Objective Summary: This Is Your Brain On Music Section Two

In section two of This Is Your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin discusses the science behind foot tapping and the way our brain perceives music.  He describes how foot tapping is divided into synced pulses from the brain.  When a song is played, each person's 

                          This is a video of seals moving to the beat of music.

perception of the tune differs. If a song is catchy, people will tap their feet or hum to go along with the beat. The act of footapping and humming is automatic, though it is a voluntary response. Even though one might not be conscious if they are tapping their feet, they can  stop this action if desired. Humans are not the only creature that moves to a beat when a sound is heard. Primates, seals, and certain breads of birds also move to the rhythm of music. Levitin furthermore elucidates about the timber of a person's voice. Timber is the pitch of the vocal cords. When a person talks, the timber of their voice differs. The timber of someone’s voice can show a person's emotions, health, and more. If a person is sick their voice will be hoarse, or if they are happy at a higher timber then usual. Finally, Levitin emphasizes how the brain reacts to diffent sounds. Each brain is unique. A sound that one person may find soothing may be irritable to another. The way the brain reacts to noise is a vital factor to how sound is perceived. 

http://daniellevitin.com/publicpage/books/this-is-your-brain-on-music/