The Improvising Brain
Seed Magazine talks about the latest research on creativity. Brain scans of improvising musicians show two interesting things going on: ideas flow because the improvisers are "inhibiting their inhibitions," and because the part of the brain that composes sentences can also compose musical phrases. Lenny Bernstein's less than totally convincing Harvard lectures sought to discover a musical syntax and semantics analogous to speech; it would seem he was aiming at the right target even if he couldn't quite hit the bull's eye.
Oh, and one more question: what's up with that anecdote that begins the article, the one about the Hammond organ part in "Like a Rolling Stone"? I don't think that illustrates the creative process being described. It sounds more like the million typing monkeys solution at work.
Labels: Creativity
Umie the Umlaut says, "ask your doctor about the Fredösphere!"
1 Comments:
Good article, Fred. Thanks. I've been interested in the creative process for decades, so I love this kind of thing.
I think the story at the beginning illustrates the improvisational ability kicking in. It took four takes before he got in the groove and the inhibition inhibitor clicked. That's my interpretation anyway.
Post a Comment
<< Home