title: Fractal Tempo Fluctuation and Pulse Prediction.
abstract: WE INVESTIGATED PEOPLES' ABILITY TO ADAPT TO THEfluctuating tempi of music performance. In Experiment 1, four pieces from different musical styles were chosen, and performances were recorded from a skilled pianist who was instructed to play with natural expression. Spectral and rescaled range analyses on interbeat interval time-series revealed long-range (1/ftype) serial correlations and fractal scaling in each piece. Stimuli for Experiment 2 included two of the performances from Experiment 1, with mechanical versions serving as controls. Participants tapped the beat at ¼- and ⅛-note metrical levels, successfully adapting to large tempo fluctuations in both performances. Participants predicted the structured tempo fluctuations, with superior performance at the ¼-note level. Thus, listeners may exploit long-range correlations and fractal scaling to predict tempo changes in music.
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University.
authors.forename: Summer K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University.
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Large
authors.affiliation: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Philip W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Fink
keywords: entrainment; fractal; music performance; pulse and meter; tempo