Music Cognition
November 7, 2009 - 8:14 am
Mar Mathew asked:
Music cognition is an area of cognitive psychology devoted to determining the mental processes underlying the appreciation, memory, attention and performance of music. It also involves the area of music theory, computer science, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy and linguistics. There is a lot of research being done on how we perceive and remember sound.
Music cognition topics involves answering the following questions and many others:
What role does music generally play in culture? How is music represented in the brain? How does music evoke emotions?
What are the elements of musical ability?
Properties of sound
Sound is composed of pitch, intensity, and timbre. Pitch corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the sound being perceived. Intensity is the amplitude of level of the sound experienced, which is either loud or soft. Timbre is the distinct quality given to a sound by its harmonics or overtones. Musicians have a heightened sense of sound, which allows them to perceive tonal, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic relationships.
Musical function and Expectations
Musical function encompasses a set of elements: the sense of sound, the sense of rhythm, and how listeners interpret sounds as musical events (i.e. the conversion of music perception into emotional or intellectual content).
Most music listeners have certain expectations concerning the way music sounds or supposed to. These expectations are almost innate, based on previous experiences with music. Listeners expect to hear a particular set of harmonic relationships, certain chords to resolve to others, and the notes of one key to modulate to the notes of another key. With music listening each note serves as a point of reference for previously heard notes and future notes in the melody. If the melody is new to the listener, then he or she is able to form a framework (schema) with these points of reference that give meaning to the melody.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the structural support of a musical composition. It dictates the perceived motion of the piece through note durations and accents. Tempo is related to rhythm and refers to the pacing of the music and its internal rhythmic structure. Tempo is linked to pulse, which is the steady level of rhythm that can be felt throughout the composition. Pulse is thought to have a biological as well as musical basis. There are systems within our bodies that are based on rhythm, for example, the cardio-vascular system – constant rhythm of the heartbeat: the rhythmic mode by which the nervous system sends and receives signals, the rhythmic pattern to the way we walk. These may be several reasons why the natural internal rhythms of our nervous system play a key role in the brain’s ability to perceive musical rhythm.
Brain processing
The right hemisphere of the brain is dominant in musical execution, music training and musical perception. Specifically, right hemisphere dominance for musical perception (melodies and pitch) occurs in those with little musical knowledge while left hemisphere dominance is prevalent among skilled musicians. It has been speculated that the reason for this disparity is that dominance begins in the right hemisphere, but is gradually transferred to the left hemisphere as musical knowledge increases as well as the right ear being stronger in professional musicians. The left hemisphere is dominant in the processing of rhythm. Attempts are constantly being made to isolate the particular locations in the brain that play a role in music perception and processing.
In the past few decades, there has been a lot of interest and research done in the area of music cognition. Music today is recognized along with language as an important part in which to study the different aspects of cognitive processes such as learning, attention and memory.
Music cognition is an area of cognitive psychology devoted to determining the mental processes underlying the appreciation, memory, attention and performance of music. It also involves the area of music theory, computer science, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy and linguistics. There is a lot of research being done on how we perceive and remember sound.
Music cognition topics involves answering the following questions and many others:
What role does music generally play in culture? How is music represented in the brain? How does music evoke emotions?
What are the elements of musical ability?
Properties of sound
Sound is composed of pitch, intensity, and timbre. Pitch corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the sound being perceived. Intensity is the amplitude of level of the sound experienced, which is either loud or soft. Timbre is the distinct quality given to a sound by its harmonics or overtones. Musicians have a heightened sense of sound, which allows them to perceive tonal, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic relationships.
Musical function and Expectations
Musical function encompasses a set of elements: the sense of sound, the sense of rhythm, and how listeners interpret sounds as musical events (i.e. the conversion of music perception into emotional or intellectual content).
Most music listeners have certain expectations concerning the way music sounds or supposed to. These expectations are almost innate, based on previous experiences with music. Listeners expect to hear a particular set of harmonic relationships, certain chords to resolve to others, and the notes of one key to modulate to the notes of another key. With music listening each note serves as a point of reference for previously heard notes and future notes in the melody. If the melody is new to the listener, then he or she is able to form a framework (schema) with these points of reference that give meaning to the melody.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the structural support of a musical composition. It dictates the perceived motion of the piece through note durations and accents. Tempo is related to rhythm and refers to the pacing of the music and its internal rhythmic structure. Tempo is linked to pulse, which is the steady level of rhythm that can be felt throughout the composition. Pulse is thought to have a biological as well as musical basis. There are systems within our bodies that are based on rhythm, for example, the cardio-vascular system – constant rhythm of the heartbeat: the rhythmic mode by which the nervous system sends and receives signals, the rhythmic pattern to the way we walk. These may be several reasons why the natural internal rhythms of our nervous system play a key role in the brain’s ability to perceive musical rhythm.
Brain processing
The right hemisphere of the brain is dominant in musical execution, music training and musical perception. Specifically, right hemisphere dominance for musical perception (melodies and pitch) occurs in those with little musical knowledge while left hemisphere dominance is prevalent among skilled musicians. It has been speculated that the reason for this disparity is that dominance begins in the right hemisphere, but is gradually transferred to the left hemisphere as musical knowledge increases as well as the right ear being stronger in professional musicians. The left hemisphere is dominant in the processing of rhythm. Attempts are constantly being made to isolate the particular locations in the brain that play a role in music perception and processing.
In the past few decades, there has been a lot of interest and research done in the area of music cognition. Music today is recognized along with language as an important part in which to study the different aspects of cognitive processes such as learning, attention and memory.