Confusing “communication” with “evocation” is behind a lot of emotional manipulation in mass communication. If you follow the forms of communication (eg. giving a speech) but are actually evoking (through rhythms, repetition, setting), people may become convinced that you are telling them (communicating) deep truths, when all you are doing is just bringing up (evoking) already held beliefs.

EXACTLY.

The power of music lies in the *unmediated* experience of receiving it. Linguistic codes necessarily inject a mediating force between the observer and the observed. The elements of a musical composition resonate with subtleties of the mind and body that language or symbols would be far too clumsy to encapsulate.

The delicate interplay of how the brain/mind responds to sound is truly fascinating. The subject can be dissected into the minutia and biological ramifications of frequency, amplitude, pattern, harmony/dissonance…etc. Yet listening still remains an entirely personal, subjective and sometimes transformational experience. The value of any musical piece may be entirely different for the composer and the listener…isn’t that magical?

I’ve been reading psychoacoustic studies to make sense of vastly differing preferences in sound (apart from culture and socialization). For example, I’m often physically calmed or invigorated by music that others find dark or unpleasant. Whereas some standard “feel good” songs make me uneasy. As it turns out, we actually have musical body types. The points of intersection between our outer and inner worlds leave a unique stamp on each of us in terms of how we react to sound.

I can’t wait to use these principles in behavioral medicine and witness what people respond to…fascinating stuff.