Increase Your Intelligence With Music
You Are What You Listen To
Can music really help you think better? Yes, according to the research that has been done so far.
Listening to, and participating in music creates new neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies have shown that music actually trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. There was a study at the University of California, for example, about 10 years ago.
Researchers followed the progress of three year olds, split into two groups. The first group had no particular training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.
After eight months the musical three year olds were much better at solving puzzles. When tested, they also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non musical group. With such a dramatic difference, there is bound to be more research like this in the future.
There is also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better. Hopefully there will be research done to confirm or disprove this soon, but there is really no good reason not to do your own experimentation in this area. Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so maybe any benefits here are according to your own tastes or brain-organization.
Brainwave Entrainment
Want to listen to some music, and get smarter? There are a number of products out there that are based on an entirely different principle than the research mentioned above. They rely on "entraining" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state.
Brain wave frequencies vary according to mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation usually take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz it will feel very relaxing, because your brain will begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music. You will automatically generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state.
What these new products do is embed music with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. You just put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity (you don't wan't an Alpha state for analytical work), and you get better brain function. Science? Partly.
It is well established that our brain wave frequencies change with our mental states and vice-versa. It is has also been clearly demonstrated that meditators can go into an alpha state at will, and that this has beneficial effects (lowering of stress, blood pressure, etc.). Do the tapes accomplish this more easily?
Yes, in my experience. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims of some of these products. Given the results I experienced, however, I wouldn't wait for the research, any more than I would have waited for proof of the existence of vitamin C before I'd continue eating limes to cure scurvy a hundred years ago.
Wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment, if you must, but why not try classical music the next time you need to study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music - I haven't yet heard of any damage caused by Mozart.
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. You can visit his website, and subscribe for free to his Brain Power Newsletter at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/newsletter.html
Related Articles:
Virtual Music Stand 1.3 Released - The Essential Page Turning and Practise Tool for Musicians.
Holcomputers (http://www.holcomputers.co.uk) announces Virtual Music Stand 1.3 - the essential page turning and practise tool for musicians. Virtual Music Stand is a software application that scrolls sheet music as it is played, either manually or automatically. It allows the musician to play freely rather than stopping to turn pages of music.
World's Largest DRM-free P2P Music Store Launches Bitmunk 2.0
Bitmunk's larger music selection and new Web 2.0 technology gives artists, distributors and fans many new opportunities to collaborate and cash out. Digital Bazaar, innovators in the field of digital file distribution technology, announced today that they have launched version 2.0 of their groundbreaking secure transaction network. The service, called Bitmunk, employs a legal peer-to-peer based distribution mechanism which ensures that artists, distributors and fans get paid for trading music over the network. The service allows anybody with an Internet connection to use the Bitmunk software to re-sell music they have in their collection. Every customer's computer functions as an online retail music store allowing a customer to re...
Two New Videos Available for Historians, Librarians as Well as Dance, Music, Theatre, and Art Researchers and Enthusiasts
Two new videos focus on french baroque tradition in today's world:
The art of baroque dance: Folies d'Espagne From Page to Stage
The new video, The Art Of Baroque Dance: Folies d'Espagne From Page to Stage,
is enriched with French historical images, refined Baroque dancing, and legible Feuillet notation. The preservation of dance is explored in an easy-to-understand entertaining manner. The artistic sample is the well-known Folies d'Espagne, which is studied from the academic page to its transformation into a vibrant performance.
And Dance Vivaldi: A Contemporary Baroque Ballet
This ballet, choreographed to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", combines delicate French Baroque dance technique with the vibrancy of...
Mission House Music "AM Cafe" set for GMA Week 2007
CCM Label Mission House Musics inaugural "AM Cafe" will be held Sunday April 22 through Tuesday April 24th 2007 in the Renaissance Hotel (suite 2314) during GMA Week 2007.
Aylin Mujica and Alan Tacher to Host the 2008 Billboard Latin Music Awards Presented by Heineken: 10th Anniversary of Telemundo Broadcast in 24 Co
Talented actress Aylin Mujica and renowned TV personality Alan Tacher will be the official hosts of the 2008 Billboard Latin Music Awards, presented by Heineken, which will broadcast live on Thursday, April 10 at 7PM / 6c from Hard Rock Live, located at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood. This year Telemundo celebrates its 10th broadcast of the event as well as the 50th anniversary of the distinguished Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Internet Star Brings His Show and His Music to the San Francisco Bay Area
Kevin Burdick, star of the Internet reality show "Who in the Hell is Kevin Burdick?!" prepares to leave his home of Salt Lake City behind as he brings his show and his music to the San Francisco Bay Area. The piano rocker, whose sound can be described as somewhere between Elton John and Coldplay, is already winning rave reviews nationwide as his music videos rack up hits in the tens of thousands on YouTube. He has recently been signed to Racelden Records.
SoCal Music Magazine Distributed at Austin Festival
MusicMatters to Give Out 5,000 Copies at SXSW.
Matthew Broderick and Eric McCormack Named Top Stars of The Music Man
Matthew Broderick and Eric McCormack lead the rankings of top drawing headliners for the musical "The Music Man" compiled by GuestStarCasting.comRounding out the Top Five ranked performers are television veterans Barry Williams and Gary Sandy, and Broadway leading man Craig Bierko.
Physiotherapist's New Book Explores the Healing Power of Music
Offering personal experience, Dr. Frances le Roux, Ph.D., discusses the benefits of using music as medicine in Music is Healing.
People Escape Holiday Stress with the Right Kind of Music
Professional harpist and author on the healing power of music, Sally Fletcher, advises people who feel stressed during the holiday season to listen to soothing music at every opportunity. Research has shown that music physically affects a person's heart beat, blood pressure and brain waves, enabling controlled effects on mood and energy level.
Santa Barbara Sheet Music Changes Owners
Treasa McGettigan assumed ownership of Santa Barbara Sheet Music on May 1, 2008. Located at 1036 Santa Barbara Street, above Folk Mote Music, Santa Barbara Sheet Music is widely recognized for their peronalized service, their huge variety of sheet music, and their ability to track down rare and hard to find music.
Leading African Performer Chris Gudu Signs With Hardrush Music
Leading African "World Music" Performer Chris Gudu has signed with rising Australian Independent recording label Hardrush Music. Zimbabwe born exile, he is a multitalented musician at home playing guitar, bass, drums and traditional African instruments. Having performed with some of the Afro greats like Angelique Kidjo, Brian Sibalo and Mantono amongst others, Chris is scheduled to release his new recording "Bavimbeni" through Hardrush in March.
One Way to Improve Your Music Journalist Relationship
Boy, I really detest how some people do websites. Bands are some of the worst.
Free, Legal Music Online
Almost everyone has heard about the massive crack down on Internet music piracy that has been occurring over the past few years. Napster was taken down (although it has now returned as a pay service), other file sharing programs now require users to pay for a license and the RIAA and other similar organizations are doing their best to hunt down copyright offenders and put an end to their crime sprees.
"Most Fashionable Amazing Racers", Kynt & Vyxsin Debut at Hot Topic with Feature Pictorial and Music Video
Kynt and Vyxsin haven't stopped racing. Their most recent destination is your local Mall - as the duo have made their formal debut for the national chain Hot Topic. Beginning Thursday, May 1, the company is showcasing Kynt and Vyxsin in a feature pictorial, interview, and even a music video on the front page of the website -- HotTopic.com. As new models for the alternative fashion franchise, Kynt and Vyxsin can be seen on the website and advertisements adorned in new and exclusive fashion by Hello Kitty, Skelanimals, Tripp, Social Collision, and Alchemy Jewelry.