In the present experimental study we investigated how the timing of notes in four musical scores was interpreted in piano performances. We asked twelve pianists to perform part of a melody by J. S. Bach in order to measure and analyze the inter-onset intervals (IOIs) between notes in performing. They were requested to perform the original melody and three kinds of melodies with altered bar line placement on a grand piano equipped with a MIDI recording system. The results indicated the following: (1) The IOI between a note and the following note for which the time value is altered and the pitch is changed by more than a major second (jumped) is longer than the following IOI; (2) Even if the time value is not altered and the pitch is not jumped, the IOI tends to be longer between two notes on opposite sides of a bar line; and (3) Even if the time value is not altered and the pitch is not jumped, the IOI following the last note of the first half measure has a tendency to be longer than the IOI following the first note of the second half measure (except in 3/4 meter). In summary, it was shown that pianists promoted grouping of notes by lengthening the IOIs slightly in accordance with the melodic structures, bar lines, and metrical structures in their performances.

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