Music and the Brain

Every human brain is influenced by music or rather call it sound, be it the form of chants, hymns, jarring sounds, sounds of nature to music that we listen to. Sound can also be seen to have an influence on its surrounding matter.

Nature of sound and it's influence (also on the brain) - this topic has always fascinated me. Sound/music now a days is even being used to the extent for its therapeutic value, in curing certain ailments.

Sound as we all know is a form of energy, created by any vibrating object. The vibrating body creates resonance and a frequency is generated. Out of the frequency spectrum a certain bandwidth is captured by our ears, some low frequencies absorbed by the bones and high frequencies felt by the skin. This creates chemical changes in the brain, which results in different states of emotional trigger, as per the combination of the sounds/tones produced (either together or in succession).

Resonance from a vibrating body influences other particles and objects around it which tends to vibrate in a similar fashion (dance to its tune) and they also try to produce similar tones/overtones as per their substance properties. The old example, of a violinist playing on the bridge which makes the bridge crack, explains it very well. Also, an example can be sighted in history, that, 'people wailed and trumpets sounded and mighty wall came crumbling down'.

Vibration (resonance) is a phenomenon embedded even in the smallest existing particle in the universe, i.e. it can even be seen in the electrons. That is how the creation has defined things. The resonance of a particle depends on its energy level (enthalpy).

What a mind boggling reality! Then, as per this theory, it should imply that everything in the universe is governed around/by these frequencies....the whole creation, as a matter of fact. And hence, it can be concluded, the phenomenon of vibration, occurring in every particle existing in this universe, is the COSMIC DANCE. I guess this phenomenon can even be considered a method for explaining The Theory of Everything.

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration” – Nikola Tesla

Likewise there are the combination of frequencies (tones) which are in harmony and then there are the ones which are not in harmony (agreement and disagreement), and so the concept of consonance and dissonance and the various degrees in-between come to play.

Is this the reason why there has always been so much buzz about the power of positive thinking, law of attraction, the secret, parapsychology and all that stuff? Probably answer begins from here only....we can give it a thought!

Now, how music works...why it makes us feel the way it does?

Our brain interprets sound vibrations and frequencies, and chemical changes takes place in the brain, which produces a response to the stimuli, this is quite apparent by the emotional triggers that we feel after listening to a piece of music....this is the nature of divinity!

Music is the permutation and combination of tones produced in patterns which results in chemical changes in the brain when heard, triggering different emotions. These emotional triggers are perceived very similarly by all human brains.

Music is definitely a very intense form of nonverbal communication. To a lot of extent the interpretation of it by every human brain is quite universal, except at times, there are a few influences which act on the interpretations of the emotional trigger (feelings), which is as per the individuals’ experiences in life and other physical factors of the vicinity. But the basic emotion remains the same.

Words (lyrics) are added to musical compositions to make it more literal and easy to understand. The other way round is, poetry or words are given a tune while being recited, to make it sound interesting, catchy and for ease of remembering. I would say, this reduces the load on the brain in terms of exercising the intellect, creative and imaginative faculties of the brain in context to nonverbal communication.

Neuropsychology explains how music can transform our cognition, our behavior and our very selves.

Musicians are very sensitive and know the technique of creating phenomenons using the vibrations of sound (tones, overtones) to convey and trigger emotions....this is called, 'making music'. It is remarkable that humans are truly musical species.

A short animation, 'How playing an instrument benefits your brain' from TED-Ed, written by Anita Collins and animated by Sharon Colman Graham, explains, the benefit of playing music on the brain more than any other activity, how it impacts executive function and memory, and what it reveals about the role of the same neural structure.

It says, "Playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout… Playing an instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once - especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices. And, as in any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music strengthens those brain functions, allowing us to apply that strength to other activities… Playing music has been found to increase the volume and activity in the brain’s corpus callosum - the bridge between the two hemispheres - allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes. This may allow musicians to solve problems more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings.

Because making music also involves crafting and understanding its emotional content and message, musicians also have higher levels of executive function - a category of interlinked tasks that includes planning, strategizing, and attention to detail, and requires simultaneous analysis of both cognitive and emotional aspects.

This ability also has an impact on how our memory systems work. And, indeed, musicians exhibit enhanced memory functions - creating, storing, and retrieving memories more quickly and efficiently. Studies have found that musicians appear to use their highly connected brains to give each memory multiple tags, such as a conceptual tag, an emotional tag, an audio tag, and a contextual tag - like a good internet search engine."

Studies reveal that the effect of music can also be seen in living organisms other than the human beings, this includes both flora and fauna. The power of music can't be denied. A test conducted on students revealed that the students exposed to music, showed better results in academics. Their listening, retention, reasoning and creative powers also enhanced greatly. It has also been found that many top engineers and scientists are also partly musicians.

It is said that Napoleon understood the power of music and he commented, "give me control over he who shapes the music of a nation, and I care not who makes the law.

The intuitive, intangible magical powers of music is a complex mix of elements right from key technical constructs like scale, tone and timbre to compelling cross-disciplinary reflections spanning neurobiology, philosophy, cognitive psychology, memory theory, behavioural science, Gestalt psychology and more.

Music triggers emotion, emotion leads to cognition....where your brain ends, your soul begins....and it all starts with a vibration!

Enjoy this video....