstuff5606]

its dress to impresssss!

[@bassface84]

@murdockqotsa well, since you can perceive that, you're smart enough to figure out how to apply it to whatever scenario you can think of... imagine that, someone allowing you to interpret a concept as an individual as opposed to spelling it out for you. maybe you should view it again and adjust your perception... :-)

[@ranjanchadha]

@gangliums forgive them for they know not what they talk about!!! You know what opinions are like??!! Every body has ONE!!

[@willshakeyou]

took that like a gentleman haha x)

[@LadyJennivieve]

I didn't know vibraphones were a jazz instrument. It's a pity we cannot hear the bass.

[@malikshy2828]

Nice