Pitch and Duration as Determinants of Musical Space

TLDR

It remains unclear whether the observed effects are due to cognitive limits, attention, or preferences. The study aimed to test whether listeners prioritize pitch over rhythm and whether metrical consonance of pitch and duration yields a pattern‑regularity factor in musical space. Musicians rated the similarity of 1,024 pairs of brief melodies—four melodies and their inversions played in four rhythmic patterns—on a 9‑point scale. Multidimensional scaling and clustering showed that at least five dimensions were required, primarily rhythmic (duple/triple, accent placement, and rhythmic class), with pitch dimensions (rising/falling pitch and contour inflections) negatively correlated with rhythm dimensions, and no regularity factor emerged.

Abstract

In an experiment aimed at assessing dimensional properties of musical space, musicians rated the similarity of pairs of brief melodies on a 9-point scale. From our review of previous work, we hypothesized (1) that pitch variables would be considered more important than time or rhythmic variables by our subjects and (2) that the metrical consonance of pitch and duration patterns would generate a factor related to pattern regularity in listeners' musical space. Four melodies and their inversions were played in each of four rhythmic patterns (anapestic, dactylic, iambic, and trochaic) for a total of 1024 pattern pairs. Both multidimensional scaling and cluster analyses of similarity showed that at least five dimensions were needed for a good accounting of the perceptual space of these melodies. Surprisingly, the major dimensions found were rhythmic: (1) duple or triple rhythm, (2) accent first or last, and (3) iambic-dactylic versus trochaic-anapestic. Other dimensions were (4) rising or falling pitch and (5) the number of pitch—contour inflections. The tendency to rate patterns on the basis of time or rhythm (Dimensions I, II, and III) was negatively correlated with the tendency to rate patterns on the basis of pitch (Dimensions IV and V). It could not be determined whether this result depends on cognitive processing limitations, attention, or preferences. No factor was found that related to pattern regularity as we defined it.