Title: This Is Your Brain on Music Pdf The Science of a Human Obsession
Author: Daniel J. Levitin
Published Date: 2007
Page: 322
“Endlessly stimulating, a marvelous overview, and one which only a deeply musical neuroscientist could give....An important book.”—Oliver Sacks, M.D. “I loved reading that listening to music coordinates more disparate parts of the brain than almost anything else - and playing music uses even more! Despite illuminating a lot of what goes on, this book doesn't 'spoil' enjoyment—it only deepens the beautiful mystery that is music.”—David Byrne, founder of Talking Heads and author of How Music Works “Levitin is a deft and patient explainer of the basics for the non-scientist as well as the non-musician....By tracing music's deep ties to memory, Levitin helps quantify some of music's magic without breaking its spell.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review“Why human beings make and enjoy music is, in Levitin's telling, a delicious story.”—Salon.com“Dr. Levitin is an unusually deft interpreter full of striking scientific trivia.”—The New York Times“Every musician, at whatever level of skill, should read this book.”—Howie Klein, former president, Sire and Reprise/Warner Brothers Records“Levitin’s lucid explanation of why music is important to us is essential reading for creative musicians and scholars. I've been waiting for years for a book like this.”—Jon Appleton, composer and professor of Music, Dartmouth College and Stanford University, inventor of the Synclavier synthesizer Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of This Is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, The Organized Mind, and Weaponized Lies. His work has been translated into 21 languages. An award-winning scientist and teacher, he is Founding Dean of Arts & Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI, a Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and the James McGill Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Music at McGill University, Montreal, where he also holds appointments in the Program in Behavioural Neuroscience, The School of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Education. Before becoming a neuroscientist, he worked as a session musician, sound engineer, and record producer working with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Blue Oyster Cult. He has published extensively in scientific journals as well as music magazines such as Grammy and Billboard. Recent musical performances include playing guitar and saxophone with Sting, Bobby McFerrin, Rosanne Cash, David Byrne, Cris Williamson, Victor Wooten, and Rodney Crowell.
Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin poses that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, he 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 head
A Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist, This Is Your Brain on Music will attract readers of Oliver Sacks and David Byrne, as it is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.
Fascinating and valuable This is a great book. I read it 3 times in the first week that I had it. It is gripping and interesting, and remarkably jargon-free. Some of my non-musical friends who borrowed it said that they did not enjoy it and that it was too complicated for them to understand. I have some music theory education which was helpful for understanding the book, but Levitin makes it possible for non-musicians to appreciate the book too. With that being said, it is not written for children. There is a long, complicated part of the book which focuses intensely on the neuroscience part. I found it interesting and easy enough to understand as I am interested in neuroscience and have spent many hours educating myself about it on the internet. Most of my friends did not find this part engaging. I recommend this book to musicians, neuroscientists, and anyone who finds the human mind interesting.Good substitute for the music theory class I never took & great inspiration to play piano too I recently started music therapy for my son with autism and this book explains why I think it is so good for him. Autism means "splinter skills" and sometimes I am surprised at what he can (and, sadly, can't do). When he was much younger he was good at math, almost grade level until he suffered a concussion. But I feel music therapy is bringing back some of that pattern recognition and decoding and he has begun to be able to read musical notes to play piano and change chords on the ukulele. It is so joyful and this book inspires me to help him practice more in between biweekly sessions with a trained therapist.Music therapy gives me new hope that he can still learn and grow even after his academic progress has stalled.The author has such an interesting background music combined with neuroscience. I loved his other book too entitled "The Organized Mind" ... Dan Levitin has a way of making me feel completely normal that my brain feels often on the verge of exploding as it tries to cope with modern life.... I love how the author EXPLAINS why playing/practicing music/listening to music clapping hands to a good rhythm, singing in unison, watching a familiar old musical or a newer one like La la Land is so helpful(relaxing, energizing, calming, whatever mood I seek, there's a song for it. this book is full of interesting music trivia and he uses great examples of familiar songs so you immediately get his points on how songs are written and why we like some more than others, get some stuck in our heads and others are nails on chalkboard based on our own tastes/experiences ... so interesting how the "younger generation" has been rebelling against parents but also rediscovering and enjoying prior generations' music as well.A great read that literally plays music in your head. An Ode to Joy.Quite a fun and interesting read. Really a thought-provoker. A lot of people are hating on this book, and it tends to be people who are either highly opinionated, went in exacting some revolutionary read, or are allegedly more educated than the author.This a fantastic book, if for nothing more than it gets you interested in wanting to read more. The author, much like modern astrophysicists like C. Sagan and L. Krauss might describe space ("billions and billions..."), has quite a way with words. He embeds in the reader a sense of wonder, and of amazement, at the magic that happens when you listen to music. If you're an audiophile who does not have an over inflated view of yourself and has a generally open mind about music, then this book is for you. I am not educated in this field whatsoever, and I found the analogies, comparisons, and even the really "dense" material very enticing and interesting.I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the statements and claims the author makes because I am not educated in this field. He could be completely wrong and pushing his own agenda (although it's a little hard to arrive at that conclusion unless you have some sort of raging superiority complex). But that kind of conversation, which fills many of the lower rated reviews, is missing the point.The language, the examples, the ranges of simple description to complicated extrapolation, it is all nourishing. These are interesting things to think about. And for a layman like myself, the point is not to be right, but to be interested. After reading this book, I don't care if he's right (although I doubt his inaccuracies, if any, surmount to much). I just care that he made me think about music in a new and interesting way.And for the average reader like myself, that is all you should want from a book like this.
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