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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
Published on: May 23, 2017
Perception of musical consonance and dissonance: an outcome of neural synchronization
Inbal Shapira Lots1, Lewi Stone
1Biomathematics Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
Abstract:
While a number of theories have been advanced to account for why musical consonance is related to simple frequency ratios, as yet there is no completely satisfying explanation. Here, we explore the theory of synchronization properties of ensembles of coupled neural oscillators to demonstrate why simple frequency ratios may have achieved a special status and why they are important for auditory perception. The analysis shows that the mode-locked states ordering give precisely the standard ordering of consonance as often listed in Western music theory. Our results thus indicate the importance of neural synchrony in musical perception.
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