Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2008. / System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Accompanied by 3 recitals, recorded Apr. 22, 2007, Nov. 11, 2007, and Apr. 6, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-50).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Lenore M. Pogonowski. Dissertation Committee: Harold F. Abeles. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-125).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of trained musicians and musically untrained college students to discriminate music instrument timbre as a function of duration. Specific factors investigated were the thresholds for timbre discrimination as a function of duration, musical ensemble participation as training, and the relative discrimination abilities of vocalists and instrumentalists. Under the conditions of this study, it can be concluded that the threshold for timbre discrimination as a function of duration is at or below 20 ms. Even though trained musicians tended to discriminate timbre better than musically untrained college students, musicians cannot discriminate timbre significantly better then those subjects who have not participated in musical ensembles. Additionally, instrumentalists tended to discriminate timbre better than vocalists, but the discrimination is not significantly different. Recommendations for further research include suggestions for a timbre discrimination measurement tool that takes into consideration the multidimensionality of timbre and the relationship of timbre discrimination to timbre source, duration, pitch, and loudness.

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical elements which experienced trombonists associate with selected descriptors in characterizing the tone quality of that instrument. Stimuli sampled from live trombone tones and synthesized into musical phrases represented 17 variations in (1) presence/absence of attack transient, (2) rise time, (3) duration, (4) number of harmonics, (5) upper limit of harmonicity (6) spectral envelope shape, and (7) frequency.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral--Technische Universität, Berlin). / Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-327).