Why does music rely so heavily on repetition?

廣東 李奕群

1How many times does the chorus (副歌) repeat in your favorite song? Repetition is a feature that music from cultures around the world tends to share.So, why does music rely so heavily on repetition?

2One part of the answer comes from what psychologists call the mere exposure effect.In short, people tend to prefer things they've been exposed to before.For example, a song comes on the radio that we don't particularly like, but then we hear the song at the grocery store, at the movie theater and again on the street corner.Soon, we are tapping to the beat,singing the words, and even downloading the track.

3Repetition connects each bit of music to the next bit of music that follows it.So when you hear a few notes, you're already imagining what's coming next.Your mind is unconsciously singing along.Recent studies have shown that when people hear a segment of music repeated, they are more likely to move or tap along to it.Repetition invites us into music as imagined participants, rather than as passive listeners.

5Research has also shown that listeners shift their attention across musical repetitions,focusing on different aspects of the sound on each new listen.You might notice the melody of a phrase the first time, but when it's repeated, your attention shifts to how the guitarist bends a pitch.

6Repetition gives rise to a kind of trend,where we're listening along with the sound,and engaging imaginatively with the note about to happen.This mode of listening ties in with our feelings to musical earworms, where segments of music flow into our heads, and play again and again.Critics are often embarrassed by music's repetitiveness,finding it childish,but repetition,far from an embarrassment,is actually a key feature that gives rise to the kind of experience we think about as musical.

Reading Check

1.Which of the following belongs to the mere exposure effect?

A.The more you like a song, the better you will sing it.

B.The more you hear a song, the more possible you will buy it.

C.The more you listen to a song, the more likely you will like it.

D.The more you are exposed to a play, the better you will perform it.

2.How does repetition invite us into music as imagined participants?

A.By singing with the song.B.By predicting what's coming next.

C.By listening to the music passively.D.By imagining what the lyrics describe.

3.What's the author's attitude towards music's repetitiveness?

A.Positive.B.Negative.C.Indifferent.D.Unclear.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.The origin of musical repetition.B.The function of musical repetition.

C.The criticism of musical repetition.D.The development of musical repetition.

?語篇解碼

本文是一篇說明文,主要說明了為什么音樂中會有這么多的片段重復。音樂重復次數越多，我們就越容易喜歡這種音樂。音樂朗朗上口，我們更容易沉浸在音樂的情境中，而不是被動地聽歌。在不斷的重復中，我們對音樂會有新的發現和理解。

?語言學習

Ⅰ.語料薈萃

語篇單詞重要短語repetition n. 重復；反復feature n. 特征psychologist n. 心理學家particularly adv. 特別；尤其unconsciously adv. 未意識到地；不知道地shift v. 轉移trend n. 趨勢；傾向imaginatively adv. 想象上地mode n. 方式；狀況；時尚；風尚；調式；模式critic n. 批評家；反對者embarrassed adj. 局促不安的；為難的；尷尬的____________musical adj.音樂的rely on 依靠；依賴around the world 世界各地；全世界tend to 朝某方向；趨向；偏重expose to 暴露于at the grocery store 在雜貨店at the movie theater 在電影院on the street corner 在街角sing the lyrics 唱歌詞download the track 下載歌曲connect...to...把……連接到……imagined participant 想象的參與者passive listener 被動聽眾focus on 集中；特別關注give rise to 導致；造成about to happen 即將發生tie in with （使）跟……相符；跟……連接起來as if 似乎；好像；仿佛

Ⅱ.語句分析

1.Repetition gives rise to a kind of trend, where we're listening along with the sound,and engaging imaginatively with the note about to happen.重復產生了一種趨勢，（在這種趨勢里）我們伴隨著聲音聆聽，想象著即將奏響的音符。

【點石成金】本句中，where 引導定語從句，先行詞是trend， where 引導的從句在主句中作地點狀語，表示“在這種趨勢里”；listening和engaging是一個并列結構。

2.Critics are often embarrassed by music's repetitiveness, finding it childish, but repetition, far from an embarrassment, is actually a key feature that gives rise to the kind of experience we think about as musical.評論家們經常對音樂的重復感到尷尬，覺得它很幼稚，但重復遠不是一種尷尬，實際上它是讓我們認為的音樂體驗發生的一個關鍵特征。

【點石成金】本句中，finding 作原因狀語，和邏輯主語Critics 是邏輯上的主動關系； far from 意為“遠非；絕非”；that 引導的是定語從句，先行詞是feature，且that 在從句中作主語。

?語言運用

Ⅰ.例句仿寫

1.她將自己置于危險的境地，而且很有可能丟掉性命。

She's got herself into a dangerous situation ___________________________.

2.你非但沒有改善現狀，反而使情況更糟。

__________________________, you've just made it worse.

Ⅱ.寫作實踐

假定你是李華，你的外國朋友John 寫信詢問你喜歡的音樂類型。請你給他寫一封回信，內容包括：

1.喜歡的音樂類型；

2.喜歡的原因。

注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Dear John,

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua