Abstract
The song is the most fundamental format in music, ubiquitously present across cultural and epochal boundaries. To share a particular moment through the synchronized engagement in words and melody brings on a state of embodied and emotional attunement and entrainment that seems to be uniquely human. The integration of words and melody holds a remarkable power over our imagination and our feelings, and this offers a challenge to cognitive science. How can we explain the fact that a simple embodied phenomenon, like changing the way we use our voice from speaking mode to singing mode, can have such far-reaching consequences for our psyche and such strong emotional and social ramifications?In this paper I present an analytical study of the cognitive dimensions of two of the key elements involved in singing: rhythm and meter, and I shall apply this analysis to poetry and music. This leads to a discussion of the phenomenology of the embodied musical experience, where I use Bob Dylan’s song Mr. Tambourine Man as a paradigm example. The study is part of an ongoing investigation in musical embodiment.
Published Version
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