http://gizmodo.com/what-a-scan-of-stings-brain-teaches-us-about-music-1785347401
“These state-of-the-art techniques really allowed us to make maps of how Sting’s brain organizes music,” Levitin said in a statement. “That’s important because at the heart of great musicianship is the ability to manipulate in one’s mind rich representations of the desired soundscape.”
Among the most interesting findings: “Sting’s brain pointed us to several connections between pieces of music that I know well, but had never seen as related before,” said Levitin. For instance, Piazzolla’s “Libertango” and the Beatles’ “Girl” are both in minor keys and include similar motifs in the melody. Also, the Sting-penned “Moon Over Bourbon Street” showed strong connections in key, tempo, and swing rhythm with “Green Onions” by Booker T and the MG’s.
Not sure I grasped the article fully, in my laymans terms - He had a internal method to how he mentally mapped music, seemingly based on preference.
I'm thinking that, if you enjoy the genre/style, you are more likely to find it easier to learn as you have a 'database' of similar tunes you enjoy that you have already "analyzed"?
