Identification Of Pitch Research Articles

Group decisions and the amount of transmitted information in absolute identification of pitch

Sixteen tones differing in frequencies from 80 to 4400 Hz were presented in random order 100 times each to five subjects for absolute identification. The amount of transmitted information (in bits) and the corresponding number of identified categories of pitch were determined on the basis of: (1) individual identification responses, represented by the median value of individual transmission indices; (2) the dominant responses given to each presented stimulus; and (3) the responses given by the group as a whole based on group agreement and group decision. The amount of transmitted information was larger in the case of the dominant responses than the median of the individual identification performance and was largest in the case of group decision (the percentage increases in the number of identified categories of pitch were 21.0%, 37.0%, and 14.7%, respectively).

Information transmission of 3.1 bits in absolute identification of auditory pitch

Eleven tones (from 50 to 11,000 Hz), differing only in pitch, were presented to five subjects 108 times each. The subjects were told that in the “training” phase of the experiment, they should reach a definite, but unspecified, “level” of performance before they could advance to the final or “test” phase of the experiment. In the final quarter of the experiment, the median value of the identification performance was 3.11 bits.

Memory processes in the identification of pitch

A study in pitch identification with three interstimulus intervals is reported. Ss received a pretest, three drills, and a posttest. Results include: (a) superior performance on stimuli requiring only a simple discrimination judgment, (b) inferior performance at longer interstimulus intervals, (c) a greater tendency to repeat correct rather than incorrect responses to adjacent tones at the same pitch level, and (d) a modest, but reliable, improvement in pitch identification accuracy from the pre- to the posttest. Relevance of the results for an interpretation of pitch identification as dependent on memory processes is discussed.

Self-Instructional Drill Materials for Student Conductors

1HIS STUDY WAS CONCERNED with the development and experimental testing of self-instructional drill materials aimed at the improvement of score-reading ability. For the purpose of this research score-reading ability was defined as skill in the detection and identification of pitch and rhythm errors in instrumental performance. This skill is deemed a necessary behavioral competence of teachers of instrumental music. These teachers are faced with the necessity of detecting and identifying errors during rehearsal class. Highly developed aural/visual skill, commonly referred to as score-reading ability can have positive effect on the judicious use of available teaching time. Efficient rehearsal procedures facilitate student learning through accurate music performance experience. There is presently no instructional method for the teaching of scorereading skill. Experience in aural music theory classes is very often unrelated to the aural discrimination skills needed by instrumental teachers. Rarely, if ever, are future teachers asked to detect and identify errors produced in a music texture involving various instruments. Aural skills are developed in ear training classes but there is little evidence of transfer to the problems that confront the conductor. Students are unable to synthesize existent skills and focus them in solving the rehearsal problems of the conductor-teacher. In order to develop scorereading skill, students must experience reality-oriented material in a carefully organized format. It was the purpose of this study to develop self-instructional materials that bring about a synthesis of aural/visual skills needed for accurate score reading. Specifically, the objectives were as follows:

Training the absolute identification of pitch

Two methods for training the absolute judgment of pitch, reference training and series training, were studied. Reference training concentrated during training on the identification of three reference tones in a set of nine pure tones, while series training gave equal weight during training to the identification of all nine tones. Results of pre- and posttraining tests, scored for the number of correct judgments, showed that reference training was more effective than series training for listeners with musical experience. In addition, discriminability (d′) scaling of pre- and posttest performance indicated that reference training was particularly effective for training listeners with musical experience when the nine tones of a set were grouped into three pitch classes—high, medium, and low pitch. Listeners without musical experience benefited from both training methods, but their overall improvement was less than that for musical listeners.

The Influence of Practice and Pitch-Distance between Tones on the Absolute Identification of Pitch

Abstract : The term absolute pitch customarily implies an ability to name isolated musical tones--an ability possessed by few persons. The usual experimental test of this facility requires O to identify by name (C, G sharp, F, etc.) a series of tones presented singly, each being separated from the one preceding by a designated time-interval. If O's average error of judgment satisfies a certain criterion (musical semitone or less), he is said to have absolute pitch; if his error exceeds the maximum allowed, he is not credited with absolute pitch. In the interest of extending our knowledge about the role of pitch in absolute judgments, this paper poses the following questions: How widely must a given number of pure tones be separated in pitch before the average O can make correct absolute judgments? What happens to the accuracy of absolute judgments of pitch when O is presented smaller and smaller pitch separations? How is the amount of information which O receives about the series related to the pitch-distance between tones? Are the effects of pitch-separation on absolute judgments significantly influenced by practice? How does disuse affect the ability?