Why playing music is a super activity in the brain.

Playing an instrument and especially playing and interacting musically is great for the mind and may be better than any other activity.

As many of our patients already know, I play in a band called Higher Ground which is not my first band.

I have played guitar since the age of 13 and before guitar, I played piano and also the clarinet when I was in elementary school.

I have found that playing from such a young age has many advantages since younger people’s brains process differently.

During the pandemic, I decided to try playing piano again and the process has been frustratingly slow and requires hours to master when I do not have those hours to give.

The book, This Is Your Brain on Music suggests that it takes 10000 hours for someone to become an expert. While I am not sure why this takes this long, the instrument after years of playing became an extension of me. Playing the instrument is as second nature as using a fork and knife or driving my car.

The piano, for me, continues to be a frustrating exercise in training myself with an instrument I stopped playing years ago.

Young brains absorb many things faster and with music, training the brain on timing, playing, singing, and pitch has had its benefits in ease of play and also in learning new things.

Music is also math, and learning how to play music, count time, and play in time teaches the brain skills that show up in other ways. My analytical mind may have been enhanced by playing music from that young age.

Recently, I found an article that talks about how music may benefit your brain more than any other activity. Their article suggests music is better for your brain than many of the word or brain games we play on our phones. One study suggests musicians are more mentally alert. They need to be if they want to play music with others which is how musicians play with others to make something larger than each individual in the band. You learn to listen, anticipate, and keep time with others to play the songs. You memorize the music and learn patterns and forms that often show up in other songs which you are influenced. I find that dissecting guitar solos have helped me become a better and more nuanced lead player.

It is understood that as we age, reaction times can slow but when playing with others, the effect may enhance reaction times.

The corpus callosum, a massive bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two sides of the brain, is larger in musicians. Also, the areas involving movement, hearing, and visuospatial abilities appear to be larger in professional keyboard players.

When watching professional musicians, I am often amazed at how they just know where the notes are and can play with such amazing accuracy. Even older keyboard players such as when I saw Deep Purple played, their keyboard player didn’t miss a note.

The article suggests that the earlier you begin playing, the more marked the changes that occur in brain structure and development.

Music has other benefits as well including psychosocial, memory, and the development of multitasking skills, important for playing and singing at the same time or using a drum when playing the guitar, something many of us have seen from time to time.

Of course, there is the joy that comes with learning a new song, playing with groups of people, and sharing our experience with them.

Check out the article below