The ELMEQ Test: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8282069/bin/pone.0254176.s020.docx The original ELMEQ Study: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8282069/ The PROTECT-UK sub-study: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gps.6061

This is great. I'm in my late 70's and try to play my keyboards daily. I still forget things every once in a while. I get a song stuck in my head from time to time and since I play by ear I sit down at the keyboard and eventually I'm able to pluck out the tune. Music has been near and dear to me since I was 6 years old. I've played piano, drums, trumpet, saxophone, organ and guitar and now in my golden years synthesizers. Music is essential to life.

Survivor of several serious brain injuries. I picked up electronic music specifically because it helped me start organizing my brain again. Great video buddy.

Sounds good to me. I'll try and convince my wife that I need I new synth to prevent (further) cognitive decline. She may rightly point out that correlation does not mean causation. We would like to believe playing the keys helps prevent dementia, but it my be that people who are able and enjoy playing the keys are experiencing less cognitive decline and that could explain the correlation.

Perfectly happy to accept that my hobby is potentially saving my life. That is really excellent news.

Had brain 🧠 surgery a few months ago. I haven't been playing keyboard much since. You given the reason I should fire up the keyboard every day!

@xntricity6446

3 ай бұрын

Time to fire up your Synth and enjoy it again.

@RichKielbasa

3 ай бұрын

@@xntricity6446 I already did!

@xntricity6446

3 ай бұрын

​@@RichKielbasa super, well done. Enjoy

My mom, 95 years old, is very late stage Alzheimers. I have been helping taking care of her since my dad died 2 1/2 years ago. Even if music doesn't delay anything, my mom has enjoyed my playing for her. She played since child hood and would occasionally play the keyboard I took over to her house. My mom also sang in the choir until she was in her 80's. The pleasure and memories are worth going through all the practice and learning,. Nice video.

I just started making music 2 months ago. I am 55. It was to supplement my animation and video editing - I got tired of waisting time searching for music or sound for my videos. Having a KZread copyright strike made me say, let’s make my own! You are so right! The memory aspect of learning the midi. The new icons you learn. The concepts of harmony etc etc etc , that goes along with music are fabulous! I can feel my brain rewiring itself as I learn how to hold my fingers correctly. Never was a fan of learning music until now. Now I actually can’t wait to score my own animations!

Sounds like a good excuse to buy more synths :D Seriously though, this is importants as we're not really getting any younger.

hearing the effect of music on those patients was quite heartwarming.

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

It's absolutely amazing to see - I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it happen over and over again myself.

So true. I‘m 68 and physically not very healthy, but my brain is still working fine despite I had to retire from my job already in 2009. I think there are two main aspects: 1. Playing, i.e. memorize pieces of music without sheet music (I’m a bad sight-reader). This can be done on a piano or organ and mostly affects the long-term memory. 2. Sound design: having an idea, conceptualize a strategy, and translate it to the instrument step by step. A matter of short-term memory, and this requires synths. Besides this, I love to explore the possibilities and workflow of a new synth - which unfortunately results in GAS every two or three months. 😬

it's empirically proven that languages &playing music equally help the human brain, even in senior years ✌🏽🤓👍🏽

Thank you Scott, I've know this for a while, but thanks for reinforcing. I've actually said to musician friends my age (60) (and non musicians alike) that I fear for our younger generation and their vegetative habits of simple repetitive viewing verses cognitive efforts towards things like learning an instrument, composing, or focus towards excelling in a discipline. In 30 years we are going to be paying a fortune for these people.

Thanks Scott, good video. My dad has Alzheimer's and I learnt a lot. Really appreciated, thank you.

Great stuff, Scott!!! Thank you for sharing! I used to play in community orchestras that would usually play one or two concerts from our season in local retirement communities. I also played in various smaller ensembles that would play in the communities as well. We were always so well received! They treated us like "rock stars"! =) So many would come to speak to members of the groups to express their profound thanks for the opportunity to hear live music, especially classical and jazz music that they could identify with. Just as you experienced, Scott, it was transformational for them, and brought everyone involved so much joy.

My uncle is 80 and he’s learning to play the keyboard

Eat healthy first and foremost. Then procure exercise every day. Then maintain your brain busy solving harder problems every day based on your interests. Whatever you do with music is up to you.

My father is currently fighting against dementia and been witnessing this disease this close make your words a great relief for me, been a keyboardist myself! He never played any musical instruments but he still enjoying listening to music a lot those days, kind make him remember the past.

I agree, watching this video is a passive activity which contributes to my future dementia, i need to stop 😂😂 No seriously, was very interesting ❤

You are so right Scott! Thank you very much for mentioning this important topic and also for inspiring so many people with your videos to do one of the most beautiful things in life: play music!

great video. We all need to take care, especially as we get older and as far as I know, there's no way of stopping that except permanently.

Keyboards and guitar are probably superior because they are one of the few instruments that have accompaniment and melody/harmony simultaneously. I am 66yo and been playing keys for 56 years, guitar for 46 years and synths for 36 years. I think between the composing, performing solo piano with all memorized music, orchestrating synths in my studio, and learning new synth architectures and operating systems, plus the additional education in audio engineering, effects and sound design, keep the mind active. This year I took on the Kurzweil VAST synthesis, which includes a full FM synth as well; this is a real challenge for anyone, but certainly must add to brain exercise for seniors. As with all health issues, there is not one magic pill. I also eat a very strict diet of organic/natural food I prepare from scratch myself with no microwaves. Add to this clean diet only 99% pure water, rarely anything else. Then I have a fitness program, I don't own a car and walk, bicycle or paddle to all my destinations, never use public transportation. I ride/hike/paddle 8000 miles a year for transportation, recreation, and fitness. I also supplement with weight training, the only exercise that targets all muscles in balance in very little time. I enjoy all these activities as well, nothing like mountain biking up a steep mountain grade for an hour with the reward at the top...wilderness views. Making music in the synth world today is incredible, I control everything! I sound design the instruments, design the effects chains, orchestrate the composition, perform it, record it, mix it, master it, post it on media. Never has an individual musician had this opportunity in all of history. I also continue working part time in my business of graphic design which includes: Compter repair and maintenance, photography, videography, illustration, animation, press ink correction, photo retouching, copy writing, design, code writing, website building, creativity, innovation, accuracy. SO...seniors can have a life after retirement, as full as any life at any age. Join us!!!

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

I 100% believe in everything you said. A good friend of mine, Col. Jim Sanders, was a B-17 bombardier in WWII, and continued on in the airforce, serving in Korea, Vietnam and the cold war. After retiring from the air force, he went back to school, got his degree and became a high school teacher. After retiring from THAT, he continued to learn - he learned to fly, got his commercial and multiengine certificates. Then he taught himself computers, set up a BBS, learned how to program computers - and was still doing that at 83 when his body failed him and he passed in 2005. He always aid, "continuous learning keeps your mind from deteriorating" and was living proof - at 83, he was as sharp as he ever was.

@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene

3 ай бұрын

A loss of a valuable friend, I miss him too now that you described him. This worlds gain and now heavens gain. A good man that I wish we would have met. I found it doesn't take much extra time to make the good decisions in life. Happiness always follows our good choices, but happiness never leads. @@ScottsSynthStuff

Brilliant Scott. This is the most uplifting video I've seen from you. Music is so important. In my house we're going to put a piano into our living room. I play music anyway, but I hope this will encourage all to just start playing, including my 9 year old daughter. Music is just a gift that keeps giving

Super video Scott. It would be interesting to do a survey among the synth community to see the demographic breakdown. Whenever I see a meet up or syth show/expo there does seem to be a large representation among middle aged males. Maybe there are other factors that come into play, the increasing interest in more physically passive hobbies as the body ages? Maybe a more comfortable financial position enables enthusiasts to purchase equipment? I believe learning new skills and technical knowledge really does enhance life and stave off cognitive decline. I've become interested in more hobbies in my late middle years and feel the benefit. My lifelong pursuit has been the gym & weightlifting, which I still do but over the last couple of years I've pursued creative & technical hobbies ( 3d printing, Game creation, Synthesizers, video creation) feeling the benefit as the neurons fire under the stimulation and challenge. Totally endorse the view that synths are a force for good

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

And don't forget that gym/weightlifting also has a massive cognitive benefit, as well as maintaining muscle mass.

Hi Scott. me and Jason Lee (youtube organaut) often play music in our local retirement homes and I have seen many times where people suddenly become aware or as you say waking up and they start talking about things from the past. music is a key to opening up memories. thanks for another great video.

Hey Scott!! Been playing the keyboard since 6 yrs old; I'm now 63. So that's 57 yrs of banging on the keyboards (from analog piano, electronic organs & now the synthesizers!). Of late, hv been mobilized to play for weddings, church events. That means having to coordinate with singers & choirs, etc. Yeah, sure entails lots or co-ordination with individuals & yes, the need for digital recordings - Minus 1 stuff. So, yr video provided lotsa motivation for me to continue this hobby & passion. BTW, I see you hv videos on synthesizers. Can you tell me that this is a new dimension to stimulate my brain?? 😬Afterall, the synthesizer has so many functions - sound combinations, mixing, pattern sequencing & integration with DAW. Man, to me that's a totally different beast & game altogether. So, you think I should buy myself a Yamaha Modx+7 & start meddling with it?? Luv yr input!!

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

Yes! The MODX is a little tough to learn at first (previous exposure to Yamaha synths will help) but once you get your head around it, it is so incredibly capable, and you can do just about anything on it!

Am vorbit de mult de acest aspect Cu 20 de ani in urma ..Dar nu m a crezut nimeni ..Astazi ati demonstrat ca este adevarat...

The info you have shared here, Scott, is why I acknowledge I should be playing all the synthesizers I currently own more frequently. I have a standing rule when I start work on a recording project, not using a sequencer to play back what I hear. I prefer playing all of my parts with my hands. That practice would be easier to stick with if I played every day.

-- Let’s get this channel to 20,000 subscribers! It’s so close! 😊👍🎹

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

Should be about two more days!

@RayyMusik

3 ай бұрын

March 30: 20.1k 👍

Scott, bless you for commenting on this. Please keep up the excellent channel. P.s -MODX owner here (which is enough to induce madness lol).

Right in the feels. Really great video. Interesting how integral memory is in the performance of music, then for the performance of music to be integral in bringing old memories back to life.

"Music is not separate from life" - Herbie Hancock. Thanks, this is a great subject. Interestingly, song(music) is also stored in a different part of the brain than speech. Brain injuries such as stroke, can disable speech, however these patients can still sing perfectly well!

@robinsutcliffe-video_art

3 ай бұрын

oh, that would be something to miss alright. Is it the lip shapes or the tongue shapes do you think? Could you teeth whistle before? Singing, I guess it's the action itself rather than being 'good' at singing from an objective point of view@@kkumi1782

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

My high school music teacher was a reknowned jazz trumpetist until a stroke robbed him of his embouchure. He became a teacher, and was probably the best music teacher (or teacher of any kind) that I have ever known.

@robinsutcliffe-video_art

3 ай бұрын

thanks for your videos, I really enjoy them. The restorations are amazing. I restore Rolands as well@@ScottsSynthStuff

LOVE the Douglas DC-3/C-47 t-shirt! (My first aircraft trip was on a DC-3).

Thank you for this, Scott. This was my first time on your channel and I clicked Subscribe before I was done watching the video. It's validating to know that spending so much time on music benefits me cognitively and not just emotionally. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

spot on Scott, you are so right, cheers from New Zealand.

There is so much good info and advice in this video -- many thanks for posting this! I'm already noticing that I don't "comprehend" as well as I used to. (Looking straight at you, Cubase manual.) As a previous poster stated: I'm interpreting this as permission to buy a new controller keyboard -- and because this is the 2000s, where no one accepts responsibility for their own actions, I'll place the entire blame on you, lol.

That is so true my grandmother had Dimesha

Now, this is a video with Synthmint, and music will keep your brain fresh, yes, i've heard of studies like this before.🎷🪗🎸🎹🎺🎻🪕🎼🎵Don't stop the music👍

I'm so glad this video is made. As a musician, I have always found music to be therapeutic. It helped me during my time of depression many years ago. In addition, I have been told that my music has healed people. This is why I have aspirations of pursuing my PhD in Music Therapy. Where medicines fail, music heals.

@benwinter2420

Ай бұрын

Yep , listening sure . . Tangerine Dream one of the better things in life & making your own very rewarding , I took after hours high school guitar lessons & learnt some tunes but the small group of fellow minded was most rewarding as well , these days I like 2 string slide electric guitar as you learn a few riffs & then string them together instinctive without really thinking with immediate enjoyment feedback . . which is missing & why most learning guitar or piano give up as the learning by rote a chore & all work . . sure this sounds like a cop out , but you need the reward early to continue . . as two string slide bass guitar lead singer of Morphine said , you don't really have to remember anything with two strings . . it just happens

That chair is the best chair. I moved on to a herman miller aeron, and that staples hyken chair still feels better.

Very nice video Scott! Thanks for bringing up this subject on your channel!

What a wondeful video to post Scott!!! I (and my family) always believed this..... I'm so thankful I'm a musician..... I'm about to retire in a few years and so many people I work with say "I have no idea what I'm going to do with my time" and I'm like... Are you kidding me??? I'm in the middle of building my home studio (retirement project) and having so much fun just doing that at this time!! I'm loving creating and recording small things as this develops...... My mom is 91 years old (musician... home organ player)... and she's so excited at seeing what I'm doing and always says it's great for your brain to be doing this stuff... So... Great job on posting this and educating people.... I know I truly believe music does exactly what you and your wife experience for sure!!! Thank you again!!

@RichKielbasa

3 ай бұрын

So nice of a story! Thank you for sharing.

Players of the hammered dulcimer, such as myself, have already been determined to be crazy...

Fully agree ... thank you for presenting the studies 👍.

Thank you Scott. It's clear : this video is coming directly from your Heart. Many thanks to your wife too.

Wonderful video! Subbed and shared. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing 💯

Thanks for doing this video. Very good message...love it.

Wish they added in stats about people who compose/produce vs just memorize other people's crap. Guessing the memo crowd does better in one way or another.

It doesn't surprise me that we keyboardists are the ones who have the most cognitive protection...as you well have explained in another video...How can we not be good at memorizing things if we have to update keyboards like the ROLAND FANTOM! HAHAHAHA GREETINGS FROM SPAIN

Excellent upload. Thanks for this

Now I just need a synth that will stop the pain from MS so, I can sit down and play the gear I have to improve my cognitive function. Haha.😜🎶🎹🎶 Play On

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear this - but SO much work is being done on autoimmune disorders and particularly those affecting myelin sheaths. I believe effective treatments will come in the near future.

Thank you for the video!! Really good

great video… Very inspiring!

Well, this is fantastic news!

Great video, you speak truth.

funny, I was actually looking foward to hearing about the details of the study, specially because it´s such a hard thing to measure

Interesting video, thank you. Interesting and touching. Regarding your studies, they talk about keyboardists, woodwind players, vocalists, etc... But what about the drummers? 😁 And there's something weird, Scott, your tshirt keeps the same color! 🤡

@ScottsSynthStuff

3 ай бұрын

No mention of drummers in the summaries, I'll have to download the whole data set and see if they identified a correlation! I got complaints about the t-shirt so I turned it off. :)

Thank you!

Thank you so very much!

This is great ! ❤

Great video Scott - thanks

Great video. My mother is symptomatic. I'm going to insist she play my memorymoog

- Cool.

There seems to be scientific support (not proof) claiming 40 Hz counteracts Alzheimer getting worse. It can't cure it, but it could stabilize when listening to 40 Hz for 15 minutes a week. Your subwoofers and earbuds should be able to produce it, and maybe we can make the world a better place if we compose a 40 Hz drone world wide mega hit. Or at least we may remember it better. Who knows. A 40 Hz sawtooth with a nice filter actually sounds pretty cool :).

more like this

I need this! Ping pong is good too.

Can you list all of those synths on screen ? Thanks

You keep thinking that, and see where you are at 70.

thanks for the video I just subbed to your channel. I see a hydrasynth edit: deluxe, back there I have one also I'm gonna check your channel out would be cool to see someone using one

Main benefit from music Is feeling good. I am not sure about cognitive decline because I've listened to stories where cognitive decline worsened people's musical abilities regardless they were already musicians. If it feels good do it.

My brain has always been addled. That's why I find music hard to make. Learning new equipment is exhausting, I only ever learn the basics. I have to sleep off a session after a couple of hours at it. Im getting old now so there's no saving me. Too bad 👎 😅

Please thank your wife for her wise input.

Like I need another excuse to buy another synth.

I don't know how you got inside my Motovictorolavox television, but do you know where the keys are to my Hammond organ? if I can't find the keys, I'll have to start it up with the hand crank. and don't sass me either - I'm getting sick and tired of you whippersnappers taking my keys!!!

Sounds like a great excuse for GAS 👍

Thanks for the great video, I watched it thinking you were going to perform some fantastic music, but I soon became intrigued by what you were saying and it makes perfect sense, I also believe that children who grow up learning a musical instrument will be less likely to get into trouble with the authorities, I’m 71 and I’ve seen this to be true with my own eyes over the years. I play keyboards, guitar, mandolin, mandola and write my own music in Cubasis on iPad, I can’t ever see myself slowing down👨‍🦳🍻

Thank you!