This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession Paperback - 2007
by Daniel J. Levitin
Neuroscientist and professional musician Levitin presents a fascinating exploration of the relationship between music and the mind--and the role of melodies in shaping our lives. Photos throughout.
Summary
Music, Science, and the Brain are more closely related than you think. Daniel J. Levitin, James McGill Professor of Psychology and Music at McGill University, shows you why this is.
In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin (The World in Six Songs) 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 head
Reader reviews for This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Review summary
Readers praised the book’s ambitious synthesis of music and cognitive neuroscience, calling it fascinating and rich with studies, memorable examples, and a clear thesis about expectation and pattern recognition in musical pleasure. Many appreciated the primer that demystifies basic music theory, though trained musicians found those sections remedial, while nonmusicians sometimes found later chapters overly technical. A recurring complaint was uneven execution: dense neuroscience jargon, digressions, name?dropping, and personal anecdotes that slow momentum. Several noted that the book raises big questions about why music moves us but stops short of definitive answers, favoring probabilities and open debates. The material seemed most rewarding to readers with at least some background or strong curiosity; multiple people recommended the audiobook for its embedded musical demonstrations.
Readers say this book is:
insightfulfascinatinginformativetechnicaldenseunevenanecdote-heavydry at timesnot a quick readbetter as audiobookWrite a review for this book
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From the publisher
Details
- Title This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
- Author Daniel J. Levitin
- Binding Paperback
- Edition 1 Reprint
- Pages 352
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Dutton, New York
- Publication date 2007-09-01
- Illustrated Yes
- Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
- ISBN 9780452288522 / 0452288525
- Weight 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg)
- Dimensions 8.05 x 5.25 x 0.75 in (20.45 x 13.34 x 1.91 cm)
- Age range 18 to UP years
- Grade levels 13 - UP
- Category Music/Songbooks
- Library of Congress subjects Music - Psychological aspects
- Dewey Decimal Code 781.11
Media reviews
Citations
- People Weekly, 10/08/2007, Page 55
About the author
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