Tapping To The Beat Enriches Listening Experience

Gyrating audience perhaps enjoy music better. Researchers at McMaster University affirm that tapping to the beat measurably enriches the listening experience, broadening our capacity to understand timing and rhythm.

The research, recently presented at the Acoustics Week in Canada conference in Quebec City, probes the complex relationship between perception and action.

Raga Therapy for Healing Mind and Body - Working - Healing Ragas - Types
What is the idea behind music as a healing therapy? The position of Indian classical music in this genre of healing, though proven through the ages, has not been written about as much as it ought to.

“We set out to answer a simple question: Can moving to the beat actually help us understand the music?” says Michael Schutz, an assistant professor of music in the School of the Arts at McMaster, who designed and conducted the study. “We found that tapping along while listening does more than help us feel and enjoy the music. It actually helps us hear it better.”

Participants in this study heard a series of regular beats and were asked whether the final beat was consistent with the preceding rhythm. They then rated their confidence to each response. On half of the trials subjects were asked to tap along on an electronic drum pad; on the other half they listened without tapping.

When the experimenters played the final tone after participants would have expected the beat, listeners performed 87 per cent better at detecting the change when tapping versus listening passively. The tapping had little effect on performance when researchers played the tone early or on time.

Sounds of Healing: Music Therapy
From infants to the infirm, music’s appeal is universal and nonpareil, wafting its way to the heart! Get cured by music therapy and feel overwhelmed

These findings have implications for listeners, performers, and music educators alike, says Schutz.

“From a young age, we teach students to move to the music while performing, and now we know at least one reason why this is beneficial,” he explains. “This study sheds light on why moving while playing helps musicians keep time and improves their overall performance.”

Why Harmonious Music Pleases Us Explained
The key to pleasant music may be that it pleases our neurons, a new mathematical model developed by Russian scientists has suggested.

Schutz and his team also found that participants who tapped to the beat felt more confident in their responses compared to those who did not tap.

“Not only does moving to the beat help us keep track of the rhythm, it increases listeners’ confidence in their understanding of the music’s structure, whether or not participants actually performed better,” says Fiona Manning, a graduate student working on the project.

The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and the Faculty of Humanities.

Source-Medindia