Abstract
Musical chords are known to elicit specific human emotions. Chord progressions play an important role, and are closely associated to the emotional value of a piece of music. While many previous studies have focused on single chords, we assessed brain activation and psychological impressions while participants listened to chord progressions. Using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and SD (Semantic differential) method, we found increased activation in Brodmannʼs Area 47 while participants listened to chord progressions that included major chords. Self-reported impressions of chord progressions were classified into four factors: dissonance level, modality, tension level, and simplicity. Specific chord progressions had a significant impact on chord impression across all the factors. Furthermore, major chords produced the largest change in chord impression compared with other chord types. We suggest that there is a correlation between brain activity and impression evaluations.
