Friday, October 03, 2008

Musicians Think Differently

Musicians use both sides of their brains more frequently than average people. "Supporting what many of us who are not musically talented have often felt, new research reveals that trained musicians really do think differently than the rest of us. Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called divergent thinking, and also use both the left and the right sides of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Now I know why I can always invent new uses for households items, which comes very handy when caring for elderly.
Joking aside, I very much agree that forcing your hands and arms to act independently from each other changes the way your whole body works. Also, having to read the new score and playing it at the same time imposes rules and constraints that are impossible to duplicate by simply living your daily life. I started playing piano when I was three, first by ear and then, by the age of six, reading music also. Things happen naturally when you are a child and so I always remember myself as being able to read music and play the piano. Though I do have vague memories of frustration and anguish and of my mother's yelling...
To me, Bach is the most challenging composer as he may have up to five different voices that all coexist in your two hands. You need to hear each voice and carry it through as you play. Glenn Gould was a genius in the art of counterpoint.