Sorting of timing patterns from listening test with 30 subjects.
As you maybe did yourself, just before clicking to this page, 30 subjects were asked to sort 21 stimuli (three versions of each of the seven sequences) into groups of 2, 3, 4 strokes or no grouping at all. The subjects in the listening test performed the test individually, seated in a quiet room and listening through loudspeakers. They sorted the sequences into the four different categories using a visual analogue scale software.
(If you haven't listened to the sequences yourself already, click here and make an attempt!)
The figure below shows the relative occurrence of placements of stimuli for 30 listeners. A relative occurrence of 100 % would mean that all 30 listeners placed all three versions of a sequence in the same category. The highest relative occurrence appeared for one of the sequences with exaggerated prolonging of the interval beginning with the accented stroke.
Dahl, S.(2000). The playing of an accent - Preliminary observations from temporal and kinematic analysis of percussionists. Journal of New Music Research Vol.29(3), 225-234.