tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post5073320576157267574..comments2024-01-12T00:48:55.192-08:00Comments on Music and Brain Blog at University of Toronto: Good Vibrations: The Science of SoundLee Bartelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06727468225852676801noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post-24797376607309125112011-12-11T17:14:46.211-08:002011-12-11T17:14:46.211-08:00Stephen Chatman has written a choral work called &...Stephen Chatman has written a choral work called "Thou Whose Harmony is the Music of the Spheres"<br />It is a fabulous choral work for SATB choir and solo oboe. <br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed this 1 hour exploration of the origins of sound. Having used the choral work above, I was intrigued by the explanation of sound (music) and how it has played an integral role in this amazing experiment called creation.mrmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721793616621436010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post-8400615076496109942011-12-03T13:46:23.108-08:002011-12-03T13:46:23.108-08:00I am fascinated by the fact that the tritone and t...I am fascinated by the fact that the tritone and the ascending minor second are associated with the speech pattern for anger. Of course, the fancy name for the tritone is “Diabolus in Musica” (“The Devil in Music”) and I very much suspect that this name is no mere coincidence. As for the ascending minor second, I am reminded of the lighting-fast modulations of Schubert’s late works; in particular, the striking modulation from E major to F minor in the middle section of the second movement of his String Quintet in C major, D. 956 . This modulation sends shivers down my spine. I do not perceive it as just being dramatic, but rather, as is often the case in late Schubert, there is an underlying current of something infinitely more sinister and menacing. And I believe that it may have a lot to do with the ascending minor second modulation. I would be interested to find out if the music of other cultures also reflects these speech patterns.<br /><br />Musical tastes may be culturally learned, but I think that one should also make the effort to actively listen to the music of other cultures as well. From my own experience, I have come to the conclusion that my brain tends to be pretty lazy most of the time. It likes to experience things that are familiar and predictable. Certainly, this is why one is more perceptive and skillful when it comes to listening to/performing music that one was exposed to from an early age. At the same time, however, there may be great value in listening to unfamiliar music, as this broadens one’s horizons and allows one to develop a new perspective on music that is familiar as well.Chairathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02197761116164685307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181744309080861233.post-41650898206764203182011-12-01T17:23:53.241-08:002011-12-01T17:23:53.241-08:00This post reminds me of when I was teaching my Gra...This post reminds me of when I was teaching my Grade 8 instrumental music class earlier this term. We always start each class with a discussion about music and the question I asked this time was “What is music?” Many started giving answers that included the elements of music and a few even started talking about environmental sounds. Soon a debate ensued about whether birdsong was considered music as well as precipitation and other natural phenomenon. We came to a consensus that music could be defined as “organized sound” in the context of our classroom, but outside the classroom it was determined on meaning, interpretation, and intent. So yes, “music” exists all around us, but we are the ones who ascribe meaning to it when we hear it and analyze it.<br />We really didn’t get much past the idea of environmental sounds in that class but we did have a similar discussion in my primary music class. When I asked students to describe what music they heard on the way to school in the morning, a few of them talked about the radio in the car or the t.v. before they left the house, but a lot of them talked about the sound of their shoes on the pavement or the swish of the wiper blades on the bus. I think as we get older our concept of “music” narrows based on our enculturation. We develop a hierarchy of sound based on what we experience as children.<br />I wonder if this holds true for the way our brain processes the visual aspects of making music. Would children consider watching a bucket-drumming ensemble less “musical” then watching an orchestral performance? And would these perceptions change as they aged?Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09565023968467470785noreply@blogger.com