Is music, universal?

Excuse me mods, I have no idea which forum is appropriate for this, so please move if necessary.

Is music universal?
Let's speculate for just a moment, that there are living conscious beings on planets other than our own.
Do they have music?
I would hope so.
I really feel that music is a universal language.
Musical notes, beats, rhythms, etc elicit emotional responses, without the need of words.
Listen to any of the great masters of composition and tell me there is no emotion whatsoever there.
I realize that I am lending the quality of emotion based on a human response, but would it be any different for any other creature.
Even on earth, animals and plants respond to music, where otherwise, we are at a lack in the ability to communicate.
I don't know the specific details of those responses though, but they are there.
I am also aware of the connections between music and mathematics as well.
In certain instances listening to a formulation of mathematical equations produced astounding music.
Music also has a translation into mathematics as well.
All this and we haven't even scratched the surface.
What about harmonics, and wave forms?

So what say you?
Lend some opinions or some further insight, if you don't mind.
Goodnight for now.

Frequencies and vibrations...
It's the universal language in my eyes...
I'm not saying that Mili Vanili can speak to
intelligent beings through "Blame it on the rain".
However when composed, constructed and
theory is applied it can quite a moving force, that
can invoke emotions and make you think.

Intelligent design.

I think it is! Check this out!
World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale
vimeo.com...

[edit on 29-10-2009 by Optix]

it is to a degree.....
but what works in western music may work in other cultures.

for example...in western music a perfect 4th is considered a dissonant, but in some other cultures it is considered consonant. This probably doesn't make any sense unless you have taken a music class or 2, so if you need me to clarify then say so.

as far as aliens go, I suspect grey aliens DO NOT listen to music. most reports I have heard of these creatures describes them as having no emotions, no sense of humor, no social skills, etc....this brings up a lot of interesting questions...like if they are lacking all of these things are then then lacking creativity? and if so where did they acquire their technology?

music is also interesting in that perhaps it is not created, but discovered. this gets pretty abstract from here, so I'll stop unless you want me to continue....


Liquid

I believe as someone stated earlier, that the most appropriate 'music' that's held universally is simple harmonics, I'd suppose that aliens are much more in tune with treble where as we like bass here as humans.

Also, the appropriate forum would've been Psychology, Philosophy, and Metaphysics.

reply to post by keepureye2thesky


think and feel

reply to post by Revolution-2012


I'm not sure how you figure humans are bass oriented and aliens treble lovers....
what do you mean by that and how do you know?

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind music was used to communicate with the space ships.

While this was just a movie, I believe that music is probably one of the best ways of communicating with other races. Not gangsta rap, obviously, but melodious and harmonious notes.

Originally posted by liquidsmoke206
it is to a degree.....
but what works in western music may work in other cultures.

for example...in western music a perfect 4th is considered a dissonant, but in some other cultures it is considered consonant. This probably doesn't make any sense unless you have taken a music class or 2, so if you need me to clarify then say so.

as far as aliens go, I suspect grey aliens DO NOT listen to music. most reports I have heard of these creatures describes them as having no emotions, no sense of humor, no social skills, etc....this brings up a lot of interesting questions...like if they are lacking all of these things are then then lacking creativity? and if so where did they acquire their technology?

music is also interesting in that perhaps it is not created, but discovered. this gets pretty abstract from here, so I'll stop unless you want me to continue....


Liquid

Also take into fact the tempo......An alien might be able to comprehend and understand and enjoy music at , what to us is extreme tempos either too fast or slow for our enjoyment..

Music would sound totally differerent then..


There is an episode on Stargate SG-1 where another race is trying to "terraform" a new planet and they go on board and this representation of a human/alien shows them music and it's pretty much like fast computer glitches and weird pitches which to us would be unbearable but to them is great...

reply to post by spellbound


I disagree, at least in the case of more common alien species. I have never heard reports of these things having any kind of art or music aboard their ships. The ships themselves are amazing works of art and engineering to be sure, but how did such a sterile race create them? I'm getting off topic here, but is it possible that grey aliens were created by something else to simply do work....? I can't think of any other explanation to this conundrum.

reply to post by LucidDreamer85


thats possible I suppose, but i still cant understand how a race of beings with no apparent emotions would be able to create music or anything else for that matter.

Interesting discussion!

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


No-one knows what aliens are like. We do not know that they have no emotion - we know nothing at all about them. Show me one human who can explain what an alien is like.

I think music is the obvious way to communicate - the music of the spheres and all that. The music of the whales and the dolphins. There is probably music in the universe that we are totally unaware of.

another interesting note....

all matter does vibrate and certain frequencies...and I don't know how true this is, but my music instructor actually told us that our solar system vibrates as a major chord. Which universally as far as i know is considered a "sweet" or "happy" chord by all cultures on earth.

and for those who aren't educated in music theory, a major chord is comprised of the 1st 3rd and 5th notes of the major scale played simultaneously.

reply to post by spellbound


it's easy to say no one knows what aliens are like, and I have to admit that having never met one I also don't "know" what they are like. I am speculating, but reports from people who have claimed to experience alien abduction consistently describe these beings as emotionless, more like machines than men. You can choose to either believe or not believe these witnesses but for the sake of this argument I'm using this info and assuming theres something to it. If you have a lot of people all saying the same thing...you kinda have to wonder.

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


I don't think they "greys" are emotionless.
I think they communicate telepathically. To most, this would seem to lack emotion, but it is not necessarily so.

Of course there is the possibility that they *are* drones.

But at that point, they are of no use to the topic anyhow.

So lets just deal with hypotheticals.

In response to the OP, you'd better bet your arse that aliens would understand music.
Music is something that is likely developed very, very early on in development of any species. The beginings of which are probably untraceable to a specific point but I'd bet it starts as a concophony of alert calls.
Heck, just last night I watched a video of a bonobo playing a harmonica while its baby tried to play along with it.

What we consider "lower primates" understand music.

The problem you will run into is the functional speed of the beings' brain.

To go back to the greys as an example, the Roswell insider "victor" claimed that these beings had IQs that were 1,000X greater than our own. Meaning that they process information 1,000X more quickly than we do.

That being said, they would be naturally drawn to much more complex works of patterns. Their "music" would be unrecognizable to us.
And ours would look like that of a bonobo blowing randomly into a harmonica.


Just an example.

reply to post by GENERAL EYES


can you call hums and high pitched sounds music? its really a philosophical question...what is music? when does sound become music? I think thats what beethoven was tryin to say when he wrote his 9th symphony(i think it was the 9th). can 2 notes be a melody? are hums and high pitched sounds music, whether they do or do not render some effect to the listener?

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Dude, why would you tell people that "don't understand" major chords that a major chord is the 1st 3rd and 5th notes of a major scale played simultaneously?

That doesn't make any sense.

Here is a quicker way to explain it.
Major chords sound happy. After that, if someone wants to know more they can google "music theory" and have enough information to rack their brains for years on en.

Nothing really to add. Just that your "explanations" of theory only make the theory more complicated to someone who knows nothing about it.

Sorry, it is a pet-peeve of mine.

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


There may be as many aliens as there are races on earth.

We just don't know.

We don't even know if they have wars, or do they just live in peace, unlike humans?

reply to post by JayinAR


well excuse me...

I assumed that most people were familiar with do re mi fa sol la ti do
I didn't realize i was way over everyones head with that. and I did mention that major chords sound happy. if its really that confusing i could clarify, I do enjoy discussing music theory...

jeez