The physics of playing guitar - Oscar Fernando Perez

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/less...
Guitar masters like Jimi Hendrix are capable of bending the physics of waves to their wills, plucking melody from inspiration and vibration. But how do wood, metal, and plastic translate into rhythm, melody, and music? Oscar Fernando Perez details the physics of playing the guitar, from first pluck to that final shredding chord.
Lesson by Oscar Fernando Perez , animation by Chris Boyle.

[@TheMoleski]

Damn that's some high quality animating

[@sprszrbr2471]

TheMoleski Exactly on my mind while watching. D:

[@NecrisPC]

TheMoleski With an overly-strong smoke filter. :(

[@GuiiBrazil]

TheMoleski mind fuck video. I'm stunned.

[@triplex3399]

TheMoleski Animations got me high

[@AlexandruHodis]

TheMoleski Same thought, that was insane!

[@tiocoolj]

As soon as you mention Kurt Cobain all of the classic rock nerds come out of their caves with pitchforks.

[@you_tube618]

To be fair he wasn't that great of a guitarist. Definitely an amazing musician and artists, but not a great guitarist. There are a million other people he could've mentioned like Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteem etc.

[@douglasdholt]

Spoder Man Exactly... Check out Stanley Jordan... Underrated, but amazing. And some of the best ever, like Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, the ones you mentioned, etc. etc.

[@azrafrahman8456]

He Tim Hedlund, Can you Host Meme Review and, Make a Ted ed Meme.

[@drbreeden4093]

Tim Hedlund Actually, it’s the calling someone something they are not for myself. Mr. Cobain was nowhere near the “shredder” classification. For the better part, guitar was mostly came from how he wrote and some of that was certainly unique in a lot of ways. However, those who compare the fella to Hendrix may want to listen again. The both play guitar and they were both deep and from Washington state. Other than that, they are 2 totally different individuals who touched many and will always be remembered!

[@danacoleman4007]

As they should

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Interesting side-note: Pythagoras thought that the entire universe was made of vibrations interacting like music, 2500 years before string theory came along.

[@erik2602]

He also thought that all numbers could be expressed as a fraction and that you should not urinate whilst facing the sun. Doesn't counteract your point, but just an additional interesting side-note. :)

[@plothora]

Pietjanhenk all numbers can be expressed as fractions? wdym

[@erik2602]

@@plothora Are you joking or is this a genuine question? Some numbers (most of them actually) can't be expressed as a ratio of two integers. Pi, e, square root of 2 are some examples. Search for irrational numbers if you like to learn more.

[@alexphillips9779]

I wouldn't say that cobain could shred

[@SurvivorAndBatman]

Alex Phillips He could write and had a unique voice and influenced several famous musicians now but he was no guitar god

[@zappandy]

SurvivorAndBatman True. I mean it's also important to note that Hendrix's sound was too messy as well but Frank Zappa did say that with some decent music training he could had become an overall great musician. I still love his sound despite that. Among the ones mentioned, I prefer Page's cleaner sound but Hendrix's feeling is just way too good and he did popularize the B.B. King sound.

[@LinkMcStink]

That's mostly because he couldn't. He was a glorified punk guitarist.

[@5jerry1]

Alex Phillips In this context, I would call him a counterweight to the other two. He was well-known and popular, so it's cool to put him here. It isn't about his technique anyway, it's about how his instrument functioned.

[@uliuchu4318]

***** despite? beause of that. All this "dirt" gives Hendrix' music the warmth why I enjoy it. Cleaner, more technical guitar players (shredders?) like Steve Vai who played for Zappa just don't appeal that much to me

[@bibekgautam512]

I didn't expect the mention of string theory a bit. But damn, that was one epic episode. Good job TED-Ed.

[@povilaspeseckas8317]

The explanation was clean and self explanatory but the animation WAS AMAZING!!!

[@jeanicehoffing8935]

Need to take a moment to appreciate how concise, and educating this video is

[@heshreds4049]

Kurt Cobain put on the same level as Jimmy Page and Hendrix? I like Nirvana and all but ... man, he's no where close to as talented as those other two.

[@CokeAMor]

He's plenty talented, he's far less skilled though.

[@paulgordon6949]

He may not be as technically skilled as the other two, but he is arguably as or at least nearly as iconic and popular. I mean you could argue that in terms of pure technical ability none of those mentioned are on the level of some of the super shredder guitarist that have come since, though few of them are as great musicians or stars.

[@heshreds4049]

@@paulgordon6949 if they complimented him on his song writing abilities then I'd see where they are coming from. He was a great song writer. His lyrics were so unique and one of a kind, even if they didn't always make complete sense the first time looking at them. Talking about his skill just as a guitarist though it's another matter. His riffs were plenty memorable and his rhythm playing was tolerable, he sounded good. Just because someone is popular does not mean they are skilled. I think comparing him to Hendrix or Page is completely unfathomable. Cobain's guitar playing is not what made him great, and I think most would agree with me on that.

[@TheLemonbrown]

Cobain and shred should not be in the same sentence

[@eduardohernandezgonzalez666]

You just put cobain and shred in the same sentence

[@rrrwarrior44]

At first I thought he said "fuck" at 1:36

[@alexvedom]

rrrwarrior44 hahhhahhahhahhahhahhaahhaha

[@ahmetsezginn]

rrrwarrior44 Press 4

[@mavila1368]

I love to pluck dem strings

[@gregasmic]

What's with all these Cobain-hating comments? the narrator didn't even say that he was one of the greatest of all-time, he was just mentioning him for example. My guess is, the reason would be because he's one of the most-known to our generation--the main target audience of this TED-Ed episode, and if you're discussing about whether he was one of the greatest or not, you're way off topic. This is about the physics of playing guitar, not about the all-time greatest guitarists. Everybody has their own preferences, don't you think?

[@5jerry1]

Greg Runtunuwu These "Measuring Contests" do get old in a hurry.

[@tylarex]

He didn't say he was one of the greatest, but called him a shredder, which he wasn't.

[@mcsy98]

Yeah Cobain is an amazing artist, but he isn't known because of his guitar skills per se.

[@GammaFZ]

most known would also imply eddie van halen or ritchie blackmore then

[@somekindofdude1130]

how exactly Cobain can Shred?

[@somekindofdude1130]

Don't know

[@ethanbailey1760]

Exactly. 😂

[@sumguy7350]

Master Kostas he shredded his face with a shotgun

[@carl-johan7108]

cabbage af

[@clancyconlin2760]

By actually shredding?

[@MrHardrocker98]

Shredders are guys like Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai. Please, TED, get your facts straight!

[@Vexsus22]

lessons arent made by TED - they just make their platform available to those who create lessons and submit them while animators who give a visual understanding of them are picked; like this one for example in the credits lesson - oscar fernando perez animation - chris boyle

[@melkior13]

Nice topic! The interesting complexity of musical instruments is pretty cool to examine. However, guitarist chioces? Hendrix yes, Page yes, Cobain? Really? That was your 2nd choice example guitarist? Nothing against him as an artist or musician, but there are many more influential guitarists. Clapton? Van Halen? etc. Also it kind of glossed over the interesting physics of how pickups work.

[@melkior13]

***** fair enough, it was a self-indulgent rant about the guitarist choices. However, pickups involve physics not just electronics. And then they go on to talk about the electronic signal can be manipulated. Talking about how the metal string vibrates in the magnetic field of the pickup is an interesting bit of physics.

[@KrisWingfield]

Steve C What's wrong with listing Cobain as a significant guitarist? His playing style was vastly unique to anything people had heard in a long time, nor anything since. Sure the pop tunes we heard on the radio and MTV were simple six-chord pieces with a solo that usually followed the verses' vocal melodies, but that's exactly why Kurt Cobain hated his fame. He was misrepresented hardcore. Give the Incesticide album a listen and tell me Kurt Cobain was nothing more than a three-chord wonder. Kurt Cobain was Angus Young with more heart.

[@melkior13]

***** I conceded that it was an opinion. It's not that he wasn't influential, I just wouldn't have considered him top 3. Perhaps other people might say the same thing about Hendrix and Page. Especially if you want to talk about jazz or classical music. But it seemed like it centered more on rock music.

[@KrisWingfield]

But he was. Even Billy Corgan said recently that no one plays guitar like him anymore. He may not have been technical, he hardly ever even used full chords. But those things are not what make a good guitarist.

[@LinkMcStink]

***** By your definition of a significant guitarist, Justin Bieber is also a significant guitarist. What you're basically saying is that it doesn't matter how well you play the instrument, but how popular of a guitarist you are. People keep defending Cobain whenever someone criticizes him by saying "that's just his style". Like actual ability and musical knowledge have no merit. There's nothing wrong with liking him, just don't try to compare him to people who can play better than him.

[@SafadosAteus]

This video is a work of art. Truly! Stunning animation matched perfectly with the great soundtrack and the explanation at the same time. It might be the best KZbin video ever!

[@nightpandas7178]

Hold up, Kurt was a creative genius and talented weirdo who changed music forever but he was not a shredder, that's just basic historical accuracy

[@Character994]

"Cobain can shred" Cobain could barely hold an instrument.

[@KrisWingfield]

***** And yet he made millions while "barely" holding that instrument. How much have you made with your guitar abilities? Can you even play a Nirvana song all the way through? Besides "Polly" or "Something in the Way". And when I say "play" I mean play. Don't just gloss over the chords and call it a song. This isn't Nickelback. Rip your heart from your chest and beat a song out of your guitar with it. That's how Kurt played.

[@ExperimentLife]

***** i like Cobain's music, but i don't at all like the guitar in it. That doesn't mean its bad guitar. I'm just more accustomed to jazz guitar that i feel like its missing potential.

[@Character994]

***** Dude, I'm not hating on him or anything like that, in fact I like much of their stuff. The fact is he was not a shredder, he just played basic stuff. Shredding is most of the time associated with good technique, fast playing, so essentially a certain level of virtuosity.

[@Insertnamesz]

***** Wow, you are unnecessarily full of hatred!

[@LinkMcStink]

***** First, a trained monkey could play any Nirvana song. Second, the whole "Let's see YOU do better!" argument is for 5-year-olds. It takes zero effort or skill to be a critic of something. But for all you know, he could be an infinitely better guitarist than Cobain. Third, you could make millions filming yourself shitting into a bucket if enough people like it, that doesn't make you talented.

[@maximuscesar]

You have chosen just left handed players on purpose?

[@maximuscesar]

***** I'm sorry, I was thinking in Tony Iommi.

[@endezeichengrimm]

Those guys are NOT Shredders. Definitely not Cobain.

[@endezeichengrimm]

They can't fucking Shred. That is how so.

[@iamalittleboat]

+Endezeichen Grimm It's just a subjective cultural term used by guitarists, you might even say Arto Lindsay can shred - it has no official definition, and it pretty much changes meaning every 5 years or so.

[@JoeMama-vh1me]

@@endezeichengrimm didn't ask

[@diaryofaaxeman3374]

If you play guitar, hit a natural harmonic, let's say at the twelfth fret .... Loom at the the string .... The whole string vibrated, except where the natural harmonic note was struck ... Cobain wasn't a shredder, he was one reason anti intellectualism took over the music industry .... He helped kill musicianship, good song writing and integrity in Rock guitar music.

[@IAMDonk]

3:46 "...Producing an effect guitarists call "The Beats"". No. No they don't.

[@kytv9000]

I need to add that besides the amazing animations, the background music actually goes with the content as well, which also sounds really good too!! This video quality is really far beyond my anticipation.

[@eduardodominguez6579]

I dont know why.. but I never get music theory.. the moment people say half-step, octave or w/e my mind goes off and I get no information at all.

[@PratikBaral8]

wow! a Cosmic Hendrix..sounds promising

[@GammaFZ]

Cobain can shred? You lost me right there.

[@Abiesbracteata]

In Finnish mythology, the universe is said to be made of light and music.

[@phoebewiseman8707]

that was the best TED ed I've seen so far :D

[@vigneshs.666]

It still is.

[@gholamrezadar]

Wonderful Animation! I want a whole tv show with this style

[@Deathbysnakes90]

So our universe might just be god playing the guitar? Or what if its the Giant Spaghetti Monster making guitar-like music with his spaghetti?

[@jellybutterpeanut1]

Alot of guitar snobs in the comments, don't you guys understand that playing it is an art. Theres no rules, you just express yourself. Some people like Cobain, and so what?

[@GammaFZ]

not about liking him. It's objectively incorrect to say he can shred, to which he cannot.

[@donteven4673]

Man my science book has got 12 pages for thi-

[@KrisWingfield]

A lot of people here debating the term "shred". While they seem to define "shredding" as a playing style embodied by Dimebag Darrell, Kerry King and Yngwie Malmsteen, they don't define the style itself. Jimmy Page could shred, Jimi Hendrix did pretty much nothing but shred, and Kurt Cobain was known for shredding the hell out of his guitar when he wasn't playing something slower or something more sugary. Sure Hendrix and Cobain didn't really employ sweep picking or 64th notes at 3000 bpm, but that's not all shredding is. People seem to forget that "guitar shredding" has been around since the 70s. It is literally defined as playing a distinctive lead style very well. Even B.B. King could shred, and he played like ten notes a minute. lol Given all of the science and physics you went into here, with nodes, wave compression, overtones and the like, I'm surprised at how quickly you glossed over electric guitars. Especially when you open with three prominent electric guitar players and have an electric theme playing in the background. No explanation of Farraday's law? No discussion on HOW effects are applied to the signal? Also guitar strings are NOT the same length. If they are, then you're guitar is likely in dire need of intonation. This is less "The physics of guitar playing" and more "The physics of sound in relation to guitars". There is so much you didn't touch on here. I feel like I was betrayed by click bait.

[@Blades_00]

I’m a big nirvana fan boy but sorry Kurt cobain can’t be put with page and hendrix. He made catchy guitar riffs but was never a guitar god like Hendrix, page, John Lennon, George harrison, jerry Cantrell , etc. Legends musician but can’t shred. Still see him as a legendary guitarist but not in the top 20 best guitarist of all time

[@adrianlarsen2045]

Cobain =/= Shred

[@Ben_D]

This is the best episode yet, i.m.o.. I agree with others on Cobain though, good writer, not as good in skill.

[@ushnishde]

Nice video, I just wish the music wasn’t playing throughout the entire video cuz it was kinda distracting

[@rithing5014]

Play this at 0.75x speed and the music makes the whole video sussy. It's like a bad lip sync to a high quality animation

[@candela5269]

the animation and background music were so distracting it was difficult to focus on the explanation!

[@CallMeTess]

is this vidio meant to teach or show of amazeing 3d animation?

[@TheFlash9333]

Clicks on video all excited to see the science behind guitars Leaves after watch the first 11 seconds

[@AnotherGradus]

I wonder if Jimi Hendrix is related to The King of All Cosmos...

[@NorthForkFisherman]

Paul Keefer His song from Dylan is over 50k years old. It's all happened before, ya know.

[@theos4931]

He is

[@afzal_amanullah]

Welcome guys to another episode of "Musical instrument are not always animated incorrectly"

[@SahadatKhandaker]

more like science of spring.

[@rafabulsing]

Man, the animation in this one is absolutely beautiful!

[@DrewGoSomewhereUnknown]

You explain it so deep that I didn't understand 💀

[@RayLewisPitt]

Damn...I never knew Cobain was a shredder!!! LMAO

[@2wr633]

is that effect really called "wah wah" ? that is one of that best name ever

[@TheLesau]

dat funky lesson

[@sephirothjc]

I loved the animation and music, so much indeed that I could barely pay attention to the explanation, but a couple things I will remember.

[@parv08888]

U can watch it again

[@oscarfernandoofpublicnature]

I was 16 when I picked up a guitar for the first time. Some time later I was exited I figured out how to play the "unison bend" which this howling sound created when playing two strings in a certain way and that I loved so much from many many songs... anyway, one day at a waves physics class the professor started explaining how two close-in-frequency waves can sum up and create "beats" and as he draw the equations I understood how that amazing guitar playing technic works in nature and there how I was not supose to fall in love with physics when it can describe everything you love. That was the inspiration for this lesson. Thank you Alex and thank you TedEd

[@omsingharjit]

Physics❤️Music

[@PelegTsadok]

Listing Cobain along with Hendrix and Page is like listing Justin Bieber along with Nina Simone.

[@wingracer1614]

+Peleg Tsadok Kind of but I bet Kurt and Jimi are jamming away together in an afterlife somewhere.

[@jrpipik]

The tension on the different strings may be "similar," but it is much more important than this video would suggest since it determines how the string is tuned, much more so than the strings thickness.

[@ChrisComstock612]

Hey thanks so much for making this! Very very very good job! So amazingly put! This one has to be one of the best videos on the subject by far! So much in 5 minutes. Cool music jam too! Lets keep the music alive and teach all kids music as much as we can! We need music in all our schools! I didn't get any music classes at my schools and all the instruments I play I tought myself! Anyway I loved the video.

[@scottcarlson847]

OK, this is entertaining, and informative, and as many have mentioned, the production value is top notch. As a physics teacher and a musician, I couldn't help but notice that while the verbal descriptions were spot on, some of the animations were not. When depicting the "fundamental" there should only be ONE antinode. Also, when talking about overtones, the wave representing the higher octave should have twice as many wavelengths (that is, each wavelength of the octave higher note should be half as long as the lower note). Otherwise, nicely done. A good intro to acoustics for people interested in music.

[@MGPL_]

love these physics + music vids.. we don't have enough of them. Although, I have to admit the flashy visuals were at times a bit distracting (more entertaining than educational).

[@turbonbc]

Tune instruments to 432 hz if you really want to feel the sound.

[@emons87]

Simply the most awesome animation for Ted-Ed! :D

[@WestlehSeyweld]

Ah yes Cobain, the great guitar shredder

[@gunscotthdgaming69420]

The words Cobain and Shred dont go together

[@Сделайэтодома]

Hmm.. Had no idea Cobain could shred

[@nice3333333333]

Imagine watching this video while being high, the visuals would be pretty damn groovy.

[@shashank1780]

playing guitar wont be same again!

[@blaze7521]

the best part is that there is a guitar constantly playing sick beats in the background

[@Private-lw1td]

Cobain could shred. Lmao

[@ASquared007]

As a hobbyist musician, I thoroughly enjoyed this video.

[@murshidanajnin3694]

Guitar has physics?🧐🧐🧐🧐

[@SangoProductions213]

First time I didn't find the background music of these videos obnoxious. Not bad.

[@MasterGeekMX]

If you really want a guitar god, search for Mike Oldfield, John Petrucci or Tolgahan Çoğulu.

[@lesliecorners6152]

okay chris boyle go offffffffff

[@elefantieleganti]

Wow, Chris Boyle did an awesome job with this animation.

[@besticudcumupwith202]

...Cobain could "shred"? Cobain? Shred? 😂 I'd ask if you've ever actually listened to him play, but you obviously haven't.

[@davidtapia5492]

I can shred

[@davidfragale5156]

No one needs the background music in their video, except the guy that made & mixed it in so loudly, that it overpowers the narrative. Terribly unprofessional.

[@azolioeroach3253]

So... Don't try to BE God, just do your best to join in on the JAM!?!?!?!!!! Cosmic theology! But... Why do all waves need strings?

[@JaMaZz77]

what the shred guys... to me the only obvious flaw here is it could be much longer :) great video! (maybe he meant wood or paper or sth, for science's sake...)

[@SuperFruitbat1]

The idea of sound being related to String Theory seems obvious if you have a little knowledge of both. But the mention of "overtones" or upper partials could have been expanded a bit as it defines the characteristic sound of an instrument, and used together such as in a synphonic orchestra creates a very rich phonic experience.

[@TeismanRC]

Ya que el título está en español, el resto también debería...

[@icarus6492]

which makes me wonder how did the first people made guitars? were they like "hey i'm just gonna put these stringstogether on this hollow tubes. then i'm gonna put frets on them just like so. whoa! it just made music!!"

[@verdons49]

I disliked the video cuz you mentioned Kurt can shred. Doesn't mean I disliked kurt, but obviously you don't know who these guys are. But still loved the video.

[@happiestTurkeyPvP]

That animation was so good great job!

[@carl-johan7108]

Most of the comments seems to be pointing out that Cobain shouldn't be beside Hendrix and Page while the video itself was really well put together and an interesting experience when it comes to knowledge about string instruments and overall a better put together video than most of what you see in schools but in this case free, but that's none of my business.

[@unicornharris774]

it's amazing how so simple information can be presented like this just with an incredible background Music and a very psychedelic video. well done

[@patsfan12987]

Cobain was a great guitarist, just not to guitar snobs who think technique is everything. Would I say he could shred though? Probably no, shred has connotations

[@abhaysharma5072]

never knew cobain could shred.

[@CherryBombBlast]

i mean he technically could but badly

[@ineptitudesmark4179]

nice animation awful example i mean cobain seriously.....you could have named dimebag, rhandy roads, eddie van halen.... but no u mentioned cobain.....

[@Crazyryry69]

Who is ted? TELL ME

[@Antenox]

Octaves? 12 half steps between octaves? What is this rubbish? I demand guitar players adopt the metric system!

[@msannthrope_2049]

Cobain? He was competent. Not terrible. But I wouldn't put him in the same league as Hendrix or Page.

[@MaoRuiqi]

Physics 101: you nailed the musicology subject well, but, in addition, you also tempted us to think beyond into the comic implications of good vibrations.

[@atradies007]

Great video to be sure! However, to lump in Kurt Cobain with Hendrix and Page is a tad disgusting :( lol

[@AshleyReinhardt]

jesus, how long does it takes to animate this video? ..

[@kirara4953]

The only word that comes to mind to describe this video is ~groovy~.

[@amaanraichuri5177]

Crazy animation

[@leobelcolona4721]

Purists coming after Cobain made me realize why punk rock came into popularity.

[@sollinw]

a bounch of reations and principle amongst electrons and stuff---->cosmic engineer---> so called god

[@dingdongbingbongdingdingding]

great animation, great topic, great sound, but all in all poor video. i can't decide which one to focus on.

[@31rafa]

Perfect video, rich details, information, art and rock : D

[@Maaaahdiyaaaar]

Do you really think it's a good idea to have such annoying music on an educational video...?

[@Noodlepony]

This is sooo trippy!!