Sound of Music or Speech? How to tell the difference By Heartsound Audio

 


Music and speech are two of the most frequent types of sound we hear. How do we identify what we think are the differences between them? Researchers have mapped a process through experimentation that offers insights to optimize therapeutic programs that use music to regain the ability to speak in addressing aphasia.  Language disorder affects 1 in  300 Americans each year, including Bruce Willis and Wendy Williams. 

“Although music and speech are different in many ways, ranging from pitch to timbre, to sound texture, Our results show that the auditory system uses shrinking simple acoustic parameters to distinguish music and speech,” reports Andrew Change, lead author of the journal appearing PLOS Biology, 

“Overall slower and steady sound clips of mere noise sound more like music while the faster and regular clips sound more like speech.”  

Scientist use Hertz (Hz) As precise units of measurement. A larger number of hertz means a greater number of occurrences or cycles per second then a lower number. Rock music is typically 1.5 to 2 Hz while speech in contrast is approximately 4 to 5 Hz. 

A songs volume or loudness or  “ Amplitude modulation” Is steady at 1 to 2 Hz. By contrast, the amplitude modulation of speech is usually 4 to 5 Hz measuring its volume changes frequently. 

The results showed that an auditory system uses surprisingly simple and basic Parameters to distinguish speech and music, using this amplitude modulation. 

Knowing how the brain differentiates between music and speech can potentially benefit people with auditory disorder, such as aphasia.  

Here is an interesting example with a promising approach:  to train people with aphasia to sing what they want to say, using their intact “musical mechanisms” !

What makes music and speech similar and different in the brain can help design more effective rehabilitation practices in the future. 

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