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ddx_'s review against another edition
3.0
Good pop cognitive neuroscience, though some of the best parts were unrelated. (I really liked the anecdote about the author meeting his hero Francis Crick.) The chapter on category formation was also great--I want to look more into Eleanor Rosch's work now.
tessalehman's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
twrafferty's review against another edition
3.0
Music - and how it affects what goes on in your head.
Some thought-provoking sections, but I felt it could have delivered more
Some thought-provoking sections, but I felt it could have delivered more
rubellaface's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I am not a musician, but I love music and grew up listening to different genres throughout my life.
I picked up this book to figure out why I gravitated to certain songs, and while I do have the answer, I am now also very aware of how much I don't technically understand music.
I wish this book came with a soundtrack. There are parts where he breaks down the parts of a song but then it gets confusing as it goes along. I had to ask my partner who majored in music to explain some technical bits to me before I could continue reading.
I picked up this book to figure out why I gravitated to certain songs, and while I do have the answer, I am now also very aware of how much I don't technically understand music.
I wish this book came with a soundtrack. There are parts where he breaks down the parts of a song but then it gets confusing as it goes along. I had to ask my partner who majored in music to explain some technical bits to me before I could continue reading.
ritanovela's review against another edition
3.0
While fascinating overall, I feel like this book somewhat takes some of the magic out of music, shedding light on its mysteries and how it effects us so much. Nevertheless, it was still interesting and brought me back to my college days in my Perception and Cognition classes where I learned all about how the brain processes the world around us.
missmonicaanne's review against another edition
4.0
This book was fascinating! There was a great deal of information, mush of which mad me stop and think for a moment. As I read I found myself singing the songs that were referenced and tapping along to whatever beat was described. For anyone interested in music or psychology this is a great read
melissaalgood's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
2.0
Maybe it’s just me, but this was the most boring book I’ve ever read. I really do apologize. I can tell that the author is obviously highly intelligent and knows exactly what they’re talking about. I just really did not find it entertaining at all.
alanwithoutpoe's review against another edition
4.0
Yo no soy ningún experto en música. Tampoco soy un verdadero fanático, de esos que viajan kilómetros para asistir al concierto de su banda favorita. Lo que sí soy, como bien lo menciona el libro, es un experto en identificar lo que me gusta: la música me gusta. Y si tú como yo cree que una canción no consiste en más que unas notas aquí, otros acordes por allá, y unas pocas palabras puestas en determinado lugar, bueno, te haría bien leer este libro.
El libro está divido en dos partes: la primera de ellas en lecciones básicas (pero realizadas magistralmente) de conceptos musicales y de aquello que conforma la música: la segunda parte en cómo el cerebro reacciona a este estimulo de sonido, tanto cuando se hace como cuando sólo se escucha. Ambas partes son igualmente interesantes.
A mi parecer la primicia del libro es el concepto de EXPECTATIVA. Explica casi de inicio a final (aunque no exclusivamente) cómo el cerebro se las arregla para crear este concepto y cómo los músicos se aprovechan de ello para sus fines artísticos.
Ahora si me disculpan, seguiré escuchando algunas canciones de DAUGHTER bajo esta nueva refracción de pensamiento.
El libro está divido en dos partes: la primera de ellas en lecciones básicas (pero realizadas magistralmente) de conceptos musicales y de aquello que conforma la música: la segunda parte en cómo el cerebro reacciona a este estimulo de sonido, tanto cuando se hace como cuando sólo se escucha. Ambas partes son igualmente interesantes.
A mi parecer la primicia del libro es el concepto de EXPECTATIVA. Explica casi de inicio a final (aunque no exclusivamente) cómo el cerebro se las arregla para crear este concepto y cómo los músicos se aprovechan de ello para sus fines artísticos.
Ahora si me disculpan, seguiré escuchando algunas canciones de DAUGHTER bajo esta nueva refracción de pensamiento.
dune_huken's review against another edition
2.0
I took a huge (possibly six or seven month) break halfway through this. Most of it leaked out of my head. I really did enjoy the insights and fascinating studies, and as always enjoyed the evolution discussion at the end of the book (I'm a sucker for evolutionary biology) in which Levitin challenges the notion that music is "auditory cheesecake," and instead hints at many meanings in our survival and reproduction. I think what made me walk away from the book for so long is that he inserts way too much casual autobiographical bragging into the book. I feel like, in a piece like this, the beginning is the place for credentials and anecdotes. But throughout the whole thing I had to learn about his cool musical background, his admirable jump into neuroscience scholarship later in his life, and his weird name-dropping (two separate dinner parties with Francis Crick and Joni Mitchell, respectively). It made the book warmer than your typical neuroscience nonfiction, but it still slowed the book down for me.