Music gets you high, and ML's get you higher

JonFo · Oct 31, 2007

OK fan boys and girls, here's the info you've been craving: Justification for all that money we pour into our systems

As detailed in this blog post on Cnet, recent research is showing the linkage between music and 'mood enhancing' chemicals generated by the brain.

Steve Guttenberg on CNET said:
Great music, not just dance music, is supposed to get you to feel something. Which is, I think, the point. Daniel J. Levitin had a great Op-Ed piece, "Dancing in the Seats," in the October 26th New York Times examining the question of how profoundly we're affected by the sound of music. Levitin, a neuroscientist, runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition, and Expertise at McGill University in Montreal. Levitin observed that "Our species uses music and dance to express various feelings: love, joy, comfort, ceremony, knowledge, and friendship." Oh, and when everything's clicking just right music modulates brain chemistry to produce dopamine, the "feel good" neurotransmitter. Right, music gets you high.

But the very question of linking movement to music, well, that's where great audio gear can have its effect. Decent speakers will make you want to get up and dance! In my opinion higher fidelity seems to engage us more, we feel the music more when it sounds really good. Closing the gap between recorded sound and the real thing really does change the way you experience your favorite tunes. Ergo, investing in the really good stuff isn't such a nutty idea. Maybe the reason the music industry is in such poor shape is we're not moved by music the way we used to. Ya gotta feel it to get it, and today's pipsqueak audio systems just don't have the muscle to get the dopamine flowing.

What I really liked was the final comment:

Ya gotta feel it to get it, and today's pipsqueak audio systems just don't have the muscle to get the dopamine flowing.

I can attest to the fact that my MartinLogans have a 'transformative' effect, but here's the question:

Do you have to move around to get 'maximum effect'?

Or can one achieve 'nirvana' by closing the eyes and being immersed in the soundscape?

What's your take on this?

Bernard · Oct 31, 2007

JonFo said:
....................

Do you have to move around to get 'maximum effect'?

Or can one achieve 'nirvana' by closing the eyes and being immersed in the soundscape?

What's your take on this?

Depends upon the music. Examples: "The Rainbow Connection" by Judy Collins always makes me want to dance. "Spiegel Im Spiegel" by Arvo Part makes me close my eyes, relax, and get immersed in the music.

David Matz · Oct 31, 2007

Tapping the foot or even consciously feeling it/ focusing on the music does it for me. The gear is just a drug that makes the feelings more profound. The better the system, the greater the emotion conveyed.

My personal belief is that if people really focused on the music even some of the time, instead of using it as background noise, hi fi sales would go through the roof.

As an aside, if there are readers on the site, Levitin has an excellent book out called "This is Your Brain on Music".

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Bra...2093259?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193843974&sr=8-1

ScottG · Oct 31, 2007

David Matz said:
Tapping the foot or even consciously feeling it/ focusing on the music does it for me. The gear is just a drug that makes the feelings more profound. The better the system, the greater the emotion conveyed.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Bra...2093259?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193843974&sr=8-1

Agreed, before the summits, I gave very little credence or thought to what the musician was trying to accomplish when they wrote a piece... I thought they were 'full' of themselves when they explained the motivation or feelings they were trying to convey. Today, while I can’t claim I grok all their intent, I no longer dismiss the impact

JonFo · Nov 2, 2007

On the move vs. don’t move, here are my thoughts and experiences:

Movement certainly does engage the body more and there are different chemicals that get released when one does this.
Playing Madonna’s ‘Confessions on a dance floor’ usually manages to get me out of my seat in short order. Just can’t help it. Some music is made to get you moving.
I find that invigorating and pleasurable for sure, but then I find I can’t sit still and listen to something much more complex afterwards. I need to go off do something else, as the body is all revved-up.

However, the majority of my music is of the complex, highly layered and with varying tempo’s. Not exactly dance music. But it is highly involving, some of which helps me achieve that natural ‘high’ just by doing a focused listen.
A good example is Lisa Gerrard (from Dead can Dance) pieces, most of them manage to transport me into another place when I play them back loud and do nothing but listen.
This is where a good system, a dedicated room and the right software really pay off. As it is almost guaranteed to help you reach that endorphin fueled state of bliss. An eargasm if you will

Bottom line: 95% sit, sing and/or sway; 5% moving about, a fun time either way.

JonFo · Nov 2, 2007

David Matz said:
... The gear is just a drug that makes the feelings more profound. The better the system, the greater the emotion conveyed.

My personal belief is that if people really focused on the music even some of the time, instead of using it as background noise, hi fi sales would go through the roof.
...

Good point.

Maybe what the industry needs to do is market good Hi-Fi (and music) as a drug that gets you high. I’m sure marketers could go wild with that one.

Maybe even new metrics, like Silence to euphoria in one song :devil:

mcmd · Nov 2, 2007

JonFo said:
This is where a good system, a dedicated room and the right software really pay off. As it is almost guaranteed to help you reach that endorphin fueled state of bliss. An eargasm if you will

Eargasm. I've got to remember that one...!

Music gets you high, and ML's get you higher

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