SENSITIVITY TO COMBINATIONS OF MUSICAL PARAMETERS - PITCH WITH DURATION, AND PITCH PATTERN WITH DURATIONAL PATTERN

In four experiments, listeners' sensitivity to combinations of pitch a nd duration was investigated. Experiments 1-3 involved ''textures' of notes, which were created by repeatedly sounding one of two notes (e.g ., C4 quarter note; D4 eighth note), so that each note had an equal ch ance of occurring at any point within a texture. Experiment 1 showed t hat if a texture change was effected by introducing a pitch or duratio n that was not in the initial texture, the change was perceived by bot h attentive and distracted listeners. If a texture change was effected by combining the pitch of one note with the duration of the other not e in the initial texture, and vice versa, it was perceived only if the listeners were attentive. Sensitivity to pitch/duration combinations was poorer when the pitch difference between component notes of textur es was increased (Experiment 2), but it was better when the difference in duration between component notes was increased (Experiment 3). In Experiment 4, listeners' sensitivity to combinations of pitch pattern and durational pattern in brief sequences was examined. Listeners were sensitive to the manner in which parameter patterns were combined whe n they were attentive, but not when they were distracted. The results are discussed in view of feature-integration theory and its applicatio n to music cognition.