In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music--its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it--and the human brain. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, Levitin reveals: · How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world · Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre · That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise · How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our heads And, taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. This Is Your Brain on Music is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
This is my brain on meltdown I have an IQ of 156, and have been involved in music for over 30 years, as musician, performer, reviewer, promoter, photographer, judge, vocalist, and Karaoke. I was intrigued in the extreme by the book 's description. I have to say I was disappointed. The author is both very experienced and very educated, and knows a lot about the brain and about music. At the end of the book I find I still don't understand. Why does a foot tap to a piper or fiddler? There is no drummer, rhythm instrument, etc. Why does a... more info
Brilliant and Inspiring Brilliant and inspiring. It gives a great understanding of music and how we perceive it. It is written in a very accessible language for those of us music enthusiasts with no knowledge of neuroscience.
Literary Cheesecake for Your Musical Soul This book is so highly reviewed I doubt the utility of typing one of my own but here goes. I think Andrew Palmer (see his review, 1-star) said it best in one thought. He "found it to read like an extended Wikipedia entry". The errors and glosses in Levitin's book are too numerous for me to list here - read the 1-star entries and no doubt most of them can be had, if you really must know without reading the book yourself. For my own review of the book condensed into a single thought - it seems to me that... more info
Offensive What happens when someone takes a wonderful idea and betrays it? Narcissistic
Inaccurate
Distasteful Remember that the majority prefers mediocrity and that's why a book like this becomes popular.
Related
Sections
