Lots of research has tried to break down how music toys with the emotions of any audience, but have you ever thought about how music makes the musicians playing it feel? A group of researchers from Italy recently noticed this gap in the science and decided to answer it.
They found that when violinists play more emotional pieces, their bow movements are rougher. Nicola di Stefano, the cognitive scientist who led the study, thinks that this effect might come from musicians reacting strongly to the emotions in the pieces they play. He suggests that psychological pressure is the root cause.
Professional violinist Curtis Macomber, though, doesn't see these results echoed in reality. He thinks of emotion as an overwhelmingly positive tool in his arsenal, something that makes his playing better, rather than worse. While Nicola and his team found that emotions can hamper a violinist, Curt actually looks forward to encountering them.
Listen in as we dive into how playing emotional pieces affects musicians.
Music:
• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C minor - BWV 847 - The Well-Tempered Clavier, No. 2 - Arranged for Strings [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik / Serenade No. 13 - KV 525.mp3 [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• György Kurtág - Kafka Fragmente op. 24 [Divertimento Ensemble]
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Lots of research has tried to break down how music toys with the emotions of any audience, but have you ever thought about how music makes the musicians playing it feel? A group of researchers from Italy recently noticed this gap in the science and decided to answer it.
They found that when violinists play more emotional pieces, their bow movements are rougher. Nicola di Stefano, the cognitive scientist who led the study, thinks that this effect might come from musicians reacting strongly to the emotions in the pieces they play. He suggests that psychological pressure is the root cause.
Professional violinist Curtis Macomber, though, doesn't see these results echoed in reality. He thinks of emotion as an overwhelmingly positive tool in his arsenal, something that makes his playing better, rather than worse. While Nicola and his team found that emotions can hamper a violinist, Curt actually looks forward to encountering them.
Listen in as we dive into how playing emotional pieces affects musicians.
Music:
• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C minor - BWV 847 - The Well-Tempered Clavier, No. 2 - Arranged for Strings [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik / Serenade No. 13 - KV 525.mp3 [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• György Kurtág - Kafka Fragmente op. 24 [Divertimento Ensemble]
When you imagine a dam, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s the hulking concrete wall of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River or the Grand Coulee on the Columbia. Large barriers on large rivers, looming large on the horizon.
But colossal structures like these make up only a fraction of the dams that chop up waterways across the United States. The nation’s rivers, streams and brooks are full of smaller dams — many of which aren’t monitored at the state or national level. And even though they’re small, these barriers can alter aquatic habitats and cause trouble for the species that live there.
In this podcast, Madison Goldberg speaks with scientists about the issue and goes on a dam hunt of her own.
Also find the full story on Scienceline's website: https://scienceline.org/2023/02/on-the-hunt-for-hidden-dams/#dropdown-box-1
Music used:
“Tower of Mirrors” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0
“Copley Beat” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0
Scienceline
Lots of research has tried to break down how music toys with the emotions of any audience, but have you ever thought about how music makes the musicians playing it feel? A group of researchers from Italy recently noticed this gap in the science and decided to answer it.
They found that when violinists play more emotional pieces, their bow movements are rougher. Nicola di Stefano, the cognitive scientist who led the study, thinks that this effect might come from musicians reacting strongly to the emotions in the pieces they play. He suggests that psychological pressure is the root cause.
Professional violinist Curtis Macomber, though, doesn't see these results echoed in reality. He thinks of emotion as an overwhelmingly positive tool in his arsenal, something that makes his playing better, rather than worse. While Nicola and his team found that emotions can hamper a violinist, Curt actually looks forward to encountering them.
Listen in as we dive into how playing emotional pieces affects musicians.
Music:
• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C minor - BWV 847 - The Well-Tempered Clavier, No. 2 - Arranged for Strings [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik / Serenade No. 13 - KV 525.mp3 [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]
• György Kurtág - Kafka Fragmente op. 24 [Divertimento Ensemble]
