The Effects of Local and Global Key Consistency on Musical Tension

Tonal music perception relies on hierarchical tension and relaxation, which is linked to predictive processes. However, the relationship between local and global processing in shaping tension is not fully understood. Our EEG and behavioral study manipulated musical congruence at local and global levels, revealing that local processing effects could be influenced by global factors. We found that when both local and global congruence were violated, there was a smaller P600 following increased beta oscillations, compared to when only global congruence was violated. This suggests that rapid fluctuations in tension during resolution processes resulted from limited modulation to predictive models. Furthermore, a higher amplitude of P600 occurred when local congruence was violated but global congruence was maintained, compared to when both were congruent, indicating that predictive updating required greater effort. However, local effects had the potential to override global effects, as evidenced by the disappearance of EEG effects induced by global incongruence in locally incongruent conditions and the resulting faster-changing tension curve. These findings suggest that local congruency plays a critical role in processing musical tension and holds a dominant position in music processing. The implications of these findings are discussed in detail in the theoretical framework of predictive processing.