Pulse is a fundamental reference for the production and perception of rhythm. In this paper, we study entrainment to changes in the micro-rhythmic design of the basic pulse of the groove in ‘Left & Right’ by D’Angelo. In part 1 of the groove the beats have one specific position; in part 2, on the other hand, the different rhythmic layers specify two simultaneous but alternative beat positions that are approximately 50-80 ms apart. We first anticipate listeners’ perceptual response using the theories of entrainment and dynamic attending as points of departure. We then report on a motion capture experiment aimed at engaging listeners’ motion patterns in response to the two parts of the tune. The results show that when multiple onsets are introduced in part 2, the half note becomes a significant additional level of entrainment and the temporal locations of the perceived beats are drawn towards the added onsets.

No abstract

The pulse level in music is often described as a series of isochronous beats that provides an underlying reference structure against which we perceive rhythmic patterns. This notion is challenged by music styles that seem to feature an underlying reference structure that consists of beats of uneven duration, such as certain traditional Scandinavian dance music genres in so-called asymmetrical meter. This study investigates periodic body motion as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers; one fiddler and two dancers. Motion analysis of the fiddler's foot stamping indicates a stable long-medium-short duration pattern at beat level. Motion analysis of the dancers' vertical motion of the hips revealed a periodic pattern in synchrony with the beat duration pattern determined by the fiddler's foot stamping. This result implies that the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar.

Previous studies have revealed uneven duration patterns at the sixteenth note level of samba. In the present study, we investigated the influence of tempo on such sixteenth-note patterns in a performed samba groove.The results revealed an uneven duration pattern in all tempi. Interestingly, the shortest note becomes relatively shorter and the longest relatively longer as the tempo increases. We suggest that the differences in relative durations between tempi reflect the need to maintain the samba sixteenth note 'template' in all tempi: producing the samba 'feel' requires that relative durations have to be adjusted to tempo.

This article studies the rhythm of Norwegian telespringar, a tradition with an intimate relationship between music and dance that features a nonisochronous meter; that is, the durations between adjacent beats are unequal. A motion-capture study of a fiddler and dance couple revealed a long-medium-short duration pattern at the beat level in both the fiddler's and the dancers' periodic movements. The results also revealed a correspondence between how the fiddler and the dancers executed the motion patterns. This correspondence suggests that the performers share a common understanding of the underlying “feel” of the music. The results are discussed in light of recent theoretical perspectives on the multimodality of human perception. It is argued that the special feel of telespringar derives from embodied sensations related to the dance and how music and dance have developed in tandem over time. The study advocates a holistic view of music and dance, the importance of insider experience, and the role of embodied experience in guiding our understanding of the music as such.