Da-da-dah-da-da-DAH!

February 21, 2014 4:53 PM

The Super Mario theme played on a sheng. Li Li-chen performs the Super Mario theme on a sheng, an ancient Chinese musical instrument that is at least as old as 1100 BC.
posted by aka burlap (21 comments total)

I LOVE the coin ka-chings!! Us Chinese invented everything.
posted by helmutdog at 5:19 PM on February 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

Aww, I was hoping for some sounds of fireworks at the end.

Still, this is good.
posted by aubilenon at 5:29 PM on February 21, 2014

Threnody for the Victims of the Mushroom Kingdom.

I thought the guy in the very beginning was supposed to be the Harry Potter kid.
posted by Redfield at 5:29 PM on February 21, 2014

Something very Taiwanese about the creativity there, too.
posted by jiawen at 5:37 PM on February 21, 2014

I thought it was pretty neat until she did the coins. Then I thought it was brilliant!
posted by TDavis at 5:42 PM on February 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

Sounds like she's running out of time.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:44 PM on February 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, she changes the rhythm a little. It's kinda swinging.
posted by aka burlap at 5:48 PM on February 21, 2014

Sounds more like she's in a hurry to get ift over with.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 5:50 PM on February 21, 2014

This reminds me of a musical instrument that I lust over night and day: the khaen.
posted by gray17 at 6:15 PM on February 21, 2014 [5 favorites]

Sounds more like she's in a hurry to get ift over with.

I thought so too, but it looks like she's in some sort of presentation, and she's young. When I was in orchestra and performing arts, nerves got to me too and I would rush things in the beginning. It's natural.
posted by Malice at 6:16 PM on February 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

KHAAAAAAAEN!
posted by gray17 at 6:19 PM on February 21, 2014 [6 favorites]

KHAAAAAAAEN!

Hot damn! If the sheng was built for covering the Mario theme then the khaen was built for covering Baba O'Reilly.
posted by this is a thing at 6:34 PM on February 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

That's not even doing it justice. That guy is seriously rocking out on that thing.
posted by this is a thing at 6:35 PM on February 21, 2014

KHAAAAAAAEN!

From the Youtube comments: "has a strange philip glass like sound to it."
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 6:44 PM on February 21, 2014

I so want a sheng and a khaen.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:32 PM on February 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

The Sheng looks like something out of "At the Mountains of Madness."
posted by eugenen at 9:08 PM on February 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

After a brief introduction by the lecturer, a young girl takes a seat carrying a large what looks like that instrument Dolph Lundgren used to switch dimensions in Masters of the Universe.

Hobbies: Being pharisaic about describing an iconic 1985 game in terms of an moronic (possibly ironic) 1987 movie staring someone exotic played on an archaic instrument while getting a colonic.
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:57 AM on February 22, 2014

Khaen reeds are traditionally made by hammering old coins into metal sheets!
posted by moonmilk at 7:14 AM on February 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

She doesn't do the whole song. Compare.

Here is Super Mario Bros., listed out by repeated sections:

intro - loop:A-A-B-B-C-A-D-D-C-D

At no point does she play section B. Instead, she plays A then skips right to D. What she plays is:

intro - A-A-D-C-A-A-D

I can't help but think there must be something in section B that's incompatible with the instrument.
posted by JHarris at 11:41 AM on February 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

I have never been interested in a wind instrument in my entire life. Yet I NEED ONE OF THESE.
posted by ignignokt at 5:18 PM on February 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

I can't help but think there must be something in section B that's incompatible with the instrument.

Maybe the flatted fifth (the second note of the melody in the "B" section).
posted by John Cohen at 7:55 AM on February 23, 2014