TLDR: Solfège, or solfeggio, is a music learning method. It involves reading, singing, and marking the rhythm using one hand. Like all forms of music-making, it uses many different parts of the brain.
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Solfeggio: Delight the brain with the Neuromusic (Day 16) 6
Solfeggio
solfeggio | sɒlˈfɛdʒiəʊ | noun (plural solfeggi | sɒlˈfɛdʒi |) Music an exercise in singing using sol-fa syllables.
Neuromusic:
Key concepts
Neuro + music is a portmanteau that combines neuroscience and music. Therefore, it is the study of the relationship of the brain, the mind, and music. If you want to read some other posts about Neuromusic, please look at the category.
Music and the brain
On a neurological level, interpreting music is a busy, busy activity. We are simultaneously:
sight reading (interpreting the stuff on the staff)
singing (vocalization)
listening (pitch)
marking time (rhythm)
learning (planning for study/attending class)
Sight reading
The optical area of the brain is located at the back, in the occipital lobe. The visual cortex processes information from the eyes, relayed through the thalamus. Musical notes seem to be processed in much the same way as words (letters).
Solfeggio: Delight the brain with the Neuromusic (Day 16) 7
Singing
Singing uses muscles and breath. The motor cortex of the frontal lobe governs muscle movement. Breathing uses the phrenic nerve for diaphragm control, but also motor neurons to control all the other little bit like the intercostal muscles, the muscles around the larynx and hyoid bone, and the tongue. Wernicke’s region is involved in the precise control of the mouth and tongue to pronounce syllables. This is on the temporal lobe.
When we sing with language – be it phrases or do-re-mi, we are using words. Therefore Broca’s region on the frontal lobe, but a little to the side, is involved.
Listening
The temporal lobe, on the side of the head, is responsible for interpretation of language, something that is super important in this method of music study.
However, hearing itself is governed by the ascending auditory pathway, which is made of “vestibulocochlear axons” (axons are parts of nerves). They pass from the cochlea (in the ear) to the ascending (incoming) auditory pathway, and transmit information to the vestibulocochlear nerve.
Marking time
The cerebellum is used for rhythm, meter, and tempo. We also call on the motor cortex once again to handle the asymmetrical hand and arm movement. The movement of arm depends on the time signature, and is quite challenging to keep steady and accurate.
Planning/learning
The frontal lobe is involved in planning, learning, and pretty much everything to do with pursuing a long term course of study. In terms of cognition, this is where is all happens.
I have always been passionate about study. As I age, I am better at discerning what I really want to study, formulating a plan of action, and then seeing it through to completion. I believe that my long years of yoga practice have served me in this, but will save that for another story.
Conclusion
Clearly, this post on barely touches on the vast subject that is the Neuromusic of solfeo, as we call it is Spanish. There is much more to learn, and explore. I will keep going, and would love it if you’d join me.
Find me on Tiktok
I have been posting daily on my TikTok account about “all the stuff I do in music every day”. If you like this kind of content, why not follow me over there?
Music is the universal language of mankind – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Solfeggio: Delight the brain with the Neuromusic (Day 16) 8
TLDR: Fractals are repeating patterns that are found in Nature. They can be described mathematically. I wondered if this could be applied to music, so decided to investigate. Conclusion: interesting, but not sure.
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Fractals, music & mind: 4 fascinating facts 13
Introduction: your sonic accompaniment:
While you read, I invite you to listen to this gem of an album: Charanjit Sing’s “Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat”. Absolutely mind-blowing fractal aesthetic chills.
Fractals
The word “fractal” was coined in the year 1978. Robert Wolfe Brooks and J. Peter Matelski studied photographs of fractals found in nature and derived a mathematical equation. Two years later, Polish-born mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot, used IBM computers to visualise the output of the algorithm. This is known as the “Mandelbrot Set”.
The central concept is that fractals “iterate” upon themselves. That is, the output of one “turn” of the algorithm becomes input for the next “turn.”
Four facts about fractals
They are everywhere
Fractals, music & mind: 4 fascinating facts 14
These fascinating repeating motifs are found almost everywhere in nature; they are infinitely reproducing and iterating patterns. Anyone who has ever used psychedelic substances will surely have seen the patterns. Mountain ranges and succulent plants, conch shells and vegetables (see left)…all allow us to marvel at the intricacy of their design and in so doing ponder whether there really is some higher rational order to this hot mess of the human Universe.
2. They are never-ending patterns
Fractals are self-similar. What that means is they are alike within themselves. What that means is that you can take a tiny part of a fractal, and it will be the same as a large part of the same fractal. Therefore, they are never-ending arrangements, no matter how big or how small they get.
To explain the mathematics simply, let’s consider compound interest: You invest €100 and earn €1. The next time interest is calculated, it’s based on the new balance of €101. So it increments a little more, because the initial input is now €101, not €100. Fractals work a bit like this.
3. They are algorithms that iterate.
If you use an algorithm to get an output “x,” and then use “x” as the starting value for the same algorithm, you have iterated. Let’s say the result is “y”. Another iteration using “y” as the starting point will give you the next result. Plug these results into something that can model them (like a computer program) and you may see the fractal pattern.
4. They are present in music.
Patterns of all sorts are present in music. Composers routinely create melodic motifs that repeat in different voices (instruments), velocities, and intensities. The leitmotif (guiding theme) is a recurring musical phrase or theme in a piece of music. The leitmotif iterates upon itself to build up a musical piece. This is especially noticeable in loop-based electronic music, and DJing, where repeating patterns are layered and filtered to create a track.
In the case of visual fractal patterns, the tools are 2-D or 3-D space (dimension) and color. In the case of music, the tools are sequences, rhythms, pitches and velocities.
Mandelbrot suggested that there exists a type of sound that remains unchanged in quality regardless of variations in playback speed. He referred to this sound as “scaling noise.”
Math, Music, Mind…
The mathematical basis of music is well established. When tuning to equal temperament, music frequencies inherently exhibit a binary nature. On a piano, if middle A is tuned at 440 Hz, then one octave down, the frequency of A is 220. One octave up, it’s 880 Hz. And so on. There is no deviation from this rule. Another frequency is either dissonant, or another note.
Except, there is a deviation. If you tune by octaves, you double or divide the note frequency by two to get the octave. But if you tune by fifths, the pattern is not so clear. The Pythagorean idea of “Music of the Spheres” , or Musica Universalis, says that the notes on a musical scale increase each time they go up an octave. So, in fact, there is a kind of mathematical iteration here.
Fractal Patterns in Music – Exploration and Experiment
This video gives a very complete description of how fractal patterns can be used in Ableton Live, or any DAW. Fractal theory perfectly complements electronic music. The magic of electronic music is in the precision of editing, both sounds and patterns. Iterations are only limited by your patience and the RAM in your workstation! However, artistic value and aesthetic cannot, and must not, be sacrificed for the sake of some mathematical concept!
By applying fractal tools in the study of music, researchers were surprised to discover that the self-similarity property, which is ubiquitous in nature, also exists in music. Such an observation may be regarded as the first step toward a further understanding of what music is and explaining how music simulates the harmony of nature.
My question is: how does this relate to Neuromusic?
In earlier posts about Neuromusic I have explored the many and various powers of music. There is something mysterious about music, and about our relationship to music. The fact that there isn’t even an agreed definition of music is mind-blowing.
Music affects the brain in so many different ways. Music, and sound, are everywhere. Fractal patterns are everywhere. Gentle music with repeating, overlapping patterns could be used to entrain the brain for meditation, a neuromusical application par excellence.
Many genres of electronic music (especially psy-trance and trance) use repetitive iterating motifs. Dancing and music are known to change mood very quickly; this is another neuromusical application of this concept.
Binaural beats can be accompanied by fractal imagery to create surreal, seemingly deep and complex tools to focus the mind. The objective: cognitive enhancement.
Conclusion
It is interesting to research topics like this, and imagine how they might affect us in real life. I am not sure if fractals and neuromusic have a particularly tight relationship. But, there is surely some overlap. What do you think?
Wellness practices are no longer niche. Fully integrated into everyday life, most people practice, or know that they ought to practice, some form of self-care such as movement, mindfulness, or self-motivation.
I have practiced and studied yoga and wellness for decades. All that time, I longed for creative fulfilment. I often felt like I was hitting a roadblock around creativity, especially around music production. Let me explain my wellness to creativity in this post. I will unpack my 12-step experience of finding a way to cue (activate) my creativity using my wellness practices.
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Cue Creativity: transform to your true self in 12 steps 20
Creativity: The Cornerstone of Self Realisation
The deep work of yoga, meditation, and self-help is both wonderful and challenging. But, it is only a means to an end. The final purpose is: self-realisation.
The Why Behind the Wellness: find what you have inside
Why practice wellness?
People get to yoga when they are tired of suffering. This old adage is found in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and in Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths. These traditions teach that it is the ignorance of one’s true nature (“avidya”) that is the true source of suffering. Their solution is spiritual: “vidya” (knowledge) that allows a person to unite with “Atman”, which is higher consciousness.
What’s your wellness goal?
This question is highly relevant given today’s global society and the preponderance of cultural appropriation. The conflict around embracing another culture’s spiritual traditions has antagonised me for decades. I don’t have the definitive answer. But, I am part of the cohort of yoga and meditation practitioners who do not feel the need to pray to anyone’s God, and whose only faith is the belief in the flow of the Energy. I am spiritual, but not a believer. Faith is believing in something without having proof. Spirituality is about feeling the energy of all that surrounds you and realising that it is feeling your energy, too.
If not faith, then what? Creative expression.
In the absence of faith, we have creativity. Creative endeavour is the “tao” (path) of non religious self-knowledge. It is unhindered by doctrine, and untethered from ritual. But, it is a powerful tool for the knowledge and manifestation of the Higher Self. It may appear individualistic, but creative pursuit is so hard, and so humbling, and takes so damn long, that it it connects artists to our souls via our striving and our failure. The highest form of self-realisation is creativity; the highest form of creativity is self-realisation.
The highest form of self-realisation is creativity.
The highest form of creativity is self-realisation.
Cue Creativity: transform to your true self in 12 steps 21
Finding your creative outlet
Childhood dreams
You were there all along, you know. All the dreams you held in your childhood heart; they never went away. Your childhood dreams may have lain hidden for decades while you ran a business, climbed the corporate ladder, and raised a family. They probably showed up in your dreams, your home decor, and your hobbies. But they were never given centre stage.
When working with clients, these childhood memories are some of the most important. Before we are schooled and moulded, we are timeless dreamers, experimenters and boundary pushers. We can become disconnected from this creative little kid during our householders years, but as we age, we can choose to reconnect with our inner artist and make manifest what we hold inside.
Glimpses and glimmers
Glimmers are little events that unexpectedly bring joy into daily life. When we engage, even lightly, in consciousness raising activities (silent meditation, deep breathing, contact with nature, emotional self-regulation), we are gifted with little glimmers. Life is constantly bestowing us with miracles, if only we remember to look-.
You may have been blessed with some moments of clarity during a yoga class, meditation, or ecstatic dance. And certainly those insights would have whispered to you from a deeper part of you. But, life didn’t leave you room for those frivolous artistic pursuits. Now, you are at the point where you want to integrate those glimmers and create something from them. Welcome!
The big reveal
And then, right on cue, and if you are lucky, you reach the age of 50. The brutal realisation that you have fewer years ahead of you than behind you shocks you awake.
That inner voice no longer accepts being silenced. It starts to talk to you in louder tones. It keeps you awake at night, it whispers that maybe there is indeed more to all this.
Eventually, you listen. And then, you start to create. You create FROM you, FOR you, and BECAUSE of you. You create to leave a trace. You create to leave a legacy. You create because it is just what you do. If you don’t create, you consume, and overconsumption leads us down a very different path, one that I won’t even talk about here.
The Late Bloomer
Capitalism tells us “time is money.” This is an outright lie. Time is not money. Time is life.
Rigidly believing in milestones and linear timelines can rob us of the time that we need to bloom as creatives. If we think that we are too old, or that we missed our one and only chance way back when we were seventeen, then we will never achieve our creativity peak.
Late bloomers are myriad in the arts and elsewhere. Late blooming women, freed from fertility, are almost duty-bound to create. The womb that is no longer preparing for procreation becomes a fertile guide and voice for wise women.
It took me 12 years to learn to produce music using Ableton Live. But I got there in the end!
As if on cue, you find you
The brutality of the midlife crisis is an energy that can be harnessed in order to live your best life. You either sink or swim. If you have been doing the deep work already, dive deeper. Put order to your story and connect the dots. As Bob Marley sang in Buffalo Soldier“If you know your history, then you will know where you are coming from, then you would not have to ask me, who the hell do I think I am.”
Creativity Coaching – the program I am working on – is my method to help you work out who the hell you think you are, using creativity. Stay tuned and sign up to my newsletter if you are curious to know more about Creativity Coaching.
My 12 steps
Each person will have their version of the events, decisions, and twists of fate that get them from where they were to where they are now. My twelve steps were:
Living through a series of hard to process life events which left me with powerful feelings that were hard to express, and yet which sabotaged me at unexpected and unwelcome moments.
A need to put order to my intrusive thoughts and feelings so that I could feel calmer and have the world make sense. Finding yoga. Finding mind-body wellness work
Words and music flooded through me, at random times, unbidden. It could not be turned off even if I wanted to. I consistently wrote poetry, prose, and songs.
Feeling more frustration at NOT making music than making music, but without recognition or recompense. Keep going even if my music got no applause and no pay. Resilience.
Through the deep work of yoga, slowly overcoming shyness, self criticism, and self-doubt.
Shaking, breathing, and humming trauma out of my body.
Learning to set healthy boundaries.
Valuing my time and focusing my efforts in order to improve all areas of my life, including my art.
“Music maker, any way” – recognising that manypaths lead to the same goal. If the singer-songwriter thing wasn’t going to fly, then DJing could. Climbing down from preconceived ideas about what music to make and how.
Furthering my formal education in order to give myself a sense of sturdiness and knowledgeability. Overcomingimpostersyndrome. Studying music theory. Studying Neuromusic.
Finally having a breakthrough by consistently dedicating time to music production, asking for (and paying for) help with mixing and mastering, investing in the distribution platforms and subscriptions necessary to market my craft.
Recognising that I have, effectively, achieved the goal that I set out to conquer, so many years ago, and feeling so elated that I want to share it with anyone else who is longing for creative expression and not sure how to get there.
Your 12 steps
Your journey may be 12 steps long, or it may be 20. It is totally personal and completely unique. Believe in yourself, in your pursuit of purpose, and the power of your creative vision. If my words resonate with you, and you feel like connecting, drop me a line or give me a follow. If you think that you might like some help defining your purpose, of getting clarity about your journey, let me know. Take care, Rachel
Sound Design for Electric Cars: 5 Powerful Pitches to Electrify Your Drive 26
Sound Design for Electric Cars
What does your car sound like?
Electric and hybrid car sales are on the rise. More drivers are using cleaner technologies in their vehicles to help meet climate change goals and reduce pollution in cities. There are major differences between the old and the new cars. An important one that could be overlooked is how they sound.
Continuing from my previous post on sonic branding, I decided to explore the sound design of electric vehicles (EV). I have discovered that it’s not only about audio branding, which helps connect a brand to its users’ feelings. The noise of electric vehicles is important for safety. It affects both the drivers of these vehicles and the pedestrians they encounter.
There is a sonic familiarity with driving cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). The rumble of tires on the road, the whoosh of air beyond the windows, and the vibration of the engine. It is almost comforting, such is its intimacy and involvement in our everyday lives. I can still recall the sound and feel of my father’s Oldsmobile as it crushed ice and sand on the frozen streets of Canada.
Electric models have none of the roar and reverb of ICE cars. The earliest electric cars were found to be hazardous to pedestrians precisely because of their silence. As a result, car manufacturers have turned to sound designers to help them solve this problem.
Nissan prototyped EV way back in 1947! They have been making different models ever since.
Nissan was a pioneer in creating electric cars for modern living. From our first EV in 1947 to the new Nissan Ariya, from ice cream vans to robot co-pilots, our electric-powered lineup has changed with the times and drivers’ needs.
Jean Michel Jarre created the sound design behind Renault’s electric vehicles. Here is a video that gives us a glimpse behind the scenes.
Renault is the European EV market leader. In 2021, their electric vehicles were the most popular in Europe, accounting for almost 15% of all electric vehicles sold. With this being the case, the way those vehicles sound is vitally important! (https://www.renaultgroup.com/en/innovation-2/electric-vehicle/)
According to some bloggers, Toyota is lagging in the EV game. The Prius was an early hybrid EV, with the first models hitting the Japanese market way back in 1997. They are, however, working on fuel-cell cars instead of battery-electric vehicles. All Toyota’s EV have sound design.
Lexus makes three types of luxury EV. They have been building EVs since 2015. Given their expertise in the luxury automotive industry, it comes as no surprise that their sound design follows suit, embodying the same level of refinement and excellence.
Lexus sound design was done by Man Made Music, as was Nissan’s. Lexus engineers created in-cabin sounds to convey the exhilaration of driving. Engineers matched sound frequencies to the vehicle’s speed and sound levels during dynamic actions such as acceleration. The underfloor battery reduces noise and the hood opening is sealed to prevent turbulent airflow noise.
The Lexus sonic logo, affectionately named The Open Door, brings together these two elements (Takumi Craft and Omotenashi) to express the highest level of luxury and hospitality through unique,organic instrumentation & breath
Driving requires a great presence of mind and continual evaluation of everything going on around you. My driving instructor used to say “busy, busy eyes”. I think it could just as well be “busy, busy ears”!
Auditory Spatial Perception
The ears can locate sounds in three dimensions. Our ears provide information about the distance, direction, and movement of a sound source. This is called Auditory Spatial Perception. This takes place in the middle part of the encephalic trunk, or brain stem, the pons.
When we are driving, we are constantly listening to our surroundings. I am continuously aware of changes in the road surface, the wind direction and strength, and, of course, approaching vehicles. At the same time, ICE vehicles make characteristic sounds when accelerating, changing gears and braking. Creating a sound bank for EVs mimics familiar sounds for drivers and keeps them aware of the car’s operation.
Exhilaration
As the Lexus case study points out, there is an emotion associated with driving: exhilaration. Car manufacturers aim to focus on positive emotions such as joy and excitement, although negative emotions like fear and anxiety may also be present. The excitement of a road trip, the feeling of freedom, the happiness of driving…all these emotions are combined in the sound of the car. EVs will have to work with drivers’ historical emotional baggage to be fully accepted.
Sound and the perception of “work”
One of my pet theories is:
We perceive work via the noise it makes. We unconsciously associate silence with a lack of productivity.
Rachel Rose
Sound Design for Electric Cars: 5 Powerful Pitches to Electrify Your Drive 27
Industrial Noise
I developed this theory in the mid-1990s while working as a Quality Control Inspector at an industrial bakery. We produced 10,000 loaves an hour. When those loaves left the ovens, they were at about 450º. The loaves would travel around the upper levels of the factory on rolling metal conveyor racks to cool them before slicing and bagging. Every wheel and every chain clanked and clattered.
The noise in that place was deafening. I wore ear protection, but most of the older workers were completely deaf. There was a silo for the flour. To keep it from caking to the inner edge of the silo, a huge metal hammer would hit the silo once every 45 seconds. I was offered well-paid work after that stint, but I refused. The noise made me crazy.
Office Noise
Later, when I was working in tech. I noticed that digital devices that were too silent were often assumed to be non-functioning. The buzzing sound of a cooling fan is interesting. Although it can be annoying in a crowded office where everyone is using computers, it also indicates that work is being done. If you have ever visited a server farm, you will have been stunned by the racket. Not only the servers but the Air Conditioning!
Take, also, the sound of typing. Hark back and remember what old keyboards sounded like. Travel even farther back in time, to the sound of typewriters and carriage returns. Those mechanical noises were an essential and fundamental part of office culture. That has all changed now. I am writing this post on a MacBook Pro. It is a stupendously quiet machine. The only sound I hear is my fingers typing, and I could probably adjust my typing style to make it quieter.
The “work ethic” and noise
The Industrial Revolution made machines a part of our lives. My family is from Yorkshire where steam engines installed in cotton and woolen mills generated huge prosperity. Before the steam loom was invented, weaving was done by hand in cottages. The pieces were then sold to the mills one by one. To house the huge coal-fired steam looms, great glowering red-brick mills were built, and weavers began to work in centralized factories. Can you imagine the noise??
Goodbye industrial noise!
Too quiet cars confound our perception of work. We need our EVs to make noise. But, we need noises that serve a purpose – like protecting pedestrians and confirming that a trunk is closed. What we don’t need is more machine noise! It is a blessedly creative stroke of luck that this noise can be created, calibrated, and filtered. What a joy that industrial noise is finally being eliminated!
As cars become self-driving, passengers stuck in traffic could make music. “In terms of health and well-being, making music is documented to trigger more areas of our brain than any other known stimulus, because it requires coordination but also excites our reward centres,” Santambroglio says. “Such an approach would be revolutionary for traffic, a typical source of stress.”
She partnered with Delhi musicians to create library of local music samples from Indian instruments like the tabla and the shehani, a type of flute. She envisions adding these samples to each vehicle on the road, creating the possibility for on-street jamming.
Continuing my studies in Neuromusic constantly ignites my curiosity to explore every corner and crevice of the vast realm of music and sound. What do you think about sound design for EV? Do you have an EV, and if so, do you like how it sounds?
Music Tourism: Trip to the tune of a cool 11 billion annually 32
What is Music Tourism?
Music tourism involves travelling to a place to experience a live music event. A person, or group, may go solely for the event, or the music event may fit alongside other activities.
The importance of quantifying the value of music tourism cannot be overstated. Many people perceive music as an expense. If one stops and thinks about the cost of promoting cultural events, it sure can seem like a lot of money to spend. But, when one then calculates the ROI, what appeared to be an expense suddenly shows itself to be an investment.
Live music is a “scarce” event. Supply and demand is the basis of capitalist economic theory. When there is scarcity, prices increase.. In real life, this means that people are willing to spend time and money on “once in a lifetime trips” to see and hear their favourite musicians play live.
If you live in one of the 20 locales Swift, 33, performed at in the last five months, your city has likely seen a boost in revenue from the hundreds of thousands of attendees who traveled from near and far.
Another case in point is Madonna’s “Celebration” tour, her latest jaunt around the globe, which Billboard estimates may generate upwards of 100 million USD. Pop stars of this caliber draw people from a huge radius. These fans fork out not only for tickets, but for food, accommodation, transportation, and souvenirs.
Classical music is also an enormous attraction. In countries like Italy or Germany, aficionados will spend significant sums for a seat. La Scala in Milan is known for its atmosphere and the exceptional quality of its performances. It is a must-visit destination for classical music tourists. But, to enjoy an opera at La Scala, fans must spend €165-210 for a single ticket.
Who’s Who in Music Tourism?
There are increasing numbers of projects dedicated to promoting destinations to music fans. Here is a small selection.
Music and Tourism: On The Road Again
Published in 2005 by Chris Gibson (Australia), this scholarly book is considered to be the first one about music and tourism. Describing music tourism as a “niche”, which it is, the authors look at the phenomenon from various viewpoints. Historical and contemporary analyses, financial and cultural, plus the politics of copying and identity. This looks like one that I ought to get my hands on.
Sound Diplomacy
This consultancy works with the economics of culture, music, leisure, hospitality, policy, planning, and placemaking.
Music Cities Events is a platform that aims to educate on the value of music. They organize events all around the globe. These conferences showcase music tourism, music policy and, of course, music cities.
TIIM – Turismo Amplificado
The Valencian government has created an initiative to promote music tourism. I will be in attendance at the Jornadas TIIM on 13 & 14 December 2023, in Valencia. Will you be there? Let’s connect!
Estaré en la Jornadas TIIM en Valencia el próximo 13 y 14 de diciembre. ¡Me encantaría conectar contigo!
Music “pilgrimages” to specific cities.
Places like New Orleans, Nashville, Seville, or Berlin are magnets for music lovers. Trips to these emblematic places are akin to pilgrimages; such is the passion that music arouses.
Each city has its allure for music enthusiasts, whether it resonates with the smooth sounds of jazz, the vibrant energy of rock and roll, the passionate rhythms of flamenco, or the pulsating beats of techno.
Carnival!
Famous street parties are found worldwide and most are raucous celebrations of music, dance, and color. Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, has its famous samba parades. The Notting Hill Gate Carnival in London features soca and reggae music. The Cádiz “Carnavales”, in Southern Spain, features flamenco singing and dancing.
Music Festivals
These exemplify a form of music tourism. Music festivals abound in the summer months in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. Festivals can last from one day to over a week. Longer festivals require, logically, a bigger investment of both time and money. Whether festival goers are camping on-site or staying off-site, they will need to pay for travel, accommodation, food, and tickets. In Spain, the average person spends 300€ per festival, according to TIIM.
Music Tourism: Trip to the tune of a cool 11 billion annually 33
Holiday Entertainment
We have all been there: on holiday, in an unfamiliar place, and hungry or thirsty. How do we choose where to sit down? Google Maps or TripAdvisor can help, but even with these aids, we will use our specific criteria to choose. The music filtering (or blaring, depending on your taste) will determine to a large degree whether you sit down or walk on by.
Some people may save all year for their holiday, and they want to savor every moment of their much-deserved break. Investing in some form of musical entertainment is crucial for bar and restaurant owners as it greatly enhances the overall guest experience.
As I study Neuromusic more, I become increasingly fascinated by the connection between music and our daily lives. Music tourism matters – it moves people and it moves money.
After my visit to TIIM, I will give you an update. Watch this space. Meanwhile, keep on moving, don’t stop, no.
Sonic Branding - powerful 360º trademark soundscape 38
What is it?
An all-round sound strategy
As my studies in Neuromusic continue, I find myself curious about an ever-widening array of music and sound-based disciplines. One that caught my eye is sonic branding.
This is a powerful, 360º strategy for a business! You could almost call it “surround sound!” 😉. By integrating unique and unforgettable auditory elements into their visual branding, companies have the power to significantly amplify their impact and create a lasting imprint on their audience’s minds.
Music awakens emotions in a deep and powerful way. Audio branding helps connect a brand to its users’ feelings. Think about it: A home decoration business will clearly have a different sound strategy than a techno nightclub. The former may wish to transmit security, safety, and comfort, whilst the latter would send out edgy, ecstatic vibes.
More than just a jingle
The use of sound in branding goes far beyond jingles. It includes UI/UX elements like in-app sounds when you press a button, accomplish a task, or open a new element.
I studied UX last year. I found it fascinating, and it has strongly informed my design work ever since. Good UX makes a brand stand out; excellent UX makes a brand succeed. Incorporating audio into UX is next-level marketing. A sound “sound strategy” could have a resounding impact on a business. (ba-da-boom)
Sonic Branding Hashtags
If you are interested in this field, here are some of the hashtags in use:
SAM began working with branding and sound in 1993. They have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. Specifically focusing on the link between sound and emotions, they use “the science of sound” to build brand recognition.
Good sonic branding stimulates an emotional response, but great sonic branding does more–it becomes rooted in the belief system.
Stephen Arnold Music
Audiant Labs (London, UK)
Working in the field of sonic branding since 1980, meet Audiant Labs. Its CEO and founder, Ruth Simmons, is called “The Godmother of Sync“. Her “soundlounge” project is a world leader in sync and sonic branding.
While sync is not exactly the same as sonic branding, there is some overlap between the two. Sound and music used in commercial settings (like TV shows, video games, or live events) become identified with the brand.
Think of the theme song from Friends. You probably don’t know the artists who recorded it, The Rembrandts. But if you lived through the 1990s, you’ll instantly think of the TV show when you hear the song. This is a sound strategy that paid off, both in terms of brand recognition, but also for the artists who wrote and played the song.
DLMDD (London, UK)
DLMDD won the Kyoto Global Design Award (2022) for their audio branding work with Singapore Airlines. The flowers of the SA Batik Motif were the starting point. Dominic Murcott created an instrument using the frequencies of the flowers’ colours. The symphony was created by Rohan de Livera. It is really quite amazing and inspiring to learn about this project!
If the sounds you produce are not better than silence, it’s noise, sound pollution.
Cédric Engels
UnMute Creative Sound Agency (Denmark)
This Copenhagen production studio offers one of the clearest sonic branding examples I’ve found so far. On their Instagram page, they share the sound palette they created for the charging network, clever.dk.
The new sonic identity embodies both innovation and sustainability and is mixing electronic elements with acoustic instruments and sounds from nature.
unMute Creative Sound Agency
Coda
The field of sound design and its connection to emotions captivates me. Having been a therapist (body worker and yoga teacher) for over twenty years, I know the emotional-vibrational anatomy well. As a self-taught musician, I connected with music via feelings and perception rather than learned theory. As a student of Neuromusic, I am knitting this all together.
If you find the field of sonic branding as bewitching as I do, please get in touch with me via my socials. I would love to connect.
Many people, maybe even you, suffer from an excess of nervous tension. You may be wondering what to do. Listening to your favourite song is enjoyable, but music you enjoy can also help manage those intrusive, anxious thoughts. If you have ever asked yourself “how does music help with stress“?, then read on. I will do my best to explain.
Types of Stress
Let’s start by understanding what stress is. We usually think of stress as something negative. “Distress“. However, stress can also be positive. “Eustress“. The right amount of pressure can motivate us to complete tasks and achieve goals. This lovely video by Anne-Laure Le Cunff will help you to understand the difference between distress and eustress. The takeaway: not all stress is bad. But, an excess of stress can have negative consequences.
In this post, I will focus on distress, or negative stress. My next post will look at the relationship between music and positive stress. So that you won’t miss a thing, why not bookmark my blog page?
How does music help with stress?
Music has long been known to have a positive impact on our emotions and overall well-being. It has the power to uplift our spirits, evoke memories, and even help us relax. Music can be a powerful tool to help us cope with the pressures of everyday life.
According to websites, a research paper from Stanford University suggests that a frequency of 60 BPM is ideal for relaxation and stress relief. I have not been able to find the source of that oft-repeated claim. I found a research paper from India that tried to answer the question “how does music help with stress” by comparing the effects of low and high BPM music on heart rate and blood pressure. The relationship between stress and music could be influenced by the connection between heart rate and blood pressure in the carotid artery.
There was a decrease in the mean of both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the subjects on listening to slow music, which was found to be statistically significant. This may be due to modulation of the cardiac autonomic nervous system by stimulation in the form of auditory input
Physiological stress is associated with the release of various neurotransmitters. People with chronic stress suffer from negative emotions like worry, rancor, ire, or fear. Frequently, stressed out folks feel little or no joy and derive little pleasure from life.
A recent study found that listening to music can help to reduce how strongly we feel pain.
Music also serves as a distraction from our stressors. Focusing on the melody, rhythm, and lyrics helps us forget about stress and find comfort in the music. Moreover, music can activate the body’s relaxation response, which helps counteract the physiological effects of stress. Also, attending live music events is inherently social, and we know that nurturing healthy social relationships is vital to our health.
Playing an instrument, singing, or dancing can also help reduce stress. Engaging in these activities can help channel our emotions and provide a creative outlet for self-expression.
Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation.1 Musical training promotes cognitive function, mental health, and a connection to others.
Overall, incorporating music into our daily routine can play a significant role in managing stress. Music has the power to calm our minds and provide relief from life’s pressures. You can enjoy it in many ways, like making playlists, going to live concerts, or just taking a moment to listen to calming music.
The Most Relaxing Song?
Weightless by Marconi Union is meant to be the world’s most relaxing song. Have a listen and decide for yourself.
“British ambient band Marconi Union has drummed up the world’s most relaxing song: Weightless is 8 mins 10 sec. of aural bliss” – Time Magazine, Best Inventions of the Year.
Brain Massage with 8-D music
Get your headphones ready and listen to this clip. For me, it’s one of the most luxurious feelings ever, to have that sound moving around my head and stimulating my brain. Let me know if it does anything for you.
A folklorist learns and plays a tune. The ethnomusicologist takes note of the melody, compiles details about its background, past, and surroundings, and subsequently includes it in a curated assortment of comparable or distinct tunes to be examined more extensively.
3 Difference between ethnomusicology and folklore
The three critical distinctions are:
Ethnomusicology uses recording equipment to preserve, catalog and later analyze songs. It is an anthropological approach to music.
Ethnomusicology studies non-Western music, or music originally composed without transcription. Folklore can include music from all cultures and countries, including Western folk songs.
Folklore comprises music, dance, poetry, and other art forms. Ethnomusicology focuses only on music.
Definitions
What is ethnomusicology?
In an earlier post, I shared the Merriam-Webster definition:
1.The study of music that is outside the European art tradition 2: The study of music in a sociocultural context
However, I now understand that it is specifically the academic study of music in an anthropological context. Béla Bartók is seen as the founder of the discipline, although the term did not exist when he was alive.
Starting in 1905, Bartók and his friend Zoltán Kodály collected more than 10,000 folk songs. They also analyzed the songs’ form and structure. Check out the title of Zodály’s 1907 thesis paper: “Strophic Construction in Hungarian Folksong“. Here is a further quote from Bartók that proves his study of ethno-music was academic in nature, not merely compilation:
“Thus, it became proven that the old scales that are no longer used in our art music have not lost their vitality. Their renewed application made possible a new kind of harmonic combination. The employment of the diatonic scale in this manner led to a liberation from the petrified major and minor systems with the end result that today every step of the chromatic 12-tone system can be freely utilized on its own.”
Recording devices marked the beginning of musicology, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The recording of music allows for its preservation and analysis, enhancing the study of music in an academic context.
The audio recorder enabled travelers to collect sounds in distant locations and bring them to specialists who analyzed and preserved them in museum-like settings using specialized equipment in ways that resembled the data and artifact collections of anthropologists.
According to Merriam-Webster, folklore refers to traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people.
Folklorists may collect, anthologize, perform, and record the material that they collect. But the nature of folklore is not academic. Collecting or compiling material can serve various purposes, such as preserving, appreciating, disseminating, or reiterating the material. But its nature is not to analyze and compare.
After grasping the three fundamental distinctions between ethnomusicology and folklore, an inevitable question arises: Is one superior to the other?
I am not expert enough to answer that. In my opinion, they are different enough to occupy separate spaces in the cultural context. While one may be more systematic and rigorous, the other is more organic and freewheeling. I think that this is like music itself. We admire symphony composers, but we also find joy in self-taught electronic musicians.
Ethnomusicology is an absolutely intriguing realm of study, one that captivates me. Nevertheless, it is crucial that in this journey of exploration, we keep sight of the sheer delight that accompanies the process of discovering, exchanging, and deciphering melodies.
If you like what you’ve just read, please consider sharing it. Thanks for your visit!
Ethnomusicologists: of the 20th Century: Badass Béla Bartók & beyond. 50
Ethnomusicologists – what do they study, and why?
Ethnomusicologists study the anthropology of music. They study how music develops and evolves in non-Western cultures in order to better understand the culture of the people.
I talked about the general aspects of the discipline in my previous post on the anthropology of music, titled “Ethnomusicology: the mysterious evolution of language, music, and the human brain.”
The term “Ethnomusicology”
In 1950, Dutch musicologist Jaap Kunst coined the term “ethnomusicology,” combining two disciplines: musicology (the study of music) and ethnology (the comparative study of different cultures).
Whoever came first, prior to 1950, ethnomusicology was known as “comparative musicology”. Comparative musicology originated from early musicology studies. Guido Adler, of Austria, presented an essay in 1885 which laid out a basis for musicology.
Where is ethnomusicology studied?
Ethnomusicology is by nature a field study. This means that the researcher(s) must travel to the place whose music they are studying, in order to see it performed in situ.
However, there are a number of distinguished centers of higher learning where the scholarly study of ethnomusicology takes place. For the sake of simplicity, I will just leave a few links here. A more exhaustive list of centers of ethnomusicology can be found on the SEM website.
Ethnomusicologists: of the 20th Century: Badass Béla Bartók & beyond. 51
Béla Bartók is considered by many to be the father of ethnomusicology. Béla Bartók was born in Hungary, and grew up during the final years of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922). He was not only a skilled classical pianist, but also a passionate explorer of his homeland, embarking on challenging journeys to gather and preserve the rich tapestry of Hungarian folk songs.
As far as I am concerned, traipsing around Bohemia, Transylvania, and the Carpathian Mountains collecting folk songs is pretty badass. Go Béla!
Béla Bartók birthed the field of ethnomusicology as an academic discipline through his tireless pursuits of folk music, his exposition of the sound of the rural people, and his incorporation of folk-style into his own personal compositions. His work revealed to the world that folk music exists, is important, and stands as an independent academic discipline.
David Taylor Nelson :”Béla Bartók, the Father of Ethnomusicology” https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol3/iss2/2
Jaap Kunst
Kunst has a typically interesting “ethnomusicologist” biography. He studied the violin as a youngster. After finishing Law School in the Netherlands, he grabbed his instrument and joined a string trio and set off for Java. As you do, when you’re a badass. He stayed there for about fifteen years. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he was recognized as an expert in his field. In 1950, he coined the term “ethnomusicology”.
Alan Merriam
Alan Merriam was an American ethnomusicologist. His 1964 book, “The Anthropology of Music”, is credited with uniting the academic study of anthropology with that of music.
Women are almost always often erased from history. Alan Merriam was accompanied by his wife, Barbara, on his travels in Africa. I have spent some time searching the Internet for any biographical information on Barbara, or even a photo. So far, I have not had any luck, but I am sure that she was one badass researcher. Watch this space.
Before I leave you, I shall share with you an interesting documentary, “The Language With No Word For Music”. I found it on Reddit.
Summing up
The more I read and research Ethnomusicology and ethnomusicologists, the more my ind boggles. It is truly an expansive and enormous field. I will keep on writing. If you like what you read, please let me know. A little encouragement goes a long way!
Can we use the study of ethnomusicology to better understand the development of the human brain?
When did language and/or music evolve in human beings?
Did music or language develop first?
Language has a clear evolutionary purpose. Does music?
How does ethnomusicology relate to music?
It’s hard to cover this broad and complex field in a one-hour class or in a single post. I’m using class topics to delve into the subject more, but I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information and the different paths to explore. For the time being, this is the result. I am sure that there will be more. Read on – I hope that you’ll like it.
Music, Language, & the Human Brain
Music and language share much of the brain’s neural circuitry. Both engage many different areas of the brain and numerous neural circuits. The temporal lobe, near the ear, is strongly activated. The limbic system, which deals with emotion and arousal, is also engaged. Motor neurons are called upon to activate the movements of the mouth, hands, and lungs, amongst other things.
There is no agreement on which one developed first and if their development influenced each other. By studying the development of music in different world cultures, we may glean valuable information about how the human brain manages the vast store of information that it compiles over a lifetime. Both music and language are tools of communication. Language is more descriptive and functional, while music is more emotional and amorphous.
Given the obvious similarities between music and language, it is not surprising that there has been a running debate for more than two hundred years as to whether they evolved in tandem or independently – and, if the latter, which came first.
1.The study of music that is outside the European art tradition 2: The study of music in a sociocultural context
Can the study of Ethnomusicology help us to understand our evolution?
Probably, yes. Music and language are fundamental to all human societies, even if their origins are still not fully understood. Exploring the anthropology of music provides valuable insights into the fundamental aspects of our existence.
We humans wonder about the reasons for our existence, our purpose here on Earth. We wonder why life is so hard, and painful, and death so ever-present. We create all sorts of stories about creation, souls, and Gods, but the hard truth is that nobody really knows. Even faced with the nihilism of not knowing, we skirt around it using humor and art.
By knowing our history, we can know where we are going. Studying ethno-music may help us to chart the uncertain waters of the future.
When did language and/or music evolve in human beings?
The first archaeological evidence of music making using instruments dates from about 50,000 years ago. Before people started using femoral bones to make flutes, they most likely used stones, sticks, and seeds as percussion instruments.
Did music or language develop first?
The human voice is certainly the most primitive instrument of all: singing probably pre-dates spoken language. Evidence from the Upper Paleolithic Era suggests that both language and musical instruments evolved around 50,000 years ago.
…fully human speech anatomy first appears in the fossil record in the Upper Paleolithic (about 50,000 years ago) and is absent in both Neanderthals and earlier humans.
Philip Lieberman “the Evolution of Human Speech https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/509092
The ‘syntax’ of music is simpler, less highly evolved than that of language, suggesting an earlier origin.
Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies “Every Brain Needs Music”, page 18, quoting Ian McGilchrist “The Master and His Emissary”
Language has a clear evolutionary purpose. Does music?
Human beings possess a unique ability on this planet: the power to articulate ideas using words that symbolize objects, concepts, timelines, and emotions. I believe there is intelligent life in the Universe and that advanced societies might use telepathic communication. Still, even with telepathy, there would have to be some lexicon, some words, to communicate telepathically. (But, I digress.)
Language is a fundamental tool for functioning in communal societies. Humans are social animals, but our conviviality means that we must be able to communicate. Not only do we communicate for necessity, we also communicate for fun. Think of jokes, poems, songs and riddles.
Both language and music bind us together in groups, families, and societies. Both are absolutely necessary for our survival, but in different ways.
“In ancient languages, the sound of a word contained the energy and essence of the thing signified by that word. The earliest forms of communication were probably grunts, groans, screams and laughter – sounds that transparently expressed how one felt in the moment. Andcient languages evolved out of those sounds. Gradually, words were formed to capture the essence of other things that helpd form the matrix of life: the presence of trees, rocks, animals, and birds. In this sense, all ancient languages were originally mantric because their words embodied the essence of what they signified.”
Russill Paul “The Yoga of Sound” page 68
Language development
Humans are unique because we can talk, sing, play instruments, and use tools to make instruments.
The human throat differs from that of other animals. The larynx sits lower in the throat. There is more space in the mouth cavity, so we can make different sounds.
Our large brain has powerful cognitive abilities that many other mammals simply do not possess. IMHO, that does not make us better than other animals. They possess highly refined sensory organs that make them amazing creatures. But, they don’t have language, or music. We do. By understanding how we acquired them, we understand ourselves a little more.
Links
I will leave you with two interesting links.
The Larynx
First, a NPR report on how humans acquired the ability to speak. This 6-minute clip is called “From Grunting to Gabbing: Why Humans Can Talk“. It explains the structure of the larynx, also known as the “voice box”, and discusses how the human throat may have evolved. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.
The anthropology of music and how it related to language and the brain.
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