You can have any music you like, as long as it’s one of these six forms.

Because, New Scientist tells us, there are only six forms of music to have:

In his new book, The World in Six Songs, cognitive psychologist and former record producer Daniel Levitin argues that all music, from orchestral classics to thrash metal and tribal dance, can be grouped into just six categories: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, ritual and love.

Cue the sounds of a hundred techno fans arguing over which category includes gabba, glitch or happy hardcore.

Check out Levitin’s book hither, or the cognitive composer himself thither. He’s got blurbs from Sting, Willie Nelson and Sir George Martin, and a handful of neuroscience professors, too. And even better, the sample chapter quotes the song “Homegrown Tomatoes.”

Tags: Music, neurology, psychology