Music Neuroscience News

"Reimagining Pythagoras' Musical Consonance"

New research challenges Pythagoras's theory on musical consonance, revealing a preference for slight imperfections in chords rather than perfect integer ratios traditionally associated with beautiful music. The study, involving over 4,000 participants from the US and South Korea, demonstrates a significant preference for "inharmonic" sounds, indicating a broader and instinctive appreciation for varied musical harmonies beyond Western norms. This opens up opportunities for exploring new harmonic languages that resonate with listeners without prior musical training, encouraging musicians and producers to experiment with diverse instruments for innovative musical expressions.