Music may be easiest way to travel around the world

Much like the sense of smell, music can instantly bring back moments from our past; locations, people we've known, sensations and emotions. I don't know the particulars of how sounds act on brain activity to make this happen, but it's true.

The music of the guzheng, for example, always takes me back to my first months in China in 2012, as my wife and I were visiting Shanghai's People's Park. The sounds from the traditional Chinese zither and the lush surroundings have remained etched in my mind. We felt we had landed in a beautiful, exotic dream.

Since I've lived in several different parts of the world, my portfolio of musical tastes and memories is varied, including such diverse types as the traditional music of Peking Opera, bluegrass music from the Appalachian region of the United States, classic rock from the 1960s and 1970s, Andean panpipe music, Argentine tango and Brazilian samba.