Is outstanding musical talent related to intelligence?

[stillshaded]

It's important to remember that there are basically discrete types of intelligence.

http://www.intropsych.com/ch02_human_ne ... gence.html

So, saying "are intelligence and musical skill related?" is kind of like saying "are romantic comedies and movies related?"

Musicality is a type of intelligence.

[Numanoid]

Is Justin Bieber a genius?

6 million teenage girls can't be wrong y'know

[foosnark]

It's difficult to even frame the question.

There are many kinds of musical talent. Technical performance is an interrelated set of skills (this requiring many hours of practice to reach high levels, but the starting point and development speed are certainly better in some people than others, as are traits like persistence, practicing *effectively* and so on). Adaptability to many different kind of instruments at a basic level is another. Improvisational skills are another. Composition is another set of skills. There are rhythmic perception and accuracy, pitch perception, teaching skills, stage presence and showmanship... and of course sound design, production skills etc.

Some of them probably have a correlation to... let's just arbitrarily choose IQ as a measure of "intelligence." Some of them probably don't.

I seem to recall a study where elderly people who practiced a musical instrument that requires manual dexterity tend to retain higher IQ scores and better memory recall than those who don't. So it's not necessarily a one-way street.

[highkoo]

I seem to recall a study where elderly people who practiced a musical instrument that requires manual dexterity tend to retain higher IQ scores and better memory recall than those who don't. So it's not necessarily a one-way street.

Thats how I see it. I think it might be almost a one way street, but its ^that way. Its not that good brains make good music. Im more likely to believe that making music enhances intelligence rather than the vice versa.

[fmr]

I remember a slogan from NAMM (or Muskimesse, don't know exactly) that I have in a t-shirt I bought: "Music makes you smarter"

[Sampleconstruct]

Wot?

[highkoo]

MAKE MUSIC, GET SMART!!

[Zombie Queen]

There are some amazing gifted musicians and when you spot some interview or hear them talk about their music, it gets quite confusing. Personally, I think, no, there is no correlation, just hit and miss.

[Tricky-Loops]

There are some amazing gifted musicians and when you spot some interview or hear them talk about their music, it gets quite confusing. Personally, I think, no, there is no correlation, just hit and miss.

Because most musicians are more intelligent than their interviewers...

[vurt]

musicians may well be intelligent but theyre all wankers and arseholes as well.

[werp]

MAKE MUSIC, GET SMART!!

I'd rather have agent 99 if it's all the same to you.

[werp]

This amp goes up to eleven.

[Blue-eyed Blonde Ape]

Not always

[cryophonik]

musick maek me smarterer

[foosnark]

The correlation isn't necessarily a strong one...


"New records have sound all over them. CDs are small. There's no stature to it." -- Bob Dylan

"Keep Britain white." -- Eric Clapton

"I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I am 45" -- Mick Jagger, who is now 67

"I'm starting to read to my son, but I couldn't believe how vapid and vacant and empty all the stories were. There's, like, no lessons.... There's, like, no books about anything." -- Madonna

"Everything I've ever said" -- Ted Nugent