> Yay minor! And by the way... do you know why minor tends to sound sad to us? I have always wondered, without ever making a concentrated effort to find out.

This falls back on the whole "how is it that music can affect us emotionally?" thing I mentioned in the post. Until we can explain that, I don't think we can get any closer to sorting out why minor sounds sad.

It should be noted, however, that minor doesn't always sound sad. It can sound mysterious, ominous, or forceful as well. And I've heard songs of similar "umph" in both major and minor keys. Major and minor does play a primary difference, but much of the sound is still shaped by the melody, tempo, dynamics, harmony and orchestration.