Theoretical and empirical advances in understanding musical rhythm, beat and metre

Abstract

The rhythmic elements of music are integral to experiences such as singing, musical emotions, the urge to dance and playing a musical instrument. Thus, studies of musical rhythm are an especially fertile ground for the development of innovative theories of complex naturalistic behaviour. In this Review, we first synthesize behavioural and neural studies of musical rhythm, beat and metre perception. Then, we describe key theories and models of these abilities, including nonlinear oscillator models and predictive-coding models, to clarify the extent to which they overlap in their mechanistic proposals and make distinct testable predictions. Next, we review studies of development and genetics to shed further light on the psychological and neural basis of rhythmic abilities and provide insight into the evolutionary and cultural origins of music. Last, we outline future research opportunities to integrate behavioural and genetics studies with computational modelling and neuroscience studies to better understand musical behaviour. Rhythmic elements including beat and metre are integral to human experiences of music. In this Review, Snyder and colleagues discuss leading theories of rhythm perception and synthesize relevant behavioural, neural and genetic findings.