Even A Few Years Of Music Training Benefits The Brain | Science Sushi Music has a remarkable ability to affect and manipulate how we feel. Simply listening to songs we like stimulates the brain’s reward system , creating feelings of pleasure and comfort. But music goes beyond our hearts to our minds, shaping how we think. With education funding constantly on the rocks and tough economic times tightening many parents’ budgets, students often end up with only a few years of music education. The answer from a study just published in the Journal of Neuroscience is a resounding yes. Music training had a profound impact on the way the study subjects’ brains responded to sounds. “The way you hear sound today is dictated by the experiences with sound you’ve had up until today,” explained co-author and lab head Nina Kraus. Bulking up the auditory brain has non-musical implications. There is a body of research that suggests music training not only improves hearing, it bolsters a suite of brain functions. Citation: Skoe, E. & Kraus, N. (2012).
The Yaybahar: Man Invents The Coolest Acoustic Instrument In The World This is going to be the coolest thing you see and hear all day! The Yaybahar is an electric-free, totally acoustic instrument designed by Görkem Şen. The vibrations from the strings are transmitted via the coiled springs to the frame drums. These vibrations are turned into sound by the membranes which echo back and forth on the coiled springs. What you hear in this performance is captured in realtime without any additional effects and with no post audio processing. He’s recorded it using two digital Zoom H4N recorders, and the effect is even more evocative in a set of headphones. He spent 5 years developing and building this wonderful creation. Share and Enjoy