The Brain and Mind discussion

I'm currently reading "this is your brain on music" by daniel levitin. It is a little too self-promoting for my taste, but still readable. Does anyone have any other suggestions of books on auditory processing or music?

Oliver Sacks just published a book on music entitled 'Musicophilia'. I don't know if it covers what you're looking for specifically, but I suspect it's worth checking out nonetheless. Here's a link to the book's website:

http://musicophilia.com/

Yeah, if anyone reads this Musicophilia please post on how it is. I've got a lot on my list right now, but I heard an interview with Sachs about it and it doe sound pretty interesting.

I haven't a book to recommend, but I did recently encounter this interesting article on sexual selection and the evolution of the musical capacity/interest:

http://www.futurehi.net/archives/0008...

The author sees many aspects of human behavior as manifesting evidence of runaway sexual selection.

Here's an article in thde general vein of auditory/musical capacity and evolution, etc. It's from Marc Hauser's Cognitive Evolution Laboratory website, which for some reason I can't seem to stop plugging on Goodreads. Haven't read the entire article yet myself, but what I've read has been really interesting.

http://wjh.harvard.edu/~mnkylab/publi...

did you end up reading Musicophilia? if so, how was it?

didn't know this group was still going but for what it's worth just started Proust and The Squid which is about the science/history/affect on the brain reading has had.
Looks pretty good so far. by a neuroscientist but doesn't require you have graduated with a MS in Anatomy to understand it.
Apparently the author has some wonderings/concerns about what affect the digital age is going to have on how reading affected our brain and whether digital's effect is going to be positive or negative
for us humans.
I didn't even know there were books about the science of reading but this one looks pretty good.
I'll do a review when done.
have a HH. Jim

I'm about half way through Musicophilia, and so far it's really good. It's Oliver Sacks, so at the point I've read so far it's mostly anecdotal...him telling stories of all the bizarre cases he's seen having to do with music and cognition. It's pretty light reading at this point, but really interesting and I definitely plan on finishing it. It'd be a great thing to read on the bus or during a boring lecture.

Musicophilia is, so far, my favorite of Oliver Sack's books. I liked the chapters on Musical Hallucinations, Perfect Pitch, and Synesthesia.

Readers interested in Musicophilia and the Levitin book (both great reads in my opinion) might also be interested in "Music, The Brain, and Ecstasy" by Robert Jourdain. It's a little older than the other two, but I think he does a great job of conveying the interesting science and music theory in an interesting and engaging manner.

I've read both Musicophilia and This is your Brain on Music and though I enjoyed both, I LOVE Oliver Sacks. I started reading The world in six songs which is Daniel Levitin's other book. I can't seem to get through that book! If I were to recommend a music book, I would say stick with Oliver Sacks. He's an entertaining writer.

Music + Oliver Sacks? I am so there.

Me too!