Are We the Only Species to Hear Music?

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 30 Apr 2014 10:18 am

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=264974

As I mentioned in the above tab, music is based on arithmetical relationships between sound vibration rates, and the notes actually continue to have the same relationships well outside our frequency range of hearing.

The same notes that we hear are heard by all living creatures, and there is evidence to suggest that even plants can feel vibrations and can maybe sense the difference between frequencies. Many creatures can hear notes well above and/or below our hearing limits.

Is music hot-wired into us at conception, and, if so, since we creatures have all evolved from the same primeval cells, do all creatures have a sense of music?

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 30 Apr 2014 10:43 am

Alan, define "sense of music." This all sounds more like anthropomorphizing to me.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 30 Apr 2014 12:52 pm

"Are We the Only Species to Hear Music"?

I don't think so.
I'd seriously doubt that my dogs are thinking in music theory terms and trying to analyze how certain pieces are played, but I can sure tell when they like a song or not.

One of them is a pedal steel fan, the other one...not so much. She leaves the room when I play.
Of course she may be a more honest critic than the other one.

Rick

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Apr 2014 1:07 pm

Decide for yourselves:

http://youtu.be/0bt9xBuGWgw

http://youtu.be/qTl1asCDOgs

Curt Trisko · Post by **Curt Trisko** » 30 Apr 2014 1:20 pm

Decide for yourselves:

http://youtu.be/0bt9xBuGWgw

http://youtu.be/qTl1asCDOgs

No kidding. Also, animal calls have all the characteristics of music: rhythm, pitch, and so on. They even have repeating patterns like music does(verse, bridge, chorus).

I wouldn't be surprised if people have theorized that animal calls and music are one and the same and that's why we naturally are drawn to it. The real question underlying this thread might be at which point in the development of different forms of life did this musical tendency arise and how. Obviously, it's about communication and how it becomes so ingrained that the desire persists even when no other individuals are around. As opposed to a cricket chirp, which is more like Morse Code, a more musical form of communication is much more efficient at delivering information.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 30 Apr 2014 2:11 pm

"Are We the Only Species to Hear Music"?

Of course not, but without the benefit of speech, what music means to other species is still a mystery that us homo sapiens can only speculate about..

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 30 Apr 2014 3:57 pm

Jim Cohen wrote:Decide for yourselves:

http://youtu.be/0bt9xBuGWgw

http://youtu.be/qTl1asCDOgs

The first bird has better taste in music, IMO, and both birds have a better sense of rhythm than some people I know.

Rick

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 1 May 2014 12:19 am

My fav.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQD7imxd8o

Ken Campbell · Post by **Ken Campbell** » 1 May 2014 3:59 am

Shane Reilly · Post by **Shane Reilly** » 1 May 2014 8:43 am

That cows vid is awesome, I couldn't help but sing to myselfâ€¦Just a closer walk with beef.
Sorry cows.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 May 2014 10:54 am

The cow video is sublime. They have better taste than every Justin Bieber fan!

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 1 May 2014 12:07 pm

They have better taste right next to the mashed potatoes..

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 May 2014 5:29 am

That music only works for cows.

Calves prefer distorted guitars, loud drums, laser light-shows, and pyrotechnics.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 3 May 2014 8:41 am

Not only can other species hear music, but some can play it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjsu3SGAdLs

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 3 May 2014 9:50 am

Imagine a simple tune like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, in three-part harmony. Record it then put it up two octaves. You can still hear it as a tune, but put it up another four octaves and it's probably completely beyond your spectrum of hearing, but the song still exists and still fulfils all the relationships of harmony, etc. Some animals and insects will be able to hear it.

Again, do the same thing but lower it until it's below our spectrum of hearing and the same thing happens. The song still exists and follows all the rules of harmony, but to us it is completely silent. But some animals; whales, for instance; will probably still hear it, and maybe some plants will, too.

If we could only hear the sounds which are beyond our spectrum of hearing there are probably all sorts of wonderful sounds that other creatures can hear. Maybe that's why some animals can hear earthquakes before they reach the surface.

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 3 May 2014 11:16 am

Franklin wrote:My fav.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQD7imxd8o

That's funny !!

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 7 May 2014 11:27 am

my favourite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdvqQzO1PY

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 7 May 2014 12:35 pm

Depending on how deeply you want to get into it, here's a little 'light bedtime reading' for you: http://cognet.mit.edu/library/books/vie ... 0262232065.

I only know about it because, as it happens, my wife wrote one of the chapters and worked, at one time or another, with several of the other authors.

P.S. I make no claim to be able to understand the scientific jargon but will be happy to ask her to translate it into the language of us commoners if anyone's interested.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 8 May 2014 10:55 am

Thanks for that link, Chris. That book is very interesting.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 10 May 2014 8:51 am

If we could only hear the sounds which are beyond our spectrum of hearing there are probably all sorts of wonderful sounds that other creatures can hear.

May I suggest accepting the limitations of our current hearing? I don't want to hear the sound of my vegetables screaming as I eat them..

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 11 May 2014 9:54 am

I'm sure cows hear music. Soft classical music sooths them.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 22 May 2014 8:55 am

The first bird has better taste in music, IMO, and both birds have a better sense of rhythm than some people I know.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 31 May 2014 8:45 am

http://www.people.com/article/otters-pl ... d%3D482628
Here's a clip of otters playing the keyboard. They should try them with a steel guitar next. Of course, without opposing thumbs they might have to have a special tone bar made for them...

Peter Wojnar · Post by **Peter Wojnar** » 28 Oct 2014 7:09 pm

Whenever my gf's cats started getting too....familiar.... a nice loud tri-tone on the archtop would send them scurrying.

On the other hand, if they were property respectful and keeping their distance, they seemed to enjoy some of my more accomplished chord-melody offerings.

What is that George Strait song about...."Even my girlfriend thinks I like her cat..." or something like that?!