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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
11:15
fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
Published on: May 23, 2017
Individual differences reveal the basis of consonance
Josh H McDermott1, Andriana J Lehr, Andrew J Oxenham
1Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. jhm@cns.nyu.edu
Current Biology : CB
|May 25, 2010
Summary
Listeners prefer harmonic sounds and dislike beats, but harmonicity strongly correlates with musical consonance. Musical training amplifies this preference, suggesting harmonic spectra are key to perceiving musical harmony.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Psychoacoustics
- Music Perception
Background:
- The perception of musical consonance versus dissonance is a long-standing debate in acoustics, neuroscience, and cultural studies.
- Previous theories propose acoustic factors like beating and harmonic relationships underlie consonance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate between competing theories of consonance by examining individual differences.
- To investigate the roles of acoustic beating and harmonicity in musical consonance perception.
Main Methods:
- Assessed listener preferences for musical chords and nonmusical sounds isolating acoustic factors (beating, harmonicity).
- Analyzed correlations between preferences for harmonic spectra, absence of beats, and consonance ratings across over 250 participants.
- Correlated harmonicity preferences with musical training duration.
Main Results:
- Listeners preferred sounds without beats and with harmonic spectra.
- Preference for harmonic spectra, not absence of beats, consistently correlated with preference for consonant chords.
- Harmonicity preference correlated with years of musical instrument experience.
Conclusions:
- Harmonicity, the presence of harmonic spectra, is a key factor underlying the perception of musical consonance.
- Musical experience amplifies preferences for harmonic frequencies due to their musical significance.
- Harmonic spectra, prevalent in natural sounds, are fundamental to auditory consonance perception.
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