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THE EFFECT OF OCTAVE AND TIMBRE COMBINATIONS ON UNDERGRADUATE BAND MEMBERS’ PERCEPTION OF PITCH by CLINTON M. STEINBRUNNER Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Thesis Advisor: Dr. Nathan B. Kruse Department of Music CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY August 2019 2 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis of Clinton M. Steinbrunner candidate for the degree of Master of Arts. Committee Chair Dr. Nathan B. Kruse Committee Member Dr. Kathleen A. Horvath Committee Member Dr. Ryan V. Scherber Date of Defense June 29, 2019 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... 5 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 7 Tuning as an Individual Process .............................................................................. 8 Instrument Timbre ................................................................................................... 9 Ensemble Tuning Procedures and Octave Displacement ........................................ 10 Need for the Study .................................................................................................... 11 Purpose and Problems of the Study ........................................................................... 14 Summary ................................................................................................................... 14 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................................... 18 Pitch Perception and Performance ............................................................................. 19 Just Noticeable Difference (JND) .......................................................................... 20 Pitch Perception Preferences and Performance Tendencies .................................... 24 Experience Effect on Pitch Preference and Accuracy ............................................. 26 Relationships Between Perception and Performance .............................................. 28 Common Practices .................................................................................................... 29 Temperament ........................................................................................................ 30 Development of Intonation Skills .......................................................................... 33 Musician Perceptions of Tuning Practices ............................................................. 38 External Stimulus Pitch Factors ................................................................................. 40 Instrument Timbre ................................................................................................. 40 Tone Quality ......................................................................................................... 42 Octave Displacement ............................................................................................. 45 Summary ................................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 47 Purpose and Problems of the Study ........................................................................... 47 Participants ............................................................................................................... 48 Consent ................................................................................................................. 48 Instrument Development ........................................................................................... 49 Stimulus Creation .................................................................................................. 49 Data Collection Instrument .................................................................................... 52 Pilot Testing .......................................................................................................... 52 Procedures................................................................................................................. 53 Analysis ................................................................................................................ 56 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS .............................................................................................. 58 4 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................ 64 Research Questions 1 and 2 ....................................................................................... 65 Research Questions 3 and 4 ....................................................................................... 68 Implications .............................................................................................................. 70 Limitations of the Current Study ............................................................................... 75 Conclusions and Future Research .............................................................................. 77 APPENDICIES ............................................................................................................. 80 APPENDIX A: Letter of Cooperation Request Email ................................................ 80 APPENDIX B: Institutional Approval ....................................................................... 80 APPENDIX C: Informed Consent Document ............................................................ 83 APPENDIX D: Recruitment Script ............................................................................ 86 APPENDIX E: Instrument Sample Spectra ................................................................ 87 APPENDIX F: Stimulus Presentation Orders ............................................................ 88 APPENDIX G: Data Collection Forms ...................................................................... 88 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 93 5 LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Participant Demographics ...................................................................... 59 Table 4.2 Timbre Response Accuracy .................................................................... 61 Table 4.3 Cent Deviation Response Accuracy ........................................................ 62 Table 4.4 Pitch Discrimination Difficulty .............................................................. 63 6 The Effect of Octave and Timbre Combinations on Undergraduate Band members’ Perception of Pitch Abstract by CLINTON M. STEINBRUNNER The purpose of this research was to measure the effects of instrument timbre and octave combinations on the accuracy of undergraduate wind band members’ perception of pitch, as well as these variables’ effect on the perceived difficulty of the same task. Participants (N = 92) from three college bands identified 24 pitch pairs as in-tune or out- of-tune. These pairs consisted of an in-tune stimulus pitch presented in single or combined octaves (clarinet, tuba, clarinet and tuba, clarinet and bass clarinet) followed by an experimental pitch (trombone) with deviations of 0, ±10, or ±15 cents. Participants also responded to the perceived ease and difficulty of assessing pitch related to these combinations. Results indicated that single octave stimulus pitches produced the most accurate responses and were perceived as the easiest condition to hear differences in pitch. Among combined octave stimuli, the dissimilar timbre pairing produced the most accurate results. Further results showed increased accuracy for sharp pitches over flat, and the tuba stimulus over the clarinet stimulus, indicating a possible effect of instrument tone quality on pitch perception in the study. 7 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Music educators have long considered good intonation a vital part of ensemble performances. Performers in concert band settings must adjust their instrument to a standard pitch and continually monitor their intonation in relation to other members and internally. Tuning refers to the specific task of adjusting pitch and falls under the more general term of intonation (Morrison & Fyk, 2002). These procedures have been reinforced by the inclusion of intonation ratings at adjudicated events, both on the individual and large ensemble level. Concert band directors have reported using varying processes and skills to improve students’ ability to tune their instruments (Scherber, 2014). The list of professional literature in trade magazines, books, online articles, and professional development sessions is ever growing, and highlights a continued interest in this subject. While some sources dedicate entire chapters to the concept of intonation (Lisk, 1991a), other authors have provided entire texts dedicated to the sole subject of intonation (Garofalo, 1996; Jagow, 2012). Ensemble teachers should seek to guide their students effectively through a complicated landscape of sound and tone variables