Learning to play a musical instrument is a demanding
process requiring years of intense practice.
Dramatic changes in brain connectivity, volume, and
functionality have been shown in skilled musicians.
It is thought that music learning involves the
formation of novel audio visuomotor associations,
but not much is known about the gradual acquisition
of this ability.
In the present study, researchers investigated
whether formal music training enhances audiovisual
multisensory processing. To this end, pupils at
different stages of education were examined based on
the hypothesis that the strength of audio/visuomotor
associations would be augmented as a function of the
number of years of conservatory study (expertise).
The study participants were violin and clarinet
students of pre-academic and academic levels and of
different chronological ages, ages of acquisition,
and academic levels. A violinist and a clarinetist
each played the same score, and each participant
viewed the video corresponding to his or her
instrument.
Pitch, intensity, rhythm, and sound duration were
matched across instruments. In half of the trials,
the soundtrack did not match (in pitch) the
corresponding musical gestures.
Data analysis indicated a correlation between the
number of years of formal training (expertise) and
the ability to detect an audiomotor incongruence in
music performance (relative to the musical
instrument practiced), thus suggesting a direct
correlation between knowing how to play and
perceptual sensitivity.
For more information
Proverbio AM, Attardo L, Cozzi M and Zani A (2015)
The effect of musical practice on gesture/sound
pairing. Front. Psychol. 6:376.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00376
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