Musicians' Perception of Beat in Monotonic Stimuli

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Abstract
The perception of beat across a range of stimulus speeds was examined using monotonic stimuli. Fifty graduate and undergraduate music majors performed metric pulses in response to periodic stimulus tones. Nine sets of consecutive periodic 1046.5-Hz (C6) tones were presented at various speeds in random orders. Subjects' tasks were to listen to each example and to tap the perceived beat or pulse. Results revealed differential subject responses among the nine tempi presented (p < .001). Rates greater than 120 tones per minute (tpm) were apparently “too fast” to be perceived as beat notes, and pulses slower than 60 tpm seemed “too slow.” In response to presentation rates slower than 60 tpm or faster than 120 tpm, subjects perceived either a subdivision of the stimulus tones as a beat tempo or perceived the stimulus tones as subdivisions of a slower beat. Thus, regardless of the speed of the stimulus tones, most subjects performed beat tempi between 60 and 120 beats per minute. The presentation rate of 80 tpm was identified most frequently as a perceived beat. The results, although defined within a limited context, indicate a relatively narrow range within which beats are perceived by trained musicians.