Timbre shapes harmonic taste.

A new study suggests that the mathematical rules for creating musical harmony may be more flexible than previously believed. Western music theory states that chords sound best when they contain notes separated by specific intervals, such as an octave or a fifth. However, the study found that people's preferred harmonies actually depend on the timbre of the notes, which is the distinct flavor of sound produced by different instruments. The results may help explain why different cultures have developed diverse musical scales based on the timbres of their instruments. The study also found that people in the United States preferred intervals slightly different from those tuned to simple frequency ratios, possibly because they add texture to the sound. Additionally, participants who listened to chords with a timbre similar to a non-Western instrument called the bonang preferred intervals that differed from Western ideal ratios, aligning with the musical scale used in Javanese gamelan music. The study suggests that musical scales can be strongly influenced by the type of instrument used. [Extracted from the article]