While a number of theories have been advanced to account for why musical consonance is related to simple frequency ratios, as yet there is no completely satisfying explanation.

Here we explore the theory of synchronization properties of ensembles of coupled neural oscillators to demonstrate why simple frequency ratios may have achieved a special status and why they are important for auditory perception.

The analysis shows that the mode-locked states ordering give precisely the standard ordering of consonance as often listed in Western music theory.

Our results thus indicate the importance of neural synchrony in musical perception.

Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Journal of the Royal Society Interface is the Society's cross-disciplinary publication promoting research at the interface between the physical and life sciences. It offers rapidity, visibility and high-quality peer review and is ranked fourth in JCR's multidisciplinary category.

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