Music and Probability
David Temperley
In Music and Probability, David Temperley explores issues in music                  perception and cognition from a probabilistic perspective. The application of                  probabilistic ideas to music has been pursued only sporadically over the past four                  decades, but the time is ripe, Temperley argues, for a reconsideration of how                  probabilities shape music perception and even music itself. Recent advances in the                  application of probability theory to other domains of cognitive modeling, coupled                  with new evidence and theoretical insights about the working of the musical mind,                  have laid the groundwork for more fruitful investigations. Temperley proposes                  computational models for two basic cognitive processes, the perception of key and                  the perception of meter, using techniques of Bayesian probabilistic modeling.                  Drawing on his own research and surveying recent work by others, Temperley explores                  a range of further issues in music and probability, including transcription, phrase                  perception, pattern perception, harmony, improvisation, and musical styles.Music and                  Probability--the first full-length book to explore the application of probabilistic                  techniques to musical issues--includes a concise survey of probability theory, with                  simple examples and a discussion of its application in other domains. Temperley                  relies most heavily on a Bayesian approach, which not only allows him to model the                  perception of meter and tonality but also sheds light on such perceptual processes                  as error detection, expectation, and pitch identification. Bayesian techniques also                  provide insights into such subtle and advanced issues as musical ambiguity, tension,                  and "grammaticality," and lead to interesting and novel predictions about                  compositional practice and differences between musical styles.