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Subject:
From:
Owen Daly <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Harpsichords and Related Topics <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 4 May 2007 16:52:54 -0700
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A quick websearch indicates that in some medical circles 'amusia' is 
considered roughly equivalent to the popular term 'tone deafness' 
after all.

But clearly what we normally mean by 'tone deaf' is considerably more 
trivial and less debilitating than the real medical condition, and 
usually just involves people being self-deprecating because they 
haven't developed certain skills.

A person with true amusia would not just be unable to reproduce 
musical patterns, but would also find any musical phenomena devoid of 
any meaning at all.

I'm sure lots of people with few enough skills who call themselves 
'tone deaf' are perfectly capable of being swept away by a piece of 
music they really like, and this is something utterly 
incomprehensible to one with amusia.

A superficial glance at some of the medical articles that turned up 
in the search suggests that this can be an acquired condition, 
presumably as a result of some sort of brain injury.

That would be pretty awful, wouldn't it?

o


-- 
Owen Daly Early Keyboard Instruments
557 Statesman St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-362-9396
http://www.dalyharpsichords.com

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