MUSIC ANDEMOTIONS

-Maristella Cianchini and Eva Nizi

WHAT IS MUSIC ?Music is the art of organizing sounds and noises over timeand space.Music as an emotional stimulus can arouse emotions indifferent ways. Emotions can be aroused by the intrinsicstructure of music or by the context in which music iscontained.The mechanisms that allow emotions to be aroused bymusic are:• the brain stem reflexes;• emotional contagion;• visual imagination;• episodic memory;• musical expectations.

MUSIC EFFECTS

Music affects heart rate, blood pressure and thelevel of certain hormones, particularly stresshormones and endorphines.-Listening to music by Mozart helps memory andlearning, promotes concentration and improvesproductivity. Alfred Tomatis says that Mozart’s musicfavors the complex brain activity, such as the studyand practice of mathematics or the play of chess. ItImproves the perception of space-time, allows us toexpress ourselves more clearly and induces a senseof calmness.

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HOW DOES MUSICIMPROVE MEMORY ?

According to experts, music canstimulate many areas of the brain,including the Hippocampus, which isthe district that governs long-termmemory. Music is very helpful forpeople that underwent a left sidebrain injury, with symptoms such asthe inability to speak.

http://musicpsyche.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/untitled-19.png

BRAINWAVE FREQUENCIESAcross the human cortex there arebrainwave frequencies. The fivedifferent brainwave frequencies arecalled delta, theta, alpha, beta andgamma. They can be observed via anelectroencephalograph (EEG). It allowsmedical experts to note electricalactivities within the brain and it recordsvarious patterns. Each of the fivedifferent brainwave frequencies has aunique function. In particular, the fluidtransition from one type of brainwaveto another is significant to how well aperson focuses on their daily activities.

• DELTA WAVES are more frequently present in young children and babies. Theamount of delta waves decreases with age in waking and sleepingmoments. Delta waves present themselves most in sleeping moments.

http://examinedexistence.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/brain-wave-states.jpg

• THETA WAVE - "the theta waves are the next slowest wave frequency andpresent as daydreams or light sleep". These waves represent the ability tofeel deep and profound emotion.

• ALPHA WAVES are the waves that form a bridge between our subconsciousand conscious part of the brain. They can be referred to as “idle state”waves because they are in the middle of the five different frequencies. If aperson is meditating or practicing being mindful, these are the wavespresent. They are also present when doing aerobic exercise.

• BETA WAVES are known as high frequency-low amplitude waves and arenormally present during a waking state. They allow for logical thoughtprocesses and therefore are instrumental in problem-solving and decision-making activities.

• GAMMA WAVES show a higher frequency and are needed for cognitivefunctions. They play an important part in processing information, learningand memory. A person with lowered gamma wave activity may havedifficulty with learning new things or comprehending training.

MUSIC AS TORTURE

Music was used to torture war prisoners inIraq. The BBC reported that the songEnter Sandman by Metallica was playedaloud during interrogations in militarydetention in Guantánamo. The CIA hasbeen using music as an instrument oftorture since 2011, while in Morocco orAfghanistan music is used ininterrogations and for torturing prisoners.

http://www.themidnightsocialite.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/gitmo_torture.jpg

THE SCALEThe musical scale is a succession of notes arranged in a consecutive pitch order. Itcan be:

- ascending ( from bottom to top ) - or descending ( top to bottom )

the pitch of a note is given by tones.

http://www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/c-major-scale-descending-on-treble-clef.png

http://www.ukuleletricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ukulele-major-scale.jpg

TONES AND SEMITONES

The pitch of a note indicates how highor low a sound is: the distancebetween two heights or frequencies ornotes is measured in tones andsemitones and is called interval.

An interval represents the distancebetween each sound takensubsequently. The semitone is thesmallest distance between two sounds;while the tone is the union of twosemitones.

http://www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/tones-and-semitones-in-a-minor-scale.png

SOUND AND FREQUENCY

Every note is a definite sound with a definite frequency.Soun, is the result of propagating waves, so we can observe that waves aredisturbance propagating down a medium.The parameters of sound are:• Amplitude• Wavelength• Period• Frequency• Timbre

• The timbre distinguishes one sound from another and allows us to distinguish thesounds emitted by different sources, even if they have the same frequency andthe same intensity and they are perceived in a different way by the ear.

• The amplitude is a displacement from the resting position.

• The wavelength is the displacement between two crests of the wave form.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/566d1059d04772c2c60b8ed7779edba3afe6a97d.gif

• The period is the time that is needed to complete a full vibration, and it ismeasured in seconds (s).

• The frequency instead is the opposite of the period. It is the number of cyclesper second.Let’s focus on the ratio between period and frequency:T= how many seconds per cyclef = how many cycles per second.

Consequently: f = 1/T T= 1/f

Many theorists think that the emotions that music inspires are produced bytonalities so that a compositor can be influenced by these characteristics whenchoosing a tonality.Here is an example of two Beethoven’s pieces composed using two differenttonalities.

(C minor) (D major)

http://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/images/first_pages/BIG/Beethoven/BeSymphony5PfFirst_BIG.gif

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The first piece we have just heard isthe symphony n°5.In this case Beethoven chose thetonality of C minor because it ischaracterized by a gloomy andserious timbre.In the second piece instead (Concertfor violin and orchestra), Beethovenchose the tonality of D major.This tonality gives the piece a clearand joyful timbre.

https://www.basicmusictheory.com/img/c-minor-scale-on-treble-clef.png

https://www.basicmusictheory.com/img/d-major-scale-on-treble-clef.png

MOZART EFFECT

The Mozart effect is a controversialscientific theory developed in 1993 by thephysicists Gordon Shaw and FrancesRauscher.According to the two researchers,listening to the Sonata in D major for TwoPianos (K. 448) by Wolfgang AmadeusMozart would have caused a temporaryincrease in cognitive abilities of a group ofvolunteers.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart_1.jpg/220px-Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart_1.jpg

MAJOR AND MINOR MODE

Let's consider the C major scale.As we can see in the picture, theD major scale has five tones andtwo semitones between E and F,and between B and C.this is the scheme:

T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST

with this scheme we can make every major scale.Let’s try to make the A major scale.

Of course the first grade of the scale will be A, the second will be B, but the thirdwill be #C, because between B and C there is a semitone, and between thesecond and the third grade of a major scale we need a tone.

In fact the sharp symbol # alters the following note by a semitone.In this way we can complete the scale that will beA-B-#C-D-E-#F-#G-A

# # # # #

https://www.basicmusictheory.com/img/a-major-scale-on-treble-clef.png

What about the minor scale?The minor scale is built upon the sixth scale degree of the major scale. Aminor scale, which is called " relative“, gets out of each major scale. Theminor scale maintains the same changes in key as the major scale, fromwhich it draws origin. So an A major relative will be #F minor.

https://www.basicmusictheory.com/img/f-sharp-minor-scale-on-treble-clef.png

CONCLUSION

• Finally we can say that major tonalities have a more positive shade, whileminor tonalities inspire sadness.

• But the final result is given by many factors, and it is always personal.

REFERENCE

• http://www.studiopsicologiarizzi.it/approfondimenti/tutti-gli-articoli/perche-la-musica-suscita-emozioni.html

• http://www.cultora.it/la-musica-strumento-tortura/• http://www.rockit.it/articolo/musica-tortura-guantanamo-cia-playlist• http://www.studiopsicologiarizzi.it/approfondimenti/tutti-gli-articoli/perche-la-

musica-suscita-emozioni.html• http://www.my-personaltrainer.it/salute/musica-benefici.html• http://examinedexistence.com/the-effect-music-has-on-the-brain/• http://examinedexistence.com/5-different-brainwave-frequencies-mean/