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Thom's blog
What happens in a musician's brain when they play a song?
 Let's get geeky on music. Ever wonder what's happening in a musician's brain when they're actually playing a song? What about when a musician starts improvising - starts playing music directly "off the cuff"? Thanks to the research from Dr. Charles Limb - an ear and throat doctor and surgeon who also happens to be obsessed with music - we now have a much better idea. Over the last few years - Limb put jazz musicians and rappers into MRI machines to see what's happening in their brain when they improvise or freestyle rap. Inside of the MRI machine - he'd have them simply play scales followed by having them improvise on scales - and then he'd have the musicians play a memorized piece of music - and then finally he'd have them play an improvised version of that. What he found was when one of the subjects started improvising - parts of the brain that are associated with "self-expression" were activated - language regions and at times regions associated with visual imagery activated too. But what's really interesting is that regions of the brain that are involved in inhibition - the parts of the brain that self-monitor and hold us back from saying and doing offensive or inappropriate things - were actually LESS active during improvisation. Limb points out, "Without this type of creativity, humans wouldn't have advanced as a species." He's right, understanding creativity and how humans improvise - especially in groups - isn't just fascinating: it's critical to understanding how humans have been so successful as a species. -Thom (What do you think? Tell us here.) |
Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... No show tonight - quarterly maintenance (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)
 Be sure to check out our newest video: RESTORATION - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners / Visit GreenWorldRising.org to check out all the videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners
There will be no show tonight as it is RT's quarterly maintenance day. |
Friday's Daily Stack 
Article: " 2nd Amendment". A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Article: " J Curve" (James Chowning Davies, revolutions) by Wikipedia.
Hour Two: Anything Goes Friday Article: " Declaration of Independence". " When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them..." Article: " Putsch" by Merriam-Webster.
Hour Three: Did Trump's RNC Speech Help or Hurt Him? Quote: " A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Winston S. Churchill. |
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Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET
I'll be talking to Congressman Adam Schiff, who is scheduled to speak at this week's convention.
And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...
The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"
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