Can you train your brain to like different music?
We teamed up with the BBC World Service’s CrowdScience to answer your questions on music, and find out how to finally appreciate jazz fusion.
You might always hate free jazz, but research by neurophysiologist Prof Alice Mado Proverbio has shown that the more we listen to complex music (Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, for example), the more we start to appreciate it.
Meanwhile, if you want to pass on your unconventional music taste to the next generation, the trick is to influence young minds. Prof David Hargreaves at the University of Roehampton uses the term ‘open-earedness’ to describe how young children are more able to listen to unusual forms of music – a skill that drops off at around the age of 10 or 11.
You can tune into CrowdScience every Friday evening on BBC World Service, or catch up online at bbcworldservice.com/crowdscience.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun facts.
Sponsored Deals
May Half Price Sale
- Save up to 52% when you subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine.
- Risk - free offer! Cancel at any time when you subscribe via Direct Debit.
- FREE UK delivery.
- Stay up to date with the latest developments in the worlds of science and technology.
