The Emotional Impact of Musical Vibrations

For this paper, I listened the RadioLab episode on musical language. I chose this one because, being a musician myself, I’ve always been interested in the psychology behind music, specifically why certain sounds can so drastically alter our emotion. After all, they’re all just vibrations. So what is it about some vibrations that make them so much more significant to us than others? This is one of the primary questions addressed in this podcast.

In discussing how music affects us emotionally, the hosts referred to Igor Stravinsky’s orchestra, The Rite of Spring; specifically its debut, which, to put it simply, was a disaster. The audience was so deeply shaken by the performance that they started a riot. The major factor attributed to this fiasco is the liberal usage of particularly dissonant chords throughout the piece. I have a friend who once joked that “music theory is just dumb bullshit made up by nerds”, which may be partially true, but there is a scientific reason for why we tend to prefer certain sounds over others. In the simplest terms, musical notes can be divided into two major categories: consonant and dissonant. Consonant can be described simply as sounds

that we like. Meanwhile, dissonant sounds are jarring and overall unpleasant. But how do we differentiate between the two? Basically, sound enters our brain through our ears in the form of electricity. This electricity vibrates in a pattern of sorts. When we hear a sound that we like, this pattern in our brain is a consistent tempo, like a metronome. However, when we don’t like a particular sound―say, a dissonant chord―it is a direct result of this pattern being jagged and irregular. When the neurons in our auditory cortex are processing a song (or any sound for that matter), there is a specific group that is able to learn patterns extremely fast in order to predict more or less what sound is going to come next. However, when presented with a dissonant noise, these neurons are unable to recognize a pattern and become upset.
While listening to The Rite of Spring, I found that I personally wasn’t bothered by the dissonance of the music as much as I was by the fact that it got so loud unexpectedly.

This made me begin to think about what other elements of music can affect the mood. The most prevalent factors I came up with were lyrics, key, and tempo. Lyrics are maybe the most obvious, although possibly the most powerful as well. Since lyrics portray a specific message through spoken language, having knowledge of their content and meaning can drastically change the listener’s interpretation of a song. Many people enjoy being able to relate to the subject matter, and often find comfort in the way the songwriter is able to describe a specific feeling or experience in ways more eloquent than the average person might be able

to.
However, the content of the lyrics aren’t always clear to the casual listener. In these cases, key and tempo are more likely to influence the emotion incited by a particular song. Major keys are often associated with a more positive mood, while minor keys are usually considered dark. Meanwhile, a song with a fast tempo generally creates an energizing mood, while a slower song can make one feel sluggish or tired. So, what about a fast song with a minor key, or vice versa? In a way, there is somewhat of a spectrum. While one may generally associate a slow song in a minor key with sadness, a fast song with a minor key may be more likely to incite anger. Something at a speed in between the two could be a little bit of both, creating somewhat of a somber mood. On the other side of things, fast songs in major keys are often exciting and upbeat, while a slow song in a major key could be considered calm or relaxing.
While discussing the initial reaction to The Rite of Spring, the hosts had a moment where they argued whether anyone can learn to appreciate a song, regardless of how avant-garde it may be. This made me think of how often I’ve been asked by my parents, “how do you listen to that noise?” Although I don’t exactly appreciate the implications of the question, it’s interesting to actually think about. How do I listen to this noise? I tend to tell people it’s an acquired taste, which is true, at least in most cases. But is it a taste that just anyone can acquire? How does one acquire the taste in the first place? I would argue that it’s a matter of maturity, as I’ve opened my mind to a lot more diverse styles of music over the years. On the other hand, having an open mind to something is different than actually enjoying it. I wish I could come up with a definitive answer to this question, but it’s hard to say. I think the best way to justify it is that everyone’s brain is slightly different, and maybe some people’s neurons are just more accepting of certain sounds than others.
One could argue that if you just listen to a song enough, eventually you’ll start to like it. This is true in some cases, as many people find that certain songs grow onto them over time. But by that logic, could you learn to enjoy any piece of music by just listening to it enough? Maybe, but that also contrasts with the idea of “playing a song to death”. I’ve managed to ruin several great songs for myself by overplaying them to the point where they’re no longer tolerable. This made me think back to the neurological aspect of sound. Earlier, I mentioned how the neurons in our auditory cortex learn to predict the patterns in music. So if we are no longer able to enjoy a song after listening to it over and over, could this be a result of our neurons memorizing the patterns to the point where it’s beyond boring, but actually unpleasant to listen to?
Just like any other art form, music is largely subjective and open to interpretation. Despite this, there are still many constants from a scientific standpoint. Our auditory cortex plays a large role in this, and our neuron’s ability to recognize patterns in music is a major determinant of whether or not we enjoy a song. However, from a psychological standpoint, it’s a little more complex than that. There are several factors than can affect how our mood is affected by music, including volume, tempo, key, and lyrical content. Regardless of what directions the future may take music, one thing will always remain the same: its undeniable power to connect people.