Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

How Music Heals: Daniel Levitin on the Neuroscience of Sound


Listen Later

Dive into the world of music and neuroscience with Daniel Levitin on this week’s Gig Gab! Join him and Dave Hamilton as they unpack Dan’s upcoming book, “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine”, releasing August 27th. Discover the intricacies of the Default Mode Network, and how music impacts everything from opioid release to temporary cognitive effects. Uncover the neurological roots of our musical preferences, balancing expectation with surprise, and hear Dan’s insights on the fascinating “Levitin Effect” where we inherently remember songs in their correct key.

As they chat, you’ll hear stories of Dan playing with legends like Victor Wooten and Bobby McFerrin, and insights on grabbing gigs through connections, like the time David Byrne invited him to play Brian Eno’s guitar parts. From the festival stages of Helsinki to intimate venues in Los Angeles, Dan’s musical journey is a testament to the show’s catchphrase, “Always Be Performing.” Tune in for a masterclass in blending science and music, and get inspired to keep performing no matter where your musical path takes you.

  • 00:00:00 Gig Gab 444 – Monday, August 26th, 2024
    • August 26th: National Spark The World Day
    • Guest Co-host: Daniel Levitin, cognitive neuroscientist, musician, record producer, and the author of four NYT best-selling books.
    • 00:02:21 Dan’s new book “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord” releases August 27th
    • 00:04:25 The Default Mode Network = your Mind Wandering Mode
      • We “Pay” for attention with oxygenated glucose
      • Mozart doesn’t make you smarter, sitting in a windowless room makes you dumber (temporarily)
      • 00:11:01 Parkinson’s Disease and Music as a treatment
      • 00:12:00 Music to release opioids or cortisol…depending upon whether you like it or not
      • 00:14:24 Everybody Wants Some … Except Manuel Noriega
      • 00:17:25 The Musicological Angle … Is there a neurological basis for aesthetics?
        • We tend to like music that’s slightly surprising
        • Perfectly balancing expectation with surprise (of all kinds)
        • King Crimson… or Shoenberg
        • 00:20:57 Modulations
        • 00:22:38 “Playing as often as I want to”
          • Playing a festival in Helsinki with Victor Wooten
          • For the Book Tour
            • Livingston Taylor in Boston
            • Bob Weir in San Francisco
            • Recently with Bobby McFerrin in Berkely, California
            • The Deductions (band) in Los Angeles
              • Gary Novak on Drums
              • Dean Parks on Guitar
              • 00:27:00 What instruments do you play?
                • On “Turnaround”, Dan played all the instruments except bass on two songs (Victor Wooten, Elliot Randall, and Steve Bailey helped out!)
                • 00:30:25 How do you get gigs?
                  • David Byrne invited Dan to play Brian Eno’s parts for a gig
                  • 00:34:33 Parthenon Huxley with ELO: “Don’t Punish The People Who Showed Up”
                  • 00:39:05 You’re allowed to make adjustments during the show!
                    • BFSD
                    • 00:41:15 Trying to hit that falsetto after a long day
                    • 00:47:06 People tend to remember songs in the correct key, aka The Levitin Effect
                      • Turns out we all kinda have decent relative pitch
                      • 00:51:25 Check out The Musical Accompaniment to “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord”…and its playlists:
                        • Apple Music I Heard There Was a Secret Chord playlist
                        • Spotify I Heard There Was a Secret Chord playlist
                        • YouTube playlist
                        • 00:52:11 Gig Gab 444 Outtro
                          • Contact Daniel Levitin
                            • DanielLevitin.com
                            • Contact Gig Gab!
                              • @GigGabPodcast on Instagram
                              • Sign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List
                              •  

                                The post How Music Heals: Daniel Levitin on the Neuroscience of Sound — Gig Gab 444 appeared first on Gig Gab.

                                ...more
                                View all episodesView all episodes
                                Download on the App Store

                                Gig Gab - The Working Musician's PodcastBy Dave Hamilton & Friends

                                • 4.9
                                • 4.9
                                • 4.9
                                • 4.9
                                • 4.9

                                4.9

                                44 ratings


                                More shows like Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

                                View all
                                Coverville: The Cover Music Show (AAC Edition) by Brian Ibbott

                                Coverville: The Cover Music Show (AAC Edition)

                                750 Listeners

                                Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting by Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete & Adam Christianson

                                Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

                                829 Listeners

                                MacCast - For Mac Geeks, by Mac Geeks by Adam Christianson (Mac Geek)

                                MacCast - For Mac Geeks, by Mac Geeks

                                807 Listeners

                                MacVoices by Chuck Joiner

                                MacVoices

                                33 Listeners

                                The Context Machine by Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet

                                The Context Machine

                                87 Listeners

                                Mac OS Ken by Ken Ray

                                Mac OS Ken

                                891 Listeners

                                The Mac Observer Show by Ken Ray

                                The Mac Observer Show

                                117 Listeners

                                Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast by Shannon Jean & Dave Hamilton

                                Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

                                45 Listeners

                                No Guitar Is Safe by Jude Gold

                                No Guitar Is Safe

                                783 Listeners

                                Recording Studio Rockstars by Lij Shaw

                                Recording Studio Rockstars

                                503 Listeners

                                Background Mode by John Martellaro from The Mac Observer

                                Background Mode

                                10 Listeners

                                The SBL Podcast by Scott's Bass Lessons

                                The SBL Podcast

                                408 Listeners

                                Twenty Thousand Hertz by Dallas Taylor

                                Twenty Thousand Hertz

                                3,916 Listeners

                                Know Your Gear Podcast by Phillip Mcknight

                                Know Your Gear Podcast

                                290 Listeners

                                Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond by Pushkin Industries

                                Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

                                4,122 Listeners

                                Cover Band Confidential's Podcast by Coverband Confidential

                                Cover Band Confidential's Podcast

                                92 Listeners

                                Strong Songs by Kirk Hamilton

                                Strong Songs

                                1,950 Listeners

                                Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt by Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt

                                Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt

                                320 Listeners

                                Dipped In Tone by Dipped in Tone

                                Dipped In Tone

                                207 Listeners

                                The Gigging Musician Podcast by Jared Judge

                                The Gigging Musician Podcast

                                6 Listeners

                                Word In Your Ear by Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold

                                Word In Your Ear

                                61 Listeners

                                Shred With Shifty by Chris Shiflett

                                Shred With Shifty

                                162 Listeners

                                One Song by Hartbeat

                                One Song

                                1,024 Listeners