2. misc-audio
  3. 1194641321

Musicophilia - music & relationship to the brain

I am listening to Science Friday today. There is very interesting interview with Oliver Sacks.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/
Intro on the site for the interview:
Join Ira in this segment for a conversation with neurologist and author Oliver Sacks about 'Musicophilia,' his latest book. In this book, Sacks, the author of over a dozen books including 'Awakenings' and 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,' looks at the way music and the brain interact. Why can music sometimes remain in the brain long after other memories fade? Why can a person with limited language abilities still be able to sing unimpaired?

This show will be available to listen to online at this link (once it's archived).
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200711095

Here's the book and links to some videos that are interesting.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1400040817/sciencefriday/

I gotta get back to work but wanted to post before I forget... more later...
meanwhile...
Thoughts?

Angela
angela100

Showing 4 responses by mrtennis

mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
the complexity of a composition is irrelevant as far as minimizing timbral errors. if i am listening to a symphony orchestra or a solo harpsichord i am aware of how erroneous a stereo system reproduces the sound of an instrument.

if i am in an anlytic mode, i aam mentallly assessing how natural an instrument sounds in relation to the real thing.

i had an interesting experience when i recorded a cymbal and compared the playback to the sound of the cymbal.

our stereo systems are inaccurate compared to the real thing.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
there have been many articles written about the salutary effects of music therapy. it seems that sound quality is not a factor in the efficacy of the music to produce a beneficial result.

as for listening experiences, if a stereo system cannot provide a modicum of realism as far as timbre is concerned why bother listening to it ?

dbphd, i surmise that a good table radio would satisfy you when listening to music in the background.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi gregm:

in my own experience, i am no more drawn into listening to a symphony orchestra than a single instruments.

i frequently assess the timbral inaccuracy of instruments. it is easier to do this when only one instrument is present.

when i am not in an analytic mode, i am enjoying the music. it's complexity has norhing to do with the quality of the experience. i am equally drawn into listening to a harpsichord as listening to a symphony orchestra.

in this sense, i disagree with newbee. and as i said before, i can just as easily enjoy a musical composition of any genre on a 300 dollar stereo system as on a $300,000 stereo system. the purpose for me of listening to a serious stereo system is to appreciate the beauty of instrumental timbre. others have a different objective.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
newbee, you are correct. we do agree. i too don't want to be assaulted by unpleasant "sound" when i am listening to any kind of music.

i still make a distinction between listening for timbre and listening to enjoy the music.

i can enjoy the music on my $300 personal stereo as much as on my "reference" system. the reference system should give me more realistic timbre than my $300 brookstone with the tdx thin waver tweeters.
More to discover