This study investigates how audiences judge the amount of togetherness between musicians during duo performances. Specifically, this research analyses how certain audio and visual aspects of interperformer coordination relate to togetherness ratings. Thirty participants with varying music background took part in the study. They watch and/or listen to a set of duo recordings and rated how much togetherness between musicians they perceived.
We found that, in novices, higher ratings of togetherness correspond to higher sound intensity of the recordings and higher similarity in right arm motion. We also observed that, in semi-professional musicians, higher ratings of togetherness relate to tighter sound synchronization and higher coordination of musicians’ chest motion.
These results suggest the relevance of the quality of body motion coordination and of certain features of the audio outputs in the audience perception of togetherness.
For more information, see:
D’Amario, S., Goebl, W. & Bishop, L. (2022). Judgment of togetherness in performances by musical duos. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 997752. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.997752