The Psychoacoustics of Harmony Perception
By Norman D. Cook, Takefumi Hayashi
Centuries after three-part harmony entered Western music, research is starting to clarify why different chords sound tense or resolved, cheerful or melancholy
This Article From Issue
July-August 2008
Volume 96, Number 4
Page 311
DOI: 10.1511/2008.73.311
Sing your favorite college fight song or the United States national anthem to a suitable instrumental accompaniment, and the chances are that you will hear lots of stirring major chords. The Star-Spangled Banner is a perfect example: When you sing "Oh say, can you see?" you are singing the three notes (one of them raised an octave) of a major chord.
Photograph courtesy of the Barbershop Harmony Society/Max Duryea.
American Scientist Comments and Discussion
To discuss our articles or comment on them, please share them and tag American Scientist on social media platforms. Here are links to our profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
If we re-share your post, we will moderate comments/discussion following our comments policy.