- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books (9 Aug 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1843547155
- ISBN-13: 978-1843547150
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 387,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
This is your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession
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Product Description
Review
"'A dissection of music perception and creation that inexorably builds to a grand finish. Despite illuminating a lot of what goes on with music this book doesn't "spoil" enjoyment - it only deepens the beautiful mystery that is music.' David Byrne, Talking Heads 'Endlessly stimulating' Oliver Sacks"
Oliver Sacks
`Endlessly stimulating.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dumbing Down,
By Enthusiast (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession (Paperback)
This is the sort of book that looks as though it ought to be of interest to musicians because it is written by a psychologist, and of interest to psychologists because it is written by someone knowledgeable about music. It appears that Levitin has had the great benefit of working for a long time in both the music industry and in academic psychology, and one would expect him to have valuable insights into both music and psychology.
So it is all the more disappointing to find his book so lacking in depth or, for that matter, ideas. The basic - very basic - information on musical terms is fine, but do not expect either scholarship or brilliance from this book. Levitin's efforts to relieve the prevailing dulness with ill-advised attempts at humour are merely embarrassing, but his relentless name-dropping and pointless anecdotes very soon become irritating. Do not buy this book. If you want to know about music and the brain, get Huron's book 'Sweet Anticipation' or Ani Patel's book on Music and Language. Then you will be learning from people who really know what they are on about.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Cut it in half and it might be ok,
By
This review is from: This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession (Paperback)
When I first saw this book I was excited by the prospect, I am interested in musicology and thought this crossed with the private life of the brain would be an excellent read. How wrong I was.
Really the title should read "This is my brain on music" as this seems to largely be an auto-biography of Levitin's life to date with a few interesting facts he has picked up along the way added. The musical tastes of Levitin are also apparent in the reading, when he briefly mentions Schoenberg he writes like a gun has been held to his head as he was told he had to at least acknowledge that twelve-tone exists. Then back to the Beatles which at times almost feels like he is saying that they are the only band that has ever written a song to excite the brain. When he does write the occasional interesting fact he then proceeds to beat it to death with several attempts at an explanation, an analogy or two and another anecdote. Once you think you are past the worst of it a couple of pages later he seems to start trying to explain it all over again. For me this led to several bouts of rage telling the book "YES I GET IT!" To me this book felt like the publisher had accidentally published the first draft rather than the edited final copy. There are one or two interesting facts in the book but they are smothered by dumbed down explanations, anecdotes and Levitin's personal tastes leaving you with very little science or musicology but a rather foul taste in the mouth.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Music to my eyes...,
By
This review is from: This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession (Hardcover)
A very interesting explanation on what makes music sooo attractive to the vast majority of us... the first two chapters are in my opinion, heavy to read (I had to go back several times to try and get the idea); actually, in this regard I found the first statements of the author a little bit contradictory, since as he somehow explains, science (technical facts) should be explained "easily"... well, it wasn't in my opinion for the most of the beginning. After that, the book gets much lighter, much friendlier and "simple" to understand.
The way -Daniel Levitin explains- how our brain rather than "concentrate" certain functions or types of information in particular parts of our brains (as it was thought), rather "distributes" them in several to be first accumulated and then processed between all of those (and others) I found new and fascinating. Also, the property that our brains have to adapt and learn new things (tricks!) is overwhelming too... (There's hope then!), contrary to the ancient believe that as we grow old, new knowledges are difficult to learn (assimilate). Then he explains how these and other characteristics add to make music sooo enjoyable... (it is possible to live without TV, but not without a radio!). Good book. I'm glad I ordered it!
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