The polyphonic me | Beardyman

Frustrated by not being able to sing two notes at the same time, musical inventor Beardyman built a machine to allow him to create loops and layers from just the sounds he makes with his voice. Given that he can effortlessly conjure the sound of everything from crying babies to buzzing flies, not to mention mimic pretty much any musical instrument imaginable, that's a lot of different sounds. Sit back and let the wall of sound of this dazzling performance wash over you.
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[@av74nematollahyit51]

I also thought, wow what a quiet crowd. Then realized that yes the audiance mics are muted. Keep an ear/eye out around 6:55. You can hear the ducking of the mic when he speaks.

[@henrybatchem4617]

thats just sidechain compression, so beardyman doesn't get drowned out by the crowd noise in post

[@TheAechBomb]

this is the third ted talk I've seen that has just suddenly turned into dubstep

[@EDGEx369]

What are the others

[@RonryAsAlways]

Tell us more

[@stradegy3338]

Tom Thum

[@Angie-29th]

OP ITS BEEN 2 YEARS WHERE ARE THE OTHER TWO?

[@adistantecho1275]

...and Reggie Watts of course

[@zackteale9549]

I love how he just changes accent from American to English.

[@typicalcitrus7848]

I find it weird how he's speaking in an American accent at the beginning considering he's from north london

[@edenmeden]

Pulling a Reggie Watts haha

[@lauramccann18]

"american" America it's a continent. He's probably Australian.

[@lovewatchingstuff]

Laura McCann He’s English ya bam

[@Dinocub]

@@lauramccann18 he is from North London

[@RoastyPotato]

What I learned: The inside of Beardyman's mind is a terrifying place.

[@FeeldahVibe1]

Perfect example of "Well that escalated quickly."

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

Especially when he turned himself saying “it can be hard to believe” into a fucking aphex twin song

[@leahportaloo]

I have so much love for Beardyman. He blows my mind. Hes a pioneer and a total inspiration for pushing beyond the conventional boundaries of our physical capabilities. He's like a real life Jonathan Livingson Seagull!

[@GuitarGrrrella]

"As you can probably imagine, I was a strange child..." and an even stranger adult! Ha ha! But seriously, this is pretty amazing.

[@TB.....]

My mate Dave can play the spoons.

[@hansen3581]

thats my man

[@KundoKun]

Spoonman, come together with your hands

[@michaelmacdonell4834]

That's actually rather difficult!

[@lucaspadulo8189]

Everyone! They mute the crowd mics almost 100% of the time when the speaker is speaking

[@p.kleyy_music]

Is this really true

[@teako.reverse]

Yeah, all the time

[@zindi1138]

who cares

[@EllTheBob]

Lucas Padulo a good example at 6:30 when the crowd clapping fades out fast

[@JayPabalat]

@@zindi1138 so you don't misunderstand when you can't hear anyone is laughing after a joke, or when no one is clapping after an amazing thing

[@andrewking6604]

After all that and you’re impressed with his ability to change accent.

[@Blackname51230]

Beardyman and Tom Thum need to team up for a concert.

[@iRaps1]

Tom Thum is just a peasant next to Beardyman. Honestly.

[@rnbsteenstar]

They both are so good! I like them BOTH!

[@Neon1880]

@@iRaps1 beardyman is a looping god, while tom thum is a god at technical skill

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@Neon1880 Lol, Tom Thumb does looping too. Did you not know this?

[@TJSheibal]

The dog barking made my dog bark

[@mostviralsingh]

I am here after his showcase on Swissbeatbox

[@969dramstik]

Yup, never heard his music before today and now im in love with it!

[@peterfazio1097]

Anyone else hear the guy in the crowd barking back? Haha. Made my day.

[@rutvikkatkoriya]

am i the only one who thought my screen was glutting out in the beginning there? cuz that was pretty convincing

[@NFTMONKART]

i was reading the comments and i've heardit .. it thought it too..

[@Alucard-gt1zf]

It's amazing how two brothers can both be the absolute best in their field of work

[@roccobot]

Who's the other brother

[@Raupekaa]

@@roccobot Jay Foreman

[@roccobot]

@@Raupekaa thanks, I'm already subscribed to his channel bud I had no idea 😂

[@hugomartinez692]

@@roccobotMe neither. I discovered Jay first, and the brothers look almost the same

[@carddamom188]

And they have a sister!!!

[@MrSHURIKENCHO]

The crowd is dead because this is a Ted talk - not a festival

[@alexmadio5785]

MrSHURIKENCHO I was expecting at least a mosh pit. Super lame. I won't be going to the TED festival anytime soon!!!

[@thiebautjoel]

alex madio Bug they MUTED THE CROWD FOR GOD SAKE

[@skeetum2695]

@@thiebautjoel yikes u missed the joke

[@thomasmartin7524]

they mute the mics of the crowd, dude…

[@50MM3TH1NGF15HY]

he didn't start with a British accent...

[@rasta6603]

-_- waitingDAY why everyone mad that he so much better at everything and much more talented than you’ll ever be.

[@cannonball9478]

There’s no British accent. There’s an English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish. There is no single accent lol.

[@justronjay9226]

It seems that you, Andrew Ortiz, missed the point.

[@justronjay9226]

@Alex Cannon "British accent" functions as an umbrella term in this context. A British accent, as in an accent that is British. To better illustrate how wrong your little correction is: "There's no even number. There's number 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and so on. There is no single number."

[@cannonball9478]

Just Ronjay there’s no British accent. I do love an Asian accent though lol

[@LimLamOfficial]

Beardyman is one of the most talented people I know.

[@linesandcircles7465]

Know, or know of? Do you know him personally, or do you just know about him?

[@flintlockwoodhd7932]

@@linesandcircles7465 you remind me of the annoying teacher that would be like 2 wHaT ApPlEs BaNnaNaS

[@linesandcircles7465]

@@flintlockwoodhd7932 LOL. But i still maintain. OP used the wrong term. I felt like correcting him, so I did. But yes, you are right about the annoying teacher thing, lmao

[@raingirlcat2245]

@@linesandcircles7465 1. How do you know they are a guy? You are jumping to a conclusion without knowing yourself. 2. Do you know if OP is related to or knows Beardyman personally? They never specified. So….

[@linesandcircles7465]

@@raingirlcat2245 1. Using he/him pronouns for a person of unspecified gender is a historical usage that I maintain today. It may have not been entirely correct in this situation, but it's no big deal, so I see no reason to change it. 2. If OP knew Beardyman personally, they would usually be very specif8c about it; it's internet bragging rights for validation from strangers. So if OP didn't specify that they know Beardyman personally, I am going to safely assume that they don't.

[@seanhenderson8870]

I just watched an 11min video on youtube with no commercials! I had no idea that there were still videos on youtube without commercials! Thankyou TED!

[@Standard.Candle]

i don't think the audience was garbage at all, they were just TED attendees. It takes critical mass to get a crowd on their feet, and this wasn't that crowd, not to say that in a different setting they wouldn't be dancing in the aisles, but it was a talk. the applause at the end shows all the energy and fascination they were holding in the whole time. PLUR

[@cafecapes]

Its a Ted crowd can't expect them to dance lol. crazy at the end, what took bands like Shpongle weeks to make took Beardyman seconds , love it.

[@PapyPetitPois]

I would love to hear them doing something at some point. Shpongle isn't over if I recall correctly so there might be an eventuality

[@ChozNiCK]

I trully believe, that Beardyman can communicate with the aliens.

[@SM_zzz]

Tak

[@nathanGC__]

Well... That's what soso said 1 year ago

[@permutemusic]

@@SM_zzz is this a stephen king reference? if so thenr espect

[@CraftyJennster]

That Pink Floyd portion....must have longer version!!

[@reillyfeatherstone]

9:40 I’m in love with everything after this point. The ambience he’s creating is so beautifully dark. I love it 😱

[@djtbone001a]

Speaking of Pink Floyd, the end part sounds like Dogs of War.

[@SoNextJenn]

The versatility and sheer spontinaity this mans performance is staggering

[@emilbendtsen8699]

Totally dropped my jaw on the floor, and straight down to the basement, because the last part sounded so freaking amazing

[@SuperQuincy2000]

It looks like he's piloting a spaceship

[@shumeister1059]

We're in for a fun ride into outer space :)

[@jamiefitzgrade7960]

Thats because he is

[@theseangle]

And sounds like it

[@LeSquiji]

9:39, the sound scape, holy crap. I'm in a different universe right now.

[@sfc444]

The starting of a new age "Age of the loopers" İ am so grateful that he has done this machine and made it possible to listen awesome loopers like saro , mb14 , nme and so on.

[@sureshmaru4559]

Rythmind

[@tabicious53]

Hogumaa

[@PhilAlexander]

The bit where he shushes the audience gets me every time

[@OneHuntiBoi]

10 Years... wow... and hes still come a huge way!

[@BradfordGuy]

I have been a musician for over 35 years. This guy is amazing. Taking the voice and electronically manipulating it the way he does is very impressive!

[@ZEVSXIII]

Нравится что он ведёт себя Как-то непосредственно и этим завораживает. Играючи с любовью к музыке. Восхитительно, браво..

[@nurseaylla]

Amazing!!!! Seriously one of the best TED talks i've ever watched, this guy is skilled!

[@rijden-nu]

Yyyyyyeah... TED talk is obviously not the optimal forum for this creative genius.

[@cherylschmidt4956]

SadBunny hijjikil

[@markusang]

yeah rip

[@George_Mallory]

Not enough time was allotted, so he had to rush. Tom Thum did just fine.

[@danielutzu2000]

I think it actually is :) Given that it's a conference, not a concert hall and keeping in mind that he's not actually performing, but presenting. When you'll be able to see the difference, I'm pretty sure you will agree with what I'm saying here. Honestly dude, what place to present an idea or product is better than TEDTalks ? I mean, of course, maybe it doesn't have THAT many views here on youtube (all though I would say it kinda does, innit ?), it's more about the people attending those conferences and the AFTER the concerence word of mouth spreading into the real world. I think this is the optimal forum where this creative genius should present his idea, product and demonstrate how it works through a performance. Hey, only my opinion. Cheers!

[@thomasmartin7524]

muted mics, dude…

[@juliannevillecorrea]

awesome . behind this brief display one can see endless endless work and hours of dedication to ones art form

[@jamescatherall6536]

Never thought I would see Beardyman doing a TED talk! Fucking hilarious! The man is a genius!

[@ksng767]

A DJ is a performer, and a performance is a series of acts done with both visuals and audio. The performer puts them all together into a show, he is part of the medium that brings it all together.

[@mrgoat3774]

That music he makes is beautiful. I could listen to him all day.

[@Standard.Candle]

Beardyman is more than a beatboxer, he's a pioneer. He's the holy trinity of what TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design. Like a Jesus-Davy Crockett mashup.

[@rastamanralph6670]

Cool,couldn't wait to watch this when I seen it in the recommended choice.I've seen a few videos of him already and he is excellent.I used to do similar things with my voice and sampler.

[@buteobuteo]

Makes complete sense that he references Pink Floyd

[@MeganLeClosCDWoodesign]

I literally cry when I watch someone with so much talent! I can't wait to see you live #SxRTD2016

[@watfordman]

How was it? I'm going to see him live in April, I cant wait xx

[@sweetcakes260]

HE'S THE F***ING MASTER OF SOUND! HE NEEDS A CAPE.

[@warbei9292]

Why does youtube recommend me this in 2020 quarantine got to youtube too

[@sollonas]

there was no better way to present his masterpiece!!!stunning Beardy,stunning!!!

[@andrewlogue404]

I've come back to this video a number of times over a number of years, and I keep thinking every time: "Whoever decided to do 'psychedelic' video feed for people in the back should never work with video again."

[@Svafne]

My cat literally couldn't believe what she was hearing and had a strange experience 😂

[@Oliver-jz1en]

The crowds mics are generally muted. The crowd was decent but worse than it sounded :l

[@cyborglion4179]

The 2 tone singing is easy. I figured it out just by being odd. Just try to sing while coughing.

[@MightyBowser]

one of my favourite TED´s!

[@OwenStaton1]

I think it's because it's a growing talent worldwide and loosely becoming somewhat of an art.With new sounds in pop culture & different influences in modern day it expands & progresses like anything. I'm a beatboxer myself & seeing different beatboxers do their acts, although ultimately it's the same thing it's completely different in it's own way. :)

[@jinxed4lyf763]

wait beardyman created concept of looping wtf? lol i didnt knew

[@themedicinewithin108]

This was such a good performance for beardy man - truly amazing. He a was a so composed talking to the crowd too. I love listening to you man - you are ace!

[@brokwiegand9364]

Inspirational! amazing to hear it is great to see fantastic people come together and vreate something that not just the beat box community but music as a whole and the world at large will enjoy

[@suttyo89]

Beardyman proudly presents the worlds first Dubstep Cannon!

[@jimmyboynottknown7713]

Drum and bass / jungle

[@Gleesonglee]

When he sang like a monk, he produced 3 sounds, two were an octave apart in his voice box and the other in resonance. I can sing in monotone and put the tune into the pronounced vowels

[@sanemishinazugawa6902]

Thats throat bass

[@Giesela0815]

Anna maria Hefele, check it out if you wanna know more

[@skeetum2695]

@@Giesela0815 ah yes, the polyphonic chick

[@KrisRevi]

omg that last part with pad (evilish melody) and that abstract noise in the background is just INSANE awsome!!

[@amplex1337]

Completely blown away by the end of this!!

[@TheMikkiAnderson]

anyone else remember Ross in friends with his keyboard ?? love this guy!

[@avedic]

This is cool and all.....but if you remotely liked this, I implore you to look up his live set at the Reading Festival. It's here on KZbin(what isn't?) and it's incredible. The crowd was WAY into it and Beardy was in prime form. Definitely the best live performance of his I've ever seen...and that's saying something. And the entire set is 100% made up on the spot. Incredible....

[@tyrellwellick1123]

What year at Reading?

[@redacted2458]

​@@tyrellwellick1123bruh 😂, all you have to do is type 3 words in the youtube search bar, "beardyman reading festival"

[@filmhi1000]

Dude got mad AF when the crowd decided to go 'NO CLAP' on him.

[@5DNiq]

oh mate this is soooooo awesome i've been on that quest with synths alone for decades......... bless up

[@jamesoncreek]

The slap bass is on point!

[@NewRev0luti0nz]

What this is is a system, not just a simple looping device, that gives Beardyman the flexibility to IMPROVISE with such complexity in his performances, which btw can last 30-mins to an hour long. Probably only a handful of people can do what he does.

[@Goronful]

This is the best exhibition of the Beardytron's capabilities he has demonstrated yet!! Flippin incredible, Beardyman is a pioneer and I think will be looked back at as the mozart in his niche of live electronic music production.

[@antyc]

they're both great, each has their own strengths

[@synslonca6431]

[SPOILER] Pink Floyd part is absolutely mindblowing!

[@okaythisisepic6196]

What song is he doing?

[@VectorKappa]

@@okaythisisepic6196 Shine on you crazy diamond

[@okaythisisepic6196]

@@VectorKappa thanks

[@benhobbs538]

@@VectorKappa I'd say it was more of a combination of Shine On and Cluster One....

[@VectorKappa]

@@benhobbs538 It's based on SOYCD chord progression, but the "guitar" part is reminiscent of cluster one, so yeah, I guess you're right.

[@ToddAndChips]

There's actually a singer called Lalah Hathaway who can sing two notes at once. It's not her normal basic singing voice of course, but she's able to harmonise with herself. I won't link here for obvious reasons but Lalah Hathaway and Snarky Puppy, track called "Something". :)

[@wyattslinger9090]

+ToddAndChips What are the obvious reasons?

[@RicketyBread]

+ToddAndChips Look up polyphonic overtone singing and throat singing. There are multiple ways to sing chords but i'm not sure how Lalah does it, one of the most incredible live musical moments!

[@wyattslinger9090]

Awesome, thanks!

[@Pindolene]

+ToddAndChips I always forget about that and then when I'm reminded I just go 'hoooooly cow'

[@hightreason]

+ToddAndChips i thought the same thing. She's a genius and so is everyone in snarky puppy!

[@_tarnished_]

i loved the last bit, sounded so cool

[@fritzgfeller]

What a TED crowd... Not ready for this yet

[@hellenkeller9467]

It would be a damn shame if the crowd responded just a little. Don't wanna waste any energy...

[@simonklein6588]

The audience mic is muted mostly when he is speaking or making music.

[@razStarcraft]

This doesn't even touch on the service of what's possible with beardyman and that tech.

[@Yojimbo711]

This guy is a major contribution and influence in music in general!

[@mattuiop]

Out of all the stage beat boxers with sequencers, Beardyman does it best!

[@samfortunato]

awesome. maybe whats not so clear is yes: voice can often be the best way to communicate musical ideas. im a musician & ive always sang/beatboxed to express ideas, say during writing. a machine like this breaks down limitations i find with traditional instruments; this could allow you to just "say" your ideas effortlessly with infinite musical possibilities.. on a larger note something like this allows us to express exactly what we are thinking, something i think art does in all aspects. cool.

[@doim1676]

But with that many effects and that immense skill in handling them couldnt he just make anything sound like anything else? He doesnt even need his voice anymore 😂

[@Corsaka]

you'd think so, but your voice actually contains a lot of harmonic information. there's hundreds of overtones and undertones that are harder to replicate in other noises. you CAN, but it's a lot more effort than just doing so with the human voice.

[@doim1676]

@@Corsaka seems to make sense xD

[@JamesChristopherHill]

They clapped at the end and they loved it! Awesome!

[@talktonick]

so sounded like the orb at the end. Great stuff!

[@minecrafthommey]

BEST BEAT BOX EVER! I'D RATHER HAVE THAN HAVE PC SOUND EFFECTS

[@robby4850]

He was 31 here lol

[@rybereid1716]

havent heard from this guy in ages what a legend.

[@saul_guudman]

Beardyman once MC'd over one of my drum and bass dj sets in Brighton,UK in a tiny club called the Volks, to about 90 people and now he's on Ted. At least those 90 people loved every second.

[@garethmitchell7723]

Ahh the volks some awesome nights there I saw beardyman and jfb at audio on one of their battlejams back in the day.

[@saul_guudman]

@@garethmitchell7723 yeah I know Battle Jam, went to a few. We gave JFB one of his first gigs in Brighton at a little night we ran at The Pav Tav called Casual when Goggles finished. Surprised I still remember it all after so many nights at The Volks. Haha

[@Cambaudio]

I mean, when you break a sample (a recording) of anything down, such as the human voice, you just have a basic waveform. So essentially yeah, your playing a synth with your voice.

[@hisky.]

You're*

[@MilGrip76]

Genius, to Beardy the modern [human] sound design Mozart.

[@citruscyanide]

How has this been sitting on youtube for FIVE YEARS without me seeing it? I live in this world!! :O

[@AngelaNakiyingi]

This is excellent! Pure talent

[@dersteffan9069]

The last minute sounds like Aphex Twin ;-)

[@stigstiggson]

yeah, it kind of morphed from Aphex to Jeff Mills then ended up with future sound of London :)

[@uairlitl]

Какой же он артистичный :)

[@hillbillypetej]

Watch this man for awhile just amazing.

[@Key1boards]

This guys had a lot of spare time on his hands, and put it to great use ! very, very Creative...

[@noizyme]

As a fan of experimental music, I love the production and shows he puts on, but the message of the voice's possibilities is a bit lost after he straps on half a ton of electronics and cycles the signal through looping machines.

[@raerth]

ok, 5 years without reply so I apologise for the notification. The main difference here is that he can create all these soundscapes spontaneously. It's not the creation of 3 months of production in a studio. Beardyman can put out in a random KZbin jam session what some artists struggle for months with in composition and production.

[@cleatussfmo7437]

@@raerth yes, he can do it quickly. But to claim it is nothing but voice is a fallacy. The electronic manipulation involved makes it so this isn't voice at all. Yes, the original tone is created with voice, but then it is twisted, wadded, and crumpled to make it what it is...meaning it is nothing more than computer generated sounds.

[@raerth]

@@cleatussfmo7437 He doesn't claim it is nothing but his voice. He claims that he uses no samples other than what he inputs using his voice. There is a distinction there. If you want to see Beardyman using only his voice, here's a good example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWiqeJ6BpaeFY8k

[@dosetti]

My thoughts exactly. The first part was cool but with the electronics, not.

[@marciamakesmusic]

@@dosetti Why is that? I think you just have a stigma against new technology because you think it somehow makes creating music easier.

[@thelocust64]

I could go the rest of my life without hearing another TED beatboxer

[@Biobeatboxmusic]

THANK YOU

[@careymilton5316]

!..This guy has a raw talent and if he has found something that enhances his abilities to enable him to reach another level of this ability then my hat off to you Beardyman!!!....Keep on keeping on!!! x Carey x :)

[@mastermuntazir7060]

During the end. I was almost lost into that technical voice!!

[@ZacharyAghaizu]

Very interesting, did he make it available for others to use or and in-depth breakdown?

[@amaurylannes]

People who need this machine: Daft Punk, Animal Collective, Robert DeLong...

[@RecordingOfMind]

Beardymans system is empty of sounds. people you mentioned have enough "gimmick" and need more talent. this is audio art and design. won't help them.

[@rosasimplex]

he's literally speaking into a sampler/vocoder and just adding effects to his voice that can be found on a simple ipad or any vocoder in existence, love; this is no audio art and design and those artists have been doing this and innovative sampling techniques since the 70s. don't diss the DJs, artists and engineers of the last 40-50 years because you're not sure whats going on

[@balintkamvas3651]

Beardyman did not disappoint. Very revolutionary indeed! Cool!

[@kakizame]

Simply fantastic