This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
By Daniel J. Levitin
Dutton, 2006. 314 pgs. Nonfiction

This is book focuses on the intersection of music, psychology, and physics. Levitin's experience as a musician and education as a neurobiologist equip him well for this fine exploration into what music is, how it works, and how it affects us biologically, cognitively, and emotionally. The author begins by introducing the reader to the building blocks of music and providing the reader with a vocabulary for discussing the topic. He covers pitch, rhythm, tempo, contour, timbre, loudness, reverberation, meter, key, melody, and harmony. Levitin brings science to bear on music,  weaving the results of scientific studies with anecdotes of rock stars.  A fun and informative read.


SML