Research on tempo perception has shown that it is effectively modeled by tactus rate (musical pulse). This research typically draws from common-practice music (music from the Western European tradition, ca. 1750–1900), which often features a congruent relationship between dynamic stress and metrical accent. In contrast, backbeat is a ubiquitous rhythmic feature of popular music that provides a dynamic stress on Beats 2 and 4 in a simple quadruple meter-stresses that are incongruent with metrical accents. The current study investigated the impact of the backbeat on tempo perception. In two experiments, listeners were asked to compare the tempos of pairs of excerpts. In the first experiment, beats-per-minute rates were varied between the two excerpts. In the second experiment, beats-per-minute was maintained between the compared excerpts. In both experiments, pairs of excerpts were presented with different backbeats, changing from normal time (snare on Beats 2 and 4) to half time (snare on Beat 3), or from half time to normal time. In both experiments, results indicated that half-time trials were perceived to be slower, and normal-time trials were perceived to be faster, despite identical tactus rates and metrical hierarchies. The findings provide empirical support for the idea that established theories of tempo perception and metrical hierarchy may not entirely extend to other musical styles, and that the backbeat may be a metrical feature of popular music, rather than simply a rhythmic one.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.