Limits to Universality in Segmentation of Simple Melodies

We investigate universality and adherence to the Gestalt principles of perceptual organization in parsing simple melodies. Structural segmentation of simple melodies was assessed for varying levels of musical experience. Results show that experienced listeners show less variance in their parses and significantly more exceptions to the Gestalt principles in their structural grouping than inexperienced listeners. It appears that Gestalt principles do not always prevail in melodic perception of Western tonal music. The structural grouping of simple melodies appears to be influenced by musical experience and perception of melodic structure, supporting a memory-based mechanism of music perception rather than a universal, rule-based mechanism