Tempos Research Articles

Disco Time: The Relationship Between Perceived Duration and Tempo in Music

Our perception of the duration of a piece of music is related to its tempo. When listening to music, absolute durations may seem longer as the tempo—the rate of an underlying pulse or beat—increases. Yet, the perception of tempo itself is not absolute. In a study on perceived tempo, participants were able to distinguish between different tempo-shifted versions of the same song (± 5 beats per minute (BPM)), yet their tempo ratings did not match the actual BPM rates; this finding was called tempo anchoring effect (TAE). In order to gain further insights into the relation between duration and tempo perception in music, the present study investigated the effect of musical tempo on two different duration measures, to see if there is an analog to the TAE in duration perception. Using a repeated-measures design, 32 participants (16 musicians) were randomly presented with instrumental excerpts of Disco songs at the original tempi and in tempo-shifted versions. The tasks were (a) to reproduce the absolute duration of each stimulus (14–20 s), (b) to estimate the absolute duration of the stimuli in seconds, and (c) to rate the perceived tempo. Results show that duration reproductions were longer with faster tempi, yet no such effect was found for duration estimations. Thus, lower-level reproductions were affected by the tempo, but higher-level estimations were not. The tempo-shifted versions showed no effect on both duration measures, suggesting that the tempo difference for the duration-lengthening effect requires a difference of at least 20 BPM, depending on the duration measure. Results of perceived tempo replicated the typical rating pattern of the TAE, but this was not found in duration measures. The roles of spontaneous motor tempo and musical experience are discussed, and implications for future studies are given.

Kaikhosru Sorabji’s Letters to Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) ed. by Brian Inglis and Barry Smith

Reviewed by: Kaikhosru Sorabji’s Letters to Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) ed. by Brian Inglis and Barry Smith Nalini Ghuman Kaikhosru Sorabji’s Letters to Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock). Edited by Brian Inglis and Barry Smith. London: Routledge, 2020. [184 p. ISBN 978-1-138-47843-5. £96 (hardcopy), £29.59 (paperback and e-book)] This handsome new volume presents the corpus of letters from composer–pianist– critic Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892–1988) to his contemporary, Philip Heseltine (Peter War-lock) (1894–1930). Written between 1913 and 1922, Sorabji’s letters have remained largely unseen among the Heseltine papers in the British Library, apart from a series of short excerpts published in 1992 (see Kenneth Derus, ‘Sorabji’s Letters to Heseltine’, in Sorabji: A Critical Celebration, ed. Paul Rapoport [Aldershot: Scholar Press, 1992], 195–255). Meticulously transcribed here by Barry Smith, the complete letters are lively and engaging, providing fascinating insights into both the early development of these two composer–critics and their socio- cultural and musical milieu. The Introduction by Brian Inglis is critically astute, effectively drawing on recent scholarship to bring the issue of identity (particularly race) to the fore in a nuanced framing of Sorabji and his work, while also perceptively considering questions of sexuality, influence, and stylistic development in relation to both composers. Only Sorabji’s side of the correspondence is preserved, so the editors took up the idea of interspersing Heseltine’s letters to friends in which he describes those he is receiving from Sorabji. This makes for entertaining (and, at times, as explained below, disturbing) reading. The appendices add further interest with a selection of printed documents penned by the protagonists—including Heseltine’s 1913 Musical Times article, which was the catalyst for the correspondence, and Sorabji’s brief but touching tribute to Heseltine in 1931, following his death. Closing an early letter to Heseltine, begun on 6 January 1914, Sorabji exclaimed: ‘Do soon write one of your most delightful letters and don’t be too furious that this letter is so long and wordy. I can’t help it. I must write!’ (p. 51). And write he did. These early letters are brimming with vivid descriptions of new works, concerts in London, and musical personalities, alongside discussions of political, religious, and cultural subjects, all shot through with brilliant wit. Quite the opposite of an insular English outlook, Sorabji’s letters reveal a voracious cosmopolitanism. Heseltine remarked to Frederick Delius early in the correspondence: ‘He is very interesting, since he tells me all about composers of whom I know nothing’ (December 1913, pp. 45–46). Indeed, Sorabji discusses a vast amount of repertoire, often ‘hot off the press’, by international composers from Zoltan Kodály, Alexander Scriabin, [End Page 361] and Erik Satie, to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Richard Strauss, Jean Sibelius, and Albert Roussel, at times notating his incisive analyses with music examples. As the correspondence moves into 1916, there is a compelling sense of anticipation as Sorabji begins to compose in earnest, often meeting with Heseltine to share his works at the piano. Now the reader becomes privy to the intimacy between the two composers as they support each other’s creative endeavours. When Sorabji asks if he could dedicate his first piano concerto to Heseltine, he explains: ‘I am quite sure that but for your encouragement and “bonté” the Concerto would never have seen the light of day’ (May 1916, p. 105). ‘Soul-shattering’ was Heseltine’s verdict on the concerto after Sorabji played it for him at the Bechstein studios (letter to Colin Taylor, March 1916). By the end of the correspondence in 1922, we have followed Sorabji’s completion of, inter alia, five further piano concertos, his first symphony, several songs, a piano quintet, and three piano sonatas. Heseltine wrote to Delius of ‘his quite extraordinary talent’ and ‘the overwhelming emotional power of his music’, while marvelling at his ‘technical mastery’ (March 1920, p. 120). Several figures illustrate all this creative activity: a page from the first concerto’s manuscript full score reveals the pianism demanded of Sorabji to bring this piece to life for his friend (p. 32), while an eye-catching letter of July 1916 sees Sorabji notating the...

Olivier Messiaen's Opera Saint François d'Assise by Vincent Perez Benitez

Reviewed by: Olivier Messiaen's Opera Saint François d'Assise by Vincent Perez Benitez Melissa Cummins Olivier Messiaen's Opera Saint François d'Assise. By Vincent Perez Benitez. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2019. [xxii, 302 p. ISBN 9780253042873 (hardcover), $95; ISBN 9780253042880 (paperback), $38; ISBN 9780253042903 (e-book), $18.99.] Notes, music examples, dramatic synopsis, glossary, bibliography, index. Speaking about using Oliver Messiaen's own commentary to aid in analyzing the composer's music, Roger Nichols advised the reader to "above all, not [take] all Messiaen's own remarks about his music at face value," because his "apparently compulsive explaining … was designed as a kind of smokescreen. All the things he says about his music are true, as far as they go, but really that's not very far" ("Performance Reviews," Musical Times 135, no. 1812 [February 1994]: 117). Acknowledging this and other limitations, Vincent Perez Benitez crafts a comprehensive tonal and coloristic analysis of Messiaen's opera Saint François d'Assise out of the composer's many birdsong notebooks, observations on philosophy, notes on the opera, and thoughts on color associations, to name a few sources. Benitez states in the introduction that the two interrelated purposes of the book are to "[examine] Saint François d'Assise from both theological and musical-analytical perspectives in order to interpret how Messiaen achieves his stated goal of expressing the depth of his Catholic theology through a work that contains all his harmonic techniques and sound-color harmonies. … [A]nd more importantly, … to better understand his compositional practice from larger theological and musical perspectives" (p. 2). He sees this analysis as necessary, as the opera "has yet to see such a book-length study in English that offers an extended analytical treatment of both its theological semantics and musical language, along with its contextualization as an opera" (p. 3). Benitez also sees his book as adding to the writings that analyze twentiethcentury opera. The author makes clear that a history of the opera is not included nor is an "accounting of the dramatic, psychological, and structural functions" of the opera's themes (p. 4). Before the introductory chapter, Benitez devotes four pages to general "Notes on the Text," in which he explains capitalizations, recommends having a version of the opera score handy (as he refers to it and includes only greatly reduced versions of musical passages), and explains the various didactic and primary sources referred to, including interviews and lectures by Messiaen. It should be mentioned that Benitez uses extensive endnotes throughout the text not only for citations but more often to provide a further explanation of or expansion on an idea mentioned in the main narrative. Flipping back and forth to these endnotes provides a complete overview of some of the more technical points in the document. Benitez provides an overview of the eight chapters, a very brief background of the opera's history, and an explanation of Messiaen's specific type of synesthesia in the introduction. In chapters 1 and 2, he discusses philosophical and theological connections to the symbolism in the opera and the connection between Saint François and earlier operas and French religious works. He continues in chapters 3 and 4 with an overview of Messiaen's ideas of overall form and the connections he made between chords, chordal structure, and colors. Music analysis dominates the final four chapters. In chapter 5, the longest section at fifty-seven pages, Benitez explains the opera's musical language, using four analytical approaches that he identifies as precompositional, referential, transformational, and additive pitch designs. He states that these terms "encompass aspects of post-tonal theory … and contextualize compositional designs suggested by Messiaen's aesthetics" (p. 135). These varied techniques are needed, Benitez admits, because "the sheer complexity of this music makes [analyzing Messiaen's] work as a harmonist, in particular, a challenging proposition" (p. 135). Birdsongs and their symbolism in the theological message of the opera are discussed in [End Page 256] chapter 6. In chapter 7, Benitez breaks down Saint François scene by scene with a tonal and color-association analysis of the saint's spiritual journey. He also provides links to theology and symbolism...

Review of “Enacting musical time. The bodily experience of new music,” by Mariusz Kozak

Review of “Enacting musical time. The bodily experience of new music,” by Mariusz Kozak

Effects of Music Pitch and Tempo on the Behaviour of Kennelled Dogs.

Simple SummaryDomestic dogs often live in confined environments for different reasons. These environments can be challenging for some dogs and this can lead to high levels of stress and arousal, which could affect welfare. Auditory enrichment has been shown to reduce arousal-related behaviours in dogs, and the aim of this study was to investigate if these effects are induced by particular characteristics of music such as tempo and pitch. The behaviour of 10 kennelled dogs was monitored in response to music tracks played with different characteristics (high pitch, low pitch, fast tempo and slow tempo), as well as white noise and a control. Low pitch tracks seemed to prompt behavioural changes by increasing the level of alertness of the dogs, potentially due to the association between low frequency vocalisations with agonistic contexts, making them more vigilant of their surroundings.Confinement can be stressful for some dogs and this can lead to behavioural issues and poor welfare. A key component of the stress response is behavioural arousal, characterised by increased alertness and sensory sensitivity. This makes behavioural observations a useful tool to assess stress, as they provide insight into an animal’s internal state. Auditory enrichment has been shown to reduce arousal-related behaviour in dogs, but it is not clear if specific characteristics of a music track, such as tempo and/or pitch, produce these effects. The aim of this study was to compare behavioural responses of dogs to music tracks played with different characteristics (high pitch, low pitch, fast tempo, and slow tempo), as well as white noise and a control. Pitch and tempo modifications were applied to ten piano music songs and the six treatments (four different treatment-song combinations, white noise, and control) were presented daily, for ten minutes each, to ten dogs over ten days. Behavioural changes seemed to be driven by low-pitch tracks, which increased the level of alertness of the dogs. These findings could be related to the Morton’s motivations-structural rules: harsh, low frequency vocalisations signal aggressive motivations in mammals. Dogs may have perceived low-pitch tracks as more unsettling and were therefore more active and alert when listening to them.

Forgetting and Remembering: The Case of Leo Sowerby’s The Canticle of the Sun

Research Article| December 01 2020 Forgetting and Remembering: The Case of Leo Sowerby’s The Canticle of the Sun Joseph Sargent Joseph Sargent Joseph Sargent is assistant professor of music at the University of Alabama. Active as a researcher of both modern American and sacred Renaissance music, he has published articles and reviews in American Choral Review, the Musical Times, Early Music History, Revista de Musicología, NOTES: Journal of the Music Library Association, Fontes Artis Musicae, and several essay collections. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google American Music (2020) 38 (4): 485–518. https://doi.org/10.5406/americanmusic.38.4.0485 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Joseph Sargent; Forgetting and Remembering: The Case of Leo Sowerby’s The Canticle of the Sun. American Music 1 January 2020; 38 (4): 485–518. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/americanmusic.38.4.0485 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressAmerican Music Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2021 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2021 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Dissonance in Music Impairs Spatial Gait Parameters in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

It is known that music influences gait parameters in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it remains unclear whether this effect is merely due to temporal aspects of music (rhythm and tempo) or other musical parameters. To examine the influence of pleasant and unpleasant music on spatiotemporal gait parameters in PD, while controlling for rhythmic aspects of the musical signal. We measured spatiotemporal gait parameters of 18 patients suffering from mild PD (50%men, mean±SD age of 64±6 years; mean disease duration of 6±5 years; mean Unified PD Rating scale [UPDRS] motor score of 15±7) who listened to eight different pieces of music. Music pieces varied in harmonic consonance/dissonance to create the experience of pleasant/unpleasant feelings. To measure gait parameters, we used an established analysis of spatiotemporal gait, which consists of a walkway containing pressure-receptive sensors (GAITRite®). Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to evaluate effects of auditory stimuli. In addition, linear regression was used to evaluate effects of valence on gait. Sensory dissonance modulated spatiotemporal and spatial gait parameters, namely velocity and stride length, while temporal gait parameters (cadence, swing duration) were not affected. In contrast, valence in music as perceived by patients was not associated with gait parameters. Motor and musical abilities did not relevantly influence the modulation of gait by auditory stimuli. Our observations suggest that dissonant music negatively affects particularly spatial gait parameters in PD by yet unknown mechanisms, but putatively through increased cognitive interference reducing attention in auditory cueing.

82 The impact of feeding treats containing cannabidiol (CBD) on the daily activity level of dogs

Abstract Growing public interest in and use of Cannabidiol (CBD) in companion animals has amplified the need to elucidate potential impacts. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of CBD on daily activity of adult dogs. Twenty-four dogs (18.0 ± 3.4 kg) were utilized in a randomized complete block design with treatments consisting of control, 2 mg CBD/kg BW/d, and 4 mg CBD/kg BW/d split between two treats administered after twice-daily exercise (7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). Four hours each day (10:00-12:00, AM and 13:30-15:30, PM), were designated as time when no persons entered the kennels, with 2 h designated as Quiet Time and the other 2 h as Music Time, where calming music played over speakers. Quiet and Music sessions were randomly allotted to daily AM or PM times. Activity monitors were fitted to dogs’ collars for continuous collection of activity parameters. Data were collected over a 2-wk baseline period to block dogs by activity level (high or low) before randomly assigning dogs within each block to treatments. After 1 wk of treatment adaptation, activity parameters were collected for 2 wk. Data were tested for normality using the UNIVARIATE procedure in SAS before examining differences using the MIXED procedure in SAS, including effects of treatment, day, session (Quiet or Music), time of day (AM or PM), and accompanying interactions. CBD did not alter total activity points (P = 0.9971) or activity duration (P = 0.8776). CBD tended (P = 0.0692) to reduce scratching compared to control. Irrespective of treatment, dogs were more active in PM than AM (P < 0.0001). Regardless of session, dogs receiving 4 mg/kg/d tended (P = 0.0914) to be less active in the PM than control. CBD did not affect activity duration during exercise periods (P = 0.1425), but dogs receiving CBD ran more than control (P = 0.0339). These results indicate that when supplemented up to 4 mg/kg/d, CBD does not negatively impact daily activity levels of dogs.

Pink Floyd’s Time: an aural metanarrative exploring time through form, lyric, and musical arrangement

The inability of language to capture the essence of time is a crisis that has been expressed by philosophers starting from St. Augustine to Paul Ricoeur. Appearing on their seminal album, Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd’s Time is a profound artistic attempt which transcends this language barrier by using music to bring the listeners to a more direct confrontation with time; doing so by juxtaposing time as calibrated and as experienced through the music and the lyrics, and by making the reader experience time-based affects such as impatience, expectation, monotony, and such. As a direct function of song, time is experienced as musical time in the song, thereby ensuring that the listener’s confrontation with time is immersive, with lyrics that describe the nature of experienced and calibrated time working synchronously with the music to complete the image. In the context of its release in 1974, the 6:52 minute song was in engagement with the concept of time as well, in that it was among the pioneering ones which redefined radio broadcast time beyond the standard 3 minutes afforded to popular music tracks, with the commercially preferred listener span in mind. The matter of time thus becomes a multi-layered formal engagement in the song, at the level of lyric, recording, music and listening, thereby making possible an image of time that is polished and rounded. These aural, lyrical and production-based concepts will be addressed and expanded upon to show how Pink Floyd’s Time functions as a metanarrative in how it uses and invokes the elements of time to talk about time.

Invariance of edit-distance to tempo in rhythm similarity

Despite the long history of music psychology, rhythm similarity perception remains largely unexplored. Several studies suggest that edit-distance—the minimum number of notational changes required to transform one rhythm into another—predicts similarity judgments. However, the ecological validity of edit-distance remains elusive. We investigated whether the edit-distance model can predict perceptual similarity between rhythms that also differed in a fundamental characteristic of music—tempo. Eighteen participants rated the similarity between a series of rhythms presented in a pairwise fashion. The edit-distance of these rhythms varied from 1 to 4, and tempo was set at either 90 or 150 beats per minute (BPM). A test of congruence among distance matrices (CADM) indicated significant inter-participant reliability of ratings, and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) visualized that the ratings were clustered based upon both tempo and whether rhythms shared an identical onset pattern, a novel effect we termed rhythm primacy. Finally, Mantel tests revealed significant correlations of edit-distance with similarity ratings on both within- and between-tempo rhythms. Our findings corroborated that the edit-distance predicts rhythm similarity and demonstrated that the edit-distance accounts for similarity of rhythms that are markedly different in tempo. This suggests that rhythmic gestalt is invariant to differences in tempo.

Instructed versus spontaneous entrainment of running cadence to music tempo.

Matching exercise behavior to musical beats has been shown to favorably affect repetitive endurance tasks. In this study, our aim was to explore the role of spontaneous versus instructed entrainment, focusing on self‐paced exercise of healthy, recreational runners. For three 4‐min running tasks, 33 recreational participants were either running in silence or with music; when running with music, either no instructions were given to entrain to the music, or participants were instructed to match their running cadence with the tempo of the music. The results indicated that less entrainment occurred when no instruction to match the exercise with the musical tempo was provided. In addition, similar to the condition without music, lower speeds and shorter step lengths were observed when runners were instructed to match their running behavior to the musical tempo when compared with the condition without such instruction. Our findings demonstrate the impact of instruction on running performance and stress the importance of intention to entrain running behavior to musical beats.

Effect of differential music tempo on post-exercise cardiovascular recovery parameters in hypertensive individuals: a randomised control trial

Hypertensive individuals tend to have autonomic dysfunction indicated by sympathetic dominance or delayed parasympathetic reactivation. A complimentary therapy such as music following exercise is considered to be beneficial in improving autonomic recovery. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of differential music tempo on post-exercise cardiovascular recovery parameters in hypertensive individuals. Thirty hypertensive individuals were recruited for the present study which were randomly allocated to no music (n=10), slow music (n=10) and fast music (n=10) group. Participants in all three groups were subjected to submaximal exercise bout by Harvard step test. The cardiovascular recovery parameters i.e. heart rate recovery (HRR), blood pressure recovery (BPR) and rating of perceived exertion recovery (RPER) were assessed in all three groups after 1 min, 2 min and 3 min following termination of exercise. A significant decline was observed in HRR (P=0.002) and RPER (P=0.008) following exercise in slow music group as compared to fast and no music while no significant differences were observed in BPR between the three groups. The study concluded that music accelerates post-exercise recovery and slow music has greater effect as compared to fast or no music. These findings may have potential implications in the cardiovascular recovery dynamics in hypertensive individuals participating in submaximal exercise.

Winter ritual folk songs of the macrogroup ‹V55,р4› with the reduced refrain «Oi dai, Bozhe» within the basins of the Dniester and Tisza

The article deals with the local phenomenon of transformation of the refrains «Oi Dai, Bozhe» in winter ritual songs of the macrofamily ‹V55,p4› (term by I. Klimenko). In the Upper Dniester and Upper Tisza basins, researchers often recorded winter ritual songs with a shortened (reduced) refrain. The aim of this study was to identify different types of reduction of the refrain «Oi Dai, Bozhe» in winter ritual songs ‹V55,p4› and their mapping; as well as the formulation of the alleged causes of these processes. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: available printed and sound sources with a transformed refrain in carols were selected; transcribed audio recordings; the types of transformations are indicated in comparison with the classical form ‹V55,p4›; the influence of changes on the logic of melodic development is revealed; varieties of structural changes have been mapped; the possible causes of these phenomena are formulated.Research results. Methods of refrain reduction are found mainly among the single-line carols of the form ‹V55,p4›. The types of transformations are divided into two groups: carols with reduction of only the verbal component (with preservation of the musical time) and carols, where the «loss» of syllables is accompanied by a reduction in the musical time. Among the examples of the first group, the most common abbreviation of the third syllable «Bo» or the first three syllables «Oi Dai, Bo». One of the reasons for the reduction of the third syllable «Bo» in the refrain «Oi Dai, Bo» is covered in illogical phrasing (K. Kvitka's term) – before the last syllable «same» the performers take a breath. The first three syllables «drop out» most often in examples with instrumental accompaniment. Thus, an instrumental part (mainly a violin) fills in the missing melodic line. Among the winter ritual songs of the second group, the first three syllabochrons are reduced. This group of winter ritual songs is recorded only in vocal performance.The main feature of the winter ritual songs of both groups was the change in form, which could be written with the formula ‹V55,p4›: the line begins with a refrain and ends with a verse. This entailed a change in the melodic contour.The central area of distribution of the reduced refrains are the regions of Hutsul and Pokuttya, as well as partly of the Maramoros region, Boykivshchyna and the Podillya region of the Dniester. On the basis of the available materials, it is too early to speak about the microzoning of the studied phenomena. Winter ritual songs of both groups coexist on one rather vast territory.

BeatPark: Personalized Music-Based Gait Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease

Background: Walking regularly in Parkinson’s disease has beneficial effects on movement and quality of life. Yet, patients usually show reduced physical activity compared to healthy older adults. Using auditory stimulation, such as music, can facilitate walking but patients vary significantly in their response to the stimulus. An individualized approach adapting musical tempo to patients’ gait cadence, and capitalizing on these individual differences, is likely to provide a rewarding experience, with beneficial effects on gait in Parkinson’s disease. We aim to evaluate the observance, safety, tolerance, usability and enjoyment of a new smartphone application coupled with wearable sensors (BeatPark) delivering individualized musical stimulation for gait auto-rehabilitation at home. Methods: Forty-five patients with Parkinson’s disease underwent a one month, outdoor, gait rehabilitation program, using the BeatPark application (30 min/day, 5 days/week). The music tempo was aligned in real time to patients’ gait cadence while fostering an increase of cadence up to +20% of the patient’s preferred cadence. Evaluation was based on BeatPark use measures, questionnaires and a six-minute walk test before and after the rehabilitation program. Findings: Patients used the application 78.8 % (±28.2) of the prescribed duration and mostly enjoyed it, across the whole program. 75 % of them rated the application as easy to use. While using BeatPark, patients increased their ‘walk for exercise’ duration and frequency, reduced their fear of falling, and improved their quality of life. After the program, they improved their gait parameters in the six-minute walk test. Interpretation BeatPark is an easy to use and enjoyable musical application for individualized gait rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease increasing ‘walk for exercise’ duration, confidence in gait and quality of life. Trial Registration: NCT02647242 Funding: This research was supported by a European grant: BeatHealth: Health and Wellness on the Beat (EU FP7-ICT contract #610633). Declaration of Interests: None to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the National Ethics Committee (CPP Sud Mediterannee III, Nimes, France, ID-RCB: 2015-A00531-48). All participants gave written informed consent before participating.

Is music a mediator impacting car following when driver’s personalities are considered

Music can influence car following performance. However, it is not well resolved about its mediation effect on car following when the drivers’ personalities are considered. We investigated how music style and tempo influence car following with different personalities. Twelve tracks were used in this study, four for each music tempo range, i.e., slow, medium, and fast tempo, and six for each music style, i.e., classical and pop one. The results showed introverts were more susceptible to music, and tend to listen to slow tempo music and classical one. In addition, pop music aroused the drivers more than classical and may induce closer headway distance. Furthermore, with the tempo speeding up, the drivers were more excited, less concentrated and performed less stablely. The medium music tempo was the most appropriate choice for keeping stable headway distance and taking actions to the changes of the leading vehicle. The present study shows personality can mediate the influence of music listening while driving, and music style and tempo can impact the mediation in a specific way. The study provides a guide on the music choice during driving and may bring benefits to the configuration of the music radio program and car music player.

Earth system music: music generated from the United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1)

Abstract. Scientific data are almost always represented graphically in figures or in videos. With the ever-growing interest from the general public in understanding climate sciences, it is becoming increasingly important that scientists present this information in ways that are both accessible and engaging to non-experts. In this pilot study, we use time series data from the first United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1) to create six procedurally generated musical pieces. Each of these pieces presents a unique aspect of the ocean component of the UKESM1, either in terms of a scientific principle or a practical aspect of modelling. In addition, each piece is arranged using a different musical progression, style and tempo. These pieces were created in the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) format and then performed by a digital piano synthesiser. An associated video showing the time development of the data in time with the music was also created. The music and video were published on the lead author's YouTube channel. A brief description of the methodology was also posted alongside the video. We also discuss the limitations of this pilot study and describe several approaches to extend and expand upon this work.

The influence of performing gesture type on interpersonal musical timing, and the role of visual contact and tempo

Bodily gestures play an important role in the communication of expressive intentions between humans. Music ensemble performance, as an outstanding example of nonverbal human communication, offers an exemplary context to study and understand the gestural control and communication of these expressive intentions. An important mechanism in music ensemble performance is the anticipation and control of interpersonal timing. When performing, musicians are involved in a complex system of mutual adaptation which is not completely understood so far. In this study, we investigated the role of performers' gestures in the mediation process of interpersonal timing in a dyad performance. Therefore, we designed an experiment in which we controlled for the use of hand and arm movements in a musical task, in which dyads were asked to synchronously tap out a melody. Next to their comfortable/natural way of tapping, we instructed participants to either perform pronounced expressive hand and arm gestures in between successive taps, or to restrict from any overt body movement. In addition, we looked at effects of visual contact (yes/no) and tempo (slow: 50 beats per minute; fast: 100 beats per minute). The results show that performers' gestures improve interpersonal musical timing, in terms of the consistency and accuracy of onset asynchronies, and of the variability of produced inter-onset intervals. Interestingly, we found that the use of expressive gestures, in regard to comfortable/natural movements, add to these positive timing effects, but only when there is visual contact and at the slow tempo. In addition, we found that the type of gestures employed by musicians may modulate leader-follower dynamics. Together, these findings are explained by human anticipation mechanisms facilitated by gesturing, shedding new light on the principles underlying human communication of expressive intentions, through music.

What Makes a Song Trend? Cluster Analysis of Musical Attributes for Spotify Top Trending Songs

Music streaming services like Spotify have changed the way consumers listen to music. Understanding what attributes make certain songs trendy can help services to create a better customer experience as well as more effective marketing efforts. We performed cluster analysis on Top 100 Trending Spotify Song of 2017 and 2018, using nine musical attributes, including danceability, energy, loudness, speechiness, acousticness, instrumentalness, liveness, valence, and tempo. The results show that music structures with high danceability and low instrumentalness increase the popularity of a song and lead them to chart-topping success.

Effects of music tempo on perceived exertion, attention, affect, heart rate, and performance during isometric strength exercise

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of slow and fast music tempi on effort-related thoughts, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), affect, heart rate, and performance during isometric strength exercises. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no-music control, fast-tempo music, and slow-tempo music) and performed two isometric strength exercises (wall-sit and plank). RPE, attention allocation, and affect were measured during each exercise task. Participants in both the fast- and slow-tempo music conditions maintained a dissociative state for longer than those in the no-music control condition during the wall-sit exercise; however, this effect did not manifest during the plank exercise. Neither music condition influenced HR, RPE, time to volitional exhaustion, or affect. Within the first few minutes of exercise, participants exhibited an increase in HR and perceived exertion, as well as a corresponding shift towards associative attention and a high arousal state. The results are discussed with reference to potential underlying mechanisms and current theories pertaining to RPE, attention allocation, and affect.

Cardiovascular, lactate and appetite response to light and spicy music tempo after an endurance swimming protocol in young girls

Background and Study Aim. During exercise, the effects of music on the performance have been previously evaluated. However, the superiority of the type of music and during recovery is not yet clear. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the impact of music with a spicy and light beat on changes in lactate levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and appetite during the recovery period after the endurance swimming. Material and Methods. Thirteen healthy young girls participate in three control and experimental sessions. The participants performed a swimming. Immediately after swimming, they listened to music. Also, evaluations before and after (several times) swimming were performed.Results. Five minutes after swimming there was also a significant difference between the non-sound group with the music groups (p<0.05). Two and 5 minutes after swimming, there was a significant difference between the spicy and light music groups compared to the non-sound group. There was a significant difference between spicy and light music groups at time 10, 15 and 25 minutes. In the 25 minutes after the swim, reducing the heart rate in light music was more than spicy. Also, 10 minutes after swimming, the spicy music group could not cope with the increase in heart rate (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between the two music groups in minutes 5, 10 and 15 after swimming (p<0.05).Conclusions. listening to light music during recovery from endurance swimming was associated with decreased lactate levels and heart rate, but listening to spicy music increased heart rate and desire for food.