How Music Works

David Byrne stumbled into a career in the music industry when the Talking Heads took off.  In How Music Works, he attempts to take a long view of music. How did humanity start to use music? There is some analysis of rhythm and vocalization going back to prehistory. 

There are some interesting insights into how music has evolved based on how and where it is performed. Percussion dominated in early days as music was performed over vast areas outdoors. When performance was made in acoustically challenged indoor areas, long notes that could handle the echo and reverb came into place. In modern times, we have music optimized for the vast caverns of arenas, noisey dance floors, and intimate personal listening. The music for each location is optimized for the location where it is listened. Music has undergone great changes recently as it is often listened to via recordings rather than via performance. Different techniques, such as vibrato have become common as listening environments have changed. 

Byrne brings in a lot of his personal experience in discussing modern music. He criticises the separation of music into "high art" and "popular". Much of the classical music and opera of today was once the popular music of times past. Jazz was dark room popular music that has become "respectable" over span of recent generations. As music becomes more "classical" it often becomes more sterile and less innovative.

His discussion of the music business, music scenes and performance opportunities gets down into the closely autobiographical. He brings out a detailed analysis of the CBGB music scene in New York. This gave birth to a number of influential bands. The economy of the situation helped allow for creativity to flourish. 

The performance of music has been changing over time. Up until a century ago, music was almost enjoyed via performance. People would make music themselves or perhaps hear music from itinerant performers. The recording industry has greatly changed things and enabled a few performers to have wide-reaching popularity. Gatekeepers helped control who was popular. Large venues became a way for these acts to perform in front of large audiences. The more intimate performance still lives on in smaller clubs and dance halls. With the internet access to recorded music has become more democratized. Streaming has also led to significant changes in how music is purchased. In a full circle, ubiquity has now made performance more important than ever.