Originally Posted by dcuny
I don't know that's something that's generally accepted.
I really can’t speak to what is generally accepted. I’m sure there is much research ongoing. But when I connect the dots that I’m familiar with it seems that our neural processors prefer patterns that are easy to process. Complex ratios create irregular patterns resulting in dissonance while simple ratios produce pleasing neural firings resulting in consonance.

But expectation and familiarity also come into play and hence historical and cultural principles must be factors.

As a very simple example, this may be why bands like the Beatles, Eagles and other artists that write “easy to digest” music are more popular than bands like Yes or ELP. This may also explain why many (including myself) don’t understand and can’t appreciate some forms of jazz.

Out to Lunch

I could only listen for the 1st minute or so.

Critical bands and more broadly, the fact that our auditory system is a highly sophisticated transducer which transforms sound pressure waves into an understandable phenomenon we call music is quite interesting.

The Wiki page amplifies the point that we have filters in our auditory system. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have dozens of “filters” and probably as many “descrete processors” that make up the total signal chain. And I’m guessing that this signal chain is not a simple serial chain but a distributed chain with parallel and feedback loops involving long and short-term memory. There is a LOT going on that we all take for granted.

https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2025 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.