Events

  "Jimi Hendrix meets Oliver Sacks in this great new science book" VeryShortList.com   For some of us, it’s the lifelong dream of playing bass in a small jazz group; for others, the desire to order a fabulous meal in French at a Parisian bistro.  And for other still, it’s the need to switch careers when their jobs have disappeared.  We all dream of or need to master new, complex skills.  But is this possible for adults? Isn’t it true that an old dog can’t learn new tricks? Not entirely, according to New York University professor Gary Marcus.  He found that there isn’t necessarily a cut off age for mastering a new skill since the human brain experiences the same processes and changes at age 6 or at age 40.  Combining memoir and science like Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein, GUITAR ZERO chronicles Marcus’s own experience learning to play the guitar at age 38, while it explores not only how the human brain relates to music, but also how it processes new knowledge. Inspired by an all night session of the video game “Guitar Hero,” Marcus – with no discernible musical talent– devotes himself to mastering the actual guitar. GUITAR ZERO chronicles Marcus’s journey from Suzuki classes to Rock Camp to meeting with scientific and musical experts, as he investigates the most effective ways to train your brain and body to learn to play an instrument. He examines how acquiring this skill requires a “rewiring of the brain,” how music changes our nervous system, and how we are all equipped with the necessary tools to appreciate and possibly play music.  “Gary Marcus, one of the deepest thinkers in cognitive science, has given us an entertaining and enlightening memoir, filled with insight about music, learning, and the human mind.” -- Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author of The Better Angels of Our Nature  In GUITAR ZERO, Gary shares the scientific research that reveals how the brain rewires itself and repurposes key areas to accommodate new skills. He also examines humans’ unique relationship with music, how we respond to it and how we learn it.  Ultimately, he demonstrates how crucial the acquisition of new skills and knowledge is to our wellbeing.  Gary Marcus studies evolution, language, and cognitive development at New York University, where he is a professor of psychology and the director of the NYU Center for Child Language. The editor of The Norton Psychology Reader and author of three books about the origins and development of the mind and the brain, Marcus has written for The New York Times, Wired, Discover, and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on radio and television programs around the globe.