Title of paper under discussion The influence of sleep on auditory learning: a behavioral study Authors Nadine Gaab, Miriam Paetzold, Markus Becker, Matthew P. Walker and Gottfried Schlaug Journal Neuroreport, 2004; vol 15 no4 pp 731-4 Link to paper (free access) Overview Improvement due to practising a skill is known to continue – without further practice – following …
Title of paper under discussion The Cortical Topography of Tonal Structures Underlying Western Music Authors Petr Janata, Jeffrey L. Birk, John D. Van Horn, Marc Leman, Barbara Tillmann, Jamshed J. Bharucha Journal Science, vol 298, pp 2167-2170 (2002) Link to paper (free access) Overview Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Janata and his colleagues identified …
The brain has a tonality map – and it’s dynamic, not static Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Activated brain regions in musicians during an ensemble: a PET study Authors Masayuki Satoh, Katsuhiko Takeda, Ken Nagata, Jun Hatazawa, Shigeki Kuzuhara Journal Cognitive Brain Research, 12 (2001), pp101–108 Link to paper (free access) Overview There are many different ways of listening to music, for instance with attention directed toward …
Images of brain attending to alto line of a Bruckner motet Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Synchronization of complex human networks Authors Shir Shahal, Ateret Wurzberg, Inbar Sibony, Hamootal Duadi, Elad Shniderman, Daniel Weymouth, Nir Davidson & Moti Fridman Journal NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2020) 11:3854 Link to paper (free access) Overview Eager to investigate how humans synchronise activity in a group, these researchers (led by Shir Shahal …
Title of paper under discussion Preservation of musical memory in an amnesic professional cellist Authors Carsten Finke, Nazli E. Esfahani and Christoph J. Ploner Journal Current Biology, Volume 22, Issue 15, 7 August 2012, Pages R591-R592 Link to paper (free access) Overview Is musical memory housed in the same brain region(s) as other types of memory? …
A German cellist who can’t remember a single river or chancellor still recognises music Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Is Playing in the Pit Really the Pits?: Pain, Strength, Music Performance Anxiety, and Workplace Satisfaction in Professional Musicians in Stage, Pit, and Combined Stage/Pit Orchestras Authors Dianna T. Kenny, Timothy R. Driscoll, Bronwen J. Ackermann Journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists 31(1):1-7, March 2016 Link to paper (free access) Overview …
Pit or stage – how a musician’s environment affects their wellbeing Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Secrets of virtuoso: neuromuscular attributes of motor virtuosity in expert musicians Authors Shinichi Furuya, Takanori Oku, Fumio Miyazaki & Hiroshi Kinoshita Journal Nature, Scientific Reports 5, 15750 (2015) Link to paper (free access) Overview Numerous studies have investigated the ‘superior motor skill’ of musicians compared with non-musicians. But how about musicians as a …
A stronger triceps might improve pianistic virtuosity Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Learning to Play the Violin: Motor Control by Freezing, Not Freeing Degrees of Freedom Authors Jürgen Konczak, Heidi van der Velden, Lukas Jaeger Journal Journal of Motor Behavior, 2009, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp243–252 Link to paper (free access) Overview Do beginner violinists start with restricted movement in all aspects …
Expert violinists have learnt to ‘freeze’ certain actions Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Performance Gestures of Musicians: What Structural and Emotional Information Do They Convey? Authors Bradley W. Vines, Marcelo M. Wanderley, Carol L. Krumhansl, Regina L. Nuzzo and Daniel J. Levitin Journal 5th International Gesture Workshop, GW 2003, Genova, Italy, April 15-17, 2003 Gesture-Based Communication in Human-Computer Interaction, pp 468-478 Link to …
Clarinettists heighten emotion and extend phrases with their gestures Read More »
Title of paper under discussion Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians Authors Claudia Goldin and Cecilia Rouse Journal National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 5903, January 1997 Link to paper (free access) Overview Carried out in the mid-Nineties by two economists now of international repute, this piece of research lighted …
‘Blind’ orchestral auditions increase a woman’s chances severalfold Read More »