Rhythm and Beat Perception

Abstract

From established musicians to musical novices, humans perceive temporal patterns in music and respond to them. There is much that we still do not understand, however, about how the temporal patterns of music are processed in the brain. Understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie processing of temporal sequences will help us learn why humans perceive the temporal regularities, or periodicities, in musical rhythms. Therefore, in this chapter, we discuss the latest findings in beat perception research, touching on both behavioral and neuroimaging findings from studies that have used electroencephalography (EEGelectroencephalogram/electroencephalography (EEG)), magnetoencephalography (MEGmagnetoencephalography (MEG)), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRIfunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMStranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)). Overall, the findings establish the importance of both auditory and motor brain areas in rhythm and beat processing. The authors also discuss the implications of beat perception research and highlight the challenges currently facing the field.