Music psychology, musicology, musical practice

Richard ParncuttUniversity of GrazWinter semester 2006

Aims Cover and analyse interdisciplinary research

between music psychology and musicology music psychology and music practice

that has been done could be done

Focus on the big picture Detail is important but not the main focus

Consider potential areas for future research More questions than answers

Tentative plan (1)date topic11.10.06 Current trends in music psychology:

aims, methods, structure, content

18.10.06 Current trends in music psychology:

Review of ICMPC Bologna (student presentations)

25.10.06 Current trends in musicology:

aims, methods, structure, content

8.11.06 Current trends in musical practice

(including performance and composition)

15.11.06 Music psychology and music theory

22.11.06 Music psychology and musicology

Tentative plan (2)date topic

29.11.06 Psychology, performance, education

06.12.06 Psychology, performance, education: Early acquisition of musical aural skills

13.12.06 Psychology, theory/analysis, performance, education: Aural analysis for performing musicians: The relationship between accents and expression

20.12.06 Psychology, history, theory: Towards a statistical-perceptual history of western tonal-harmonic syntax

10.01.07 Psychology, ethnology: Emotions and associations evoked by unfamiliar music

17.01.06 Psychology, performance, education: Physics, physiology and psychology of piano performance

24.01.07 written examination

Other recent presentations

Disciplines Topic

Psychology, performance, education

Can researchers help artists? Music performance research for music students

Psychology, theory, history

Western music history, pitch salience, key profiles, and the origins of tonality

Musicology, psychology

Interdisciplinary balance, international collaboration, and the future of (German) (historical) musicology

Older presentations and papersPsychology, theory, analysis: Tone profiles following short chord progressions: Top-down or

bottom-up? Perception of musical patterns: Ambiguity, emotion, culture Enrichment of music theory pedagogy by computer-based repertoire

analysis and perceptual-cognitive theory Middle-out analysis and its psychological basis Perceptual versus historical origins of musical materials Tonality as implication-realization: Key profiles as pitch salience

profiles of final triads in Renaissance music Towards a perceptual theory of bebop harmony Perceptual underpinnings of analytic techniques: From Rameau to

Terhardt, Riemann to Krumhansl, Schenker to Bregman Tonal implications of atonal music Critical comparison of acoustical and perceptual theories of the origin

of musical scales

Why music psychology?

Humans spend enormous amounts of time, energy and resources on musical activities that are not directly related to their survival. Why?

Humans identify with the music they hear. How and why?

Music enhances quality of life. How and why?

Aims of music psychology

Description/explanation ofmusical behaviourmusical experience

Applications musicologypsychologymusical practice

Musical relevance of music psychology

Music theory and aesthetics perception of musical structures empirical testing of philosophical theories

Music education and performance applied developmental music psychology musical skills and techniques

Music history history of musical syntax personalities of composers and their music

Ethnomusicology musical behaviours, cognition and experience in

different cultures

Empirical methods of (music) psychology

Quantitative methods Data are numbers Statistical analysis by computer Probability of obtaining result by chance Standard in cognitive psychology

Qualitative methods Data are text Content analysis Exploratory: main themes Bridge between sciences and humanities

Areas of music psychology

Behaviours Skills Development Perception of structure Performance Empirical aesthetics Social psychology Evolutionary music psychology

Musical behaviors

Performing Composing Listening Dancing

Cognitive engagement Emotional responses

Musical skills learning a musical instrument singing in a choir

playing by ear and imagining music sightreading vs. playing from memory improvising and composing

talent – nature or nurture?

Musical development

behaviours abilities lifespan

Perception of musical structure

melody, phrasing harmony, tonality rhythm, meter

Music performance researchThe daily lives and challenges of

professional and amateur musicians who…

perform from scores or by improvising alone or in groups,

compose or arrange on paper with computers

Empirical music aesthetics

Dependence of musical preferences/judgments onmusical structuresocial influences

Social psychology of music everyday music listening

while driving, eating, shopping, reading...

musical rituals and gatheringsreligious, festive, sporting, political...

music and identitypersonal group

Evolutionary music psychology Adaptation or exaptation?

evolutionary parasites protomusic in non-human animals

Individual survival music and non-musical abilities

Group survival music as “social glue”

Music, ritual, spirituality, trance mother-infant communication

Subdisciplines of psychology Biopsychology

neuropsychology Psychobiology and evolutionary psychology

genetic and biological bases of behaviour Perception

sensation, psychoacoustics Cognition

language, thinking, consciousness, learning, memory Motivation and emotion Development

childhood and life-span individual differences

personality skill

talent, creativity, intelligence social psychology and cognition health

stress, coping, therapy, psychological disorders

Music psychology sources

Books Journals Conferences

Recent general books ICMPC Bologna 2006

Abstract booklet; proceedings in internet De la Motte-Haber, Helga

Musikpsychologie Oerter & Stoffer

Spezielle Musikpsychologie Stoffer & Oerter

Allgemeine Musikpsychologie Deutsch, Diana

The psychology of music Bruhn, Herbert

Handbuch Musikpsychologie

Main journals

Music psychology Music Perception (MuWi-IB) Psychology of Music (KUG-UB) Jahrbuch Musikpsychologie (MuWi- IB)

Systematic musicology Musicae Scientiae (MuWi-IB) Journal of New Music Research (MuWi-IB)

Other Psychomusicology Empirical Musicology Review Codex Flores

Journals in related disciplines Psychology

Psychological Review etc.

Neuroscience Nature Neuroscience etc.

Acoustics and psychoacoustics Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Acta Acustica

Computing Computer Music Journal Computing in Musicology

Science in general Nature, science

Music journals Music theory/analysis

Music Theory Spectrum Music Analysis etc.

Music performance, e.g. Music Performance Research Journal of Research in Singing etc.

Applied music journals Music therapy

Journal of Music Therapy etc.

Music education Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music

Education etc.

Music medicine Medical Problems of Performing Artists etc.

Music Psychology conferencesGlobal International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition

Continental European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music Society for Music Perception and Cognition (USA)

Regional Deutsche Gesellschaft für Musikpsychologie Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (UK) International Symposium on Cognition and Musical Arts (Brazil) Japanese Society for Music Perception and Cognition Australian Music and Psychology Society Asia-Pacific Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music

General information

http://www-gewi.uni-graz.at/staff/parncutt

/musicpsychology.html

Aims, methods, structure and content of modern musicology

25.10.06

Structure of today‘s presentation

Definitions of “musicology” Structure of musicology Musicological interdisciplinarity

Part 1

Definitions of “musicology”

in theory in practice

“Musicology” in theory

(all) scholarship about (all) music?GroveMGGDizionario della musica e dei musicisti

Musicological subdisciplines

Core disciplines performance, composition, theory, analysis

Parent disciplines acoustics, computing, multimedia, sociology, cultural studies,

feminism and gender, history, anthropology/ethnology, psychology, physiology/medicine, education, therapy…

Any academic discipline that is serious and established capable of explaining musical phenomena

“Musicology” in practice

music history of western cultural elites sources: historical documents associated methods and techniques tradition since 19th century

“Musicology” journals Acta musicologica Archiv für Musikwissenschaft Current Musicology Journal of the American Musicological Society Journal of Musicological Research Journal of Musicology Musikforschung Revue de Musicologie Studien zur Musikwissenschaft

... plus many musicology journals of smaller countries

Tacit assumptions of “musicology”

(Obviously) (more) important: history western culture and music music of cultural elites

Eurocentricity?

19th-century colonialism?

Solutions: Journals

Acknowledge problem in preface Change name, e.g.

Western Music

Western Artificial Music

History of Notated Western Music

Change scope of journal

Part 2

The structure of musicology

history of musical thought sciences and humanities the tripartite model the evolution of disciplinary

structures

History of musical thought Ancient civilisations

physics/mathematics (number ratios) psychology (emotion)

Middle ages in Europe quadrivium : arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, “music”

18th and 19th centuries central position of history for national identity

20th century expansion, diversification

21st century All musics, all appropriate questions and disciplines

The relationship between musicological subdisciplines

0

20

40

60

80

100

année

pro

po

rtio

n

1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

systematic

ethnological

historical

Antiquity and middle ages: antecedents of music theory, acoustics and psychology

mathematical philosophy of intervals and scales

19th century: music history plus auxiliary disciplines

historical musicology music theory and analysis

systematic musicology

Now: all disciplinary approaches to all questions about all musics

repertoires and their contexts general phenomena and their foundations

history pop jazz

ethnology ana-lysis

the-ory

socio-logy

psychology

 acoustics

physiology

media

aesthetics, cultural studies, feminism and gender studies computing

philosophy

History of musical thought

The central position of historical musicology in the 19th century

Western music: esthetically superior

“Music”: written works of the western canon

The main task of “musicology”: document the artistry of white male genius

Humanities and sciences: differences

The tension between subjectivity and objectivity

1. The object of research humanities: researcher‘s own experience sciences: the external world

2. The distance between researcher and object humanities: close (hermeneutics) sciences: distant (data analysis)

3. The generality of conclusions humanities: complex, specific descriptions sciences: simple, general descriptions

Example : music psychologyThe objective versus the subjective approach

Les sciences humaines et naturelles : les points communs

La recherche de la « verité » intersubjectivité rationalité compréhension par explication

La compréhension des relations causalité prévision

La diversité épistémologique méthodologique

Les sciences humaines et naturelles : un rapport synergétique

sciences humaines sciences naturelles

idées créatives et bien fondées

évaluations empiriques

conséquences académiques,

culturelles, sociales

découvertes

Les sciences humaines et naturelles : L‘histoire de leur relation

XIXe siècle : domination des sciences humaines

XXe siècle : domination des sciences naturelles

XXIe siècle : domination des sciences informatiques ? nouvel équilibre entre sciences humaines et

naturelles… en général? en musicologie?

Les sciences humaines et naturelles : importance rélative

Les sciences humaines : rôle central de la culture

identité qualité de la vie

Les sciences naturelles : rôle central de la technologie :

qualité de vie quotidienne guerre et environnement

l’autodestruction de l’humanité

Repertoire-based musicologies: Trends

Source: Jonathan Stock , Current Musicology, 1998

“Musicology” Ethnomusicology

“music” score part of culture

readership “musicologists” interdisciplinary

repertory lost disappearing

focus composer, score performance

concepts individual, idiosyncratic, history, development, musical autonomy, formal unity

culture, typical, tradition, change, social function, cultural uniqueness

authority scholar informants

Tripartite model: USA

“musicology” / theory / ethnomusicology

Problems: “musical sciences” are not “musicology” too little communication between

musicology/theory and ethnomusicology

Tripartite model: Germany

historical systematic ethno-

(tacit) def.

western cultural elites mus contexts

sciences, abstract, interdisciplinary mus. phenomena

non-western, non-elite mus. contexts

modern

content

analysis; periods, genres;

cult. stud.

acoustics, psychology, sociology; aesthetics, philosophy, physiology, media, computing...

elite, popular, folk; continents, regions, genres, subcultures

prob-lems

(none) remainder? auxiliary? larger and more diverse fewer professorships?

(German) Tripartite model: Problems

not justified: central position of history of western cultural elites

not integrated: musical practice

not classified: theory, gender, jazz/pop, prehistory

not enough: communication among subdisciplines

not unified: musicology

A personal apology

I love the “western bourgeous canon” History is not less important!!! Aim: new balance

Systematic musicology

Humanities“cultural musicology”

Sciences“scientific musicology”

“Cultural musicology” epistemologies and methods of humanities

subjective introspective, intuitive, intersubjective

philosophical logical, aesthetic, epistemological, ethical, metaphysical

paradigms and subdisciplines philosophical aesthetics music criticism theoretical sociology semiotics hermeneutics deconstruction postmodernism cultural and gender studies

“Scientific musicology”

scientific epistemologies and methods empirical and data-oriented prediction of future data by means of models

subdisciplines physiology and neurosciences empirical psychology and sociology cognitive sciences computing and technology

Evolution of disciplinary structures

top-down regulate categorize authoritarian

bottom-up explore quasi-random „natural“

Musicology: Alternative structure A

specifically musical

theory, analysis, composition, performance

humanities history, cultural studies, philosophy

sciences acoustics, psychology, physiology, media, computing

mixtures sociology, anthropology, prehistory

practice education, medicine, therapy

Musicology: Alternative structure B

status focus examples

core “music itself” theory, analysis, composition, performance

central musical contexts and phenomena

acoustics, anthropology, cult.stud., history, psychology, sociology

peripheral support of core and central

computing, psychoacoustics, philosophy, physiology, prehistory

neighboring non-mus. culture & communication

art, literature, linguistics

practical individual needs education, therapy, medicine

L’unité de la musicologieLa musicologie est devenue très fragmentée.Comment la (ré-)unir ?

Existe-il… des méthodes et des « lois » générales en musicologie ? une épistémologie unifiée de la musicologie ?

Dans un programme de musicologie : peut-êtreEn réalité à long terme: peu probable

Proposition: L’unité de la musicologie résulte plutôt de sa diversité intrinsèque :

Objet : les musiques diverses Méthodes : les sciences « mères » diverses Approche : la collaboration interdisciplinaire

Part 3

Interdisciplinarity

in musicology in general

Musicae Scientiae Special edition 2006

Thème 1e discipline 2e discipline

Improvisation interactive avec ordinateur

éducation musicale intelligence artificielle

Psychologie culturelle de la musique psychologie musicale anthropologie culturelle

Échelles non occidentales psychoacoustique ethnomusicologie

Modernisation de la musique turque sociologie ethnomusicologie

Isométries dans la musique de Ciurlionis

histoire de l’art théorie musicale

Analyse de style par ordinateur dans la musique du XVe siècle

musicologie historique

extraction de données musicales

Composition a partir de l’acoustique des étoiles

physique composition

Bases neuronales de l’harmonie psychoacoustique neurophysiologie

Expression en multimédia musicologie informatique

Aphasie musicale psychologie musicale linguistique

Interdisciplinarity

boundaries of disciplines are fuzzy disciplines are more or less established disciplines are more or less distant not whether ID, but how much degree of ID is a matter of opinion role of collaboration motivation, flexibility, curiosity, daring

Interdisciplinarity in musicology

sciences humanities practice

content object subject action

methods empirical intersubjective trial and error

Interdisciplinary challenges: content and method boundaries content-method combinations

Conséquences

Nécessité de promouvoir l’interdisciplinarité de façon

directe développer des stratégies spécifiques

CIM: The Conferences on Interdisciplinary Musicology Aims

Promote human interdisciplinary interaction Reunite musicology

Themes (General) (Graz 2004) Timbre (Montreal 2005) Singing (Tallinn 2007) Structure (Thessaloniki 2008) Monophony versus polyphony (Paris 2009) Culture (Sheffield 2010)

Current trends in musical practice

including performance and composition relevant for music psychology

25.10.06

Introduction

This lecture surveys current themes is limited to western music and subcultures makes few specific claims postpones music psychology aspects

Terminology “classical” = “notated music of western cultural elites”

Rationale

Central role of performance in music(ology) Music does not exist unless performed Performance changes the music

Music psychology and musicology traditionally focus on perception than performance basic rather than applied research

Music performance research is multi- and interdisciplinary theory and practice ethnomusicology, music history, psychology, sociology, acoustics, cultural

studies, economics

Main themes

Technology Styles and subcultures Authenticity Skills Professional issues

Technology

Recording media: CDs Recording techniques and studios Electronic media in performance

Recording media: CDs

CD revolution in 1980s and 90s more compact, easier to use overwhelming diversity of available music

Overloads consumers’ memory only remember the few main stars CD labels market only few main stars authenticity backlash (see below)

Recording techniques & studios

Sound quality most important for classical and acoustic

Creativity of studio engineer Tonmeister as musician

Electronic media in performance

Classical and jazz small subgroup of composers and performers strong identity media strongly affect musical content discourse on technology and aesthetics

Pop/rock: traditional relationship between media and content strong interest in developing technologies

Styles and subcultures

“Classical” Pop/rock Jazz fusions

Classical music: performance

Labels market only famous names even in ensemble music

The second-highest level very high standard strong competition

Mobility performances at distant venues masterclasses with eminent performers

Classical instruments and voice

Separate subcultures Voice: Opera versus lied versus early music Piano: solo versus accompaniment Melody instruments: solo versus orchestral

Pop: Styles

Musicians identify with

substyles: rock, soft rock, pop/rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, trip hop, punk pop, dance ethnic: Brit, Arab, Indi-, C-, J-, K-, Latin, Calypso, Reggae techno: electro, future, noise, synth, Country, easy listening, muzac other: Bubblegum, Christian, Operatic, Sophisti, Turbo-folk

stars and periods (1980s…)

Pop: functions

Continues to create teenage identities musicians are role models

Originality considered important but level is low revival of oldies, cover versions, cover bands

Media fascination with celebrities no matter whether musicians of film stars? sexiness more important than art?

Jazz

Discussion of musical elements: harmony, tonality, blue notes syncopation, polyrhythms swing, feel call and response, improvisation

Musicians identify with genres blues, trad, Dixieland, swing, bebop, hard bop, cool,

free, avant-garde, Latin, modal, acid, electronica

Style fusions

Many combinations of classical, jazz, pop, traditional music plus substyles

“Authentic”? New combination may be original Authentic partial styles may be undermined

Authenticity

Performance Composition Classical Pop Jazz

Authenticity in performance

In spite of musical diversity and mediocrity: maintenance of personality, spirit, character, identity creativity from within

Difficult and worthwhile sheds new light on music, life, values

Important for musical “counter cultures” opposition to mainstream

Compensation for lack of financial success only the successful are corrupted?

Promoted by informal, destroyed by formal learning?

Authenticity in composition

“Postmodern” goes beyond violation of compositional standards and expectancies

Coherent (or incoherent) style Expression of personality Regard (or disregard) for listener Minimalism versus complexity Apparent lack of composer models

Authenticity in classical music

Revival of old instruments repertoires

Relation to historical research modern technology and hifi performer’s intuition and emotion the playing and listening experience

Authenticity in pop subcultures

independence from commercial forces the musical experience common identity of performers and

listeners intolerance of other styles

Authenticity in jazz

Jazz as symbol of spiritual freedom Originality Personality Building on and deviating from models (Adorno: a false representation that gives

the appearance of authenticity)

Authenticity - overview

Conceptual diversity classical: revival of original experience rock: honest communication of identity and values

Common thread identification of “genuine” rejection of “fake” specific criteria

Why important? music as personal identity

Skills

Talent Technique Practice Improvisation Sight reading Memorization Expression and interpretation

Talent

Talent versus hard workrelative importanceperformers’ identity

Talented childrenHow teachers recognize and nurture them

Technique

Body posture (e.g. Alexander technique) Hand positions Fingering Optimal age of acquisition Relationship to other musical skills Importance relative to interpretation

Practice

Takes a lot of time! How to improve efficiency?

Improvisation

In all styles: connected to authenticity Role of practice, vocabulary, ice breaking Classical music:

revival of tradition that died in 19th century example of modern musician’s flexibility

Sight reading

Central for many musicians who constantly learn new repertoireOrchestralPiano accompanists

Memorization (classical)

Specific instruments e.g. piano not organ piano solo not ensemble solo singers

Methods auditory, kinesthetic, visual memory score analysis

Effect on interpretation and reception

Expression and interpretation

Importance relative to technique Whether and how to teach it Analytic versus intuitive approach Role models versus individuality Role of body movement Developing a personal voice

Professional issues

Medicine Anxiety Education Career path Gender

Music medicine

Mainly an issue for classical musicians Taboo status is weakening Few musically qualified doctors Role of stress and repetition Specific ailments for specific instruments Psychological, neurological, muscular,

orthopedic (musculoskeletal), dental, dermatological, audiological

Performance anxiety

Mainly an issue for classical musicians Taboo status is weakening But few musically qualified therapists

Education (classical)

Conservatory culture Cultural differences (oriental versus western students) Music and non-musical skills Practical versus academic courses Technique versus interpretation Individual versus group teaching Analytic versus intuitive teaching styles Practice routines and durations Solo versus ensemble performance Performance versus teaching Listening to recordings, mental practice Selection and evaluation procedures; musicality Career preparation

Career paths

A high risk, undervalued profession Low social status (not a “serious” profession) Wide range of incomes Dependency on free market and lucky breaks Dream of full-time reality of part-time Effect on mental and physical health, relationships etc.

Classical: many study performance then teach

Pop, jazz high dependence on free market

Gender issues

Classical Women in Vienna Philharmonic? Female conductors, composers, jazz improvisers Acceptance of androgeny e.g. counter tenors

Rock/pop Musicians esp. singers (male/female) as sex objects

music video clips as soft pornography Girl bands – strong women, sex objects or both Implications for musical identity

Music psychology and music theory

15.11.06

Music-theoretic traditions Mathematical approach since antiquity

Aim: “understand” music and the cosmos Mystic philosophy of string-length ratios

Humanities approach since 19th century Aim: understand works of western canon Subjective-empirical, logical-systematic

approach Linked to compositional and analytical practice

The role of music psychology

Regard music theories as interesting hypotheses

Test them experimentally Use results to inform modern music

theory, analysis the theme of CIM08 in Thessaloniki

Theory/analysis of structure

Specific structures: scales, melody, voice leading, harmony/tonality,

rhythm, timbre Structure in general:

motivic, formal, reduction, accentuation, temporal development

Musical meaning emotion, aesthetics

History History of syntax

Cultural studies Social and musical structures

Scales in general

Scale steps categorical perception of pitch

Scales as pitch collections memory limitations for no. of scale steps

Western scales

Pentatonic, diatonic, chromatic melodic/harmonic octave/fifth relationships JND and smallest practical interval size

Major-minor key profiles and statistical learning key tracking perception of triad-scale relationships

Non-Western scales

quarter-tones e.g. Middle East, Persia…

equal-interval e.g. Indonesian slendro

quasi-chromatic e.g. Indian classical traditions

physical vs psychological measurement e.g. African oral traditions (Arom)

Melody and phrasing

Pattern recognition, Gestalt principles similarity proximity good continuation etc.

Auditory scene analysis (Bregman) segmentation and grouping nature vs nurture

Hierarchical structure andvoice leading compound melody and streaming neighbor tones and melodic fusion tonicization and pitch salience diminution and generative grammar key as prolongation of tonic triad Ursatz as schema

(Schenker, Lerdahl & Jackendoff)

Contrapuntal conventions

Writing melodies pitch proximity (stepwise motion streaming)

Prevalence of chord types promote fusion ( consonance) avoid roughness ( consonance)

Prevalence of harmonic intervals avoid fusion ( independence of voices)

Voicing of chords doubling: exaggerate differences in pitch salience interval size: masking and roughness

(Huron)

Harmony and tonality

Harmony: perception of pitch of complex tones (Terhardt)

Tonality: profiles of stability of scale steps (Krumhansl)

Computer tests: root and tonality tracking algorithms

Rhythm and meter

Categorical perception of rhythm Pulse perception Perceived versus notated metre

Computer test: beat tracking

Timbral structure

Theory Relation of timbre to:

familiar environmental sound sources human voice and phonemes

Stream segregation: each stream has a timbre

Method Quantitative approaches

similarity judgments and multidimensional scaling Qualitative approaches

timbre description using everyday language

Motivic/thematic structure

Central importance for music analysis “first subject”, “second subject”, leitmotives development and recapitulation of motives

Complex models of the similarity of melodic motivescategorical boundary between “same” and “different”

difference between repetition and variation

Formal structure

Formal functions of musical segments start, middle, end exposition, development, recapitulation

Perception of jumbled music experimental finding: order doesn’t matter (!) conflict between philosophical and empirical

aesthetics

Reduction

Schenkerian reduction foreground, middleground, background background is supposed to comprise the most important events largely irrelevant for music performance

accentuation (salience) immanent

grouping, metrical, harmonic, melodic performed

agogic, dynamic, articulatory, timbral This kind of analysis can inform music performance

Structure: Temporal development

Local music perception lasting a few seconds Predominates in music psychological experiments

Tension/relaxation dissonance, loudness, pitch range, tonality

Expectation melodic, harmonic… expections and emotional connotations

Prolongation primary and subordinate chords of a progression implied harmonies of a melody

Structure: Emotion and meaning

Immanent structures specific structures: appoggiatura, sudden harmonic

change, repeated falling fifth progression (Sloboda) analysis by semiotics and hermeneutics

The performer’s contribution structural communication

expressive timing and dynamics (Repp, Desain, Drake…) emotional communication

specific structural cues (Juslin)

Philosophical aesthetics Elitist and abstract

explores the experience of experts emphasis on absolute music emphasis on unity of the art work

Emphasis on deep meaning cultural identity

Emphasis on long-term temporal relationships thematic and tonal

Empirical aesthetics

Non-elitist and concrete typical concert audiences, CD listeners role of social and psychological function personal identity

Emphasis on local, surface events complexity and familiarity

Emphasis on short-term temporal relationships thematic and tonal

Structure: History of syntax

History of musical syntax (Eberlein) Process of cultural evolution (Dawkins) Perception develops in parallel with syntax

Elements of musical culture (e.g. cadences) are “memes”

Syntax develops under combined influence of conventions (e.g. voice-leading rules) perception (e.g. pitch pattern recognition) social constraints (e.g. the church)

Structure: Sociocultural aspects

Does hierarchical structure reflect hierarchical society?

Interesting for historical, cultural and ethnological musicology as well as music theory

Music psychology and musicology

Interactions between music psychology MP and ethnomusicology EM

historical musicology HM cultural musicology CM

22.11.06

Today’s aim

Explore (possibilites for) fruitful interaction between MP and HM, CM, ME The topic of an ÖGMw conference in Salzburg 2008

Focus mainly on western “classical” music , since more MP research to refer to affords interesting comparisons with HM

MP versus HM, EM, CM

Similar aim: description/explanation of musical behaviour musical experience

Contrasting methods: subjective versus objective approaches own versus other culture

Divergent academic traditions surprisingly little contact considerable potential for productive collaboration

Today’s topics

Dance Emotion Personality Talent Composition Creativity Preferences

Dance in musicology EM:

Dance and music linked in every known culture – why? Relationships among

dance movements and gestures musical meaning (e.g. ritual functions) musical structure

HM: Western history of dance forms, genres, structures Aesthetics: Movement character of dance music

Dance in music psychology

Relationship between sound & movementPerformance gesturesEmotional expression

Rhythm as virtual movementCognitive neurosciences, mirror neurones

Emotion in musicology

HM: Researcher’s own experience Emotionality of specific repertoire Historical changes in verbalisation of emotion Philosophy of emotion and meaning Hermeneutic approaches

EM: Reliance on informants’ reports of experience Role of cultural background including language functions of music

social, religious, psychological, healing

Emotion in music psychology

Avoided after the “cognitive turn” in the 1960s “Hot topic” since 1990s, e.g. Juslin & Sloboda book

Musical versus everyday emotions Everyday: happy, sad, angry, afraid… (“basic”) Musical: nostalgia, magic, moving, excited…

Methods Global vs local

Questionnaire versus real-time tracking Qualitative descriptors

emotions versus associations; slippery linguistic labels Quantitative measures

Similarity judements, MDS, dimensions: arousal, valence, salience Bipolar rating scales, semantic differential

Personality

MP: dimensions of personality as cause/effect of

musical activities and preferences HM:

understanding of composers’ personal styles

Is a unified musical work a virtual person with specific character traits?

General personality factors Long lists such as

warmth, reasoning, social stability, dominance, liveliness, rule consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilences, abstractedness, privateness, apprehension, openness to change, self-reliance, perfectionism, tension (Cattel & Kline, 1977)

“big five” (cf. “basic emotions”) neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeables,

consciensciousness (Costa & McCrae, 1985)

(Kemp)

Personality of musicians Commonalities of (classical western) musicians

Introspection inner world of music Independence musical originality Preference for complexity classical tradition Sensitivity emotional nature of music Trait anxiety performance anxiety Androgeny creativity

Differences Strings: reserved woodwind: confidence Brass and singers: Extraversion Keyboard: shyness Composers: reserve, dominance, sensitivity, spontaneity, openness, low self control, radicalism,

independence, persistenc

Nature or nurture?(Kemp)

Personality and HM

Character of…music versus other artsmusic played by different

instruments Did Mozart and Strauss write so well for

sopranos because they understood the personality of typical sopranos?

Talent and MP

Nature-nurture problem “Nurture” aspect well documented “Nature” aspect difficult to investigate

Evaluation of talent Difficult to predict future performance

musicality tests primarily test hearing skills Difficult to evaluate composed or performed music

aesthetic norms tend to be arbitrary

Musical talent and non-musical factors

Inborn (?) factors Intelligence, creativity, social competence, hearing skills…

Environment Family, individual and classroom teachers, critical experiences

Personality Coping with stress, motivation, learning strategies, performance anxiety…

Non-musical skills Sciences (maths, technology, computing…), arts (painting…), languages,

sport

(Heller, 2004)

Talent in humanities musicology

HMmusic of western cultural elites: music of the

talented?HM: study of the products of musical talent? Implications of MP talent research for HM

EMconcepts and roles of talent (or absence thereof)

in specific cultures

Composition in MP

Difficult to study since very intuitive processarbitrary evaluation of musical quality

Contemporary compositional process McAdams case study of Roger ReynoldsAre the principles specific or general?

Composition in HM

Processcomposers’ sketches letters and reports of contemporaries

Personalityhistorical recorddoes music reflect it?

Creativity in MP

Definition: production of novelty: new structures of old elements value: aesthetic value, usefulness, pleasingness

Both concepts are difficult to operationalise!

Origin: Interaction culture-society-individual

“Genius” Has excellent musical skills Knows both culture and society intimately Questionable as a distinct category

Creativity in HM

Novelty and value Both concepts are central to HM and

philosophical aesthetics of music

Genius depends on historic, social, cultural context

Development of creativity

Exposure Part of general enculturation, socialisation Confined to specific styles

Gender differences Socialisation (main effect) Genes: Hormones (Hassler) (controversial)

Motivation Persistence, hard work Independence

The creative process

Four phases (Poincaré 1913): Preparation

Musical and life experience Skill acquisition

Incubation Perception and analysis of problems

Illumination Exploration of solutions Synthesis of approaches

Verification Social and cultural realisation

HM: application to compositional process of individuals MP: difficult to investigate contents of “black box”

Preferences: Listener typologies

Adorno (1962) Expert Good listener Art consumer Emotional listener Jazz Pop Unmusical

Explanation: socialisation and evolution

HM: relation to style classification

(Gembris)

Alt (1968) Sensitive- emotional Aesthetic (cf. Hanslick) Spiritual-romantic

Preferences: Life-span

Open-eared childhood acquisition of varied stylistic knowledge

Intolerant teens: a creative phase beginning of preferences, emotionality creation of individual identity, peer pressure HM: wellspring of creativity and originality for most composers

Open-eared adulthood Less interest in music (time spent, emotion, function) Continuing preference for music learned in teens (socialisation) HM: composers develop the style that they established in teens

(Kemp)

Preferences and musical content Structure

MP: Tempo and tonality but not form HM: why is form important? MP: cannot answer this question

MP: Complexity HM: historical increase in complexity MP: Berlyne’s curve shifts toward higher optimal complexity

Musical meaning MP: Universals related to motherese

EM: question of universals MP: Association with specific experiences

HM: romantic tradition and aesthetic

Familiarity Own versus foreign music

EM: main subject matter HM: implied superiority of western culture

Preferences and gender

Cliches exist! Females tend to prefer softer more romantic music Males tend to prefer louder, stronger, active, sensational music

Explanation Socialisation Evolution

HM: gender associations

classification of styles, periods, national character etc.

Preferences and class

“Classical” music owning and upper-middle classes?

“Popular” music working and lower-middle classes?

Explanation: socialisation familiarity, identity

HM, art history etc: class-conscious disciplines?

EM Attempt to cover all classes: elite, popular, traditional…

MP Started like HM, now trying to emulate EM

Psychological and educational research in music performance

Source: Parncutt & McPherson (Eds.) (2002)

29.11.06

Today’s aims

Summarize performance researchMusical development and skill acquisition

Implications for education

Everday performance issues Implications for professional musicians

Music psychology and music education

Often similar research themesE.g. intonation

Often little or no contactUniversity / disciplinary structures

(conferences, journals)

Talent and potential

Considered elsewhere in this file

Motivation and talent

Is talent based on hard work? Do motivated students

work harder, acquire more skills, and therefore appear more “talented”?

Kinds of motivation

Extrinsic Dependent on specific rewards Appropriate for children learning music

Intrinsic Acquired gradually Imitation of parents, teachers, peers? An inborn component? Identification with music and with instrument Associated with persistence Necessary to enable long hours of practice

How to motivate music students

Balance between: Praise for genuine progress

extrinsic motivation Open, helpful discussion of problems

train ability to set goals, solve problemsconfidence, independence, self-efficacy

intrinsic motivation

Persistence

A matter of attitude: Problems are expected and normal Challenges are interesting Ability depends on practice

Attributions

Private explanations of success and failureRealistic or exaggerated Incremental or static

Thinking affects musical progress!Not just hard work and talent

Implications for music education

Goal orientation

Children who plan to become musicians are more likely to succeed intrinsic motivation, persistencehours of practice

Performance anxiety

Common but still taboo Most musicians suffer and do not seek support

Causes trait anxiety degree of preparation perceived audience reaction pessimistic self-talk, “catastrophization”

Treatments Relaxation training Anxiety inoculation – developing realistic expectations Cognitive restructuring – changing habitual attitudes Hypnotherapy, Alexander technique

Music-medical problems

Common but still taboo Most musicians suffer and do not seek support

Causes Instrument: performance technique Repertoire: technical problems Individual: physique and psychology Practice routines: Repetition, duration, stress History: increasing competition

Music-medical problems

Kinds of problem orthopedic (muskuloskeletal), psychological, dermatological,

audiological, dental, neurological

Prevention Music-medical knowledge Avoidance of excessive repetition

Treatment rest, exercises, therapy to prevent re-emergence…

Example: Focal dystonia Symptoms

loss of voluntary control in specific trained movements Incidence and consequences

about 1% of professional musicians can terminate a musical career

Associated with fine motor skills and perfectionism overlap of cortical regions

Causes acquired and hereditary

Treatment medication, retraining, ergonomic changes to instrument partially successful

(Jabusch & Altenmüller 2006)

Brain mechanisms

Each musical subskill Widely distributed brain areas (neural networks) Individually variable

Areas involved in music all motor, somatosensory and auditory areas

Plasticity: regions are bigger if used more often used earlier in life musical practice stable structural changes

Learning music notation

Language acquisition model strict temporal sequences:

exposure sonic experimentation lexical vocabulary

basic skills start to read and write

active learning both perceiving and doing

improvisation in a social context reading and writing confined to known material

Learning music notation

Implications for music educationDon’t start too earlyDon’t start too late

Sight reading

Component skills Visual perception, recognition, memory Motor control Auditory imagination Stylistic knowledge (guessing)

Training Hours of practice with given style

Improvisation

Hidden processes - difficult to investigate

Practice Aims

Improve technique Learn repertoire Develop interpretations Memorize

Methods Physical and mental practice Metacognition – goals, planning, organisation Analyse scores and recordings Take breaks Intrinsic motivation

Memory

Why perform from memory? Tradition Expression

How to memorize In practice, focus on expression and meaning Understand structure (score analysis) Combine sense modalities Practice improvising in same style

Intonation

Subskills Pitch discrimination and matching Instrument tuning Internal tuning – melodic and harmonic Simple versus complex context

Every intonation is a compromise Harmonic versus inharmonic complex tones Pitch shifts due to intensity and masking Just frequency ratios are inconsistent Varying intonations in ensemble Deviations are expressive

Structural communication

Structure Phrasing, grouping Meter Melody Harmony and tonality

Performance parameters Loudness, timbre, duration of each tone Timing of IOIs

Broad definition of “accent”  Communication of structural accents through interpretative

accents

Structural communication

Emotional communication

Specific emotions in music and speech are expressed by redundant combinations of physical cues:

Tempo Articulation Loudness Timbre Attack durational contrast Microintonation Vibrato Variability of all of the above

Can be learned!

Body movement Roles in music performance

Construction Execution Perception

Aspects Technical control Expression through gesture

communicate structure and emotion show what is important

Non-musical origins Motherese Physical movement, running etc.

Conclusion

Psychological research in music performance could make a considerable positive contribution to music education at all levels. The main problems:Teachers often don’t know itStudents often don’t have time to learn it

Examination

Written examination

Last week of January 2007

Answer 5 out of 10 questions

Language questions in English answers in English or German

Examinable material contents of the lectures literature cited in the lectures

Tip: answer each question directly!

ICMPC Question

One of the 10 questions will be: "Identify three thematically related papers from the ICMPC in Bologna for which full papers are included on the proceedings CD in the abstract booklet (Handapparat Parncutt). Summarize their main results and implications."