Music

Articles, Films and practical Guides on music, part of Psyche’s coverage of creativity and the arts.
A rock band performing on stage with a large portrait backdrop of a person wearing rings and heavy eye makeup.
MUSIC

The softness of metal

Watching a seated Ozzy play his final gig, my ankle broken, I’m in tears – this couldn’t be more metal

by Keith Kahn-Harris

An older man in a hat and glasses with a colourful tie-dye shirt at an outdoor event, headphones around his neck.
MUSIC
8

The human frequency

With Radio Paradise, William Goldsmith built an internet radio station that’s become a living argument for taste, trust and the art of choosing what comes next

by Greg Easley

Photo of two people facing each other closely with expressions of joy in a casual setting.
PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH

How two punk bands came to play a California psychiatric hospital

A film by Mike Plante and Jason Willis

Abstract painting of a person’s face in profile with a soft, blurred effect and neutral tones.
ADDICTION

Tracing the making and unmaking of four friends’ rockstar dreams

Directed by Caroline Rumley

Portrait painting of a man in 18th-century attire holding a quill, seated at a table with a thoughtful expression.
MUSIC

Same art, different name: would you see or hear it the same way?

A mislabelled concerto and other errors and tricks show that reputation affects how art is perceived, sometimes radically

by Rikki A Wolpowitz

A nighttime street scene with musicians performing indoors on the left and a couple embracing outside on the right.
MUSIC

The city that rewired my brain

I arrived in New Orleans feeling fractured and dislocated. Then I started haunting the jazz clubs

by Henrick Karoliszyn

Three people sitting in a hospital room, singing with their eyes closed, with flowers on the windowsill in the background.
DEATH AND DYING
1

What you learn when you sing to the dying, and what remains a mystery

Directed by Florence Browne

Black and white photo of a conductor in a white jumper gesturing with a baton, partially visible orchestra member in foreground.
MUSIC

Music speaks louder than words through what it leaves unsaid

The ineffable in music resides in the gap between saying and not saying. Music neither states nor conceals. It hints

by Elena Gigante

Black and white photo of a man playing a classical guitar in a room with a window in the background.
MUSIC
2

How to practise a musical instrument

Everything that involves skill requires practice. Use the AIR method – awareness, isolation, repetition – to improve

by Craig Ogden

Sketch showing a person’s face in profile reacting to a small, round object held in a hand.
MUSIC

A musical experiment inspired by crowdsourced secrets

Video by Max Cooper and Masanobu Hiraoka

A woman passionately singing, eyes closed, with red nails and lipstick, hands raised near her face, on a dark background.
SADNESS AND SORROW

If we avoid sadness in life, why do we seek it in art?

Philosophers and psychologists have puzzled over the allure of tragic art. New findings show how sadness can be a comfort

by Tara Venkatesan

A spinning vinyl record with an orange label and a turntable needle in motion on the black grooved surface.
MUSIC
4

You can use music to escape your negative thought loops

Research is uncovering the way music can calm the brain and there are techniques to help you amplify its emotional power

by Stefan Koelsch

Black-and-white vintage photo of Helen Keller in profile with eyes closed wearing a high-necked dress, hair in a bun.
MUSIC

Helen Keller’s blissful encounter with Beethoven’s Ninth

Video by Letters Live

A man with dreadlocks smiling, holding a microphone on stage with his other arm raised under blue stage lights.
MUSIC

How Bobby McFerrin draws out mesmerising music from any audience

Video by World Science Festival

People dancing at an outdoor festival, colourful tents in background, clear blue sky overhead.
MUSIC

The beats that make us want to move

Some musical rhythms are built to get us bobbing, foot-tapping or dancing. Researchers show how rhythmic complexity matters

by Matt Huston