Music in Our Head

627 Words3 Pages
Summary of “Music in Your Head”, by Eckart O. Altenmüller Of all the behaviors humans’ exhibit, the universal love of music is a puzzle to researchers. In spite of the fact that neither listening to nor making music meets a crucial life need, the human brain is able to process sounds in highly complex ways, apparently just for the pleasure of it. In the article “Music in Your Head”, Eckart O. Altenmüller talks about many things which have to deal with music and the brain. He starts from talking about visual and emotion experiences to the structures of the brain that are involved. Also some research is explained that was done to test which side of the brain is responsible for what emotions. Several tests were performed to show many things that either confirm something or to reveal some new aspects. The article is split into four parts and a facts section on how music is viewed. The first part is about how people visual and emotional experiences are involved and some background about music. A small amount of the music background was told and how it started out as pieces of bone. Also mentioned was the beliefs of some researchers on how music is an evolutionary advantage. Furthermore, Presstimo Nervoso: The Path to the Brain is the next part that talks about the structures which deal sound makes from the ear to the brain. This article includes clear illustrations of how the ear translates sound to the auditory nerve. These structures include the ear, thalamus, and the temporal lobe. Altenmüller also talks about the path and the function of each part, such as the thalamus conveys the message from the ear to the temporal lobe. The author also claims how scientists are trying to understand where music is heard in the brain and what each hemisphere processes. Another part that Altenmüller talks about called Andante Adaptabile: The Role of Learning. It’s about learning
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