scholarly journals Pitch discrimination is better for synthetic timbre than natural musical instrument timbres, despite familiarity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Pitch Discrimination ◽  
Natural Sounds ◽  
Physical Acoustics ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Pure Tones ◽  
Equal Amplitude

Pitch discrimination is better for complex tones than for pure tones, but how more subtle differences in timbre affect pitch discrimination is not fully understood. This study compared pitch discrimination thresholds of flat-spectrum harmonic complex tones with those of natural sounds played by musical instruments of three different timbres (violin, trumpet, and flute). To investigate whether natural familiarity with sounds of particular timbres affects pitch discrimination thresholds, this study recruited musicians who were trained on one of the three instruments. We found that flautists and trumpeters could discriminate smaller differences in pitch for artificial flat-spectrum tones, despite their unfamiliar timbre, than for sounds played by musical instruments, which are regularly heard in everyday life (particularly by musicians who play those instruments). Furthermore, thresholds were no better for the instrument a musician was trained to play than for other instruments, suggesting that even extensive experience listening to and producing sounds of particular timbres does not reliably improve pitch discrimination thresholds for those timbres. The results show that timbre familiarity provides minimal improvements to auditory acuity, and physical acoustics (i.e., the presence of equal-amplitude harmonics) determine pitch-discrimination thresholds more than does experience with natural sounds and timbre-specific training.

scholarly journals Spectral response patterns of auditory cortex neurons to harmonic complex tones in alert monkey (Macaca mulatta)

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 282-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Schwarz ◽  
R. W. Tomlinson
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Tuning Curves ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Pure Tones

1. The auditory cortex in the superior temporal region of the alert rhesus monkey was explored for neuronal responses to pure and harmonic complex tones and noise. The monkeys had been previously trained to recognize the similarity between harmonic complex tones with and without fundamentals. Because this suggested that they could preceive the pitch of the lacking fundamental similarly to humans, we searched for neuronal responses relevant to this perception. 2. Combination-sensitive neurons that might explain pitch perception were not found in the surveyed cortical regions. Such neurons would exhibit similar responses to stimuli with similar periodicities but differing spectral compositions. The fact that no neuron with responses to a fundamental frequency responded also to a corresponding harmonic complex missing the fundamental indicates that cochlear distortion products at the fundamental may not have been responsible for missing fundamental-pitch perception in these monkeys. 3. Neuronal responses can be expressed as relatively simple filter functions. Neurons with excitatory response areas (tuning curves) displayed various inhibitory sidebands at lower and/or higher frequencies. Thus responses varied along a continuum of combined excitatory and inhibitory filter functions. 4. Five elementary response classes along this continuum are presented to illustrate the range of response patterns. 5. “Filter (F) neurons” had little or no inhibitory sidebands and responded well when any component of a complex tone entered its pure-tone receptive field. Bandwidths increased with intensity. Filter functions of these neurons were thus similar to cochlear nerve-fiber tuning curves. 6. ”High-resolution filter (HRF) neurons” displayed narrow tuning curves with narrowband widths that displayed little growth with intensity. Such cells were able to resolve up to the lowest seven components of harmonic complex tones as distinct responses. They also responded well to wideband stimuli. 7. “Fundamental (F0) neurons” displayed similar tuning bandwidths for pure tones and corresponding fundamentals of harmonic complexes. This response pattern was due to lower harmonic complexes. This response pattern was due to lower inhibitory sidebands. Thus these cells cannot respond to missing fundamentals of harmonic complexes. Only physically present components in the pure-tone receptive field would excite such neurons. 8. Cells with no or very weak responses to pure tones or other narrowband stimuli responded well to harmonic complexes or wideband noise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Recognition of Musical Instruments by Children between 4 and 6 Years of Age and Research concerning the Natural Sounds They Associate with Those Instruments

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismihan Artan ◽  
Gulden Uyanik Balat
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodology ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Natural Sounds ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
City Center ◽  
School Based ◽  
The City

Musical instruments help children to gain a lot of experience related to sounds and they play an important role in supporting skill development in children. In addition, with instruments children can create and explore their own music, rather than participate with and react to others. In this school-based research study 147 children were chosen randomly from among those who attended private kindergartens in high socio-economic areas in the city center of Ankara, Turkey. All children were aged between 4 and 6 years. The research methodology comprised a questionnaire to gather demographic information about the children, the use of musical instruments and a set of cards containing pictures of musical instruments. When the children were asked the question, ‘What is music’, they answered mainly by saying, ‘playing a musical instrument’. Many of the children were able to identify musical instruments correctly when shown pictures of them.

scholarly journals Characterizing prototypical musical instrument timbres with Timbre Trait Profiles

2021 ◽  
pp. 102986492110015
Author(s):  
Lindsey Reymore
Keyword(s):  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Latent Structure ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Wind Ensembles ◽  
Rating Data ◽  
Corpus Studies ◽  
Cognitive Research ◽  
Euclidean Distances ◽  
Semantic Distances

This paper offers a series of characterizations of prototypical musical timbres, called Timbre Trait Profiles, for 34 musical instruments common in Western orchestras and wind ensembles. These profiles represent the results of a study in which 243 musician participants imagined the sounds of various instruments and used the 20-dimensional model of musical instrument timbre qualia proposed by Reymore and Huron (2020) to rate their auditory image of each instrument. The rating means are visualized through radar plots, which provide timbral-linguistic thumbprints, and are summarized through snapshot profiles, which catalog the six highest- and three lowest-rated descriptors. The Euclidean distances among instruments offer a quantitative operationalization of semantic distances; these distances are illustrated through hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling. Exploratory Factor Analysis is used to analyze the latent structure of the rating data. Finally, results are used to assess Reymore and Huron’s 20-dimensional timbre qualia model, suggesting that the model is highly reliable. It is anticipated that the Timbre Trait Profiles can be applied in future perceptual/cognitive research on timbre and orchestration, in music theoretical analysis for both close readings and corpus studies, and in orchestration pedagogy.

scholarly journals Further examination of pitch discrimination interference between complex tones containing resolved harmonics

2009 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 1059-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hedwig E. Gockel ◽  
Robert P. Carlyon ◽  
Christopher J. Plack
Keyword(s):  
Pitch Discrimination ◽  
Complex Tones

An Analytical Study of the Folk Musical Instruments of Meghalaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Joyanta Sarkar ◽  
Anil Rai
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Analytical Study ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Folk Songs ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Indian State ◽  
Material Benefits ◽  
Local Materials ◽  
Over Time

"Meghalaya is a richly inhabited Indian state. Drums, flutes of bamboo and hand-held small cymbals are a common ensemble. The advent of Christianity in the middle of the 20th century marked the start of a decline in tribal popular music. Over time, Meghalaya’s music scene has evolved, attracting many talented artists and bands from both traditional and not-so traditional genres. Any of the most recent Meghalaya musicians and bands is: The Plague Throat, Kerios Wahlang, Cryptographik Street Poets, etc., Soulmate, Lou Majaw, and Snow White. Meghalaya’s music is characterised by traditional instruments and folk songs. The Musical Instruments of Meghalaya are made from local materials. Meghalayan people honour powerful natural forces and aim to pacify animistic spirits and local gods. The instruments are made of bamboo, flesh, wood, and animal horn. Any one of these musical instruments is considered to have the ability to offer material benefits. The Meghalaya musical instrument is an essential part of traditional folk music in the region. In this article, we offer an overview of the folk musical instruments of Meghalaya. Keywords: Idiophone, Aerophone, Chordophone, Membranophone, Trumpet. "

3D printing technology in musical instrument research: reviewing the potential

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1511-1523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antreas Kantaros ◽  
Olaf Diegel
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Wind Instruments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Class ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to discuss additive manufacturing (AM) in the context of applications for musical instruments. It examines the main AM technologies used in musical instruments, goes through a history of musical applications of AM and raises the questions about the application of AM to create completely new wind instruments that would be impossible to produce with conventional manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach A literature research is presented which covers a historical application of AM to musical instruments and hypothesizes on some potential new applications. Findings AM has found extensive application to create conventional musical instruments with unique aesthetics designs. It’s true potential to create entirely new sounds, however, remains largely untapped. Research limitations/implications More research is needed to truly assess the potential of additive manufacturing to create entirely new sounds for musical instrument. Practical implications The application of AM in music could herald an entirely new class of musical instruments with unique sounds. Originality/value This study highlights musical instruments as an unusual application of AM. It highlights the potential of AM to create entirely new sounds, which could create a whole new class of musical instruments.

scholarly journals A survey to investigate advanced musicians’ flow disposition in individual music practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos V. Araújo ◽  
Christopher F. Hein
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Musical Practice ◽  
Music Practice ◽  
Loss Of Self ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Practice Time

This study explored advanced musicians’ dispositions to flow in musical practice. A total of 168 classically trained musicians answered a questionnaire assessing their proneness for flow experience during musical practice and associations between flow and demographic factors, practice routines and musical instruments. Dispositions to flow in musical practice did not vary across musical instrument groups, age or gender. Positive associations were found between daily practice time and flow, suggesting that flow may contribute to engagement with daily practice. Negative associations between music practice experience and loss of self-consciousness and challenge–skill balance were found, suggesting that even among experts the level of task complexity during practice may affect perceptions of competence. While six individual flow indicators were frequently experienced, three indicators were much less experienced, pointing to the existence of another similar relevant experience in the practice of expert performers, named as optimal practice experience. The article finishes with implications regarding the benefits of flow for teaching and learning practices.

scholarly journals ANALISIS KECERDASAN MUSIKAL ANAK USIA DINI DENGAN BERMAIN ALAT MUSIK ANGKLUNG DI KELOMPOK B

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-233
Author(s):  
Ari Patma Sari ◽  
Dwi Prasetiyawati Diyah Hariyanti ◽  
Purwadi Purwadi
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Musical Intelligence ◽  
Group B ◽  
The Right ◽  
Collection Methods

Musical intelligence is musical intelligence which is characterized by a person's ability in the field of music, both sensitivity and mastery of tones, rhythms, rhythm patterns, instruments, and musical expressions, so that a person can play musical instruments or sing songs. This study aims to analyze the musical intelligence of early childhood with angklung musical instruments in Hidayatullah Islamic Kindergarten Semarang. The benefit of this research is knowing how to apply the angklung musical instrument correctly so that it can develop children's musical intelligence. The method used is descriptive qualitative research with data collection methods, namely observation, interviews, and documentation. Based on the results of research that has been done that the activity of playing angklung musical instruments can play an active role in stimulating children's musical intelligence. This can be seen when playing angklung musical instruments, children have skills in playing angklung musical instruments, the ability to adjust the tempo, adjust the tone, adjust the rhythm/rhythm, and the ability to sing short songs with the right rhythm. The results of the study showed that the musical intelligence of children in group B of Hidayatullah Islamic Kindergarten Semarang through playing the angklung musical instrument developed as expected.

scholarly journals Klasifikasi Alat Musik Tradisional Minangkabau

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Dian Novita Sari ◽  
Desriyeni Desriyeni
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Data Compilation ◽  
Main Class ◽  
Decimal Classification

Abstract The writing of this paper aims to (1) find out the classification of Minangkabau traditional musical instruments; (2) knowing the process of classifying Minangkabau traditional musical instruments; (3) knowing the obstacles and efforts to overcome obstacles in the process of classifying Minangkabau traditional musical instruments. Writing this paper using descriptive research methods. Data was collected based on observations and interviews from various sources. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded as follows, first classifying the traditional Minangkabau musical instrument the first step taken is data collection and data compilation. Then classify musical instruments based on the types of musical instruments which are divided into five, namely striking, blowing, striking, picking and pressing musical instruments, but there are only four types of musical instruments in Minangkabau, namely striking, blowing, striking and picking instruments. The types of musical instruments are classified according to the guidelines on DDC (dewey decimal classification). The two processes of classifying traditional musical instruments have several parts, as follows: (1) Dewey's classification; (2) Determine the Main Class; (3) Determine Divisions; (4) Determine the Section. The three obstacles in the process of classifying traditional Minangkabau musical instruments are as follows: (1) lack of information regarding musical instruments in the Minangkabau Region including the area of origin of the musical instruments; (2) the difficulty of grouping musical instruments based on the type of musical instrument, because many names of musical instruments are almost the same. Efforts to overcome obstacles in the process of classifying Minangkabau traditional musical instruments are as follows: (1) conducting the process of collecting all data derived from several literatures and institutions that store traditional Minangkabau musical instruments; (2) pay close attention to musical instruments to be grouped according to the type of music.Keywords: classification; traditional musical instruments; minangkabau

scholarly journals MUSICALISATION OF J. BUNYAN’S AND H. SKOVORODA’S LITERARY DISCOURSE

2019 ◽  
pp. 372-384
Author(s):  
O. Shykyrynska
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Musical Space ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Musical Theme ◽  
The World ◽  
Musical Sounds ◽  
Artistic Heritage

The article deals with the musical space of the artistic heritage of J. Bunyan and H. Skovoroda that has many common features. The general place in the heritage of both writers is reference to solemn church or angelic singing, accompanying the scenes of triumph of the heroes. There are numerous quotations from the Bible psalms, that both writers mastered perfectly. Outplaying of the mythologemes “a man as a musical instrument” and “a world as a musical instrument” became common for both authors. Musical code is expressed in comparison with man’s features and musical sounds; assimilation of the world with a musical instrument, desire to hear “the music of spheres”. The comparison of a man’s emotional impulse with the sounds of musical instruments reveals willingness of the man of the Baroque age for the search of correspondence and for the synthesis of arts in a broad sense. Music as an art differs in the ability to reveal symbols by means of a sound, having a significant influence on the recipient. The analysis of musical component of H. Skovoroda and J. Bunyan’s work demonstrates its precise orientation on musicalisation of writers’ discourse. In the meantime musical theme is represented much wider in Skovoroda’s work than in the work of the English writer. The article introduces J. Bunyan and H. Skovoroda as bright representatives of national variants of baroque aesthetics.

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