Passion For Music
However, there was one particular thing which stood above all which may most likely have physiologically linked his genius mind to what he actually did. And that was the effect of his violin playing. Einstein’s mother, Pauline Koch happened to be a talented musician and introduced her son to the piano when he was a young boy and encouraged his passion for the violin, which he vigorously studied from the age of six to thirteen.
Einstein’s great passion for music was not much of a lesser importance than his interest for science, physics and mathematics. It could even be said to be the core of his creative life. As mentioned before, his playing of the violin seemed to have taken a role in the development of his brain. When instrumental playing is analysed in the field of neuroplasticity, it can be proven that playing an instrument greatly affects the pathways of the neurons in various ways. Research reveals that grey matter of the brain (cortex/major component of the central nervous system) is highest in professional musicians, intermediate in amateur musicians and relatively low in in non-musicians. These changes can be observed in several areas of the brain involved in playing music: motor regions, inferior temporal areas and anterior superior parietal areas.
In addition, it is a fact that people can improve performance, in this case, playing the violin, through visualisations due to the fact that action and imagination often activate the same parts of the brain. When learning a physical skill, mental practice of this skill can produce the same physical changes in the motor system as the physical practice. For example, playing the violin or piano through the mind (through revising finger placements on the strings, tone, tempo, glissando, lifting and raising on keys and musical ornaments such as vibrato and appoggiatura) without actually having the instrument in your hands can alter/shift the neural pathways in the brain having the same effect as the quality of practicing the violin/piano physically. This theory can be confirmed as the effect has been achieved in experiments that involved musicians, as well as athletes in training.
“Life without playing music is inconceivable to me,” he once declared, referring to the fact that if he had not been a scientist, he would have been a musician. His violin remained his constant companion from the age of 13 and onwards, when he had discovered the flair of Mozart’s sonatas. In fact, during the last years of his schooling, Einstein seemed to have devoted a large proportion of his time to music. He practiced vigorously on the Brahms G-major Violin Sonata as well as several performances of adagios from Beethoven sonatas. Additionally, he also played the piano, which reinforced the grey matter of his brain.
According to his second wife Elsa, Albert Einstein strongly believed that music- whether it’d be on his violin or piano, would allow him to generalize/formulate physics related theories much faster. This could also be linked to the fact that his neural connections altered at a much higher speed than the average human and as well this worked twofold: instrumental music appealed to his taste and then altered the components of the central nervous system and therefore reorganised his brain.
Einstein’s great passion for music was not much of a lesser importance than his interest for science, physics and mathematics. It could even be said to be the core of his creative life. As mentioned before, his playing of the violin seemed to have taken a role in the development of his brain. When instrumental playing is analysed in the field of neuroplasticity, it can be proven that playing an instrument greatly affects the pathways of the neurons in various ways. Research reveals that grey matter of the brain (cortex/major component of the central nervous system) is highest in professional musicians, intermediate in amateur musicians and relatively low in in non-musicians. These changes can be observed in several areas of the brain involved in playing music: motor regions, inferior temporal areas and anterior superior parietal areas.
In addition, it is a fact that people can improve performance, in this case, playing the violin, through visualisations due to the fact that action and imagination often activate the same parts of the brain. When learning a physical skill, mental practice of this skill can produce the same physical changes in the motor system as the physical practice. For example, playing the violin or piano through the mind (through revising finger placements on the strings, tone, tempo, glissando, lifting and raising on keys and musical ornaments such as vibrato and appoggiatura) without actually having the instrument in your hands can alter/shift the neural pathways in the brain having the same effect as the quality of practicing the violin/piano physically. This theory can be confirmed as the effect has been achieved in experiments that involved musicians, as well as athletes in training.
“Life without playing music is inconceivable to me,” he once declared, referring to the fact that if he had not been a scientist, he would have been a musician. His violin remained his constant companion from the age of 13 and onwards, when he had discovered the flair of Mozart’s sonatas. In fact, during the last years of his schooling, Einstein seemed to have devoted a large proportion of his time to music. He practiced vigorously on the Brahms G-major Violin Sonata as well as several performances of adagios from Beethoven sonatas. Additionally, he also played the piano, which reinforced the grey matter of his brain.
According to his second wife Elsa, Albert Einstein strongly believed that music- whether it’d be on his violin or piano, would allow him to generalize/formulate physics related theories much faster. This could also be linked to the fact that his neural connections altered at a much higher speed than the average human and as well this worked twofold: instrumental music appealed to his taste and then altered the components of the central nervous system and therefore reorganised his brain.