Empirical Musicology Review v6 n2 Commentaries

Abstract

Dean and Bailes (2010) provide a tutorial on the use of time-series analysis in research on music perception and a study of the influence of acoustic factors on real-time perception of music. They illustrate their approach with a detailed case study of an electroacoustic composition by Trevor Wishart. In this commentary, I discuss four aspects of Dean and Bailes’ presentation: first, the importance of focusing on dynamic changes in musical structure; second, the benefits of computer-generated music for research on music perception; third, the need for caution in averaging responses from multiple listeners; and finally, the role of time-series analysis in understanding computational information-dynamic models of music cognition.

Abstract

Pearce (2011) provides a positive and interesting response to our article on time series analysis of the influences of acoustic properties on real-time perception of structure and affect in a section of Trevor Wishart's Red Bird (Dean & Bailes, 2010). We address the following topics raised in the response and our paper. First, we analyse in depth the possible influence of spectral centroid, a timbral feature of the acoustic stream distinct from the high level general parameter we used initially, spectral flatness. We find that spectral centroid, like spectral flatness, is not a powerful predictor of real-time responses, though it does show some features that encourage its continued consideration. Second, we discuss further the issue of studying both individual responses, and as in our paper, group averaged responses. We show that a multivariate Vector Autoregression model handles the grand average series quite similarly to those of individual members of our participant groups, and we analyse this in greater detail with a wide range of approaches in work which is in press and continuing. Lastly, we discuss the nature and intent of computational modelling of cognition using acoustic and music- or information theoretic data streams as predictors, and how the music- or information theoretic approaches may be applied to electroacoustic music, which is ‘sound-based’ rather than note-centred like Western classical music.