Comments on: 15 Studied Effects of Classical Music on Your Brain

By: John Hofland

John Hofland — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:19:00 +0000

I just saw a book called, “This is Your Brain on Music.” Your article makes me want to read that book. Thanks!

By: A Musical "Elitist"

A Musical "Elitist" — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:29:00 +0000

There is nothing “narrow” about classical music. The comment about the alleged “narrow” emotional range of classical music is false and offensive. What is narrow is your pop-culture-minded (un)awareness of the totality of “classical” music, a 1000+ year living tradition that has been changing constantly and exploring all the facets and complexity of sound and emotion to this very day. Where do you think the so-called “newer” harmonies of your contemporary Jazz come from other than from types of classical music? (Ever heard of modal/medieval music? Serial music? Debussy? Stravinsky? Schoenberg? Bartok? Boulez? Berio? Ligeti? Stockhausen? Cage? Reich?) Jazz has never been an intellectual leader, but a mere late-comer; musically semi-illiterates who think of themselves as geniuses because they have no real musical training or historical awareness to know any better. (Fact, because music students these days are hardly taught anything compared to music students two or three generations ago, particularly if they are studying a bullshit Jazz degree.) It is Jazz (a mere 100 year-old tradition) that is harmonically and emotionally narrow compared with classical music (a 1000+ year tradition spanning vastly contrasting styles). That is to say, Jazz is comparatively limited in its harmonic development and complexity; limited to predictable harmonic progressions or limited (like primitive classical music of a thousand years ago) to modes, i.e. having no harmonic development but circling around on itself like a goldfish in a bowl. Or, in its newer guises Jazz is merely a copy of what classical composers like Stockhausen and Cage were already doing 60 years ago with indeterminacy and electronics, now long outdated.

Moreover, Jazz lacks the architectural/structural formality of classical music, including the latter’s contrapuntal complexity. Jazz is linear, moving along the steps of a musical scale, or progressing from one block of harmony to another, one chord to another. Classical music, if it is good classical music, is 3-dimensional; it not only has the same linear progression in time as Jazz and popular music (call it a horizontal dimension, from one chord to another), but it also consists of contrapuntal layers of independent linear progressions (or layers of melodies) that relate to each other to create a vertical dimension. These sonorous constructions in time and space are what appeal to the intellect, and they are not present in the simplistic structures (or lack of form) we find in jazz and popular music. These structures also have a profound psychological function going back to rites and rituals of our original, pre-Christian culture/s, the science of which has been largely lost to today’s “culture” due to the eradication of great music by lack of musical education and by the idiots in the media who portray musically illiterate pop/rap “singers” as great “artists”. Utter historical and musical ignorance.

By: A Fed-Up Musical "Snob"

A Fed-Up Musical "Snob" — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:21:00 +0000

There is nothing “narrow” about classical music. The comment about the alleged “narrow” emotional range of classical music is false and offensive. What is narrow is your pop-culture-minded (un)awareness of the totality of “classical” music, a 1000+ year living tradition that has been changing constantly and exploring all the facets and complexity of sound and emotion through to this very day. Where do you think the so-called “newer” harmonies of your contemporary Jazz come from other than from types of classical music? (Ever heard of modal/medieval music? Serial music? Debussy? Stravinsky? Schoenberg? Bartok? Boulez? Berio? Ligeti? Stockhausen? Cage? Reich?) Jazz has never been an intellectual leader, but a late-comer; musically semi-illiterates who think of themselves as geniuses because they have no real musical training or historical awareness to know any better. (Fact, because music students these days are hardly taught anything they need to know about music compared to music students two or three generations ago, particularly if they are studying a bullshit Jazz degree.) It is Jazz (a mere 100 year-old tradition) that is harmonically and emotionally narrow compared with classical music (a 1000+ year tradition spanning vastly contrasting styles). Jazz is also comparatively limited in its harmonic development and complexity; limited to predictable harmonic progressions or limited (like primitive classical music of a thousand years ago) to modes, i.e. having no harmonic development but circling around on itself like a goldfish in a bowl. Or, in its newer guises Jazz is merely a copy of what classical composers like Stockhausen and Cage were already doing 60 years ago with indeterminacy and electronics, now long outdated.

Moreover, Jazz lacks the architectural/structural formality of classical music, including the latter’s contrapuntal complexity. Jazz is linear, moving along the steps of a musical scale, or progressing from one block of harmony to another, one chord to another. Classical music, if it is good classical music, is 3-dimensional; it not only has the same linear progression in time as Jazz and popular music (call it a horizontal dimension, from one chord to another), but it also consists of contrapuntal layers of independent linear progressions (or layers of melodies) that relate to each other to create a vertical dimension. These sonorous constructions in time and space are what appeal to the intellect, and they are not present in the simplistic structures (or lack of form) we find in jazz and popular music. These structures also have a profound psychological function going back to rites and rituals of our original, pre-Christian culture/s, the science of which has been largely lost to today’s “culture” due to the eradication of great music, firstly, by lack of musical education and, secondly, by the idiots in the media who portray musically illiterate pop/rap “singers” as great “artists”. Utter historical and musical ignorance.

By: Bruce Miller

Bruce Miller — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:14:00 +0000

Much to-do about classical Baroque and super learning by the KBG in Russia – American propagandists dispensed of it as nonsense, even though KBG agents did learn foreign languages in record times? We lost so much to prejudice, propaganda – even today U.S. rides soviet era rockets to the international space station. What else disappeared?

By: Susan Tenofsky

Susan Tenofsky — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:25:00 +0000

I have certainly enjoyed the very pleasures mentioned above and purposely play music, not always classical, while I am doing something tedious. What a difference!

By: Abigayle :)

Abigayle :) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:56:00 +0000

Hey, for everyone who knows somewhat a lot about how music affects the brain… im doing an article for school and need more information and if anyone can help here is my email bobbybobersonswife@gmail.com

By: ziddy6

ziddy6 — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:49:00 +0000

Yes!!

By: amaka

amaka — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:50:00 +0000

nice 1ova there

By: Stu2013

Stu2013 — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:03:00 +0000

“It’s”? Aaaarrgghhh! Is there research that shows classical music having an effect on people’s ability to use punctuation?

By: Joy Zhao

Joy Zhao — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 04:57:00 +0000

This is really helpful for my science fair project, my topic is about which type of music helps us perform in academics better. After reading this aritical, I made a hypothesis that classical music is probably the most helpful choice.