TY - JOUR
T1 - A Matter of Taste: Evaluating Improvised Music
AU - Eisenberg, Jacob
AU - Thompson, William Forde
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Keith James and Laura Boston for their constructive suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript. The research is based on the first author’s master’s thesis and was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada awarded to the second author.
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - We examined some of the factors that influence evaluations of improvised music. Using the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT), 10 expert judges evaluated 16 pieces of music, improvised on an electronic keyboard. Overall evaluations of improvisations were associated with their perceived complexity, creativity, and technical goodness. These predictors accounted for 76% of the variance in preference judgments. The intrinsic motivation of improvisers was also assessed, and was correlated with overall evaluations. No support was found for a nonlinear relation between the perceived complexity of the music and its aesthetic appeal, as suggested by Berlyne's optimal-complexity model. We outline a model linking characteristics of improvisers and their improvisations to judges' overall liking for the music. The benefits of using the CAT to assess music are also discussed.
AB - We examined some of the factors that influence evaluations of improvised music. Using the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT), 10 expert judges evaluated 16 pieces of music, improvised on an electronic keyboard. Overall evaluations of improvisations were associated with their perceived complexity, creativity, and technical goodness. These predictors accounted for 76% of the variance in preference judgments. The intrinsic motivation of improvisers was also assessed, and was correlated with overall evaluations. No support was found for a nonlinear relation between the perceived complexity of the music and its aesthetic appeal, as suggested by Berlyne's optimal-complexity model. We outline a model linking characteristics of improvisers and their improvisations to judges' overall liking for the music. The benefits of using the CAT to assess music are also discussed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0141639701&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10400419.2003.9651421
DO - 10.1080/10400419.2003.9651421
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0141639701
SN - 1040-0419
VL - 15
SP - 287
EP - 296
JO - Creativity Research Journal
JF - Creativity Research Journal
IS - 2-3
ER -