<p>I am aware that the music and IQ question has already been asked. But I am not focused on IQ or intelligence here. Let me explain. Four years ago I taught myself music from scratch; I didn't know what a note was. I taught myself to compose. Even though I cannot play an instrument or sing. Four years later I can compose complex music both with staves and in a DAW. Changes I have noticed over 4 years of daily intensive music composing:
[1] I can hear musical detail that I could not 4 years ago. 
[2] I can remember complex music easily; 4 years ago I couldnt remember any music. 
[3] I can remember and change music in my mind to new music easily. 
[4] I cannot remember lyrics anymore. Because I absorb lyrics and turn them into melody patterns instead. So I replay them as melodies that don't remove words, but create non recallable words. </p>

<p>Most of the four years has been spent in either Finale, a composing program, or in a DAW [digital audio workstation] called FL Studio. I have made classical, piano and electronic music. It's hard to quantify my hours spent composing over 4 years - it's been endless. Throughout it I am self taught from books; I've taken no lessons.</p>

<p>I can only present my experiences. I am not a psychologist or brain expert. So I have no access to studies.  </p>

<p>Thank you. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-26T07:07:07.423Z
Well, arguably your brain constantly changes, as you change. So obviously, yes, it changes. But that is not your question, is it?
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-26T07:13:42.767Z
Well no - I was asking from a more causal perspective!
Snack_Food_Termite
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-26T10:22:35.627Z
My point was, what type of 'change' in the brain are you asking about? You observed a change in behavior, and want to exclude IQ. Are you interested in whether such behavior changes can be 'observed' in the neuronal structure/firing in the brain? Or, are you interested to know the behavior change you observed is also observable in other people?
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-26T10:27:42.120Z
You put me in a weird situation because I have no qualifications in brain science of any type. I was thinking more when I wrote the OP of whether there were any psychology studies of people learning to compose music and reporting changes in perceptions and memory such as my listed 1-4.
Snack_Food_Termite
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-26T13:50:48.810Z
Thank you @athornton, that clarifies it. I recommend you to remove the focus on "the brain" from your question then; this is not what you are interested in. Write it as you did just now. You are interested in changes in perception of music. E.g., "Does learning to compose music change the way you perceive music?"
Steven Jeuris
<psychology><music>
Does learning to compose music change our perceptions? Even without playing or singing
Snack_Food_Termite
# Does learning to compose music change our perceptions? Even without playing or singing

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-26)

I am aware that the music and IQ question has already been asked. But I am not focused on IQ or intelligence here. Let me explain. Four years ago I taught myself music from scratch; I didn't know what a note was. I taught myself to compose. Even though I cannot play an instrument or sing. Four years later I can compose complex music both with staves and in a DAW. Changes I have noticed over 4 years of daily intensive music composing:
[1] I can hear musical detail that I could not 4 years ago.
[2] I can remember complex music easily; 4 years ago I couldnt remember any music.
[3] I can remember and change music in my mind to new music easily.
[4] I cannot remember lyrics anymore. Because I absorb lyrics and turn them into melody patterns instead. So I replay them as melodies that don't remove words, but create non recallable words.

Most of the four years has been spent in either Finale, a composing program, or in a DAW [digital audio workstation] called FL Studio. I have made classical, piano and electronic music. It's hard to quantify my hours spent composing over 4 years - it's been endless. Throughout it I am self taught from books; I've taken no lessons.

I can only present my experiences. I am not a psychologist or brain expert. So I have no access to studies.

Thank you.

**Tags:** psychology, music

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Well, arguably your brain constantly changes, as you change. So obviously, yes, it changes. But that is not your question, is it?  
> **username_0**: Well no - I was asking from a more causal perspective!  
> **username_1**: My point was, what type of 'change' in the brain are you asking about? You observed a change in behavior, and want to exclude IQ. Are you interested in whether such behavior changes can be 'observed' in the neuronal structure/firing in the brain? Or, are you interested to know the behavior change you observed is also observable in other people?  
> **username_0**: You put me in a weird situation because I have no qualifications in brain science of any type. I was thinking more when I wrote the OP of whether there were any psychology studies of people learning to compose music and reporting changes in perceptions and memory such as my listed 1-4.  
> **username_1**: Thank you @athornton, that clarifies it. I recommend you to remove the focus on "the brain" from your question then; this is not what you are interested in. Write it as you did just now. You are interested in changes in perception of music. E.g., "Does learning to compose music change the way you perceive music?"  

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