Drummer's Linguistic Processing: Effects of rhythmic training on a musical CLOZE probability task
Paul S. Rhoads, Kaylee Munizich · Western CEDAR (Western Washington University) · 2017
Music requires a certain degree of syntactical expectations and predictions. As such, musical training may enhance an individual’s ability to more accurately process novel melodies. To this end, the current study investigated whether or not experienced drummers would outperform their string and wind musician counterparts, due to their rhythmic-based training and improvisational skills, on a musical CLOZE probability task. Subjects were presented authentic cadence (AC) and non-cadence (NC) melodic stems and were required to provide a sung response of the note that would continue the melody (Fogel et. al, 2015). Confidence ratings for sung responses and reaction times were also collected. Authentic stems, compared to non-cadence stems, were easier to predict due to their following of expected melodic structure. Observed accuracy for AC stems and reaction times for both sets of stems indicates enhanced processing of musical syntax, possibly driven by rhythmic-based training, and in turn may improve processing of linguistic syntax.