Relationships Between Pitch Memory in Short Melodies and Selected Factors

This study investigated relationships between memory for pitch in short melodies and melody length, tonal structure, melodic contour, and music perception ability. Results indicated that all these factors interact to some degree with memory. The factors demonstrating the greatest influence were music perception ability (a product of previous music learning), and tonal structure (the degree of relationships among the pitches of a melody, commonly described as tonality or atonality). Memory for pitch improved as the number of pitches in a melody decreased. Certain melodic contours also caused variations in pitch memory.