tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post5044224996418445472..comments2024-01-12T00:48:55.192-08:00Comments on Music and Brain Blog at University of Toronto: Dangerous MusicLee Bartelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06727468225852676801noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post-56910016067510163302012-11-12T12:10:17.176-08:002012-11-12T12:10:17.176-08:00This was a very interesting post! In regard to the...This was a very interesting post! In regard to the tritone interval, I wonder what is happening in our brains when we hear it. Why do we consider this interval to be so dissonant? I thought it was interesting that we perceive this interval as being uncomfortable to listen to, while physicists and mathematicians also feel "uncomfortable" about the numerical ratio of this frequency. Fascinating! I also wonder if our perception of the tritone as dissonant is cross cultural? I ask this because jazz and blues make frequent use of this interval. Could the use of the tritone in jazz and blues be a result of the early African influences of this music? If so, would an African perceive the tritone interval as dissonant? It's also interesting that the more we expose ourselves to a sound, the better it sounds to us. This interval is so common in jazz, that I suppose it just sounds normal and "bluesy" to me now.<br /><br />I am also curious about the how music could potentially combat aggression and violence. I just about to post a blogpost of a podcast called Music Therapy, Alzheimer's and Post-Traumatic Stress. Music Therapist Alicia Clair mentions how music dampens our autonomic nervous system, resulting in slower breathing and heart rates. Although she doesn't say it, I am assuming she is referring to "calming" music that is pleasant to the ear and slower in tempo (I can't imagine death metal would elicit such as response). It seems as if listening to music can in fact have a calming effect on our bodies. Perhaps it could be used to combat aggression!Amanda Tosoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14095448974326601258noreply@blogger.com