This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
by Daniel J. Levitin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel J. LevitinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-28
ISBN: 0452288525
Number of pages: 322
Publisher: Plume/Penguin
Book Reviews of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Book Review: The X Factor
Summary: 3 Stars
Well written and informative, but Mr. Levitin is apparently unable to recognize the X factor that is the indescribable, innate quality of an artist that cannot be taught; that does not need years of training to release--and is the reason why some highly trained people are brilliant technicians, but not artists. This inability marred his conclusions and misdirected his studies/experiments. As a musician, it is also my opinion that Mr. Levitin has no idea what "groove" is. Again, being a player, does not make one an artist. Also, I would have appreciated a diagram to illustrate the areas of the brain discussed. This is fast read with a few nuggets to enhance ones understanding of how the brain works, but fortunately for the author, there's more work to be done.
Summary of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
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.
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