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Nov 1982

Volume 72, Issue S1, pp. S1-S108

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back to top Session Z. Musical Acoustics II: Melody
Contributed Papers
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Integration of melody and text in memory for songs (A)

Mary Louise Serafine, Robert G. Crowder, and Bruno H. Repp

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 72, Issue S1, pp. S45-S45 (1982); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Subjects with varying musical experience listened to a series of 24 brief excerpts from relatively unfamiliar folksongs. Subsequently, test series of 20 similar excerpts was presented and the subjects indicated for each excerpt whether they had heard that precise song before or, if not, whether they had heard the tune or the words. The test items included (a) old songs, (b) new songs, (c) old tunes with new words, (d) new tunes with old words, and (e) old tunes with “mismatched” old words that had previously been part of a different song. The results showed that old songs were recognized very well, whereas recognition of old tunes with new or mismatched old words was very poor, and recognition of old words with new or mismatched old tunes was good but nevertheless below the accuracy achieved for old songs. Thus, melody and text of songs seem to be remembered in an integral fashion, not as separate entities. [Work supported by NSF.]
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“Figural” and “tonal” aspects of melody discrimination (A)

Anthony J. Watkins

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 72, Issue S1, pp. S45-S45 (1982); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Tone sequences were synthesized using a random process constrained to generate relatively close approximations to the tonal relationships found in melodies which occur in music. In control sequences these constraints are systematically inverted. Other melody variables were fixed (e.g., rhythm) or completely randomized. The perceptual task involved discrimination between “same transposed” and “different transposed” melody pairs. Alterations which changed the “contour” of the melody were compared with those which preserved contour. We find that contour violation and a low “5th span” of the melody intervals aid discrimination, and these operate independently. We also examined diatonic scale, contour and tuning, the latter being equal temperament (100 cents per semi‐tone), “micro” (60 cents per semitone) or “macro” (140 cents per semi‐tone). A discrimination advantage for melodies based on a diatonic scale is only found for equal temperament tuning, whereas contour violation aids discrimination regardless of tuning. We conclude that contour is a general perceptual property of serial auditory patterns (“figural”), whereas scale and 5th span are specific to sequences heard as music (“tonal”).
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Melodic octave tuning; separable dimensions of perception (A)

Scott Makeig and Gerald Balzano

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 72, Issue S1, pp. S45-S45 (1982); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Ascending and descending digitally synthesized pure‐tone melodic octaves in the range 250–1500 Hz, varying width from 1180¢ to 1220¢ were presented to nine highly musical subjects who were asked to judge (1) degree of octave mistuning, and (2) whether the second tone of the pair was sharp or flat. Results confirm the existence of so‐called “octave stretch” previously reported in the literature. However, the two tasks were found to be perceptually dissimilar in degree of octave stretch, variability, and dependence on register. Consistent with results of Lindqvist and Sandberg (VIIth Int. Congr. Acoust., 1971] preferred “octave stretch” for the “sense of mistuning” judgments was very small (about 2.5¢) for low register octaves. An additional significant finding was that melodic octaves whose second tone was flat relative to an adjudged “in tune” octave were called more “mistuned” than octaves whose second tone was equally sharp. Together, these results imply that perception of octave tuning does not amount to a one‐dimensional judgment of log frequency difference, but is multidimensional in nature.
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Automatic identification of musical chords (A)

Daniel W. Martin

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 72, Issue S1, pp. S45-S45 (1982); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Various electronic and computer systems, which have been developed during the last fifteen years for identifying musical chords automatically, will be reviewed and compared. The purpose in most cases has been to facilitate easy‐play, automatic musical accompaniment for musical beginners on electronic musical instruments. However the means used could also help provide low‐cost instrumentation for real‐time recording of new musical compositions, improvisations, and arrangements.
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