Music cognition: theoretical and empirical generalizations
Carol Lynne Krumhansl · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2001
This chapter steps back from the empirical results to consider what they reveal about the psychological basis of musical pitch structures. Certain properties of pitch systems are identified that may be important for accurate encoding and memory. A number of traditional and novel pitch systems are analyzed for the presence or absence of these properties. The chapter concludes with a summary of the empirical findings, and a discussion of what they indicate about the nature of the perceptual and cognitive abilities underlying our musical experience.