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Musical key perception in relation to color.
11 East Perth, Australia.
Psychological Reports
|December 25, 2014
Summary
Musicians often associate musical keys with colors, but lack of agreement persists. This study found strong evidence supporting the association of E major with red and E-flat major with green.
Area of Science:
- Synesthesia research
- Music cognition
- Color-key associations
Background:
- Musicians commonly report associations between musical keys and colors.
- Previous research has not established a consistent or universally agreed-upon mapping.
- This study investigated specific, competing hypotheses for key-color relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that E major is associated with the color red and E-flat major with green.
- To investigate the alternative association: E-flat major with red and E major with green.
- To determine which key-color association is more strongly supported by empirical evidence.
Main Methods:
- 21 participants with absolute pitch were recruited.
- Participants listened to melodies in various keys.
- They were presented with colored squares and asked to match the key's perceived quality to a color.
Main Results:
- The study provided strong support for the association of E major with red.
- Evidence also strongly supported the association of E-flat major with green.
- The alternative association (E-flat red, E green) was not supported.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a robust link between specific musical keys and colors.
- The E major-red and E-flat major-green association is empirically supported.
- This research contributes to understanding synesthetic experiences in music.
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