Class 17 Video: Introduction to Music Cognition (short class after in-class quiz)
Reading: Krumhansl on Probe Tone
The “Probe Tone Algorithm” was designed by Carol Krumhansl in her book, Cognitive Foundations of Musical Pitch (Oxford, 1990) [preview in Google Books]. There are amazing discoveries in music cognition in this book, and we will return to the psychological and cognition aspects later when we have a particular chapter on music cognition. Music cognition is closely related to empirical studies, and the computer helps to get empirical data.
Read two excerpts from the book:
Chapter 2: “The Tonal Hierarchy” and “First Probe Tone Study”
Chapter 4: “Key-Finding Algorithm” and “Application I”
Discussion questions on Krumhansl:
What is a probe-tone experiment?
- What might it tell us about how pitches relate to keys?
- How can the results of probe-tone experiments be used to write automatic key detection computer programs?
Reading: Huron, David. Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation. MIT Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780262582780. [Preview with Google Books]
