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Talk5 min

Why we love repetition in music

Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis · TED

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About

How many times does the chorus repeat in your favorite song? How many times have you listened to that chorus? Repetition in music isn't just a feature of Western pop songs, either; it's a global phenomenon. Why? Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis walks us through the basic principles of the 'exposure effect,' detailing how repetition invites us into music as active participants, rather than passive listeners. [Directed by Andrew Zimbelman, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Joshua Smoak and Alex Admiral Collier].

The talk

  1. Why we love repetition in music 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis
Year
2014
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Psychology and the brain, Music
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed