Music often feels like it is part of our subconscious. It is constantly playing in the background, at the coffee shop, in the elevator, and working from home. In 2017, Nielsen estimated that Americans spend over 32 hours a week on average listening to music. It's then not a surprise that we remember music and can easily recall lyrics and melodies.

Why we can recall music 

Many of us can hear music in our minds, named musical or auditory imagery. It can happen voluntarily, such as thinking about a song, or it can happen involuntarily - when the song pops into your mind without you trying to recall any music, called an earworm. About 90% of people have an earworm once a week and a third of people have an earworm once a day. Those who engage with music more often experience more earworms.

Earworms

<ul><li>One reason why music has become so intertwined with how we express and comfort ourselves is because listening to music releases dopamine in the brain.</li><li>Music awakens our memory. When we can identify pieces of music, we can bring back memories associated with the music.</li><li>Music can also have an emotional impact. Even if you identify a short piece of music, you have a musical imagery experience that triggers the memory of the whole piece of music and its associated memories. </li></ul>

Music represents who we are, how we feel, and what we remember

Psychologists say it's no surprise that we have such a strong memory for music and can easily recall lyrics and melodies, even if we haven’t heard them in years.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

music

Music

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Why We Remember Music and Forget Everything Else

Even if we want to hear music all day, it is important to know the effects that has.

How to protect your ears with an Iphone?

No more than 5 hours each day at 80 dB.No more than 2 hours per day at 85 dB.No more than 30 minutes per day at 90 dB.No more than 15 minutes per day at 95 dB.No more than 3-5 minutes each day at 100 dB.

Required rates

There's also an additional 'Reduce Loud Sounds' feature under the 'Headphone Safety' menu that iPhone users can enable. Once the toggle is switched on, they can drag the slider and filter out any sound that is over their chosen decibel level threshold.

Solution propsed by the article 

I read this article about protecting ears with a new update from IOs system.Hope it can help you.

Loud audio levels can cause hearing damage and iPhone's 'Headphone Notifications' reminds users to turn down the volume when appropriate.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

Protect Your Hearing By Enabling Headphone Notifications On iPhone

Music. Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. 68% of adults aged between 18 and 34 years old reported listening to music every day, and the majority of their older peers also enjoyed music with the same regularity. music is to feed our souls, but sometimes, short pieces of music can stuck in our ears or our heads, repeating itself over and over until you wish to tear your ears out. It’s Called an Earworm . But why? how do songs get stuck to your head, and more importantly… How do we get rid of them?

Let's Begin

Earworm, Sticky song syndrome, or most commonly Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI). At best, it means that the song is catchy. At worst, it means replaying over and over until you get annoyed of that song. The word “Earworm” is a calque from the german word “Ohrwurm” which means the exact same thing.Over 90% of people are plagued by earworms once a week, and 23% experience them several times a day, most of them are either singers or music producers. Live music is more likely to stay in your head than recorded music, because it includes some visual elements that could help you remember the song

Earworm…???

again whenever you encounter these elements again.When we listen to a song, it triggers a part of the brain called The auditory cortex, which makes the listener automatically fills the rest of the song, and to have that song in their mind they had to scratch that part of the brain so the song repeats itself over and over, here… earworm occurs.Researcher Vicky Williamson says that our brains could also be triggered by experiences that trigger the memory of a song, it’s called the involuntary memory,

Why do we have Earworms?

such as seeing a word that reminds one of the song, hearing a few notes from the song, or feeling an emotion one associates with the song, all these may lead you to remember the song but in a way that shocks our brains so it gets stuck in our heads for a period of time.

Musicologist Dr. Alison Pawley and psychologist Dr. Daniel Mullensiefen out at the University of London have done researches on what makes a song catchy, their conclusion was that there are four traits that make a song catchy:<ol><li>Longer and detailed musical phrases . The breath a vocalist takes as they sing a line is crucial to creating a sing-along-able tune. The longer a vocal in one breath, the more likely we are to sing along.</li><li>A Higher number of pitches in the chorus hook . The more sounds there are, the more infectious a song becomes. </li></ol>

A Catchy song

Combining longer musical phrases and a hook over three different pitches was found to be key to sing-along success.4. Male vocalists . Singing along to a song may be a subconscious war cry, tapping into an inherent tribal part of our consciousness. Psychologically we look to men to lead us into battle, so it could be in our intuitive nature to follow male-fronted songs. 5. Higher male voices with noticeable vocal effort . This indicates high energy and purpose, particularly when combined with a smaller vocal range (Freddie Mercury of Queen and Jon Bon Jovi).

Sometimes, earworms can be annoying, not the song but that non stopping repetition. Well… earworms usually disappear by itself, but a few techniques have been found to help.<ol><li>Listen to the whole song. Since earworms are usually only a fragment of music, playing all the song would stop the process of auto-completing the song and therefore getting rid of the earworm</li><li>Replace it with another piece of music. I know this isn’t an efficient solution, you just replaced an earworm by another, but at least it’s a new tune XD. </li></ol>

How to get rid of earworms?

3. Chew gum! Chewing gum activates the motor cortex , which is used when you imagine music, almost as if you are imagining what it feels like to sing the song out loud. Chewing gum interferes with this process.4. Play puzzles (Sudoku, Chess, Anagrams…), Scientists found that engaging memory in difficult work is an effective way of stopping earworms and reducing their recurrence.

Music. Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. 68% of adults aged between 18 and 34 years old reported…

Why is that song stuck in my head?

If I'm not passionate about it, I can't write it. I can't fake it.

To write a song, you'll have to get a hold of the typical framework. Like people, songs come in all shapes, colours and sizes but commercially it is quite certain that a good song would contain: <ul><li>Verse 1</li><li>(optional: Pre-chorus) Chorus</li><li>Verse 2</li><li>(optional: Pre-chorus) Chorus</li><li>Bridge</li><li>Chorus</li></ul>For creativity's sake, it isn't necessary to conform to this structure, there are a variety of structures to choose from. But being a songwriter, you'll have to organise your song in such a way that it fits well. If you're new to songwriting, this structure should be a good start.

Basics

Before you start, you'll have to have a topic in mind. Although I've made songs from merely having a melody stuck in my head or finding a chord progression to write around, it needed to make senseThere are plenty of nonensical lyrics in songs that end up being hits but you'll have to remember that it's always better if the song has authenticity to it's creator. When you write a song coming from a real place, you are able to connect to the listeners much better.Find a topic that interests/ inspires you. If you have writer's block, you can find ideas on the internet to get you started.

The Core

How to find inspiration?I have a practice of keeping a note of any interesting melody I hum and get hooked on to. I even record things such as, an innovative painting, a beautiful idiom, poetry or contronyms.The note app on your phone is an easy and accessible way to keep track and note your ideas before it fades away from memory.Inspiration can come from unexpected places, so keep searching for it. If you wait for it to just come hit you like a ton of bricks, there's a higher chance that it's not going to happen.Take a break, but always come back and search for a new perspective to look form

Inspiration

First,sit back and think about your approach.<ol><li>Would you want it to be sad, happy, angry or any other emotion?</li><li>Would you want it to be a pop, rock, metal, hip-hop, indie, etc. song?</li><li>Would you rather have it change the emotion into something completely different, or stay the same throughout?</li><li>Who's perspective are you writing from?</li><li>Do you want to end it abruptly or do you want to give it some closure?</li></ol>You don't have to have answers for these questions right away because during the process, you're bound to make some changes. Just beware of these questions so it doesn't sound off-topic when you're done.

Game Plan

Hooks are the addictive part of the song. The part that makes your song memorable. Usually hooks are the titles of the song.They can either be a melody or a lyric (most probably the title)It's always good to start the song by thinking of a great hook. Some good hooks are: aliterations, contradictory words, just one word (which is super popular right now), double meaning words, unexpected word combinations, a juicy punchline or an interesting/poetic words.Eg: Be Brave, Live and let die, etc.After you find a good hook, you're ready to start the process.

Hooks

Before working on the lyrics, find a good melody for your verses, pre-choruses, chorus and bridge. If you can't play an instrument or chords, there are a few backing tracks available on YouTube or other sources to help you craft a song around it.Melody first. Lyrics later.

Melody

From personal experience, I've come across three groups to choose from:<ul><li>A song from your perspective, about something you went through</li><li>A song from a third-person perspective about something you went through</li><li>A story song - includes vivid imagery and a classic story plot</li><li>A song from observation - write about something you observed</li><li>A song on social problems - eg: bullying, gender discrimination, etc</li></ul>This will be helpful to write your first song, choose a category that interests you most.Figure out what YOU want it to sound like to a listener. Then, jot down the structure. Don't worry about rhyming yet.

What Do YOU Want It To Be?

Once you've got some words to work with, start rhyming.Some songs didn't have many rhymes but attracted the public, but until we're stinking famous to be able to do whatever we want... We need to follow atleast some rhyming schemes:<ul><li>AABB</li><li>ABAB</li><li>ABCB</li><li>AAAA</li><li>AABCCB</li></ul>You can change the structure of the song after each part like: a verse can have the ABAB scheme and the chorus could have a ABCB scheme. It's good to switch it up.TIP #1: A good tip I've come to realise is to only use assonancesIt is a type of soft rhyme where only the vowel sounds match, not the consonants.TIP #2: Use multisyllable rhyming.

Rhyming

Phrasing means timingMake sure your words sound on time in the verses or any other places you change your words.Always remember that your chorus is the main part of your song, so it almost never changes lyrics. This is because a chorus is the part of the song that people sing along to, repetition is key.A good method to verify your phrasing is by counting the syllables in your verses and make sure the number is same for each corresponding line.For eg:Feeling good ( 3 syllables)Just (1 syllable)Like I should (3 syllables)Yeah (1 syllable)You can use throw away words to help: but, cuz, yeah

Phrasing

Now, you're good to go. Do some research and listen to different song structures and keep a mental note of how it worksIt's time to weave and piece it together, this is where you get bring your creativity to the table make edits, make changes, make it true to YOU. Even though I've talked alot about things that appeal to listeners, at the end of the day... The song is yours. If the song doesn't sound good to you, approach it with a new perspective another day until it does. Your song is a personification of you. So unless you're happy with the outcome, keep working on it.

Stack It Up

Cadence is the end of the song. It is an important part of song writing because closure is what gives us fulfillment. I do recommend ending it round circle, with something you said in the verse or a melody you used in the verse. It gives the listener a feeling of nostalgia and satisfaction.

Cadence

Songs are a great outlet of emotions. Our emotions can be expressed simply by words but when you add music to the equation, you bring a whole new dimension to emotion that is more easily understood.Whatever I've said so far can be applied for commercial songwriting but it's always nice to write songs as therapy or as a mental well-being activity. Even the most depressing words can sound beautiful when you give it melody.I hope this guide was helpful. Let me know how your first time songwriting, went. Till we meet again

Conclusion

Here's a small guide to the world of songwriting from my personal experience as a passionate songwriter. Get inspired and write away!

entertainment

Entertainment

How to write a song

Since there are many programs and resources available, you can easily try making and sharing music using a computer and some simple gear. Start by getting instruments and recording equipment so you can play and record your music right at home. Begin brainstorming ideas for rhythms and melodies to use so you can write your songs. Once you have an idea for a song written, record and mix it on your computer so you can share it with other people!

How to Start Creating Music

<ol>
<li>Choose a digital audio workstation so you can record and mix your music.</li>
<li>Buy a condenser microphone and stand to record vocals or live instruments.</li>
<li>Get an audio interface to connect instruments and mics to a computer.</li>
<li>Use headphones so you can listen to your song clearly.</li>
<li>Select studio monitors for when you’re mixing songs.</li>
<li>Pick an instrument that you want to play.</li>
</ol>

1. Getting the Right Gear

<ol><li>Decide on the genre that you want to write.</li><li>Choose a chord progression for the song to follow.</li><li>Try improvising on your instrument to find a melody you like.</li><li>Make a beat for your song with drums or software instruments.</li><li>Structure your song with verses and choruses to make it more memorable.</li><li>Write lyrics if you want to sing over your instrumental.﻿</li></ol>

2. Writing Songs

<ol><li>Hook up your microphone and audio interface to your computer.</li><li>Record live instruments or vocals with your microphone.</li><li>Use software instruments to add drum beats, synthesizers, or samples.</li><li>Edit your song to remove background noise and make instruments on beat.</li><li>Adjust the mix of your song to raise or lower the instruments’ volumes.</li><li>Export your song as a WAV or MP3 file.</li><li>Upload your song online so you can share it with other people.﻿</li></ol>

3. Recording and Sharing Your Music

Since there are many programs and resources available, you can easily try making and sharing music using a computer and some simple gear. Start by getting instruments and recording equipment so you can play and record your music right at...

For many different people across the world, Music is one of the most integral parts of their day, myself included.Even as I am creating this, I have music playing in the background. Using observation, are we able to find convincing evidence that Music helps us focus and study more effectively?

Does Music Help You Study Better?

Before delving into the specifics, there are two general ideas to keep in the back of your head while we progress:<ol><li>Different types of music can have varying effects on study patterns (classical music effects differ from lyrical music effects).</li><li>Different songs, and subsequently different lyrics, can also affect studying patterns (if a lyric was very deep, it invokes a specific thought which could distract you from studying).</li></ol>

Background Information

In general, listening to Music has a plethora of different, positive effects on the human body. Some of these positive effects include:<ol><li>Reduction in stress</li><li>Alleviation of depression symptoms</li><li>Increases workout endurance</li><li>Elevation of Mood</li><li>Stimulation of Memories</li></ol>

The Positives of Music

Now for the main question: Does Music really help us study better? Yes and no.Music, depending on what it is that you are studying, can either help you or restrict you. For example, if you are trying to memorize certain terms for a biology class, having music in the background can be very helpful.However, if you were reading a novel or trying to interpret a specific text, having music in the background can end up being more of a distraction than a tool for success.

Effectiveness During Study

<ol><li>In 2011, there was a study regarding the effectiveness of background music that was performed with ADHD Students.</li></ol>The study revealed that although there were a couple of people that got distracted, the majority of the classroom was able to improve as a result of there being background music.<ol><li>In 2014, a study was conducted on young adults to measure whether classical music was able to help them perform better on memory-based tasks. </li></ol>The study did in fact reveal that by listening to classical music, there was a significant improvement in performance on these memory-based tasks.

Convincing Evidence?

Circling back to the Background Information, it should be noted that although music is seen to improve studying for groups of people OVERALL, that does not mean that it will help every single person.This means that you should try it for yourself! If you are able to focus on your work more easily as a result of background music playing in the background, then do it! Otherwise, make sure to create the most optimal work environment for yourself.However, with the majority in mind, there is convincing evidence to show that Music does help you study better.

Key Takeaways

(Positive Effects of Music)https://www.northshore.org/healthy-you/9-health-benefits-of-music/ (ADHD Music Study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21695447/(Classical Music Young Adult Study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4197792/

Other Sources

Music is one of the most common necessities that many people would struggle to go without in their lives. The question we are exploring today is whether or not listening to Music helps study better.

You might have heard music improves concentration, but it’s not that simple. There are ways music and studying can work together, and some ways they can’t.

Here’s How Music Can Help You Concentrate

Adults who demonstrate more playful personality traits are more motivated, creative, and spontaneous. There have even been links between people with more playful characteristics having lower blood pressure. While less playful people struggle in their leisure time to relax and often feel bored when their minds are not preoccupied, those that are more playfully inclined are aware of new opportunities and open to trying a wider variety of activities.

Playing Games is good

Playfulness should be viewed as a skill that can be developed, harnessed and used for mindfulness.

Proyer suggests listing three moments at the end of every day where something spontaneous happened. It could be a funny interaction with a stranger while getting your coffee or a joke shared with your colleague. This will help you to begin to feel confident in being playful and make you more aware of joy in your everyday life.

Start by observing

Do not be afraid to find fun in something not normally associated with adults.In order for adults to engage in playful activities guilt-free, they can come prepared with socially acceptable "excuses". Eg: The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons which aims to make the embarrassing act of adult colouring socially acceptable when associated with the "alibi" of it being therapy for successful people.

Socially acceptable excuses

While some adults might feel the need to hide their playfulness, the market for video games and mobile gaming among adults has boomed in recent years.The mental health benefits of playing video games down to achieving a state of "flow".The optimal experience when nothing else matters and is also experienced by athletes and sportspeople when they are in the zone. Playing to find the flow state can provide an enjoyable challenge and distraction from mental health issues, meaning the player can work on their wellbeing without feeling pressured to improve.

Video Game as Adult therapy

Rediscover the benefits of playfulness after the toys have been put away.

Playing has been shown to improve the mental health of adults, but most people stop in childhood. How can we rediscover the benefits of playfulness after the toys have been put away?

parenting

Parenting

meditation

Meditation

Why adults should embrace their playfulness

<a href="https://dubolt.com">Dubolt</a>  helps you discover music with the help of old favorites If you search for an artist or for songs, the website will give you good suggestions based on what you like.  You can also choose the number of tracks, the tempo, the energy etc.

Dubolt

<a href="https://www.chosic.com/#free-tools">Chosic</a> is a website with different free music tools to help you discover new music and analyze your spotify account.Some of the tools include: Similar songs finder, Your spotify account stats, new music releases etc.

CHOSIC

<a href="https://create.magicplaylist.co/#/?_k=y1495w">Magicplaylist</a> creates a whole playlist out of a song that you searchThe same does <a href="https://spotalike.com">Spotalike</a>

Magic Playlist and Spotalike

<a href="https://www.gnoosic.com">Gnoosic</a> recommends you artists based on 3 ones that you already like.For every reccomendations, it will ask if you like it, don't like it or if you don't know. It will learn your preferences giving you better reccomendations.

Gnoosic

<a href="https://pudding.cool/2020/12/judge-my-spotify/">How Bad Is Your Spotify</a> is probably the most fun website in this list. Their sophisticated A.I. judges your awful taste in music in a ironically key. to try at all costs.

How Bad Is Your Spotify?

Wish "STAY" by Justin Bieber and the kid LAROI lasted longer?No problem, <a href="https://eternalbox.dev/jukebox_index.html">this website</a> will stretch out a song in order to make it longer. It simple adds and replace the same parts of the song, putting them in a different order.

The Eternal Jukebox

<a href="https://receiptify.herokuapp.com">Receiptify</a> creates for you a receipt of your most listened songs of the last month/last 6 months and all time. It connects with spotify, apple music and last.fm

Receiptify

<a href="https://everynoise.com/engenremap.html">Every Noice At Once</a> is basically a list with every single music genre in the world

Every Noise At Once

<a href="https://www.music-map.com">Music-Map</a> creates for you a map of artists similar to an artist that you like based on people's opinions. The closer two names are, the greater the probability people will like both artists.

Music-Map

<a href="https://www.tunemymusic.com">Tune My Music</a> is a great tool that lets you transfer playlists between music services. It Supports Spotify, TIDAL, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Pandora and many more

Tune My Music

Find new music, analyze your listening habits and have fun with this list of music websites

Find New Music and Analyze your Music Taste With These Websites 🎵

On web and desktop app: click the "Create Playlist" in the top left corner, right up your liked songs. On mobile: Go to your library and simply click the + bottom in the top right corner.

The Basics: How To Create a Playlist

Generally, a good playlist has a concept, a theme or a specific vibe.Here are some examples:<ul><li>Think about a specific genre or mood (kpop songs, happy songs, sad vibes)</li><li>Think about a vibe or a POV (main character songs, vibing alone in your room, villain songs)</li><li>Think about a personal feeling or story. You can express your own feelings or experiences through playlists</li></ul>Keep in mind that this process is personal and there is no right way to do it, everything is good if you like it.

The Playlist Concept

Choosing a title for your playlist is up to you. You can keep it simple: "Happy songs", "songs for your birthday"Or you can spice things up: "good vibes", "life's a movie", "heavy dreaming"Spend some time thinking about a good and aesthetic title that fits your concept.

Give It A Title

If I had to choose between the playlist photo and the title, I would probably choose the photo. It helps so much with visualization and concept.Personally, I search all the photos on Pinterest. There you can find a variety of aesthetic pics that can give you inspiration. -- Continue reading for photo tips --

Time For The Playlist Photo

Ok, so now that you have your concept, title and photo, it's time to add the songs. Of course, the songs have to fit the concept that you chose. If your concept is happy songs, you'll have to add upbeat, happy and joyful songs. -- Continue reading for songs tips --

Let's Add The Songs

<ul><li>The process does not have to be followed in order, you can search for photos before thinking about a concept, or you can have a title before anything else, or you can have an idea just by listening a song.</li><li>Inspiration can come from everything, always be open</li><li>No playlist is wrong. I know the most weird and fun playlists and they are good because they are unique. Always make playlist that you like</li><li>Some accounts I recommend checking out: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/lolareyes2000?si=4b29921583724ef2">laurasplaylists</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/1254757778?si=71bb2baed35349c6">Campbell Fauber</a></li></ul>

General Tips

<ul><li>On Pinterest, search for: "aesthetic photos/icons/pics" or search for your concept aesthetic</li><li>If you find something that you like, open the photo and scroll down to find similar photos. </li><li>Search for Pinterest boards that fit your concept. If you need some black photos you can search for black aesthetic</li><li>If you want, you can add filters to the photos with Instagram or other apps.  </li></ul>

Photos Tips

<ul><li>Quickly add the first songs that pop into your mind thinking about the concept</li><li>Search for similar playlists to find songs inspiration</li><li>Use the "Enhance" feature on Spotify </li><li>Playlists don't have to be quickly completed. Some can remain always open to new songs that you'll find </li><li>Use <a href="https://dubolt.com">Dubolt</a> to find new music</li></ul>

Songs Tips

Creating Spotify playlist has always been a fun hobby to me. It expresses my feelings and it relaxes me. That's why I wanted to give some tips I learned through time. Hope this helps :)

How To Create An Aesthetic Spotify Playlist ✨ + Tips

Everyone wants you to forget you're gonna die. Because if they convince you that, you'll waste time doing what they want you to do

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Downtown Portland’s state-of-the-art, intimate live performance venue. 
The Live Studio has a rich history of showcasing local artists, touring bands, and rising music stars, and hosting important civic and cultural events.  
At the PNC Live Studio, we work to inspire audiences and bring our community together through shared experience and the power of music. As a team, we are excited to continue the heritage and the soundtrack that is uniquely Portland.


PNC Live Studio

Mike Posner - I Took a Pill in Ibiza

Find 100+ Music Facts & interesting insights from various elements of the music culture - All curated from articles, podcasts, videos or books by our community