On the limits of anisochrony in pulse attribution

Madison, Guy; Merker, Bjørn

doi:10.1007/s00426-001-0085-y

Cited by 51 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The beat could easily be detected in the target sequence initially as it was perfectly regular (isochronous). The reference sequence was highly irregular as each time interval was shortened or lengthened at random by 30% on average, making the underlying regular beat imperceptible (19). The mean irregularity in the target, starting at 0% initially, was adaptively increased in steps of 4% and 2.5% until the underlying beat could not be detected and the target could not be reliably discriminated against the reference anymore.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dissociation of duration-based and beat-based auditory timing in cerebellar degeneration

Grube

Cooper

Chinnery

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

175

183

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This work tests the hypothesis that the cerebellum is critical to the perception of the timing of sensory events. Auditory tasks were used to assess two types of timing in a group of patients with a stereotyped specific degeneration of the cerebellum: the analysis of single time intervals requiring absolute measurements of time, and the holistic analysis of rhythmic patterns based on relative measures of time using an underlying regular beat. The data support a specific role for the cerebellum only in the absolute timing of single subsecond intervals but not in the relative timing of rhythmic sequences with a regular beat. The findings support the existence of a stopwatch-like cerebellar timing mechanism for absolute intervals that is distinct from mechanisms for entrainment with a regular beat.T he relevance of the human cerebellum to the perception of time intervals and rhythmic sequences is controversial. Involvement of the cerebellum in perceptual timing (the perception of the timing of sensory events), in addition to its role in motor timing (the timed execution of movements), has been suggested by a number of studies (1-6). One distinction that we wish to address here, which has not been made clear in previous work, is between the absolute, duration-based timing of single subsecond intervals and the relative timing of subsecond intervals based on a regular beat. Functional imaging studies suggest neural activity in the human cerebellum during the perception of the absolute duration of single time intervals (7,8) as well as rhythmic patterns with a regular beat (9-13). However, previous lesion work to assess an obligatory cerebellar role in the perception of single time intervals has not yielded consistent results (4,(14)(15)(16)(17). Previous lesion work to assess any obligatory role of the cerebellum in the analysis of rhythmic sequences has assessed only deficits in related motor activity, such as tapping out a beat (4,14,18), that do not allow clear inference about perception.In this study, we test whether the cerebellum is a critical substrate for perceptual tasks that require the absolute, durationbased analysis of single time intervals as well as those that require the relative analysis of time intervals within rhythmic patterns based on a regular beat. Perceptual tests were conducted in the auditory domain, where accurate temporal encoding of sensory events is essential and entrainment with a beat is induced naturally. Tasks were administered to a group of 34 patients with a stereotyped cerebellar degeneration and a matched control group of 40 healthy individuals. Two absolute timing tasks tested the perception of single intervals for a variable and a fixed reference duration, respectively ( Fig. 1 A and B). Three relative timing tasks tested the beat-based analysis of rhythmic sequences, including the detection of the presence of a roughly regular beat (19), a deviation from an isochronous beat (20) and a distortion of a rhythmic pattern with a metrical beat (21) (Fig. 1 C-E). The data support a ce...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 A and B). Three relative timing tasks tested the beat-based analysis of rhythmic sequences, including the detection of the presence of a roughly regular beat (19), a deviation from an isochronous beat (20) and a distortion of a rhythmic pattern with a metrical beat (21) (Fig. 1 C-E).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissociation of duration-based and beat-based auditory timing in cerebellar degeneration

Grube

Cooper

Chinnery

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

175

183

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“…Estimating the just-noticeable difference of changing tempo in a rich aural environment like the one presented by Bunin is difficult, but scholars have suggested a range of values for the just-noticeable difference between five and nine percent. (12) Of these studies, I believe the Madison and Merker (2002) finding of 8.6% represents the most ecologically valid. When reducing durational contours with Morris's contour-reduction algorithm, elements that differ by less than five percent should first be pruned in order to reflect this limitation of our perception.…”

Section: Curved Durational Contours As An Assessment Of Hierarchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grouping Hierarchy and Trajectories of Pacing in Performances of Chopin’s Mazurkas

Ohriner

2012

MTO

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[1] The last three decades have seen a growing interest in the slight beat-to-beat changes in duration that pervade performances of tonal music. Many current approaches originating in the work of music psychologists interpret durational variability as the means by which performers convey both segment boundaries and hierarchical relationships between segments. But these approaches depend on a one-way mapping from a single grouping-structural analysis onto performed ABSTRACT: Theories of expressive timing in the performance of tonal music emphasize the role of grouping structure, whereby performers are understood to communicate the ends of groups through group-final lengthening (GFL). But this approach depends on a one-way mapping from a single grouping-structural analysis onto performed durations, denying a role for interpretive difference on the part of performers and analysts. Drawing on contour theory, this article reverses this mapping by presenting a method for recovering the hierarchical grouping structure of a performed phrase that is sensitive to the constraints of temporal perception. Groups whose durational contour segments reduce to a contour adjacency series of <+> or <-,+> are understood to be GFL-reflective. By observing which levels of time-span organization are GFL-reflective among different performances of the same phrase, unique construals of grouping structure can be attributed to different renditions.The article employs this method in order to examine different approaches to pacing in performances of two of Chopin's mazurkas. The pieces in question present eight-measure themes in which the salience of different levels of grouping structure contrast. Through duration decisions, performers can accentuate, amend, or bypass these suggestions of contrast in pacing. By presenting an analytical method that recognizes the creative power of performance to interact with a grouping structure implied by a score, I hope to reshape the relationship between performers and analysts as a dialog about the possible structural descriptions a piece can support. Received October 20111 of 16 durations, a mapping at odds with the possibilities for interpretive difference that are increasingly acknowledged in music analysis (Cook 1999).[2] In this article, after expositing how performers can suggest novel descriptions of grouping structure by lengthening group-final events (Sections I and II), I will introduce a method grounded in contour theory for determining the relative salience of hierarchically nested groups in a particular recorded performance (Section III). I will then argue that shifts in the level of grouping structure presented as most salient affect the perceived pacing of a piece (Section IV). In later analyses, I will show how performers can address contrasts in pacing, or trajectories in pacing, latent in two of Chopin's mazurkas (Section V). By introducing an analytical method that begins with the particularities of a phrase as it is performed, I hope to demonstrate one way in which performance can aff...

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“…Indeed, Chopin's mazurkas typically exhibit a very standard rhythmic and metrical framework and commonly use repeated melodic patterns, especially in the left hand, which are an important cue to meter (Steedman, 1977;Temperley & Bartlette, 2002). In that sense, the eccentric renditions selected by Ohriner provide an interesting test of Temperley's hypothesis: how much rubato can performers apply before listeners are unable to synchronize or to feel a sense of pulse (Madison & Merker, 2002), in a repertoire characterized by a transparent metrical structure?…”

Section: Rubato and The Communicative Pressure Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

Expressive Timing, Musical Tension, and Listener-Performer Synchronicity: Commentary on Ohriner

Gingras

2014

EMR

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Ohriner (this volume) empirically investigated the ability of listeners to rhythmically entrain to performances of Chopin's mazurkas and suggested that performers can manipulate listeners' expectations and influence their perceived musical tension by using eccentric or unpredictable patterns of tempo variation. In this commentary, I attempt to situate Ohriner's research in a broader context, while elaborating on his findings and proposing alternative interpretations in some cases. I suggest that, although mazurkas are particularly suitable for a study of entrainment due to their clear metrical structure, it would be appropriate to study musical genres in which the metrical structure is obscure or even absent. I also question Ohriner's interpretation of a lack of synchronicity as being predominantly associated with negative emotions. Furthermore, in order to examine more rigorously the influence of synchronicity on perceived musical tension, I present a controlled experimental design to disentangle the effects of tempo and rubato, which would involve measuring both entrainment and musical tension while asking participants to rate the perceived eccentricity of the performances.

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On the limits of anisochrony in pulse attribution

Cited by 51 publications

References 22 publications

Dissociation of duration-based and beat-based auditory timing in cerebellar degeneration

Dissociation of duration-based and beat-based auditory timing in cerebellar degeneration

Grouping Hierarchy and Trajectories of Pacing in Performances of Chopin’s Mazurkas

Expressive Timing, Musical Tension, and Listener-Performer Synchronicity: Commentary on Ohriner

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