Needless to Say
By Tim on December 30, 2016
Bad Singer is still popping up in the media so here’s another round-up as 2016 comes to a close.
Year-end Lists
“A music fan who can’t carry a tune to save his life, Falconer digs into the science of singing, offering himself up as a guinea pig along the way. He might be a terrible singer, but he’s a great writer.”
— Citation from The Globe 100, The Globe and Mail‘s prestigious annual list of the year’s best books
Bad Singer also made CBC Music’s list of the best music books of 2016
Reviews
“Falconer’s naive layperson narrator functions especially well as a bridge; we do not feel intimidated by the scope and depth of the various academic fields he dives into, as Falconer himself takes the plunge and asks the questions, silly or otherwise, for us.”
— “Blue Notes: In true tone deafness, an answer to why we sing” by Emma Hooper (Literary Review of Canada; September, 2016)
“A spirited, even adventurous look at the mysteries of how the human brain perceives and processes sound—and even, on occasion, manages to make beautiful music.”
— Bad Singer officially comes out in the United States on February 14, 2017 and Kirkus Reviews is the first American publication to review it (December 15, 2016)
Scientific Journal
The BRAMS Lab at the Université of Montréal and Ryerson University’s SMART Lab, two of the places that studied me as I wrote Bad Singer, combined their research to write a paper on me called “Effects of vocal training in a musicophile with congenital amusia” for Neurocase (December 21, 2016)
Interviews
I appeared in a TV doc called “I Got Rhythm: The Science of Song,” which aired on CBC’s The Nature of Things. Warning: contains embarrassing clip of me singing. (December 1, 2016)
I was also interviewed for “Why Do We Love Bad Singing?” by Carl Wilson. His Slate essay is a smart take on Florence Foster Jenkins and our fascination with bad singing (August 12, 2016)
Posted in Bad Singer, books, music | Tagged amusia, bad singer, books, how we hear music, music, music and the brain, music science, tone deafness
By Tim on November 12, 2016
Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is one of my favourite albums. But this sonic masterpiece was also one that said a lot about the state of the recording industry, predicted the future of how we’d listen to music and was the band’s departure that marked the end of the beginning for alt-country.
I’ll be giving a lecture on the influence of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on November 17 as part of a series called Sounds of the Times: Albums that Change How We Listen sponsored by Ryerson University’s Philosophy department.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Tim on September 4, 2016
Tim Falconer on TVO’s The Agenda in the Summer
The coverage of Bad Singer continued in the summer. Here’s a new round-up:
Reviews
• “It’s a remarkable story of dogged determination to prove his own body wrong and, as such, is one of the more illuminating cultural studies of modern times.”
— “Tim Falconer’s Bad Singer is a treatise on understanding our bodies and their true limitations” by Vish Khanna (The Globe and Mail; July 16, 2016)
• “Written in an engaging, self-aware and often self-deprecating voice, Bad Singer is an odyessy musicians and amusics alike can appreciate.”
— “Bad Singer” by Kate Sheridan (McGill News; Spring-Summer 2016)
• “As a reader you can’t help but empathize with Falconer as he struggles through his singing lessons, learning to control his voice even though he can’t always hit the pitches. And you cheer him on when, at the end of his quest, not exactly cured of amusia, he finally faces his audience-and the music.”
— “Hitting the pitches” by Shelley Pomerance (Montreal Centre-Ville Magazine; June 1, 2006)
• “It is a fascinating book and one comes to really root for Falconer who is so determined to understand his weakness and to become a more proficient singer and ultimately, to sing on stage for an audience. I won’t ruin the ending for you but I will highly recommend this informative and highly entertaining book which can lead one to a better understanding of why some can sing arias on the stage and others can sing their hearts out (but perhaps only should when they are in the shower.)”
— Review by Angela Meady (Thunder Bay Public Library, August 31, 2016)
TV Interviews
• “The Science of Tone Deafness” featuring Frank Russo of Ryerson University’s SMART Lab with Tim Falconer (TVO’s The Agenda in the Summer; July 27, 2016)
• “Bad Singer” featuring musician and singing coach Micah Barnes with Tim Falconer (TVO’s The Agenda in the Summer; July 28, 2016)
Articles
• “A witty autobiographical story, intertwined with fascinating nuggets of music history and science.”
— “The journey of a bad singer” by Ashley Corbett (The Coast, August 4, 2016)
Q&As
• “How Tim Falconer Fought Tone Deafness and Neurology One Butchered Song at a Time” by Yasmin Tayag (Inverse; June 6, 2016)
• “On Writing, with Tim Falconer” (Open Book: Toronto; June 8, 2016)
Posted in Bad Singer, books, music
By Tim on June 2, 2016
I’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of attention for Bad Singer. And the above illustration, from this Quill & Quire profile, makes me look far better and younger than I deserve.
Here’s a round-up of the coverage so far:
Reviews
• “Over the last decade there have been a number of books published about the science of music—such as Daniel Levitan’s This Is Your Brain on Music, Oliver Sacks’s Musicophilia, and David Byrne’s How Music Works—and Bad Singer is a doubly successful effort because it doesn’t retread the same ground of these books, with Falconer couching his subject in a personal journey that’s enjoyable to follow.”
— “Is it possible for those who are tone-deaf to appreciate music or become better singers?” by Jay Hosking (National Post; May 17, 2016)
• “While he may be a bad singer, he’s a thorough researcher and gifted raconteur. What Falconer lacks in pitch he makes up for in curiosity and passion.”
— “What makes a Bad Singer?” by Patricia Dawn Robertson (Toronto Star; May 28, 2016)
• “Falconer eventually has the courage to stand in front of a group of friends and some strangers, tell everyone he’s tone deaf, and belt out ‘Blackbird’ once again. It wasn’t good, but the journey was great.”
— “Confessions of a bad singer” by Aaron Hutchins (Maclean’s; May 9, 2016)
• “Falconer … tells an engaging tale overall, blending the history and science with his own, often-frustrating attempts to learn how to sing.”
— “From learning to sing to playing jazz, listening is key” by Chris Smith (Winnipeg Free Press; May 21, 2016)
Stories
• “Falconer’s self-deprecating humour keeps Bad Singer’s tone lighthearted and as entertaining as the photos of him hamming it up as a singer on the book cover. Lines like “I’m a bad singer. And deep down, it matters” produce an undercurrent of sorrow, but far more pronounced are his curiosity, vulnerability, and perseverance. It’s a deeply human book, and his most personal.”
— “Profile: Tim Falconer uses his own tone deafness to explore how we respond to music in Bad Singer” by Carla Gillis (Quill & Quire; June 2016)
• “Bad Singer is equal parts a scientific exploration and a love letter to music. In the infographic below, we’ve summarized four of the theories Tim discusses about why early humans may have invented music.”
—”Why did humans start making music? Four theories explored in Tim Falconer’s Bad Singer” (CBC Books; May 19, 2016)
Q&As
• “Can anyone learn to sing? Bad Singer delves into the science behind how the brain processes music” by Wency Leung (The Globe and Mail; May 23, 2016)
• “What does it really mean to be tone deaf? In the fascinating new Bad Singer, Tim Falconer explores amusia — the neurological inability to perceive pitch” by Michael Rancic (Chart Attack; May 17, 2016)
Radio Interviews
• With Shelagh Rogers, host of The Last Chapter on CBC Radio: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/governor-general-david-johnston-tim-falconer-1.3570505/tim-falconer-on-being-a-bad-singer-1.3570573
• With Dave White, host of Airplay on CBC Radio in Whitehorse, Yukon: “Tim Falconer finds his voice”
• With Nantali Indongo, guess host of CBC Montreal’s All in a Weekend: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/programs/allinaweekend/the-science-of-bad-singing-1.3595733
Posted in Bad Singer, books, music | Tagged bad singer, books, reviews, tone deafness
By Tim on May 3, 2016
A Bad Singer Playlist
“Writing about music,” Martin Mull quipped, “is like dancing about architecture.” Part of the problem, of course, is that the reader wants to hear what the writer is going on about. And, inevitably, I refer to many, many songs in Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music. So here’s your chance to hear nine of them.
Posted in Bad Singer, music | Tagged bad singer, Elvis Costello, isobel campbell, Joe Strummer, Johnny cash, Mark Lanegan, music, Neko Case, Otis Redding, rolling stones, Shuggie Otis, timbre, tone deafness, Wagner
By Tim on April 25, 2016
I’m an Author for Indies
Books and music are the only two things I truly enjoy shopping for so the revival of independent booksellers and vinyl record shops has made me happier (though, admittedly, poorer). That’s why I am thrilled to be taking part in this year’s Authors for Indies, a great annual event in support of Canada’s beloved independent book stores. The idea is that book lovers come in and meet writers and find out what they’re reading. On Saturday, April 30, I’ll be recommending good reads at Book City’s Yonge and St. Clair store from 12:30 to 1:30. If you’re in the area, drop by and say hi — and maybe buy a book or two.
Posted in books, Toronto | Tagged AFI2016, authors for indies, book stores, books
By Tim on April 16, 2016
The terroir of sound
Timbre — the terroir of sound — is crucial to how we hear music. But we don’t talk about it much because, unlike pitch, it has so far proven to be immune to measurement. The fine folks at Hazlitt, the excellent digital publication, have posted a Bad Singer excerpt that explains timbre’s role in music.
Posted in Bad Singer, music | Tagged bad singer, how we hear music, music, music cognition, music science, terroir of sound, timbre
By Tim on April 13, 2016
Why I won’t sing at my book launch
Yes, my new book is called Bad Singer. No, I won’t sing at the launch party.
That’s because I am part of just 2.5 percent of the population that suffers from amusia, the technical term for tone deafness. Amusia is a brain disorder similar to dyslexia. And if I’d written a book about being dyslexic, no one would respond to my invitation by saying, “I’ll come only if you read for us.” Apparently, singing is different. Maybe people want a laugh. Maybe they get off on the humiliation of others. Maybe other bad singers want to say, “At least I am not as bad as he is.” But I suspect many of my friends simply don’t understand how hard it is for an amusic to sing and I don’t want to make them feel bad for asking, even if their asking makes me feel bad.
Yes, (spoiler alert) my book ends with a house concert. Even to sing badly in front of people, though, I had to work intensely with the world’s most patient singing coach, Micah Barnes. And now, alas, my short, happy public singing career is over.
Frankly, my guests should be relieved about that. I want people to have fun at my launch, not be horrified. (If you really must hear me sing, you can listen to “The Ballad of Tin Ears,” the radio doc I helped make for CBC Radio’s Ideas.)
Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music is a passion project and I can honestly say it’s the best book I’ve written. I first had the idea in 2007 and, initially, no publisher was interested. But instead of giving up, I wrote a piece about being amusic for Maisonneuve and kept working on the book proposal. Fortunately, Sarah MacLachlan and Janie Yoon at House of Anansi took a chance on me. And the result is a book on much more than singing. As the subtitle suggests, Bad Singer is, ultimately, about how we hear music.
I think every book is worth celebrating. If you agree and want to come to a fun party — where I will be signing books, not singing songs — I’ll see you on May 11.
Posted in Bad Singer, books, music | Tagged amusia, bad singer, book launch, books, house of anansi, how we hear music, music and the brain, singing, tone deafness
By Tim on January 11, 2016
The music I loved in 2015
I spent 2015 finishing up a book called Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music. So while I thought a lot about how we listen to music, I didn’t have as much free time to actually listen to it as I usually do. Sure, I always had songs playing, but too often only in the background. Maybe that’s why a lot of my favourite albums this year were slow burns: I didn’t realize how good they were for a long time. So, with that in mind, here’s my listical-free look at the music I loved in 2015.
Admittedly, Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit was not a slow burn. I loved it immediately. Ditto Waxahatchee’s Ivy Trip. But Sufjan Stevens’s Carrie & Lowell sure was. Everyone else raved about it from the beginning, but while I liked it, I wasn’t clear what the big deal was about. Over the year, though, as songs from this album popped up as I kept my iTunes playlist called Recent Additions on shuffle, they slowly worked their magic.
The same goes for Wilco’s Star Wars, which was a surprise free download. My initial reaction was: fun, but a bit of a throwaway, perhaps something the band had released while working on a more serious and substantive project. But the more I listened to it, the more I realized how wrong that arrogant attitude was. Sure, it’s not Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Being There, but it’s a really good album.
Some other really good albums initially suffered not only from a lack of attention, but also from the way I compared them to the artists’ previous career highlights. That includes Jason Isbell’s Something More than Free (as good as it is, I’m still partial to Southeastern); Beat the Champ, an album about wrestlers by The Mountain Goats that’s another fine album by John Darnielle’s band, but obviously everything suffers in comparison to The Sunset Tree; and Calexico’s Edge of the Sun. Fortunately, I kept listening to these records.
Still, the slow burn didn’t always work. Certainly it didn’t with Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear. I know this album made many other best-of lists — and I was a fan of his previous release, Fear Fun — but the more I listened to it, the more I found it annoying. (Conversely, Tame Impala’s Currents started off annoying, but by the end year, I’d come to appreciate its charms.)
A few other albums I enjoyed this year: Beach House’s Depression Cherry; Bjork’s Vulnicura; Ought’s Sun Comes Down; and El Vy’s Return to the Moon. And while I didn’t love all of B’lieve I’m Goin Down…, Kurt Vile’s new album, “Pretty Pimpin’” is a fabulous song.
Finally, a shout out to something that shouldn’t work, but does: Public Service Broadcasting’s The Race to Space. It combines electronica and space-race era sound clips (a JFK speech, NASA communications, news broadcasts). Not nearly as weird as that description makes it sound, it’s quite compelling.
I hope to devote a lot more time to listening to music in 2016.
Posted in Bad Singer, music | Tagged Courtney Barnett, how we hear music, music, Wilco
By Tim on January 10, 2016
The Globe and Mail names Bad Singer to “most anticipated books” list
16 Canadian reads for the first half of 2016,” Globe and Mail books editor Mark Medley, includes Bad Singer on his list of the most anticipated books coming out in the first six months of the year. “Tim Falconer is an award-winning journalist and a godawful singer,” he writes. “I’m not trying to be mean, but simply accurate.”
Posted in Bad Singer, books, music, writing | Tagged amusia, bad singer, how we hear music, music, music and the brain, music science, singing, tone deafness
