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Dissonant vs Consonant: Melodic Motion
Your brain perceives all of the notes except the tonal centres, 1 and 1 (8), in some state of unrest as you play the scale. You can use any of several terms to characterize dissonant vs consonant interval dynamics.
restless vs at rest
unbalanced vs balanced
tense vs resolved
unstable vs stable
dissonant vs consonant
The instant these forces come into play—the instant you hear a series of notes played or sung (a succession of intervals)—your brain may sense a tune (musical motion). It depends on the frequency ratios of the intervals and whether or not your brain can sense in those intervals an underlying organization.
Your brain automatically tries to determine if the intervals correspond to simple ratios of frequencies. It will also try to determine the tonal centre, the note that serves as the anchor for purposes of identifying the simple ratios. If it identifies several familiar simple frequency ratios, it instantly understands the organizing principle (a diatonic scale) and perceives some sort of tune—a succession of intervals manifesting a variety of levels of dynamic tension.