Reaction, Anticipation and Accent in a Gravitational Pitch Space: Commentary on Ammirante and Thompson

Ammirante and Thompson's intriguing article aims to enhance the ecological validity of their previous findings (Ammirante, Thompson, & Russo, in press) by using music-like melodic stimuli, rather than random pitch sequences. In line with this aim, I will briefly discuss three issues that may be taken into account in relating the motion-like qualities of melody to music and music-related behavior (finger tapping). First, I suggest how the authors' hypotheses may be examined within a context in which tapping is affected by expectancies for a specific melodic continuation. Second, I discuss how timing and velocity changes associated with melodic distance and contour may give rise to a prototypical joint accent structure, integrating melodic, agogic and dynamic accent. Finally, I note a possible confound of melodic direction and tonality in Ammirante and Thompson's stimuli, and suggest ways to examine the effects of these two dimensions separately.