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Psychology of Music

  • 1st Edition - January 1, 1984
  • Latest edition
  • Editor: Diana Deutsch
  • Language: English

The Psychology of Music draws together the diverse and scattered literature on the psychology of music. It explores the way music is processed by the listener and the performer and… Read more

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Description

The Psychology of Music draws together the diverse and scattered literature on the psychology of music. It explores the way music is processed by the listener and the performer and considers several issues that are of importance both to perceptual psychology and to contemporary music, such as the way the sound of an instrument is identified regardless of its pitch or loudness, or the types of information that can be discarded in the synthetic replication of a sound without distorting perceived timbre. Comprised of 18 chapters, this book begins with a review of the classical psychoacoustical literature on tone perception, focusing on characteristics of particular relevance to music. The attributes of pitch, loudness, and timbre are examined, and a summary of research methods in psychoacoustics is presented. Subsequent chapters deal with timbre perception; the subjective effects of different sound fields; temporal aspects of music; abstract structures formed by pitch relationships in music; different tests of musical ability; and the importance of abstract structural representation in understanding how music is performed. The final chapter evaluates the relationship between new music and psychology. This monograph should be a valuable resource for psychologists and musicians.

Table of contents

List of ContributorsPreface1. The Perception of Musical Tones I. The Psychoacoustics of Music II. Perceptual Attributes of Single Tones III. Perceptual Attributes of Simultaneous Tones IV. Conclusion References2. Exploration of Timbre by Analysis and Synthesis I. Timbre II. Timbre and the Fourier Spectrum: The Classical View III. The Shortcomings of the Classical Conception IV. Attack Transients V. Complexity of Sounds: Importance of Characteristic Features VI. Instrumental and Vocal Timbres: Additive Synthesis VII. Cross Synthesis and Voice Synthesis VIII. Additive Synthesis: Percussion Instruments IX. Substractive Synthesis X. Acoustic Modeling as a Synthesis Technique XI. The Importance of Context XII. Analysis-Synthesis as Fitting Acoustic and Perceptual Models to Data XIII. The Use of Analysis-Synthesis Models of Timbre XIV. Timbral Space XV. Conclusion Appendix: Signal Representations and Analysis-Synthesis Processes References3. Perception of Singing I. Introduction II. Function of the Voice III. Resonatory Aspects IV. Phonation V. Vibrato VI. Pitch Accuracy in Singing Practice VII. Phrasing and Emotion VIII. Concluding Remarks References4. Grouping Mechanisms in Music I. Introduction II. Grouping Principles III. Two-Channel Listening to Melodic Sequences IV. Channeling of Rapid Sequences of Single Tones V. Voluntary Attention VI. Conclusion References5. The Listener and the Acoustic Environment I. Introduction II. Methodology III. Level Effects of Indirect Sound: Loudness IV. Temporal Effects of Indirect Sound: Definition V. Spatial Effects of Indirect Sound: Spaciousness VI. The Compromise between Definition and Spaciousness VII. Conclusion References6. Rhythm and Tempo I. Definitions II. Rhythm and Spontaneous Tempo III. Rhythmic Forms IV. The Perception of Musical Rhythms V. Conclusion References7. Timing by Skilled Musicians I. Perception, Production, and Imitation of Fractions of the Beat II. Perceptual Judgment of Beat Fractions III. Production of Beat Fractions IV. Imitation of Beat Fractions V. A Shared-Process Model of the Perception, Production, and Imitation of Beat Fractions VI. Further Analysis of Perceptual Judgment VII. Further Analysis of Production VIII. Summary Glossary Appendix References8. Intervals, Scales, and Tuning I. Introduction II. Are Scales Necessary? III. Musical Interval Perception IV. Natural Intervals and Scales V. Conclusions and Caveats References9. The Processing of Pitch Combinations I. Introduction II. Feature Abstraction III. Higher Order Abstractions IV. Alphabets and Hierarchies V. Memory Systems VI. Conclusions References10. Melodic Processes and the Perception of Music I. The Perception and Classification of Two Archetypal Melodic Processes II. Experimental Findings III. Implications References11. Structural Representations of Musical Pitch I. Introduction II. Unidimensional Approaches to Pitch III. Potentially Multidimensional Approaches to Pitch IV. The Spatial Representation of Pitch V. Illustrative Analyses of Empirical Data VI. Discussion References12. Musical Ability I. Concepts of Musical Ability II. Correlational and Factorial Studies of Musical Ability III. Musical Ability and Other Intellectual Abilities References13. Melodic Information Processing and Its Development I. Introduction II. Development III. Adult Memory IV. Contour versus Interval V. Summary References14. Absolute Pitch I. Introduction II. Genesis of AP III. Measurement of AP IV. Stability of the Internal Standard V. Learning AP VI. The Value of AP References15. Neurological Aspects of Music Perception and Performance I. Introduction II. Amusia III. Auditory Agnosia and Verbal Deafness IV. General Comments References16. Music Performance I. Introduction II. The Nature of Performance Plans III. Acquisition of Performance Plans IV. The Role of Feedback in Performance V. Social Factors in Performance VI. Summary References17. Social Interaction and Musical Preference I. Introduction II. Effects of Social Stimulation on Aesthetic Choice III. Effects of Information Load and Arousing Nonsocial Stimulation on Aesthetic Choice IV. Effects of Listening to Melodies Differing in Complexity on Emotional States and Social Behavior V. Listeners’ Sequencing and “Chunking” of Musical Materials and the Use of Music for Mood Optimization References18. New Music and Psychology I. Introduction II. Music Theory and Music III. Understanding Tonality IV. Music and Perceptual Streaming V. Fused Sounds in Music VI. Music Theory and Experimental Science ReferencesIndex

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: October 22, 2013
  • Language: English

About the editor

DD

Diana Deutsch

Diana Deutsch is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, and conducts research on perception and memory for sounds, particularly music. She has discovered a number of musical illusions and paradoxes, which include the octave illusion, the scale illusion, the glissando illusion, the tritone paradox, the cambiata illusion, the phantom words illusion and the speech-to-song illusion, among others. She also explores ways in which we hold musical information in memory, and in which we relate the sounds of music and speech to each other. Much of her current research focuses on the question of absolute pitch - why some people possess it, and why it is so rare.

Deutsch has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Acoustical Society of America, the Audio Engineering Society, the Society of Experimental Psychologists, the American Psychological Society, and the American Psychological Association. She has served as Governor of the Audio Engineering Society, as Chair of the Section on Psychology of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as President of Division 10 of the American Psychological Association (Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts), and as Chair of the Society of Experimental Psychologists. She is Founding Editor of the journal Music Perception, and served as Founding President of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition. She was awarded the Rudolf Arnheim Award for Outstanding Achievement in Psychology and the Arts by the American Psychological Association in 2004, the Gustav Theodor Fechner Award for Outstanding Contributions to Empirical Aesthetics by the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics in 2008, and the Science Writing Award for Professionals in Acoustics by the Acoustical Society of America in 2011.

Affiliations and expertise
University of California, San Diego, CA

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