It’s always been assumed that if a violinist wants to turn professional, he or she needs to get hold of a Stradivari or Guarneri instrument. These violins are so rare that they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, meaning that potential concert violinists have a harsh reality to face in the future if they want to continue making music.
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It’s long been known that Stonehenge is laid out as a prehistoric calendar, and it may also be a type of ancient hospital. Now there’s a third explanation for the stone formation: It may have been laid out according to how ancient Britons perceived sound.
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Why do we love songs that make us cry? The strong emotions they invoke set off a physical reaction that increases our "feel good" hormone dopamine. So even though it seems like we’re unhappy, we’ve never felt HAPPIER!
When psychologist John Sloboda asked people to identify the parts of songs that made them cry, he analyzed these passages and found that they all contained a musical device called an "appoggiatura," which is a type of note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound.
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Why do we like the kinds of music we do? It could have to do with our brains (as well as the shape of our ears). We all love the sights and sounds of Christmas, but there are some noises that are hard to take, like SQUEEEK! The sound of fingernails on a chalkboard sets our teeth on edge, but it’s easier to take if we think it’s music. This may explain why certain songs can sound like raucous noise to one person but seem musical to someone else.
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