Category Archives: music and science

How To Tell If Your Bassoon Is Gay

Posted on
Nov 22 2011
 by Sam Bergman

You guys, this is just the craziest thing I’ve ever read. It’s… well, I’m not even really sure what it is, or was, back when it was written in 1921, but as soon as regular commenter EmilyLiz brought it to … Continue reading →

Posted in fun, music and science | 13 Comments

Slightly More Than Half of Everything.

Posted on
Sep 17 2010
 by Sam Bergman

Okay, so Mothers’ Day was months ago, and there’s nothing remotely orchestra-related in this song, but let’s just file this in the category of  “things Sarah or I think are too cool not to share.” A childhood spent memorizing Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in fun, music and science | 1 Comment

Science Confirms: 12-Tone Music Confusing

Posted on
Feb 28 2010
 by Sam Bergman

From the Was This Study Really Necessary? department: “A new book on how the human brain interprets music has revealed that listeners rely upon finding patterns within the sounds they receive in order to make sense of it and interpret … Continue reading →

Posted in composers, music and science, music and technology | 8 Comments

Music As Brain Food

Posted on
Feb 7 2010
 by Sam Bergman

In the last few years, it seems like there’s been a surge of interest in music and the human brain. Renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks jump-started the conversation with his remarkable 2007 book, Musicophilia, which was part scientific examination of how … Continue reading →

Posted in music and psychology, music and science | Comments Off

Notes and neurons

Posted on
Aug 1 2009
 by Sarah

Early this year I posted about a Bobby McFerrin concert at Orchestra Hall – in the last few paragraphs, I was marveling at the fact that McFerrin got the audience to sing along on a pentatonic scale without a word … Continue reading →

Posted in music and psychology, music and science | 3 Comments