The magic of Classical music

[jakjak2424]

Does anyone feel that classical music makes you smarter?<BR>Does anyone feel that classical music helps to heal yourself both emotionally and physically?<P>I believe so, whole heartedly.

[Bones]

If classical music makes you smarter, I should be a genius by now. I'm not.

[Brodie]

I do not believe classical music makes you in any way smarter. How could it? I mean if you say its rhythm, the movement, and all that, then you could say the same about Jimi Hendrix or Megadeth for that matter.<P>And the same goes for healing you. Although I do have to say the way Beethoven's Violins just melt on you in the 4th are just gorgeous. I mean you can admire something for its beauty, but it will not cure mental sickness. Just look at A Clockwork Orange (sorry, I just had to throw that in there)<P>Admire, love, and enjoy it for its beauty, but don't rely on it to solve all your problems.<P><BR>-Brodie

[tancred]

Actually, I believe it does make you smarter. Anything which demands introspection such as CLASSICAL music, reading and travel makes you smarter.<BR>As to healing - without a doubt. After cancer took Dad I found a great deal of solace in classical music. There is no way in hell you can tell me I would have found such "surcease from sorrow" in Metal or rock.<BR>When was the lastime you saw a moving film with a rock soundtrack? The only one I know of is maybe The Graduate.

[Nicole Marie]

Classical Music does make you smarter. There was a great study done called the Mozart Effect. College students were tested and the test showed that the majority of students improved their test scores! <P>Follow up studies showed that Mozart and classical music can allow both sides of your brain to work better at the same time. You are more able to understand and focus on a problem. <P>But the best evidence are the teachers that write us daily. We have hundreds of teachers across the country that write to us to say thanks! They tell us that when they have Beethoven Radio playing in the background their students pay more attention, cause less stress in the classroom and are more interactive and want to learn. My sister is a teacher and she plays the station for her students (Special Ed) and she says they are much more calm when they hear classical music.<P>There are tons of people and groups out their that have expanded on the the study and there are groups and teachers popping up all over the world claiming Mozart is now helping kids with ADD, speech problems etc. But here a site that outlines the original study: <A HREF="http://skepdic.com/mozart.html" TARGET=_blank>http://skepdic.com/mozart.html</A> <P><BR>Classical music does improve your brain!<p>[ 08-14-2002: Message edited by: Nicole Marie ]

[BenMurphy6]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> When was the lastime you saw a moving film with a rock soundtrack? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>what does that have to do with anything? that's more a statement about movies than music. and, the two that spring to mind right now are almost famous and apocalypse now. <P>classical music may make one smarter, but in a narrow sense. classical music teaches you how to be a good listener, how to concentrate, and how to identify patterns and relationships. so, i can see how people who listen to classical have slightly higher test scores. but, in general, classical music making people more intelligent? i find that a little hard to swallow. your ability to understand a thermodynamics problem is not going to be determined by what kind of music you listen to, but what kind of student you are. it may be that people who listen to classical music are just smarter ( )...if that is the case, then the post hoc fallacy applies ("after this; therefore because of this").<p>[ 08-20-2002: Message edited by: BenMurphy6 ]

[Brodie]

Hey now, don't bash rock. There are plenty of great bands that I'm positive most of you would like. I mean come on, you don't know real music until you've heard Blind Guardian, Iced Earth and Symphony X. The way you guys talk about rock you'd think it was the antichrist. And just for you information, if you want to blame someone about Rock and/or Roll then blame good ol' J. S. he's considered the world's first rocker. After that, there was Ludwig van, and after that good ol Camille. You just can't say that rock is bad, since a lot of Classical is just like rock.<P>I flat out will not except you saying that rock has no roots in classical. I just will not except that.<P>But as I said in a previous post, there is no way, on God's green earth, that classical makes you smarter. Hell I'm a prime example of that. <P>And I truly do not believe Classical has medicinal purposes of any kind. I mean it might ease the pain.....but so does marijuana for comparisons.<P>-Brodie<BR>"But you, O my Brothers, remember sometimes thy little Alex that was. Amen. And all that cal."

[BenMurphy6]

brodie, i do like some rock. but not much of it. there is good stuff like pink floyd, the beatles, led zeppelin, and radiohead, and then there is trash. i think that most rock music (both older and recent) is unimaginative, uninnovative, and will be forgotten as soon as something better comes along. i think metal is somewhat akin to rap, in that it has rythm, and not much else.<P>as for blind guardian, iced earth and symphony x, you can't tell me that i haven't heard real music until i have heard that. frankly, that's just ridiculous.<P>there are situations when the best rock music is as good as the best classical music. but the fact is, rock simply cannot compare to the depth of classical. think of the limitless combinations afforded to the composer by the orchestra and its wide range of instruments. now consider that most rock bands have limited themselves to guitar, bass guitar, drums, vocals, and a keyboard. throw in a hokey synthesizer here and there. <P>granted, some bands have tried (i must say generally unsuccessfully) to incorporate elements of the orchestra into their music. but rock music simply is not written with the skill and intricacy of classical, and has simply not taken on as many forms as classical has. now consider the shallowness of the message of most rock music. what does all of that leave you with? a wide body of music that is simply sub-par, mixed with a small volume that is good, and will hopefully be remembered.<P>as i said, there is some good rock out there that i think everyone should at least be aware of. but classical music is here to stay, while rock, i fear, is not.

[Brodie]

Boy oh boy. Now I can argue my point a lot and here's why.<P>As for Depth, you've never heard depth until you've heard, I still think its Barry something's orchestra of Guitars. This veck got 24 guitarists and had them perfom his first, I guess you could call it, symphony. It was utterly gorgeous. It had all the depth of Fur Elise but the megalomatic taste of Mahler's 3. There is a lot of great rock out there that can compete with Classical. And I just think that would be a prime example.<P>As For BLind Guardian, Iced Earth and Symphony X. I can say that. Go out and buy one of any of those bands cds. Just one. And tyou will know some true talent. Iced earth alone incorperates Chants, Opera, Classical, Baroque, Rock, Heavy metal, Egyptian, and many others, all in just one cd, not to mention others of theirs. But if you aren't into that kind of diversity you don't have to, just try to think about it though.<P>True beauty doesn't only have to be found in one source, it can be seen through out anything that possesses it. Atleast by a few.<P><BR>-Brodie

[tancred]

My sister in law is a speech therapist. She always uses classical in the backround when she is teaching someone to learn, or re-learn the ability to speak.She does not use Led Zeppelin or any other music. <BR>I believe some of the posters to this forum are getting upset because they feel pigeon holed.<BR>There is nothing, or noone, who is damning you if you listen to other forms of music. However, do not shoot down empirical evidence that classical is better for you than rock simply because it transcends your own experience. <BR>It is like saying something akin to 'the world is flat - science be damned!'<BR>Tanc <p>[ 08-14-2002: Message edited by: tancred ]

[Bones]

Classical music might improve concentration. It may improve achievement and it might lead to greater absorption of information. It might make learning easier and it might cause test scores to increase. It might improve psychological well-being or increase motivation. But make a person smarter? No way. It might help an individual get more from the intelligence he has, but it's not going to increase the inherent intelligence someone is born with.<P>Let's not confuse educational development (something that can be nurtured and enhanced) with intelligence (something that's genetic).

[BenMurphy6]

i just spent some time downloading and listening to blind guardian, iced earth and symphony x. if that's real music, then i guess i'll go back to my fake music. i just don't understand how you can place that on the same level of excellence as beethoven or any other classical composer. but hey, keep listening to it if it makes you happy. there's no accounting for taste.<P>well now that i've heard real music, apparently now you're telling me i've never heard depth. very well. if you'll provide me with enough information to download the guitar stuff then i'd be happy to find it and listen to it with an open mind. i do like finding new music i like, but the previous three bands weren't quite what i was looking for.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> True beauty doesn't only have to be found in one source, it can be seen through out anything that possesses it. Atleast by a few. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>certainly. but beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

[barfle]

I'm with tancred on this one. I believe it's the studying that makes you smarter. A lot of rock music (some of which I like, I've posted my alternate tastes here any number of times) is very simplistic. It's often written by people who are self-taught and although talented, not all that highly skilled. That's pretty much the definition of folk music, which I once read rock described as the "modern" version of. I know that's a BIG generalization and exceptions galore exist.<P>Classical music, to be really enjoyed, requires a bit of concentration. This week, I downloaded the first bit of the score to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1, then I requested Eric to play the piece, which he did. Following the score with the music was amazing! I know a little about reading music, and I was just overwhelmed at the complexity of the piece. I got a little smarter by doing that, just as I got a little smarter doing my calculus homework in college.

[tancred]

No to mention the fact that this is a forum for lovers of Classical music, not rock. What sympathy do rock listeners expect to encounter? If the roles were reversed and I was on a rock forum and expoused classical music what could I expect?<BR>Please don't expect listeners on a classical forum to express a love for rock or say that it has the same effect on folks as classical music. That would be odd! <p>[ 08-15-2002: Message edited by: tancred ]

[jakjak2424]

Only through classical music have i been fully able to expand my imagination and creative willpower as an actor. To me, classical music is precious and it's benefits to be defended. I speak through experience.

[Brodie]

I refuse to believe you did not like atleast Iced Earth. Download Angel's Holocaust, yes bad name but good song, and you will hear good. Or possibly The Phantom Opera Ghost, thats a gorgeous piece of work there. Or Damien if you are into more Gregorian type of style. Or if you are just starting to listen to rock try Metallica's Master of Puppets. I guarentee you'll love that one. So much of Bach's went into that song.<P>You cannot just say that only Classical music has depth. <BR>You cannot just say that only Classical music has movement.<BR>You can not just say the only Classical music has beauty.<P>All music in its justification can be considered beautiful. All you have to do is see it from the right point of view rather than try to only believe in this or only believe in that. This isn't religon, these are notes in a system of patterns and rhythms. There is more than one good way to combine those elements. So do expand your horizon.<P><BR>-Brodie

[BenMurphy6]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> You cannot just say that only Classical music has depth. <BR>You cannot just say that only Classical music has movement.<BR>You can not just say the only Classical music has beauty. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>i don't think anyone has said that. in fact, i know no one has. but you can't say that i haven't heard real music, depth or beauty without listening to metal, because you know what? i have heard them! all of them!

[jt323bd]

Honestly I was raised listening to POP, then i became interested in rock and most currently i was into Progressive rock which is as close to classical as it gets. so i must agree that The Grand Design by Symphony X is some good stuff but I can understand tancred's point in saying that there is no use arguing with people who love classical that there is other great stuff out there. Most people will be understanding and just not argue but there is always someone stubborn. I also Love Master Of Puppets by Metallica but Progressive rock is not the same as classical. another piece I like by Metallica was No Leaf Clover on the S&M album, that done with the trans siberian orcestra. It has Violins which almost makes it sound close enough to be classical if it werent Metallica.<P>JT

[Nicole Marie]

It was the San Francisco Symphony not the Trans Siberian Symphony that worked with Metallica.<P>As a massive lover of classical music when I go home I turn up punk (Donna's, Gen X, Circle Jerks etc.) Music is the universal language! It crosses boundaries and can be enjoyed by all. Let's not get to heated about this...at least under my name.

[jt323bd]

My Bad,<P>Sorry about the mistake, I see my mistake. I have a Metallica and Trans Siberian Orcestra playing STAR WARS: Imperial March<P>of course that may be incorrect also since I did download it off of napster (when it still was free!)<P>JT