Mediant Mixture and "Blue Notes" in Rock

An Exploratory Study

Bibliographic Data

ID4390632
AuthorsDavid Temperley (0000-0002-0569-7877, Eastman School of Music), Iris Ren (Utrecht University), Iris Yuping Ren (0000-0002-2121-1398, Utrecht University), Zhiyao Duan (0000-0002-8334-9974, University of Rochester)
Year2017
Volume23
Issue1
Publication date2017-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMusic Theory Online (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1067-3040 • E-ISSN: 1067-3040
PublisherSociety for Music Theory (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.30535/mto.23.1.7
OpenAlexW2613762353
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

Rock features extensive use of mediant mixture, that is, the use of both scale-degrees3̂and ♭3̂within a song; it also has been said to employ "blue notes" that fall between these two degrees. In this study we explore these issues, seeking to gain a better understanding of the use of mediant mixture and blue notes in rock. In addition to conventional aural analysis, we use an automatic pitch-tracking algorithm that identifies pitch contours with high accuracy. We focus on the Jackson 5's "ABC"; several other songs and sections of songs are also considered briefly. Our tentative conclusions are that choices between3̂and ♭3̂in rock are complex but principled, guided by a small set of interacting preferences, and that blue notes are uncommon but do occasionally occur

Art · Visual arts · Music and Audio Processing · Music Technology and Sound Studies · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Psychology

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