What begins as some kind of impingement on one or more sensory receptors ends up as an experience in our brains, constructed out of photons, or pressure waves, or interactions between certain molecules and chemicals in our nose, mouth, and tongue. A lemon is not “sour” or “yellow” in the real world; these are interpretations of the world. Musical instruments do not make music—musicians do, using their brains to guide their fingers, hands, and breath. A famous story illustrates this: A woman approached a musician after a concert (in some versions, it is Jascha Heifetz) and said, “Maestro, your
...more
