Daniel Levitin's neuroscience of music

Have you ever wondered why you get goosebumps when you listen to certain songs? Or what makes a hit, a hit? Maybe you’ve argued that the music you listened to when you were younger, is the best music that was ever made. All of that, relates to neuroscience.

The way the brain processes music is a huge field of study; it’s why music therapy exists, why people with Alzheimer’s can remember a tune from the childhood, or why songs can be a way for non verbal people to communicate. It’s something I’m endlessly fascinated by, and I know I’m not alone. That’s why I asked Dr Daniel Levitin to Take 5.In 2007, Daniel published a book called This Is Your Brain on Music. It laid out, in layman’s terms, all of the neural pathways that spark when we hear songs. It sold millions of copies, and he backed it up with an anthropological book called The World in Six Songs. But Daniel’s life didn’t start in the sciences. First and foremost, he’s a musician himself. He was a producer and engineer for about 15 years too; working alongside Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, and The Grateful Dead.

He knows his stuff. I asked Daniel to Take 5 with the neuroscience of music, and share songs not only from his own life but explain what’s happening to the brain, when he hear them. I loved this chat. I could speak for days about this stuff, and it just adds to a rich understanding and love of music, from all  over the genre map. From Beds are Burning to Beethoven, to one of the most beautiful tunes ever written, Daniel articulates the spark of a song.

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning

Iggy Azalea - Fancy [Ft. Charli XCX]

The Afflicted - Here Come The Cops

Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker - Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67; I. Allegro con brio

Judy Garland - Over The Rainbow