Pitch height and mode have asymmetrical effects on the perception of mixed emotions in seventh chords

Abstract

Music has long been recognized for evoking emotion from the listener. While prior empirical studies have investigated the effect of various auditory features (i.e., timbre, tempo, articulation) on emotion perception, the relationship between mode and emotion in chords, beyond basic associations of “major”-”happy” and “minor”-”sad” in triads, remains poorly understood. The present study investigates how mode contributes to the perception of mixed emotions in major and minor seventh chords, containing a triad from both modes. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to identify the emotion they perceived (happy, sad, or bittersweet) in response to a selection of major and minor triads and seventh chords. To observe the effect of changing mode salience, participants were presented with the same seventh chords whose root or seventh was lowered in volume. Experiment 2 additionally asked participants to respond to seventh chords with roots or sevenths that were quieted in multiple increments. Overall, participants were more likely to report a seventh chord as bittersweet (Experiments 1, 2) or happy (Experiment 2) but not sad. The likelihood of a seventh chord being rated as ‘happy’ increased with highlighting the major triad present in a minor seventh chord through quieting the chordal root, but the likelihood of a seventh chord being rated as ‘sad’ increased with lowering the volume of a chordal seventh, regardless of mode. The effect of pitch height on emotional perception is considered, and implications for the general understanding of complex emotional categories are discussed.