Original_To:  BITNET%"ALLMUSIC@AUVM"
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Thu, 16 Apr 1992 15:13:00 CDT
From:         CV01@SWTEXAS.BITNET
Subject:      Can music kill?

>Date:         Wed, 15 Apr 1992 10:27:19 EDT
>From:         "Michael H. Bloom" <MHB@MITVMA.BITNET>
>Subject:      Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home...

   On the fear of music:

>But I'm assuming you weren't turning up the volume that loud, so there must be
>something inherent in the sound that was scary. In my last mega-post I started
>to mention the laws of physics and Pierre Boulez's acquiescence to them, how
>the sound of a perfect interval is very comforting because the waveforms tend
>to coincide. If you look at it the other way, intervals that are not in tune
>can be extremely irritating. A not-quite-unison will set up beat frequencies,
>phantom pulses at the difference between the two frequencies-- and that can be
>scary, in the sense that there's no discrete thing actually making that noise.

   From the little I know about psycho-acoustics (and don't push me on this, or
you'll find out just how little that is  :*), that seems to me like a logical
explanation for the problem.  The ear is trying to localize an interval that it
can recognize and in this case is drawn to the phantom note because of the
proximity of the other two notes.  This actually becomes physically
uncomfortable.  Could we say that this is also shown in the traditional fear of
the "devil tritone"?  Or is that really just a man-made problem?

   On the subject of music to listen to when the muck gets too deep at work:

>Actually I go both ways on this issue. Sometimes I'll put on XTC and go for the
>pop-induced trance state. Sometimes I'll put on King Crimson and get predatory,
>the cat-kicking vibe that was spoken of a while ago (not that I'd actually do
>that to my cats). When I'm real cranky is generally not the best time to absorb
>totally new information; I usually play some flavor of blare I'm familiar with.
>Standard new age almost always makes me itch, though: whether it's naughty or
>nice, I require that my listening material present contrast.
>
>I'll try some more arcane stuff and post the results, if they don't lock me up
>first.

   I'd have to agree completely with the idea of playing familiar music.  I'm
likely to go to "comfort food" of the 60's/70's trance-inducing variety, as it
has a large and pleasant place in my "genetic memory" (nice one, "n.n."  :*)
It may not qualify as easy listening, but it doesn't offer the same "challenge"
that processing new musical information does.

   I'm not likely to put on something like Naked City, unless my neighbors
happen to be playing their pseudo-industrial dance foolishness too loud.  Then
I'll put on the most abrasive thing I can find and turn it up to 11.  Of
course, I'll immediately leave the house.

   Speaking of new age, I used to listen to an Andreas Vollenweider recording
that was something about caves (_Caverna Magica_?), but I found myself feeling
sort of clammy and damp when it was over, so I gave that up  :*)

   BTW Michael, the "gringo" story from another of your posts is a cute
anecdote, but I'm pretty sure it is apocryphal.  If you want, I'll dig around
to see if I can find the alternative explanation.


>Date:         Wed, 15 Apr 1992 15:21:17 -0400
>From:         Russ Gelinas <R_GELINAS@UNHH.UNH.EDU>
>Subject:      ring ring goes the bell
>
>
>  Speaking of scary, I just had a scary thought.  If she's listening to
>this kind of music now, what will she be listening to when she's my age?!

   Heh ... my guess is she could go one of two ways.  She'll either be
listening to Harry Connick III, or The Who (it should be time for another
reunion tour by then).   ;*)


      bye,
      cmv ("yeah, i shelled out the $25 for _it's a beautiful day_, but it has
            already helped salvage a couple of days of deep muck")
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