To: Brumar89 who wrote (2705 ) 10/13/2006 3:37:30 PM From: Rambi Read Replies (2) | Respond to My theory would be that the earliest form of "music" was rhythmic in nature. Drumbeats, handclapping, beating on a log, things that imitate the pulse, which could have either a soothing or stirring effect. The imitation of nature- the sounds of the world- birdcalls, wind, the elements, things that could be mimicked vocally-- occurred, thus adding tonality. All tones have naturally occuring overtones that please the ear and as the ability to discriminate sounds grew more refined, these began to be heard and related and organized into different modalities. ...when we hear music that we like, a vast network of brain regions involved in reward and pleasure start to fire. Neurons in the mesolimbic system, the nucleus accumbens and the hypothalamus begin an exquisite orchestration of neurchemical uptake and release, connecting to neural activity in the front lobe and the cerebellum. These same regions become active in response to other highly pleasurable activities-- such as winning a sum of money, eating chocolate, or having an orgasm-- mediating the release of dopamine and a host of other processes which have been shown recently to actually reduce physical pain. If our neurons could talk, they might well say “Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!”
