Several studies point towards piano playing making the brain run much more efficiently overall. That also leads us to think if all the percussion instruments that involve both hands actually have the same effect too, say for drums players.
According to a recent study from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, learning to play the violin or piano might help kids' brains by giving them some added benefits in key behavioral areas of the cortex.
A new study has revealed that learning a musical instrument like the piano might actually help to deal with mental health problems. So, it might not be such a bad idea to pick up the instrument and take some music lessons. If piano is not your thing, you can also just sit and listen to your favourite music.
Playing an instrument may be one of the best ways to help keep the brain healthy. “It engages every major part of the central nervous system,” said John Dani, PhD, chair of Neuroscience at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, tapping into both the right and left sides of the brain.
Music-making trumped other hobbies including knitting, which had an average score increase of 9.68 percent, exercising (7.37 percent) and reading (7.07 percent). According to the study, the most popular instrument was the guitar, with 31 percent of volunteers choosing to learn it.
Playing musical instruments is not only fun; it is also a great brain exercise. Learning how to play an instrument positively influences your I.Q. Research shows that the activity raised general I.Q. by an average of 7 points.
Scientific studies and research show that playing musical instruments, like the piano, can even have a positive impact on your IQ. Studies that have been done throughout the years show that after about a year of weekly piano lessons and practicing, on average, children's IQ went up about 4.3 points.
For years, rock music has been known to evoke thoughts of power and vision in the brains of people listening to it. 21st-century studies have explored and documented the positive influence of music on rewiring the brain.
Music-making engages both halves of the brain equally. By stimulating the left brain, which is the more mathematical, calculating and syntactic hemisphere, and the right, which is the more creative, musicians build a strong corpus callosum, which acts as a neural bridge between the two hemispheres.
'The theremin is the most emotional instrument of all' – composer Justin Hurwitz on writing the score for First Man. The story of the moon landings demanded a score that was literally out of this world – and for Justin Hurwitz that meant exploring the sound of the quintessential sci-fi instrument…
According to Toyoshima and colleagues, playing the piano can lower cortisol levels and decrease a person's anxiety level.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral manifestations and severity of depression. The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete using multiple choice response formats.
Music stimulates brain waves
When we listen to music with a strong beat, our brain waves can be stimulated. Faster beats encourage more concentrated and alert thinking, while slower beats are associated with relaxed meditative states.
An electroencephalophone or encephalophone is an experimental musical instrument and diagnostic tool which uses brain waves (measured in the same way as an EEG) to generate or modulate sounds.
Individuals with ADHD are easily distracted by external noise; research shows that repetitive music and sounds have been found to block other random noises and lead to better attention on tasks. Background music also increases focus by decreasing mind-wandering.
Classical Music
Researchers have long claimed that listening to classical music can help people perform tasks more efficiently. This theory, which has been dubbed "the Mozart Effect," suggests that listening to classical composers can enhance brain activity and act as a catalyst for improving health and well-being.
Music also can activate the attention network on both sides of the brain, which can help overcome attention problems caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury.
1. Violin. The violin is a wooden stringed instrument that's part of a larger family of similar instruments. It's the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in its family and normally has four strings, although some violins can have five.
1. Ukulele – Easiest Instrument to Learn and Play. Loved for their tropical sound, ukuleles are really easy to learn which is why they have become extremely popular in recent years. Well over a million ukuleles are sold every year.
The conclusions come from two surveys of thousands of people who were asked about their musical preferences and given IQ tests. Both found a link between higher intelligence and preference for instrumental music.
Individuals with ADHD are hyperactive, so playing the piano or making music together in either an unstructured or a structured manner with a trained music therapist can provide these individuals with obligatory time to release their creative energy in a very positive way.
Studies indicate that when children with ADHD or learning disabilities learn a musical instrument, attention, concentration, impulse control, social functioning, self-esteem, self-expression, motivation, and memory improve.