Measurement,Prediction,and Training of Harmonic Audiation and Performance Skills

Abstract

The main purposes of this study were to test music majors' abilities to harmonize notated melodies and recorded melodies with chord symbols, and to perform harmonic accompaniments to recorded melodies; measure the effectiveness of a harmonic audiation and performance training program; and measure the predictive power of eight independent variables on harmonic audiation and performance skills. Six subtests were administered in a pre-post design to 45 instrumental music education majors, 22 of whom received training via the taped training program in the interim. The results suggested that the training program was effective in improving subjects' abilities to harmonize simple melodic patterns; that melodic echo-playing ability was highly correlated with and predictive of harmonic audiation and performance; that keyboard study had particularly weak relationships with harmonic audiation and performance; and that subjects were much better able to represent harmony implied by notated melodies than to represent or perform harmony implied by taped melodies.

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