Musicophilia - music & relationship to the brain

hi gregm:

in my own experience, i am no more drawn into listening to a symphony orchestra than a single instruments.

i frequently assess the timbral inaccuracy of instruments. it is easier to do this when only one instrument is present.

when i am not in an analytic mode, i am enjoying the music. it's complexity has norhing to do with the quality of the experience. i am equally drawn into listening to a harpsichord as listening to a symphony orchestra.

in this sense, i disagree with newbee. and as i said before, i can just as easily enjoy a musical composition of any genre on a 300 dollar stereo system as on a $300,000 stereo system. the purpose for me of listening to a serious stereo system is to appreciate the beauty of instrumental timbre. others have a different objective.

Mr T, I'm not sure we are in disagreement about anything. I can certainly agree with most you've said, much of which is nothing more than your expressing your personal preferences and order of priorities.

As with good literature, which I think is the best example, and much easier to appreciate, music can be experienced and appreciated on many levels, all of which can meet the needs of the listener at different times of life or when in differing moods.

No more than I would consider a thin book a 'simple' one would I consider a great and thick novel a 'complex' one. Examples abound! Note I did not say good or bad, just simple or complex. No judgment attached.

Its very easy for me to get immersed in solo piano - sometimes I can enjoy Beethoven more than Brahms, both of which can be assending experiences, and there are days when I find Schumann (especially his Fantasy in C) to be transcendental. Not many notes on the page, but not simple. Then there are days when I just enjoy simple music such as 'The Seasons' by Tchaikovsky, which is very attractive but not particularily challenging to the ear or the mind.

Now to my point, at last! When I'm listening to complex music I just don't want my audio system to distract me by its 'stereo' artifacts, usually the result of manufacturers efforts to enhance inmaging by emphasizing 'detail' over all else, or so it seems to me.

FWIW.

Actually, Mrtennis, I find that I can multitask. So while on the computer I can listen to Pinnock's rendition of the Goldberg Variations and relish the fact that my system is able to capture the timbre of the harpsichord so well, right down to the metallic pluck. Of course, there are times when I just listen, and there are times when audiophile buddies come over and we listen less to music than to system. Usually, though, I multitask.

db

newbee, you are correct. we do agree. i too don't want to be assaulted by unpleasant "sound" when i am listening to any kind of music.

i still make a distinction between listening for timbre and listening to enjoy the music.

i can enjoy the music on my $300 personal stereo as much as on my "reference" system. the reference system should give me more realistic timbre than my $300 brookstone with the tdx thin waver tweeters.

I like Newbee's analogy to books- they both can appreciated on many levels. As much as I appreciate the realism of LPs, the surface noise on any record that is not pristine, is distracting and reminds me that I am listening to a record. With all its faults, at least the CD is incredibly quiet. If I can't sit down and listen to the music, then the problem is not with the system, its with my brain. Just like performing music, for me it's the piano, it takes a relaxed and focused mind. Then the quality of the system only enhances the illusion. However, it will never be the same as live music. It would be an interesting experiment to reproduce classical music in a fine concert hall. The acoustics of the venues are so important to the auditory experience! My ramblings will now cease- I am going to go listen and play music to sooth my tortured mind!