[ExI] Music again (Was: Re: what's the use?)

[BillK]

On Sun, 13 Oct 2024 at 09:41, Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> On 12/10/2024 19:41, Keith Henson wrote:
> Music is a side effect of our ability to speak and the bilateral
> symmetry of the brain.  A stroke in the area opposite Broca's area
> wipes out musical ability.  (This is in one of Oliver Sacks' books.)
>
>
> HA!
> Thanks for this, Keith. I didn't know it.
> While the appeal of music remains a mystery, this could at least be a big clue as to why it seems to be a peculiarly human thing.
>
> As various non-human animals have different language abilities (none of them reaching human levels, as far as we know), it would be interesting to map this against their apparent appreciation or at least use of, music or pseudo-music. E.g. we know that some chimpanzees use makeshift drums, birds not only sing, but some of them make up new songs, etc.
>
> The hypothesis would be that language and music are roughly matched in each type of animal. The difficulty would be in quantifying both abilities in a way that makes them possible to measure and compare.
>
> It certainly makes much more intuitive sense now, so it becomes a satisfying 'story' to explain something I've long wondered about. I know that doesn't make it true, but at least it makes me happier.
>
> Ben
> _______________________________________________


The search engines say that Keith's statement is too simplified and
doesn't allow for the brain's complexity and the ability to recover
from damage.
(Not surprising, as it is only two short sentences).
Without lengthy medical and psychology discussions, it would be best
to rewrite the statement as -

Music and speech have some overlap in the brain regions involved.
A stroke in the area opposite Broca's area can indeed impair musical
ability, but not totally eliminate it, as Broca's area is involved in
both language and music.

BillK