How does listening to music effect the brain.

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Has there been any studies done on the effect music has on brain activity, by merely listening to it?

I realize learning how to play an instrument and knowing how to read music is benefical to the mind at the very least it helps with math and such, but I don't read or play an instrument, but it seems to trigger (very much so) some type of activity in my mind, a positive activity, almost like my neurons get to play in rapid fire succession (hoping this dosen't sound to obscure or vague.)

The reason I am interested is, by the time I was 12 I could spot notes (just by listening) so quickly that the music teacher in my school would not allow me to play (what a horrible way to teach!) a game he devised because none of my other classmates could hold a candle to my ability, so my constant winning was annoying to the teacher. (Sorry for the venting, i had to let it out.)

I say, music not only has a positive influence on the building of the mind but it strengthens it, just by listening. I can't prove this btw.

I could do a google search but I would rather ask the wise members of A2K first.

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Interesting question paulaj. Thanks for posing it. All of my life I have listened to everything from Classical to Heavy Metal, Instrumentals to A Capella and all of them have very different effects on my mood and thinking.

It has only been within the last year that I have actually began using music as a tool, in part with meditation to help me fall asleep every night. What is oddly interesting to me, is that I listen to the exact same cd every night (its wonderful) but even as I am preparing for bed and don't have the cd player on yet, I can hear its music already in my head like it has started without me. Pavlov's conditioning I am sure. The other strange thing about listening to this cd, is that once I do begin playing it, I have all 4 of my indoor cats racing up the stairs to vie for their positions on the bed with me and they immediately settle down into sleepytime mode as well. Pavlov would love us all wouldn't he?

I can't prove either that it has a true positive reaction on every9ones mind, but it certainly helps my brain quiet down for the night. It works for me.

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Lady J, funny you should mention animals enjoying music. When I worked for a large corporation I used to take a drive at lunch to a nearby farm that had cows in a corral that was right next to the road, I would pull up as close as I could to the cows (i was about 6' from them) and play music with my window down.

They always seemed to listen as their ears would turn in my direction, and sometimes they would walk over to me and stand there while listening.

I got such a kick out of that!

Why wouldn't animals like music, they can hear.

Paula (i have a good time) J

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I had two guiana-pigs once, who could be soothed instantly, from utter panic, by a music box rendition of 'walking in the air'. Worked every time...

Great question. Something I've often wondered is: Is there something intrinsic to the brain that makes a major chord (say A, C#, E) sound happier than a minor chord (say A, C, E)? Or is it to do with cultural/historical uses of these chords?

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You are soo cool that you did that! That would be an even more interesting study...the effects of music on animals. I don't see why they would not react in similar ways to humans.....agitation, relaxation, nervous apprehension that might build with a William Tell Overture.

You know what's kind of weird that I think I remember? At one point I thought there was some study about cows and when calm soothing music was piped into the milking barns that the cows actually produced more milk than without the music....

Then again, maybe I was dreaming. Razz

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djbt wrote:

Great question. Something I've often wondered is: Is there something intrinsic to the brain that makes a major chord (say A, C#, E) sound happier than a minor chord (say A, C, E)? Or is it to do with cultural/historical uses of these chords?

I've wondered that also. I'm interested in an answer.

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djbt wrote:

Great question. Something I've often wondered is: Is there something intrinsic to the brain that makes a major chord (say A, C#, E) sound happier than a minor chord (say A, C, E)? Or is it to do with cultural/historical uses of these chords?

I believe there is a negative and positive effect chords have on us. I just listened to a drum beat the other day that was pleasing at a medium to fast tempo, but when grossly speeded up I found it disturbing and yanked my headphones off! Laughing

Here it is, you can listen for youselves. I listened to the top first game on the left. These are called paradiddles. I learned this on A2k, ehbeth posted this site.

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/16singleparadiddle.html

Let me know how it made you feel Very Happy

I just played the bottom row, I like diamond the best, the others were a tad to slow, but if more instruments were added I would probably enjoy the beats.

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Music is sound. Sound makes up a part of the total reality you endure, together with sight and smell. When you listen to music, your reality is suddenly harmonic, and since most of us absorb to some degree the reality we live in, harmony becomes a part of you.

Another thing is that to listen to music is using your brain "muscle", and it grows stronger as you use it, of course.

I am a musician. I play several instruments, and have done for as long as I can remember. Learning music, I discovered, was one thing. To learn techniqes and rules is all helpfull, but the most important thing music has taught me is to listen.

I am able to transfer my musical experience onto other areas, basically, because I have learned to listen, and not just with my ears, answers sometimes come as though an intuitive sense picked them up.

There are so many likenesses between a piece of music, any piece, and the game of life. After all, music is art. And art is a piece of heart (heART Smile

)

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Djbt, your question is a big one. For my part, I think that the way certain chords make us feel has to do with some inherent psychology. Look at chords as coulors in a painting. Extensive research has been done to map how colors make us feel. Research mostly comissioned by the advertisment business. Some colors are soothing, some are less so. Some inspire aggressive impulses while some lull you.

It is the same with music. My favorite kind of music is any music where the composer blends these moods to create complex emotional pictures of such intricacy and detail that it blows my mind.

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Cyracuz wrote:

It is the same with music. My favorite kind of music is any music where the composer blends these moods to create complex emotional pictures of such intricacy and detail that it blows my mind.

Thank you for sharing your views, I found them refreshing and insightful!

I let music blow my mind also

It's fun. I let it bring me up or down, within reason.

There are parts of Bethoven 5th that sound like the notes are laughing, which in turn, makes me smile, and the begining is so serious and demonstrative, just like Bethovens personality, he was known to have temper tantrums, and was a bit moody at times, gotta take the good with the bad! :wink:

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Are you familiar with Edvard Grieg, paulaj? His music is heavily influenced by scandinavian ethnic music. It's fantastic.

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I have heard of Grieg, I might have unknowingly listened to a piece by him, but no notes come to my minds ears.

Can you recommend a piece?

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Which is it, Music soothes the savage breast, or Music soothes the savage beast? I think it's the former. I, too, am a musician and can say with certitude that FOR ME good music makes me feel wonderful while bad music hurts. And since the activities of the brain and experience are correlates of one another, pain and pleasure resulting from music indicate that something is going on neurologically. But that's a trivial statement; everyone knows that.

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Hey, JL. It is the former. Odd, I was just looking for Anitra's Dance. I know Grieg and have listened to several of his compositions. Cryacuz, how can I find the compositions so that I can do the total recall bit.

paula, scientifically, I don't exactly know what causes music to filter through the brain and become a part of the mind, and yes, folks who have an ear for music are often punished for their ability.

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Thanks, Letty. I have an ear for music, but I was never punished for it. That's because my father was a musician.

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Nor I, JL. but you would be stunned at the music teachers who actually rap a piano student's fingers for sensing or knowing the chord progressions naturally.

Isn't that a marvelous way to encourage musical ability? Harumph!

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Ha! I guess they do not want to you to have an ability they did not teach you.

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Spot on, JL. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I just finished listening to Anitra's Dance from the Peer Gynt suite.

FANTASTIC! Raggedyaggie gave me a link and should anyone like it, I will post it here.

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Paula and all. Grieg's piano concerto in A minor. That's the one with which I am most familiar. WOW! Just listened to it.

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How does listening to music effect the brain.

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