Subject: Re: Clarity of high/low frequency and impact on musics From: Eliot Handelman <eliot(at)generation.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 00:23:42 -0700Robin Rader wrote: > > I ... would be thankful for help in finding papers and information on > previous research in the field of the "Earworm"/"Cognitive > Itch"-phenomena > If the effort here is to discover a system of figuring out how to write unforgettable tunes by manipulating magical frequencies, all bets are off. An interesting read. is Theodor Reik's "The Haunting Melody." Halfway through he concludes that the subject demanded a psychoacoustical treatment which he felt unqualified to undertake. Still, it's filled with apposite considerations, and also includes primary material about Mahler's visit to Freud. It might be interesting to reflect on the similarities between "earworms" and auditory hallucinations since, in both cases, some sort of self-regulation involving hearing seems to have spun out of control. But then the question would arise as to what sort of control and, importantly, loss of control, may be involved in the basic perception of music. -- eliot