Those Pesky Earworms

You have hummed, sung, and whistled the same catchy tune for the last forty-five minutes all the while to your loved one's or colleague's dismay...and you have not even noticed yourself being a slave to the song's irresistible draw.

So how does one particular song seep its way into your mind to gradually, stubbornly take control of you as Ruler of your mind, King of your crown?

Professor James Kellaris from the University of Cincinnati calls the uninvited tunes "Earworms". The term "earworm" is a translation of the German word Ohrwurm, used to describe the "musical itch" of the brain. Simply put, Earworms are songs or tunes that become stuck in the part of the brain that rehearses verbal information through the processes of short term memory. This usually happens when a person sings the song or hums the tune once and then repeats it in his or her mind.

Synonyms for earworms include "Last Song Syndrome", "repetuneitis", or in extreme degree "melodymania". A "repetune" is a song or other musical piece stuck in one's head. Earworms are no laughing matter to some, especially to those with Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. Medication is even prescribed to some, however ridiculous it may seem.

Professor Kellaris has identified two characteristics that all "Earworms" have in common:
1. An element of repetition - like in the theme from the film "Mission: Impossible", "Dragnet", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", you get the idea...
2. Simplicity - this is why children's tunes are more likely to stick with you than more complex material - it would be a rare moment to hear anyone humming Bach's Fugues on any ordinary day...rather "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie", "Skip, Skip, Skip to My Lou" or some other simple song is more likely to be heard.

So why do we not find ourselves constantly inhabited by earworms? Every moment of the day we are filled with fresh auditory information which constantly distracts us from concentrating on earworms. Still, people react differently to this stuck-song syndrome. Kellaris discovered that women are more susceptible to earworms than men. And musicians more than non-musicians. "Musicians are probably prone to earworms by merit of the greater exposure to music and repetition they encounter in rehearsals," he says. "But why are women? That is a mystery." Interestingly enough, Kellaris says earworms are more problematic for those inclined to worry, and women had higher neuroticism scores than men.

Don't blame me...it is a scientific report, fellow ladies of the world.

So how can you get rid of pesky earworms without calling for federations to be established and petitioning the government to place warning stickers on all potential earworms? You may seem a hopeless case to your family and friends after the 10th time of promising not to utter another note of the pesky earworm for the rest of your life, only to obliviously hum the whole song a minute later. Professor Kellaris certainly suggests a mischievous way if you have had enough self-control to keep the earworm to yourself and it is to play a game of tag with your unsuspecting neighbour by singing the song that is haunting you in the hopes of passing it along to your victim. That way it can still be registered by your mind, only you are not the one singing it anymore. Diabolical for sure!

What to do, what to do? Some people swear by 'eraser tunes'; tunes that have a mystical ability to eat any other earworms. Singing the eraser tune rids one of an earworm but risks replacing it with the eraser song. Ahhh! Where does it end?? We Are the Champions is cautiously suggested, but do not use it too much...it is a bit catchy.

If all else fails, look to the beacon of light, the ray of hope, the epitome of....okay, well, just look up Maim That Tune...prettypicture.com/maim...for all your ear-worm eradication needs.

So what is Music?

I have often wondered why Music is so stong a force in the world. It can empathise with a hurting soul, it can cause fear and trepidation in the hearts of approaching foes on a battlefield by the beat of a steady drum or an eery, wild bagpipe, it can move one to tears, it can cause kings to stand in awe as evidence with Handel's Messiah.

If you think about the Universe as an entity itself, stars and planets, you will see it has a music of its own. Ever heard static on a radio? It's just the music of the stars! Kingdoms find soldity in national anthems, individuals find solace and identity.

The universe is immersed in music-everything has a song to it. Stop and listen for a minute...what can you hear? Perhaps, crickets outside your window? The breath of a loved one beside you? The hum of an air conditioner? The refrigerator? The last two may seem quite odd to list, but if you just stop to listen you will hear that everything emits some sort of sound,some sort of music.

The Piano's Creation

The invention of the piano is credited to the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731). Cristofori was a keyboard instrument designer for the prince Ferdinand d’ Medici of Florence at the turn of the 18th century. At this time, the most popular keyboard instruments were the harpsichord and the clavichord. Both of these instruments resembled the modern day piano, but their sound was produced by plucking the strings. When the keys of the harpsichord were depressed, a small metal hook would pluck the appropriate wire string to produce a particular tone. A major drawback of the harpsichord, however, was the inability to control the loudness of each note, and composers for this instrument were unable to evoke emotion through its design.
The clavichord aimed to improve on this situation. Technically more advanced, the clavichord still plucked at wire strings, but allowed the strings to continue vibrating as long as the key was depressed. This innovation allowed artists more control over the volume of their instrument. The clavichord became quite popular inspiring Johann Sebastian Bach to write many popular works in his Anna Magadelena Notebook. Although today the Notebook is used exclusively for the piano, it was originally written for the clavichord. The clavichord was far from perfect, however, and although it permitted expressiveness from its players, it was too delicate in tone. The clavichord was not suited for performances in large halls, and was frequently drowned out by other instruments.
Keyboard enthusiasts during Cristofori’s time sought an instrument with the power of the harpsichord but the volume control mechanism of the clavichord. Eventually Cristofori came up with the brilliant idea of replacing the wire hooks of the two instruments with leather padded hammers. The result was an instrument that played both piano (soft) and forte (loud). The new keyboard became known as the pianoforte, which over the years has shortened to piano. But Cristofori’s new invention received little applause from the Italians or his patron the prince d’ Medici. According to Roy E. Howard’s Piano History, Johann Sebastian Bach found the keys too heavy to the touch, and many harpsichord players dismissed the new feel of the piano as too difficult to master.
Luckily Cristofori’s design was not lost due to lack of popular demand. During the rest of the eighteenth century, European inventors tinkered with the instrument’s design. Austrians and Germans in particular took to perfecting the piano, but due to the expense of the final product, only a few were made for royalty and noblemen who could afford them. By the late 1770’s, Johann Christian Bach of the same famous family played a newly redesigned pianoforte in public, and the piano’s popularity began to soar. Bi-colored keys, more sturdy frames, and more precise stringing techniques also added to the piano’s newfound fame. Its fame extended to the British colonies in America where high-ranking nobility considered a piano in the home to be the height of fashion.
The piano’s popularity rose sharply by the mid-18th century, as Romanticism in the arts became all the rage. Romanticism encouraged the expression of emotions through art, and the very expressive piano became the instrument of choice for musicians. Composers began to compose more music for the piano, and solo piano performances were held in sold out concert halls. Franz Liszt is perhaps best known for his extraordinary piano performances in front of hundreds of adoring females, embodying what would come to be known in the 20th century as the musical superstar.
The Americans were responsible for bringing the piano to the homes of middle-class families. Jonas Chickering started his successful piano-manufacturing firm in the Unites States in 1823, and was soon followed by Heinrich Steinweg of Steinway and Sons fame. The new assembly-line techniques and standardized piano parts significantly reduced the cost of pianos, and by the end of the 19th century pianos were considered a must-have for every household. The functional upright design made for easy home storage. Pre-made piano parts made for easy assembly, and mail-order catalogs with generous installment plans left few excuses for not buying a piano. Feminine advice guides of this era encouraged women to learn the piano. Musical ability with the piano was the mark of a refined woman, and along with her cooking and needlepoint skills would catch her a husband in no time. The piano also permitted women to respectably earn money for the first time through piano lessons.
The piano was also a hallmark for working class communities during the 1920s. The Smithsonian’s Piano 300 Exhibition in Washington DC notes that African-Americans had been using the piano in their gospel worship services since after the Civil War. But they began to experiment with the instrument towards the beginning of the 20th century. New composers such as Scott Joplin created new musical styles such as ragtime and jazz, both of which became the basis for American popular music in the latter half of the century.
But the piano’s popularity was threatened by the invention of the radio and phonograph. These easier forms of entertainment began to replace the piano, as did the advent of the movie industry. The Depression of the 1930s did not help piano sales and in order to compete in this new world, piano manufactures introduced player pianos. Music sheets resembling giant punch cards were fed through the piano, and mechanically depressed the correct key. Popular music of the day was transferred to these musical rolls and fed through the new piano. Roy E. Howard’s Piano History mentions that other techniques used by manufacturers to stimulate interest among consumers included focusing on economy and appearance rather than quality and performance. By the 1940s, ‘baby grands’ and ‘spinets’ were the two most popular piano models and are the pianos of choice for modern day consumers.