Stuff from the B-Side

For decades, people have believed that listening to classical music makes a person more intelligent -- but is this actually true? Do genres of music affect our brains in different ways? Tune in and learn more in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The evolution of the steel drum is inextricably tied to history of Trinidad and Tobago, where drumming was banned in the 1880s. Lend an ear as the B-Siders explore the amazing story of the steel drum in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Music is an integral part of every culture, and folk recordings preserve folk or traditional music for posterity. Tune in as the B-Siders explore the history and future of folk recordings in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Leonard Cohen is an iconic musician, poet and novelist. After 5 years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, Cohen is returning to tour the US. Tune in and learn more about Leonard Cohen's music in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Nerdcore is a special type of hip hop custom-built for nerds. Tune in as the B-Side team takes a look at the underground genre of nerdcore -- from the history to the rappers themselves -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

People who suffer from tone deafness have difficulties differentiating between one pitch and the next. Tune in as John and Mark explore the bewildering world of the tone deaf in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

At the crossroads between visual and aural art, sound sculptures can be almost anything using art or objects to create sound. Tune in as the B-Side crew explores the nature of sound structures in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Across genres and over the course of centuries, the devil has become a recurring character in music and -- allegedly -- the lives of musicians. Tune in as the B-Side crew takes a look at the devil and music in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Conductors lead groups of musicians in a simultaneous performance. Despite their prominent role, many people don't know what conductors actually do. Tune in and learn more about conductors in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

A field recording can be almost anything recorded outside of a studio. Tune in as our resident experts explore the different types of field recordings -- and uses for each -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.