Musicophilia - music & relationship to the brain

Great thread-
I think music therapy has a bright future.

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.

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(ly) a stereo system reproduces the sound of an instrument

Actually, that's not Newbee's point. Newbee simply proposed that the more complex the music, the more one is likely to be drawn into it -- and thereby forget/ disregard audiophile considerations.

it seems that sound quality is not a factor in the efficacy of the music to produce a beneficial result

I find that very logical -- music doesn't need hi-fi. Hi-fi needs music...

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.

Mr T, I'm not sure we are in disagreement about anything. I can certainly agree with most you've said, much of which is nothing more than your expressing your personal preferences and order of priorities.

As with good literature, which I think is the best example, and much easier to appreciate, music can be experienced and appreciated on many levels, all of which can meet the needs of the listener at different times of life or when in differing moods.

No more than I would consider a thin book a 'simple' one would I consider a great and thick novel a 'complex' one. Examples abound! Note I did not say good or bad, just simple or complex. No judgment attached.

Its very easy for me to get immersed in solo piano - sometimes I can enjoy Beethoven more than Brahms, both of which can be assending experiences, and there are days when I find Schumann (especially his Fantasy in C) to be transcendental. Not many notes on the page, but not simple. Then there are days when I just enjoy simple music such as 'The Seasons' by Tchaikovsky, which is very attractive but not particularily challenging to the ear or the mind.

Now to my point, at last! When I'm listening to complex music I just don't want my audio system to distract me by its 'stereo' artifacts, usually the result of manufacturers efforts to enhance inmaging by emphasizing 'detail' over all else, or so it seems to me.

FWIW.