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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 781.11
EAN: 9780452288522
ISBN: 0452288525
Label: Plume/Penguin
Manufacturer: Plume/Penguin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 322
Publication Date: August 28, 2007
Publisher: Plume/Penguin
Sales Rank: 792
Studio: Plume/Penguin
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Product Description:
In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin 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 heads
And, taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. This Is Your Brain on Music is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - SHOULD, perhaps MUST know music terminology
this book is extremely informational....however, it REALLY helps if you understand music terminology.....Although the aurhter defines some of the terminology, it still helps to understand more about music than an average person.
Rating:  - Excellent informative read!
I really loved this book because unlike many books related to this subject it has not been too watered down. It is accessible but still contains loads of information. Somehow Levitin has managed to fit an 800 hundred page draft into a 200 page book! I will continue to refer to this book for a long time to come.
Rating:  - Interesting & informative, but at points difficult to grasp
This book satisfactorily examines the components of music and the brain's perception of them. Though I wish that some of the song examples used would have been more contemporary so that I could better follow what the author was describing in terms of musical mechanics, I really enjoyed the book and found it very enlightening. I have been reminded of its contents while I listen to music and it has also spawned many discussions among my friends and me.
The book is written in three key parts: mechanics of music, the combination of its components and the resulting personalization of music to an individual, and the evolutionary origin of music. The first part of the book begins by explaining the components of music such as pitch, loudness, timbre, rhythm, tempo, and contour. The author uses examples, such as songs by Rossini, Beethoven, Queen, Buddy Holly, etc, to convey how each of these components fits into musical composition, and then continues by discussing the structures and regions of the brain that are involved in processing these mechanisms. The book extends these topics to discuss how combining them allows for anticipation or expectations within a musical piece, subjective categorization of music, the definition of a musician, music-induced emotions, and why certain types of music become our favorites. Daniel Levitin closes the book by focusing on music's presence throughout history and its biological and societal importance through time. The structure of the book is well ... Read More
Rating: - Your Brain on Music
This was a fascinating book more so because I am a deafened adult. I had my memories when I lost all hearing in 1977. Experiences I've had since seem weird to me because I remember. Now I understand why. This is a very informative book from both the music lover and indifferent listener points of view.
Rating: - A different perspective
In the first chapter, he made some statements about music that I know to be wrong, so I was tempted to quit, but I thought that perhaps he may still have something interesting to say--I think of the difference between a "satellite view" map and a "street view" map. He has had many interesting things to say, and I am even suspicious that his "errors" at the beginning were an intentional simplification. Even though written for the "layman," it's still pretty heavy reading--and much more focused on the brain's processes than on how music works.
A bit heavy on name-dropping (he started out as a producer), and more "don't know what's happening here" than I hoped for (but I appreciate the honesty). Interesting--but perhaps specialized: it could easily be a different book than you're expecting.
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