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Updated: May 15, 2026
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fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
Published on: May 23, 2017
Consonance and pitch
Neil McLachlan1, David Marco, Maria Light
1School of Psychological Sciences.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|January 9, 2013
Summary
This study challenges traditional music theories of consonance and dissonance. It proposes a new theory where dissonance arises from cognitive incongruence in pitch perception and recognition, influenced by musical training and familiarity.
Area of Science:
- Music Perception
- Psychoacoustics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Existing theories of musical consonance and dissonance lack consensus.
- Dominant theories based on harmonic frequency relationships are increasingly questioned by experimental data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge established theories of consonance and dissonance.
- To propose and test a new theory of dissonance based on pitch perception and recognition.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Assessed dissonance in chords, correlating it with harmonic complexity and pitch-matching errors.
- Experiment 2: Trained nonmusicians to pitch-match chords to test the cognitive incongruence theory.
Main Results:
- Dissonance did not correlate with harmonic complexity or pitch-matching accuracy as predicted by existing theories.
- Dissonance strongly correlated with pitch-matching error, which decreased with chord familiarity and musical training.
- Learned chords were rated as less dissonant, supporting a cognitive mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Challenges Helmholtz's roughness and Stumpf's tonal fusion theories.
- Proposes cognitive incongruence, stemming from failed recognition of familiar chord templates, as the basis of dissonance.
- Suggests long-term memory and musical training play crucial roles in perceiving musical harmony.
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