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Mild Dissonance Preferred Over Consonance in Single Chord Perception.

Imre Lahdelma1, Tuomas Eerola2

  • 1University of Jyväskylä, Finland; University of Washington, USA.

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|July 20, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Listeners prefer mildly dissonant chords, like minor ninths, over consonant ones. This study explored how register and chord inversions affect the perception of harmony, tension, and preference in isolated musical chords.

Keywords:
chordconsonance/dissonancepreferencepsychoacousticsvertical harmony

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Area of Science:

  • Music Psychology
  • Psychoacoustics
  • Auditory Perception

Background:

  • Previous research focused on horizontal harmony, neglecting single chord perception.
  • A prior study indicated a preference for mild dissonance over consonance, but lacked systematic variation.
  • This study addresses the omissions of register and consonance variation in isolated chord perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate listener perception of psychoacoustic qualities and emotions in single isolated chords.
  • To systematically vary register and consonance to understand their impact on harmony perception.
  • To identify chords with the highest preference ratings and explore underlying theoretical explanations.

Main Methods:

  • An online empirical experiment involving 410 participants.
  • Participants evaluated 15 different piano-played chords across two octaves on Valence, Tension, Energy, Consonance, and Preference.
  • Systematic variation of chord types, register, and inversions was employed.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in perception were found across all chord types and dimensions.
  • A strong correlation was observed between perceived dissonance and tension.
  • Mildly dissonant chords (minor ninth, major ninth, minor seventh) received the highest preference ratings, irrespective of musical background.
  • Register and inversions significantly influenced evaluations, with nonmusicians showing similar inversion discrimination to musicians.

Conclusions:

  • Mild dissonance is preferred over consonance in single chord perception, challenging traditional views.
  • Perceived dissonance is strongly linked to experienced tension.
  • Musical sophistication does not alter the preference for mildly dissonant chords.
  • Theoretical frameworks like aggregate dyadic consonance and psychoacoustic properties may explain the preference for mild dissonance.