The Power Spectral Density Analysis of Electroencephalogram Beta Rhythm for the Impacts of Music Tuning on Brainwaves

The interaction of music with the brain state can cause change in the electroencephalogram (EEG). In particular, the augmentation of the power of beta rhythm during music listening may indicate a positive interaction with cognitive processes, as according to the reported studies. The common pitch standard in music is A4 = 440 Hz (A440), which was adopted by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) in 1955 and reaffirmed in 1975. While this tuning standard is widely uncontroversial, some listeners prefer when music is tuned to a different pitch standard with A4 = 432 Hz (A432), for either aesthetic or metaphysical reasons, as some proponents of the A432 standard report feelings of wellbeing. Previously, we recorded the EEG brainwaves using the BIOPAC Interface on six participants listening to five different stimuli—white noise, a 432 Hz or 440 Hz sine wave, an E major chord on guitar tuned to A432 or A440—in twenty second intervals. The EEG data from each participant was then processed using a Python script for power spectral density analysis on beta rhythm, looking for the peaks of the power spectrum for each stimulus and the average spectral power for each subject. We anticipate to obtain results shedding light on the impacts of music tuning on human brains.