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I'm writing a paper for a science fiction class about the necessity of music and creativity in the future. Can anyone point out any good books, articles, or databases that could help me in my search? I would appreciate it.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Feb 2009
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Does your school have an account with major database providers? You might want to check with your library. Or go to the library of a nearby university. Chances are you can use their article search databases from their terminals.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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This Is Your Brain On Music: From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Think of a song that resonates deep down in your being. Now imagine sitting down with someone who was there when the song was recorded and can tell you how that series of sounds was committed to tape, and who can also explain why that particular combination of rhythms, timbres and pitches has lodged in your memory, making your pulse race and your heart swell every time you hear it. Remarkably, Levitin does all this and more, interrogating the basic nature of hearing and of music making (this is likely the only book whose jacket sports blurbs from both Oliver Sacks and Stevie Wonder), without losing an affectionate appreciation for the songs he's reducing to neural impulses. Levitin is the ideal guide to this material: he enjoyed a successful career as a rock musician and studio producer before turning to cognitive neuroscience, earning a Ph.D. and becoming a top researcher into how our brains interpret music. Though the book starts off a little dryly (the first chapter is a crash course in music theory), Levitin's snappy prose and relaxed style quickly win one over and will leave readers thinking about the contents of their iPods in an entirely new way.
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It's an excellent read, first of all. Additionally, there are chapter(s?) that deal specifically with the reasons why music would've evolved (there's still some debate over whether it should've). Reading where it came from would probably give you a good base to predict how it will affect the future.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by majuro08: I'm writing a paper for a science fiction class about the necessity of music and creativity in the future. Can anyone point out any good books, articles, or databases that could help me in my search? I would appreciate it.
Does this count as "do your own homework?" Part of me looks at the one-post count and just goes. NO!
But then another part of me REALLY wants to recommend "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams... so I guess I'm not so principled after all.
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Hey! I thought I was the only one who valued "Dirk Gently" pretty much entirely for Adams' thoughts of music.
Seriously, the excerpts from the fictitious magazine could be quoted in a music advocacy speech/paper etc.
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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In answer to your question, though, it doesn't really bother me that much. The person isn't actually asking for direct help with their assignment (probably. It depends on what the assignment actually is). If we recommend articles, they read them, and then come to their own conclusions on the topic, we'll have facilitated someone doing something for themselves, which I have no problem with.
Majuro, welcome to Hatrack. What was your assignment, exactly?
Also, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you find Hatrack? Have you been lurking here for a while, or are you just diving in?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Best to also consider the possibility that someone else who's new will come along in a few hours or days and recommend an excellent book. Maybe even with a link.
If you're real, welcome to Hatrack, I've nothing insightful to offer you. Good luck.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BandoCommando: Hey! I thought I was the only one who valued "Dirk Gently" pretty much entirely for Adams' thoughts of music.
Seriously, the excerpts from the fictitious magazine could be quoted in a music advocacy speech/paper etc.
I kind of wish I was of an age that I could have experienced new Beatles singles the way he describes in the foreward/prologue/intro (? can't remember which) of The Salmon of Doubt.
Posts: 691 | Registered: Nov 2008
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: Is anyone else put off by the fact that it's his first post?
I'm very sorry that you are offended. I didn't realize there was a minimum amount of posts before I could ask for help. I am writing a 15 page research paper on a topic of my choosing. After reading Tasting Songs and Unaccopanied Sonata I decided on this topic. I have to do the research and formulate the argument myself. All I did was ask for some books or articles to read. My friend told me this was a great site to come to because there were some very knowledgeable people. I didn't ask you to write the paper for me. So try being a little less rude. Maybe by being more friendly you could actually help someone become more interested in science fiction. It may he my first post but that doesn't automatically mean it's my last.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Feb 2009
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Also thank you very much to those who have been helpful. Our library has JStor and Ebsco databases. Unfortunately there's not much related to this topic that Ive found. Thank you for your politeness and generosity.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Feb 2009
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quote:Originally posted by majuro08: I didn't ask you to write the paper for me. So try being a little less rude. Maybe by being more friendly you could actually help someone become more interested in science fiction. It may he my first post but that doesn't automatically mean it's my last.
Hey, majuro08, just wanted to let you know that I was counciled, somewhat recently (as I am a newbie, too), to not take things a) too seriously, b) read into them any more than you can help it, and c) to work on developing a little backbone. I don't mean that to sound mean, but I was definitely disturbed one day, said as much in a post, and was given that constructive advice. Also, it was communcated to me that this place really is made up of a lot of nice people (my initial conclusion), and they do have their shining moments. Don't get discouraged, continue to stick around, and maybe in about fifteen years you and I and some other new faces will finally be considered at least middle-aged in hatrack years.
FYI: I didn't really have any book suggestions for you, which is why I didn't mention any earlier.
Posts: 691 | Registered: Nov 2008
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