Why do we love music? (2018)

(nlm.nih.gov)

18 points | by jstrieb 2 days ago

3 comments

  • Diogenesian 9 hours ago
    It seems like any scientific understanding of music is incomplete without understanding singing in gibbons: http://www.gibbons.de/main/sound.html

    Specific reasons for gibbon song rather than others:

    1) duh, they are apes

    2) unlike birds and cetaceans, but like humans, gibbons try to aim for a pure tone when singing, with energy concentrated at the fundamental frequency

    3) unlike birds and cetaceans, but like humans, gibbons try to harmonize when singing in groups

  • lookalike74 10 hours ago
    This article gets it wrong from the start... "But whereas speech is most obviously important for communicating propositions or concepts, obtaining such knowledge, this is not the primary function of music." There's the talking drums of Native Americans, rap music, and so much more.
    • belviewreview 9 hours ago
      And that is not all. Spoken speech moves up and down in pitch, and in a rhythm, and no doubt that is at least much of the basis of music.
  • nicechianti 11 hours ago
    [dead]