Babies Learn Music While Sleeping(has thrown new light on music cognition ...)

"While it remains unclear whether a capacity for music is rooted in nature, rather than nurture, it is clear that musical competence is a special human capacity, shared across ages and cultures." says project partner, Henkjan Honing.

Although the ability to detect musical patterns is present from birth, music cognition develops throughout life. However, music cognition is influenced not so much by musical expertise, as by experience. According to Honing, "Frequent listening to a certain musical genre allows listeners without formal musical training to become experts in that musical style."
Computers mimic the brain

Details revealed by the experiments about the way the brain checks and adjusts its expectations made it possible to develop computer programmes that mimic these processes.

Researchers in EmCAP developed a generic algorithm, basically a bit of smart software, able to detect violations of expected pitch and rhythmic structure, with tonality soon to be added to the list.

"We did the modelling at two levels, one trying to emulate brain function and perception in a simplified but still fairly detailed way, and the other tailored more for practical use in music processing systems," Denham says.

What this will mean in practise, is the future development of artificial cognitive music systems able to "listen" to music and produce a score in real time showing which instruments play which notes. Project partner Xavier Serra suggests that the next generation of music processors will be based on algorithms that imitate how humans process music.

Further projects are planned on the back of