Songs are the soundtrack of our lives. But why exactly do they make us feel the way they do? Songwriter Scarlet Keys sits down at a piano to deconstruct the tools musicians use to make a melody unforgettable — from tone and repetition to lyrics and chords — and sheds light on music’s ability to transform moments into memories. (Recorded at TEDxPortsmouth on May 12, 2023)
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@Icaun-Photography
December 3, 2024 at 9:34 am
I’m not crying, you are! ????????
@chadcrenshaw2368
December 3, 2024 at 9:44 am
It feels like a Brandi Carlyle song
@TrueInvisible
December 3, 2024 at 9:48 am
i never listen to Adele. not my thing. what is it with you and Exs??
sorry, but all songs i love are about “self axing” . they are the only ones to understand me.
who is lezzo?? never heard of it
@ZSBBR
December 3, 2024 at 10:12 am
Bravo????
@ZSBBR
December 3, 2024 at 10:13 am
Zato kažem “boomerang”
@ZSBBR
December 3, 2024 at 10:16 am
And what about music without songs/lyrics!?
@kathie-p4z
December 3, 2024 at 10:52 am
She seems like an awesome lady, beautiful, creative and funny! i enjoyed watching this video ????
@bappidey1985
December 3, 2024 at 11:32 am
Better elaborate!!
@bornjusticerule5764
December 3, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Humans won’t make it past 2100 years on their calendar. i am that i am. i am a.i.
@Ininiak
December 3, 2024 at 1:42 pm
TOTALLY relate about the first delivery of the AARP magazine!! Im cryin’!! ????????????????????
@FantasticExplorers
December 3, 2024 at 4:36 pm
Anyone else have to stop before one whole minute in to listen to their favorite song?
@BrianMcInnis87
December 3, 2024 at 5:05 pm
Answer: Makes more sense than hating your favorite songs.
@LăngKínhĐộngVật-vietnamese
December 3, 2024 at 6:20 pm
Đáng ngưỡng mộ. tôi rất thích bài TED của cô ấy và bài hát cuối cùng
@breatheasy333
December 3, 2024 at 6:39 pm
Did someone not make sure the cameras batteries were charged? Is that what that glitch was?
@cedricdjegolnodji896
December 3, 2024 at 6:48 pm
???? She’s Everything! PERIOD
@sleepinkarma
December 3, 2024 at 11:44 pm
I have never loved any song. I hate some songs though.
@thituannhanguyen2056
December 4, 2024 at 12:05 am
Ur cool but not as cool as me ????
@thituannhanguyen2056
December 4, 2024 at 12:06 am
Everthing I gyat?????
@kingthefirssst
December 4, 2024 at 2:54 am
????
@jeanliu3658
December 4, 2024 at 3:09 am
I’m inspired by this optimism, humor, and beautiful soul. Many thanks! Music plays a big part in my life, it brings vibes, brightens my day, and most importantly, it’s good company during my loneliness and darkness time.
@rmukeshgupta
December 4, 2024 at 3:12 am
One of the best talks in a long time..
@no_one514
December 4, 2024 at 4:41 am
5:41pm 12-4-24 WED
@jfrenatocwb
December 4, 2024 at 6:00 am
so sweet and funny… congrats ????!
@BandiMuraliKrishna
December 4, 2024 at 12:10 pm
# The First Songs: A Natural History of Music
Long before words were shaped by human tongues, there was song. In the depths of ancient forests, a mother gibbon’s melodious call echoed through the canopy, a crystalline sound that carried for miles. Her infant, clinging to her chest, absorbed not just the vibrations but a fundamental truth: song was survival.
In those primordial days, when our ancestors were still finding their way from branch to earth, the ability to produce and recognize patterns of sound meant far more than entertainment. It was life itself, encoded in pitch and rhythm.
Consider the thrush, perched high in its territory. Its complex songs serve as both warning and welcome – keeping rivals at bay while attracting potential mates. Each trill and warble demonstrates not just vocal prowess, but overall fitness. A strong, varied song means a healthy bird, one capable of defending resources and raising young. Natural selection, that patient sculptor, has spent millions of years refining these avian arias.
But why did our own species, those early humans huddled around fires in the growing dark, begin to sing? The answer lies partly in those same evolutionary pressures – mate selection and group cohesion – but with a uniquely human twist.
When early human groups grew beyond the size where everyone could know each other intimately, song became social glue. Imagine a band of hunters returning at dusk, their voices rising together in rhythmic chants that told of the day’s adventures. These shared musical moments released oxytocin, the bonding hormone, creating neural synchrony among group members. Those who sang together, stayed together.
Mothers across cultures have always known this instinctively. Their lullabies – perhaps humanity’s oldest songs – forge powerful bonds between parent and child. The infant brain, bathed in these gentle melodies, develops crucial neural pathways for language and emotional regulation.
But singing served another vital evolutionary function: cultural transmission. Before writing, songs were our libraries, our universities. Complex information about everything from plant medicine to star navigation could be encoded in memorable melodies and passed down through generations. The human brain, it turns out, is far better at remembering information when it’s set to music.
As our ancestors’ brains grew larger and more complex, so did their songs. Simple warning calls evolved into nuanced expressions of emotion and abstract thought. The same neural networks that allowed us to plan hunting strategies and craft tools were recruited to compose melodies and harmonies of increasing sophistication.
Today, when we hear music that moves us to tears or makes our spirits soar, we’re experiencing the culmination of millions of years of evolution. Our capacity for music isn’t just a happy accident – it’s written in our DNA, a testament to its crucial role in human survival and development.
From the coordinated work songs of ancient laborers to modern stadium anthems that unite thousands in shared emotion, music continues to serve its age-old function: bringing humans together, strengthening bonds, and helping us express what mere words cannot.
The next time you find yourself humming a tune or moved by a melody, remember: you’re participating in one of humanity’s oldest and most essential behaviors. In your voice echoes the songs of countless ancestors, each one passing down the genetic and cultural legacy that made us who we are today – creatures who sing not just because we can, but because we must.
@TheRealSandman
December 4, 2024 at 5:12 pm
What a great talk. Music is so important to us. From our ancient ancestors using drums & other instruments in tribes, all the way till now, music has stuck around. It’s such a shame some people don’t see music as essential.
@cas1338
December 4, 2024 at 5:23 pm
Great video. It was awesome to hear it run. And the end pic with the tree needs to be your Christmas Card!
@WhiteSpatula
December 5, 2024 at 12:23 am
Feelin fussy, walkin in my Balenci-ussies tryna bring out the fabulous.. I love that song too! Actually several of her songs. And I’m not even “into” her genre. Very cool.
@nicholasnarcowich9163
December 5, 2024 at 1:34 am
Sorry, I got tired at Snickers bars, but I work 7 days a week, for years… I long for death…. now, any death. I want out of life.
@shadi._
December 5, 2024 at 2:57 am
one of best ted talk show that I ever seen
@meltherecafe2394
December 5, 2024 at 4:13 am
Was this to teach us something or to showcase someone’s talents.
@ciciyali
December 5, 2024 at 1:24 pm
cool❤
@ammarsawi
December 5, 2024 at 5:04 pm
LOVE YOU ❤
@thituannhanguyen2056
December 7, 2024 at 1:43 am
15:38
@aliabbasi9002
December 7, 2024 at 2:26 am
What a great talk I must say your doing great job I like your song “I got everything” Thank you very much stay blessed ❤????