Musicians…are smarter!

Another article has been making the rounds lately about musicians’ brains, and while it’s not “new news” – it was originally published a couple of years ago – it details a study that backs up various means of observation with rigorous science.

Our friends at ScienceDaily published a summary of a study conducted by Vanderbilt University researchers that details increased levels of activity within both sides of musicians’ brains, as compared to non-musicians, when performing complex problem-solving tasks. They also noted that musicians typically have higher IQs. Click here to read the full article, but here is my favorite part (among many favorites, I must add!):

“When we measured subjects’ prefrontal cortical activity while completing the alternate uses task, we found that trained musicians had greater activity in both sides of their frontal lobes. Because we equated musicians and non-musicians in terms of their performance, this finding was not simply due to the musicians inventing more uses; there seems to be a qualitative difference in how they think about this information.”

No doubt about it: learning and playing a musical instrument benefits you in several ways, not the least of which is giving your brain a good daily workout. Play on!

All the best,
Mark

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Modern classical music and the brain

If you want to pick a fight with someone, just pick on their music.  :-)

This article from our friends across the pond really hits several nails on the head(s). In it, they highlight why modern atonal compositions are so difficult to fully appreciate, much less enjoy, even for the well-trained; to the general concert-going public, they are a bothersome chore to endure. I’m convinced that feeding audiences a steady diet of “this is good for you, you must take it” has contributed to the steady decline in attendance within orchestra halls everywhere. Rather than expanding the art, we’re strangling it.

A friend of mine who holds season tickets for a major symphony pointed this out to me years ago, and although his assessment was much less scientific, it was just as accurate. In his words, atonal compositions lack “toe tap-ability”. He enjoyed stretching his brain with the “new stuff”, but what kept him coming back was the “masters”, tonal compositions whose performance resulted in the audience humming them as they left after the concert.

Modern movie music composers understand this, and helps to explain the success of movie music performances in concert halls. They nearly always pack the house.

There will always be room for music that presses – or even shatters – boundaries. Yet this may not be the best goal:

“We measured the predictability of tone sequences in music by Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern and found the successive pitches were less predictable than random tone sequences.”

“For listeners, this means that, every time you try to predict what happens next, you fail. The result is an overwhelming feeling of confusion, and the constant failures to anticipate what will happen next means that there is no pleasure from accurate prediction.”

You may want to read the bold portions again and give them some thought. Less predictable than random? It’s sobering.

Lest I be branded a classical music heretic, I have to say I do enjoy some modern pieces, and I can appreciate aspects of nearly all of them…even those I heartily dislike. That said, the linked article goes a long way toward explaining why “classics” – music that has staying power, regardless of genre – become classics: they are approachable to the listener’s (and performer’s) brain. It’s all in the brain waves…  ;-)

When it’s all said and done, though, it’s all good…and variety just makes it better. So whatever you play, keep playing!

All the best,
Mark

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Being a musician is good for your hearing

Everyone knows that listening to loud music can damage your hearing, and much has been made in recent years of the potential harm that can come from playing music (in bands, orchestras, etc.) too loudly. But did you know that being a musician can be good for your hearing?

According to numerous studies – as published in this article – learning to play an instrument well helps develop a person’s ability to hear better. Specifically, while it doesn’t change the body’s mechanical ability to hear, it helps the brain distinguish between the numerous, ever-present sounds to miss less and really hear more. These findings apply whether the subject’s ability to hear is excellent or greatly impaired.

If you needed another reason to take up an instrument or continue to learn and grow with one, look no further. Playing music keeps you mentally sharp and, in the process, helps you hear more of life.

What are you waiting for? I’m off to practice. 

Keep playing,
Mark

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Learning a new instrument…as an adult

Those of us who have begun studying a new instrument as an adult realize just how challenging it can be. The greater the challenges, though, the greater the rewards!

This article from our friends at The Violin Case highlights some of the health (“good for you”) benefits of playing music…and some of the just-plain-fun aspects, too. While the article speaks primarily of fine stringed instruments, the benefits apply regardless of your choice of axe. 

If you’ve been wondering if you’re too old to learn a new instrument – perhaps one you’ve longed to play since you were a child – wonder no longer! You are never too old to learn if the desire is there. The fact that it’s good for you is just icing on the cake.

All the best to you in your musical journey,
Mark

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Loud music stimulates your brain

Something we all knew intuitively now has scientific backing (score another one for scientists!). It turns out that while loud music can make you deaf as a post, it also stimulates your brain. Stay with me here…

According to researchers at Manchester University across the pond, loud music causes a release of hormones that make us feel good. This explains why, after a no-holds-barred practice session, you feel so much better than you did beforehand. Between the joy of playing and the joy of listening, you’re good. Who needs a “runner’s high”? 

This article contains many assertions that challenge conventional wisdom, and as with all things research-related, future studies may refute many of these findings. But as Part-Time Musicians (PTMs), we recognize the truth in the ability of music to lift our spirits, to refocus us upon the good in life rather than the bad.

NOTE: Long-term exposure to loud music causes hearing damage. Protect your ears; you only get one set!

One quibble with the article:

“When these desires are satisfied, the brain is stimulated into releasing feelgood (sic) hormones that make us calm, happy and responsive. So to trigger a dose of happy hormones on a Monday morning, you should, in theory, choose Black Sabbath over chamber music.”

While the research seems sound, the Mail’s author seems a bit ignorant of the “rock stars” that exist in classical music. Black Sabbath is all well and good, but don’t discount the brain-stimulating power of cranking up some Tchaik. 

Keep playing,
Mark

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