What Is Your Music Doing For You? The #1 Sound Your Brain Desperately Wants to Hear

BassLine · Monday at 1:26 AM

stevevw said:
Good stuff. I like the whole big bass and strings kind of music especially fused with say bluegrass.

The last band I was in was a three-piece group with acoustic guitar, violin, and double bass. We met at Chicago's Old Town School and played Americana, a mix of Blues, Folk, Rock' n' Roll, and old-timey music. The bluegrass folks used to call our stuff Jazzgrass.

We split when the frontman’s fiancé decided he was spending too much time with the band. Ironically, they met because of the band.

stevevw said:
I loved that movie. That and Devil at the Crossroads, about Robert Johnson. Dylan was asked how he got so famous. He said he did a deal with the the man. What man asks the interviewer. Dylan replies the big chief, you know the one up there lol. Everyone thinks he meant the devil lol.

Yeah, The Blues Brothers was a fun movie. L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, called The Blues Brothers a "Catholic classic" on the film's 30th anniversary in 2010. The article cited the themes of repentance, faith, sacrifice, and redemption. Some folks felt that the Church's enthusiasm for recognizing spiritual messages in pop culture was a good step. Others were not so enthusiastic about it.

stevevw said:
Listen to these voices. Sometimes Ren the lead guy partners with another busker Sam Tompkins and they are amazing I think. It sounds like they are reincarnating all the old and new voices together, even womens voices lol. Just great street talent.

I enjoyed the group. That Andalusian chord progression in the first video (i-♭VII-♭VI-V) is also used in Resucito, one of my favorite Easter songs. I posted about it recently in this thread.

---------------------
Lady: Are you the police?
Elwood Blues: No, ma'am, we're musicians ... We're on a mission from God.

Learning always · Monday at 11:21 AM

Michie said:
This timeless practice has remarkable benefits for the human mind.

Every once in a while, you run into a new piece of information that really opens your eyes to a whole new world.

Today, I am taking a break from the regular news cycle to bring you something that really rocked my world: thisEpoch Timesarticle on classical music.

Now, before you close this page, thinking this Substack will be a waste of time, give me just two short minutes to prove why you are wrong.

It turns out the “Mozart effect” truly exists, and you don’t have to be a musician to reap the benefits. Take dementia patients, for example.

Professional violinist Ayako Yonetani told The Epoch Times that when she performs for people with dementia, something remarkable happens: they often become more alert, are visibly moved by the music, and at times experience moments of clarity with their families again.

In one particular case, a gray-haired older woman, whose cognition was degraded to sitting motionless with her gaze lowered, suddenly had “her eyes brightened” as she tried to follow along with Yonetani’s performance.

The family reported that “They had never seen her react like this before,” but Ms. Yonetani says this was just one of many times where she noticed a staggering response in dementia patients.

Continued below.

The #1 Sound Your Brain Secretly Wants to Hear

This timeless practice has remarkable benefits for the human mind.

www.vigilantfox.com

Boom. That article should be read by everyone.
Does classical music make people smarter?
I believe so, those experiments that say Mozart Effect didn't hold up were absurd -- they were too short, and the sample sizes too small.
The benefits of classical music come from Long Term listening, not 15 or 20 minutes.

The Barbarian · Monday at 12:37 PM

Learning always said:
Does classical music make people smarter?

I think it benefits spatial and relational thinking. Math, in other words. The old joke "what do you get in a group of four mathematicians?"

"A string quartet."

While I enjoy music, I have very little ability as a musician. And for me mathematics wasn't easy, unless I saw an immediate application for it.

BassLine · Monday at 4:41 PM

The Barbarian said:
I think it benefits spatial and relational thinking. Math, in other words. The old joke "what do you get in a group of four mathematicians?"

"A string quartet."

While I enjoy music, I have very little ability as a musician. And for me mathematics wasn't easy, unless I saw an immediate application for it.

Agreed. Most of my professional career was spent as an independent software developer using a concise, mathematical and symbolic programming language. Among the programmers I knew who used the language, the percentage of musicians seemed significantly higher than in the general population. I'm not sure if that was also true for programmers using other programming languages. There does seem to be a correlation between math and music.

The Barbarian · Monday at 5:53 PM

BassLine said:
Agreed. Most of my professional career was spent as an independent software developer using a concise, mathematical and symbolic programming language. Among the programmers I knew who used the language, the percentage of musicians seemed significantly higher than in the general population. I'm not sure if that was also true for programmers using other programming languages. There does seem to be a correlation between math and music.

Interestng. I was always pretty good at coding, but again, there was a goal in mind, each time.

stevevw · Monday at 6:14 PM

BassLine said:
The last band I was in was a three-piece group with acoustic guitar, violin, and double bass. We met at Chicago's Old Town School and played Americana, a mix of Blues, Folk, Rock' n' Roll, and old-timey music. The bluegrass folks used to call our stuff Jazzgrass.

Wow I love the fusion of bluegrass and Jazzy stuff. I have gone down the rabbit hole on the roots of this type of music. With the blues root singers but also what I call Mountain music, such as around Appalachia.

Chicargo must have been a buzzing city at the time as I understand it was a pioneering city for musos to come and get a name. Especially the Jazz and blues singers. More or less pioneering rock in some ways with artists like Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry based at Cadillac Records.

It would have been a thriving place for live music, little joints playing blues and Jazz and a bit of electrified blues. Was there any buskers at the time. What sort of music were they playing.

BassLine said:
We split when the frontman’s fiancé decided he was spending too much time with the band. Ironically, they met because of the band.

Seems some things never change in bands lol. Its always the relationships lol.

BassLine said:
Yeah, The Blues Brothers was a fun movie. L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, called The Blues Brothers a "Catholic classic" on the film's 30th anniversary in 2010. The article cited the themes of repentance, faith, sacrifice, and redemption. Some folks felt that the Church's enthusiasm for recognizing spiritual messages in pop culture was a good step. Others were not so enthusiastic about it.

Why should the devil have all the good music, lol. Thats the thing that God can work in many ways. I believed that it was secular music that led me to God. Or at least God highlighted certain words and messages that made me think of God and life and all that.

BassLine said:
I enjoyed the group. That Andalusian chord progression in the first video (i-♭VII-♭VI-V) is also used in Resucito, one of my favorite Easter songs. I posted about it recently in this thread.

Thanks I can see what you mean. Its almost like a traditional Cathederal choir in Flamenco style. Which I think matches the simple words of the gospel sung like a victory song with the trumpets. Or a declaration to the world. Would be great seeing this live.

BassLine said:
---------------------
Lady: Are you the police?
Elwood Blues: No, ma'am, we're musicians ... We're on a mission from God.

stevevw · Monday at 6:23 PM

I agree, I think music is like a language like math. It seems those who understand math see it as a beautiful code or language of the universe or even nature itself.

I think there are patterns in music that go together like certain math formulas or sets. If you look at the Mandelbrot set and how it goes on and on to create beautiful patterns though different but related. I think music is similar.

But because music is organic and experienced it goes to another level in the brain. I could imagine like the Mandelbrot set it can form patterns in the brain that can touch just about every part of our senses and imagination and memories.

BassLine · Monday at 8:51 PM

The Barbarian said:
Interestng. I was always pretty good at coding, but again, there was a goal in mind, each time.

Could it be that you'd find it fun to explore sometime?

Learning always · Tuesday at 11:32 AM

BassLine said:
Agreed. Most of my professional career was spent as an independent software developer using a concise, mathematical and symbolic programming language. Among the programmers I knew who used the language, the percentage of musicians seemed significantly higher than in the general population. I'm not sure if that was also true for programmers using other programming languages. There does seem to be a correlation between math and music.

Wonderful, what programming language was it?
Yes, there is a correlation between math and music.

The Barbarian · Tuesday at 12:34 PM

BassLine said:
Could it be that you'd find it fun to explore sometime?

Been a while. When I learned, one filled out stuff on coding sheets, from which someone would type out Hollerith cards after which they'd put them in this machine that input the code and the computer would then run it. Much later, I bought a Trash-80, learning basic, and then my company finally got into the computer age with a Xerox 820 running CP/M. It was a magnificent thing, a desktop that had one floppy drive and an external drive that ran two 12 inch floppies that were 1 megabyte each. I mostly did the workflow database for the department. Did I mention we were a company owned by Xerox?

BassLine · Tuesday at 12:57 PM

Learning always said:
Wonderful, what programming language was it?
Yes, there is a correlation between math and music.

I worked with APL (A Programming Language) from its development at IBM in the 1960s, before it ever ran on a computer, until I retired from programming for pay in 2023.

That Wikipedia article doesn't really do a good job of explaining it. APL is an incredible language, with applications ranging from a formal description of the IBM 360 operating system in the IBM Systems Journal in the 1960s, to current mathematical and database applications in engineering, education, finance, insurance, and medicine. There is a fully featured non-commercial version and a lot of instructions available from Dyalog APL (I have no financial ties to them)

This is a bit off-topic in this thread. I’d be happy to continue an APL discussion in a private message if you would like.

BassLine · Tuesday at 2:07 PM

The Barbarian said:
Been a while. When I learned, one filled out stuff on coding sheets, from which someone would type out Hollerith cards after which they'd put them in this machine that input the code and the computer would then run it.

Boy, does that bring back memories! It was the 1960s; I was married with one child, working in the research department of a chemical plant, and taking night classes in chemical engineering. I had just signed up for a Numerical Analysis and Computer Programming elective.

The first time I walked into the mainframe anteroom to punch a program card, it was like walking onto another planet. It changed my life. We still have the first card I ever punched. It reads:

ON MY FIRST IBM CARD I WANT TO SAY I LOVE MY WIFE.

[edit: That card still gets smiles after 60 years]

The Barbarian said:
Much later, I bought a Trash-80, learning basic, and then my company finally got into the computer age with a Xerox 820 running CP/M. It was a magnificent thing, a desktop that had one floppy drive and an external drive that ran two 12 inch floppies that were 1 megabyte each. I mostly did the workflow database for the department. Did I mention we were a company owned by Xerox?

Wow ... small world. For about 4 years in the 1980s, I worked for I.P. Sharp Associates, a Toronto-based consulting and computer service firm. Xerox in Rochester was a client that ran Sharp timesharing software on its mainframe. I visited there frequently.

-----------
Lady: Are you the police?
Elwood Blues: No, ma'am, we're musicians ... We're on a mission from God.

BassLine · Tuesday at 2:45 PM

stevevw said:
Wow I love the fusion of bluegrass and Jazzy stuff. I have gone down the rabbit hole on the roots of this type of music. With the blues root singers but also what I call Mountain music, such as around Appalachia.

There are some interesting online courses about blues in Appalachia at The Augusta Heritage Center. There is also really good information from Joan Fenton, the Queen of the Blues, a performer and musicologist who received a grant to record Appalachian blues before it is lost.

stevevw said:
Chicargo must have been a buzzing city at the time as I understand it was a pioneering city for musos to come and get a name. Especially the Jazz and blues singers. More or less pioneering rock in some ways with artists like Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry based at Cadillac Records.

It would have been a thriving place for live music, little joints playing blues and Jazz and a bit of electrified blues. Was there any buskers at the time. What sort of music were they playing.

I'm not sure about what time period you are referring to. Now the most common busking instruments are guitars, saxophones, violins, and blues harps. Every now and again, you see a guitarist and a harp player or a guitarist and a light percussionist together.

Buskers now have to buy a $100 two-year street performer's license to play on the street. They can still play for free in the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) light rail commuter stations, and in Metra (standard commuter rail serving suburbs) stations.

Here's an article on current legal annoyances related to busking in Chicago.

stevevw said:
Thanks I can see what you mean. Its almost like a traditional Cathederal choir in Flamenco style. Which I think matches the simple words of the gospel sung like a victory song with the trumpets. Or a declaration to the world. Would be great seeing this live.

Glad you enjoyed it.

-----------------
Lady: Are you the police?
Elwood Blues: No, ma'am, we're musicians ... We're on a mission from God.

Learning always · Tuesday at 7:41 PM

BassLine said:
I worked with APL (A Programming Language) from its development at IBM in the 1960s, before it ever ran on a computer, until I retired from programming for pay in 2023.

That Wikipedia article doesn't really do a good job of explaining it. APL is an incredible language, with applications ranging from a formal description of the IBM 360 operating system in the IBM Systems Journal in the 1960s, to current mathematical and database applications in engineering, education, finance, insurance, and medicine. There is a fully featured non-commercial version and a lot of instructions available from Dyalog APL (I have no financial ties to them)

This is a bit off-topic in this thread. I’d be happy to continue an APL discussion in a private message if you would like.

Yes please, I'd like to know more about APL.

What Is Your Music Doing For You? The #1 Sound Your Brain Desperately Wants to Hear

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