Abstract
(full paper in .pdf format)
This study argues that auditory roughness (rattling sound associated with certain
types of signals) is an important sonic aspect of music, one that musical
aesthetic judgments around the world are often based on. Within the Western
tradition there is a strong link between roughness and annoyance, manifested
in the assumption that rough sounds are inherently bad or unpleasant and are
therefore to be avoided. Instrument construction and performance practices
outside the Western art musical tradition, however, indicate that the sensation
of roughness can be an important factor in the production of musical sound.
Manipulating the roughness parameters helps create a buzzing or rattling sonic
canvas that becomes the backdrop for further musical elaboration. It permits
the creation of timbral or even rhythmic variations (through changes among
roughness degrees), contributing to a musical tradition’s menu of expressive
tools. The potential usefulness of a proposed roughness estimation model to
musicological research is discussed, drawing on previous and new empirical
studies that link dissonance and roughness ratings of harmonic intervals
within the Western chromatic scale. It is argued that, within the Western musical
tradition, clear presence or absence of roughness dominates dissonance ratings.
In most other cases, decisions on dissonance seem to ignore roughness and
be culturally and historically mediated.
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