That we have separate and distinct mechanisms for appreciating the structural and the emotional aspects of music is brought home by the wide variety of responses {and even "dissociations"} that people have to music.146 There are many of us who lack some of the perceptual or cognitive abilities to appreciate music but nonetheless enjoy it hugely, and enthusiastically bawl out tunes, sometimes shockingly off-key, in a way that gives us great happiness {though it may make others squirm}. There are others with an opposite balance: they may have a good ear, be finely sensitive to the formal nuances of music, but nevertheless do not care for it greatly or consider it a significant part of their lives. That one may be quite "musical" and yet almost indifferent to music, or almost tone-deaf yet passionately sensitive to music, is quite striking. While
( Oliver Sacks )
[ Musicophilia: Tales of Music ]
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