MUSIC is often considered medicine for the soul, but if that is true, then the dose may need to be doubled, or even tripled.
A new study from the Springer Nature medical journal has analysed the vocal melodies of music from 1950 to the present day and reached the conclusion that songs are much simpler than before.
Far removed from the big bands or post-war era brass virtuosos, the advent of newer musical genres such as wave, disco, stadium rock and hip hop have made music dumber.
The study looked at top-five Billboard hits over the seven intervening decades, particularly noting more significant declines in 1975 and 2000 - thanks Captain & Tennille and Faith Hill.
In it, researchers noted the complexity of song rhythms and variation in pitch declined, while average played notes increased.
The study also noted that the prevalence of electronic music mixing and automated looping removed high levels of musical skill from some genres.
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