The influence of mode and musical experience on the attribution of emotions to melodic sequences.

Abstract

The connection between emotion and music runs deep, and despite a growing body of research, the influence of musical structure on emotion perception is only partially understood. The present study examined the relationship between mode and emotion attribution, as well as how musical experience influences emotion perception. Thirty-four participants listened to sequences of musical scales and melodies consisting of randomized sequences of notes in each of the seven diatonic modes and the major-minor scale, and rated the emotional content of the stimuli using a diagram of Plutchik's circumplex model of emotions (adapted from Plutchik, 2003). The attribution of emotion differed across the modes and generally conformed to historical descriptions of emotional connotations of the mode: Ionian was most often associated with ecstasy, joy, and serenity; Dorian with vigilance, anticipation, and interest; Phrygian with terror, fear, and apprehension. Emotional ratings were consistent across subjects with varying degrees of musical experience (as determined by the Goldsmith's Musical Sophistication Index); however, less experienced participants showed more variability in their selection of emotions conveyed by the modes. The results of the present study indicate that the simple distinction between common practice major and minor modality likely does not fully account for the way pitches convey emotion. Future consideration of the modes of the diatonic scale and the intervals between tonic and each scale degree might lead to a more nuanced and complete understanding of how emotions are conveyed by music.

Perception of Western Musical Modes: A Chinese Study

“…Experiment 1 showed that the mode and harmonic complexity influenced the psychological perception of Western music in Chinese people. Consistent with previous studies ( Juslin and Lindström, 2010 ; Huron and Davis, 2012 ; Juslin and Sloboda, 2013 ; Parncutt, 2014 ; Straehley and Loebach, 2014 ; Lahdelma and Eerola, 2014 ; Bonetti and Costa, 2017 ), the major mode induced greater pleasure than the minor mode. Moreover, the major mode induced greater arousal and dominance than the minor mode, whereas the minor mode induced greater tension than the major mode.…”

“…The structural difference between the major mode and the minor mode produces distinct sound effects. The root of the minor triad is more ambiguous and uncertain than the root of the major triad ( Parncutt, 2014 ); therefore, the major mode tends to induce positive emotions, while the minor mode tends to induce negative emotions ( Juslin and Lindström, 2010 ; Huron and Davis, 2012 ; Juslin and Sloboda, 2013 ; Straehley and Loebach, 2014 ). For example, Lahdelma and Eerola (2014) explored the emotional perceptions of different chords (i.e., major, minor, diminished, augmented, and seventh chords) and showed that the valence ratings of the major triad were the highest.…”

Energy, Popularity, and the Circumplex

“…Indeed, Bruner (1990; see also Gabrielsson & Juslin, 1996; Gabrielsson & Lindström, 2001; Juslin, 2000, 2005; Juslin & Laukka, 2000, 2003) reviewed numerous studies from the fields of psychology, musicology, and marketing and summarized the various possible iconic meanings that different musical structures may have in terms of time-, pitch-, and texture-related factors. Similarly, Straehley and Loebach (2014) found that the emotional connotations of various musical modes could be captured in terms of their valence and intensity, consistent with the circumplex dimensions of pleasantness and arousal, respectively.…”

Singing and Accompaniment Support the Processing of Song Lyrics and Change the Lyrics' Meaning

“…However, a growing body of evidence shows that music can at least express emotional meaning in a less arbitrary way (e.g. Andrade, Vanzella, Andrade, & Schellenberg, 2017;Cespedes-Guevara & Eerola, 2018;Fritz et al, 2009;Huovinen & Kaila, 2015;Juslin, 2013;Juslin and Laukka, 2003;Koelsch, 2011;Schubert, 2013Straehley & Loebach, 2014Swaminathan & Schellenberg, 2015;Tiemann & Huron, 2011). In addition, there is evidence of semantic meaning in music (e.g., Brodsky, 2011, HaCohen & Wagner, 1997Huovinen & Kaila, 2015;Koelsch et al, 2004;Margulis, 2016Margulis, , 2017Noble & McAdams, 2018), and of musical humour (Huron, 2004;Goeth, 2016).…”