Why do people attach importance to the wordless language we call music? Music Cognition: The Basics considers the role of our cognitive functions such as perception memory attention and expectation in perceiving making and appreciating music. In this volume Henkjan Honing explores the active role these functions play in how music makes us feel; exhilarated soothed or inspired. Grounded in the latest research in areas of psychology biology and cognitive neuroscience and with clear examples throughout this book concentrates on underappreciated musical skills such as sense of rhythm beat induction and relative pitch that make people intrinsically musical creatures-supporting the conviction that all humans have a unique instinctive attraction to music. The scope of the topics discussed ranges from the ability of newborns to perceive a beat to the unexpected musical expertise of ordinary listeners. It is a must read for anyone studying the psychology of music auditory perception or simply interested in why we enjoy music the way we do.|Music Cognition: The Basics | Psychology
