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A Dynamical Systems Approach to Musical Tonality

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Nonlinear Dynamics in Human Behavior

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 328))

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Abstract

Music is a form of communication that relies on highly structured temporal sequences comparable in complexity to language. Music is found among all human cultures, and musical languages vary across cultures with learning. Tonality – a set of stability and attraction relationships perceived among musical frequencies – is a universal feature of music, found in virtually every musical culture. In this chapter, a new theory of central auditory processing and development is proposed, and its implications for tonal cognition and perception are explored. A simple model is put forward, based on knowledge of auditory organization and general neurodynamic principles. The model is simplified as compared to the organization and dynamics of the real auditory system, nevertheless it makes realistic predictions about neurodynamics. The analysis predicts the existence of natural resonances, the potential for tonal language learning, the perceptual categorization of intervals, and most importantly, relative stability and attraction relationships among musical tones. This approach suggests that high-level music cognition and perception may arise from the interaction of acoustic signals with the dynamics of the auditory system. Musical universals are predicted by intrinsic neurodynamics that provide a direct link to neurophysiology, and Hebbian synaptic modification could explain how different tonal languages are established.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Bldg 12, Rm 327, Boca Raton, FL, 33431

    Edward W. Large

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  1. Edward W. Large
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  1. Theoretical Neuroscience Group, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, CNRS & Université de la Méditerranée,UMR 6233 “Movement Science Institute”, 163 av.De Luminy, cedex 09, 13288, Marseille, France

    Raoul Huys  & Viktor K. Jirsa  & 

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Large, E.W. (2010). A Dynamical Systems Approach to Musical Tonality. In: Huys, R., Jirsa, V.K. (eds) Nonlinear Dynamics in Human Behavior. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 328. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16262-6_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16262-6_9

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