TEDxWaterloo - Ben Grossman - Improvisational Experimental Music

Ben Grossman is a busy musician: improviser, studio musician, composer, noisemaker and audio provocateur. He works in many fields, having played on over 80 CDs, soundtracks for film and television, sound design for theatre, installations, work designed for radio transmission, and live performances spanning early medieval music to experimental electronica. Ben's tools of choice are electronics, percussion, and, especially, the hurdy gurdy (vielle à roue), a contemporary electro-acoustic string instrument with roots in the European middle ages. Through extended techniques, live-looping and processing, Ben seeks to use it as a physical interface into improvised sound creation, spontaneous composition and the exploration of acoustics, form and extended aesthetics.
In 1997 Ben studied Turkish music in Istanbul and has done vielle workshops and lessons with Valentin Clastrier,Matthias Loibner, Maxou Heintzen and Simon Wascher as well as working on Deep Listening and improvisation with Anne Bourne. With an abiding interest in pushing the limits of his instruments and pushing the boundaries of whatever venue or medium in which he works, Ben's only solo CD, Macrophone was released in 2007 and features a unique two disc form for simultaneous, aleatoric playback.
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TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxWaterloo, where x=independently organized TED event. At our TEDxWaterloo event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

[@mactele]

Ben...great to see you here! I could listen to you play and talk for hours. You really are the master of this wonderful and strange instrument. I wish you had more time in this presentation. However I did learn more about that odd box than when working with you back in the Besharah days. Cheers!

[@fenevadka]

Should have given you more time, Ben. It's nice to see someone presenting the instrument so articulately to this kind of audience. Just wish there were more.

[@angie.mci10]

never seen or heard of one before. but it sure is incredible!

[@frostychickenprods]

It sounded awesome. TED never ceases to amaze me

[@frankalfar]

" new music and the avant garde have very very deep rewards to us " awesome

[@theTORTUGAZUL]

New music and the avante garde have no relationship whatsoever.

[@PatrickGrahamPercussion]

Wonderfully eloquent talk and beautiful playing, as usual, BG!

[@thismessismine]

Love this.

[@gwendolynriot]

Really awesome

[@SecretsOfLongevity]

Ya Ben, it's great to see you on here! (Zak)

[@DalltonSantos]

awesome Ben

[@dannyd1224]

I want one so bad!

[@frankalfar]

If anyone saw the unleaded zeppelin video plant uses this in a tune, a hurdy gurdy. a different way to play it.

[@thehurdygurdyweeklyhgweekl8107]

shared to #HGWeekly :)

[@johannas3]

He explained it very interesting but the time was so short. That's a shame...

[@JeanYvesP]

Rock on! :-)

[@dbadagna]

Wonderful! How does he get the glissando (sliding) effect?

[@alteredperceptions5]

Hey thanks for clearing that up, not like he didn't call it a hurdy gurdy at 7:30 or anything. Pretty sure he's on TED for the weird sounds he's making with it, not the sounds of olden time you seem to be looking for LOL!

[@Flosi931]

to me it sounds like a big orchestra in which all tuning thier instrument at the same time at full volume haha

[@latrinenazi]

6:12 Not obligatory. . He said try to understand. You can't try to understand you either understand or not. It is not possible to force understanding. . It comes to the individual freely without obligation or any wish. . . o0o

[@Leadmetal300]

reminds me of the whamola, google it :)

[@Darius12235]

cbb

[@emilyclogston5249]

the

[@ananiadragos4250]

it's a hurdy gurdy...played very bad. it is a medieval instrument from 12 14 century.

[@robford3211]

Anania Dragos Yes maybe for cultural terrorists, it is also a contemporary instrument that plays: in rock, jazz, experimental, fusion, folk, arabic, and most of the music around the world. Nothing stays the same....

[@JohannesGeworkianHellman]

The guy who is playing it in this video is a great hurdy-gurdy player!