There Are Only Seven Notes
Specifically: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si. If you add a higher “Do,” you get an octave. This is why it’s often said that musicians have only seven notes to compose a melody. However, it’s a bit more complicated—there’s a reason the octave on a piano looks like this:
There are indeed seven white keys: these are Do, Re, Mi, and the other four notes. But there are also five black keys that sound slightly different. For example, the key between Do and Re gives a sound that is a half-step higher than the first note but lower than the second and is called Do-sharp or Re-flat.
In European music theory, the octave is traditionally divided into 12 equal intervals, considered the most harmonious. These are the notes, which include the sounds produced by the black keys on the piano.
The half-steps were excluded from the list of notes due to an oversight by medieval music theorists. They used a church hymn dedicated to John the Baptist as a classifier since each line of this composition was sung higher than the previous one. This is how the half-steps were overlooked. Now musicians have to deal with sharps and flats.
By the way, you can divide the octave however you like. This is how microtonal melodies are created, which don’t fit into standard musical harmony.
Listening to Classical Music Increases Intelligence
The “scientific basis” for this myth was established by a 1993 study. During the experiment, American neuroscientists asked some students to listen to a piece by Mozart, then take part in an IQ test assessing spatial thinking. The other participants either sat in silence or listened to a relaxation instruction before tackling the tasks. Surprisingly, the “Mozart group” scored higher, with differences equivalent to an 8–9 point IQ increase.
However, don’t rush to find a collection of works by the Austrian composer—further studies showed that the “Mozart effect” is unlikely to make you smarter.
It turned out that the effect is very short-lived. Within 10 minutes, the difference between those who listened to Mozart and those who didn’t disappeared. Moreover, classical music isn’t necessary for this brief “boost in brainpower.” Any sounds a person enjoys will do, such as hits from the British rock band Blur or audiobooks by a favorite author. Scientists believe that pleasant melodies or vocal recordings improve mood, which helps people perform better on cognitive tests.
So it’s not really about classical music. And given that not everyone loves it, Mozart’s works can’t be called a universal IQ booster.
Sad Music Makes You Feel Worse
While this assumption seems logical, experiments show that sad melodies affect people differently. Sometimes sad compositions set a romantic mood, help with relaxation, or even make people feel stronger.
The impact of melancholic music on mood may depend on psychological conditions. A sad song that provides comfort to a healthy person can trigger unpleasant feelings in people with depression. They tend to overthink the same things endlessly, and sad music makes them relive negative memories and thoughts repeatedly.
Musical Ear Can Only Be Inborn
Indeed, some people are naturally more musical than others. A joint study by Finnish and American scientists confirmed this. They conducted a full-genome scan of people with a good musical ear and found several common genetic features related to the perception and processing of sounds. So, the musical talents of parents can be passed down genetically. However, genes are unpredictable, and a talent could easily get lost in the maze of DNA.
Nevertheless, musical ears can also be developed in people without the right predisposition. While it might not be perfect, it will allow them to play music. However, it requires not only diligent practice but also the right environment—like interacting with the right people.
Musical ear development is impossible only in cases of amusia—the inability to recognize pitch.
Cultural and environmental factors play a significant role as well. For example, if a person is exposed to music from a young age or if a sibling often plays the guitar, it will be easier to develop musical ear. Even simple singing at kindergarten performances can improve these abilities.
Playing musical instruments can also change the brain’s structure, developing its plasticity. The areas related to hearing are strengthened the most.
Playing a Musical Instrument is Just Entertainment
Unlike merely listening to classical compositions, playing an instrument can positively impact cognitive abilities. It requires good motor coordination, and wind instruments also develop breathing. Remembering a song requires training your memory, and learning musical notation involves logic and a bit of math.
If someone isn’t a musician, it can be quite challenging to even learn a few guitar chords—keeping track of hand movements can be difficult! And sight-reading, where you have to simultaneously look at unfamiliar sheet music and play, is another level of difficulty. This is how neural connections in the brain form—the so-called plasticity.
Research shows that this type of “brain training” improves memory and orientation in space and time. Moreover, playing music positively affects children’s ability to memorize unfamiliar words and their overall literacy.
In fact, music education is more effective than many other activities. In one experiment, researchers compared two groups of children: one group spent their free time playing music, while the other studied military science. Both groups became more creative, and their memories improved, but the music group’s performance was better, and their development was faster.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that putting a struggling student in front of a piano will turn them into a top achiever within six months. Music education isn’t a cure-all. However, it certainly won’t hurt, as long as the child enjoys it.
