Musicians' and Nonmusicians' Aural Perception of Orchestral Instrument Families

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine aural perception in a selective listening task using a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI). Undergraduate college students (60 musicians, 60 nonmusicians) listened to an excerpt from Billy the Kid by Aaron Copland. Subjects indicated focus on instrumental family by manipulating the indicator of the CRDI. “Sound intervals” were determined by changes in predominant instrument family in the orchestral texture. Families were divided into five categories: (a) brass, (b) percussion, (c) woodwinds, (d) strings, and (e) all The “all” category indicated focus on three or more families simultaneously (e.g., tutti). Results were based on examination of subjects' category selections in terms of percentages of time focused on each category within each interval Analyses of cumulative seconds across all intervals indicated that nonmusicians focused on brass and percussion longer than did musicians. Musicians focused on strings longer and selected strings mare frequently than did nonmusicians. Musicians also indicated focus on three or more families simultaneously more than did nonmusicians.