There is an experiment that, once completed, essentially overturned the entire system of Western music theory. German scientists found a group of Tsimane people in the Amazon who had never been exposed to Western music; they were only familiar with their own indigenous music. The scientists played two types of sounds for them: chords we consider pleasant, and others that do not conform to our music theory. When asked which sounded better, the Tsimane answered that there was no difference. It’s not that they don't understand music—they have their own South American style—but they don't perceive the chords and melodies constructed by our music theory as being 'better' than the ones that defy it. At its core, sound is just air vibrating—it’s just sine waves and frequency. What Western music theory calls 'pleasant' is simply because those chords are mathematically simple and their waveforms repeat periodically. More complex chords have phase shifts and amplitude jitter, making the sound more complicated, which is why Western theory labels them 'dissonant.' The Tsimane can distinguish between these sounds and identify which is more complex or 'harmonious,' but they don't inherently prefer the Western ones. So, is the entire system of harmony and tonality we've been taught since childhood actually useful? It’s not a natural truth or a universal law; it's just a byproduct of the musical education model we’ve been conditioned by.
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