Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
How a metal ball appears to float around a magician
A nearly invisible Kevlar thread controls the sphere, with its tension managed by a rig hidden behind the ear or attached to the thumb.
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Didgeridoo demands circular breathing
To keep a didgeridoo playing continuously, performers inhale through the nose while pushing air from their cheeks.
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How trapeze catchers hold on midair
Catchers hook their knees over the swinging bar, leaving their hands free to grab the flyer.
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Tango requires a constant chest connection
The follower feels subtle shifts in the leader’s core weight through that contact, using them to anticipate quick leg movements.
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Rammstein performers breathe fire through face masks
The band uses heavy masks fitted with flame devices to shoot jets of fire during live performances.
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Flamenco guitar relies on percussive tapping
Players slap the soundboard with their fingers, turning the guitar body into a drum alongside the plucked strings.
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Cyr wheel requires spinning inside a giant hoop
The performer grips the rim and shifts their weight to roll the ring across the stage, doing acrobatics inside it as it moves.
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A metal growl can use tissue above the vocal cords
Some harsh-vocal techniques involve the ventricular folds, often called false vocal folds, above the folds that normally produce the voice. Their vibration…
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Glissando requires sliding across piano keys
A pianist creates a glissando by sweeping across a run of keys, producing a rapid cascade of notes.
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Metallica played Antarctica through headphones
For its 2013 show near Argentina's Carlini Base, the band sent the amplified sound to listeners' headphones to reduce the environmental impact. The audience…
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The giant tuba designed to wrap around you
Its coiled shape lets the bell project forward over the performer's head while the instrument rests around the torso.
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Playing pedal steel guitar takes all four limbs
It is less like playing music and more like operating a complex piece of heavy machinery. The musician uses both hands to pick and slide, while their feet and…
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A soprano can retune her mouth to help a high note carry
The air inside the vocal tract resonates more strongly at certain frequencies. By changing its shape, a singer can line a resonance up with a high note and…
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Vuvuzela creates a deafening stadium drone
Blowing it takes no musical skill, but produces a steady B-flat drone that can sound like a swarm of furious hornets.
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Melodica forces you to blow into a keyboard
Blowing through its mouthpiece sends air across free reeds, so its piano-style keys produce no sound until you breathe into it.
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How magicians saw people in half
One classic method uses an oversized hollow table and a flexible assistant concealed where the audience expects to see the person's legs.
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Ocarina functions as a closed vessel flute
The closed chamber makes pitch depend on the total area of the uncovered holes, not where those holes are placed.
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Why mosh pits turn music into a human whirlpool
The crowd's circular motion turns a crush of people into a human whirlpool, with concertgoers slamming into one another around the center.
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Beatboxing mimics an entire acoustic drum kit
Beatboxers use their lips and tongues to imitate kicks, snares, and hi-hats—and some hum a bass line while keeping the beat.
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Otamatone looks like a screaming music note
You play the Otamatone by sliding your fingers along its neck and squeezing its rubbery face to make a wavering “wah” sound. It looks like a music note…
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Ballet pointe shoes put your weight on your toes
Reinforced satin shoes support dancers as they balance their full body weight on the compressed tips of their big toes.
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Why blowing into a kazoo doesn't work
A kazoo’s membrane vibrates when you hum or sing into it; simply blowing sends air through without making it sound.
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Mariachi bass lines rely on a giant acoustic
Its oversized, V-shaped back projects deep bass loudly enough to compete with trumpets, even without amplification.
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Pizzicato forces violinists to pluck strings
In pizzicato, players pluck the strings with their fingers instead of drawing the bow across them, producing short, bouncy notes.
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