The Origins of Music and of Tonal Languages

2019 ◽  
pp. 220-244
Author(s):  
Robert C. Ehle
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Tonal Language ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Musical Emotion ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

This chapter offers the author's theory of the origins of music in ancient primates a million years ago, and what music would have sounded like. Origins of nasal and tone languages and the anatomy of larynx is discussed, and then a hypothesis is presented that these creatures would fashioned a tone language. They had absolute pitch that allowed them to recognize other voices, to read each other's emotions from the sounds they made with their voices, and to convey over long distances specific information about strategies, meeting places, etc. Having an acute sense of pitch, they would have sung, essentially using tonal language for aesthetic and subjective purposes. Thus, they would have invented music. Then the physicality of the human (or hominid) voice is discussed and the way an absolute pitch can be acquired, as the musicality still lies in the vocalisms it expresses. The reason for this is that music is actually contained in the way the brain works, and the ear and the voice are parts of this system. The final part discusses the origins of musical emotion as the case for imprinting in the perinatal period.

The Origin of Music

2018 ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
Robert C. Ehle
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Tonal Language ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Tone Languages ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

This chapter offers the author's theory of the origins of music in ancient primates a million years ago, and how would music have sounded like. Origins of nasal and tone languages and the anatomy of larynx is discussed, and then a hypothesis is presented that these creatures would fashioned a tone language, they had absolute pitch that allowed them to recognize each other voices and to read each other's emotions from the sounds they made with their voices, and to convey specific information about strategies, meeting places, etc. over these distances. Having an acute sense of pitch, they would have sung, essentially using tonal language for aesthetic and subjective purposes. Thus, they would have invented music. Then the physicality of the human (or hominid) voice is discussed and the way an absolute pitch can be acquired, as the musicality still lies in the vocalisms it expresses. The reason for this is that music is actually contained in the way the brain works, and the ear and the voice are parts of this system.

scholarly journals Number 13 / Part I. Music. 7. Grounds of Absolute Pitch Development in Yamaha Music School

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-65
Author(s):  
Dorina Iușcă
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Music School ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
External Reference ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Didactic Strategies ◽  
Early Training ◽  
The Way

Abstract Absolute pitch is defined as the ability to identify the pitch class of a certain given sound without the aid of an external reference pitch (Takeuchi & Hulse, 1993; Deutsch, 2002). The incidence of absolute pitch is extremely rare among the general population, respectively 1 in 10.000 people and it depends on testing conditions such as the number of identified sounds, pitch Chroma, pitch height, timbre, register or requested reaction time, and also on subjects musical training commencing and Eastern-Asian origins. The way absolute pitch develops is described by three models: the tone language theory, the early training theory and the genetic theory. The early training theory states that absolute pitch appears due to the beginning of musical lessons during a critical development period situated before the age of 6. The educational implications of this theory are revealed in the principles and activities of Yamaha Music School which employs didactic strategies that naturally develop absolute pitch. Yamaha Music School is the largest private music education system from Japan, established by Torakusu Yamaha in 1954. Up to this day it has extended in 40 countries from Europe, Asia and the American continents, as it has about 710 million students and 30.000 teachers. The present study aims to illustrate a detailed analysis of the way the learning experiences offered by Yamaha School lead to the development of absolute pitch.

8. Retrospect of Mental Philosophy (Periodical Literature.)

1880 ◽  
Vol 26 (113) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
B. F. C. Costelloe
Keyword(s):  
Periodical Literature ◽  
Main Interest ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
Border Line ◽  
Emotional Language ◽  
Ordinary Power ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

The first number for the year is not remarkable for any paper of striking value. Readers of the Journal will be chiefly attracted by the long and clearly written resumé of Dr. Hughlings Jackson's recent studies “On Affections of Speech from Disease of the Brain,” which is contributed by Mr. James Sully. He remarks on the great value of Dr. Jackson's attempts to classify the different forms of aphasia under the three main heads or stages of—(1) Defect of Speech, in which the patient has a full vocabulary, but confuses words; (2) Loss of Speech, in which the patient is practically speechless, and his pantomimic power is impaired as well; and (3) Loss of Language, in which, besides being speechless, he has altogether lost the power of pantomime, and even his faculty of emotional language is deeply involved in the wreck. All these states or stages again are, properly speaking, to be distinguished altogether from affections of speech in the way of loss of articulation (owing to paralysis of the tongue, &c.), or loss of vocalisation (owing to disease of the larynx); whereas the three degrees or stages of aphasia proper are due to a deep-seated and severe disorganisation of the brain. The main interest of the theory lies in the ingenious and carefully-argued analysis of the symptoms, by which Dr. Jackson arrives at the theory that as the process of destruction goes on, the superior “layers” or strata of speech fail first—those namely which involve the ordinary power of adapting sounds to the circumstances of the moment as they arise; after them fail the “more highly organized utterances” those, namely, which have in any way become automatic, such as “come on,” “wo! wo!” and even “yes” and “no,” which stand on the border-line between emotional and intellectual language; next fails the power of adapting other than vocal signs to convey an intended meaning, which is called, rather clumsily, “pantomimic propositionising;” and last of all dies out the power of uttering sounds or making signs expressive merely of emotion—a power which, of course, is not true speech at all.

scholarly journals The brain timewise: how timing shapes and supports brain function

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1668) ◽  
pp. 20140170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Hari ◽  
Lauri Parkkonen
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
The Brain

We discuss the importance of timing in brain function: how temporal dynamics of the world has left its traces in the brain during evolution and how we can monitor the dynamics of the human brain with non-invasive measurements. Accurate timing is important for the interplay of neurons, neuronal circuitries, brain areas and human individuals. In the human brain, multiple temporal integration windows are hierarchically organized, with temporal scales ranging from microseconds to tens and hundreds of milliseconds for perceptual, motor and cognitive functions, and up to minutes, hours and even months for hormonal and mood changes. Accurate timing is impaired in several brain diseases. From the current repertoire of non-invasive brain imaging methods, only magnetoencephalography (MEG) and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) provide millisecond time-resolution; our focus in this paper is on MEG. Since the introduction of high-density whole-scalp MEG/EEG coverage in the 1990s, the instrumentation has not changed drastically; yet, novel data analyses are advancing the field rapidly by shifting the focus from the mere pinpointing of activity hotspots to seeking stimulus- or task-specific information and to characterizing functional networks. During the next decades, we can expect increased spatial resolution and accuracy of the time-resolved brain imaging and better understanding of brain function, especially its temporal constraints, with the development of novel instrumentation and finer-grained, physiologically inspired generative models of local and network activity. Merging both spatial and temporal information with increasing accuracy and carrying out recordings in naturalistic conditions, including social interaction, will bring much new information about human brain function.

scholarly journals Inferring brain-computational mechanisms with models of activity measurements

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1705) ◽  
pp. 20160278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaus Kriegeskorte ◽  
Jörn Diedrichsen
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Visual Object Recognition ◽  
Summary Statistics ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Individual Measurement ◽  
Activity Measurements ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

High-resolution functional imaging is providing increasingly rich measurements of brain activity in animals and humans. A major challenge is to leverage such data to gain insight into the brain's computational mechanisms. The first step is to define candidate brain-computational models (BCMs) that can perform the behavioural task in question. We would then like to infer which of the candidate BCMs best accounts for measured brain-activity data. Here we describe a method that complements each BCM by a measurement model (MM), which simulates the way the brain-activity measurements reflect neuronal activity (e.g. local averaging in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) voxels or sparse sampling in array recordings). The resulting generative model (BCM-MM) produces simulated measurements. To avoid having to fit the MM to predict each individual measurement channel of the brain-activity data, we compare the measured and predicted data at the level of summary statistics. We describe a novel particular implementation of this approach, called probabilistic representational similarity analysis (pRSA) with MMs, which uses representational dissimilarity matrices (RDMs) as the summary statistics. We validate this method by simulations of fMRI measurements (locally averaging voxels) based on a deep convolutional neural network for visual object recognition. Results indicate that the way the measurements sample the activity patterns strongly affects the apparent representational dissimilarities. However, modelling of the measurement process can account for these effects, and different BCMs remain distinguishable even under substantial noise. The pRSA method enables us to perform Bayesian inference on the set of BCMs and to recognize the data-generating model in each case. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience’.

Cannabidiol Has a Unique Effect on Global Brain Activity: A Pharmacological, Functional MRI Study in Awake Mice 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymen Sadaka ◽  
Ana Ozuna ◽  
Richard Ortiz ◽  
Praveen Kulkarni ◽  
Clare Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background: The phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) is a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders. How does CBD interact with the brain to alter behavior? We hypothesized that CBD would produce a dose-dependent reduction in brain activity and functional coupling in neural circuitry associated with fear and defense. Methods: During the scanning session awake mice were given vehicle or CBD (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg I.P.) and imaged for 10 min post treatment. Mice were also treated with the 10 mg/kg dose of CBD and imaged one hr later for resting state BOLD functional connectivity (rsFC). Imaging data were registered to a 3D MRI mouse atlas providing site-specific information on 138 different brain areas. Blood samples were collected for CBD measurements.Results: CBD produced a dose-dependent polarization of activation along the rostral-caudal axis of the brain. The olfactory bulb and prefrontal cortex showed an increase in positive BOLD whereas the brainstem and cerebellum showed a decrease in BOLD signal. This negative BOLD affected many areas connected to the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). The ARAS was decoupled to much of the brain but was hyperconnected to the olfactory system and prefrontal cortex. The pattern of ARAS connectivity closely overlapped with brain areas showing high levels N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) messenger RNA.Conclusion: The CBD-induced decrease in ARAS activity is consistent with an emerging literature suggesting that CBD reduces autonomic arousal under conditions of emotional and physical stress. The putative target and mechanism of action is NAPE-PLD the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of lipid signaling molecules like anandamide.

Endovascular Advances for Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

Neurosurgery ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S74-S82 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Webster Crowley ◽  
Andrew F. Ducruet ◽  
Cameron G. McDougall ◽  
Felipe C. Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Endovascular Treatment ◽  
Surgical Resection ◽  
Arteriovenous Malformations ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Brain Arteriovenous Malformations ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Cerebral Avms ◽  
Brain Avms ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

Abstract Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain represent unique challenges for treating physicians. Although these lesions have traditionally been treated with surgical resection alone, advancements in endovascular and radiosurgical therapies have greatly expanded the treatment options for patients harboring brain AVMs. Perhaps no subspecialty within neurosurgery has seen as many advancements over a relatively short period of time as the endovascular field. A number of these endovascular innovations have been designed primarily for cerebral AVMs, and even those advancements that are not particular to AVMs have resulted in substantial changes to the way cerebral AVMs are treated. These advancements have enabled the embolization of cerebral AVMs to be performed either as a stand-alone treatment, or in conjunction with surgery or radiosurgery. Perhaps nothing has impacted the treatment of brain AVMs as substantially as the development of liquid embolics, most notably Onyx and n-butyl cyanoacrylate. However, of near-equal impact has been the innovations seen in the catheters that help deliver the liquid embolics to the AVMs. These developments include flow-directed catheters, balloon-tipped catheters, detachable-tipped catheters, and distal access catheters. This article aims to review some of the more substantial advancements in the endovascular treatment of brain AVMs and to discuss the literature surrounding the expanding indications for endovascular treatment of these lesions.

scholarly journals Recalculating the White Page-GPS Love in Comme dans un film des frères Coen

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-72
Author(s):  
Valerie Hastings
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Main Character ◽  
Creative Activity ◽  
Moving Images ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Way

Abstract Hastings reads the novel Comme dans un film des frères Coen (2010) by Bertrand Gervais as addressing both the midlife and the blank page crisis. Indeed, the main character of this novel is a writer in his fifties who still suffers from the failure of his last novel ignored by the critics. Disenchanted, he slowly enters a world of fantasy, and falls in love with the voice of his GPS he called Gwyneth “parle trop” (speaks too much) therefore recalling the name of the actress with the same name. He gradually loses contact with his wife and his son, a successful painter, and is transformed into “the man who was not there” another character from a movie by the Coen brothers entitled The Barber: the man who was not there. Hastings asks: How could one get lost with a GPS? After the main character had initially bought his GPS for a trip in Australia in order to find his way, it started to go beyond its role as a road guide and questioned where he was in his relationship with his wife, in his career as a writer, and in his skin as a mature man. Not only was the GPS not fulfilling its purpose but also it started to ruin a fragile relationship hoping to find its way back to love during a last minute trip in Australia. Even after destroying the annoying talkative GPS, it continued to disrupt the couple in the plane on the way back to Canada. As much as Gwyneth the GPS is synonymous with escape and freedom, it is also showing the main character the wrong way, the way out of his reality, out of his family and out of his life. His attempts to free himself from Gwyneth are worthless, her image is still there, haunting his thoughts like images from a movie. But the displacement happens at another level than just the diegetic one. The confrontation of the text with moving images has consequences on the shape of the text itself. The mapping of the text on the page is influenced by this amalgam. The white page becomes a space where words are rearranged in different ways, some of which suggest poetry, other cartoons or cinematic images. The displacement of literature in areas that were previously foreign to it is at the heart of creative activity, and determines its renewal. Hastings presents the consequences resulting from the confrontation with the GPS, both on the mapping of one’s identity as well as the mapping and the shaping of the text itself.

Voices of Spectators and Audience Power

Pólemos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Biet
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationship ◽  
The Other ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Common ◽  
Dramatic Action ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Way

AbstractTheatre and law are not so different. Generally, researchers work on the art of theatre, the rhetoric of the actors, or the dramaturgy built from law cases or from the questions that the law does not completely resolve. Trials, tragedies, even comedies are close: everybody can see the interpenetration of them on stage and in the courts. We know that, and we know that the dramas are made with/from/of law, we know that the art the actors are developing is not so far from the art of the lawyers, and conversely. In this paper, I would like to have a look at the action of the audience, at the session itself and at the way the spectators are here to evaluate and judge not only the dramatic action, not only the art of the actors, not only the text of the author, but also the other spectators, and themselves too. In particular, I will focus on the “common judgment” of the audience and on its judicial, aesthetic and social relationship. The spectators have been undisciplined, noisy, unruled, during such a long period that theatre still retains some prints of this behaviour, even if nowadays, the social and aesthetic rule is to be silent. But uncertainty, inattention, distraction, contradiction, heterogeneity are the notions which characterise the session, and the judgments of the spectators still depend on them. So, what was and what is the voice of the audience? And with what sort of voice do spectators give their judgments?

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