Melodic Organization

• Three facts about melody

• Melody is ubiquitous

• Melody is robust

• Can rank melodies on various psychological dimensions

Melodic Grouping and Gestalt Principles of Organization

• Can divide organizational processes into two groups

• How are independent elements combined to form separate groupings?

• How are higher order abstractions derived from such groupings?

Gestalt Principles of Organization

Melodic Grouping and Gestalt Principles of Organization

• Can divide organizational processes into two groups

• How are independent elements combined to form separate groupings?

• How are higher order abstractions derived from such groupings?

Grouping of Sequences of Single Tones

• What are the aspects that drive groupings of single tones?

• Grouping by pitch proximity

• Pseudopolophony

Grouping by Pitch Proximity

Temporal coherence and the

fission boundary

60 ms, 1 semitone: 90 ms, 1 semitone:

90 ms, 5 semitone: 90 ms, 12 semitones:

150 ms, 12 semi: 150 ms, 17, semi:

Temporal Coherence Boundary

Fission Boundary

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

• The Scale Illusion (Deutsch, 1974, 1975)

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

The Scale Illusion, variant

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

The Scale Illusion (Butler, 1979)

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

The Scale Illusion

Tschaikowsky, 6th Symphony

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

Grouping by spatial location

The Octave Illusion (Deutsch, 1974)

Grouping of Sequences of Multiple Tones

Interleaved melodies

Dowling (1973)

Three Blind Mice

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Combined

Higher-Order Pitch Abstractions

Complex melody transformations

Schoenberg (1951)

Melodic Contour

Sample melodic contours

Dowling

Models of Melodic Contour

Friedmann (1985)

1 2 3 5 4 0 1 4 2 3 5 0

Friedmann:

Models of Melodic Contour

Marvin & Laprade (1987)

1 2 3 5 4 0 1 4 2 3 5 0

Marvin & Laprade:

Models of Melodic Contour, con’t

Quinn (1999)

Models of Melodic Contour, con’t

Quinn (1999)

Models of Melodic Contour, con’t

Schmuckler (1999)

Models of Melodic Contour, con’t

Schmuckler (1999)

Models of Melodic Contour, con’t

Schmuckler (1999)