Daniel J. Levitin, 2006, 320 pages
Why human beings make and enjoy muziki is, in Levitin’s telling, a delicious story. In this unprecedented meeting of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between muziki – its performances, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it – and the human brain.
Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that muziki is nothing zaidi than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that muziki is fundamental to our species, perhaps even zaidi so than language. ‘This Is Your Brain On Music’ is an ear-opening, mind-blowing investigation into an obsession at the center of human nature.
Take a look at the content:
I upendo muziki and I upendo science – Why would I want to mix the two?
What is muziki – from pitch to timbre
Foot tapping – discerning rhythm, loudness, and harmony
Behind the curtain – muziki and the mind machine
Anticipation – what we expect from Liszt (and Ludacris)
You know my name, look up the number – How we categorize music
After dessert, crick was still four seats away from me – Music, emotion & the reptilian brain
What makes a musician? – Expertise dissected
My inayopendelewa things – Why do we like the muziki we like?
The muziki instinct – Evolution’s #1 hit
Think of a song that resonates deep down in your being. Now imagine sitting down with someone who was there when the song was recorded and can tell wewe how that series of sounds was committed to tape, and who can also explain why that particular combination of rhythms, timbres and pitches has lodged in your memory, making your pulse race and your moyo swell every time wewe hear it. Remarkably, Levitin does all this and more, interrogating the basic nature of hearing and of muziki making (this is likely the only book whose koti, jacket sports blurbs from both Oliver Sacks and Stevie Wonder), without losing an affectionate appreciation for the songs he's reducing to neural impulses. Levitin is the ideal guide to this material: he enjoyed a successful career as a rock musician and studio producer before turning to cognitive neuroscience, earning a Ph.D. and becoming a juu researcher into how our brains interpret music. Though the book starts off a little dryly (the first chapter is a crash course in muziki theory), Levitin's snappy prose and relaxed style quickly win one over and will leave readers thinking about the contents of their iPods in an entirely new way.
A wonderful introduction to the science of one of the arts that make us human.
www.yourbrainonmusic.com
Why human beings make and enjoy muziki is, in Levitin’s telling, a delicious story. In this unprecedented meeting of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between muziki – its performances, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it – and the human brain.
Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that muziki is nothing zaidi than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that muziki is fundamental to our species, perhaps even zaidi so than language. ‘This Is Your Brain On Music’ is an ear-opening, mind-blowing investigation into an obsession at the center of human nature.
Take a look at the content:
I upendo muziki and I upendo science – Why would I want to mix the two?
What is muziki – from pitch to timbre
Foot tapping – discerning rhythm, loudness, and harmony
Behind the curtain – muziki and the mind machine
Anticipation – what we expect from Liszt (and Ludacris)
You know my name, look up the number – How we categorize music
After dessert, crick was still four seats away from me – Music, emotion & the reptilian brain
What makes a musician? – Expertise dissected
My inayopendelewa things – Why do we like the muziki we like?
The muziki instinct – Evolution’s #1 hit
Think of a song that resonates deep down in your being. Now imagine sitting down with someone who was there when the song was recorded and can tell wewe how that series of sounds was committed to tape, and who can also explain why that particular combination of rhythms, timbres and pitches has lodged in your memory, making your pulse race and your moyo swell every time wewe hear it. Remarkably, Levitin does all this and more, interrogating the basic nature of hearing and of muziki making (this is likely the only book whose koti, jacket sports blurbs from both Oliver Sacks and Stevie Wonder), without losing an affectionate appreciation for the songs he's reducing to neural impulses. Levitin is the ideal guide to this material: he enjoyed a successful career as a rock musician and studio producer before turning to cognitive neuroscience, earning a Ph.D. and becoming a juu researcher into how our brains interpret music. Though the book starts off a little dryly (the first chapter is a crash course in muziki theory), Levitin's snappy prose and relaxed style quickly win one over and will leave readers thinking about the contents of their iPods in an entirely new way.
A wonderful introduction to the science of one of the arts that make us human.
www.yourbrainonmusic.com