Abstract
Interactive generative musical performance provides a suitable model for communication because, like natural linguistic discourse, it involves an exchange of ideas that is unpredictable, collaborative, and emergent. Here we show that interactive improvisation between two musicians is characterized by activation of perisylvian language areas linked to processing of syntactic elements in music, including inferior frontal gyrus and posterior superior temporal gyrus, and deactivation of angular gyrus and supramarginal gyrus, brain structures directly implicated in semantic processing of language. These findings support the hypothesis that musical discourse engages language areas of the brain specialized for processing of syntax but in a manner that is not contingent upon semantic processing. Therefore, we argue that neural regions for syntactic processing are not domain-specific for language but instead may be domain-general for communication.
Highlights
Music and language are both complex systems of auditory communication that rely upon an ordered sequence of sounds to convey meaning, yet the extent to which they share formal, functional and neural architecture is an ongoing topic of debate
Researchers have argued that music follows a system of syntactic rules akin to spoken language whose neural processing is linked to activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (Broca’s area and its right hemisphere homologue [4])
Music and language are both complex hierarchical combinatorial systems in which smaller units can be combined to produce an infinite number of more complex structures [3,6,7,8]. It is the generative capacity of music and language that allows each to serve as a means of communication between individuals, whether the content is aesthetic and emotional or pragmatic and semantic
Summary
Music and language are both complex systems of auditory communication that rely upon an ordered sequence of sounds to convey meaning, yet the extent to which they share formal, functional and neural architecture is an ongoing topic of debate. Music and language are both complex hierarchical combinatorial systems in which smaller units (notes in music and morphemes in language) can be combined to produce an infinite number of more complex structures [3,6,7,8]. It is the generative capacity of music and language that allows each to serve as a means of communication between individuals, whether the content is aesthetic and emotional or pragmatic and semantic. We argue that musical communication involves an exchange of ideas that is not based on traditional notions of semantics, but instead on syntactic attributes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
