How does sound have “texture”? How does a piano sound different from a clarinet when they play the same tone?
In: Physics
All this explanations are focused on the musical side rather than the psychological one so I’ll give it a shot. What you are asking for is the subjective experience of different sounds. This is called qualia.
Qualia is an abstract concept that psychologists and philosophers use to describe the subjective element of an experience, e.g. the unique sound of a piano, the redness of the color red, the particular sensations you feel when you feel pain, etc.
The simple answer is that we have no idea why we have this ability, because everything that involves consciousness remains pretty much a mistery. Can an AI experience qualia? Are the qualia I experience the same you experience? Can qualia be explained in a materialistic way? Your guess is as good as mine.
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