The course "Music as Biology: What We Like to Hear and Why" delves into the biological framework of music and auditory aesthetics. It explores the consonant and dissonant tone combinations, scales, and the emotions elicited by music across different cultures. Through in-depth analyses of speech and musical databases, it investigates the common biological strategies behind auditory perception and the evolution of musical tonalities.
The comprehensive exploration encompasses the organization of the human auditory system, the perception of sound stimuli and vocalization, defining music and exploring why we like it, musical scales, and the relationship between music, emotion, and cultural differences. Participants will gain insights into the relative similarity of musical tonalities, the characteristics of voiced speech, and the global preferences for musical scales. The course offers a rich understanding of the biological underpinnings of music and how it relates to human perception and emotion.
Certificate Available ✔
Get Started / More Info
The course modules cover a wide range of topics, including the organization of the auditory system, the perception of sound stimuli, vocalization, defining music and exploring why we like it, musical scales, and the relationship between music, emotion, and cultural differences. Participants will gain insights into the biological underpinnings of music and how it relates to human perception and emotion.
Welcome to Music as Biology, an introduction to the course content and objectives.
This module delves into the organization of the human auditory system, including the distinction between sound signal and sound stimuli, auditory perception, and the harmonic series.
Here, participants will explore the perception of sound stimuli, including loudness and intensity, pitch and frequency, and the causes of timbre.
This module examines the production and perception of vocal sound signals, the relationship of vocalization to music, and the empirical terms for intensity and frequency.
Participants will explore the biological explanations for why we like music, including the chromatic scale, consonance and dissonance, tonality vs. atonality, and tension and resolution in music.
This module delves into musical scales, including their definition and modes, the limited number of scales used, and the biological explanation of scale preference.
Exploring the relationship between music, emotion, and cultural differences, this module covers the elicitation of emotions by major vs. minor scales, expression of emotion in Eastern and Western music, and cultural differences in music.
This module provides additional resources related to music theory, including analyses of various musical pieces, harmonic and melodic minor scales, and glossaries and bibliographies for further study.
Immerse yourself in the world of immunology with a specialisation that delves into the immune system, its failures, and their clinical implications.
Ecology: Ecosystem Dynamics and Conservation An in-depth exploration of ecology and ecosystem dynamics with a focus on Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park. Learn...
Immunology: Innate Immune System is a comprehensive exploration of our body's first line of defense against infections, focusing on the mechanisms and cellular components...
This course explores the battle between antibiotics and superbugs, offering insights into the historical discovery, classification, and misuse of antibiotics. Join...