I recently finished reading a very interesting book by Daniel J. Levitin. The title, This Is Your Brain on Music hooked me.
If I was a musician I would have better understood the book. If I was skilled in neuroscience I would have better understood the book. If I was both a brain surgeon who could also play some mean guitar riffs, then I would have probably been fascinated by the book.
Since I am neither, the book was not fascinating. A bit too technical for me. I did however find this book very interesting and informative. Here are some of my take-aways:
- Our ability to listen and immediately analyze what we are hearing is amazing. One exercises that Levitin suggested to demonstrate this power was to sit in a quiet room and identify six different sounds. (Try it!) I had never thought of the complexity of listening in this way and it struck me as incredible that our brain can process so much so quickly.
- Great musicians are the result of 50% genetics and 50% hard work. The magic number of hours to become a great musician is 10,000. Or about twenty hours a week for ten years.
- Music interacts with a larger percentage of the brain than most other visual and audio intakes. Also, playing music and singing uses our whole brain, unlike other activities.
- Because of the chemicals that are released/produced in the brain from listening to some music, it is probably a better antidepressant than most antidepressants.
- When a song gets stuck in our head it is called an "earworm" or an "brain itch".
- I think I now understand why people like or dislike certain music. However, it would take me a few paragraphs to explain.
- This book had a huge evolutionary approach to understanding the human brain and mind. For me, the more I read, the more I was amazed at the complexity of God's creation of the brain and of music.
If understanding your brain on music intrigues you, then take a look at this.
Based on the numbers, my nephew is and will be more than a great musician.
Posted by: Donna | October 31, 2006 at 04:42 PM
How awsome is our God!! Now if we can convince the world to whom which nature points! Have you ever listened to "music" left to time and chance? IT'S CALLED NOISE!!(and it hurts my ears!) Great review, brethren.
Posted by: BigDaddy | October 31, 2006 at 08:41 PM