“I think music itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.” | Billy Joel
Each year, on June 21, we celebrate World Music Day. This year, I take a moment to reflect on what music brings to my life daily. I've been also curious for a moment now about how music affects our mood and emotions. So, I looked deeper into the question and in this post, I'm going to share with you what I have learned. We will dive into the history of music, and learn more about the different genres of music, before analyzing the effects of music on our moods. Thank you for joining me. I'm glad you're here.
History of music.
The word 'music' derives from Greek mousike (μουσική), which originally referred to any of the arts governed by the nine Muses, nine unique spirits who were responsible for inspiring all of art and poetry. According to Wikipedia, music can be defined as a series of sounds organized in time, employing melody, harmony, tempo etc. usually to convey a mood. Music is also an art form that combines either vocal or instrumental sounds, sometimes both, using form, harmony, and expression of emotion to convey an idea.
John Coltrane (1926-1967), American jazz saxophonist and composer, described his music as,
“My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being. When you begin to see the possibilities of music, your desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hang-ups. I want to speak to their souls.”
But how did all of this started? Well, music first arose in the Paleolithic period, though it remains unclear as to whether this was the Middle (300,000 to 50,000 BP) or Upper Paleolithic (50,000 to 12,000 BP). One of the oldest instruments in the world is the Neanderthal Flute, an instrument over 60,000 years old discovered near Cerkno, Slovenia. The Neanderthal Flute contains 4 pierced holes and was made from the bone of a young cave bear. The holes were intentionally placed to create a crude sound we might recognize as that of a flute. Prehistoric men and women probably started making music as a way to imitate the sounds of nature, either for religious or recreational reasons.
Different genres of music.
Over the years, music has constantly reinvented itself. Today, we count over 1,300 music genres in the world. The most popular are: Country, Electronic dance music (EDM), Hip-hop, Indie rock, Jazz, K-pop, Metal, Oldies, Pop, Rap, Rhythm & blues (R&B), Rock. Based on the world areas, we can also subdivided music into 6 categories:
African music, which commonly used instruments include drums, musical bows, xylophones, and rattles. See: African Hip Hop Afro-Beat, Afro-House, Afro-Pop, Bikutsi, Bongo Flava, Coupé-Décalé, Kizomba, Lingala (Rumba Lingala / Congolese Rumba), Makossa, Zouglou.
Caribbean music is often features a mix of African and European music styles. The most popular instruments used in Caribbean music are drums and other percussion instruments and different types of guitars. Dance and music go hand-in-hand. See: Calypso, Dancehall, Mambo, Mento, Merengue, Reggae, Rocksteady, Salsa, Ska, Soca, Zouk, etc.
Latin and South American Music: Popular and common types of music in Latin America and South America are often referred to as Latin music. Traditional and modern Latin music often feature upbeat tunes, are heavily influenced by a variety of cultures, and include complex rhythms. See: Bachata, Balada, Compas, Mexican, Reggaeton, Samba, Tango, Vallenatto.
North American music: Traditional American music and Canadian music features drums and simple instruments used by Native tribes. Modern American music incorporates influences from a variety of cultures. See: American folk, Bluegrass, Blues, Canadian folk, Gospel, Industrial, Swing, Tejano, Zydeco.
European music: Traditional European music is best exemplified by the classical music genre, as many noted classical musicians were from Europe. See: A capella, Celtic chant, Drum & bass, Euro-disco, Flamenco, Glitch pop, Grime, Opera, Polka.
Asian music: Traditional Asian music includes a lot of flutes and pipes, drums, and unique stringed instruments. The traditional approach to music in many Asian countries was scientific, or methodical. Modern Asian pop music keeps the simplicity of traditional music, but adds modern appeal. See: Baila, Bollywood, Carnatic, Chinese folk, Chinese traditional opera, C-pop, K-Pop, Japanese folk, J-pop, K-trot, Punjabi, Rafi, Raga rock, V-pop.
My top 5 are: Afro-pop, Soul, Compas, Coupé-Décalé, Dancehall. And you, what is your favorite genre of music?
+ While doing my research, I came across this great compilation, which is a combination of medieval and modern art. I still prefer the original song (from Haddaway), but I also found this quite interesting. You can have a look too.
How does music affect our mood?
A psychological survey conducted in 2013 examining the reasons why people listen to music, found that people usually listen to music for 3 main reasons:
Regulate mood and stress (arousal),
Achieve self-awareness,
Express social relatedness.
One of the first studies on the emotional association with music was conducted by Leonard Meyer in 1956. Meyer analyzed the fifth movement in Beethoven’s masterpiece, String Quartet in C-sharp major, Op. 131. After examining the tonal changes and measures, Meyer concluded that creating unfulfilled expectations caused suspense and tension in the listener, which leads to the emotional response to fulfilled expectations.
Listening to music triggers physical changes that show emotional arousal. For example, listening to our favorite songs will make us happy, which is showed by the following:
Dilated pupils,
Rising blood pressure,
Faster pulse,
Lowered electrical conductance on the skin,
Activation of areas of the brain involved in physical movement.
Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind work together. Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression. For children and adults, music helps strengthen memory skills.
Our favorite songs highly activated the cerebellum, triggering increased blood flow to the legs. This may be part of why dance is so closely associated with nearly every genre of music. The region of the brain most impacted by almost every type of music in the world is also the area that makes us want to move, even if this is just tapping our feet or bobbing our heads. While listening to music may bring greater health benefits, creating it can be an effective therapy, too.
Even listening to sad songs sad music can bring about some psychological benefits. In fact, it has been shown that people with high tendencies towards reflectiveness may find that sad music can be used as a tool for processing their negative emotions, resulting in an overall improvement in mood. But, it's also true that for some people, moods generally decrease when we listen to sad music.
According to researchers at the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) in Dorset, U.K. a unique orchestra for people with dementia helped improve their mood and boost their self-confidence. We understand much better the Burkinabe artist Zedess while he said,
Sources:
Music is one of my passions. Doesn't matter that I'm happy, sad, angry, bored, in love, out of love or whatever, it always helps me reconnecting with myself and my feelings. By the way, here's the playlist I listened to while writing this post Chilled Jazz. I hope you will enjoy it. Thank you for reading. May God bless you, take care.
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