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(I)N-Sync: the relationship between tempo preference in music and preferred tempo for movement

There are different preferred tempi for different music genres as well as a commonly preferred tempo of 120 beats per minute (bpm). Perception of tempo can vary amongst individuals, with greater musical training resulting in a lower just noticeable difference for tempo, for example. The preferred tempo for performing repetitive movements is found close to 100-120 bpm, albeit with variation caused by age and musical training. An experiment was conducted where participants were able to control the tempo of different stimuli to their preference, and the results showed that the preferred tempi in dance music are influenced by the preferred tempo for performing repetitive movements, even when the participant is stationary. However, this relationship was not consistently observed in general music preference, and instead differing tempo preferences were found in different genres. Octave error, genre perception, and musical training levels are factors that impacted the results, with evidence found to show that musical training impacts perception and preference of tempo.

 

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Permalink: https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22535


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