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Brainstem correlates of behavioral and compositional preferences of musical harmony.

ABSTRACT: Certain chords are preferred by listeners behaviorally and also occur with higher regularity in musical composition. Event-related potentials index the perceived consonance (i.e., pleasantness) of musical pitch relationships providing a cortical neural correlate for such behavioral preferences. Here, we show correlates of these harmonic preferences exist at subcortical stages of audition. Brainstem frequency-following responses were measured in response to four prototypical musical triads. Pitch salience computed from frequency-following responses correctly predicted the ordering of triadic harmony stipulated by music theory (i.e., major >minor >>diminished >augmented). Moreover, neural response magnitudes showed high correspondence with listeners' perceptual ratings of the same chords. Results suggest that preattentive stages of pitch processing may contribute to perceptual judgments of musical harmony.

SUBMITTER: Bidelman GM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3057421 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Brainstem correlates of behavioral and compositional preferences of musical harmony.

Bidelman Gavin M GM Krishnan Ananthanarayan A

Neuroreport 20110301 5

Certain chords are preferred by listeners behaviorally and also occur with higher regularity in musical composition. Event-related potentials index the perceived consonance (i.e., pleasantness) of musical pitch relationships providing a cortical neural correlate for such behavioral preferences. Here, we show correlates of these harmonic preferences exist at subcortical stages of audition. Brainstem frequency-following responses were measured in response to four prototypical musical triads. Pitch ...[more]

PMID: 21358554

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