October 13, 2010

Sound and Health


(photo by Kim Marius Flakstad on Flickr)

Making records has always been part of a bigger picture for me. Learning how people react to music, the science behind acoustics, and music therapy have all been of interest. Understanding how sound works and affects the human brain may sound complex, but there are some basic principles that take the creative process in a different direction, and make sharing the right music at the right time more fun and enjoyable.

Edgard Varèse described music as 'organised sound', and many people would agree that 'un-organised sound' can be unpleasant and even painful. The relationship between sound and health is one that science and medicine are still unravelling, but offering to bring some of the basic understandings and theories, TED presented a talk from business sound expert Julian Treasure. Julian says that "our increasingly noisy world is gnawing away at our mental health -- even costing lives". He lays out an 8-step plan to soften this sonic assault (starting with those cheap earbuds) and restore our relationship with sound.

Something to bear in mind; this TED talk crammed a lot into 7 minutes. Some links and resources for his claims and ideas are shared via http://juliantreasure.blogspot.com/.




I would love to hear more on the subject from anyone involved in music research, lecturers, sound architects, or any other professional. Feel free to comment below...


Lee Jarvis.

(This was originally posted on the UK Music Jobs blog)


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