The Relationship between Explicit Planning and Expressive Performance of Dynamic Variations in an Aural Modeling Task

Abstract

The present study is an examination of the performance of expressive dynamic variations by advanced pianists in an aural modeling (imitative) performance task. Twenty-four university musicians listened to expressive performances of short piano excerpts played for them via MIDI on a Yamaha Disklavier acoustic piano. These expressive models contained idiomatic features (musically appropriate) and nonidiomatic features (musically inappropriate). After hearing each model, subjects reported their thoughts regarding dynamic variations they had heard and then attempted to imitate the model in their own performance on the piano. Results indicated that expressive performance of dynamic variations is influenced by the performer's explicit identification of dynamic features and their incorporation into a specific goal performance plan. Analyses of individual dynamic features revealed that subjects who identified features consistently performed the features differently than did the subjects who did not identify them. Subjects who identified features played nonidiomatic features more accurately and played idiomatic features at more pronounced overall levels.