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Teen & Young AdultI am a former research scientist and lifelong musician. I also have a graduate education in psychology and I don't approach any of the arts in a reductionistic fashion. It is from this space that I am evaluating this book on its merits with the understanding that its scope is indeed limited to Western music, which is only a small slice of the musical pie. What I most like about this book is the way it weaves a story of...
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As a new student of music I was filled with questions. Why exactly did we humans (unlike animals) evolve to appreciate music? What survival benefit could it have provided? And how exactly does music give us pleasure? What is really going on in the body when a great piece of music touches our inner soul to the point of giving us goose bumps? Unfortunately I found teachers and peers not only devoid of answers to such questions,...
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The majority of reviews of this book are generally positive, and I can only agree. I have bought and given this book to a friend, then re-purchased it for myself 3 times already! Its anecdotes and analyses are truly insightful and not to be found elsewhere. To the few negative reviews, however, take note: don't heed them! I myself play and produce, and LOVE music that is considered "jazz" or "electronic" or "black-influenced",...
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As an advanced amateur musician, this book was a refreshing reminder of some points to note in my own interpretation and performance of music. Topics range from objective neurology involved in hearing and cognitive processing to subjective personal preferences (see other reviews for detail). Music terminology is explaned for non-musicians but not condescending or overly simplistic for those with a musical bent. The ...
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I haven't been this excited about a book in years. Jourdain explains how the brain functions to hear sounds, tones, melodies, rhythms, and entire works. He constantly moves back and forth between the experience of music and how the brain is responding to the musical inputs, covering composition and performance as well as listening to music. And as to how music has the ability to work on our emotions, Jourdain comes up with...
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