All chords in d minor8/17/2023 This method of measuring brain activity is different from the fMRI studies we discussed earlier. In a study of how the brain reacts to consonant chords (notes that sound “good” together, like middle C and the E and G above middle C, as in the opening chord of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”), subjects were played consonant or dissonant chords (notes that sound “bad”together) in the minor and major keys, and their brains were analyzed using a method called positron emission tomography (PET). For example, in Western music, minor keys are perceived as “serious” or “sad” and major keys are perceived as “bright” or “happy.” This is a remarkable response when you think about it: two or three notes played together for a brief period of time, without any other music, can make us think “that is a sad sound” or “that is a happy sound.” People around the world have this response, although the tones that illicit these emotions differ from one culture to another. Remarkably, from there, major and minor chords are processed by different areas of the brain outside the auditory cortex, where they are assigned emotional meaning. For example, part of the auditory cortex (the superior temporal sulcus) appears to help distinguish major from minor chords. ![]() The Minor Fall and The Major Lift: Sorting Out Minor and Major ChordsĪnother function within areas of the secondary auditory cortex involves how we perceive different chords. Copyright (c) 2023 Columbia University Press. Sherman and Dennis Plies published by Columbia University Press. ![]() Excerpted from Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music by Larry S.
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