Anyone know the theories? Music is one of the things that feels higher than the animal human existence... in a way it inspires religious devotion. Why?
My hypothesis states that being able to indentify certain sounds (and also images) in nature is a survival advantage. I suspect that sounds that match some kind of template have an emotional responce attached. Don't you think the sound of a violin or synth is quite 'vocal' in a rather abstract way?
See my posting on this topic on another thread. The ratios of the frequencies of the notes in a major (or minor) scale are small integers. For example, the ratios of the frequencies of the notes in a major chord are 3:4:5 . How very Pythagorean. There is a lot of math intrinsic to music. We have brains that are well equipped to deal with math. Therefore music is of natural interest.
It could be from ancestors using rythmic sound for communication. If I listen to a soft classic rock song and close my eyes, and really concentrate, I can nearly feel the music in my head. It's the most surreal feeling ever.
If you listen to music on headphones, when its absoloutly silent you don't hear the music. You sort of feel it. Anyone who's studied Music Theory will understand what Fraggle's saying. There's a lot of math involved in Music.
I have to disagree. I think resopnse to music (in MY case at least) comes from a purely emotional place. If anything, it seems one of the most base animalistic experiences. If, as many people believe, what sets humans apart from animals is their ability to reason and analyze. Reason and analysis goes away when I really listen to and experience good music. I don't know what you mean by that. Can you elaborate?
Perhaps it has to do with the same reason birds have elaborate songs- sexual selection. If you could sing better and more elaborately, you could prove your health and creativity to a potential mate.
