Rhythm contour drives musical memory
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Date
2021-12-16
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Publisher
Ohio State University. Libraries
Abstract
Two experiments examined listeners' use of contour information to drive memory for rhythmic patterns; these experiments were distinguished by the use of metric rhythms (Experiment 1) and ametric rhythms (Experiment 2). Both experiments employed a typical short-term memory task in which listeners heard a standard rhythm followed by a comparison rhythm. Comparison rhythms could be one of three types: an exact repetition of the standard rhythm, a same contour rhythm in which the relative durations of successive notes were comparable to the standard, and a different contour rhythm in which the relative durations of successive notes were modified relative to the standard. Analyses of d primes for same/different detection revealed that, for both studies, listeners performed better when the comparisons had different rhythm contours, relative to comparisons with the same rhythm contours. These findings converge with results investigating melodic contour, and suggest that listeners both form and use contours of novel rhythmic patterns.
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Keywords
Rhythm, Contour, Short-term Memory, D primes
Citation
Future Directions of Music Cognition (2021), pp. 228-232