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The Effect of Practice and Timbre on Pitch Memory
Oby Uguru, Kristin Reardon Nestor
Matthews Department of Psychology, Denison
University, Granville, OH 43023
Purpose
Abstract The purpose of this study was to
explore how humans acquire pitch memory -the
ability to recognize the musical key of a song.
The current study took place over a seven day
period .Within the study, practice time was
manipulated by designating 5 of these 7 days as
training days. Timbre was also manipulated by
playing melodic palindromes forward to backward.
A significant effect of timbre and practice was
found as well as a significant interaction
between the two. This research has supported the
idea that memory for pitch is tightly linked to
timbre and assists in finding information about
how pitch memory is stored in the brain.
Results

• The purpose of this study was to better
  understand human pitch memory - the ability to
  recognize a songs musical key.

• Figure 1- Pitch memory before (Day 1) and after
  (Day 7) the 5 training days.

Methods
2
1
Stimuli Melodic Palindromes
Melody A
Melody B
3

• Figure 2- Pitch memory throughout the 5 forward
  training days

Introduction
Pitch memory is defined as the ability to
recognize the musical key of a song. It is an
interesting ability that most humans possess.
Shellenburg and Trehub (2003) supported their
hypothesis that contextually rich materials would
reveal the generality of long-term memory for
pitch and the normal distribution of this ability
to remember pitch. That finding served as the
platform for our curiosity into the components
of pitch memory and the neural events that occur
to build pitch memory in humans.
Task Was that clip sharper (higher) or
flatter (lower) than the
original?

• Figure 3- Pitch memory at the shared musical keys
  before (Day 1) and after (Day 7) the 5 training
  days

Procedure

• Discussion
• The emergence of a timbre/training interaction
  implicates the significance of timbre in pitch
  memory processing.
• We, like Shellenburg and Trehub (2003), have
  uncovered evidence that supports the existence of
  good pitch memory in humans that do not possess
  Absolute Pitch.
• We have tied this pitch memory to timbre. Chau et
  al (2008) have linked gamma band activity to
  timbre. Future studies can explore the connection
  between gamma band activity and pitch memory as
  linked by timbre.

• Conclusions
• The significant increase for backward timbres
  suggest generalized learning.
• The emergence of a timbre/session interaction
  suggests the significance of timbre in pitch
  memory processing.
• We, like Shellenburg and Trehub have uncovered
  evidence that support the existence of good pitch
  memory in humans that do not possess Absolute
  Pitch.
• We have tied this pitch memory to timbre.
  Previous work has also linked gamma band activity
  to timbre. Future studies can explore the
  connection between gamma band activity and pitch
  memory as linked by timbre
• .

Acknowledgments We thank Drs. Bradley Bateman and
Keith Boone for assistance in the funding of this
project through The Denison University Research
Foundation stipend

• References
• Schellenberg, E.G., Trehub, S.E. Good pitch
  memory is widespread. Psychological
  Science(2003) 14, 262-266.
• Chau W, Miller LM, Roberts LE, Shahin AJ, Trainor
  LJ. Music training leads to the development of
  timbre-specific gamma band activity.
  Neuroimage.(2008) Volume 41(1)113-22