Having recently read Philip Ball’s excellent book ‘Critical Mass’ and having a deep interest of music I was quick to acquire and read his book ‘The Music Instinct’ in the hope that it might explain the mystery of why music has such an amazing impact when we listen to it. The book was interesting and informative, but I found it quite hard going in places and it really needs a sound-track so that points made in the text are instantly illustrated with examples. I discovered a lot about how music is constructed and how and why notes fit together but I don’t feel I got much closer to understanding why music has the mental and physical impacts it can sometimes generate.
Tim O'Hare 