We have all learned about our left and right brain. The theory goes that If you are more analytical and methodical in your thinking you are left-brain dominant, whilst if you are more creative, you are right-brain dominant. This does not mean that left-brain dominant people do not have a right brain, but the trick is in how to use it to enhance the functions of the left brain.
The brain is incapable of doing two things at the same time which requires thinking. You can read and be on the exercise bike because cycling does not require thinking. Most of us never think about it that way. Carl Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”.
You need and use both parts of your brain, regardless of your profession. Mathematicians often play music when battling to solve problems. By using the left and the right side of the brain together, you strengthen communication between the two and increase ‘brainpower’. You allow for the unconscious to come into play in a more active manner – and it creates more ‘balance’ in the brain.
Smart people call this the Mozart Effect – simplistically, this means that when you listen to music, you activate certain parts of the brain. There are loads of studies out there on what type of music you need to listen to activate a specific part – classical for the left side, upbeat for the right side. Start your experiment and design playlists to help you with your daily tasks. I have a report writing playlist and an algorithm playlist, a playlist that I use before difficult meetings and a playlist before I need to do public speaking. This has now gone weird fast, but think of athletes that listen to music before a bit match or a big race – they have a certain genre of music that they know help them to focus and to do their best – so the trick is to figure out what the right music for the right occasion is. I love listening to music, so now I have the enjoyment factor as well as the unconscious assistance to make whatever I have to do, better.
Concentration is a learned ability. Inner-city schools for years have tried alternative methods of teaching children to concentrate – it turns out that chess and learning how to play an instrument are two of the most successful activities. You have heard the saying ‘music is math’ – so, by learning to play an instrument, you are sharpening your unconscious math skills.
Rhythm, beats per minute, etc. are all about numbers. Chorus lines are all about patterns. Musical instruments are all based on math. Pythagoras did some work on vibrating strings – if you divide a string by ratio of 2:1, 3:2 or 4:3 the plucking notes are all in consonance, i.e. it represents octaves, perfect fifths which means that it represents music which is pleasing on the ear. The Chinese believe that the only true evil is chaos – but in music, and life, too much order is boring. Music in itself is unsupervised math.
The trick is to identify the functional links between music, math and your brain and to use them to your advantage. Happy listening!
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