Various Affects of Music On The Brain

Via Scoop.it - the psychology of music

"Brain functioning, moods of an individual, emotions and behaviors have great connection with music. All of them can be altered, changed and improvised according to the requirements and perceptions with the assistance of ... "Via health.ezinemark.com

The Sounds of Colour: A look at Synaesthesia in Relation to Music and Colour

Let us begin this article by asking the question what is 'synaesthesia'? Well synaesthesia can be described as people having 'hallucinations'. A hallucination roughly speaking is usually an error of the brain in its interpretation of the mass of sense-data, which our senses send to the brain.  The the most common example of this is the falling sensation, this is when a person thinks they are physically falling when they are on the verge of falling to asleep.

The most typical of these synaesthesia experiences is probably in relation between music and colour. This is when a person sees colour when he or she hears music, this is often known as  as 'colour hearing'.  This particular experience has been known since antiquity.

A number composers have actually been fascinated by this concept of 'colour hearing'. They have included Sir Arthur Bliss, whose composition 'The Colour Symphony', offers a vivid recollection about his own personal colour perceptions that may have passed through his mind and imagination while he was composing this symphony.  Each and every one of the titles of the movements is in fact a colour. 'The 'First Movement': Purple the Colour of Amethysts, Pageantry, Royalty and Death. The 'Second Movement': Red the Colour of Rubies, Wine, Revelry, Furnaces, Courage and Magic. 'The 'Third Movement' : Blue the Colour of Sapphires, Deep Water, Skies, Loyalty and Melancholy. The 'The 'Fourth Movement': Green the Colour of Emeralds, Hope, Joy, Youth, Spring and Victory.

For other composers musical keys seemed to have held a great deal of interest.  Beethoven for instance is known to have referred to the B minor key as a black key.  If one accepts black as being a symbol associated with death together with suffering and many other darker emotions, Beethoven must have thought of this key as gloomy and sad.  This music however is not as  nearly as so dark, tragic and heartbreaking as when the key of B minor was used by J.S. Bach in his own compositions. The music which flowed from this genius mind in the B minor key is some of the most despairing, desolating and painful music within that key.

The Russian composers Rimsky-Korsakov and  Scriabin  both developed strong associations  between particular musical keys and colours though each interpreted these associations in their own way. Though generally there are disagreements  among composers on what colours relate to what musical keys, these differences are fundamentally unimportant compare to whether these types of relationships and connections exist any way.

Different parts of the orchestra have even being given colours, black for instance has been given for strings and voices, red for brass and drums, blue for wood. It has even been suggested that to help to make orchestral scores easier to read, the above colours ought to be used in the printing of the staves committed to the different families of musical instruments.  Associations have also  been made between timbre and colour such as cello - indigo blue,  human voice - green,  trumpet - red, bassoon – violet and so forth.

So  irrespective whether or not an individual person has actually have has personal knowledge of “colour hearing” for themselves, there do exist  people for which the synaesthesia experience connecting music and colour is a very real experience and not simply an 'hallucination'.

Can Listening To Music Make You A Happier Person ?

Are we a happier person after listening to music ?  Well there have been various studies over the years trying to answer this question .   Here is an article which expounds on the subject further.

"Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?  Music affects us all. But only in recent times have scientists sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains, and therefore our bodies, function".   MORE

Choosing The Right Genre Of Music

When deciding on what music to listen to it is important to choose the right genre of music for the mood you are in at the time.

" Research has proven that music could be a major mood lifter particularly when one is undergoing tough times. At least every person encounters a downhill in life and during such times, music would probably be the best thing to address such situations else one would find it extremely tough to cope. " MORE

A Musical Synesthesia Experience

Maurice Ravel - "Daphnis et Chloë - Suite No.2" ('Daybreak')

This is a great example of French impressionist music. The synesthesia experiences this piece of music evokes in me is that of a sound picture in where waves from the sea are lapping to the shore while I watch a summer sunrise and experiencing the first breezes of the morning across my face.

It occasionally happens that a great work is better known by excerpts. Such has been the fate of Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe every since its creation. While occasionally performed as a ballet, it is usually heard in concert, represented by its final three numbers: "Lever du jour" (Daybreak), "Pantomime" and "Danse generale." Ravel himself designated these excerpts as Suite No. 2 after the score's completion in 1912.  MORE

Gary Moore The Blues and Rock Guitarist Dies

Yesterday the sad death of Gary Moore the blues and rock guitarist was announced.

"Moore grew up on Castleview Road opposite Stormont's Parliament Buildings, off the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast and started performing at a young age, having picked up a battered acoustic guitar at the age of eight. Moore got his first good-quality guitar at the age of 14, learning to play the right-handed instrument in the standard way despite being left-handed. He moved to Dublin in 1968 at the age of 16. Moore's early musical influences were artists such as Albert King, Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Later, having seen Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in his home town of Belfast, his own style was developing into a blues-rock sound that would be the dominant form of his career."  MORE

Gary Moore is best known for his involvement with the rock band 'Thin Lizzy'  who he first joined in 1973  and rejoined them several times more throughout his career.  Before joining 'Thin Lizzy' Moore was with the rock band 'Skid Row'.  In 1974 he joined Jon Hiseman's ‘Colosseum II’ and stayed with them until 1978 when he then followed mainly a solo career.  Gary Moore however collaborated with many major artists throughout his solo career like George Harrison, Albert Collins, BB King, Albert King and Greg Lake,Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, the Beach Boys and Ozzy Osbourne, just to name a few.

His fine rock and blues guitar virtuoso playing will be sadly missed.

Some Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Moore

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/06/gary-moore-thin-lizzy-dies

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12377862

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/gary-moore-dies

The Oscar Winner Composer John Barry Has Died

John Barry the Oscar Winner composer died suddenly yesterday (30th January 2011) of an heart attack, he was 77 years. John Barry was best known for his James Bond soundtracks, including 'Dr No', 'Goldfinger' and 'You Only Live Twice'.   He also composed scores to other films  including  'Born Free', 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Out of Africa'.  His most recent film score was in 2001 for the war thiller film 'Enigma'. MORE

MORE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12321610

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barry_(composer)

Music And The Chill Factor

A recent study by scientists at the ‘The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro at McGill University’ have found that listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is more closely related to the pleasures that go with rewards like food, drugs and sex.  If a volunteer enjoyed a particular piece of music this produced a chill like response in them which in turn increased the volunteer's dopamine level.  It also resulted in an increase in the volunteer's heart rate, breathing and sweating.

".....this is the first demonstration that an abstract reward such as music can lead to dopamine release. Abstract rewards are largely cognitive in nature, and this study paves the way for future work to examine non-tangible rewards that humans consider rewarding for complex reasons.”   MORE

Mick Karn: In Memory Of The Former Japan Bass Player

In memory of the multi-instrumentalist of Mick Karn who died on  4 January 2010 after suffering from cancer, he was 52 years old.    He came to prominence in the early 1980's as bass player with the band Japan who he helped to co-founded along with David Sylvian and his younger brother Steve Jansen in  1974.  After Japan broke up in 1982 he went on to have a solo career and released a number of albums.

....... .was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982. In June 2010, he was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, and died in January 2011. "  

"The band Japan, whose other members included David Sylvian, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen as drummer, began as a group of friends, who all studied at the same school. As youngsters they played music as a means of escape, playing Sylvian's two-chord numbers – sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore, guitarist Rob Dean joined the band later. "

source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Karn

Other Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12118209

Mick Karn offical home page :  http://www.mickkarn.net/

Captain Beefheart: Few Words In His Memory

In memory of Don Van Vliet better known as Captain Beefheart who died on the 17th December 2010 aged 69.

He certainly was one of the great original geniuses of popular music of the 20th Century. With his gritty and growling voice and his fusion of blues, jazz and psychedelia  he carved out sound that was uniquely his.

" His work, whether in music or drawing, was never mainstream and only ever gained a relatively small following, but he was a larger-than-life character who pushed the boundaries of his art in a way which influenced many who followed in his wake "

quoted from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11811289

Other Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12024652

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/captain-beefheart-dead-at-age-69-20101217

Gerry Rafferty The Musician, Songwriter and Singer Dies Today

Gerald Rafferty The Musician, Songwriter and Singer Is No More.  He died earlier today of  liver failure after a long illness.  


Goodbye Gerry, your music gave me a lot of pleasure over the years   http://bit.ly/dQSk9J

"Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line", and "Stuck in the Middle" with the band Stealers Wheel."

It was publicly known that Rafferty was battling with alcoholism.^[11] In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Dorset, suffering from liver failure. He died at home on 4 January 2011, of liver disease.^[19] He is survived by his daughter, Martha.^[20]

The irony of the success of "Baker Street" was that the lyrics reflected Rafferty’s disenchantment with certain elements of the music industry. This was elaborated by music journalist Paul Gambaccini for BBC World News:^[11]

“

His song "Baker Street" was about how uncomfortable he felt in the star system, and what do you know, it was a giant world hit. The album City to City went to no. 1 in America, and suddenly he found that as a result of his protest, he was a bigger star than ever. And he now had more of what he didn’t like. And although he had a few more hit singles in the United States, by 1980 it was basically all over, and when I say ‘it’, I mean basically his career, because he just was not comfortable with this.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Rafferty



"Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street provided a welcome relief from the wall-to-wall disco that dominated the UK charts in the late 1970s."  .....   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11728112

The How And The Why On Music !

A fascinating book on the how and the why of music and why it is so important to human beings.

  "All human cultures seem to make music - today and through history. But why they do so, why music can excite deep passions, and how we make sense of musical sound at all are questions that have, until recently, remained profoundly mysterious."  ....... MORE

Snippets of Some Rambling Reflections - Part 1

You get what you give and you give what you get. !

Although verbal communication ie speaking and writing is important, the non-verbal aspect of communication should not be under estimated.

"Some studies show 60 per cent of any dialogue is made through nonverbal means – such as gestures, posture ......."   MORE   

All verbal communication is affected by the non-verbal communication that accompanies it. Face to face, expression  ......."   MORE 
 
If people spoke less and listen more perhaps we would have a better world ! ! !  .....  MORE  

If no one speaks there would be no need to listen. Perhaps human beings might then regain the art of telepathy !   Well it is just a thought !

"Communication was an important component of life in the ancient world, and could be divided up into three ....."   MORE    

  "According to some studies, communication between people is more that 50 percent nonverbal. That being the case ....."  MORE    

"Some studies show 60 per cent of any dialogue is made through non-verbal means – such as gestures, posture ......."    MORE         

"Colour is so deeply imbedded in our psyche that it's like the air that we breath… we don't notice the power, ...."    MORE      

 "Colours, like people have different personalities and these are perhaps the reason why we are attracted to ........ ."    MORE      

 "Everyone likes to imagine they are rational, fair, and free from prejudice. But how easily are we   misled by ...."     MORE     

............................    too be continued    ...........................

A Perspective of Colour and Its Role In Human Communication

Colour affects us all in subtle and more noticeable ways during the course of our daily lives, here are some links which expand on this further.

"Colours, like people have different personalities and these are perhaps the reason why we are attracted to ......." MORE

"Colour is so deeply imbedded in our psyche that it's like the air that we breath… we don't notice the power, ...." MORE

Can There Really Be A Colour And Music Relationship ?

 “The relationship of colour and music has inspired philosophical and creative discovery throughout the ages. ....."  MORE

Musical  Color Experiences

 “The experiences of color and music have always been closely intertwined. ......."  MORE

The Great Color Music Debate.   Painting music by colors is a subject which has occupied many a great mind down the centuries. The pondering goes along these lines. When one hears a particular musical sound one is drawn to a particular color or a particular sound is associated with a particular color or a color with a sound. Whether this is only a subjective experience on the part of the listener or whether we can draw a wider correlation between certain musical sounds and certain colors is open to debate. .........  MORE

Check out:  Color Codes: Modern Theories of Color in Philosophy, Painting and Architecture, Literature, Music and Psychology. by Charles A. Riley (Paperback)   …..  MORE

The author thinks that by trying to understand our own and other people’s ‘personality color’ it would help us to communicate with others better.

“Each one of us has one of four personality colors that dominate the way we behave and communicate  ......" MORE

What Says Jimi ?

On the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix death Tom Robinson in this radio programme takes a look at  Hendrix's political  position during the late 1960's .

Along with Tom Robinson, this programme also features contributions from Eric Burton, Robert Wyatt, Hendrix's younger brother Leon Hendrix, Black Panther Party members of the period Aaron and Elmer Dixon and comments from the author Charles Sharr Murray.

"The programme culminates with Jimi's Woodstock Festival performance of 'The Star Spangled Banner', an eloquent (and wordless) statement against the Vietnam war......"  MORE

Those Musical Feelings That We Have

I suppose you do not need to be a neuroscientist to know the power of music and the physical and psychological effects it can have on human beings.  Nevertheless, it is good to know anyway that neuroscientists of this interesting study have taken the time and effort to confirm and explain why we feel these ‘physical and psychological effects’

Over the past decade or so, studies have shown that music stimulates numerous regions of the brain all at once, including those responsible for emotion, memory, motor control, timing and language. MORE

Are You A Good Listener ?

Listening is one those skills in communication which many of us overlook. If you are the one who does most of the talking in a conversation it probably means that you not listening or paying close attention to what the other person is saying. Often this can lead to a lot misunderstanding between the parties. So if you wish to be a better communicator try to talk less and listen more.  You may be surprise at the difference this might make, you might even improve your communication skills in the process!

In my journey toward better communication, here are 5 ways I’ve found to help reduce the distractions we face in communication: ............  MORE

Are Your Facial Expressions Innate Or Learnt ?

Human Facial Expressions are Inborn, Study Found

A research paper published  by the 'Journal of Personality and Social Psychology' says that our facial expressions have "strong connections with our genes". This study goes  on  to say that " facial expressions of our emotions are innate" and consequently are not acquired in "cultural learning". ........ MORE

The Musical World of Confucius

Confucius grew up in a world in which the Ancient Chinese believed that sound had a profound influence on the harmony of the universe. This importance is reflected in his own teachings in which music is featured very prominently.

Confucius considered music to be one of the two defining social and cultural structures that is attributed to a proper ordered society, along with correct observance of ritual. For him music encompassed learning, thinking, behaving, and governing.

Confucius felt that an individual education could not be completed without a musical education. As Confucius so eloquently put it "To educate someone, you should start with poems, emphasise of ceremonies, and finish with music".

Music and Its Origins

The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body

A book written perhaps with the linguist Steven Pinker in mind who in 1997 stated that music in evolutionary terms was in fact "useless".  The author Steven Mithen challenges this assertion of Pinker and argues that ......." music has been neglected if not ignored.  Like language it is a universal feature of human culture, one that is a permanent fixture in our daily lives. " ........ MORE