Comments on: What If Music and Language Are Neither Instinct nor Invention?

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 22:40:58 +0000

In the third paragraph, that should be “interwoven”, not “inter-weaved”. And in the second-to-last paragraph it should be either “the origin of music comes” or “the origins of music come”.

I was wondering recently if it’s possible to have sound that would seem more like language than human speech, in the same way that oil looks more like water than water to certain insects.

By: Miles

Miles — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:12:17 +0000

Interesting article and comments. Though my first thought was art imitating nature. It seems logical to me that our early ancestors were far more concerned with staying alive than creating a culture, or in this case an aspect of culture. The theory of music in cultivating potential mates is interesting but not necessarily the founding of music itself.

In a pre-agrarian society, I wouldn’t put it past our ancestors to take note of mating rituals of their prey. In doing so they may have noted the mating call. While not necessarily “music” it was a primordial form of song.

While I’ve no proper education in these ideas I would imagine the first instance of music would have been through mimicry. Our early ancestors may have (as I am not an anthropologist) been the first exploiters of mating calls to lure their prey out from hiding. Their first tools may have been their voices, creating tones foreign to their own dialects. It was teaching their offspring these calls that may have been the founding of what we know as music.

Later generations within these surviving societies adapted to their surroundings and began making tools to suit their needs. As such, a tool meant for hunting could have easily been used to make what we know as music. It is my hunch, that like many world changing inventions, it was happened upon by accident. Perhaps two hunters waiting for their prey came upon harmony as they practiced their calls?

Everything else came in time.

By: Del McKenna

Del McKenna — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:37:05 +0000

Music is the next best thing to silence in expressing the inexpressible.
The first Men lived in inexpressible Bliss, consciously and constantly aware of the presence of the Creator within them. Heavenly music was filling their ears and hearts with joy and inspiration. This is how Manknd was meant to be. Experiencing the physical life in Bliss. Hostile forces in the form of Satan and his angels took human form and began seducing the women knowing full well that they would lose contact with the Creator within them. So began the story of Man’s decline which continues to this day. Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms composed beautiful music, but it is not like heavenly music – the music of the spheres – for once you have heard it, it is never to be forgotten.

By: Tenney Naumer

Tenney Naumer — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:51 +0000

Music is everywhere in the natural world. Dried seed pods rattle. Hollowed logs make a different sound than solid wood. Pebbles on the beach clatter. Waves pound. Leaves and grasses rustle. Rain patters. Then of course there are the animals singing all around. Even whales sing. Music stirs the deepest and most ancient part of the brain. It stirs the emotions. My infant daughter sang herself awake in the morning and sang herself asleep at night. I sure didn’t teach her.

By: MusicMan

MusicMan — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:48:18 +0000

Music always felt like an abstract metaphor for the structure of thought.

I guessed it may have something to so with occupying idle brain processing methods on a new auditory signal source… but I guess that story was motivated by my way of idly listening to music.

Interesting article! Definitely one which would inspire un-researched contributions from all!

By: Marc

Marc — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:39:29 +0000

Extreme Dissonance tends to grate on the ear of many people. Even those who have a taste for extremely dissonant music probably listen to it for its energizing effects only. They’re not going to use it to go to sleep or to set a romantic mood. Dissonance is used in lesser amounts in most of the popular music today but its use is like that of adding spice to food. No one enjoys eating spice in it’s pure form straight from the jar.

Dissonance is made up of lots of scrunched up wave forms. Scrunched up wave forms also occur naturally in many dangerous situations. A clap of thunder, the screech of a mountain lion, the crash of a falling boulder nearby. Our dislike for dissonance could be the result of evolution.

The opposite of dissonance, sounds that are harmonized, don’t accompany dangerous situations and perhaps lull the mind into feeling that all is well. Perhaps that is the reason for the universal appeal of music.

By: Peter R

Peter R — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:25:17 +0000

Oh, I’d like to add one more thing (yes I need a life). Perhaps the beat of music evolved to be a stimulant too. I know for myself I find listening to music, the beat helps me keep pace with whatever it is that Im doing. perhaps beat evolved to stimulate the part of the brain involved in keeping time.

But Im just speculating.

By: Peter R

Peter R — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:16:25 +0000

While I may not have a degree or any experience in psychology,I would like to say that I think music evolved as a way of passing information. Well, partially evolved that way, and what I say is obvious, music is pretty much always a story. Whether with lyrics where you can tell it’s some sort of story, or just instruments where it can seem like a story, or at least describing something.

I also agree with your saying music sounds like movement. Perhaps if music evolved in primitive humans that lived in tribes, music evolved to tell stories of hunts, or creation myths. For example, low drums equaling a creator’s rage, or an animal’s roar, or something like that.

Nowadays, Im not sure what a guitar is supposed to represent or sound like, other than sound good.

So that’s my theory, music, even if starting from something else, evolved to tell or acompany stories and convey information.

By: Changizi News « Changizi Blog

Changizi News « Changizi Blog — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:15:09 +0000

[...] Music: Instinct or Invention? [...]

By: Roy Hanney

Roy Hanney — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:44:33 +0000

Facinating study and one that I found resonated with lots of ideas about how our cognative world is intrinsically linked to the natural world. However I have to take issue with the comment: I’d characterize my theory as an “auditory cheesecake” variant—music is a treat for our ears and minds, but not important for survival or evolution…

Really!!! I could think of any number of ways that music/dance would have served importantly in cultural selection and survival. If it was as suggested just cheescake would we have really developed such a deep affective connection cognatively and culturally?

I am afraid that the study feels as though it lacks a truely anthropological dimension :0)