Evolution of timing through instrumental practice by violinists and clarinettists

1. Background Timing is one of the most studied topics in music perception research. Tapping tasks are commonly used to study perception and motor skills, and timing in music performance is considered as a prime factor in expressivity. Despite this, the evolution of timing skills from beginning musicians to professional players has rarely been studied. One aspect which is of particular interest is the effect of the musical instrument that is used. The violin and the clarinet are instruments that use completely different techniques and as such require different skills from the performers. Do these difference also lead to a different sense of timing? And do these differences persist with increasing skill level or do they gradually disappear? 2. Aim Give a view on how the timing of instrumentalists evolves through practice and see if the choice of the instrument has an influence on it. 3. Methods Four simple rhythms were presented using a synchronization-continuation paradigm: a simple regular pulse at 120 bpm, a dotted pattern (3:1), a long-short-short pattern (2:1:1) and an irregular ‘8/8’-pattern (3:3:2). 100 musicians participated, half of them violists, half clarinettists, divided in 5 skill levels from beginners to professionals. Their performances were recorded and the timing was analyzed in terms of synchronization, tempo and micro-timing. 4. Results A clear evolution of timing is visible for both instrument groups. The timing becomes more regular and synchronization more precise. Already with beginning players we see differences between the two instruments, clearly related to technical difficulties. Interestingly, some of these elements of micro-timing persist and are found even with professional performers. For example, violinist tend to play the dotted pattern less ‘sharp’ (decreasing the 3:1-ratio) than clarinettists. 5. Conclusion This study gives a view on how timing evolves during the formation of musicians. It also shows that the choice of the instrument has an effect on the timing of professional musicians