How does music work?

[InfiniteNow]

Gentle Reminder:

 

Please attempt to determine what a thread is about before posting. In post #1, ronthepon posed some very interesting and elegant questions, yet most posts have yet to address them. Of course tangents will occur, but they should be the exception, not the rule.

 

 

Cheers. ;)

 

 

Ron, have you had any new thoughts on the topic since the original post? :shrug:

[ronthepon]

I've been researching on the topic eversince (when I've got the time)... I'll be posting what I found later...

[DarkColoredLight]

I've been researching on the topic eversince (when I've got the time)... I'll be posting what I found later...

 

I hope you found one for: How is music (instrumental) related to our thinking process?

 

So we can compair notes.

 

 

 

Now I didn't do "research" but, I have, and are currently(not at this exact moment), played a few insturments in my time. I'm no music major, but I do know alot about what I know little of.

 

Meaning, from my experiance I've learned you can just start jamming. Maybe learn, or try to learn, a couple of your favorite songs to pass the time. Then, after seeing just how hard it is to play said song you might find easier songs to learn. Picking up on technique, becoming faster and generally being better at playing. After say, a year of dabbling you might decide that, you are good, and you want to capitalize on your found skill. Or, you decide you want to be better still and will do what it takes to take what you want (money, love, kill time, etc etc). This is the fork in your musical road, and also a subconcious decision that most likely effects your every day life.

 

The choice is trying to be better than the best, picking up highly difficult pieces and toughing through them till you are proficiant at them. Working on technique, speed, dramatization, etc etc; or

Being better than what's out there, more or less what's popular and stylish(aka what sells). The idea that they did it, and it was cool, why can't I do it better, by being cooler. Working on style, delievery, persona, etc etc

 

Not to say that pure skill and technique will win you fame and fourtune, or that your presence alone will be the next best thing. But, it's a characture trait, or thought process that can be reveiled through music and or other forms of art.

 

To take it one step further, if the decision is made to become better than the best meaning, alot of struggling though difficult pieces, you'll pick up a process of learning aswell as skill and technique. The "easiest way" you learn, so you don't have to struggle as much. Most the time the easiest way isn't just pick up and play. It's; read, comprehend, go through at half tempo, make sure all ends are tide, speed up to full tempo, etc etc.

 

Although, there has been word of the 6 month old kid that just has to listen to the song once, okay maybe twice, then he can play the song note for note, pound for pound, and make me envious. (note, the kid probably wasn't 6 months old, at least 8 months) That aside, you'll end up finding your learning process. Then with this understanding of self you might find your own style and presence. If those two things appeal to enough people, you win. If not, your mom always has a empty room, and a dirty house that needs cleaning, just for you.

 

Either way music, not as the final frontier, can be applied to many other situations. Mainly ones where you are using your fingers, ears, eyes, and/or brain. No specific situations come to mind, but I think it's because those element of the human are too defined, and confined to music alone. Making it too hard to apply to real life situations.

 

Contradictions? Sarcasum? Perfect Sense?

DCL

[ronthepon]

Actually I was reffering to googling style research.

 

My intentions were to see just how a simple tune, a simple combination of notes works with us.

 

At the beginning of the thread, you'll see that UncleAl has give a little link. That link has some of the direction...

[medicography]

very good thread. Music affects us in fact. Some people find peace, some find strength for rebellion, some get angry--migraines' patients-- while some just relaxes and get students feel boosted up to study! I love music, and it helps me to be more productive at work.

[ronthepon]

Whoops, I forgot.

 

If anybody was interested, I had found these links, and they satisfied me for good.

 

http://sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=0007D716-71A1-1179-AF8683414B7F0000

 

http://www.sciammind.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=000010EC-49B9-116C-85CB83414B7F0000

 

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0007D716-71A1-1179-AF8683414B7F0000&ref=sciam&chanID=sa006

 

All from the same site.

 

It is indeed worth reading about.

[Dov Henis]

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-P81pQcU1dLBbHgtjQjxG_Q--?cq=1&p=184

 

Why Music Touches Us

(Nov 11 - Dec 2, 2005 Dov, in biologicalEvolution forum)

 

My theory about music 'touching/moving' us:

 

Music is a human cultural-artifactual elaboration of creatures' vocal communication which, in turn, is an extension-elaboration of newborns' intimate coddle/sooth experiences. Both 'touch' and 'hear' senses are founded on mechanical sensing processes involving in-cell ions leakage forming electrical action potentials interpreted neurologically.

 

I suggest/conjecture that the same neurological constellation handles both 'touch' and 'hear' senses, being of commom mechanisms and differing essentially only in switch-on modes, and that this evolves in all vocal creatures in conjunction with, first, baby codling/handling and vocal soothing/communicating, and later also with intimate emotional implications. Hence music has 'touching-moving' connotation and personal music orientation has childhood-ethnic rooting.

 

I think,

 

Dov