Since ancient times, music has been used to induce trance, send messages to the deities, ignite hearts for battle, establish peace between warring parties through the harmony of the notes, and make declarations of love through melody. Tales and legends about music have brought us many interesting things from the depths of time.
However, not all myths about music are really true or partly true. Here are 5 myths about music that have been disproved and should be forgotten.
Myth 1: There are only seven notes
Namely, C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. If you add the higher “C”, you get an octave. That’s why it’s often said that musicians only have seven notes to compose a melody. But it’s a little more complicated than that – it’s no coincidence that the octave on the piano consists of white and black keys, and they add up to more than seven.
There are really seven white keys: these are just the C, D, E, and other four notes. But there are also five black keys that sound slightly different. For example, the key between C and D will produce a sound half a tone higher than the first note, but lower than the second and will be called C-sharp or D-flat.
In European music theory, an octave is traditionally divided into 12 equal intervals, which are considered the most harmonious. These are the notes. Included there are those sounds that are extracted with the black keys on the piano.
The semitones weren’t included in the list of notes due to an oversight by medieval music theorists. The latter used the church hymn to John the Baptist as a classifier, because each line of this composition was sung higher than the previous one. That’s how the halftones were missed. And now the musicians are forced to agonize over the D’s and B’s.
The octave itself, by the way, can be divided as you like. This creates microtonal melodies that do not fit into the standard musical harmony.
Myth 2: Listening to classical music increases intelligence
The “scientific basis” for this myth was laid by a 1993 study. During the experiment, American neurobiologists offered some students to listen to a piece of Mozart, and then pass the part of the test for IQ, evaluating spatial thinking. The rest of the participants sat in silence or listened to relaxation instructions before solving the problems. Surprisingly, the “Mozart group” scored higher: the difference was equivalent to 8-9 points in IQ.
However, don’t hurry to find a collection of works of the Austrian classic – further research has shown that the “Mozart effect” is unlikely to help you become smarter.
It turns out that it works very briefly. Already in 10 minutes the difference in the results between people who listened and didn’t listen to Mozart disappeared. Moreover, classical music is not at all necessary for a short “mind boost. Any sounds that a person likes will do. For example, hits from the British rock band Blur or audiobooks from a favorite writer. Scientists suggest that pleasant melodies or voice recordings enhance mood, which also helps you to cope better with intellectual tests.
So it’s not really about classical music. And if you consider that not everyone likes it, the works of Mozart certainly can’t be called a universal IQ booster.
Myth 3: Sad music makes your mood worse
Although this assumption seems logical, experiments show that sad melodies affect different people in different ways. Sometimes sad compositions tune in a romantic mood, it helps to relax, and sometimes makes people feel stronger.
The effect of melancholic music on mood can be related to the psychological state. A wistful song, in which a healthy person will find solace, can cause unpleasant feelings in people with depression. They tend to think about the same thing endlessly, and sad music makes them relive unpleasant memories and negative thoughts over and over again.
Myth 4: Ear for music can only be innate
Indeed, some people are more musical from birth than others. This is confirmed, for example, by a joint study of Finnish and American scientists. They conducted a genome-wide scan of people with good musical ears and found several common features of genes related to the capture and processing of sounds. So the abilities of musician parents may be inherited. However, genes are fickle and talent can get lost in the wilderness of DNA.
However, the musical ear can be developed even in people without the necessary predisposition. Not the fact that it will be absolute, of course, but it will allow you to play music. However, to do this, you won’t only have to study hard but also behave appropriately – for example, communicate with the right people.
There is a significant influence of culture and environment. For example, if a person has listened to music constantly since childhood, or if any of his or her siblings often play the guitar, ears will be easier to train. Even simply singing at concerts at school is good for improving your ability.
And lessons on musical instruments can change the very structure of the brain, namely to develop its plasticity. And first of all, the areas related to an ear for music will be strengthened.
Myth 5: Playing a musical instrument is just for fun
Unlike simply listening to academic compositions, playing music can have a beneficial effect on the mind. It requires good movement coordination, and wind instruments also develop breathing. To memorize a song, you’ll have to train your memory and master musical notation – logic, and a little bit of mathematics.
If a person isn’t a musician, it will not be easy to learn even a couple of chords on the guitar. Not to mention the skills of reading from the sheet, when you have to look at the unknown sheet music and play at the same time. This is how neural connections are formed in the brain – that very plasticity.
Studies show that this kind of “brain training” helps improve spatial and temporal performance and memory. Moreover, music lessons have a beneficial effect on the ability of children to memorize unfamiliar words and improve their overall literacy.
And music training is more effective than many other activities. In one experiment, researchers compared the performance of two groups of children. Some in their free time practiced music, while others studied military studies. In both groups, children became more creative and their memory improved, but in the music group the scores were higher and the teens developed faster.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that if you put a second-year student at the piano, he or she will turn into an excellent student in six months. Music education isn’t a panacea. However, it won’t be superfluous either. The main thing is that the child himself likes it.
