Acoustic illusions reveal perception mechanisms and shape music performance

Evidence

There are some situations when the perceived sound is unexpected as a result of either what amounts to an acoustic illusion or the way in which the human hearing system analyzes sounds. While some of these sounds will not be found in traditional musical performances using acoustic instruments, since they can only be generated electronically, some of the effects have a bearing on how music is performed. The nature of the illusion and its relationship with the acoustic input that produced it can give rise to new theories of how sound is perceived, and, in some cases, the effect might have already or could in the future be used in the performance of music. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1615

Categorization

• SEED: Potential essay angle: how auditory illusions, like visual ones, expose the brain’s constructive machinery and could enlarge the composer’s toolkit.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1615
• XREF: connects to: Western music’s privileged intervals show no perceptual detection advantage; Western dynamic hierarchy in music is a trained perceptual illusion — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 513; Spatial audio systems create illusions of direction and space rather than reproducing them exactly (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Western dynamic hierarchy in music is a trained perceptual illusion #exemplifies (0.95) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 513
• Binaural illusions reveal the brain imposes Gestalt grouping on incoming pitches #exemplifies (0.92)
• Spatial audio systems create illusions of direction and space rather than reproducing them exactly #exemplifies (0.85)
• Stereo loudspeakers create directional illusion through summed phase shifts mimicking time delays #exemplifies (0.85) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1911
• Listening actively shapes the sound it perceives rather than merely registering it #expands (0.85) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 346
• Masking patterns reveal the ear’s internal psychological representation of a sound. #exemplifies (0.85) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 465
• Room acoustics and presentation method alter how listeners perceive sounds #exemplifies (0.80)
• Attention shapes what a listener perceives as loud in complex soundscapes #exemplifies (0.80)
• Trained listeners perceive flat spectra from loudspeakers whose on-axis response is flat #exemplifies (0.78)
• Moving sources make reflected-sound comb-filtering audible as pitch rather than mere colouration #exemplifies (0.78)