Coupling factors, visual rhythms, and synchronization ratios

The inter-group entrainment study by Lucas, Clayton, and Leante (2011) is an interesting research report that advances studies in both empirical ethnomusicology and entrainment research in several ways, and provides an important addition to the much needed empirical case studies on musical entrainment. I submit that the authors’ analysis of an instant of resistance to entrainment is a key demonstration of the complementarity of analytical and ethnographic approaches in entrainment research. Further, I suggest that the evidence for the influence of visual information on entrainment supports the idea that there are two types of visuo-temporal information, each with different influence on the entrainment process, those derived from static and those from moving visual objects. As a final point, I argue that if we take into consideration the possibility of higher-order synchronization, some of the authors’ interpretations would need modification. Submitted 2011 December 31; accepted 2012 January 29.