Music Are all great musicians good at physics?

[Fervent Freyja]

I would not worry about it much. The brain can learn both. Only that, sometimes it takes longer for some people to learn in different areas. I've had weaknesses in mathematics that I will have to continue addressing before I can study physics more deeply (I've not taken any sort of physics before). I won't be doing any graduate work for 15 years at least. So, I've got a lot of time available to self-study, do coursework ahead, and collect more majors. I've never felt this much frustration or drive to know another subject like this- I go for hours self-studying after I put my daughter to sleep and do coursework. I would give all my college credits back if I could just understand this entirely. It feels like it could stay with me until death. It's been 9 months since I took an interest and it's all I want to know day and night, almost every day since. I cannot control myself.

The great violinist Niccolo Paganini did not do any physics. Leonardo da Vinci could be considered a physicist, much of his work is describing natural laws. He did quite a bit of experimentation and building. Sadly, he isn't known for his contributions in those areas. Upon reading his translated collection of folios, I've gotten the impression he had been somewhat bitter at his lack of training in higher mathematics and difficulties in articulating language. He seemed to believe that other "more educated" scholars were ostracizing him for it. I don't think that he played any instrument, but had written much on observations of sound. Some notable physicists wouldn't really have been considered great musicians.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Max Planck was a very accomplished musician and considered becoming a professional musician.
He wrote music and even an opera.

Werner Heisenberg was an accomplished pianist but had some uncertainty about becoming a professional musician..
Einstein was a klutz on the violin :-(

Symphony conductor Lorin Maazel studies advanced mathematics for fun

All the good musicians I know have no science aptitude.

James Williamson of the Stooges became an electrical engineer. It saved him from heroin addiction.

Eyewitnesses from Switzerland said he was an excellent player, good enough to turn pro. In later years he slacked off and took up the piano.

****, Why are you two posting on old threads? I hadn't paid any attention to just how old this thread is! There should be a warning.

Hornybein, I was under the impression he was an excellent pianist, but amateur violinist by standards. He had probably done well with improvising I think and people may have assumed it.

 

[Hornbein]

Hornybein, I was under the impression he was an excellent pianist, but amateur violinist by standards. He had probably done well with improvising I think and people may have assumed it.

Back in Switzerland Einstein gave a concert. A usic critic visited who didn't know Einstein, didn't know about physics. Critic said that the performance was excellent, but couldn't understand why E was so famous.

That is, he was good enough to turn pro, but not enough for stardom.

As for piano, I never heard anything about his abilities. I got the impression he took it up late in life.

 

[StatGuy2000]

With the caveat that I have not looked at the data systematically (as a statistician, I feel I should make this disclaimer), I have noticed anecdotally that many mathematicians (and probably also physicists, physics being cognate with mathematics) often develop an interest in and an aptitude for music, but the converse does not usually hold -- most professional musicians that I'm aware of have little interest in or aptitude for mathematics or science. Brian May and the few others mentioned by the OP are certainly more the exceptions rather than the rule.

 

[Hornbein]

With the caveat that I have not looked at the data systematically (as a statistician, I feel I should make this disclaimer), I have noticed anecdotally that many mathematicians (and probably also physicists, physics being cognate with mathematics) often develop an interest in and an aptitude for music, but the converse does not usually hold -- most professional musicians that I'm aware of have little interest in or aptitude for mathematics or science. Brian May and the few others mentioned by the OP are certainly more the exceptions rather than the rule.

Pro musicians as a whole are a lot more interested in drugs and drinking than physics.

Tiger Woods is interested in physics.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Pro musicians as a whole are a lot more interested in drugs and drinking than physics.

Tiger Woods is interested in physics.

At the risk of going off-topic...

I suppose Tiger Woods would be interested in physics in so far as golf is concerned, but has he ever publicly expressed in the subject? From what I've read, he graduated from Stanford with a BA in economics.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Music is very creative, I listen to it or play it when I'm stuck on something. Engineering can be methodical and meticulous and sometimes after eight hours of tiptoeing around code it's a nice release to turn on my amp and improvise. I find drawing way more relaxing, however.

 

[Hornbein]

At the risk of going off-topic...

I suppose Tiger Woods would be interested in physics in so far as golf is concerned, but has he ever publicly expressed in the subject? From what I've read, he graduated from Stanford with a BA in economics.

Sort of. There was a physics book on the dashboard of his SUV during the notorious accident.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Back in Switzerland Einstein gave a concert. A usic critic visited who didn't know Einstein, didn't know about physics. Critic said that the performance was excellent, but couldn't understand why E was so famous.

That is, he was good enough to turn pro, but not enough for stardom.

As for piano, I never heard anything about his abilities. I got the impression he took it up late in life.

Does nothing unsettle or annoy you? I was trying to elicit a more smart alec, energetic response. This place gets boring sometimes!

 

[geoffrey159]

If it is true that many of the best scientists are also good musicians, I'm not sure there is a causal link between the 2 but rather an incidental link.
Many of the best scientists also attended the best schools, and the people attending the best schools are mostly but not only the offsprings of a cultural and/or financial elite. In these circles, it is common to study music at a fairly good level as a hobby, the same way that people play football on sundays in other circles.
I see at least 2 counter exemples of really outstanding maths student that don't match the profile of a good musician. One was only interested in driving suburban trains and studied maths as a hobby. The other developped outstanding maths skills after a psychological shock (the loss of his brother) at the cost of most of his social skills, but had average interest in maths before that.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

I imagine something like this conversation going on on a tour bus in the seventies:

"Hey man, you even wonder, like... what is light? It's like it's moving through my hands."
"It's like a wave, man. Like ripples on a pond."
"Nah man, it's bouncing off my hand like a particle. My hands are huge!"
"That's because it's both, man! It's both!"
"Whoa!" *uncontrollable giggling*

https://65.media.tumblr.com/83366a016eb926e1c5ee38cfd51d8065/tumblr_ny962yIzDv1tqsdzco1_500.png