The Origins of Music: Preface - Preface

Another question suggested from avian studies is whether a sensitive

period exists for learning about music.Can we learn the scales,intervals,

and predictable patterns of a new musical system equally well at any

age? Can we develop complete fluency in nonnative music later in life

and derive from it the same meaning and emotions reported by native

musicians?

Studies suggest that responses of auditory neurons in the song control

nuclei of birds are altered as a consequence of song learning.Perhaps

regions of our brain involved in perceiving or producing music are sim-

ilarly altered as we acquire musical knowledge,making it more difficult

to participate in a different musical system.It would be interesting to

compare the abilities of adults and children to learn intervals and scales

that are different from those of their native music.Equally interesting

would be to determine whether difficulties reproducing unfamiliar inter-

vals are the result of a deficiency in perceiving the interval or in pro-

ducing it.

Undeniably vast differences in cognition exist between humans and

avian species,making the value of literal comparison of vocal behavior

questionable at best.However,all species must solve the challenge of

coordinating their behavior with other members of their species,which

requires sending as well as decoding signals.In gaining an understand-

ing of song learning in birds,we have an opportunity to learn how other

species have responded to these common challenges and may find our-

selves returning to studies of our own species with a new perspective.

Acknowledgments

I thank Nils Wallin,Steven Brown,and Björn Merker for organizing an

invaluable,cross-disciplinary discussion of musicology,and Chris Bauer,

Peter Marler,Jill Soha,and Anne Whaling for commenting on this

manuscript.

References

Aamodt,S.M.,Kozlawski,M.R.,Nordeen,E.J.,and Nordeen,K.W.(1992).Distribution

and developmental change in [^3 H]MK-801 binding within zebra finch song nuclei.Journal

of Neurobiology23:997–1005.

Aamodt,S.M.,Nordeen,E.J.,and Nordeen,K.W.(1995).Early isolation from conspecific

song does not affect the normal developmental decline of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor

binding in an avian song nucleus.Journal of Neurobiology27:76–84.

Baptista,L.F.and Schuchmann,K.(1990).Song learning in the anna hummingbird (Calypte

anna).Ethology84:15–26.

Brenowitz,E.A.and Kroodsma,D.E.(1996).The neuroethology of birdsong.In D.E.

Kroodsma and E.H.Miller (Eds.) Ecology and Evolution of Acoustic Communication in

Birds(pp.285–304).Ithacan,NY:Cornell University Press.

74 Carol Whaling

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