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jonners
07-04-2009, 15:20
According to Oliver Sacks, in his fascinating book 'Musicophilia - Tales of Music and the Brain', an earworm is a tune that gets stuck in your head and keeps on playing itself on endless repeat.

Since getting back to vinyl fairly recently, I seem to have been much more subject to this phenomenon and it almost always happens after listening to vinyl but not CD. Has anyone else noticed this?

Could it be that vinyl is reaching parts of the brain that CD can't access? Is there anyone out there who could cobble together an MRI scanner from a microwave oven, a TV set, a washing machine and six feet of chicken wire so that we could test this? :eyebrows: Anyone?

Beechwoods
07-04-2009, 15:26
Sounds like something Primalsea (Paul) will have already tried :eyebrows: :lol:

zenith2134
18-04-2009, 22:45
Hi. I think this is a real, and very fascinating phenomena.

Being a big Oliver Sacks fan, I am familiar with the notion of the earworm and do believe that analog recordings produce them more than digital. Not sure why.

One theory, IMO, is that the resonances of the original master are more closely preserved in an analog recording, whereas digital is sampled, even if it is high-rez like SACD. Still a sample of the original, technically.

The Grand Wazoo
18-04-2009, 23:26
Elsewhere on the AoS the other day someone mentioned that Neil Young had said that the digital era will be remembered as the Dark Ages of music.

Neil Young is also reported as saying that a big difference between vinyl & CD is that with CD you when you buy new music you never find yourself playing it over & over & over & over to the exclusion of all else like you used to with vinyl.

It's true.

The Grand Wazoo
22-07-2010, 17:58
I thought some folks here might be interested in this.

I was listening to Radio 4 late this afternoon & on the science programme 'The Material World'. There was an article about Earworms and some research that's being done on what makes one and why and also why some last for short periods & others last a lifetime. The research is being informed partly by the results of a survey & the researchers at Goldsmiths are seeking people to respond to it.

The article from programme is on the iPlayer here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/shaun-keaveny/form/earworms/) if you're interested in hearing it.

The Goldsmiths website is here (http://www.gold.ac.uk/music-mind-brain/earworm-project/) but I've copied some of the text from it below.



Earworm Project

Why do tunes get stuck in our heads?
The Music, Mind and Brain group is currently running a number of projects examining the nature and prevalence of earworms. We are funded by the British Academy and our current projects run in partnership with 6Music (BBC Radio).

This page will be updated regularly with links for studies, findings, and summaries of research progress as the projects advance.

What are earworms?
The term earworm originally comes from a translation of the German word 'Ohrwurm'. It refers to the experience of having a tune or a part of a tune stuck in your head. Often a person experiencing an earworm has no idea why a tune has popped into their head and has little control over how long it continues.

Earworms are a really common phenomenon: A recent poll suggested over 90% of the population experience them at least once a week, so it seems like having the odd earworm is perfectly normal. But 15% of people classified their earworms as "disturbing" [1] and in a different study one third of the people described their earworms as "unpleasant" [2] - This means that although earworms are essentially harmless they can get in the way of what you are trying to do and can stop you from thinking straight.

Despite the prevalent nature of earworms and the potential impact they can have on our normal thought processes very little is known about what causes earworms, why they happen to some people more than others and why some tunes are more commonly heard as an earworm than others.

This is where our research comes in!

Our Projects
We are currently running a number of projects funded by the British Academy which aim to answer these questions. Details relevant to each of the studies, as they emerge, will be published below.

Project 1: What features do typical earworm music tunes have in common? - Are some tunes naturally more 'sticky' because of the way they are constructed?

Project 2: What do people who frequently experience earworms have in common? - Are musicians or people who love music more vulnerable? What about people with different personality types?

Project 3: What causes earworms? - Are some situations more 'high risk'? What about the frequency of exposure? Can earworms have a purpose?


'How can I help?'...
…By telling us about your earworm experiences! Please visit our online survey at http://earwormery.com/ (Due for launch mid-June). As a thank you we will enter you in a prize draw to win £150

Also, anytime that you notice an earworm and want to tell us about it you can fill in our short report form which is hosted by 6Music here. Feel free to fill in as many of these as you like - the more the merrier!

Ali Tait
22-07-2010, 18:25
Yes interesting stuff Chris,I heard it too.

Macca
22-07-2010, 18:31
I didn't realise having a tune stuck in your head was a scientific phenonoma...

I suspect it happens all the time to everyone and has nothing to do with analogue or digital. Yesterday at work I had CCR's 'Fortunate Son' on repeat in my brain. And the only CCR I have is on CD. Nothing to do with the quality of the music or how much you like it or hate it either - we must all have had the experience of having a tune we hate stuck in our heads?

The Grand Wazoo
22-07-2010, 18:53
Nothing to do with the quality of the music or how much you like it or hate it either - we must all have had the experience of having a tune we hate stuck in our heads?

Yes, that's for sure!
I've just been discussing it with my family & I suggested that a very common one must be that bloody Kylie Minogue song & couldn't remember the name of it. Everyone agreed & then we realised that, somewhat spookily, its called 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'.

They then proceeded to curse & swear at me because they had that bloody Kylie Minogue song stuck in their heads!

Macca
22-07-2010, 18:58
Yes, that's for sure!
I've just been discussing it with my family & I suggested that a very common one must be that bloody Kylie Minogue song & couldn't remember the name of it. Everyone agreed & then we realised that, somewhat spookily, its called 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'.

They then proceeded to curse & swear at me because they had that bloody Kylie Minogue song stuck in their heads!

:lolsign:

To truly appreciate Kylie you need the videos with the music:)

Joe
22-07-2010, 19:25
Nothing to do with the quality of the music or how much you like it or hate it either - we must all have had the experience of having a tune we hate stuck in our heads?

Yes; I've had Chicory Tip's 'Son of my Father' stuck in my head since Sunday!

Macca
22-07-2010, 19:30
Yes; I've had Chicory Tip's 'Son of my Father' stuck in my head since Sunday!

Last week had 'What's in a Kiss' by that little curly haired bloke can't think of his name. That truly sucked big time and it went on for hours. It's my brain, I should have control!:)

jonners
22-07-2010, 21:12
Thanks for reviving this thread Chris with the info about the earworm project. Interesting... I've completed their questionnaire and of course I'll give you a cut if I win the prize! ;)

Alex_UK
22-07-2010, 21:57
I know a song that'll get on your nerves... Never had that on vinyl or CD... but boy did it ever.

Interesting stuff.

How do you get a job researching this sort of stuff? ;)

REM
24-07-2010, 08:45
http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac294/Vinylista/GhettoBlaster/2010-06-25-thebuble.jpg