Tripping the World Fantastic. A Journey Through the Music of Our Planet

Every culture on Earth has music. Every culture that's ever existed has had it, but we don't exactly know why. Music is not like food, shelter, or having opposable thumbs. We don't need it to live, and yet we can't seem to live without it. Glenn Dixon travels the globe exploring how and why people make music. From a tour of Bob Marley's house to sitar lessons in India, he experiences music around the world and infuses the stories with the latest in brain research, genetics, and evolutionary psychology. Why does music give us chills down the backs of our necks? What exactly are the whales singing about and why does some music stick in our minds like chewing gum?

Through his adventures, Dixon uncovers the real reasons why music has such a powerful hold on us ? and the answers just might surprise you.

CONTENIDO:

Acknowledgements
Listening to the Music
Introduction

Part One: Music and Evolutionary Psychology
Egypt: The Trumpets of King Tut
Petra: Auditory Cheesecake
Turkey: The Whirling Dervishes
Athens: The Scales of Pythagoras
Paris: The Invention of Harmony
Seville: Flamenco and the Rhythm of Our Hearth

Part Two: Music and Social Animal
Africa: Drums in the Night
Cuba: Musical Fusion
Jamaica: Stirring It Up at Bon Marley's House
The Mayans: Counting Out Time

Part Three: Rituals of Sound
The South Pacific: The Singing of Whales
Bali: The Dance of Spirits
India: The Pull of Emotions
Russia and the East: There Will Your Heart Be

Part Four: Musical Intelligence
Vienna: The Sound of Genius
Ireland and Scotland: The Celtic Soul

Bibliography
Index