Gary Marcus

discusses


Guitar Zero:
The New Musician and the Science of Learning

Date

Jan
23
Monday
January 23, 2012
7:00 PM

Location

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Tickets

This event is free; no tickets are required.

Harvard Bookstore is pleased to welcome award-winning professor of psychology GARY MARCUS for a discussion of his latest book, Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning.

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Marcus, an internationally renowned scientist with no discernible musical talent, becomes his own guinea pig to look at how human beings become musical and how anyone of any age can master something new. Guitar Zero traces his journey through learning how to play the guitar. In addition to being a groundbreaking look at the origins and allure of music, Marcus's journey is also an empowering tale of the mind's plasticity.

In a quest that takes him from Suzuki classes to guitar gods, Marcus investigates the most effective ways to train your brain and body to learn to play an instrument. How can you make your practice more deliberate and effective? How can you find the best music teacher for you or your child? Does talent really exist? Or is hard work all you need?

Guitar Zero stands the science of music on its head, debunking the popular theory of an innate musical instinct and many other commonly held fallacies. At the same time, it raises new questions about the science of human pleasure and brings new insight into humankind's most basic question: what counts as a life well lived? Does one have to become the next Jimi Hendrix to make a passionate pursuit worthwhile? Or can the journey itself bring the brain lasting satisfaction?

For those who have ever set out to learn a musical instrument, or wishes that they could, Guitar Zero is an inspiring and fascinating look at music, learning, and the pursuit of a well-lived life.

Gary Marcus
Gary Marcus

Gary Marcus

Gary Marcus is an award-winning professor of psychology and director of the NYU Center for Language And Music, where he studies evolution, language, and cognitive development. He has written three books about the origins and development of mind and brain, including, most recently, Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of The Human Mind, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

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