Investigations into Factors Affecting the Judgment of Artistry by Means of Scales and Arpeggios

Abstract

We conducted three experiments using scale and arpeggio melodies to examine the factors influencing listeners’ judgment of artistry. Participants in each experiment listened to melodies with manipulated tempi and judged their levels of artistry by means of a unipolar 10-point scale. Results revealed significant differences in artistic judgments across different tempi and the locations and ranges of their modifications, indicating that the relative judgment of artistry in tempo fluctuations is possible even for the general listeners when artistic deviations are added to simple melodies based on scale or arpeggio. The findings suggest that it is also feasible to systematically investigate factors influencing perceived artistry using scales and arpeggios.