Montani attempts to find an explanation for the difference in the emotional reaction evoked by the Major Mode and the Minor Mode. The third note of the scale determines the Major or Minor feeling. The number three is the 'phallic number'. The original designations were Modo duro (hard) and Modo molle (soft) which lead to sexual associations. The Minor Mode, diminished by a semitone, is unconsciously felt as weaker and associated with the castration complex.