Vocal similarity theory and the biology of musical tonality

Bowling, Daniel L.

doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2023.05.006

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…[ 236 , 237 ]). Though sometimes framed as evidence against biological constraints, such effects may be better considered in terms of how biological constraints manifest in the face of environmental variation [ 56 , 78 ].…”

Section: Individual Differences In Musicalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To model the biology underlying tonality, music scientists have developed vocal similarity theory (VST), the central tenet of which is that we perceive tones according to their behavioral significance in vocal communication [22,30,53,58,[74][75][76][77][78]. VST is based on the fact that our experience with tones is dominated by the voice at evolutionary and individual time scales.…”

Section: Biological Foundations Of Tonalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biological principles for music and mental health

Bowling

2023

Transl Psychiatry

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Efforts to integrate music into healthcare systems and wellness practices are accelerating but the biological foundations supporting these initiatives remain underappreciated. As a result, music-based interventions are often sidelined in medicine. Here, I bring together advances in music research from neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry to bridge music’s specific foundations in human biology with its specific therapeutic applications. The framework I propose organizes the neurophysiological effects of music around four core elements of human musicality: tonality, rhythm, reward, and sociality. For each, I review key concepts, biological bases, and evidence of clinical benefits. Within this framework, I outline a strategy to increase music’s impact on health based on standardizing treatments and their alignment with individual differences in responsivity to these musical elements. I propose that an integrated biological understanding of human musicality—describing each element’s functional origins, development, phylogeny, and neural bases—is critical to advancing rational applications of music in mental health and wellness.

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Section: Individual Differences In Musicalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biological Foundations Of Tonalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological principles for music and mental health

Bowling

2023

Transl Psychiatry

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A system sciences approach to consonance/dissonance: From biological constraints to cultural differences

Di Stefano,

Vuust,

Brattico

2024

Physics of Life Reviews

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Cultural Accounts of Consonance Perception. A Lakatosian Approach to Save Pythagoras

Di Stefano

2024

Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal

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In 1945, Norman Cazden published a groundbreaking article in the literature on consonance perception. In this seminal work, Cazden combined historical, musicological, and theoretical arguments to assert that the Pythagorean approach to consonance, based on integer ratios, lacked substantiation. Recent empirical evidence has bolstered Cazden’s perspective, indicating that the perception of consonance is primarily shaped by culture rather than by arithmetical ratios. Nevertheless, some scholars have drawn attention to other evidence from the bio-musicological literature that supports the Pythagorean hypothesis. Consequently, the current debate on consonance tends to center around the nature vs. culture dichotomy. In this paper, I endeavor to demonstrate that many of the “cultural” arguments can coexist with the Pythagorean hypothesis if we adopt a more epistemologically suitable framework, as proposed by Imre Lakatos’s philosophy of science. To achieve this, I conduct an in-depth analysis of Cazden’s arguments, along with examining both historical and contemporary reinterpretations of them. Then, I apply Lakatos’s concept of “research programme” to the case study of consonance, highlighting various research avenues that have drawn inspiration from the Pythagorean hypothesis and have been successfully pursued. I conclude by claiming that the Pythagorean account can be regarded, in Lakatosian terms, as a progressive research programme.

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Vocal similarity theory and the biology of musical tonality

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

Biological principles for music and mental health

Biological principles for music and mental health

A system sciences approach to consonance/dissonance: From biological constraints to cultural differences

Cultural Accounts of Consonance Perception. A Lakatosian Approach to Save Pythagoras

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