“Figural” and “tonal” aspects of melody discrimination

Abstract

Tone sequences were synthesized using a random process constrained to generate relatively close approximations to the tonal relationships found in melodies which occur in music. In control sequences these constraints are systematically inverted. Other melody variables were fixed (e.g., rhythm) or completely randomized. The perceptual task involved discrimination between “same transposed” and “different transposed” melody pairs. Alterations which changed the “contour” of the melody were compared with those which preserved contour. We find that contour violation and a low “5th span” of the melody intervals aid discrimination, and these operate independently. We also examined diatonic scale, contour and tuning, the latter being equal temperament (100 cents per semi‐tone), “micro” (60 cents per semitone) or “macro” (140 cents per semi‐tone). A discrimination advantage for melodies based on a diatonic scale is only found for equal temperament tuning, whereas contour violation aids discrimination regardless of tuning. We conclude that contour is a general perceptual property of serial auditory patterns (“figural”), whereas scale and 5th span are specific to sequences heard as music (“tonal”).