I have a bit of hearing loss in my right ear. I am not sure how it happened, and since I realized it all of a sudden, I question whether it is from listening to music, as most people suggest. For the record, I usually do wear earplugs, now. Bummer.

In any event, SD recommended I take a look at a chapter (“The Musical Mind In Context: Culture And Biology”) in The Musical Mind : The Cognitive Psychology of Music (Oxford University Press, 1986), which she read for a music psychology course, because of my recent interest in the effects of records, compact discs, etc. on music. My argument is its affect has been of degree and not kind. Audio recording is just another type of recording technology, which has been around for thousands of years in written form.

The chapter outlines the importance of writing to music and how it has changed during time. It is interesting and a worthwhile read for anyone wanting to know more about this top.

But the part I found most interesting (and relevant) is the discussion of how music and speech are separated into different areas in our brain. This strikes me as odd since both are sounds, but the research on this matter is thorough and so I am happy to move forward on the assumption that they are correct.

More specifically, though, is that damage to the left brain or right ear is less important for your ability to handle music than it is for for your ability to understand and carry out speech. Might this be the case with me? I can hear non-speech sounds, whether it’s sounds outside or listening to music, but have some difficulty hearing people when they talk to me. Or is this not what the research is focused on (i.e., am I referring to my hearing but the research centers on interpretation)?