Emotional associations with timbres and note intervals (John Proctor )


Subject: Emotional associations with timbres and note intervals
From:    John Proctor  <john@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:44:33 +0000
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

Hello All, Has anyone on the list done any research or have any thoughts or opinions on the reasons for the spontaneous experience of particular emotions on hearing certain timbres or note intervals. Some such sounds appear to posses a quality of happiness or sadness but it is difficult to say why. Is this emotional reaction inherent in our auditory/emotional systems or is it conditioned through early exposure to sounds such as laughter or crying? If it is inherent, then is there evidence that it is inherited through a process of evolutionary selection? Or is there some other explanation that I am missing? I'd be really interested to hear people's thoughts on this as it's been on my mind a lot recently. Thanks. John Proctor Humanoid Sound Systems http://www.humanoidsounds.co.uk


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