NRT asserts that music ignites signals in our brain that fire, or resonate, at frequencies matching the notes.

Neural vibrations themselves, sparked by the physical sound waves of their source, contain music’s messages.

For melody, certain tone sequences are inherently pleasant (consonant); others are unpleasant (dissonant).

This post concludes the three-part survey of musical embodiment—the idea that music isn’t just a mental experience but one that involves our entire body, and how this physical connection shapes our musical preferences. Last month’s post featured the predictive coding model, which asserts that musical preferences are learned and therefore mainly cultural. Because this learning happens in the cortex, the advanced upper regions of the brain, it is called a “top-down” model.

We now turn to neural resonance theory, which proposes that our musical preferences are innate and deeply biological. This is a “bottom-up” model since much of the processing of the sound we hear begins early—in the inner ear and brainstem—along the auditory (hearing) pathway. (Note: this post explores melody; rhythm will be the focus of a future post.)

Consider this quote as the motto of neural resonance theory (NRT): “Your brain and body literally sync to music.”1

Musical notes, like all sounds, are created by vibrations of air molecules. When these vibration waves reach the cochlea (the sound detector organ of the inner ear), they activate it to fire signals in sync with the frequencies of the notes.

We measure sound frequencies in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz), named for physicist Heinrich Hertz. The cochlea translates mechanical air molecule vibration into an electrochemical signal firing (called resonance) at matching frequencies.

For example, concert A, the note to which an orchestra tunes, is the A above middle C. It is labeled A4 and has a frequency of 440 Hz. The part of your cochlea that detects A4 converts its mechanical sound waves into electrochemical nerve signals that fire, or resonate, at the same frequency.2

This incredible ability to detect and convert frequencies allows our auditory system to tell notes apart. Without it, melody could not exist.

Exiting the cochlea, these electrochemical signals move along the auditory nerve to the brainstem.........

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