Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Springer Handbook of Systematic Musicology pp 747–760Cite as

What Is Embodied Music Cognition?

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: Springer Handbooks ((SHB))

Abstract

Over the past decade, embodied music cognition has become an influential paradigm in music research. The paradigm holds that music cognition is strongly determined by corporeally mediated interactions with music. They determine the way in which music can be conceived in terms of goals, directions, targets, values, and reward. The chapter gives an overview of the ontological and epistemological foundations, and it introduces the core concepts that define the character of the paradigm. This is followed by an overview of some analytical and empirical studies, which illustrate contributions of the embodied music cognition approach to major topics in musical expression, timing, and prediction processing. The chapter gives a viewpoint on a music research paradigm that is in full development, both in view of the in-depth refinement of its foundations, as well as the broadening of its scope and applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   269.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   349.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. R. Jackendoff, F. Lerdahl: The capacity for music: What is it, and what’s special about it?, Cognition 100(1), 33–72 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. L. Meyer: Emotion and Meaning in Music (Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago 1956)

    Google Scholar 

  3. M. Jones, M. Boltz: Dynamic attending and responses to time, Psychol. Rev. 96(3), 459–491 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. D. Huron: Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation (MIT Press, Cambridge 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  5. H. Honing: Musical Cognition: A Science of Listening (Transaction Publishers, Piscataway 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  6. J. Phillips-Silver, L. Trainor: Feeling the beat: Movement influences infant rhythm perception, Science 308(5727), 1430 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. J. Phillips-Silver, L. Trainor: Hearing what the body feels: Auditory encoding and rhythmic movement, Cognition 105(3), 533–546 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. P.-J. Maes, M. Leman: The influence of body movements on children’s perception of music with an ambiguous expressive character, PLoS One 8(1), e54682 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. T. Fritz, S. Hardikar, M. Demoucron, M. Niessen, M. Demey, O. Giot, Y. Li, J.-D. Haynes, A. Villringer, M. Leman: Musical agency reduces perceived exertion during strenuous physical performence, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110(44), 17784–17789 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. M. Leman: Embodied Music Cognition and Mediation Technology (MIT Press, Cambridge 2007)

    Google Scholar 

  11. R. Godøy, M. Leman (Eds.): Musical Gestures: Sound, Movement, and Meaning (Routledge, New York 2010)

    Google Scholar 

  12. T. Metzinger: Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity (MIT Press, Cambridge 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  13. J. Stewart, O. Gapenne, E.A. Di Paolo (Eds.): Enaction: Toward a New Paradigm for Cognitive Science (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge 2010)

    Google Scholar 

  14. A. Clark: Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science, Behav. Brain Sci. 36(3), 181–204 (2013)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  15. W. Prinz, M. Beisert, A. Herwig (Eds.): Action Science: Foundations of an Emerging Discipline (MIT Press, Cambridge 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  16. A. Engel, A. Maye, M. Kurthen, P. König: Where’s the action? The pragmatic turn in cognitive science, Trends Cogn. Sci. 17(5), 202–209 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. F. Picard, K. Friston: Predictions, perception, and a sense of self, Neurology 83(12), 1112–1118 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. A. Gritten, E. King (Eds.): New Perspectives on Music and Gesture (Ashgate, London 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  19. A. Gritten, E. King (Eds.): Music and Gesture (Ashgate, London 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  20. A. Truslit: Gestaltung und Bewegung in der Musik (CF Vieweg, Berlin–Lichterfelde 1938)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  21. E. Jaques-Dalcroze: Rhythm, Music and Education (Putnam’s Sons, New York 1921)

    Google Scholar 

  22. T. Lipps: Grundlegung der Ästhetik (Leopold Voss, Leipzig 1903)

    Google Scholar 

  23. G. Becking, N. Nettheim: How Musical Rhythm Reveals Human Attitudes (Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  24. T. Kuhn: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago 2012)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  25. E. Bigand, C. Delbé, B. Poulin-Charronnat, M. Leman, B. Tillmann: Empirical evidence for musical syntax processing? Computer simulations reveal the contribution of auditory short-term memory, Front. Syst. Neurosci. 8(94), 1–27 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  26. B. Sievers, L. Polansky, M. Casey, T. Wheatley: Music and movement share a dynamic structure that supports universal expressions of emotion, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110(1), 70–75 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. P. Toiviainen, G. Luck, M.R. Thompson: Embodied meter: Hierarchical eigenmodes in music-induced movement, Music Percept. 28(1), 59–70 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. M. Leman, L. Naveda: Basic gestures as spatiotemporal reference frames for repetitive dance/music patterns in samba and charleston, Music Percept. 28(1), 71–91 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. L. Naveda, M. Leman: The spatiotemporal representation of dance and music gestures using topological gesture analysis (TGA), Music Percept. 28(1), 93–111 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. P.-J. Maes, M. Leman, C. Palmer, M. Wanderley: Action-based effects on music perception, Front. Psychol. 4(1008), 1–14 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  31. B. Moens, M. Leman: Alignment strategies for the entrainment of music and movement rhythms, Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 1337(1), 86–93 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. P.-J. Maes, M. Wanderley, C. Palmer: The role of working memory in the temporal control of discrete and continuous movements, Exp. Brain Res. 233(1), 263–273 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. T. Cochrane, B. Fantini, K. Scherer (Eds.): The Emotional Power of Music: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Musical Arousal, Expression, and Social Control (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  34. R. MacDonald, G. Kreutz, L. Mitchell: Music, Health, and Wellbeing (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 2012)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  35. B. Koen, J. Lloyd, G. Barz, K. Brummel-Smith (Eds.): The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  36. A. Kirke, E. Miranda (Eds.): Guide to Computing for Expressive Music Performance (Springer, Heidelberg, Berlin 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  37. M. Arbib (Ed.): Language, Music, and the Brain: A Mysterious Relationship (MIT Press, Cambridge 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  38. S. Koelsch: Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 15(3), 170–180 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. R. Zatorre, V. Salimpoor: From perception to pleasure: Music and its neural substrates, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110(Suppl. 2), 10430–10437 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. V. Salimpoor, I. van den Bosch, N. Kovacevic, A. McIntosh, A. Dagher, R. Zatorre: Interactions between the nucleus accumbens and auditory cortices predict music reward value, Science 340(6129), 216–219 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. M. Leman, L. Nijs: Music cognition and technology – Enhanced learning for music playing. In: The Routledge Companion to Music, Technology and Education, ed. by A. King, A. Ruthmann, E. Himonides (Routledge, New York 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  42. M. Leman: An auditory model of the role of short-term memory in probe-tone ratings, Music Percept. 17(4), 481–509 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. E. Large, F. Almonte: Neurodynamics, tonality, and the auditory brainstem response, Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 1252(1), E1–E7 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. G. Bidelman, J. Grall: Functional organization for musical consonance and tonal pitch hierarchy in human auditory cortex, NeuroImage 101, 204–214 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. F. Styns, L. Van Noorden, D. Moelants, M. Leman: Walking on music, Hum. Mov. Sci. 26(5), 769–785 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. L. Naveda, M. Leman: A cross-modal heuristic for periodic pattern analysis of samba music and dance, J. New Music Res. 38(3), 255–283 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. E. Van Dyck, P. Vansteenkiste, M. Lenoir, M. Lesaffre, M. Leman: Recognizing induced emotions of happiness and sadness from dance movement, PLoS One 9(2), e89773 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. E. Kurth: Musikpsychologie (Krompholz, Bern 1947)

    Google Scholar 

  49. A. Wellek: Musikpsychologie und Musikästhetik: Grundriss der systematischen Musikwissenschaft (Bouvier, Bonn 1982)

    Google Scholar 

  50. P. Schaeffer: Traité des Objets Musicaux: Essai Interdisciplines (Seuil, Paris 1977)

    Google Scholar 

  51. W. Coker: Music & Meaning: A Theoretical Introduction to Musical Aesthetics (Free Press, New York 1972)

    Google Scholar 

  52. J. Broeckx: Muziek, Ratio en Affect: Over de Wisselwerking van Rationeel Denken en Affectief Beleven bij Voortbrengst en Ontvangst van Muziek (Metropolis, Antwerp 1981)

    Google Scholar 

  53. M. Merleau-Ponty: Phénoménologie de la Perception (Gallimard, Paris 1969)

    Google Scholar 

  54. M. Leman, P.-J. Maes: Music perception and embodied music cognition. In: The Routledge Handbook of Embodied Cognition, ed. by L. Shapiro (Routledge, New York 2014) pp. 81–89

    Google Scholar 

  55. M. Leman, P.-J. Maes: The role of embodiment in the perception of music, Empir. Musicol. Rev. 9(3/4), 236–246 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  56. A. Camurri, G. Volpe, G. de Poli, M. Leman: Communicating expressiveness and affect in multimodal interactive systems, IEEE Multimed. 12(1), 43–53 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. R. Godøy: Gestural affordances of musical sound. In: Musical Gestures: Sound, Movement, and Meaning, ed. by R. Godøy, M. Leman (Routledge, New York 2010) pp. 103–125

    Google Scholar 

  58. J. Krueger: Affordances and the musically extended mind, Front. Psychol. 4(1003), 1–13 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  59. L. Henbing, M. Leman: A gesture-based typology of sliding-tones in guqin music, J. New Music Res. 36(2), 61–82 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. H. Penttinen, J. Pakarinen, V. Valimaki, M. Laurson, H. Li, M. Leman: Model-based sound synthesis of the guqin, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120(6), 4052–4063 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. H. Penttinen, J. Pakarinen, V. Vlimki, M. Laurson, M. Kuuskankare, H. Li, M. Leman: Aspects on physical modeling of a chinese string instrument – The guqin. In: Proc. 9th Int. Congr. Acoust (2007) pp. 2–7

    Google Scholar 

  62. R. Godøy: Quantal elements in musical experience. In: Sound–Perception–Performance, Current Research in Systematic Musicology, ed. by R. Bader (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 2013) pp. 113–128

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  63. R. Godøy: Understanding coarticulation in music. In: Sound, Music, and Motion, ed. by M. Aramaki, O. Derrien, R. Kronland-Martinet, S. Ystad (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  64. C. Palmer: Music performance, Annu. Rev. Psychol. 48(1), 115–138 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. B. Vines, C. Krumhansl, M. Wanderley, D. Levitin: Cross-modal interactions in the perception of musical performance, Cognition 101(1), 80–113 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. F. Desmet, L. Nijs, M. Demey, M. Lesaffre, J.-P. Martens, M. Leman: Assessing a clarinet player’s performer gestures in relation to locally intended musical targets, J. New Music Res. 41(1), 31–48 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. D. Amelynck: The Analysis of Bodily Gestures in Response to Music: Methods for Embodied Music Cognition Based on Machine Learning, Ph. D. Thesis (Ghent University, Ghent 2014)

    Google Scholar 

  68. B. Burger, M. Thompson, G. Luck, S. Saarikallio, P. Toiviainen: Hunting for the beat in the body: On period and phase locking in music-induced movement, Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8(903), 1–16 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  69. B. Repp, Y.-H. Su: Sensorimotor synchronization: A review of recent research (2006–2012), Psychon. Bull. Rev. 20(3), 403–452 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. E. Van Dyck, D. Moelants, M. Demey, A. Deweppe, P. Coussement, M. Leman: The impact of the bass drum on human dance movement, Music Percept. 30(4), 349–359 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. B. Burger, M.R. Thompson, G. Luck, S. Saarikallio, P. Toiviainen: Influences of rhythm- and timbre-related musical features on characteristics of music-induced movement, Front. Psychol. 4(183), 1–10 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  72. B. Moens, C. Muller, L. van Noorden, M. Franěk, B. Celie, J. Boone, J. Bourgois, M. Leman: Encouraging spontaneous synchronisation with D-Jogger, an adaptive music player that aligns movement and music, PLoS One 9(12), 40 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  73. L. Van Noorden, D. Moelants: Resonance in the perception of musical pulse, J. New Music Res. 28(1), 43–66 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. M. Leman, D. Moelants, M. Varewyck, F. Styns, L. van Noorden, J.-P. Martens: Activating and relaxing music entrains the speed of beat synchronized walking, PloS One 8(7), e67932 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. L. Van Noorden, L. De Bruyn, R. Van Noorden, M. Leman: Embodied social synchronization in children's musical development. In: The Routledge Companion to Embodied Music Interaction, ed. by M. Lesaffre, P.-J. Maes, M. Leman (Routledge, New York 2017) pp. 195–204

    Google Scholar 

  76. S. Schütz-Bosbach, W. Prinz: Perceptual resonance: Action-induced modulation of perception, Trends Cogn. Sci. 11(8), 349–355 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  77. J.K. Witt: Action’s effect on perception, Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 20(3), 201–206 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. V. Halász, R. Cunnington: Unconscious effects of action on perception, Brain Sci. 2(2), 130–146 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  79. E. Van Dyck, P.-J. Maes, J. Hargreaves, M. Lesaffre, M. Leman: Expressing induced emotions through free dance movement, J. Nonverbal Behav. 37(3), 175–190 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  80. M. Varewyck, J.-P. Martens, M. Leman: Musical meter classification with beat synchronous acoustic features, DFT-based metrical features and support vector machines, J. New Music Res. 42(3), 267–282 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. L. Nijs, M. Leman: Interactive technologies in the instrumental music classroom: A longitudinal study with the music paint machine, Comput. Educat. 73(2014), 40–59 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  82. M. Lesaffre, L. Nijs, M. Leman: Interacting with music mediation technology for hearing impaired – First tests with normal hearing subjects. In: Proc. 2009 Eur. Soc. Cogn. Sci. Music Conf. (ESCOM) (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  83. O. Elschek: Die Musikforschung der Gegenwart (Stiglmayr, Wien-Föhrenau 1992)

    Google Scholar 

  84. M. Leman, A. Schneider: Origin and nature of cognitive and systematic musicology: An introduction. In: Music, Gestalt, and Computing-Studies in Cognitive and Systematic Musicology, ed. by M. Leman (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1997) pp. 13–29

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  85. P.-J. Maes, D. Amelynck, M. Lesaffre, D. Arvind, M. Leman: The ``Conducting Master'': An interactive, real-time gesture monitoring system based on spatiotemporal motion templates, Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Interact. 29(7), 471–487 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  86. P.-J. Maes, D. Amelynck, M. Leman: Dance-the-Music: An educational platform for the modeling, recognition and audiovisual monitoring of dance steps using spatiotemporal motion templates, EURASIP J. Adv. Signal Process. 2012(35), 1–16 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  87. L. Nijs, P. Coussement, B. Moens, D. Amelynck, M. Lesaffre, M. Leman: Interacting with the music paint machine: Relating the constructs of flow experience and presence, Interact. Comput. 24(4), 237–250 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. P.-J. Maes, M. Leman, K. Kochman, M. Lesaffre, M. Demey: The ``One-Person-Choir'': A multidisciplinary approach to the development of an embodied human–computer interface, Comput. Music J. 35(2), 22–35 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  89. B. Moens, L. van Noorden, M. Leman: D-Jogger: Syncing music with walking. In: Proc. SMC Conf. 2010, Barcelona (Universidad Pompeu Fabra) (2010) pp. 451–456

    Google Scholar 

  90. M. Leman, M. Demey, M. Lesaffre, L. van Noorden, D. Moelants: Concepts, technology and assessment of the social music game ``Sync-in-Team''. In: Proc. 2009 Int. Conf. Comput. Sci. Eng., Vol. 4, ed. by J. Calder (IEEE Computer Society, Vancouver 2009) pp. 837–842

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  91. M. Demey, C. Müller, M. Leman: DanSync: A platform to study entrainment and joint-action during spontaneous dance in the context of a social music game. In: INTETAIN 2013, Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, Vol. 124, ed. by M. Mancas, N. d’Alessandro, X. Siebert, B. Gosselin, C. Valderrama, T. Dutoit (Springer, Mons 2013) pp. 124–135

    Google Scholar 

  92. M. Clayton, B. Dueck, L. Leante (Eds.): Experience and Meaning in Music Performance (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  93. N. Moran: Music, bodies and relationships: An ethnographic contribution to embodied cognition studies, Psychol. Music 41(1), 5–17 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  94. F. Bonini-Baraldi: Tsiganes, Musique et Empathie (Editions de la maison des sciences de l’homme, Paris 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  95. M. Rahaim: Musicking Bodies: Gesture and Voice in Hindustani Music (Wesleyan Univ. Press, Middletown 2012)

    Google Scholar 

  96. E. Wilf: School for Cool: The Academic Jazz Program and the Paradox of Institutionalized Creativity (Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago 2014)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  97. M. Leman: The Expressive Moment: How Interaction (with Music) Shapes Human Empowerment (MIT Press, Cambridge 2016)

    Google Scholar 

  98. M. Lesaffre, P.-J. Maes, M. Leman (Eds.): The Routledge Companion to Embodied Music Interaction (Routledge, New York 2017)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPEM – Musicology, Department of Art, Music and Theatre Sciences, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Marc Leman

  2. IPEM – Musicology, Department of Art, Music and Theatre Sciences, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Pieter-Jan Maes

  3. IPEM – Musicology, Department of Art, Music and Theatre Sciences, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Luc Nijs

  4. IPEM – Musicology, Department of Art, Music and Theatre Sciences, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 44, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Edith Van Dyck

Authors
  1. Marc Leman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pieter-Jan Maes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luc Nijs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Edith Van Dyck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Leman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Systematic Musicology, University of Hamburg, Neue Rabenstr. 13, 20354, Hamburg, Germany

    Rolf Bader

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Leman, M., Maes, PJ., Nijs, L., Van Dyck, E. (2018). What Is Embodied Music Cognition?. In: Bader, R. (eds) Springer Handbook of Systematic Musicology. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55004-5_34

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55004-5_34

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-55002-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-55004-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation