Researchers Reconstruct Classic Pink Floyd Song Using Brain Activity
The post Researchers Reconstruct Classic Pink Floyd Song Using Brain Activity appeared first on Consequence.
Researchers at California’s UC Berkeley managed to reconstruct a recognizable version of the Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)” by decoding brain activity.
It’s the latest breakthrough in the scientific quest to discover the effects of music on the brain. As reported by Genetic Engineering and Biotech News, the researchers at UC Berkeley placed electrodes on the skulls of neurological patients to read brain patterns and “prosody” — rhythm, stress, accent, and intonation — which goes beyond the spoken word.
In this case, the scientists were able to reconstruct discernible, if slightly inaccurate lyrics to the iconic Pink Floyd song: “All in all it was just a brick in the wall” (the actual lyrics read, “All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall”).
Pretty dang close. The researchers also noted that the rhythms of the song were intact — apparently the first time brain recordings have ever rendered a reconstructable song. The implications of such a discovery could be huge for those who are unable to speak due to paralysis or other causes.
“It’s a wonderful result,” noted neurologist Robert Knight via the aforementioned article. “One of the things for me about music is it has prosody and emotional content. As this whole field of brain-machine interfaces progresses, this gives you a way to add musicality to future brain implants for people who need it, someone who’s got ALS or some other disabling neurological or developmental disorder compromising speech output.”
He added, “It gives you an ability to decode not only the linguistic content, but some of the prosodic content of speech, some of the affect. I think that’s what we’ve really begun to crack the code on.”
Revisit “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)” below.
Hear Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason discuss the origins of “Time” on a recent episode of The Story Behind the Song…
Researchers Reconstruct Classic Pink Floyd Song Using Brain Activity
Jon Hadusek
Popular Posts
Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off North American Tour with World-Class Performance in Chicago: Review
Bruce Springsteen Dedicates "I'll See You in My Dreams" to Robbie Robertson in Chicago: Watch
Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani's Son Kingston Performs at Blake Shelton's Bar: Watch
Foo Fighters Bring Out Michael Bublé for "Haven't Met You Yet" at Outside Lands: Watch
Taylor Swift Announces New "Eras Tour" North American Dates in 2024
Truck Carrying Metallica Gear to Montreal Involved in Major Accident
