Interesting Article

[Vorago]

I read this article this week in a magazine. I found it to be very interesting...Its translated from Dutch, so there might be some flaws in it...I'll give it a try..

Brain is out of tone

Some people can't make music

The world isn't fair. While one person doesn't even succeed in singing the easiest melody without false notes, other persons play the songs they hear on the piano without a sweat.
The problem of some 'non-musical' people is situated in the head. They have a brain that is, litteraly, tuned wrong (read: out of tone).

This was proved by experiments with 10 test subjects (people who are tested) who were not capable of distinguishing tones from each other. If they heard a note played by the piano, and after that heard another one, they couldn't hear the difference. Those same people even had trouble singing an easy melody they just heard.

According to the professional journal Psychological Science they could distinguish differences in rythm. Therefore, the problem can be carried back on a crappy tone recognition.
This could be linked with an inborn limitation of the brain capacity to detect small differences in tone. People who have such a limitation will therefore never be able to make music.

(copyright Knack 2004)

Hope you find it interesting, and I hope the translation is a bit descent.

[Eyescream]

Somebody'll probably come in and bitch in a few minutes about you reposting an article (as per the new forum rules).

That is interesting, though.

[Squidfinger]

Ahhh....the old either you're born with it or not BS. While I would say it's definitely grounded in truth, I think 80% of people could learn musical instruments. It's just a question of how much you love music and willpower to practice.


I struggled with the afore mentioned subject for awhile. I even shed some tears. When I first started, yes, I could be off key and swear on the holy bible I was right on. But I practiced everyday and got better.

[Eyescream]

And even if you can't recognize a note, there's nothing stopping you from being able to play by reading notation or whatever.

[sargebaker]

I myself am terrible at that. I pretty much have to play by reading (and now I'm tryign to master sheet music cause tabs have poisoned me) Although my ear is getting better. before I could not do anything by ear, now I sort of learned Dog Boots (PX) I was off a little, and NIB and a few others. I think with poop loadsa of practice it can be learned.

[Eyescream]

I agree, my ear's getting better all the time. I'm still a looong ways away from being able to name notes when I hear them, but there are some (especially patterns) that I'm beginning to be able to recognize.

Sure wish I hadn't quit so long ago.

[charles21o7]

I am what youd call tone deaf or whatever it is being described in that article , yet I went through high school band as either first or second chair in my section(Trumpet) all four years, I ve been playing piano for 13 years, guitar for 12, and bass for 10 and I have lots of confidence in my skills. So I dont think it matters what happens in your brain, if you want music bad enough nothings gonna stop you .

[Don't_Fret]

I can't do a cartwheel. I think we'll call it even.