More Cowbell: Measuring Beat Consistency With Respect To Tempo And Metronome Variations

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between a participants' ability to maintain consistent distance between taps or strikes (Inter-Onset Interval, or IOI), when provided with varying metronome conditions and tempos. This ability, alongside traditional isochronous sequence production, represents two qualities that can be measured to express a musicians' capacity to keep time accurately. The experiments asked participants to play along with a metronome. The timings of these taps were recorded and analysed to observe consistency and establish any effect metronome and tempo have. The results of the experiments suggest that when the metronome is continuous, its type (Cross-Rhythmic or Mono-Rhythmic) has no significant effect on IOI. This is also true of tempo. When the metronome is removed for a number of beats, however, the results suggest this does have a significant effect on IOI consistency, and that this also has a significant relationship to tempo. The results of this study suggest that a participants' ability to maintain a consistent IOI may not be influenced as strongly by metronomic audio information as their ability to reproduce an isochronous sequence in-phase with a metronome. This suggests that consistent IOIs and traditional, in-phase timekeeping are not as closely linked as could be expected.