Principles of music perception
2021.01.19 |
| Date | Mon 17 May |
| Time | 14:15 — 15:30 |
| Location |
The talk is streamed via Zoom. Join URL: https://aarhusuniversity.zoom.us/j/64628535572 to attend.
Human musicality is underlain by two distinct systems of representation: one for tonal perception, which contextualizes pitch input in reference to a hierarchy of tones; and one for metrical perception, which contextualizes temporal input in reference to a hierarchy of rhythmic groupings. The two systems appear to be universal, early-developing, encapsulated, and supported by distinct genetic and neural correlates. But unlike the systems underlying number and spatial cognition, and like those underlying language, tonal and metrical perception appear to be uniquely human. Tonal and metrical representation form a basic structure for music perception that, when combined with each other and with higher-level musical structures (such as harmony, timbre, etc), and used in conjunction with other domains of human cognition including auditory (but non-musical) perception, social cognition, and language, yield a human psychology of music.
Samuel A. Mehr is Principal Investigator at The Music Lab, Department of Psychology, Harvard University. He studies how and why the design of the human mind leads us to perceive, create, and engage with music across human societies and across the lifespan. Originally a musician, Sam earned a B.M. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, followed by a doctorate in Human Development from Harvard. You can participate in Sam's research at themusiclab.org and follow him on Twitter @samuelmehr.
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