Consonance Processing in the Absence of Relevant Experience: Evidence from Nonhuman Animals

Abstract

Consonance is a major feature in harmonic music that has been related to how pleasant a sound is perceived. Consonant chords are defined by simple frequency ratios between their composing tones, whereas dissonant chords are defined by more complex frequency ratios. The extent to which such simple ratios in consonant chords could give rise to preferences and processing advantages for consonance over dissonance has generated much research. Additionally, there is mounting evidence for a role of experience in consonance perception. Here we review experimental data coming from studies with different species that help to broaden our understanding of consonance and the role that experience plays on it. Comparative studies offer the possibility of disentangling the relative contributions of species-specific vocalizations (by comparing across species with rich and poor vocal repertoires) and exposure to harmonic stimuli (by comparing populations differing in their experience with music). This is a relative new field of inquiry, and much more research is needed to get a full understanding of consonance as one of the bases for harmonic music.

Memorisation and implicit perceptual learning are enhanced for preferred musical intervals and chords

“…Apparently, a more consonant sensory context, similarly to a low-entropy sensory context, induces the brain to estimate the inputs as more reliable (Quiroga-Martinez et al, 2019). It has also been suggested that our auditory cortices are generally more tuned to process consonant sounds (Bowling & Purves, 2015;Bowling et al, 2017) due to the similarity with human vocalizations (Crespo-Bojorque & Toro, 2016;Toro & Crespo-Bojorque, 2017). However, personal experiences, as musical training and listening, seem to be able to modulate these general trends (Crespo-Bojorque et al, 2018).…”

“Stopping for knowledge”: The sense of beauty in the perception-action cycle

“…It has been shown that bird vocalizations as well as human voices are often composed of consonant sounds and that vocal similarity explains the aesthetic preference for consonance (Bowling et al, 2017). In accordance with this view, it is possible that the human nervous system might be specifically tuned by evolution to process such input (Crespo-Bojorque & Toro, 2016;González-García et al, 2016; J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Toro & Crespo-Bojorque, 2017;Tramo et al, 2006;Zentner & Kagan, 1996). This may represent a possible explanation of the greater precision estimation granted to consonant rather than dissonant sounds (Bowling and Purves, 2015).…”

Musicality in human vocal communication: an evolutionary perspective

“…In a society where basic forms of group chorusing (proto-songs?) start to appear in the context of social rhythmic and coordinated behaviours, the interaction between the voice of male adults and women or children would tend to create octaves and fifths [ 34 ], provided there is a perceptual preference for these consonances which in fact does not seem to be unique to humans (for a review, see [ 194 ]). These group activities would start to promote, not only social bonding, but also group identity.…”