The inner ear as a musical instrument

Abstract

This paper addresses the place of the ears and their potential as musical instruments. Psychoacoustics research into the non-linearities of the inner ear has proven that the organ has much more to offer the composer than has been previously considered. By reversing the role of the ear from being a submissive receiver to an active participant in the creative process, an exciting level of opportunity opens up for the composer. A focus is given in this paper to bandwidth phenomena and auditory distortion products with references to the author's own compositional material which seeks to highlight that the investigation of the non-linear nature of the inner ear is revolutionary in relation to the place of the ear within contemporary composition. Central to this work is the notion that the ear is not simply a passive component of the musical experience. Adorno once stated that the ear is a “dozy and inert” organ and by disproving such a view one can destabilize common assumptions about psychoacoustics and the potential of the ears as musical instruments.