Perception and Production of Staccato Articulation on the Piano

Skilled pianists were requested to interactively adjust note (i.e., key depression) durations in simple sequences, played under computer control on a digital piano, so as to sound optimally staccato (perception task) and to perform analogous sequences with staccato articulation on the same instrument as well as on a real piano (production task). The independent variables were tempo, register, and pitch step size; also, in production, hand and sequential position. Note durations increased significantly as tempo decreased in both perception and production, but there were large individual differences in the magnitude of these effects. Note durations were longer in production than in perception, and longer on the digital than on the real piano. In perception but not in production, low notes were assigned shorter durations than high notes. There were complex effects of sequential note position, in part due to metrical structure. The results illustrate some of the factors that influence staccato articulation, and they also reveal some discrepancies between perception and production of staccato. In particular, it seems that produced staccato is not necessarily perceptually staccato. Repp: Staccato articulation Page 3