The role of repetition in aural identification of harmonic sequences

The aim of the study was to investigate further the role of stimulus during the on line processing of aural identification of harmonic sequences. This process involves (a) building a mental representation; (b) relating it to the knowledge base available in the long-term memory system; (c) selecting the correct label, and (d) writing the label without interrupting continuou s listening. The time span between chords is decisive in this mechanism. Ni ne sequences containing eight harmonic functions of I, IV, and V degrees we re presented three times each. Subjects (N=72 undergraduate students) had t o listen to each presentation and write down the label of each chord with R oman numerals while listening. Findings show that the first presentation is a powerful image that influences the subsequent identifications. Repetitio n favours the identification of those chords which had been omitted in the previous listening. Once the image has been shaped as a percept it will be difficult to change it. When the response is incorrect, repetition was foun d to operate in a paradoxical way by imprinting the error. Many of the comm on practices in the context of the music class are based on repetition. Fin dings show that repetition per se does not provide a basis for the improvem ent of performance.