Do you think that music can be divided into good and bad?

lucifer_sam · 11-03-2011, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

This sort of analysis of music, like other forms of art criticism or appreciation, may seem academic and rather like the horror of killing a beautiful butterfly and then putting a pin through it, but seeking to understand *why* different music appeals to different people and why many people may appreciate the same song is fun to me. I want to understand the allure of music by going beyond "I like it" or "I don't like it." Add in brain scans of people listening to music, and it would be even better!

Thinking about my own criteria for judging music that I like or don't like challenges me to break down a "gut" reaction and try to understand it. I think the music someone likes is similar to a personality test and may reveal a lot about a person, even to herself or himself. Music is the psyche, turned into sound.

You should read this, then. It's very insightful for the academically-oriented music listener.

VEGANGELICA · 11-03-2011, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucifer_sam

You should read this, then. It's very insightful for the academically-oriented music listener.

Excellent! Thanks for the recommendation. It turns out my public library has the book and I was heading there today, so I should be able to get it.

More about the book:

Quote:

This is your brain on music : the science of a human obsession by Daniel J. Levitin:

Whether you listen to Bach or Bono, music has a significant role in your life--even if you never realized it. Why does music evoke such powerful moods?
The answers are at last becoming clear, thanks to revolutionary neuroscience and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology.

Both a cutting-edge study and a tribute to the beauty of music itself, this book unravels a host of mysteries that affect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature, including:

Are our musical preferences shaped in utero?
Is there a cutoff point for acquiring new tastes in music?
What do PET scans and MRIs reveal about the brain's response to music?
Is musical pleasure different from other kinds of pleasure?

Neuroscientist and former recording engineer Levitin explores music across cultures, brain disorders and developmental levels to unlock deep secrets about how nature and nurture forge a uniquely human obsession.

--From publisher description.