WEIRD UNDERTONES
my sonic experiments
messed me up
REBECCA MURSIC, PH.D. STUDENT IN PSYCHOLOGY
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA
as told to Sara ChodoshTALES FROM THE FIELD
The Shepard scale is a set of tones
each separated by an octave.
When played continuously, with
the notes either ascending or descending in
pitch, the progressions make the sounds
seem as if they are rising—or dropping—
endlessly. Director Christopher Nolan has
used them to build suspense in many of his
films, from The Dark Knight to Dunkirk.
I began researching this illusion after see-
ing curious reports on a website dedicated to
the phenomenon. People described feelings
of falling, particularly after listening to the
Shepard- Risset glissando—a smooth, gliding
variation. I wanted to know how music could
induce false feelings of movement.
When I played the scale to participants in
my experiments, I found a range of reactions.
In some folks, the stimulus induced motion
sickness— nausea and disrupted balance—
and a mix of emotional disturbances. Most
people became nervous and agitated, but a
few felt relaxed. One person likened the expe-
rience to morphine; another felt extremeanger. Once, after a long day of testing—
using a surround-sound speaker array—I too
fell victim to the unsettling effects. Now I
plug my ears before I unleash the tones.