Thread: Turns out that music really is intoxicating, after all

An "outburst of the soul," the composer Frederick Delius called music. The sounds associated with the form produce "a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without," observed Confucius. It is the art "which is most nigh to tears and memory," noted the writer Oscar Wilde.

It turns out that these guys were more on target than we thought. Our experience of the music we love stimulates the pleasure chemical dopamine in our brain, concludes a new study produced by a slew of scholars at McGill University. The researchers followed the brain patterns of test subjects with MRI imaging, and identified dopamine streaming into the striatum region of their forebrains "at peak emotional arousal during music listening."

Not only that, but the scientists noticed that various parts of the striatum responded to the dopamine rush differently. The caudate was more involved during the expectation of some really nice musical excerpt, and the nucleus accumbens took the lead during "the experience of peak emotional responses to music."

In other words, just the anticipation our favorite passage stimulates the production of dopamine. "Our results help to explain why music is of such high value across all human societies," the writers conclude.

Turns out that music really is intoxicating, after all

Shitty you tube kills my auditory experience. Random distortion and shitty compression. Although my M-Audio soundcard and studio monitors probably amplify them.

Beautiful track though.

I'll try this one. 480p is the best I can get.



I literally have to catch my breath at 2:36.

If LISTENING to music is an outburst of the soul, imagine what it's like for this guy. Keith Jarrett. Amazing.

You can hear him murmuring along. It's so cool.

Originally Posted by grandinferno

I literally have to catch my breath at 2:36.

I'll see your 2:36 and raise you a 3:40+



Leeloo Dallas Multipass FTW ;P

Sorry dude. No soul. It's like listening to some plastic piece of shit.

But there's no argument when it comes to music. Only opinion.

I see your weak whitey and raise you a black.



I swear they needed to dispose of the piano each performance after he was done with it. RIP 2007.

He's a fantastic pianist, but I didn't really enjoy the music as such. Really fucking fantastic pianist though. Amazing. If you like piano stuff also check out Gonzalo Rubalcaba. He's pretty damn good. A bit more abstract though... If you like modern keyboards, check out Ronald Jenkees. He's just awesome. Such a groover and quite obviously bat shit insane. One of his tracks Throwing Fire is one to check out.

Back to stuff that effects me deeply. Jeff. The man. RIP.

I've always found Oscar more musical than keith jarrett who just seems too technical and weak, half the time it felt like he was just having seizure a while at the piano. Hell even Duke Ellington was a fan of Oscar. Then again my music background was more rooted in trad jazz.

Originally Posted by Jay

keith jarrett who just seems too technical and weak, half the time it felt like he was just having seizure a while at the piano.

You're obviously not a musician then. I vehemently disagree!

I adore Jarrett's improvisational skills. Incredible.