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On The Neuroscience Of Magic And The Magic Of Aural Illusions In Music
In their engaging book Sleights Of Mind, Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde explore the neurobiology of attention in the context of the magician’s art. They argue that illusions, slights of hand and other tricks have much to offer the study of how we think because magicians specialize in playing with our perceptions and (mis)guiding our attention. Magic manipulates the reality of our… Continue reading
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On Grid Matrix Sequencers: The ToneMatrix
“The most exciting game for me is the space game, the search of possible space shapes, that is to say the logical and concrete building of various layouts.” – Ernő Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube If there is a guiding shape for electronic music making in our time, surely it’s the grid matrix–that 4×4-, 8×8-,… Continue reading
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On Play
Play, I’ve come to realize, is a favorite word of mine. In no particular order, here are some possible contexts for it: He plays that piano well. The book’s title was a play on words. My dog is playful. No worries: we were just playing around. You just got played. The musicians were playing off… Continue reading
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Lessons From A Sick Computer
“We are limited. We need something more, we need that added extra in life. Technology provides all we need. Technology dominates a large part of our unique relationship with the exterior world. I have never wanted to hide behind technology. I have always wanted to use it, to control it, to display it. It has… Continue reading
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On Music and Socialization
17 Views On Music Music takes us unawares, through a good beat, a sneaky melody or cloud of harmony- working our circuits of desire, to beckon our bodies and respond to love and its pleasures- proposes a solution to its own internal problem, a sonic equation of fugal symmetries and angles- triggers the memory tombs… Continue reading
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On Music and Advertising: Weezer’s Tour de France Izod Commercial
I can’t seem to get enough of the Tour de France. A recent convert to the event, I sit transfixed in front of the screen, watching the peloton flow across the French countryside, up and down mountains, over winding roads and through picturesque towns, past lavender fields and 12th-century churches while the English ESPN commentating wizard Phil Leggett provides non-stop… Continue reading
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On Expressivity In Musical Performance: The Korg Wavedrum
When we talk about “expressivity” in musical performance we’re usually referring to the degree to which a musician is able to coax emotion or affect out of his or her instrument and make it seem to “sing” (the human voice remains our gold standard of musicality). We expect, as well, that there be some kind of obviously… Continue reading
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On The Sound Of Your Voice
“Welcome to Times Square, Crossroads of the World. Have a great evening, and remember, whatever your final destination, happiness is the way.” — voice of 7 Train operator, July 16, 2011 So it was the other day as I was getting off the 7 train at Times Square that I noticed the train conductor’s announcement… Continue reading
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