Why does music rely so heavily on repetition?音乐中为什么有这么多重复片段?

2024-05-14李奕群

疯狂英语·新阅版 2024年4期

李奕群

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

2 One 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 songcomes on the radio that we don＇t particularly like， but then we hear the song at the grocerystore， 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.

3 Repetition connects each bit of music to thenext bit of music that follows it. So when you hear afew notes， you＇re already imagining what＇s comingnext. Your mind is unconsciously singing along.Recent studies have shown that when people hear asegment of music repeated， they are more likely tomove or tap along to it. Repetition invites us into music as imagined participants， ratherthan as passive listeners.

5 Research 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 melodyof a phrase the first time， but when it＇s repeated， your attention shifts to how the guitaristbends a pitch.

6 Repetition gives rise to a kind of trend， where we＇re listening along with thesound， and engaging imaginatively with the note about to happen. This mode oflistening 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 repetitive?ness， finding it childish， but repetition， far from an embarrassment， is actually a keyfeature 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.

語篇解码

本文是一篇说明文，主要说明了为什么音乐中会有这么多的片段重复。音乐重复次数越多，我们就越容易喜欢这种音乐。音乐朗朗上口，我们更容易沉浸在音乐的情境中，而不是被动地听歌。在不断的重复中，我们对音乐会有新的发现和理解。

语言学习

Ⅰ. 语料荟萃

Ⅱ. 语句分析

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. 重复产生了一种趋势，（在这种趋势里）我们伴随着声音聆听，想象着即将奏响的音符。

【点石成金】本句中，where引导定语从句，先行词是trend， where引导的从句在主句中作地点状语，表示“在这种趋势里”；listening和engaging是一个并列结构。

2. Critics are often embarrassed by music＇s repetitiveness， finding it childish， butrepetition， far from an embarrassment， is actually a key feature that gives rise to the kind ofexperience we think about as musical. 评论家们经常对音乐的重复感到尴尬，觉得它很幼稚，但重复远不是一种尴尬，实际上它是让我们认为的音乐体验发生的一个关键特征。

【点石成金】本句中，finding作原因状语，和逻辑主语Critics是逻辑上的主动关系； far from意为“远非；绝非”；that引导的是定语从句，先行词是feature，且that在从句中作主语。

语言运用

Ⅰ. 例句仿写

1. 她将自己置于危险的境地，而且很有可能丢掉性命。

She＇s got herself into a dangerous situation ___________________________.

2. 你非但没有改善现状，反而使情况更糟。

___________________________， you＇ve just made it worse.

Ⅱ. 写作实践

假定你是李华，你的外国朋友John写信询问你喜欢的音乐类型。请你给他写一封回信，内容包括：

1. 喜欢的音乐类型；

2. 喜欢的原因。

注意：