spatial principles
Chinese musical instrument
For some reason, Chinese music, even popular, eludes the European listener. People are frightened by strange symbols instead of the usual Latin or Cyrillic, a strange incomprehensible language and a slightly different melody, sometimes incomprehensible or even cutting hearing. Another reason is the isolation of the Chinese Internet. Most of the European music resources in China are not available without VPN: bandcamp, Youtube, soundcloud and so on and so on. From the outside it may seem that in China there is nothing but the ubiquitous Jackie Chan and his faithful squire Jet Li, and the music is limited to the epic soundtrack of Tao Tung to the film “Hero”. Continue reading
What is the secret of the mesmerizing power of music
Music is all around us. At the sound of a powerful orchestral crescendo, tears come to my eyes and goosebumps run down my back. The musical accompaniment enhances the artistic expressiveness of films and performances. Rock musicians make us jump to our feet and dance, and parents lullabies quiet kids songs.
The love for music has deep roots: people compose and listen to her since the very beginning of the culture. More than 30 thousand years ago our ancestors already played stone flutes and bone harps. It seems that this hobby has an innate nature. Babies turn to the source of pleasant sounds (consonances) and turn away from unpleasant (dissonances). And when we experience awe at the final sounds of the Symphony, the same pleasure centers are activated in the brain as during a delicious meal, sex or taking drugs. Continue reading